The next morning, the two of them met, excitement clear as they compared the martial arts manuals they held. Li Muzhan gestured with the few booklets in his hand and chuckled, "Ten sets of Grandmaster techniques."

"I have twelve sets here," Li Yubing replied with a smile.

Li Muzhan nodded. "That makes twenty-two sets total. This Heavenly Dao Alliance is truly formidable!"

Li Yubing concurred. "The Heavenly Dao Alliance was once incredibly powerful; no one dared provoke them. They seized a massive collection of manuals then, wiping out many smaller sects."

Li Muzhan laughed. "Too much malice, that's why they vanished quickly... Shall we go up and check on that fellow named Tong?"

"He's still alive?" Li Yubing asked.

Li Muzhan replied, "He should be. After all, he is a Great Grandmaster with incredibly deep foundations. His cultivation is so profound that even the two of us combined wouldn't stand a chance against him!"

"That strong?" Li Yubing arched an eyebrow and smiled. "I sensed he was as vast as an abyss, which is why I dared not act rashly, but I never tested exactly how deep he runs."

"I tested a few times," Li Muzhan said. "His cultivation is truly too deep, almost beyond human limits. I have no idea how he cultivated it."

"It must be the Divine Possession Technique," Li Yubing mused for a moment, slowly adding, "Could it be that he's constantly running the Divine Possession Technique, which is why he's so formidable?"

Li Muzhan's brow twitched. After a moment of thought, he slowly nodded. "Highly possible. The aura around him is very similar to that of the divine statues!"

He looked up at the sky, paused for a long while, and then slowly nodded again. "It seems the Divine Possession Technique holds deeper mysteries— I think I understand something now. He might be using the Soul Devouring Art!"

"The Soul Devouring Art?" Li Yubing looked at him, confused.

Li Muzhan explained, "Drawing a deity into the body, and then devouring the deity!"

Li Yubing’s expression shifted slightly. "No way?"

Li Muzhan stated, "I've heard of this forbidden art. It's perverse and bizarre— the ultimate evil technique!"

"Who is he that he would use such a secret method?" Li Yubing's face grew solemn as she pondered. "If he can devour a deity, he can certainly devour people too. All those people who disappeared— could it be...?"

"Highly probable!" Li Muzhan said in a deep voice.

Li Yubing's face changed slightly. "Then, we should...?"

Li Muzhan smiled. "No matter how potent his secret art is, trapped beneath the Heavenly Dipper God-Slaying Formation, he has no hope of escape. Don't worry!"

"Let’s hurry up and check! ...Be careful, what if he managed to break out!" Li Yubing quickly tugged him, urging him solemnly.

Li Muzhan chuckled, "Alright, let's go."

The two had originally planned to memorize these Grandmaster martial arts first before heading out, but after Li Muzhan’s words, Li Yubing felt profoundly uneasy. She couldn't bear to delay any longer, wishing she could be outside immediately.

They placed the manuals back on the shelves and drifted out. Once in the grand hall, Li Muzhan couldn't activate the Void Eye technique, so they left the hall and looked toward that area.

Li Yubing let out a long breath. "Thank heavens, thank heavens!"

Li Muzhan frowned, watching for a long time, then nodded. "The Heavenly Dipper God-Slaying Formation truly lives up to its reputation! ...It seems we can't afford to waste any more time; we need to strike a killing blow!"

"Exactly!" Li Yubing quickly agreed. "He’s a menace; let’s finish him off quickly!"

Li Muzhan retrieved the jade pendant from his. The pendant was now shimmering brightly, its glow even more intense than a luminous night pearl. Li Muzhan held it between his palms and poured his spirit into it.

Bang! Tong Tianshu, who had been sitting cross-legged, suddenly sprang up. His eyes were like lightning, and his entire demeanor had completely changed. The previous cold solemnity was gone, replaced by a blank expression, his gaze indifferent, devoid of any human emotion.

He slowly thrust a fist toward the empty air. An invisible light and shadow seemed to flicker, and the ground trembled beneath them, as if an earthquake had struck.

Li Yubing gasped, startled. The power of that single punch was terrifying; it almost shattered the formation. She looked anxiously toward Li Muzhan, only to see his face turn deathly pale.

She quickly reached out and placed her hand on his back, channeling a stream of internal energy into him to soothe the surging and chaotic state of his blood and Qi. Just then, with another dull thud, Tong Tianshu threw another punch.

Li Yubing felt an invisible force transmit into Li Muzhan's body, causing his blood and Qi to surge wildly, nearly losing control. Ignoring everything else, she poured in internal energy with all her might, striving to stabilize his body.

She took the chance to glance at Tong Tianshu. He was staring coldly in their direction, seemingly seeing Li Yubing and Li Muzhan. His gaze was piercing, penetrating straight into her core. Unconsciously, the hairs on her body stood on end, and a chill crawled up her spine from her back to the back of her head.

Li Muzhan whispered, "He can't see outside; it's a self-contained realm inside."

Li Yubing quickly asked, "Zhanran, are you alright?"

Li Muzhan shook his head. "I didn't expect his cultivation to be this terrifying. It seems he's using the Divine Possession Technique. I can barely suppress him."

"What's going on?" Li Yubing frowned. "Does the formation still require your power?"

Li Muzhan nodded. "Yes. This Heavenly Dipper God-Slaying Formation needs to absorb the energy of heaven and earth; the longer it lasts, the stronger it becomes. Unfortunately, this formation was just set up when it had to withstand his power. Thankfully, by absorbing his power, combined with the energy of heaven and earth absorbed overnight, plus my own strength, we can hold him down!"

"This fellow is truly monstrous!" Li Yubing shook her head.

The power from his punch transmitted to Li Muzhan, and she could feel the terrifying nature of that force. At the same time, she was amazed by the sheer resilience of Li Muzhan's body; to withstand such immense power penetrating him without collapsing was truly astonishing. If it were her, even with sufficient internal energy, her body couldn't bear the clash of two immense internal forces, which was enough to destroy flesh.

Li Muzhan sighed. "This Divine Possession Technique is indeed powerful!"

"The person he is now is no longer him," Li Yubing remarked, shaking her head.

Li Muzhan turned to look at her and nodded. "He is possessed by a Heavenly Demon now, which has taken over his consciousness. As long as his spirit is strong enough, he should recover once time passes."

"He can really recover?" Li Yubing asked skeptically. Seeing Tong Tianshu’s appearance, it seemed as if his consciousness was taken, no different from going mad from internal energy deviation.

Li Muzhan nodded. "If no mistakes occur, he will recover."

"How do you know?" Li Yubing turned to him.

Li Muzhan smiled. "I also possess a secret art of this nature."

"I never realized; you have quite a few treasures on you!" Li Yubing chuckled, pressing her lips together.

As the two were talking, another muffled thud sounded. Li Muzhan quickly channeled his energy into the jade pendant. He let out a cry of pain, spitting out a jet of blood.

Li Yubing rushed forward. "Are you alright?"

Li Muzhan shook his head. "As long as we hold on, that’s enough. He can't throw too many punches!"

"Alright," Li Yubing conceded helplessly. "Just holding on isn't a solution. After two more punches, we should be close to done."

Li Muzhan reassured her, "It's fine. He will get weaker and weaker. The terrifying aspect of the Heavenly Dipper God-Slaying Formation is that it absorbs all power. Most of the power he releases is absorbed by the formation; the more he fights, the stronger the formation becomes."

Li Yubing was surprised. "Most of his power is absorbed?"

Li Muzhan nodded, letting out a wry smile. "This Tong Tianshu is truly a monster; his cultivation is astonishingly high, compounded by the Divine Possession Technique. If not for the formation, any other formation would have been broken by now!"

"Truly impressive!" Li Yubing shook her head in admiration.

Although worried, she couldn't help but admire him. This old Tong's cultivation was astonishing. Even with most of his power absorbed, the remainder was strong enough to injure them both. If it had struck them fully, they would surely have perished!

She looked back at Li Muzhan. This time, they owed their survival to the array. Otherwise, all their schemes and tricks would have been useless; against such formidable power, everything else was futile. Her desire to learn formations grew even stronger; the marvelous nature of arrays was truly beyond expectation.

Bang! Tong Tianshu threw another punch, his eyes cold and expressionless, as if carved from iron. It was one punch after another.

This time, Li Muzhan and Li Yubing managed to withstand it, but they felt a slight decrease in the incoming force. Li Yubing was overjoyed. "Is it weakening?"

Li Muzhan nodded. "He's done for."

"Hoo..." Li Yubing let out a long breath, feeling utterly drained. She shook her head, realizing that even as a Great Grandmaster, she wasn't quite up to snuff.

Li Muzhan remarked with a smile, "This valley seems a bit strange..."

Li Yubing paused, then realized why she had felt so depleted; her internal energy was consumed extraordinarily fast. There was definitely something odd about this place. Previously, her internal energy was inexhaustible and recovered quickly.

Li Muzhan released the jade pendant. "Let's wait a bit longer. Let the Heavenly Dipper God-Slaying Formation grow stronger, and then we'll execute that fellow Tong!"

"Wait until when?" Li Yubing asked.

Li Muzhan considered for a moment. "After midday. The Yang energy at noon is the most nourishing."

"I wonder if he has any more tricks up his sleeve," Li Yubing said, still uneasy.

Li Muzhan laughed. "Don't worry. Under the Heavenly Dipper God-Slaying Sword, he cannot escape!"

"Let's hope so," Li Yubing sighed resignedly.

While the two were talking, Tong Tianshu kept punching relentlessly, but Li Muzhan no longer needed to actively help suppress the force.

He smiled. "Keep hitting. The harder you fight, the stronger the Heavenly Dipper God-Slaying Formation becomes. He is walking straight to his own death; it's quite amusing."

Li Yubing looked at Tong Tianshu’s cold, emotionless state and sighed. "He looks terrifying like this."

"Most who use the Divine Possession Technique end up like this. The deity is merely a mass of pure spirit; it has only one type of joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure— mostly, it lacks emotion," Li Muzhan explained.

Li Yubing shook her head. "I never want to use that technique."

Li Muzhan quickly nodded in agreement. "It's best not to use it; the consequences are too great. If you use it too many times, you will be assimilated by the deity, becoming increasingly apathetic and emotionless."

"I'm going to fetch the Grandmaster martial arts. Shall we memorize them here, or do you want to eat?" Li Yubing asked.

Li Muzhan shook his head. "Let's memorize the martial arts first."

"Alright," Li Yubing nodded, floating into the hall, and quickly returned, holding twenty-two manuals. She placed them next to Li Muzhan. The two sat on the steps and began to flip through the manuals, watching Tong Tianshu continue to punch— he seemed to have lost all thought, just throwing punch after punch, each one surging with power, seemingly endless.

"Is he stupid?" Li Yubing couldn't help but ask.

Li Muzhan replied, "His consciousness is unclear; he acts purely on instinct, controlled by the deity. However, this is his only option; there's no other way to break the array."

"Alas..." Li Yubing sighed, watching him. "It’s somewhat pitiful to see." She felt a kinship with the doomed; a person of such high cultivation, trapped in an array, reduced to futile struggle— it was truly regrettable and sad.

Li Muzhan laughed. "If he isn't pitiful, then we are. Right now, he might already be in the Yellow Springs, perhaps even reincarnated!"

Li Yubing pursed her lips and smiled. "That's true too."

Li Muzhan stated, "Once his Divine Possession Technique wears off, that will be our moment to strike."

Li Yubing smiled back. "If I don't finish him off now, I won't feel at ease."

Li Muzhan assured her, "Don't worry. The Heavenly Dipper God-Slaying Formation never fails; no one has ever escaped it. Besides, once the Divine Possession Technique ends, he will immediately weaken."

"Very well, let's memorize the manuals first then," Li Yubing agreed.

The two lowered their heads and began flipping through the manuals. There were twenty-two in total. Li Muzhan flipped through them extremely quickly, branding all twenty-two manuals into his mind in a short time, ensuring he would never forget them. Looking at Li Yubing, she turned the pages slowly, memorizing as she went— clearly lacking the ability to memorize instantly.

Suddenly, Li Muzhan frowned. "That's enough!"

Li Yubing looked up. Tong Tianshu was slowly sitting down on the ground, his eyes regaining some spark, turning savagely as he tried to locate Li Muzhan. Unfortunately, within the formation, he saw only layered, dense mountains. Looking out, all he saw was green; he couldn't see or penetrate anything. He tried to sweep his hands out to smash the surrounding woods, but when a punch landed, he could feel the resistance of the trees, yet the feeling quickly vanished, as if it were endless.

Li Yubing grew excited. "How do we strike?"

Li Muzhan smiled, took out the jade pendant, and pressed it against his brow. Instantly, Tong Tianshu leaped up and thrust his palms forward, but these palm strikes underwent a strange transformation, curving around to slam into his own back.

Bang bang bang bang... His palm force grew more ferocious, and the more severely he was injured, the more violently his palms struck. After a few blows, he let out a cry, spitting out a stream of blood. He thrashed like a madman, continuing to strike even as he coughed blood. Bang bang bang bang... Palm strike after palm strike hammered his back, and he continued to vomit blood in response.

Li Muzhan let out a breath and slowly lowered the jade pendant. Li Yubing quickly asked, "Should you release the formation? Let's do it ourselves!"

Li Muzhan shook his head, then brought the jade pendant back to his brow. Tong Tianshu spun violently, thrusting out a palm strike. The palm energy curved again and struck his own back. His body kept spinning wildly in the air, refusing to land, as his palm force ceaselessly impacted his own body.

Li Yubing watched in confusion, not understanding what was happening, but her admiration and longing for the profound mysteries of the array grew even more intense.

Bang! Tong Tianshu crashed heavily onto the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Li Muzhan put down the jade pendant. A flash of light flickered in his palm, then flashed again. Tong Tianshu shuddered, then sat bolt upright, clutching his chest with his right hand, his eyes blazing with intense light.

Li Muzhan sighed in relief, and a light flashed and vanished from his hand.

Li Yubing asked, "Did you use the Flying Dagger?"

Li Muzhan nodded, a smile appearing on his face. "This time, I can finally rest easy."

Tong Tianshu’s blazing eyes earlier indicated he was feigning weakness. If they had truly withdrawn the formation, he would certainly have counter-attacked. Fortunately, Li Muzhan knew his limits and was aware that the Heavenly Dao Alliance possessed a secret art that included self-detonation.

Bang! The smile on his face instantly froze. Tong Tianshu exploded, sending Li Muzhan flying backward. He landed heavily three zhang away, spitting out a streak of blood with a poof, before falling unconscious.