You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

"How many people can you hold off at the same time? Just a few breaths."

The woman's cold, ethereal voice echoed in his heart.

"In my current state, even if I go all out and create an illusion that can confuse a pseudo-core cultivator, I can only trap two people at a time for three to five breaths. But afterwards I will be weak and unable to help you for a short period of time."

"enough!"

A fierce glint flashed in Chen Yang's eyes.

"Wait for my signal, trap the one on the left with the double hooks and the one on the right with the chain darts! I'll handle the rest!"

"clear."

Just then, the burly man wielding the axe seemed to think the time was right. With a roar, a blinding blood-red light erupted from his battle axe, and a powerful "Mount Hua Cleave" strike came crashing down on Chen Yang's head! At the same time, the other four men cooperated to block all of Chen Yang's possible evasion routes!

It's now!

Instead of retreating, Chen Yang advanced, his Xuan Sword radiating a brilliant light, actually managing to block the unstoppable blood-red battle axe! The immense force caused his feet to sink deep into the ground, but he gritted his teeth and held on tightly!
"It's now!"

He roared in his heart.

A crack quietly opened in the Sumeru space, and the figure of the woman's remnant spirit floated out like a wisp of smoke. Almost the instant she appeared, she formed a mysterious hand seal and gently pointed at the two "Awakened Ones" wielding double hooks on the left and chain darts on the right!
The two men only felt a blur before their eyes, and the figures of their comrades and Chen Yang disappeared instantly, replaced by the illusions they most desired or feared deep in their hearts—either being given supreme power or falling into an endless hell!

The two men froze abruptly, their eyes vacant, their faces showing either ecstatic joy or extreme terror. They stood there, completely unresponsive to the attacks from the outside world!

This sudden turn of events took the remaining axe-wielding strongman and the other two men by surprise, causing their attack to falter slightly.

"die!"

Chen Yang seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the surging medicinal power within his body burned wildly, causing the Xuan Sword to erupt with an unprecedentedly dazzling sword light!
"Qingwei—Flow Interruption!"

A cyan sword beam, condensed to its extreme and seemingly capable of severing the river of time, swept past at an incredible speed!

"Pfft!"

The two "awakened" individuals, trapped in the illusion and completely unprepared, simultaneously developed thin lines of blood on their necks. Before the illusions in their eyes had even dissipated, their consciousness had already sunk into eternal darkness.

"withdraw!"

Seeing that things were going badly, the burly man with the axe was both shocked and furious. He roared and tried to back away.

But how could Chen Yang let him go? After killing the two, his sword momentum was not yet exhausted. Taking advantage of the remaining power of the broken flow sword intent, he became one with his sword, transforming into a streak of light, and stabbed straight at the heart of the strong man wielding the axe! The strong man hurriedly blocked with his axe.

"Dang - click!"

The Xuan Sword struck precisely at the junction of the battle axe's blade and handle. This spot, already bearing the brunt of the previous clashes, now cracked under Chen Yang's powerful strike, which concentrated most of the remaining medicinal energy. A surge of sword energy pierced through the crack and slammed into the burly man's chest!
"Wow!"

The burly man coughed up a mouthful of blood, his chest armor shattered, and he staggered backward, already severely injured.

Upon seeing this, the woman wielding the short thorns and the bald boxer were terrified. They abandoned their attack and turned to flee for their lives toward the energy barrier at the entrance of the canyon, which was not yet fully closed!
Chen Yang didn't give chase. He leaned on his sword, slightly out of breath. Killing two powerful enemies and severely injuring another seemed impressive, but in reality, it had taken a heavy toll. The combined effects of the three potions were rapidly fading, and a strong sense of weakness and stabbing pain in his meridians began to surge in like a tide.

He knew he had to leave immediately, otherwise, once the effects of the drug wore off, the regular troops outside would unleash heavy firepower, and he would be finished here.

He glanced at the energy barriers slowly closing at both ends of the canyon, then at the signal from the Luanhuang team on the detector—it remained stable, seemingly having stopped moving, and was likely transmitting critical data.

"almost……"

Chen Yang took a deep breath, suppressing his surging blood and weakness, and put away the Xuan Sword.

He glanced at the heavily wounded, axe-wielding man on the ground, the other two corpses, and the ordinary black-clad soldiers in the distance who were hesitant and dared not approach.

He didn't make another move. Instead, he turned and walked step by step into the depths of the canyon, towards the seemingly impassable path that had been completely blocked by the energy barrier. In his palm, the World Spirit Orb emitted a gentle blue light.

Chen Yang's figure rippled and blurred like water in the last sliver of dim light deep in the canyon before disappearing completely.

The two "Awakened Ones" he deliberately exposed and relentlessly pursued—a woman wielding a poisoned dagger and the bald boxer—

Enraged and horrified by the instant death of their companion, and seeing Chen Yang fleeing headlong into a dead end, how could they let go of this opportunity to "kill a powerful enemy and redeem themselves"? Almost without thinking, the two followed the afterimage and rushed into the Sumeru space portal that Chen Yang had quietly opened and then instantly closed.

Before the dizziness from the spatial shift had even subsided, the two found themselves in a completely unfamiliar environment. Beneath their feet lay cracked, gray earth, above them a chaotic, churning "sky," and all around was a deathly desolation, with only a few withered blades of grass swaying in the dim light.

"What is this place?"

The woman with the short thorns looked around in surprise and uncertainty, gripping the thorns in her hand even tighter. The bald boxer also tensed all his muscles, vigilantly sensing the almost non-existent spiritual energy in this strange space.

"Illusion? Or some kind of spatial teleportation array?"

Their questions were answered quickly.

"Welcome to my territory."

Chen Yang's voice rang out calmly, and he and the woman's remnant spirit appeared not far in front of them, as if they had materialized from thin air. Compared to the exhaustion from the fierce battle outside, Chen Yang's breathing was still somewhat uneven.

But her eyes remained as sharp as ever, and the black sword in her hand gleamed with a cold, clear light. The remnant spirit of the woman in palace attire, on the other hand, drifted like smoke, her eyes indifferent as she looked at the two intruders, as if they were two dead men.

"Playing tricks! Let's all attack and kill him!"

The woman with the short spiky hair let out a sharp shout, suppressing her unease. She exchanged a glance with the bald boxer, and the two instantly reached a tacit understanding. They sprang up, attacking Chen Yang from the left and right! They knew that in this strange place, only by fighting quickly and killing Chen Yang might they be able to find a way out!
However, they were wrong.

This is not only Chen Yang's home turf, but also the domain where he can completely control the nascent rules! Although this Sumeru space is far from mature and cannot make words come true or change the landscape, Chen Yang, as the realm master, can still achieve this.

His divine senses were sharper in this place, and his magical power seemed to flow more smoothly. Most importantly, he had an assistant who was familiar with soul combat and proficient in illusion and mental interference!
Facing the combined attack of the two, Chen Yang advanced instead of retreating, his Xuan Sword drawing an arc, its chilling aura enveloping both of their attacks simultaneously. The woman with the short dagger moved with unpredictable movements, her daggers striking like a venomous snake's tongue, targeting vital points; the bald boxer, on the other hand, possessed powerful and heavy punches, each blow carrying the force to shatter stone.

The two cooperated well, one skillful and the other forceful, their attacks were fierce.

However, Chen Yang's swordsmanship, honed by the Qingwei Yuanjiang Great Art and the recent life-or-death battle, had already reached a state of perfection. Within the Sumeru Space, his mind was even clearer, and his sword moved with his will, sometimes as light and agile as the wind, parrying and deflecting the tricky attacks of short daggers;
At times, the force was as heavy as a mountain, directly confronting the powerful impact of the punches. The remnant spirit of the woman drifted around to the side, not directly participating in the fight, but occasionally releasing wisps of imperceptible mental fluctuations, either creating subtle visual illusions or stirring up the fear and anxiety deep within the two.

Such interference may seem weak, but in a high-intensity life-or-death struggle, it can be the final straw that breaks the camel's back.

The woman with the short dagger missed several exquisite thrusts due to momentary lapses in concentration or misjudgments; the bald boxer's ferocious punches were also slightly disrupted by a sudden, inexplicable sense of unease.

"Damn it! This female ghost is strange! Deal with her first!" The woman with the short thorns realized the problem and screamed. She flicked her short thorns, sending out several poisoned beams of cold light that shot towards the woman's remnant spirit.

The woman's lingering spirit dispersed like smoke, easily dodging the attack, while giving the woman with the short thorns a gentle smile.

The smile looked incredibly eerie in the dim light. The woman with the short thorns was terrified, and a terrifying vision appeared before her eyes, as if countless venomous snakes were devouring her and a thousand thorns were piercing her heart. Her movements froze.

"It's now!"

A cold glint flashed in Chen Yang's eyes, and the Xuan Sword, which had been gathering power, suddenly burst forth with a dazzling sword light. It was no longer the move he had used in the previous entanglement, but a sword strike that condensed his killing intent—"Qingwei·Duanliu"!
The sword light flashed like a bolt of lightning, instantly slicing past the figure of the woman with the short dagger, whose form was frozen in illusion.

The terror on her face hadn't even fully blossomed before it froze. Her protective aura was sliced ​​through like paper, a line of blood appeared on her neck, the light in her eyes quickly dimmed, and she collapsed limply.

"Ah Juan!"

The bald boxer's eyes were bloodshot. The instant death of his companion drove him completely mad. With a roar, he recklessly activated all the medicinal power in his body. His fists glowed with an abnormal blood-red light, like two heavy hammers, and smashed into Chen Yang's back with the momentum of mutual destruction!
Chen Yang had just finished unleashing the Severing Flow Sword Technique, his old power exhausted and new power yet to arise, but he seemed to have anticipated this. Without turning around, he flicked his left hand out with a backhand strike, lightning flickering at his fingertips—

This was a simplified application of Qingwei's Palm Thunder! At the same time, the woman's remnant spirit also condensed her soul power, and an invisible spiritual shock slammed into the bald boxer's furious sea of ​​consciousness!

"boom!"

The lightning bolt from the palm collided with the crimson fist energy, producing a muffled thud. Chen Yang was jolted forward, his blood churning. The bald boxer, on the other hand, was struck by the combined force of the lightning bolt and the mental impact of the woman's remnant spirit, his attack faltering, a moment of confusion and pain flashing in his eyes.

Chen Yang steadied himself, turned around abruptly, and thrust out the Xuan Sword with an unyielding momentum, without any fancy moves!

"Pfft!"

The sword tip pierced precisely through the bald boxer's heart, which was relatively weak due to the frantic use of the drug. The sword energy erupted within his body, destroying all life.

The bald boxer stared wide-eyed at the sword piercing his chest in disbelief. He opened his mouth, but only coughed up a lot of blood and foam. His burly body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Silence returned to the Sumeru space. Only two increasingly cold corpses remained on the cracked earth.

Chen Yang, slightly out of breath, sheathed his Xuan Sword. The continuous high-intensity battle, coupled with the use of deadly techniques, had taken a heavy toll, even with the added benefit of being within the Sumeru Space.

He looked at the woman's remaining spirit; her figure seemed to have faded even more, clearly indicating that the support she had just received had taken a toll.

"Hard."

Chen Yang said.

"It's your job."

The woman's remnant spirit spoke calmly, her gaze sweeping over the corpse on the ground.

"The battle outside..."

"It's time to finish."

A cold glint flashed in Chen Yang's eyes. With a thought, the entrance to the Sumeru Space quietly opened again.

In the canyon, the remaining four "Awakened Ones" and dozens of terrified soldiers in black stood bewildered before the "dead zone" where the energy barrier was about to close completely, searching for the whereabouts of Chen Yang and his two companions who had suddenly disappeared.

"Where is the person? Why is he missing?"

"Is it an illusion? Or a spatial talisman?"

"Find him! Dig three feet into the ground if you must!"

The burly man with the axe leaned against a rock, clutching his chest, his face pale, but he still gave orders in a hoarse voice.

Just then, the air not far in front of them rippled like water again, and Chen Yang and the woman in palace attire appeared out of thin air!
"Where is he!"

someone exclaimed.

"Where are A-Juan and Tie Quan?"

The other person was surprised and suspicious.

However, before they could figure it out, Chen Yang's cold gaze had already locked onto them.

"Two for each person, is there a problem?"

Chen Yang whispered to the woman beside him, Can Ling.

The woman's remnant spirit looked at the four "Awakened Ones" with different auras, sensed them briefly, and said coldly.

"Three might be a challenge, but two... is no problem."

"Okay! Kill!"

Before the words were even finished, the two had already transformed into two afterimages and rushed into the enemy ranks! Chen Yang's target was the heavily injured, axe-wielding strong man and another tall, thin man wielding a pair of water-splitting spikes with a chilling aura.

The woman's remnant spirit then drifted toward two other "Awakened Ones" who were standing slightly closer. One of them was holding a knife, and the other seemed to be skilled in hidden weapons and poison techniques.

The battle breaks out instantly!
On Chen Yang's side, although he had consumed a great deal of energy, some of the effects of the previous potion were still present. Coupled with the brief respite in the Sumeru Space and the momentum brought by killing two people, he remained extremely fierce.

The Xuan Sword crisscrossed, its sword energy like a rainbow, tightly binding the burly man wielding the axe and the tall, thin man. The burly man, severely injured, was greatly weakened and could only barely parry. The tall, thin man's movements were unpredictable, his Water-Splitting Strike ruthless and cunning, causing Chen Yang considerable trouble and putting him in several perilous situations.

But Chen Yang was extremely experienced in combat, and the more dangerous the situation, the calmer he became.

He no longer pursued a quick kill, but instead used his movement techniques and sword skills to maneuver around the opponent, occasionally using sharp sword energy to force them back, while secretly adjusting his breathing to recover his depleted mana.

He knew that as long as he could hold off the two strongest ones, the battle would instantly turn around once the woman's remnant spirit dealt with her target.

On the other hand, the female remnant spirit's fighting style was completely different.

She didn't engage in direct combat at all; her soul was as if it had no substance, moving freely among the flashing blades and poisoned hidden weapons.

Her hands continuously formed profound hand seals, and her mouth seemed to chant ancient incantations. Powerful mental illusions surged like invisible tides, impacting the minds of the two "Awakened Ones" wave after wave. (End of Chapter)