130: The Golden Azure Shield is shattered and the double force is colliding

The golden barrier collided with the black tide of Shadow Eaters, emitting a dull roar. Black light and golden light gnawed at each other, like two packs of beasts fighting for territory; every collision sparked dazzling fire, falling onto the surface of Chenyuan Lake and stirring up circles ofpitch black ripples.

Liu Shan stood behind the barrier, his golden-green interwoven light shield trembling violently. Shadow Eaters's sharp claws continuously scratched the shield's surface, leaving deep, bone-visible marks. The black light seeping from these marks spread along the shield, and wherever it passed, the azure-gold light rapidly dimmed.

"I can't hold on..." His teeth gnashed, the newly condensed power rapidly draining. A tearing pain came from his Dantian, as if it were being ripped apart by two completely different forces.

The White-Robed Figure's face was equally pale, the faint golden barrier covered in spiderweb-like cracks; he too had clearly reached his limit. The number of Shadow Eaters was simply too great, with new dark figures constantly emerging from the darkness at the bottom of the lake. Their roars converged into an invisible pressure, making the air of Chenyuan Lake thick.

"Use the Xu Seal!" The White-Robed Figure's voice held a hint of urgency, "Temporarily borrow my power, or else we will all be torn to shreds by these abominations!"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Liu Shan's heart. He could feel the scar on his brow heating up. The White-Robed Figure's power was like a dormant beast; as long as he gave the word, it would instantly surge into his body, directly clashing with the power of Shadow Eaters. But if that happened, his Divine Soul might very well be completely swallowed by the two forces.

"Father!"

A familiar cry suddenly came from the direction of the mountain path, filled with sobs and urgency.

Liu Shan sharply turned his head, only to see Liu Zhi stumbling out of the mountain path, his clothes tattered, his arm wrapped in a blood-soaked cloth, clearly having broken through Shadow Eaters's obstruction to get here. Lin Qingxue followed behind him, the white light on her soft sword faint, her face paler than paper, yet she tightly clutched Liu Zhi's arm, afraid he would fall.

"Why are you here?!" Liu Shan's voice was filled with shock and anger, "Who told you to come! Go back quickly!"

"We're not going back!" Liu Zhi ran to the lake's edge, his eyes widening instantly at the sight of Chenyuan Lake, but he still stubbornly shouted, "Shi Yan Ge is awake, he said you might need Lingmai Power! We brought soil from the spiritual field!"

He pulled out a cloth bag from his embrace, wrapped inside was a handful of dark green soil—it was the soil from Luoxia Valley's spiritual field, still clinging to a few biye flower petals, emitting a faint Spiritual Vein aura.

Lin Qingxue also took out a small jade bottle, containing half a bottle of clear liquid: "This is water from Chenyuan Lake. I found it can temporarily suppress Shadow Eaters's black Qi, perhaps..."

Her words were cut short by a sudden black wind. A Shadow Eaters bypassed the edge of the golden barrier, its sharp claws heading straight for Liu Zhi's face!

"Be careful!" Liu Shan didn't even think, abruptly retracting the golden-green light shield in front of him. The newly condensed power transformed into an azure-gold light whip, lashing fiercely at Shadow Eaters's claws!

"Sizzle—!"

The light whip collided with the claws, and Shadow Eaters let out a piercing shriek. Its claws were shattered, black blood splattering onto the lake surface, instantly swallowed by the dark blue lake water.

But this momentary Divided Soul also caused the golden barrier to completely lose its support. Countless Shadow Eaters seized the opportunity to break through the barrier, like a black tide, rushing towards Liu Shan and Liu Zhi!

"Qingxue! Take Liu Zhi and go!" Liu Shan roared, condensing his last bit of power in his palm, preparing to block Shadow Eaters's impact with his body.

Just then, an unexpected change occurred.

The spiritual field soil in Liu Zhi's embrace suddenly erupted with dazzling azure light. The biye flower petals unfurled in the air, visibly re-blooming at a speed discernible to the naked eye, emitting a rich Spiritual Vein aura. At the same time, the jade bottle in Lin Qingxue's hand shattered, and the water from Chenyuan Lake spilled onto the ground, mixing with the spiritual field soil to form an azure-blue light wall, blocking the black tide of Shadow Eaters!

"This is..." Liu Shan's eyes widened.

On the surface of the light wall, the soil from Luoxia Valley's spiritual field and the water from Chenyuan Lake intertwined, revealing patterns similar to the golden-green light shield, but more complex, and more... vibrant. These patterns spread along the light wall, and wherever they passed, Shadow Eaters's black Qi rapidly receded, even emitting painful hisses.

A hint of surprise flashed in the White-Robed Figure's dark eyes: "The Origin of the Spiritual Vein and Shadow Eaters... can actually counteract each other?"

The leading Shadow Eaters let out an angry roar, its crimson eyes fixed on the azure-blue light wall: "Impossible! The Spiritual Vein has long been polluted by Shadow Eaters, how could it..."

Its words were cut short by runes that suddenly lit up on the surface of the light wall. These runes were of the same Origin as those on the Zhenxu Stele, but more vibrant, flowing across the light wall as if alive, forcing the black tide of Shadow Eaters to constantly retreat.

Liu Shan could feel a pure Lingmai Power surging into his body along the light wall, resonating with his newly condensed power. The tearing sensation in his Dantian was significantly lessened, and the scar on his brow no longer felt hot; instead, it produced a subtle resonance with the light wall's runes.

"It's Luoxia Valley's Spiritual Vein!" Lin Qingxue cried out in surprise, "It's responding to your power!"

Liu Zhi also reacted, quickly scattering all the spiritual field soil from his cloth bag onto the light wall. The light wall's radiance instantly surged, and azure-blue runes spread across the lake surface, actually forming a massive array diagram in the center of Chenyuan Lake, trapping the Shadow Eaters in the center of the array diagram!

The black tide of Shadow Eaters violently crashed within the array diagram, but was always unable to Breakthrough the azure-blue runes, only able to emit desperate roars.

The leading Shadow Eaters looked at the array diagram, and for the first time, fear appeared in its crimson eyes: "It's the 'Guiling Array'! You can actually set up the Guiling Array!"

Guiling Array? A flash of realization crossed Liu Shan's mind. This must be the Xuan Jin Snake Clan's contingency plan, the final defensive array set up using Luoxia Valley's Spiritual Vein and Chenyuan Lake's Origin!

The White-Robed Figure looked at the Guiling Array, a complex emotion flashing in his dark eyes, then quickly returning to indifference. He did not take the opportunity to attack Shadow Eaters, but merely watched the struggling dark figures in the center of the array diagram, as if waiting for something.

Liu Shan's gaze shifted between the White-Robed Figure and the Guiling Array, suddenly realizing a terrifying fact—although the Guiling Array could temporarily trap Shadow Eaters, it was also consuming the Origin of Luoxia Valley's Spiritual Vein. The spiritual field soil in the cloth bag was already used up, and there was little lake water left in Lin Qingxue's hand. The light of the light wall was slowly dimming, clearly unable to last much longer.

"Our power isn't enough." Lin Qingxue's voice was anxious, "The array core of the Guiling Array needs more Lingmai Power, otherwise..."

Her words were cut short by a violent tremor from the bottom of Chenyuan Lake.

From the darkness at the bottom of the lake, countless thick chains suddenly extended—they were the broken Soul Locking Chains! They seemed to be awakened by the Guiling Array's power, golden light re-illuminating their surfaces, and along the Guiling Array's runes, they began to entangle the black tide of Shadow Eaters!

"The Soul Locking Chains... are awake too?" Liu Shan's eyes widened.

The leading Shadow Eaters let out a desperate wail: "No! Impossible! Even the Soul Locking Chains are betraying us!"

The Soul Locking Chains and the Guiling Array's runes cooperated, forming a giant net of interwoven gold and azure, firmly trapping the black tide of Shadow Eaters in the center. The Shadow Eaters struggled wildly within the net, but could only watch helplessly as their bodies were purified bit by bit by the golden and azure lights, turning into black dust.

Victory seemed to be within reach.

But Liu Shan's heart sank to rock bottom.

He could feel that while the powers of the Guiling Array and the Soul Locking Chains were purifying Shadow Eaters, they were also clashing with each other. The golden and azure lights constantly rubbed, emitting sizzling sounds, and fine cracks had already begun to appear on the Guiling Array's diagram.

What made him even more uneasy was that the White-Robed Figure remained motionless by the lake, only his lifeless dark eyes were fixed on the Guiling Array's array core—which was precisely where he, Liu Zhi, and Lin Qingxue were located.

The scar on his brow began to heat up again; this time, it was no longer a stinging pain, but a kind of... anticipation.

Liu Shan suddenly understood what the White-Robed Figure was waiting for.

He was waiting for the powers of the Guiling Array and the Soul Locking Chains to be exhausted, for Shadow Eaters to be completely purified, and then... to personally eliminate them, these "variables."

The cracks in the Guiling Array grew larger and larger, the golden and azure lights grew dimmer and dimmer, and new breaks began to appear on the Soul Locking Chains at the bottom of the lake.

Although the leading Shadow Eaters had been mostly purified, it used its last bit of power to crash into the crack in the Guiling Array, letting out a mournful shriek: "Let's... perish together!"

The crack instantly widened, and countless residual souls of Shadow Eaters surged out along the crack. Though their power was weak, they were like maggots clinging to bone, rushing towards Liu Shan and the others!

The White-Robed Figure finally moved.

His pale fingertips lifted, and a faint golden mark lit up in his palm, but his target was not the residual souls of Shadow Eaters, but the array core of the Guiling Array—Liu Shan's brow!

Liu Shan looked at those lifeless dark eyes, then at the rushing residual souls of Shadow Eaters. His heart, at this moment, completely turned cold.

He finally understood that from the moment he stepped onto the Return to Ruin Path, he had never had a choice.

The light of the Guiling Array completely extinguished, fragments of the Soul Locking Chains scattered at the bottom of the lake, and the residual souls of Shadow Eaters and the White-Robed Figure's faint golden mark simultaneously rushed towards his brow.