462: Chapter 462 The Arrival of Lord Canglan

"Honestly, why couldn't you just log off like a good boy..."

Zhou Yan was still sprinting wildly, but the good news was that after the previous situation, he had temporarily shaken off the monsters chasing him.

However, dealing with Zheng Dafu was proving difficult at the moment.

His relationship with Zhang Mingyuan was purely based on interest. Although Zhang Mingyuan was still unilaterally providing for him, both sides were plotting against each other, so Zhou Yan didn't feel any obligation to give anything back.

After all, the relationship itself wasn't pure. If he ran away without returning the favor, the other party could only blame their own poor planning.

But Zheng Dafu was different. Ever since this guy had been tricked, he had been quite sincere and devoted.

Because of that, he really couldn't just ignore him.

After all, even if you were to say Zheng Dafu was bad, he basically hadn't succeeded in doing anything. Even his cultivation Realm—the only thing worth praising—was something intentionally cultivated under Zhang Mingyuan's control.

"Sigh, I'm showing pointless kindness again. I really don't know what his attitude would be if I actually resurrected him."

"Forget it, I'll just treat it as testing a new item."

Zhou Yan turned his head slightly and saw a monster maintaining a similar speed to his own, chasing closely behind him.

"Damn it, how did it catch up again?"

The wreckage of the Heaven-Kowt Platform was scattered across the sea. The shattered rocks of the inner island and the reefs of the outer island merged into a single broken battlefield.

Zhang Mingyuan stood in the center of the ruins, with over a dozen Void Refining Stage Cultivators behind him, each wielding a Magic Treasure.

Opposite them, Lord Canglan stood with his hands behind his back.

Behind him, a hundred Dragon Cavalry were lined up like a wall.

Though the hundred riders were silent, their Killing Intent permeated the air like a physical substance.

Just as Zhang Mingyuan and the others were about to catch up to Master Xinjing and the rest, Lord Canglan suddenly appeared and pushed them all back single-handedly.

Looking at the Cultivators before him, whose faces were filled with either surprise or anger, Lord Canglan spoke with a playful tone.

"My apologies. It seems I accidentally destroyed over a thousand years of your hard work in an instant."

"However, this should be the final session anyway, so I shouldn't need to pay compensation, right?"

Zhang Mingyuan's expression was incredibly solemn. He had known from Zheng Dafu that Lord Canglan would come, but he hadn't expected the other party to bring so many Dragon Cavalry.

And looking at this posture, it was obvious the other party had already taken control of the Dragon Cavalry. But how was that possible? Wasn't he just a civil official?

"Lord Canglan, why are you blocking us!"

"If you really want this Opportunity, just go chase it yourself. Do you really want to have a showdown with us here!"

The hundred riders moved.

It wasn't a charge; it was a formation.

Blood-colored spiritual light surged from every halberd, weaving together in the air to form a military array.

The halberds thrust in unison, and a hundred spear glows merged into one, as thick as a mountain peak, plunging down toward Zhang Mingyuan.

Zhang Mingyuan hadn't expected the other party to turn hostile so suddenly. He could only quickly manifest the Taiji Seal in his palm, meeting the attack with a milky-white light shield.

Boom—!

The light shield shattered, and he was knocked back several steps, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

The two Cultivators behind him were not spared either. Because they were close, they were caught in the aftershock, spitting blood and nearly collapsing to the ground.

Lord Canglan did not pursue. He simply raised his right hand, fingers spread, and a five-colored glow emerged from his palm.

Golden Buddhist light, green sword glow, crimson flames, purple Nether Qi, and pale white lightning.

"It doesn't matter. I've already set up a grand array in advance; none of you can leave."

"Therefore, I will take that Opportunity, and everyone on the Heaven-Kowt Platform no longer needs to exist."

As his voice fell, the Buddhist light in his palm transformed into the phantom of an Arhat. With a single palm strike, an outer island was reduced to dust.

A sword glow flashed, and a Mid Void Refinement Stage Cultivator could barely resist, being sent flying backward.

A sea of fire spread out, melting sand and stone into lava.

Nether Qi silently eroded everything, rendering three Magic Treasures useless on the spot. Lightning transformed into an electrical net that shrouded the area, leaving nothing alive in its path.

Zhang Mingyuan struggled within the sea of fire, his Taiji Seal protecting the three people beside him, his arms trembling violently.

He truly found it hard to imagine how things had developed to this point. They were just chasing Master Xinjing a moment ago, yet this Lord Canglan had suddenly appeared.

It was one thing for him to arrive suddenly, but what was with this strength? They were both in the Late Stage of Void Refining, so how could he be this powerful!

Lotus Lady passed through the lightning net from the side. As she passed a fallen Cultivator, her left hand brushed lightly, and a pale gold pattern adhered to the person's chest, stabilizing their injuries.

At the same time, she looked back up at Lord Canglan in the sky.

Lord Canglan withdrew his hand and gave a light chuckle.

"There are gaps even among those in the Void Refining Realm. We are of the same generation; I didn't originally intend to perform a 'dimensionality reduction' strike."

"But alas, I truly desire that Immortal body, and you really shouldn't have seen it."

The hundred riders formed their array once more.

Over a hundred halberds thrust out simultaneously, condensing into a thousand-foot giant halberd in mid-air.

Zhang Mingyuan gritted his teeth and spat a mouthful of essence blood into his palm. The light shield condensed to three feet square as he flew up to meet the attack.

He knew that although most of the dozen or so Cultivators present were at the Late Stage of Void Refining, they were far inferior to either Lord Canglan or these hundred Dragon Cavalry.

If this strike landed, even if they still had the will to fight, their combat strength would be greatly reduced, and they would be picked off one by one. By then, he would be left alone and doomed to die.

Therefore, he had to protect these people.

Seeing Zhang Mingyuan fly out, attempting to resist the power of the military array single-handedly, Lotus Lady finally made her move.

Three Lotus Platforms bloomed from her hands, their petals swirling. They didn't go to block the spear glow, but instead gently supported Zhang Mingyuan's falling body, neutralizing thirty percent of the force.

When she withdrew the Lotus Platforms, the edges of the petals were already scorched, and her face was slightly pale. Zhang Mingyuan stabilized his form, his left arm feeling faintly numb and temporarily unable to be raised.

Lord Canglan sighed, said nothing, and simply pressed his palms together.

Heaven and Earth inverted.

The sea surface tilted, the islands flipped, and up and down became completely confused.

Zhang Mingyuan and the others were pinned in place, their mana consumption surging tenfold. The hundred riders, however, were not disturbed in the slightest, ghostly light flickering beneath their horses' hooves as their formation remained as steady as ever.

"The final blow."

Lord Canglan clapped his hands, and countless tentacles extended from his back, each one wrapped in the radiance of a different Divine Ability.

At the same time, the hundred riders thrust in unison. The effects of these Divine Abilities merged with the spear glows, transforming into a transparent torrent of destruction.

"What a pity. If I weren't worried about damaging the Immortal body, there would be no need to open another space; I could have just cleansed the ground within the barrier."

"Sigh, it really is a hassle. I clearly don't like all this fighting and killing, yet you insist on wasting so much of my time."

Lotus Lady crouched down, pressing her palms against the rubble.

Over a hundred thumb-sized lotuses bloomed, covering the remaining island surface and supporting a thirty-foot normal zone amidst the inverted world.

Within this area, everyone's mana was no longer suppressed, and the speed of their injury recovery increased significantly.

A thread of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, and one of her Lotus Platforms withered, while the light of the other two dimmed.

Taking advantage of this sliver of life, Zhang Mingyuan poured all his mana into the Taiji Seal and met the attack with a punch.

The rest of the Cultivators no longer held back either, each bringing out their trump cards.

The originally unstoppable and terrifying torrent was actually held back for a short time.

Lord Canglan couldn't help but show a bitter expression again. He could only wave his hand, and the Dragon Cavalry, who had been in formation, all charged down to engage the Cultivators below in a chaotic battle.

And right at that moment.

"Eh? What's wrong with 10086? Why is the connection unstable?"

Half an hour ago.

"Ma Hao!"

"It's you, you bastard!"

Zhou Yan threw a punch wrapped in a hurricane toward the Cultivator in front of him.

The other party simply made a casual point with his finger, freezing the hurricane in place before it dissolved into nothingness.

Just moments ago, Zhou Yan was still being pursued by that fast monster.

One person and one monster had run from the vicinity of the inner island back to the outer island, only to see a Black-Robed Man standing on the reefs around the outer island.

His posture practically had "I am the mastermind" written over his head, making Zhou Yan subconsciously believe this guy was Lord Canglan's true body.

So, in his desperation, Zhou Yan decisively activated double speed to flee.

Under the operation of Feng Xu and the suihua heavenly record—two massive mana consumers—Zhou Yan's original four Laws were instantly drained until only a third remained, but the speed gained in exchange was incredibly fast.

Zhou Yan made a sharp turn, leaving the monster far behind.

The monster, unable to brake in time, slammed violently into the Black-Robed Man.

Initially, Zhou Yan's heart tightened, thinking Lord Canglan would make a move against him, but a strange scene occurred.

After the monster knocked the Black-Robed Man flying, it scrambled up, shook its head, and began to pounce on the man.

The Black-Robed Man also seemed heavily injured, coughing on the ground for a long time, completely losing the air of a mastermind.

At this point, how could Zhou Yan not see it? That guy definitely wasn't Lord Canglan; he was probably just some unlucky soul.

"Good chance, now's the time!"

Zhou Yan turned to leave but suddenly felt a pulling sensation. His body began to rewind, and by the time he returned to the corner where he had turned, the monster was already frozen stiff.

Only then did he turn his head in surprise and see the face beneath the Black-Robed Man's hood.

It was none other than someone who looked exactly like him, though the face was more mature.

"Feng Xu."

The name escaped Zhou Yan's lips subconsciously, and that "Feng Xu" also saw Zhou Yan, revealing an expression of astonishment.

So the question was, did Feng Xu exist in this era?

[Ma Hao · Feng Xu Silhouette]

[Realm: Soul Transformation Perfection]

"Ma Hao, you dog, take a punch from me!"