As Li Nanzhu completed the final stroke of the arcane trajectory, the pale gold composite spirit lead trembled slightly before dissolving into countless fine points of light. Like pebbles tossed into a still lake, they vanished silently into the surrounding bronze walls and the floor.
At first, everything remained unchanged.
But a mere breath later—
Hum!
A low, distant vibration echoed from deep within the bronze walls. Across the surfaces and the floor, the intricate patterns that had been nothing more than static designs were suddenly set ablaze with light!
The bronze-colored radiance flowed rapidly along the veins of the engravings, spreading and intertwining until every inch of space within sight was covered in the blink of an eye.
The entire interior of the Domain of Silence was shrouded in a soft yet undeniable bronze glow, making it feel as though they were standing inside an ancient bronze temple.
The invisible barrier that had been suppressing all sound and divine sense dissolved and disintegrated the moment the light rose.
The air regained its sense of flow, divine sense perceptions became unobstructed, and even the faint sounds of each other's heartbeats and breathing became clearly audible once more.
"The restriction… it's gone!" Duan Xianxing was the first to cry out. His voice was slightly hoarse from the long silence, but his excitement and joy were unmistakable.
Though the other three did not speak, the tension on their faces vanished instantly, replaced by looks of profound relief.
Li Nanzhu was the first to sit cross-legged, taking out a pill to swallow before closing her eyes to circulate her cultivation method.
While breaking the Domain of Silence had seemed like a clever trick, it had actually demanded an immense toll on her mind and required extremely precise control over her thoughts. She felt a palpable sense of exhaustion.
However, just as the five of them entered a meditative state, the humming did not disappear with the lifting of the restriction. Instead, once the bronze radiance filled the entire space, the sound grew grander, as if some slumbering mechanism had been fully activated!
Immediately following that, the patterns flowing with bronze radiance on the walls flared brilliantly. Countless lines of light detached themselves from the engravings!
The glare was so intense it was nearly blinding.
The five of them instinctively halted their meditation and leaped to their feet, forming a defensive formation back-to-back as they watched their surroundings warily.
The lines of light that had detached from the patterns coalesced rapidly in mid-air, transforming into five hazy, bronze-colored phantoms!
Their silhouettes were blurred, but they were clearly humanoid, and they appeared to be holding weapons condensed from light.
"I thought we broke it? Why are there still guards?" Duan Xianxing gripped his sword tighter, his expression shifting.
"I'm afraid… breaking the restriction was only the first step." Jiang Yifan quickly scanned the five phantoms as they solidified. "The true test of the Domain of Silence might only be starting now."
"Five of them, five of us… do they correspond to us?" Zhu Yinxi analyzed calmly, his grip tightening on his long flute.
The five bronze phantoms solidified completely. They had no facial features or details—only humanoid outlines and the rough shapes of the light-weapons in their hands: a saber, a sword, a spear, an axe, and a whip.
"It seems we won't be able to leave unless we defeat them." Zhu Yinxi held the flute to his lips. No melody played yet, but spiritual energy was already being poured into it, preparing him for battle at any moment.
Li Nanzhu took a deep breath, and the Wanxiang Brush slid into her palm.
She understood that this was likely the final trial the Domain of Silence imposed on those who broke its code. Wisdom and cooperation were not enough; one needed matching strength to face guards manifested from the restriction itself.
"Each of you handle one. Finish this quickly, and watch each other's backs!" Zhu Yinxi commanded in a low voice. "Test their mettle and find their weaknesses!"
Before his voice could fade, the five bronze phantoms seemed to receive the signal for war. They moved simultaneously!
They turned into five streaks of bronze light, darting toward the Five Elements Dao Sect group with such speed that they left afterimages in the void.
Li Nanzhu faced the phantom wielding the long saber.
Before the blade's light even reached her, an incredibly heavy saber intent descended upon her.
She did not meet it head-on. With shifting footwork, she evaded the sharp strike while simultaneously thrusting the Wanxiang Brush forward. A silent attack lunged toward the phantom’s wrist—regardless of what kind of entity this phantom was, testing its points of exertion was always the right first move.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Boom!
Fierce clashes erupted across the five combat zones almost at the same time!
After only a single exchange, the hearts of the Five Elements Dao Sect members sank.
The strength of these bronze phantoms far exceeded their expectations!
They didn't possess complex moves or variations, but every strike was heavy and powerful, carrying a pure will to fight. Moreover, they seemed to have an incredible adaptability and resistance toward the group's attacks.
Spiritual energy attacks yielded half the usual results when striking them, and physical attacks felt like hitting indestructible bronze; the recoil alone made their arms go numb.
More troublesome was the invisible connection between them. There was a faint sense of coordination in their offense and defense. The group’s plan to fight individually and end it quickly was hindered from the very first contact.
"These guys are tough! Their defense and power are too high!"
"Their attacks carry a quality of breaking dharma. My sonic interference is having limited effect!" Zhu Yinxi’s flute didn't stop, but his brows were furrowed deep.
Li Nanzhu's battle with the saber-wielding phantom had also fallen into a stalemate.
Her attacks were exquisite and varied, but the opponent’s style was wide-open and powerful, using brute force to overcome ingenuity. The saber's momentum was heavy and continuous, making it difficult for her to find an opening for a fatal blow.
"We can't keep grinding like this!" Li Nanzhu's mind raced. "These phantoms are condensed from the restriction's energy. They can likely fight indefinitely, while our spiritual energy is limited! We must find their core or weakness!"
While circling the saber-phantom, she spread a portion of her awareness to observe the entire battlefield, simultaneously recalling her insights into the wall patterns from when she broke the restriction.
The appearance of these phantoms was synchronized with the activation of the wall patterns. Their source of power… was very likely still linked to the rules of this space and those engravings!
"Second Senior Brother! Try to use sonic waves to resonate with the wall patterns!" Li Nanzhu suddenly shouted. Simultaneously, she swung her brush to deflect a saber strike and retreated rapidly, her eyes sweeping over the glowing patterns on the walls.
Hearing this, Zhu Yinxi’s flute melody shifted abruptly from sharp and lethal to ethereal and distant. The sonic waves were no longer directed mainly at the spear-phantom; instead, they spread toward the surrounding bronze walls, attempting to establish a connection with the lingering spiritual light fluctuations in the patterns!
The moment Zhu Yinxi’s special resonant sonic waves touched the engravings, the bronze light of the entire space rippled slightly. Correspondingly, the spear-phantom he was fighting experienced a microscopic hesitation in its movements!
It was only a split second, but it was enough for the highly focused Zhu Yinxi and the ever-observant Li Nanzhu to catch it!
"It’s working!" A sharp glint burst from Li Nanzhu's eyes. "These phantoms share the same energy source as the patterns! Attacking the phantoms themselves is inefficient; disrupting their energy source is the way! Coordinate with Second Senior Brother! Use your respective spiritual energy characteristics to interfere with or even cut off the connection between the phantoms and the patterns!"
Hearing this, the spirits of the other three soared!
Their tactics changed instantly. They shifted from head-on confrontation to interfering with and seizing control of the environment and the energy source!
This shift indeed threw the five bronze phantoms out of rhythm!
Their pure and powerful attacks began to show uncoordinated gaps. Their movements would be fluid one moment and stagnant the next, and the bronze light flowing over them flickered unevenly.
Clearly, without the stable and continuous energy support from the wall patterns, the endurance and power of these phantoms were severely affected.
"Now! Take them down one by one!" Li Nanzhu saw her chance and gave a sharp cry, charging straight at a slightly dim spot on the saber-phantom's torso!
Ssh!
With a light sound, the saber-phantom’s body suddenly stiffened. Starting from the point Li Nanzhu struck, cracks spread across its body like a spiderweb. Finally, with a bang, it dissolved into a cloud of bronze light points and vanished.
Almost simultaneously, with the coordinated interference from his teammates, Jiang Yifan found an opening and pierced through the core of the sword-phantom with a single strike.
As the final bronze phantom dissipated, the humming in the space finally settled into silence.
The light from the patterns on the walls and floor dimmed rapidly, returning to their original appearance, though the engravings seemed a bit more distinct than before.
Hum!
A burst of white light erupted from within the bronze wall, forming a stable vortex.
Beyond the vortex, the passage to the next stage was faintly visible!
"Let's go!"
The five of them turned into five streaks of light and charged in, their figures instantly swallowed by the light gate!
Boom!
A second after they disappeared, the entire overstimulated bronze hall and its talisman array collapsed inward, completely annihilating and returning to pure energy as it merged back into the illusion itself.
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