111: Chapter 111 Trapped

In the next moment.

A bizarre scene unfolded.

The shattered gravel transformed into black quicksand, which did not fall but instead floated in mid-air.

It surrounded Liu Bai.

It spun and expanded rapidly, sketching out a circular outline several feet in diameter that completely covered Liu Bai's figure.

“What is this?”

Xu Changsheng's eyes narrowed slightly.

He saw the black sand flowing slowly like thick ink, with faint flickers of dark red patterns visible within it.

It emitted a chaotic and highly unstable aura.

However, Xu Changsheng had not been idle these past few days; he had already raised his Formation attainment to the second rank.

He was all too familiar with this aura.

It was precisely a spatial fluctuation.

“A teleportation Formation? Is this old geezer for real?”

【Todays Intelligence (Green): Second-Rank Artifact Refining Legacy】

【Liu Bai is about to die. Within his mind, he retains a complete second-rank Artifact Refining Legacy, which can be fully obtained through the Soul Burning technique.】

Seeing Todays Intelligence again.

Xu Changsheng’s heart jolted.

Previously, he hadn't believed Liu Bai's threats in the slightest.

Now, he had no choice but to believe them somewhat.

Liu Bai sat slumped against a giant rock near the Immortal Cave, muttering to himself: “To think that my, this old man's, end would be like this.”

His body began to wither at a rate visible to the naked eye, turning into skin and bones, with only a layer of wrinkled thin skin remaining.

His wrinkled eyelids slowly drooped: “Very well. Before I die, I can take someone down with me. Not bad.”

Just then.

A flash of light shot out from Xu Changsheng's Immortal Cave.

It aimed straight for the center of Liu Bai's brow.

“Whoosh.”

In the blink of an eye, Liu Bai's forehead was pierced through. He was dead!

In the next instant.

Several strands of golden soul energy flew out from his facial orifices, heading straight forward.

The Great Cloud Rain Formation suddenly opened a gap, drawing the soul energy inside.

Inside the Immortal Cave.

Xu Changsheng was already prepared.

He caught the golden soul energy in his hand.

After several breaths.

He let go, allowing it to dissipate.

Finally, he clicked his tongue in wonder: “So this is the Dao of Artifact Refining. Truly miraculous.”

He swept his Divine Sense over Liu Bai and found that the man did not have a Storage Pouch on him.

His hands were empty; there was nothing else.

Combining this with the information obtained from the Soul Burning, he finally learned the cause and effect.

It turned out that Liu Bai was an Artifact Refiner from the Hundred Refining Valley, a great Artifact Refining sect in the Yuan State.

Over the years, the Hundred Refining Valley had been refining a special devilish tool to serve as their sect's treasure.

The Wuwang Sword—by absorbing Devilish Qi, it could use devilry to overcome devilry.

Liu Bai was one of the core members of the refining process.

Later, affected by the Devilish Qi of the Wuwang Sword embryo, not only did his temper become increasingly violent, but even his sanity gradually clouded.

He leaked this news to the Ghost Shadow Sect and worked with them from the inside to steal the devil sword embryo.

To prevent the news from leaking, the Ghost Shadow Sect placed it directly in Duanyun Ridge of the Chu Kingdom and gave Liu Bai a Demonic Path Teleportation Talisman, allowing him to teleport to Duanyun Ridge at any time.

But a fire cannot be wrapped in paper forever.

Liu Bai's tracks were eventually discovered by the Hundred Refining Valley. His Foundation was destroyed by a punch from a Golden Core powerhouse, though he managed to escape using a Refuge Puppet.

However, his Dantian was ruined, and he could no longer use magic power.

He then discovered that the Golden Core powerhouse had left a destructive spiritual energy storm inside his body, which was constantly ravaging his Meridians.

By the time he returned to his Immortal Cave and tried various methods, he found it was impossible to dispel.

Feeling his life force rapidly draining and realizing he couldn't even walk a single mile, he had no choice but to choose one of these 'neighbors' for Possession.

As for Li Hongxuan's side, it wasn't that he disagreed, but that he happened to be out.

So, in reality, from beginning to end, Liu Bai only ever had Xu Changsheng as his sole option.

Liu Bai's threat was not baseless either.

If the Demonic Path Teleportation Talisman was crushed, it would release all its spatial power at once, teleporting everything within a five-mile radius to Duanyun Ridge.

“Damn it!”

Seeing this, Xu Changsheng cursed.

He didn't want to be teleported to some Duanyun Ridge. One must know that it was a stronghold planted by the Ghost Shadow Sect in the Chu Kingdom's cultivation world.

It would be easy to go in, but difficult to come out.

He immediately went to the back of the Immortal Cave and packed up all his important belongings.

Without overthinking, he left through the prepared tunnel.

“Thud, thud, thud.”

Stone doors slammed shut one after another as Xu Changsheng passed through.

...

With his current cultivation, it took him only a few dozen breaths to exit the tunnel.

He emerged in a desolate forest.

He suddenly looked up into the distance; the teleportation Formation had already manifested as a celestial phenomenon.

A mass of chaotic black clouds appeared in the sky, completely blotting out the moonlight.

Foundation Establishment Cultivators within several miles all noticed this strange scene.

They flew into the air one after another, clicking their tongues in amazement.

Although they could sense an ominous aura from it, they didn't take it seriously.

However, in the next instant.

A sudden change occurred!

The black clouds suddenly expanded, beginning to swell at an extremely high speed.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivators finally realized something was wrong and began to flee outward one by one.

But it was already too late!

The black clouds swallowed everyone.

Seeing this, Xu Changsheng shook his head inwardly, sighing with relief that he had run fast enough.

But his expression immediately turned grim.

This was because the black clouds showed no sign of stopping after extending beyond five miles.

Liu Bai's soul would not lie.

That could only mean that either the Ghost Shadow Sect had lied to Liu Bai, or everyone had underestimated the situation.

Regardless.

Xu Changsheng had to escape.

He summoned Ink Shadow.

Standing atop it, he ordered it to flee outward.

“Ink Shadow, don't hold back. Look at that black barrier behind us. If you can't outrun it, we're both dead.”

Taking a look back, the beast's eyes also revealed a look of terror.

It gave a screech.

And immediately flew toward the distance.

Unexpectedly.

Its body jerked, its flight posture became unstable, and it actually fell to the ground.

“Caw, caw, caw.”

It startled the birds nesting in the forest into a chaotic flight.

“I forgot, the Immortal City has a flight-prohibiting Restriction.”

As a second-rank Spirit Beast, Ink Shadow could take off, but once its escape speed was detected as too fast, it would trigger the Restriction. A weight of ten thousand catties would press down, making it impossible to fly.

“You go back first.”

Seeing the black light only ten zhang away from him, Xu Changsheng's brow furrowed tightly.

He gave a heavy shout.

Blood energy was channeled into his feet.

He charged down the mountain in the opposite direction.

Kicking up a trail of dust along the way.

He felt a secret joy.

The running speed of second-rank Body Refining was comparable to a first-rank speed-type Spirit Beast!

But when he glanced back.

The pride in his heart vanished like smoke.

Because.

The speed of the black light was even faster.

In just a few breaths, it was only three feet away from him.

“It's over!”

This final thought flashed through his mind.

Xu Changsheng was swallowed by the black air current.

In the next moment.

He found himself in a dark space.

He could only sense through his Divine Sense that he was still in the same spot.

Directly ahead, a black outline shimmered with a faint light.

It continued to expand forward.

It extended until it was several zhang away and then abruptly stopped.

Xu Changsheng was stunned and cursed loudly: “Was it just by this little bit? My luck is really bad enough.”

He tried to move.

But he found his body was bound.

Even with all his strength, it was difficult to move even half a step.

He could only turn around in place.

Turning his head, he saw a terrifying scene.