Chapter 357: Breaking the Array, the Dark Cocoon, and the Giant Hand

Chapter 357: Breaking the Array, the Dark Cocoon, and the Giant Hand

September 30, 2024

Lu Qing's arrow flew faster than any of his previous magic arrows.

In an instant, it reached the unshorn figure before him.

The powerful might contained within the arrow directly pierced the unshorn figure, who was in a state of shock, instantly snapping him back to his senses.

He had no time to ponder why Lu Qing could see through his identity and origins with a single word.

His thoughts raced, and a black bone sword appeared before him, while the array's power behind him rapidly converged, rushing towards the magic arrow.

Boom!

A huge sound rang out, and the collision of two forces that had already surpassed the limits of the Primordial Realm instantly turned the air within a few dozen meters into white mist.

The entire prefecture city gate shook as a result.

If not for the protection of the dark array veil, it would have likely collapsed.

"There's something to this."

As the white mist dissipated, Lu Qing looked at the unshorn figure, who remained completely unharmed, with some surprise.

On the contrary, the unshorn figure stared at the black bone sword in front of him, his face turning ashen.

At this moment, the blood mist that had gathered around the bone sword had completely dissipated.

Not only that, but even the strand of Demon Essence that he had painstakingly nourished and strengthened through blood sacrifice was now largely depleted.

After working so hard for so long to nurture and strengthen the Demon Essence, it had now been lost by more than half, causing the unshorn figure immense pain.

What made him even more furious was that the power of Lu Qing's arrow far exceeded his expectations.

It had only been a short while, and Lu Qing had already become this powerful.

With just one arrow, he had nearly overwhelmed the unshorn figure, who was supported by a grand array and held the Demon Bone Sword.

Adding to this, Lu Qing had suddenly exposed his identity and origins.

In that moment, the unshorn figure's wariness of Lu Qing reached its peak.

He knew that this young man, blessed by the fortune of the heavens, had reached a level of strength that was difficult to fathom.

Even with the support of the grand array, unless Lu Qing actively entered the array, he would struggle to deal with his opponent.

"Demon Bone Sword?"

At this time, Lu Qing also used his abilities to investigate the origins of the black bone sword.

He further understood that the purpose of the demon array set up by his opponent was to use the blood sacrifice of tens of thousands of people in the prefecture city to nourish and strengthen the Demon Essence within the bone sword.

Then, he would devour it to forge his demonic body.

"So, the array core mentioned in the previous note was this bone sword."

Lu Qing's heart was filled with enlightenment, and he instantly understood the unshorn figure's intentions.

He acted decisively, taking out another magic arrow, and after a brief preparation, a streak of light flew towards the city gate.

However, this time, the unshorn figure was prepared. Knowing the power of Lu Qing's bow and arrow, he would not dare to confront it head-on again.

He immediately moved, dodging the magic arrow's attack, not allowing any contact.

However, when Lu Qing saw the unshorn figure avoiding the magic arrow, his face did not show disappointment. Instead, a mocking expression appeared.

The next moment, the power of the divine soul attached to the magic arrow was activated. The arrow that had originally missed suddenly changed direction in mid-air, with the arrowhead pointing downwards, falling towards the city.

Boom!

A muffled sound came from within the city, and the unshorn figure's face changed abruptly.

Because he sensed that one of the array nodes within the city had been destroyed by Lu Qing once again.

"Demon brat, do you think hiding in the array will make me unable to deal with you?

Let's see how many array nodes you have that I can destroy!"

After speaking, Lu Qing's hand moved slightly, and three magic arrows appeared. He drew his bow and released three streaks of light that shot straight towards the sky.

He was using the Heavenly Plunge Arrow Technique again to continue destroying the array nodes within the city.

"Damn it!"

Upon seeing this, the unshorn figure's face turned extremely grim.

He knew that he had fallen into a dilemma.

The power of Lu Qing's arrows was astonishing, and it was difficult to block them with just the defensive power of the array veil.

Unless he used the black bone sword, it would be impossible to stop them.

But if he didn't block them, the arrows would fly into the city, destroying the array nodes, which was also unacceptable to him.

The array nodes were crucial to the operation of the Ten Directions Blood Soul Refining Array. Once more than half of the nodes were destroyed, the grand array would collapse, and without the support of the array's power, he would also be no match for Lu Qing.

"Boy, do you have to be so aggressive?"

The unshorn figure's face was unsightly as he stared at Lu Qing.

This time, Lu Qing didn't say anything. He simply took out three more magic arrows and placed them on his bow.

"Fine, boy, you're forcing me to do this!"

Seeing this, the unshorn figure knew that it was impossible to stall and negotiate with Lu Qing.

His eyes turned icy cold, and suddenly, he formed a hand seal, his heart and mind stirring.

The dark array veil covering the State Capital City above began to stir.

The black gas serpents that were wreaking havoc within the city, searching for the essence of the citizens' blood, suddenly abandoned their targets and flew towards the black array veil in the sky, merging into it.

At the same time, the black array veil rapidly shrank and gathered towards the Black Bone Sword in front of the unshorn figure.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

In just a few breaths, the massive black array veil that had enveloped the State Capital City, causing an eerie dimness, had completely disappeared, sucked into the Black Bone Sword.

Those who were dealing with the black gas serpents, including Wei Xinghe, were startled when they saw the magnificent sunset on the horizon.

"What happened? How did the black veil disappear?"

While the Primordial Realm cultivators were still bewildered, only Wei Xinghe realized what had happened.

He exclaimed with joy, "It's that Sage who broke the array! Let's go, we must leave the city quickly!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already used his movement technique to head out of the city.

The other Primordial Realm cultivators, after exchanging glances, also used their movement techniques to follow Wei Xinghe towards the city gate.

"Brat, you've ruined my grand plan several times. This time, you will pay the price!"

Outside the city gate, the Black Bone Sword floating in front of the unshorn figure emitted a formidable aura.

Having devoured the entire array veil, it seemed on the verge of an ominous transformation.

Lu Qing, upon seeing this, immediately shot an arrow towards it.

He had not stopped the unshorn figure earlier because he sensed that the other party was voluntarily withdrawing their magic.

This was a good thing for the city's residents, as it would reduce casualties, so he chose to wait and see.

Now that the demonic array had been removed, and the Black Bone Sword was clearly amiss, Lu Qing would not hold back any longer.

The magic arrow transformed into a streak of light, rapidly approaching the Black Bone Sword. In the blink of an eye, it was about to pierce the bone sword.

In the next moment, a hand gripped the Black Bone Sword, and with a slight wave, a loud blast followed, knocking Lu Qing's magic arrow away.

"Brat, you forced me to do this. I'll extract your soul and burn it with demon flames, making you suffer endlessly, unable to live or die!"

The unshorn figure, gripping the Black Bone Sword, had a hideous expression.

Just as Lu Qing's heart skipped a beat and he prepared to defend, he was astonished to see the unshorn figure open his mouth wide and swallow the Black Bone Sword!

Powerful energy burst forth from the unshorn figure, and countless black gas emerged, making him resemble a demon god.

The black gas quickly spun, eventually forming a black cocoon over ten meters tall, floating above the city gate.

"What kind of aura is that?"

Wei Xinghe and the others, who were heading towards the city gate, suddenly sensed this aura, their hearts pounding fiercely as they gazed at the front with a mix of shock and uncertainty.

They all felt an incredibly formidable and evil aura brewing near the city gate.

Just sensing it made their hearts tremble and their souls shudder.

"Xiaolangjun, be careful. He seems to be forcing a breakthrough to enter the Foundation Establishment Realm!"

The voice of Flame resonated in Lu Qing's mind.

It had been observing this battle as well.

Seeing the demon cultivator's transformation, it immediately warned, "I know," Lu Qing nodded.

In fact, he had already guessed what the other party was attempting.

By swallowing the Demon Bone Sword, he aimed to forge a demonic body.

This was the unshorn figure's original intention for setting up the array to besiege the State Capital City.

However, Lu Qing had not expected that despite his interference, the other party would still unleash this secret technique.

"But to refine a demonic body, he should ask for my permission!"

Lu Qing took out a magic arrow from the Heaven and Earth Qi Bag and nocked it on his bow.

After drawing in spiritual energy, he shot the arrow towards the black cocoon.

The magic arrow, like a rainbow piercing the sun, reached the black cocoon in an instant.

As if sensing the incoming attack, numerous black gas tentacles sprouted from the surface of the cocoon, wrapping around the magic arrow to block it.

Although Lu Qing's arrow was powerful, the black tentacles were equally resilient.

Due to their sheer number, they eventually managed to stop Lu Qing's arrow.

"Hmm?" Lu Qing's expression turned solemn as he witnessed the ineffectiveness of his magic arrow.

The arrow he had just released was the most powerful one he could currently muster.

It wasn't that he lacked strength, but the magic arrow could only carry a limited amount of Spirit Qi, thus restricting its might.

After all, the magic arrows in the Heaven and Earth Qi Bag were crafted by him using the Thousand-Refined Treasure Steel, and their power was limited.

"If I had known, I would have forged a few arrows using Celestial Meteor Iron to see if you could withstand them," Lu Qing muttered as he placed the treasure bow back into the Heaven and Earth Qi Bag. In his hand, a battle sword appeared.

The sword was entirely white, and its blade exuded an invisible edge that sliced through the air.

It was the very sword he had reforged using the Fire Separation Cauldron, made entirely from Celestial Meteor Iron.

"Bafang, since you've been reforged, I haven't had the chance to use you yet.

Today, I'll take you to slay some demons and eliminate some evil!" Lu Qing caressed the battle sword he had named Bafang.

After a loud whistle, a golden light flickered around Lu Qing's body, and in the next moment, he stomped his foot, causing the ground to crack for dozens of meters around him.

Then, amidst layers of white mist, he leaped high into the air as if teleporting, appearing atop the prefecture city gate, right before the dark cocoon.

Facing the black energy tentacles that enveloped him like a heavenly net, Lu Qing raised his sword high, and with a thunderous force, he slashed downward.

As the sword descended, a terrifying blade aura spanning dozens of meters appeared out of thin air, slicing towards the dark cocoon.

The countless black energy tentacles were utterly useless against this terrifying blade aura.

Even before they could get close, they shattered into pieces, turning into wisps of black mist.

Without the obstruction of the black energy tentacles, the blade aura, devoid of any flourish, reached the black cocoon just as Wei Xinghe and the others arrived at the gate.

Boom!

The collision of the blade aura and the black cocoon produced a massive impact, causing the majestic prefecture city gate, which stood dozens of meters tall, to finally crumble and explode.

Bricks and stones flew in all directions, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Fortunately, there was no one lingering near the gate at that moment.

Otherwise, this single collision would have resulted in countless casualties.

In mid-air, Lu Qing stood amidst a swirl of clear wind, calmly observing the dust below.

He could sense that his strike had not eliminated the person within the dark cocoon.

Amidst the dust, a powerful aura was brewing.

As expected, before the dust could settle, a whirlwind suddenly stirred.

A massive black shadow emerged from the dust, rushing towards Lu Qing.

Lu Qing had an intuitive warning, and when he saw the shape of the black shadow, his pupils constricted abruptly.

Without a moment's hesitation, he activated his talisman, causing the clear wind around him to tremble, allowing him to deftly evade the attack.

A gust of wind whistled, and a gale brushed past Lu Qing's body.

From a distance, Wei Xinghe and the others witnessed a scene they would never forget.

They saw a giant black palm emerging from the dust, reaching towards Lu Qing in mid-air.

The giant black palm, missing its target, curved and struck out with another palm towards Lu Qing.

The palm wind roared like a furious gale, causing Lu Qing to lose his balance in mid-air.

The giant black palm nearly struck his body, leaving Wei Xinghe and the others trembling with fear.

Luckily, Lu Qing's talisman skills were exceptional. At the critical moment, he stabilized his stance and dodged the black palm's attack.

Simultaneously, he activated the clear wind around him and descended to the ground.

His current realm was still at the Qi Condensation Realm, and his ability to stay airborne relied on the power of the talisman, limiting his true combat prowess.

Only by drawing strength from the earth could he fight more effectively once he landed.

However, just as Lu Qing evaded the giant black palm and was about to touch the ground, another giant black palm extended from the dissipating dust, joining the other palm in a pincer formation, aiming towards Lu Qing in mid-air.

This sudden attack, coupled with the interference of the gale, made it difficult for Lu Qing to activate the clear wind in time.

Consequently, Lu Qing failed to dodge in time and was caught between the two giant black palms, which clapped together, striking him with tremendous force!

"Lu Xiaolangjun!" Wei Xinghe, not far away, witnessed this scene and was shocked to his core, shouting out in alarm.

It was this strike that caused the gale, which had dispersed the giant shadow shrouding the gate, to gradually reveal its true form.

Upon seeing the appearance of that thing, everyone's eyes widened, and their bodies trembled.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end