362: Chapter 362 Town!

His presence wasn't strong, but whenever an attack specifically targeted Liu Ruyan or if the area-of-effect reached her, he would always react immediately.

He would either casually wave his sleeve to brush away incoming hidden weapons or cause invisible curse powers to dissipate with a slight narrowing of his eyes.

Once, he even raised his hand and pressed down into the void, forcefully 'pressing' back an attack strong enough to heavily injure a Seventh-Grade Grandmaster!

His strength was unfathomable—at least at the level of an Eighth-Rank Grandmaster!

Qin Yan recognized the inconspicuous emblem on this person's robes—Longhua Martial University!

"Longhua Martial University actually sent a Great Grandmaster to specifically protect Liu Ruyan without leaving her side..."

As Qin Yan watched, a trace of envy couldn't help but rise in his heart.

This treatment was practically at the level of a 'Longhua Crown Prince's' Dao protector!

Under the desperate protection of several human experts and the assistance of the Elf Clan, the team finally broke through layers of interception without further mishap.

They arrived at the destination of this trip—the spatial portal deep within Xiguang Forest!

In the center of the clearing stood a massive portal composed of countless complex spatial runes and energy bands, emitting a stable blue-green glow.

"We're here!" Everyone's spirit lifted, and expressions of relief appeared on their exhausted faces.

As long as they stepped through this gate, they could return to Blue Star, back to the relatively safe human territories!

Qin Yan, Liu Ruyan, and the others finally felt their tightly wound nerves relax slightly, their faces showing the fortune of survivors.

However, just as the group prepared to walk toward the spatial portal under Su Zhiming's lead—

"Buzz—!!!"

In front of the spatial portal, that patch of stable void shattered inch by inch like a mirror without warning, collapsing inward!

A pitch-black spatial rift opened like the maw of a monstrous beast, emitting an aura of nothingness and chaos that devoured everything!

In the center of this heart-palpitating spatial turbulence, three figures clad in large black robes, their auras restrained to the point of near-nothingness, slowly emerged as if stepping out from the Nine Serene Abyss.

They just stood there quietly, without the slightest leak of powerful energy from their bodies, appearing almost 'harmless to humans and animals.'

But for everyone who witnessed the scene of the spatial collapse just now, it felt as if their hearts were being squeezed tight by an invisible giant hand!

Tearing space was something an Eighth-Rank Grandmaster might achieve with a full-strength strike.

But to cause the spatial structure to completely collapse so casually... this was definitely not a method an Eighth-Rank Grandmaster could possess!

The Longhua Martial University Great Grandmaster following Liu Ruyan now had an incredibly ugly expression.

His brow was furrowed deeply, and the aura around him fluctuated slightly out of control, revealing his extreme shock and gravity.

"Little friends, your journey ends here."

The Black-Robed Person on the left spoke slowly, his voice low and raspy.

As he spoke, traces of burning crimson breath actually seeped from his mouth and nose, causing the surrounding air to distort slightly.

"The road to the Yellow Springs is long; this Venerable... shall see you off."

Before his voice finished echoing, he raised his right palm and pressed forward gently.

A streak of highly condensed crimson flame True Qi erupted from his palm!

After leaving his body, the True Qi did not disperse but instead rapidly expanded and transformed.

In the blink of an eye, it turned into a hideous giant lizard over a hundred zhang long, composed entirely of scorching lava and destructive flames!

This Lava Giant Lizard was lifelike, with distinct scales and eyes burning with dark red, violent fire as it let out a silent roar toward the sky.

Carrying an aura capable of burning mountains and boiling seas, it crashed down toward Qin Yan and the others who were close at hand!

The heatwave hit them full in the face, and the shadow of death instantly loomed!

The surrounding vegetation instantly withered and burned under the high temperature, and the ground cracked!

In the face of such power, let alone resisting, even their thoughts seemed to be frozen by that boundless heat and pressure!

The protectors secretly fighting with the lurking experts of other races saw this hundred-zhang Lava Giant Lizard appear out of thin air, and stormy waves rose in all their hearts!

"Ninth Rank... it's a Ninth-Grade Venerable! They actually... dispatched three Ninth-Grade Venerables at once!"

The Ninth Rank and Eighth Rank seemed to be only one grade apart, but in reality, they were worlds apart!

Three Ninth-Grade Venerables personally acting to intercept them had already exceeded the worst-case scenario in their preliminary plans! This was a certain-death situation!

Seeing that heaven-burning and earth-destroying Lava Giant Lizard open its bloody maw that seemed capable of devouring everything, it was less than thirty zhang away from Qin Yan and the others...

At this critical moment when everyone thought the outcome was decided—

Between heaven and earth, a sigh suddenly rang out, extremely faint yet seemingly echoing directly in the depths of everyone's soul.

That sigh contained a kind of indifference that looked down upon the mortal world from a transcendent position.

"Everyone, you have overstepped."

The moment the voice sounded.

The imposing, hundred-zhang Lava Giant Lizard capable of incinerating everything suddenly stiffened its massive body!

In the next moment, its massive body began to crumble and explode inch by inch, starting from the head!

Then, it silently turned into a sky full of drifting sparks and quickly vanished into the air as if it had never existed.

Merely... a single sigh.

At this moment, the wind stopped, and all sounds died down.

The entire battlefield fell into an extremely deathly and suffocating silence.

The crimson eyes of those three black-robed Venerables flickered violently under the shadows of their hoods.

The Black-Robed Person in the middle suddenly looked up, as if piercing through the void to see an existence that even made him tremble.

He lost his voice and said, "This aura... is bad! Retreat! Quick, retreat!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the three Ninth-Grade Venerables who had just been arrogant and viewed all living beings as ants...

Now acted like startled rabbits, the spatial power around them fluctuating violently.

The void behind them began to distort and blur as they prepared to escape into the spatial layers!

However, that indifferent, ethereal female voice, seemingly untainted by the mortal world, rang out faintly in the void once more with just a single word:

"Suppress."

As that word "Suppress" was spoken, the void above the three of them began to distort and condense without warning!

Endless light and incomprehensible rule-runes converged, transforming in an instant into a massive pure white palm print that blotted out the sky!

The palm print had clear textures and distinct fingers, emitting a majestic aura that was supreme and capable of suppressing all ages.

The moment it appeared, the space of the entire Xiguang Forest seemed to be reinforced thousands of times over; the space that had just been shaken by the three Venerables instantly became as flat as a mirror.

Spatial Suppression!

The white palm print did not strike down directly. Instead, like the Buddha's Five Finger Mountain, it carried an irresistible will as it slowly contracted and closed in on the three black-robed men below!

"No—!!"

"Open for me!!"

The three black-robed Venerables let out unwilling roars, bursting forth with all their strength.

In an instant, three Lava Giant Lizards emerged from their bodies, attempting to break through the blockade of that white palm print.

However, it was all in vain.