"This God-Burial Pit, as the name suggests, buries a god."

  "Of course, not a true immortal, but a Foundation-level Dao-Body born with Dao-intent from countless years ago."

  "It lies right beneath Thunder-Echo Ridge, guarded by Dao-principle restrictions set before its demise."

  As Zhang Cuizhan spoke, he took two steps forward, narrowing the distance to Chen Gensheng.

  "Those Dao-principles are extraordinary—neither living nor dead, neither existing nor non-existent. Brother Xiao and I have studied them for years without finding a way in. Until we met you, Daoist Chen." He spread his hands, his words sounding both helpless and sincere. "If you are willing to help us break the restriction, that nameless Dao-Body, along with his accompanying treasures, shall be split among the three of us..."

  At this point, an incredibly malicious smile suddenly erupted on Zhang Cuizhan’s warm face:

  "You can go down there and keep him company!"

  Before the words fully landed, he retreated violently. Four palm-sized formation flags were driven into the ground around Chen Gensheng in a triangular pattern!

  The world seemed to flip in that instant. One second, Chen Gensheng was atop Thunder-Echo Ridge; the next, he was standing in a vast, boundless sea of fire. Searing waves crashed against him, molten lava flowed beneath his feet, and fire-rain fell from the sky—each drop potent enough to melt refined iron.

  It was a High-Grade Illusion-Slaying Grand Array.

  Gensheng’s mind raced as his insect wings unfurled to soar upward, but the sky above suddenly transformed into a massive palm, slamming down toward him! He ignored it and prepared to summon his swarm, but the fire-sea and the giant hand vanished instantly, replaced by the crushing depths of a ten-thousand-fathom abyss.

  The surroundings were deathly dark and cold. Massive water pressure squeezed from all sides, and countless sharp-toothed monstrous fish surged from the darkness in a suicidal frenzy.

  "Simin!" Gensheng barked.

  His divine sense was still linked to Li Simin, but their visions were entirely different. In Li Simin’s hollow Void-Gazing Eyes, the reality of the ridge was reflected: an invisible sword-qi was slicing silently toward Gensheng’s left flank.

  Without hesitation, Gensheng shifted to the right. The sword-qi grazed his sleeve, leaving a bottomless furrow in the ground. Before he could regain his footing, another warning came from Simin. He dropped into a crouch instantly as a poison needle shimmering with cold light whistled past his scalp.

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  The attacks within the array were inconceivably fast and unpredictable. Although the Void-Gazing Eyes could see through the illusion, the delay in relaying that information to Gensheng’s brain created a fatal lag. He was like a blindfolded target, struggling to dodge arrows from all directions.

  Outside the array.

  Zhang Cuizhan watched Chen Gensheng dodging frantically like a madman, his face twisted in a triumphant sneer. "No matter how heaven-defying your methods are, falling into my 'Four-Seasons Cycle Array' leaves you helpless!" He turned to Xiao Bai, who was still kneeling and suppressing the sha-qi. "Brother Xiao! Why hide? While he’s trapped and distracted, we’ll kill that damn toad first, then take his dog life!"

  Xiao Bai slowly stood up. His bronze skin had faded back to normal, leaving him pale—the previous strike had clearly taken its toll. He ignored Zhang’s shouting, his brooding eyes locked onto the silent female corpse standing behind Gensheng.

  "Brother Zhang," Xiao Bai’s voice was raspy. "Do you truly think his greatest reliance is those bugs and artifacts?"

  Zhang was stunned. "What do you mean?"

  "That corpse-puppet’s physical body is a genuine Late-stage Foundation vessel. Do not be reckless."

  Zhang sneered. "What are you afraid of? I’m from the same sect; do you think I don't know the puppet's details? Just go! I have a way to distract her for a moment. That moment is enough for you to smash that Chen guy into a pulp!"

  Xiao Bai eventually nodded. He clenched his fists and slammed them into the ground. The rock, harder than refined iron, was smashed into a crater as he sank into the mountain and vanished.

  Inside the array.

  Gensheng’s situation was dire. Several刁钻 (tricky) attacks had already drawn blood. Suddenly, his link with Li Simin was cut without warning.

  Outside, Zhang Cuizhan flicked his finger. A three-inch, rusted iron nail shrouded in black qi—the Soul-Slaying Nail—dissolved into smoke in his palm. It was a treasure specifically designed to target puppet spirits. Though it could only trap her for a few breaths, it was enough.

  "DIE!"

  A muffled, thunderous roar erupted from beneath Gensheng’s feet. Every hair on Gensheng's body stood on end. His six Azure Dao-Shields were beginning to form a sphere, but the attack from below was faster! A massive bronze fist erupted from the earth with the force of a mountain-crusher!

  BOOM!

  The giant fist slammed squarely into the base of the incomplete shield. Gensheng was sent flying, his internal organs feeling displaced as blood surged into his throat. Xiao Bai’s bronze giant form fully emerged and threw another punch.

  By then, Li Simin had recovered. She took the blow head-on and retracted the Essence-Marrow Toad, spreading her arms to shield Gensheng. The shockwave of the punch pushed them both out of the range of the Four-Seasons Array. Gensheng could no longer hold it back and spat out a mouthful of blood.

  "That corpse-puppet is truly tough," Zhang Cuizhan said in surprise, walking over slowly while pointing his formation flag at Gensheng.

  Gensheng didn't speak. Coughing blood, his bottom-most hand lunged into his storage ring. Ten mid-grade spirit stones shimmering with precious light were snatched out and slammed into the ground beneath him!

  The smile on Zhang Cuizhan’s face froze.

  Ten mid-grade spirit stones were incinerated in a single heartbeat! A violent, peerless thrust exploded. Gensheng scooped up Li Simin and the Toad, and his entire being transformed into a blinding streak of light, soaring into the sky at a speed that even a Foundation practitioner's divine sense could barely track.

  "STAY HERE!"