At this moment, Chen Ping had already stepped into the bizarre, kaleidoscopic inner world of the Demon-Suppressing Tower, where layers of space folded upon one another.
He sensed the auras of Cen Biqing and Old Black growing ever clearer, and his gaze fixed firmly on the depths of the tower.
“Little Qing, Old Black, I have come…”
“Kid, something feels very wrong,” the Scarlet Cloud Demon Lord said gravely in his sea of consciousness. “The aura of this tower is violent. The spatial fluctuations are extremely unstable. It is as though something has enraged it, or rather… it is guarding against something.”
Chen Ping nodded. He felt it too.
This time, the Demon-Suppressing Tower resembled an ancient primordial beast rudely awakened, baring ferocious fangs.
“No matter what, I must go in!”
His tone carried unshakable resolve.
He had promised to rescue them!
Chen Ping regulated his breathing, raised his condition to its peak, then turned into a streak of light and shot straight towards the tower gate.
Yet just as he came within a hundred zhang of the tower body, a sudden change occurred!
“ROAR—!!!”
The four stone lions seemed to awaken fully and let out heaven-shaking roars in unison!
The Heavenly Venerable runes carved upon them blazed. Four thick beams of white light burst forth, intertwining in mid-air and instantly forming a vast net of light that enveloped the entire area around the tower.
Runes flowed across the net, radiating an aura of confinement and annihilation!
At the same time, the space in front of Chen Ping shattered like glass, producing countless razor-sharp spatial fragments. Accompanied by raging spatial turbulence, they surged towards him!
This was no longer a mere barrier, but a lethal killing formation that incorporated spatial tearing!
“Perfect!”
Chen Ping was prepared. His Heavenly Nether Eye opened instantly. The extraordinarily complex structure of the formation and its spatial nodes appeared clearly before him.
“Cut!”
The Dragon-Slaying Sword rang as it left its sheath with a resounding dragon cry!
Chen Ping pushed the sword intent he had newly comprehended to its limit. A highly condensed five-coloured sword qi containing the power to sever space slashed out ferociously!
Screeeech—!
The sword qi collided with the light net, producing a piercing tearing sounds.
That light net, capable of easily grinding a Heavenly Immortal to dust, was forcibly ripped open by the Dragon-Slaying Sword now infused with sword intent and spatial force!
But the spatial turbulence and fragments were already upon him!
Chen Ping’s figure flickered like a phantom. At the very instant of life and death, he evaded several fatal spatial rifts while swinging the Dragon-Slaying Sword to shatter the incoming fragments one by one!
Each clash produced dazzling sparks and violent spatial shockwaves.
His arms went numb from the impacts, his qi and blood churning.
The might of this spatial killing formation far exceeded his estimations!
“Do not meet it head-on. Find the array eyes!” the Scarlet Cloud Demon Lord warned.
Chen Ping’s Heavenly Nether Eye swept rapidly and instantly locked onto the core runes at the centre of each stone lion’s forehead that continuously poured out energy.
“Break!”
He roared. The five-elements origin power within him surged madly, gathering at the sword tip.
Man and sword became one. He transformed into a high-speed spinning drill and, against the raging spatial turbulence, thrust four sword strikes in succession towards the foreheads of the four stone lions!
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Four clear sounds, like jade chimes striking, rang out almost simultaneously!
The movements of the four stone lions froze abruptly. The light of the runes at their foreheads dimmed instantly.
The enormous light net wavered and its power sharply declined.
Chen Ping seized this fleeting opportunity. His figure flashed like lightning through the weakened section of the net. At the same time, he spun and slashed backwards, striking the yellow talisman seal that had begun reforming on the tower gate!
Boom!
The talisman exploded. The gate swung wide!
Without hesitation, Chen Ping stepped into the familiar yet decay-laden space inside the tower!
The instant he entered, his expression changed drastically.
The scene on this level was completely different from when he had last left!
Most of the scattered corpses and white bones that had once littered the area had vanished!
In their place, at the very centre of the floor, stood a massive, intricate, and sinister formation that radiated thick black qi.
