Life and death struggle.

Han Zhan's consciousness was on the brink of obliteration, descending into madness.

Before his consciousness fully dissipated, he hastily asked one last question.

"Making False into True requires consuming spiritual power, it's that black mist, isn't it!"

Across from him, Li Changhao, with a bloated belly and a deathly expression, opened his mouth but could no longer speak, only managing to nod slightly.

Receiving a confirmed answer, it felt like a splash of cold water hit Han Zhan's brain, bringing unprecedented clarity for a fleeting moment, and he thought of a way to break the situation.

"Let's go all out; life and death hinge on this move!"

"Fu Xi Zither, Ancient Resentful Sunset Array, rise for me!"

With a desperate shout from Han Zhan, black-colored array patterns appeared beneath his feet, exuding an ancient aura that spread outwards.

The massive black array pattern covered large portions of Deep Blue City,

gazing down from the sky, a gigantic black circular array rapidly formed in an instant!

Its pattern, ancient and intricate, outlined with flickering array patterns, appearing and disappearing at will.

"Where is the Battle Spirit?!"

Buzz——Buzz——

A melodious horn sound, of unknown origin, resonated, making the air seem denser.

In the silent night, streams of faint white spiritual light emerged within the black circular array!

One, two, three,

Hundreds, thousands, millions!

In the Battle of Yixieqi, billions of Yexieqi serpent hatchlings, slaughtered by Han Zhan and Gongyang Jin together, materialized as battle spirits within the Ancient Resentful Sunset Array.

The sudden appearance of such a terrifying number of battle spirits immediately filled the once spacious barrier.

Moreover,

upon being summoned, these battle spirits began to mutate, each either exploding to death, body covered in thick black fur, or growing multiple heads.

Yet simultaneously, Han Zhan and Li Changhao, who were initially undergoing mutation, abruptly halted the process.

Li Changhao, who had lost all hope earlier, incredulously looked at his shrinking belly, then at Han Zhan in disbelief.

"What did you do! How was the Brahma World's influence on us negated? This is impossible!"

The itching sensation at the back of Han Zhan's neck disappeared as well. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling a lingering sense of fear.

He knew he had bet correctly!

"I just expanded the number that the Red Moon black mist intended to pollute and mutate. When the number expands to a certain degree, the pollution level averages down to almost negligible for each mutated target."

"Within the Ancient Resentful Sunset Array, there are billions of Tier One Battle Spirits."

If the Red Moon black mist is a vat of black ink poured into a pool of clean water, it could easily contaminate and muddle it.

But if it's poured into an entire ocean? Perhaps it would have no impact at all.

That was Han Zhan's line of thinking.

Han Zhan's explanation caused Li Changhao to glance aside, taking a serious look at this "opponent" who had once beaten him senseless.

As the most talented of the young generation in the Li Family, Li Changhao had the backing of the entire family's resources, along with guidance and planning from renowned mentors. Han Zhan, however, was different.

From the time Han Zhan awakened as a Spirit Contract Master, to the point of advancing to the Tier Four Realm and breaking through the Eight Urgent Fist's Three Urgent, less than three months had passed.

If it were just a matter of cultivation talent, it would be indifferent; no matter how strong one's cultivation talent is, growing up would just make them a brute, unworthy of concern. But now, Han Zhan displayed another side, his quick wit and steadfast determination, never giving up.

With the addition of these qualities, Han Zhan's future achievements were immeasurable.

Li Changhao had witnessed numerous true geniuses, whether it be "Zero," the "monster" crafted at great cost by the Longevity Company, or Shang Jianhe of Can Shang Technology, known as the genius inventor of industrial intelligence,

these geniuses capable of determining the course of an era and the future all possessed similar traits.

The same traits Han Zhan possessed!

Now, he somewhat understood why his grandfather, Li Shutong, chose Han Zhan as his ninth student.

"What's with the daze?"

Han Zhan waved a hand in front of Li Changhao.

Though the mutation was diluted, Han Zhan's abnormalities still lingered faintly. His complexion was pale, and he was slightly out of breath.

"Hey, I'm asking you. Since you know this tool is called the Brahma World, do you know where the array eye is and how to dismantle this barrier?"

"I..."

Li Changhao snapped back to reality. Upon hearing Han Zhan's question, he thought for a while and shook his head.

"I don't know."

"Even the Tier Nine Insect Emperor Nightmare rarely uses the Brahma World tool; there's little information on it."

The scarce information was bought at the cost of High Tier Awakened ones' lives, Li Changhao silently added in his heart.

Without finding the array eye, they still couldn't escape this barrier.

More and more citizens of Deep Blue City would continue to die, turning into black mist pollution.

Han Zhan could care less about the pollution itself, but those ordinary people in Deep Blue City were innocent.

And then there's Teacher Li Shutong, now trapped in the same flesh-and-blood seal barrier with the Nightmare, his fate unknown.

...

Between the mountains and waters, in the mirror world.

Li Shutong sat cross-legged on the surface of a lake, his brow slightly lowered, showing no joy or sorrow.

Sitting directly opposite him was another indistinct silhouette shrouded in black mist, wearing a dark robe.

"It's been an hour; guess what happened to your precious student and granddaughter by now."

An indistinguishable voice emanated from within the black mist, akin to scratches on a coarse paper surface, its hoarse, piercing sound sending shivers down one's spine.

Li Shutong slowly opened his eyes, looking at the figure opposite, and uttered two words. "Unaffected."

"Oh? You have such confidence in them? Keep in mind, this is the Supreme Treasure [Brahma World] I obtained from the ruins. Do you think that they, with their capabilities, can unravel the barrier created by the Brahma World?"

Li Shutong's emotions remained unmoved, as if he had anticipated this.

"If they were dead, you wouldn't be here exchanging so much idle talk with me."

"If they were dead, you wouldn't need to live either."

These two statements from Li Shutong can be interpreted on two levels.

The humanoid form, transformed from the Tier Nine Insect Emperor Nightmare, within the black mist, frowned deeply.

"Your heart is like still water, unwavering. Truly worthy of the Great Xia War God name; I'm not your equal."

The Nightmare's tone is calm, but then it shifts sharply. "I don't need to be better than you; this move against you is merely an exchange. Holding you back; my mission is thus accomplished."

Li Shutong's brows furrowed slightly.

Beneath him, on the lake's mirror-smooth surface, faint ripples instantly propagated outward.

A colorless, shapeless transparent chain emerged from the lake's depths, binding itself around Li Shutong.

Amidst the Nightmare's astonishment, he suddenly burst into laughter.

"How ridiculous, how ridiculous!"

"Li Shutong, the dignified Great Xia War God, never would've imagined getting stabbed in the back, would you? Hahaha!"

"Li Shutong, your equanimity is disrupted."

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