Zhan Xiaoxiao’s expression flickered with surprise; he had not imagined that just as a raging fire threatened him, water would inexplicably erupt. Caught completely off guard, he forcefully snapped his sleeves, the air whipping with a poof.
Using the rebound force, his body sharply changed direction in mid-air, narrowly evading the threat by more than seven zhang! He leaped upward, yet before he could launch an attack, he was forced back by the sudden appearance of flames, and then instantly assailed by the water dragon.
At this point, his body had already twisted three times in the open air, and he still hadn't touched the ground! The water dragon that had extended from the fire suddenly burst apart, abruptly dissipating back into the roaring inferno.
With a sharp hissing sound, thick billows of white mist ascended, suddenly engulfing the vast wilderness in a dense fog! The torrent that had begun with such imposing grandeur had, in that single instant, transformed entirely into vapor, plunging the already pitch-dark night into a state where one could not see one’s hand before one’s face!
As the heavy mist spread across the plains, an abnormally sharp, wailing sound—like ghosts howling—erupted suddenly. In the next moment, it seemed countless spectral shadows flickered and swarmed inward, surrounding him from every direction!
Zhan Xiaoxiao was inwardly shocked; his opponent possessed methods so unpredictable they defied the natural order! At this moment, Zhan Xiaoxiao was entirely certain: this person was the mysterious intruder who had infiltrated the Zhan Family’s underground world a few days prior!
Because he distinctly recalled Zhan Tu and Zhan Yixiao mentioning that the individual possessed this very mysterious, incendiary capability! Moreover, the Myriad Ghost Soul Devouring Worms, so painstakingly cultivated by the Ancestor, were destroyed precisely by this person’s strange, aberrant flames!
The Ancestor’s Myriad Ghost Soul Devouring Worms were already confirmed to be precious insects impervious to any water or fire. Yet, they could not withstand the divine flames this adversary unleashed!
This was the primary reason Zhan Xiaoxiao dared not try to force his way through the sea of fire relying only on his protective profound energy! That person could move through the Zhan Family’s underground world as if it were his own backyard!
Zhan Yixiao and Zhan Tu combined hadn't even managed to glimpse his shadow, let alone overpower him! He had even, under such stringent, high-alert security, calmly slain Zhan Tianji, demolished the entire Tianji Secret Chamber, and vanished with utter nonchalance!
What kind of power was that? Thinking of this, Zhan Xiaoxiao felt his courage wane further!
Putting himself in that man's shoes, he knew, deep down, he absolutely could not have achieved such a feat! As this thought surfaced, Zhan Xiaoxiao’s focus fractured once more, his reluctance to fight surging intensely, even birthing thoughts of escape.
Zhan Xiaoxiao, gripped by inexpressible fear, realized his precarious situation while suspended in the air—a realm rife with danger. With a muffled cry of frustrated anger, he forced his profound energy, suddenly activating the Thousand Jin Descent, to plummet toward the ground.
Under these circumstances, forcibly gathering his true qi and then using Thousand Jin Descent was akin to willfully reversing his own profound cultivation—even a Saint Venerable expert would suffer grave internal injury, especially since Zhan Xiaoxiao’s true qi was nearly exhausted from repeated exertion; one wrong move now risked damaging his foundational cultivation. But Zhan Xiaoxiao had no choice but to proceed thusly.
A man as experienced in combat as he knew that if his opponent chose to strike while he was in this vulnerable state, his situation would spiral into extreme peril! Therefore, even at the risk of internal harm, he had to immediately secure footing on solid ground and stabilize his stance; only by first preserving his physical integrity could he plan his next move!
Zhan Xiaoxiao’s body plummeted from the sky like a meteorite! Curiously, he encountered no attack whatsoever during the descent!
This development was another huge surprise! He had already steeled himself to suffer injury just to make contact with the earth!
Then, something even more unexpected occurred... With a poof, Zhan Xiaoxiao, his entire body, plunged deep underground!
Ordinarily, as he descended, the moment his feet touched the surface, he would utilize the ground’s rebound force to instantly shift his momentum, converting downward motion into an upward surge, and then stabilize himself to assess the situation and plan his counterattack! But Zhan Xiaoxiao never could have foreseen that this descent would feel like falling from the edge of a ten-thousand-zhang cliff.
Floating aimlessly, he felt no sensation of solid ground for an unnervingly long time. Since he hadn't made contact, how could he utilize any force...?
I didn't jump that high just now... To facilitate my attack, I only leaped about seven or eight zhang at most: I should have landed ages ago!
But now... by feel, I’ve dropped at least a hundred zhang, so why haven't my feet touched the earth?
At this thought, Zhan Xiaoxiao’s composure completely shattered! Even a Saint Venerable expert is still human.
Falling abruptly from a height of a hundred zhang, completely unprepared, even with profound techniques offering spontaneous defense, would still inflict significant injury! Zhan Xiaoxiao roared fiercely, summoning his remaining profound energy again, manipulating his internal power to forcefully counteract the downward pull, striving to hover, intending to reverse direction and surge upward!
But suddenly, a deep, rumbling sound, hong long long... A sound like mountains collapsing and the earth splitting erupted, and countless amounts of soil, mixed with stones, interwoven with tree roots, and churning water, poured down from directly above him with unstoppable force!
Zhan Xiaoxiao flinched upon contact; the cold, heavy sensation against his head instantly confirmed that this was objective reality, definitely not an illusion! Judging by the sheer depth of this trap and the meticulousness of its subsequent construction, it must have taken at least ten days to half a month to complete!
Yet, countless perplexing questions remained. How did the opponent anticipate their movements so accurately?
Their plan was only finalized this noon, and his landing spot was supposed to be random—how could he have fallen so perfectly into a prepared pit? It was truly baffling...
Zhan Xiaoxiao, consumed by confusion, gave a muffled cry as uncountable stones and earth smashed him down into the abyss... While being struck, Zhan Xiaoxiao terrifyingly realized that the water mixed in with the stones and dirt was changing from cool to icy cold, which meant...
As he continued to fall, the water grew colder and colder, finally forming thick layers of ice that completely encased Zhan Xiaoxiao! Furthermore, as he kept falling, the ice mass grew thicker, and its volume naturally expanded further...
Zhan Xiaoxiao, frozen solid, was so enraged he nearly spat blood, but there was nothing he could do—he couldn't even manage to spit blood because his entire body was encased in ice, including his mouth. He never made ground contact, unable to borrow any external force, and now, encased in ice, he was completely unable to draw breath.
The true qi he had retained had already scattered under this barrage of blows! Even if "Earth Penetrating Hand" Zhan Xiaoxiao, as a Saint Venerable expert, truly possessed the ability to traverse heaven and earth, in this situation, he could only wait until the ice block finally hit the ground, shatter the seal, and gasp a breath of air...
What truly vexed him most was... while everywhere else was frozen solid, the area around his feet remained empty, still dangling in free fall...
If only there was a block of ice beneath his feet... Instead, his upper body had formed a massive ice mass spanning several zhang in diameter, pressing him down harder and harder...
Zhan Xiaoxiao desperately wanted to roar in terror: What the hell is going on with all this? But now, it seemed he couldn't even speak, completely sealed in ice...
Meanwhile, above him, amidst the thick mist, Jun Mo Xie flung his hands outward, sending slender bamboo poles shooting from his grasp. He meticulously arranged them in a dense layer before him, behind him, and to the sides—left and right!
The placement of every pole was exquisitely subtle, slanted or straight, imbued with an unutterable, strange rhythm! Simultaneously, his left foot pulsed with a dim, yellowish light, and his right foot shone with a deep azure light...
And the mountain ranges of the canyons on either side suddenly erupted as if rivers frozen solid in the dead of winter had just thawed—an immense, surging mudslide roared forth, rushing in with the force of ten thousand charging horses, continuously pouring into the suddenly appearing massive pit on the ground... Though the mudslide was vast, it did not affect the bamboo poles already embedded in the earth...
This was another bizarre aspect! It seemed to defy the most basic laws of nature!
Finally, Jun Mo Xie sighed in relief and drove the last bamboo pole violently into the center of the large pit! Instantly, heaven and earth shook as if the winds and clouds of the Nine Provinces were converging at that moment; boundless, dark clouds gathered overhead, blotting out the sky completely!
Jun Mo Xie clapped his palms together with a sharp pa! The entire valley forest vanished at that sound, leaving only an endless, dense fog...
Even the continuous noise of collapsing mountains within it disappeared along with the scenery. In the silent, deep night, all sounds ceased!
Around them, only a few startled birds lifted off from distant, tall trees, blinking their wide eyes in confusion before flapping away... Even sound could be sealed off!
The formation was complete! The Profound Heaven Maze Array!
Combined with the Nine Heavens Ringing Jade Thunder Array! Jun Mo Xie was absolutely confident that even Zhan Xiaoxiao, a Saint Venerable expert, would lose at least two layers of skin under the pressure of these two intricately linked combined formations!
The cloud layer overhead was clearly beginning to brew something; streaks of thread-like lightning flickered within the thick canopy. From sky to earth, an oppressive tension hung heavy, signaling impending storm!
Jun Mo Xie finally allowed himself to relax, sucking in several deep breaths after completing all his actions. This entire arrangement was precisely why he had chosen this battlefield!
The flanking high mountains were perfect for assisting his use of Earth energy; this location, a deep valley with relatively high water levels, allowed for easy manipulation of Water energy with guidance; moreover, the surrounding area lacked dense forestation and was quite dry, making the application of Fire energy nearly effortless. The final advantage: the ground was exceptionally level, the optimal surface for deploying a grand formation!
However, where there is heaven, there is always insufficiency; nothing in this world is perfect. The only minor flaw was that Fire and Water energies were slightly less abundant in certain sectors, but he trusted that would be enjoyment enough for that boy.