Chapter 2447

He Lingchuan felt wind stir on both sides and, without thinking, leapt to the side.

In midair, two massive stone fists appeared out of nowhere and collided with a loud "Bang!", their force so great that they shattered each other.

Had He Lingchuan delayed by even half a breath, he would have been turned into mincemeat or suffered severe internal injuries.

But as soon as his feet touched the ground, another heavy punch erupted from below, slamming him hard into the air!

At the moment of impact, his cloak slid in front of the fist, absorbing some of the force; his protective gangqi also took effect, yet He Lingchuan still felt excruciating pain in his legs and back.

The blood demon, like a mirror, cried out in pain: "Surnamed Li, you've got some skill."

This punch was impossible to defend against.

Disciples of Changfeng Valley shouted in unison, more than ten streaks of rainbow light soaring into the sky as they pursued He Lingchuan.

However, a red thread flew in from afar, whizzing several times to knock away several magical implements—this was Mingke Immortal stepping in to relieve He Lingchuan's siege.

Seizing this moment, Li Yun pointed with his middle and index fingers, sending two flying swords skyward, tracking the enemy like a shadow.

His flying swords were far sharper than those of his fellow disciples.

But suddenly, the enemy in midair vanished, reappearing the next instant at his side, delivering another swift slash!

So fast! Likely some kind of close-combat divine ability.

Li Yun startled but not panicked; as long as the opponent couldn't cut through his rebound sphere, he was safe and could counterattack from the ground.

Many had tried before, but only Changfeng Valley Sect Leader Wang Ye could break this rebound sphere.

Yet this blade flashed with a deep purple light, inexplicably making him feel uneasy.

What kind of power is this? Why have I never felt it before?

In that instant, the blade struck the rebound sphere again—then, like a steel needle piercing a balloon—

Pierced through!

With a soft "Pfft", the rebound sphere shattered, and Li Yun's body emitted a faint sound of something breaking.

The magical implement was destroyed.

Without the protection of gangqi, and with the distance between them less than two chi, Li Yun finally felt the immense pressure and danger the opponent imposed.

His right hand flashed with light as he drew his third magical implement.

But it was too late.

The floating life blade turned smoothly, a silky sweep cutting silently across his left wrist.

Li Yun felt a chill on his arm, no pain yet, when the opponent seized his severed left hand and turned to walk away.

This person's escape was distinctive—knees bent, back bowed, waist bent, then with a "Whoosh!" he was fifty zhang away, faster than an arrow released from a bow.

Li Yun winced in pain, bending over, his gaze at the retreating figure blazing with fury.

What exactly is this power, and why can it cut through my rebound sphere?

He certainly racked his brains trying to figure it out, for "elemental force" had not yet appeared in the Du Zhishan Secret Realm in this era!

This is power beyond the age; if there were any way to resist it, the secret realm's master would not allow it to function in Du Zhishan.

But just then, the earth fissure closed again, and the walnuts cracked and shattered one after another under pressure.

Mingke Immortal cursed angrily.

"Let's go, we're not fighting them!" He Lingchuan's voice arrived before he did, instantly passing by and continuing to sprint in the opposite direction from Li Yun and the others.

Once he started running, he was faster than an immortal's flight.

Mingke Immortal had no choice but to follow.

Fighting Changfeng Valley in this secret realm is meaningless, especially since Li Yun can still summon reinforcements.

If our side gets surrounded, trouble will follow—who knows how many variables will increase.

He Lingchuan's biggest problem right now is that time is running short.

Mingke Immortal tossed out a leaf, which with a soft "Pfft" transformed into a flying leaf-boat.

"Come aboard."

The two jumped on, the leaf-boat accelerated skyward, flying steadily five zhang above the ground—fast and stable. He Lingchuan silently calculated the speed: Mingke Immortal's leaf-boat was somewhat faster than Li Yun's, making the latter hard to catch.

At this moment, the ground beneath the Ying Lei Spear became perfectly flat, with not a crack to be found; those dozen or so extremely hard giant walnuts were all crushed into fragments.

From afar, the Ying Lei Spear looked like a stone pillar obliquely embedded in the earth, with a section still towering high above.

Just then, He Lingchuan heard Zhu Xiuer's voice, furious and exhausted: "No good, the underground has changed too! Where did Guan Biao's drip outlet go?"

"Can you still move?"

"The earth has closed in, I've been flattened! No path left, I can only dig a hole!"

The Earth Cave Spider Queen's digging ability is superb, but no matter how skilled, she needs a direction—she must know where to dig to find the Earth Mother's nest.

Yet the underground environment has completely changed, leaving Zhu Xiuer helpless.

"Stop digging, come out now!" He Lingchuan decided decisively, "No problem, we'll think of another way!"

Mingke Immortal turned and saw Li Yun furious, leading his disciples in pursuit again, while several signal arrows shot into the sky—likely calling for reinforcements from within the sect.

He warned He Lingchuan: "If you don't act soon, your weapon will be taken by someone."

The distance between the two sides was now nearly two hundred zhang.

He Lingchuan smiled: "This one won't be."

Yet he still reached back, opened his hukou in a feint, and let out a low shout:

"Spear, come!"

The spear embedded in the ground, hearing the call, retracted from pillar to rod form, its length now less than one-tenth of the original.

Before the ground fissure could contract, it shot upward with a "Whoosh!", flying straight toward He Lingchuan.

He Lingchuan didn't look back, reached back with one hand, and caught the spear as it landed in his palm—then it vanished instantly.

Mingke Immortal glanced at him: "Your spear is quite spirited—does it have a name?"

"Yes." He Lingchuan shrugged. "Can't say. I borrowed it from someone."

The Ying Lei Spear vanished, and a tiny spider drifted down lightly onto He Lingchuan's shoulder from the spear tip.

Zhu Xiuer returned, only to be flattened into a thin shape.

Zhu Xiuer struggled to blow air into herself, and only after about three or five breaths did she return to her original form.

"The pressure from the earth fissure was too great; it must be Shangguan Biao secretly meddling behind the scenes—I couldn't hold it open alone." It still trembled with lingering fear, "Thanks to you throwing me the stick."

Just now, as the earth fissure closed, He Lingchuan feared it wouldn't make it back to the surface in time, so he used the Ying Lei Spear to prop up an escape stick for it.

As long as it hooked onto the spear tip, the Ying Lei Spear would bring it back along, swift and secure.

"The master of this Secret Realm always exerts force where others cannot see." Mingke Xianren also said, "Is it inconvenient for him to show himself?"

"I reckon he has another simple, safe identity within this Secret Realm—convenient for overseeing everything, yet avoiding trouble for himself." He Lingchuan said, "The master's identity in the Secret Realm is either one of high authority and power, or utterly insignificant; usually it's one of these two approaches."

Mingke Xianren raised an eyebrow. "Usually? Has this fellow seen many Secret Realm masters before?"

Zhu Xiuer also asked: "If he doesn't show himself, how does he stop us?"

"The best way is to end this Secret Realm." He Lingchuan said without hesitation, "When the Secret Realm vanishes, we'll be kicked back to reality."