The array's core shattered, the immortal city crumbled! The entire city rejoiced!

As soon as the three entered, the gap quickly closed, and the light barrier returned to its original state, as if nothing had ever happened.

Inside the pagoda, it was another world, isolated from the outside.

A dense Spiritual Qi, almost materialized, rushed towards them, making all thirty-six thousand pores on their bodies open up.

The three exchanged glances, without a moment's delay, their figures like lightning, they ascended the winding staircase, heading straight for the top floor.

Soon, the scene of the ninth floor came into view.

The top floor's great hall was extremely spacious, and in the center, a huge crystal ball, the size of a water vat, floated. Inside the crystal ball, countless star-like runes slowly circulated, appearing and disappearing, and vast spiritual power flowed out from it, closely connected to the Spiritual Vein of the entire Lanyue City.

This was precisely the core Formation Eye of the City Protecting Grand Array!

And beneath the Formation Eye, a figure sat cross-legged.

It was a Puppet, dressed in full silver armor, tall, with closed eyes, and completely devoid of life.

It sat there quietly, like a cold statue covered in the dust of ages, yet the faint aura emanating from its body had surprisingly reached the terrifying Late Core Formation Stage!

The moment the three stepped onto the top floor, the silver-armored Puppet's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened!

"Crack!"

Two scarlet rays of light, devoid of any emotion, like tentacles reaching out from Hell, instantly locked onto the three of them.

"Invaders... die!"

A hoarse, stiff, almost metallic, inhuman warning came from behind the faceplate.

Before its voice faded, the Puppet's massive body violently erupted. The white jade floor beneath its feet cracked in response, bursting into spiderweb-like fissures! The entire being shot out like a cannonball, throwing a punch that instantly compressed the air in front of its fist, emitting a piercing sonic boom, aimed directly at Mu Wanqing, who was at the very front!

Mu Wanqing was already prepared; the ice-blue longsword in her hand let out a clear, melodious hum, transforming into a dazzling streak of light. The sword's tip radiated intense cold Qi as it met the Puppet's iron fist, the size of a cooking pot.

At the same time, Lan Caier raised her jade hand, and a large swarm of crimson, twin-winged beetles flew out from her sleeve. These were one of her trump cards: the Bone-Corroding Fire Beetles!

The swarm of insects buzzed, forming a crimson torrent, bypassing Mu Wanqing and covering the Puppet's head.

"Bang!"

A deafening crash, the sound of metal clashing almost pierced their eardrums.

Mu Wanqing felt an overwhelming, irresistible force from the sword. Her Flying Sword was actually smashed back with a wail, fiercely impaling itself on the distant wall, its body trembling violently.

As for the Bone-Corroding Fire Beetles released by Lan Caier, just as they were about to touch the Puppet's body, a solid, thick Spiritual Light barrier suddenly lit up on the Puppet's surface, blocking all the poisonous insects.

These poisonous insects fearlessly pounced on the barrier, their mouthparts opening and closing, frantically gnawing at the Spiritual Light, emitting a series of teeth-grinding "crunching" sounds.

"Sister Wanqing, you hold it back!" Lan Caier's eyes lit up at the sight, and she quickly transmitted her voice, "My Bone-Corroding Fire Beetles can devour its Spiritual Power barrier! It won't take long to chew it into a pile of scrap metal!"

"Good!" Mu Wanqing bit her silver teeth, enduring the numbness in her arm, she recalled her Flying Sword. The sword light, like a bolt of silk, flitted up and down around the silver-armored Puppet, constantly restraining it.

However, Lin Yuan, who had been observing with cold eyes, frowned deeply.

He realized that the Puppet's aura was closely connected to the entire Formation at the top of the pagoda, and even to the central crystal ball.

"Don't waste your energy!" Lin Yuan's voice suddenly rang out.

"This thing is part of the Formation! If the Formation Eye isn't broken, its magical power will be endless, replenished by the entire city's Spiritual Vein. It's impossible to kill!"

"Then what should we do?" Mu Wanqing forced the Puppet back with a sword and asked urgently.

But at that moment, she failed to dodge in time and was struck on the shoulder by the Puppet's fierce and unparalleled fist wind. With a crisp "crack," her shoulder bone shattered, and she flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against the distant wall, spitting out a large mouthful of blood, her face instantly ashen white as paper.

Although Lan Caier's Bone-Corroding Fire Beetles caused ripples in the Spiritual Power barrier, as Lin Yuan said, the barrier's light showed no signs of weakening, as if the energy source behind it was inexhaustible and boundless.

"With our strength, fighting it head-on is courting death. We must find a way to rush over and destroy that crystal ball!" Lin Yuan said in a deep voice.

"Sister Wanqing and I will hold it back, you figure out a way to destroy the Formation!" Lan Caier decided immediately. She raised her palm, and an arm-thick black python flew out from her sleeve, bringing aBlood Wind (stench of blood) as it lightning-fast pounced on the Puppet!

A ruthless glint flashed in Mu Wanqing's eyes. She also raised a hand, and a radiant, flowing silk ribbon Magic Treasure shot out, coiling around the Puppet's upper body like a spiritual snake.

"Whoosh!"

Lan Caier's black python, like a tough iron chain, tightly coiled around the Puppet's legs, restricting its movement. Mu Wanqing's silk ribbon Magic Treasure, meanwhile, glowed brightly, binding the Puppet's flailing arms in layers.

"Quick!" The two women cried out almost simultaneously, their pretty faces a sickly pale due to the rapid depletion of their magical power.

Lin Yuan had already seized the opportunity!

Without the slightest hesitation, a golden, dazzling, and spiritually potent Talisman appeared in his palm.

It was precisely that Heaven-Overturning Seal Talisman Treasure!

This treasure possessed extraordinary power; he had used it twice, and each time it had achieved miraculous results. However, the Spiritual Qi contained within it was almost depleted, and one more use would render it completely useless.

Compared to the awkwardness of its first use, Lin Yuan, now in the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage of the Divine Dao, possessed a level of magical power far beyond what he had in the past. He poured his internal magical power into it like a tide with hardly any effort.

"Buzz—!"

The Talisman Treasure glowed brilliantly, flew out of his hand, and expanded against the wind in mid-air.

A gigantic golden square seal, carrying the might to suppress heaven and earth, appeared out of thin air at the top of the pagoda. At the bottom of the square seal, an ancient and profound character, "town" (Zhen - Suppress), emitted a terrifying pressure that made one's heart palpitate! The entire space of the ninth floor seemed to solidify!

The silver-armored Puppet also seemed to sense a fatal threat. Its bound body struggled wildly, and the black python and silk ribbon binding it emitted a creaking sound under the unbearable strain, their spiritual light rapidly dimming, on the verge of breaking!

"Fall!"

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Yuan's eyes, and he uttered a cold word.

"Rumble!"

The massive Heaven-Overturning Seal, carrying the force of a thunderbolt, ignored the spatial distance and slammed heavily onto the huge crystal Formation Eye!

Time, at this moment, seemed to stand still.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only an extremely muffled thud, as if the sky had collapsed, the sound directly exploding deep within the three's Souls!

"Crack... crack crack..."

The crisp sound of shattering, like a death knell, clearly echoed in the silent pagoda top.

Spiderweb-like cracks, centered on the impact point of the Heaven-Overturning Seal, rapidly spread, instantly covering the entire crystal ball!

At the same time, outside Lanyue City.

The massive City Protecting Grand Array, which enveloped the entire city and was as solid as a fortress, flickered wildly a few times like a giant beast whose lifeline had been severed, finally letting out an unwilling wail and collapsing with a bang!

Countless specks of light, like a grand yet fleeting fireworks display, scattered into the silent night.

Inside the pagoda, the silver-armored Puppet, at the Late Core Formation Stage, finally broke free from the restraints of the black python and the silk ribbon.

Its scarlet eyes locked onto Lan Caier, who was within reach and at the end of her rope. Without any hesitation, it clenched an iron fist and, with a force that could tear everything apart, smashed it towards her crown!

The shadow of death instantly enveloped Lan Caier!

Her magical power was exhausted, her body weak, she couldn't even react, only watching as the enlarged fist drew closer and closer in her pupils.

However, that fist, which could have smashed her into a pulp, suddenly stopped less than three inches from her forehead.

The spiritual light flowing around the Puppet's body rapidly dissipated like a receding tide, and the scarlet light in its eyes flickered violently a few times before completely extinguishing.