The sensation of the world spinning suddenly vanished.
Li Nanzhu snapped her eyes 'open' only to find herself in a completely foreign environment!
She was no longer on that bridge of light, but in a... desolate, deathly silent Gobi desert?
The sky was dark red, devoid of the sun, moon, or stars. There were only oppressive, blood-colored clouds that seemed frozen in place.
Beneath her feet was cracked, scorched earth, scattered with occasional withered bones and the rusted remains of weapons.
Several massive, severely weathered stone pillars stood in the distance like silent tombstones. The air was thick with a pungent, nauseating mix of sulfur, blood, and rot.
"Steady your minds! Check your own status!" Zhu Yinxi’s voice rang out immediately, carrying a reassuring power.
Li Nanzhu quickly looked inward and found that her spiritual energy was flowing without obstruction and her divine sense perception was clear. However, her body had a slight 'illusionary feeling' to it—she was clearly present in this illusion in her soul form.
She immediately looked toward her companions.
Zhu Yinxi and the other three were not far from her. They had all just stabilized themselves and were warily surveying the eerie Gobi.
The five of them instinctively stood back-to-back, forming a simple defensive circle.
"Is this the first illusion?" Duan Xianxing gripped his sword, his brow furrowed. "The malevolent energy in this hellhole is so heavy!"
"It looks like some kind of ancient battlefield ruin?" Jiang Yifan squinted, sensing the violent energy fluctuations lingering in the air. "Is the first stage a combat trial?"
"Not necessarily," Zhu Yinxi said coldly. "Illusions are ever-changing. It might not just be about slaughter. We need to figure out the stage requirements first."
Feng Weilan knelt, his fingers lightly touching the scorched earth. He frowned slightly. "There are chaotic spiritual energy imprints left in the soil. The traces of arrays here are very heavy."
Li Nanzhu also concentrated on sensing her surroundings. "This illusion feels... like it's more than just simple fighting. The arrangement of these stone pillars and the flow of energy in the air seem to follow a certain pattern..."
She vaguely felt that the layout of this Gobi desert coincided with the trajectory of an array.
Jiang Yifan nodded slightly, his gaze as sharp as a hawk as he scanned every suspicious corner. "Everyone be careful. In an illusion, what you see isn't necessarily real. Remember to watch for environmental anomalies and be ready to face the enemy at any time!"
The moment he finished speaking—
"Awoooo!"
A shrill, violent wolf howl suddenly erupted from behind those distant stone pillars!
Then came a second howl, and a third... A chorus of howls rose, merging into a wave of sound that made one's heart skip a beat!
Dust billowed as the ground trembled slightly!
Suddenly, dozens of black shadows lunged from behind the stone pillars!
They were as large as calves, covered in dark red, hardened fur. Their eyes were blood-red, their fangs were exposed, and their saliva sizzled with corrosion as it hit the ground.
These were red-blood demonic wolves, tier 3 demonic beasts. Their numbers were staggering—there were more than twenty of them!
"A wolf pack! Prepare for battle!" Zhu Yinxi barked. His spiritual energy surged, and a frigid killing intent instantly spread.
"Perfect timing! Let me stretch my limbs!" Duan Xianxing showed no fear; instead, he excitedly licked his lips. He flicked his long sword, and sword qi erupted!
Feng Weilan's hands quickly formed seals. Several streaks of earthy yellow spiritual light sank into the ground as he said deeply, "The ground is unusual. Watch out for traps!"
Li Nanzhu also quickly performed a hand seal. Several talismans flashing with various lights were already held between her fingers. Fortunately, even though they had entered an illusion, the talismans in her storage bag were still usable. While preparing to attack, she rapidly observed the wolves' charge formation and the surrounding environment.
The wolf pack was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, they had crossed half the field, bringing a stench-filled wind with them!
However, at the exact moment the pack was about to enter attack range, another change occurred!
Dozens of eerie, blood-colored runes suddenly lit up on the Gobi floor!
The seven or eight wolves leading the charge had barely touched the glowing runes when they let out shrill screams. Their massive bodies were crushed by an invisible, gargantuan force, instantly exploding into clouds of blood mist!
The following wolves screeched to a halt in fear, growling anxiously and not daring to step forward.
"There are traps in the ground!" Duan Xianxing exclaimed.
"It's an array! An offensive restriction!" Feng Weilan said immediately.
Although Feng Weilan did not specialize in arrays, he had spent years following Feng Qingping. Having been influenced by what he saw and heard, he had learned quite a lot.
"The positions of these runes follow a pattern! They form a fragmented killing array! But... the energy seems unstable. There are flaws!" Feng Weilan quickly judged.
Zhu Yinxi's eyes flashed, instantly understanding the key. "I see! The first stage isn't about simply killing the wolves! It's about using the lingering arrays here, or... finding a safe path to pass through this area?"
"Very likely!" Jiang Yifan said heavily. "The wolf pack is just a distraction and a threat. The real test is how to deal with this killing zone filled with traps!"
"Then what are we waiting for?" Duan Xianxing was eager to try. "Find a safe route, or find a way to trigger all the traps and kill these beasts!"
The five of them quickly exchanged looks and reached a consensus.
"Sixth Junior Brother, it's up to you!" Zhu Yinxi made a decisive call, his sharp gaze sweeping over the dangerous area filled with blood-colored runes. "Find the safe path or a way to trigger all the traps! We will protect you!"
"Understood."
Feng Weilan replied deeply, not daring to be negligent. He immediately held his breath and concentrated. His hands flew through hand seals as he carefully sensed the energy flow and interconnections of the blood-colored runes, as well as the structural pulse of the entire array.
Li Nanzhu, Duan Xianxing, and Jiang Yifan quickly formed a triangular formation to protect Feng Weilan in the center, warily watching the pack of red-blood demonic wolves that were growling anxiously nearby.
For a moment, a brief stalemate formed on the Gobi desert.
The wolves feared the ground traps and did not dare to charge. They could only continuously spit fireballs and wind blades for long-range harassment, but most were blocked by Duan Xianxing and Jiang Yifan working together.
Meanwhile, the group from the Five Elements Dao Sect waited for Feng Weilan's result in breaking the array.
Sweat began to bead on Feng Weilan's forehead, and his brow was tightly furrowed.
He had indeed learned much about arrays from Feng Qingping and was considered quite knowledgeable, but the killing array before him was fragmented yet interconnected. Its energy flow was extremely eerie and complex, suggesting the array master's attainments were exceptionally high.
He needed time to carefully deduce the patterns before he could find the hidden safe path or the key nodes to completely trigger all the traps.
"Three zhang to the left front, the kun position... the rune energy is congested... No, there seems to be a change..." Feng Weilan murmured to himself, his brow locked as he tried to deduce a safe path, but progress was slow.
As the minutes ticked by, the wolf pack became increasingly restless. They seemed to realize that the intruders were temporarily unable to break through the trap zone, so they began attempting to flank them from both sides to find a breakthrough point.
While using talismans to ward off attacks, Li Nanzhu watched Feng Weilan nervously. She could sense her sixth senior brother's struggle; this array was far beyond the level he usually encountered.
'If only Fifth Senior Sister were here...' The thought popped into her head uncontrollably.
With Feng Qingping's monstrous talent and attainments in arrays, she probably would have needed only a moment's observation to grasp the core laws of this array. She could have easily found several safe paths or even turned the tables, controlling the array to annihilate the entire wolf pack!
How could they be in such a difficult and passive position?
It had to be said that Cang Dongqing's strategic ban was truly ruthless and precise—it had struck them right in the main artery!
Li Nanzhu sighed inwardly.
Banning their fifth senior sister was equivalent to neutralizing the Five Elements Dao Sect's greatest advantage in these stages.
Cang Dongqing's judgment and choices regarding the situation were indeed formidable.
Rate on N.U.
