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Chapter 148 Array Collapses, Whirlpools Rise, Restrictions Break Through, Desperate Path Leads to Question of Life and Death [Part Two]

"Is it going to collapse?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Hao was startled and slapped away the falling rocks with his palm, thus raising the three-colored protective shield.

'No, you said this place was very secure?'

He then realized his mistake and thought to himself that he had really lost his mind.

He actually believed what the Nightmare Dragon, disguised as a spirit, said.

'However, it's also possible that it's related to the collapse of the artifact spirit's consciousness space?'

The Demon-Suppressing Trial Grounds of the Five Elements Heaven were already just an empty shell, with the Primordial Beast Lord suppressing them entirely at the core of the altar.

Now, it's unclear whether the artifact spirit has been completely destroyed or has fallen into a deep sleep, which naturally affects the entire trial ground's grand formation.

Numerous thoughts flashed through his mind, and the warning signs of the [Mysterious Tortoise Concentration Technique] had already sounded, with signs of escalating.

Tang Hao dared not delay for a moment and immediately released his magical flying boat, inviting the nine women to board.

He placed his palm on the puppet beast, and with a thought, stored it in his storage ring.

"Hey, Tang Hao, take us with you." He had just withdrawn his hand and leaped onto the flying boat when Jingchen Tongzi came running over with Hua Guigui in tow.

Noticing that his gaze was fixed on the girl, the young Taoist paused and explained, "Whether she is Hua Guigui or Hua Yuexi, we'd better take her back to the sect and hand her over to the True Lord for disposal."

“Alright.” After a moment’s thought, Tang Hao nodded. “Then let’s get on the ship. But you have to keep a close eye on her. The situation is critical right now, so don’t let her cause any trouble.”

"Yes, yes, don't worry. I'm not good at fighting, but I'm very good at tying people up." Jingchen Tongzi jumped onto the boat with a happy expression, pointing at the witch at the same time.

He then noticed that the girl had been bound by strands of silver thread.

The nine women then returned, causing the flying boat to jolt and fly towards the cave exit.

"Your Highness, what should we do with this person?" Yin Yuan raised the Beishan Ming he was carrying.

'Killing him is definitely out of the question. As an inner disciple and a member of a powerful family, this guy must have a [Soul Imprint Restriction] marking him as a murderer. The best course of action is to leave him here and let him fend for himself.'

However… Tang Hao glanced at Jingchen Tongzi beside him and thought to himself, “This is troublesome.”

Just as he was about to speak, black energy suddenly condensed on Beishan Ming's body again.

His expression changed, and he shouted, "Throw him out!"

Yin Yuan reacted extremely quickly. The moment he sensed something was wrong, he swung his arm and threw Bei Shanming deeper into the cave.

The Cleansing Child opened his mouth, but in the end he could only say, "Alas, this child's soul is corrupted, and I am unable to completely purify it. I can only ask him to stay here."

"You're on the right track!" Tang Hao glanced at him and nodded in satisfaction. "Everyone has their own destiny, boy, don't blame yourself."

Just as they were about to reach the exit, the warning signs of the [Mysterious Tortoise Concentration Technique] suddenly intensified, and an unprecedented sense of crisis welled up in their hearts.

Not daring to delay, he immediately controlled the flying boat to drift away, frantically fleeing back the way he came.

"How did we get back...?" Jingchen Tongzi had just uttered his question when he was horrified to see a gaping maw, as deep as an abyss, snap shut in the direction they had just been heading.

If Tang Hao hadn't turned back in time, they would have been swallowed by the giant's jaws.

"I didn't even notice." He shuddered, looking at Tang Hao with admiration. "No wonder you're a true disciple personally chosen by the True Lord; your spiritual sense is simply incredible."

Then the other person asked, "Young man, is there another exit from here?"

With the range of the Pure Dust Child's divine sense, he could easily cover most of the cave, conduct directional exploration, and scan the edges in a short time.

"Wait a moment, let me see." A moment later, the young Taoist's expression changed.

He looked at Tang Hao, tears welling up in his eyes, and said, "There are three more places, but... they have all been completely sealed off. With our strength, we probably can't break through them."

'It seems to be the work of cultivators from the Five Elements Heaven, intended to prevent demonic invasion, but now it has cut off our escape route.' Tang Hao frowned deeply.

He thought to himself, 'The great formation here is collapsing; it won't hold off the Nightmare Dragon for long. This should be considered a desperate situation, right? That thing should still work.'

Thinking this, he distracted himself and took out something from the reward space that resembled a compass, but whose surface was as smooth as a mirror.

This item is one of the rewards obtained from a ten-pull during the Lunar New Year period.

"【Escape from Desperate Situation】: When you think you've reached a dead end, a new path opens up before you."

"Effect of use: Sensing the secrets of the universe, finding a way out in desperate situations."

"Use conditions: in a desperate situation"

Note: Even with navigation, you still need to step on the gas and get on the highway, so you still have to pay tolls, right?

After glancing at the information on the panel, Tang Hao infused it with his divine sense and magical power.

The trading screen suddenly lit up with a hazy glow.

A crisp, mechanical voice rang in my mind.

"Ding! Your escape navigation has been activated. Please pay attention to the prompts in this navigation to avoid missing any fleeting opportunities for survival!"

"Huh? What is this?" Jingchen Tongzi, who was looking mournful, noticed the compass in his hand and couldn't help but ask.

Tang Hao had no time for further explanation and casually replied, "The Heavenly Secrets Disc!"

"The Heavenly Secrets Disc?" The boy's eyes lit up. "Could it be a treasure bestowed by the True Lord, something that can help us escape?"

"Quiet!"

Jingchen Boy immediately pursed his lips, not daring to disturb him, but his eyes remained fixed on him.

At that moment, the first prompt rang in Tang Hao's mind.

"Turn left and drive straight for five kilometers, then enter the fissure below. The fissure is narrow; be careful of collisions with flying boats!"

Without hesitation, Tang Hao controlled the flying boat to make a tail swing, shrinking the hull to the appropriate size.

He held a [Earth-Splitting Talisman] in his hand and ordered, "Prepare for attack and obey my command!"

"Yes, sir!" The nine women responded with a resounding roar, and began to gather their strength.

Upon seeing this, Jingchen Tongzi hurriedly responded and prepared to attack.

"Boom!" There was a loud noise.

With a resounding "roar," the dragon's roar echoed throughout the entire cave.

The airship trembled slightly amidst the sound of the waves.

Tang Hao turned his head slightly and saw that the entire head of the Nightmare Dragon had already squeezed into the cave.

The abyss's gaping maw opened wide, and thin black mist began to surge and flow into its mouth.

The airship was pulled slightly to the side by the suction force.

He quickly increased his magical output to correct his flight direction.

"what?"

As he scanned the area, he spotted several figures in the distance being chased and leaped about by a dragon beast formed from black energy.

Who else could those people be but Lang Gan and his ilk?
As for the dragon beast, if I'm not mistaken, it should be the transformation of Beishan Ming.

The moment the suction force suddenly arose, Lang Gan and the others panicked and jumped into a fissure in the ground one after another.

Kitayama Mitsu was about to chase after him when he suddenly looked up.

Upon discovering Tang Hao's flying boat, a look of hatred immediately flashed in his eyes.

It actually abandoned its prey and chased after them, its movements completely unaffected by the suction force.

'You really hold a grudge! Do you think you can catch my flying boat?'

Just as Tang Hao was about to make a sarcastic remark, he saw Bei Shanming summon a flying boat and unleash a burst of black energy.

With the combined force of both, the speed was even slightly faster than his magical flying boat.

The two sides were not far apart to begin with, and as the distance closed, Beishan Ming began to gather black energy, preparing to attack them.

'Holy crap, even corrupted by the Nightmare Dragon, it hasn't forgotten to activate its treasure.'

He was startled, but upon closer inspection, he almost burst out laughing.

Isn't this flying boat his first vehicle?

Without waiting any longer, Tang Hao immediately locked onto the target with his consciousness and issued the command: 'Retrieve!'

The flying boat beneath Beishan Ming instantly vanished into nothingness. Before he could even figure out what was happening, he plunged headfirst into the water.

With a "thud," he fell face-first into the dirt.

"Roar!"

With a non-human roar, Beishan Ming's eyes blazed with fury. He flapped his black wings and took to the air, chasing after them once more.

However, without the help of the flying boat, although his speed was not slow, it was difficult for him to catch up.

"Bye bye!"

Tang Hao waved to him, glanced at the Nightmare Dragon with half its body inside the cave, shuddered, and quickly flew away in his flying boat.

A moment later. "Ooh~"

With a triumphant roar, the Nightmare Dragon finally broke through the barrier and entered the area.

It leaped into the air, its enormous body still suspended in mid-air, one of its dragon claws already reaching out far out.

Just then, the straight arrow on the compass mirror in Tang Hao's hand turned downwards, and a prompt sounded in his mind at the same time.

"Attention! 500 meters ahead, you will enter a fissure in the earth."

He suddenly lifted the flying boat, and then it plummeted downwards at an angle.

"Attack!" With a loud shout, the [Earth-Splitting Talisman] struck first.

The Pure Dust Boy and the Nine Girls followed closely behind.

"Boom!"

A flash of earthy yellow light erupted, and the edge of a huge crack in the ground slid off cleanly, like a hot knife cutting through butter.

The ensuing blood-red light and silver radiance widened the crack in the ground even further, allowing the magical flying boat to easily slip into it.

Almost simultaneously, a colossal claw descended from the sky.

The ground cracked and collapsed with a deafening roar, and countless fragments of rock crashed onto the protective shield of the magical flying boat like meteors.

"boom!"

"Boom!"

The flying boat rocked violently, and Tang Hao's face turned pale. He quickly swallowed the pill he was holding in his mouth.

The Pure Dust Boy and the Nine Women instinctively launched attacks backward, breaking up large chunks of rock and relieving him of the pressure.

"This fissure in the earth is so deep, where does it lead?"

"The dark aura outside is thick, Your Highness, please be careful!"

Yin Yuan boldly deployed his divine sense to investigate and, upon discovering the situation, immediately reported: "Your Highness, the black aura here does not seem to affect divine sense..."

"This is pure demonic energy, without any nightmare energy mixed in," Jingchen Tongzi reminded him, as his divine sense had been continuously projected outwards.

The crack in the earth was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Without the aid of divine sense, you wouldn't get very far before you crashed into a ship.

He glanced at the compass in Tang Hao's hand and exclaimed in admiration, "This thing is wonderful; it actually guided us to escape the giant beast's pursuit."

"So... what do we do next?" Jingchen Tongzi asked the same question. "I sense that there seems to be a formation ahead. Where does it lead?"

'How would I know?' Tang Hao rolled his eyes and muttered to himself.

I glanced at the chart; the arrow was pointing straight ahead.

'Could this be the Demon Spring?' He couldn't help but pat the compass. 'Damn navigator, are you trying to kill me? With my cultivation level, going to the Demon Realm and even showing my face would be certain death!'

As if it had heard his complaint, a flashing red dot appeared in front of the arrow on the screen.

A notification sounded simultaneously.

"Two kilometers ahead, break through the remaining suppression array and enter the underground river. Spatial rifts exist within the river; be careful to avoid them!"

"Warning: A level 3 magic array has been detected. There is a 60% chance of the airship being destroyed. Please prepare for impact!"

"Holy crap! Sixty percent, rounded up, we're doomed!"

Tang Hao was shocked and his thoughts raced.

The 【Three-Colored Glazed Lion】 contains the Nascent Soul power injected by Feng Mingyang. Once activated, the protective shield it erects cannot protect the entire flying boat.

He only has this one magical flying boat at his disposal. Once it is destroyed, he will have little chance of survival during his escape.

'Then we'll have to take a risk! Maybe this will even help us avoid interference from the spatial rift.'

Having made up his mind, Tang Hao flipped his hand, and a [Formation Breaking Talisman] and a [Restriction Breaking Talisman] appeared in his hand.

Both of these are top-grade second-tier talismans, treasures he acquired at great expense; of course, the ones he has are replicas.

Then select two [Energy Essences]: 'Refine!'

The notification messages kept popping up.

"Upgrade of the [Formation Breaking Talisman]"

"Obtained a Tier 3 [Formation Breaking Talisman]"

"Upgrade of the [Breaking the Restriction Talisman]"

"Obtained Tier 3 [Breaking Restriction Talisman]"

"Using these two talismans to break the formation will affect the flying boat when the formation collapses, but it's definitely better than crashing into it directly!" Tang Hao gritted his teeth, activated the talismans, and flicked his wrist to strike them forward.

The two talismans instantly transformed into spiritual light, slashing through the darkness and plunging into the abyss.

The Pure Dust Child's eyes widened: 'Two Tier 3 [Formation-Breaking Talismans]? No, one of them is a [Restriction-Breaking Talisman], wow… they're really rich!'

He sighed inwardly, and then a bright light suddenly shone from the depths of the crack in the ground.

"boom!"

The rock walls on both sides, which were already vibrating, could no longer withstand the pressure and collapsed.

Countless boulders collapsed and toppled.

"Ah..." Several of the more timid girls among the nine girls immediately screamed.

"careful!"

"Sisters, don't let those boulders hit the airship!"

Countless beams of blood, fist strikes, and sword strikes immediately blasted outwards from the flying boat.

"Sisters?" Jingchen Tongzi glanced strangely at the nine armored men, and with a wave of his sleeve, silver threads filled the sky, splitting the boulder into pieces.

They blocked most of the collapsing boulders, but they were powerless to stop the energy explosion caused by the forced destruction of the remaining suppression array.

A barrage of energy surges rained down on the airship's protective shield.

The light flickered intermittently as Tang Hao continuously swallowed recovery pills and poured mid-grade spirit stones into the Spirit Pivot Array Eye as if they were free.

The flashing red dot in the compass mirror has disappeared, leaving only the arrow pointing straight ahead.

The constant chanting in my mind, "Forward! Forward! Forward!"

"Is the navigation system broken?" Tang Hao gritted his teeth.

But there was nothing they could do but try their best to control the airship and rush headlong toward the center of the energy explosion.

"Boom!"

The magical flying boat trembled like a leaf, like a lone boat on a vast ocean, ready to capsize at any moment.

After an unknown amount of time, the shaking suddenly subsided.

The light generated by the external energy explosion also vanished without a trace.

The flying boat was like a ship that had lost power, swept along by the whirlpools and turbulent currents of the sea, drifting aimlessly and erratically.

"Didn't you say it was an underground river? Where's the water?" Tang Hao frowned and looked out of the boat. It was a deep darkness, without the slightest sound or movement, deathly silent.

His sleeve was suddenly tugged, and when he turned his head, he saw that the young Taoist was pale.

Jingchen Tongzi stammered, "Tang Hao, we've been caught in a spatial turbulence."

"What?!" Tang Hao was shocked and quickly looked at the [Escape Navigation Tool].

On the mirror, a white ring was seen spinning continuously, and the arrow was no longer visible.

I couldn't help but tap it, but there was still no response, and the notification sound in my mind did not appear.

He swallowed hard: 'No way? No signal?'

A group of people gathered around, looking at the image on the compass, and for a moment they looked at each other in bewilderment.

Just then, Yaoguang's trembling voice rang out: "Your Highness, look over there."

Hearing this, everyone looked in the direction she pointed.

In the distant, dark void, a gray vortex was spinning on its own.

"Gulu!"

They all swallowed hard, and the group looked down shakily.

Only then did they realize that the airship had unknowingly entered the edge of the vortex.

'It's over...'

Tang Hao's face was deathly pale, partly due to excessive consumption of his magical power and partly due to extreme shock.

(End of this chapter)