Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

The Array was composed of countless patterns, which crisscrossed to outline a massive, illusory Xuanwu.

The Xuanwu loomed over the Xuanwu Tribe, its entire body emanating an astonishing aura. Its enormous eyes were like two blazing suns, their divine radiance illuminating everything in all directions!

The entirety of Xuanwu City was thrown into an uproar. Even the Cultivators on the city’s outskirts were filled with horror, their spirits trembling.

This was the aura of the great city-warding Xuanwu Array!

This Forbidden Array enveloped the entire Xuanwu City, safeguarding all life within it.

But who in the Black Triangle would dare cause trouble in Xuanwu City? Thus, while everyone knew of the Forbidden Array’s existence, no one had seen it activated in a thousand years.

Yet today, the great city-warding Xuanwu Array had been activated!

This left countless people shocked and bewildered. ‘What on earth is happening at the Xuanwu Tribe?’

One disturbance after another… ‘Has a powerful enemy really invaded?’

‘But what kind of entity would dare to cause trouble in the Xuanwu Tribe?’

The illusory Xuanwu was colossal, stretching across the sky. With a single stomp, it unleashed a torrent of Spiritual Power that blotted out the heavens as it surged toward Ye Chen.

Ye Chen didn’t even spare the illusory Xuanwu a glance. Though a potent sense of crisis churned within him, he forced himself to stay calm, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the pattern on the bronze pillar.

BOOM!

The Profound Armor Combat Puppet had sprung into action! It stood before the illusory Xuanwu, its presence overwhelming.

But the city-warding Xuanwu Array was clearly immensely powerful, far beyond what any ordinary Divine Might Realm Cultivator could match.

In the blink of an eye, the Profound Armor Combat Puppet was sent flying. Its body was now covered in cracks, and many of its components were damaged, making it look as though it might fall apart at any moment.

Despite the incredible time pressure, Ye Chen seized the opportunity to sense the presence of the Xuanwu Fire Seed!

The three Divine Beast Fire Seeds in his body seemed to form a strange resonance with the Xuanwu Fire Seed, and an incredibly profound fluctuation rippled out from Ye Chen.

It was as if the Xuanwu Fire Seed had sensed something kindred, and it began to emit waves of joyous emotional pulses.

Just as the Xuanwu totem began to glow and the Xuanwu Fire Seed was about to emerge…

At that very moment, a strange light suddenly spread across the bronze pillar, suppressing the Xuanwu Fire Seed’s restless energy!

“What?” Ye Chen’s eyes narrowed.

‘This is the first time I’ve ever encountered a situation like this!’

‘It seems there’s some kind of seal on this bronze pillar, trapping the Xuanwu Fire Seed and preventing it from breaking free!’

“It seems that Clan Leader who possessed the Xuanwu Fire Seed was no simple character. He anticipated this and left a countermeasure in place!”

Jie Ling’s voice echoed in Ye Chen’s mind. “You keep trying to get the Xuanwu Fire Seed. I’ll handle things over here.”

With that, Jie Ling activated the power of the Jasper Gold Seal. Countless strands of Space Law wove together behind Ye Chen, forming an immense, invisible barrier.

The Xuanwu Array’s power furiously bombarded the barrier, creating a cascade of ripples across its surface, but it failed to reach Ye Chen.

Ye Chen was slightly taken aback. ‘Right now, Jie Ling seems incredibly reliable, not at all like her usual self with no combat power.’

It made him wonder if Jie Ling had recovered more of her fragmented memories during the time he had been inert.

Of course, this was no time for idle speculation. Ye Chen focused his Divine Soul, trying to sense the Xuanwu Fire Seed, but the seal on the bronze pillar quickly blocked him.

“Stop right now!”

Meanwhile, Xiang Wei had already charged in. He brandished his longsword, its piercing cold light transforming into a world-ending storm of Sword Qi that engulfed Ye Chen.

BOOM!

A world-shaking dragon’s roar echoed, utterly destroying the vast storm of Sword Qi. The violent force sent Xiang Wei flying far into the distance.

But Ye Chen didn’t press his advantage. Instead, he took the opportunity to continue trying to break the seal on the bronze pillar.

The illusory Xuanwu loomed high in the sky. A blazing divine light shot out from its huge, disk-like eyes, bombarding the spatial barrier.

This attack was undeniably stronger than the previous one. In an instant, the spatial barrier began to creak under the strain, looking as if it might shatter at any moment.

“…The Jasper Gold Seal was too heavily damaged in the spatial turbulence. Things are a bit better now, but its vital energy is far from restored.”

“Otherwise, this Forbidden Array would never be able to break through my defenses!”

A trace of helplessness tinged Jie Ling’s cool, melodic voice.

Clearly, the Xuanwu Array’s power was too great; she had a feeling she couldn’t hold out for much longer.

“It doesn’t matter!”

“This bit of time is enough!”

Ye Chen spoke in a low voice, driving his Divine Soul to clash with the sealing power on the bronze pillar.

“Aren’t you done yet?”

“The space tunnel is almost fully formed! That guy is about to come after us!”

Jie Ling’s voice was grave. Once Tan Jingyu arrived, they would be in serious trouble!

“Almost!” Ye Chen felt a surge of anxiety, but he forced himself to remain calm.

‘At a time like this, the more anxious I get, the more I have to avoid panicking. Haste makes waste.’

BOOM!

At Jie Ling’s command, a bolt of power condensed from Space Law shot across the void and struck the space tunnel.

The space tunnel shuddered, flashing with a blinding, silver divine radiance. A furious voice echoed from within: “When I get there, I will grind you all to dust!”

Although Jie Ling had managed to slightly delay Tan Jingyu’s arrival, it did little to change their perilous situation.

Just as Jie Ling was about to strike again and destroy the space tunnel, the Xuanwu guards immediately manipulated the Xuanwu Array, unleashing torrents of power to block her assault.

BOOM!

The illusory Xuanwu stomped its foot. The entire sky was consumed by a blinding light as a vast torrent of power cascaded down like a waterfall, crashing toward Ye Chen.

Jie Ling’s expression was grim. Her figure materialized behind Ye Chen, and she pushed the Jasper Gold Seal’s power to its absolute limit to contend with the colossal, beast-like Xuanwu illusion in the sky.

‘It’s not the most desperate moment yet.’

‘As long as I can buy Ye Chen a little more time, we still have hope.’

But just then, Xiang Wei charged in again, sword in hand.

This time, his target wasn’t Ye Chen, but Jie Ling!

‘Dammit… why is this seal so tenacious?’

Ye Chen’s expression was grim, a sense of urgency rising within him.

He had to admit, the contingency Tan Jingyu had left behind was truly formidable.

‘I thought I saw a glimmer of hope, but now it’s gone. There’s just no way to get the Xuanwu Fire Seed.’