Phantom Shadow's decisive sharp whistle sounded like the horn for a cornered beast's death struggle. The five assassins, imprisoned by the array with their retreat cut off, simultaneously flashed with madness and deathly stillness in their eyes. They no longer tried to conceal themselves as violent and chaotic spiritual energy fluctuations erupted from their bodies. Essence blood and soul power were ignited in an instant, their auras rising like volcanoes about to erupt, filled with destructive power!
They would use their own lives to blast open a path for Hall Master Phantom Shadow! This was the final loyalty and madness of the Shadow Snake Pavilion's assassins! However, just as their auras climbed to their peak, about to launch their self-destructive attacks— Tang Xiaoqi moved. Without hesitation, he flipped his hand and took out a dragon-eye-sized "Nine Revolutions Soul-Returning Pill" that emitted rich life force and cooling medicinal fragrance.
This pill was the sect's treasured collection, with the effect of reviving the dead and healing bones, and could instantly replenish large amounts of spiritual power and stabilize the soul. He swallowed the pill in one gulp, and pure medicinal power instantly spread like sweet rain, surging into his nearly dried-up meridians and damaged internal organs. The black sword mark at his temple, under the combined action of the medicinal power and Green Lotus origin, had its last trace of yin-cold death energy completely expelled, the wound healing visibly until only a faint red mark remained. The numbness at his ribs and arms rapidly faded as the poison was purified away.
His chaotic breath was smoothed by an invisible hand, not only instantly recovering to his peak but, stimulated by the life-and-death pressure and the medicine's effect, vaguely rising another level! He took a step forward, standing back-to-back with Liu Yun who held her sword ready. The two didn't even need to communicate; their years oftacit understanding allowed their qi mechanisms to perfectly connect in an instant. Liu Yun's cold,killing sword intent and Tang Xiaoqi's pure, vast purification guardian intent, though differing in nature, now merged like yin and yang, complementing each other to form an even more massive, even more suffocating aura!
Tang Xiaoqi's gaze was cold as ten-thousand-year black ice, sweeping across the five assassins with violent auras about to self-destruct, and Phantom Shadow hidden in the shadows with violently fluctuating presence. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a judgment-like coldness, clearly transmitting into every assassin's ear: "Want to die together?" "You're too late." The moment his words fell, the identities of hunter and prey were completely reversed! Before, they had hidden in the dark, waiting like venomous snakes to assassinate Tang Xiaoqi. But now, under the imprisonment of the locally activated Zhou Tian Star Ten Thousand Phenomena Array, locked onto by the combined forces of Qingxu Temple's two top combatants Liu Yun and Tang Xiaoqi, these assassins had instead become prey trapped in a cage with nowhere to hide!
The five assassins, feeling the combined might crushing toward them like mountains and seas, and Tang Xiaoqi's instantly recovered and even stronger state, found their madness involuntarily stagnating, giving rise to despair! The other side wouldn't give them a chance to perish together! "Attack!" Liu Yun coldly shouted, making the first move! She knew she couldn't let these desperate people actually self-destruct, otherwise even with the array's isolation, it would cause considerable damage, and might even affect the sect disciples rushing from afar.
The "Iron Ruler" heavy sword in her hand suddenly quaked as a condensed-to-substance, several-zhang-wide pitch-black sword gang, like a collapsing mountain, horizontally slashed toward the five assassins gathered together! Where the sword gang passed, rain evaporated and space distorted, and that violent shadow energy encountered its nemesis, scattering in all directions! This sword strike wasn't pursuing damage, but using absolute power to forcibly suppress and interrupt their self-destruction process! At the same time, Tang Xiaoqi also moved.
He didn't use the Nirvana Crimson Flame Sword but formed hand seals instead. The surging spiritual power and purification origin within him poured forth, mobilizing the Zhou Tian Star Grand Array's power! "Star Radiance Chains, bind!" With his low shout, from the silver light curtain above the spiritual bamboo grove, countless silver chains condensed from pure star power suddenly descended! These chains, like living spiritual snakes, moved at incredible speed, disregarding the five assassins' violent energy fields, precisely wrapping around their limbs, necks, and waists!
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle—!" The star chains violently conflicted with the chaotic shadow energy produced by the assassins burning their essence blood and soul power, emitting piercing sounds. Star power was neutral and peaceful, yet carried unparalleled suppression and purification properties—the very nemesis of these dark powers! Under Liu Yun's mountain-like sword gang's powerful suppression, and the binding restraint of countless star chains, the five assassins were like having their throats gripped by invisible giant hands. The violent energy within them, instead of being able to erupt, began backfiring against themselves!
"Ugh ah—!" "No—!" Miserable screams rang out as black blood seeped from the pores all over their bodies, their auras rapidly withering like leaking air. The momentum of their self-destruction was forcibly interrupted andsuppressed! They struggled like worms pinned to the ground under the star chains' restraint, completely unable to break free, their eyes holding only endless pain and despair. Yet at the same moment Liu Yun and Tang Xiaoqi joined forces to suppress the five assassins, the always-patient Phantom Shadow finally found his only possible chance!
While their attention was drawn away, his entire body completely transformed into an almost invisible dim shadow. No longer trying to travel through shadows (nearly impossible under the array's suppression), he concentrated all his power at a single point, like an arrow leaving the bow, using pure speed to rush toward the seemingly weakest connection point in the silver light curtain! That was an extremely minute gap inevitably existing in the energy flow when the array was locally activated! He would break the surface from a point, forcibly breaking through the array's seal!
His speed reached the extreme, even surpassing sound, pulling out a straight, distorted afterimage in the rain curtain! "Want to leave?" Tang Xiaoqi's cold voice, like the Reaper's whisper, sounded behind him. Almost at the same instant Phantom Shadow moved, Tang Xiaoqi had already predicted his intent! A palm imprint merging purification power and Four Symbols majesty, arriving later but first, as if crossing space, heavily stamped toward Phantom Shadow's back!
And Liu Yun's sword, while suppressing the five assassins, also sent out a sharp sword qi like an attached bone curse, sealing off Phantom Shadow's flank evasion space! Ahead was the array's light curtain blocking the way, behind was a soul-chasing palm imprint, and to the side was a certain-death sword qi! Phantom Shadow had fallen into a true desperate situation!