Chapter 702: Breaking the Ice

If he had no other options, he would die more miserably than a turtle in a jar. At this moment, the avatar of Quju also roared on his shoulder: "Smash the glass dome! Don't you have a way?"

The sound of the bell was making it feel terrible.

If this surprise attack failed again, the Tiangong would surely punish it to death later! In normal times, Quju might have immediately betrayed him and thrown He He Lingchuan to the Tiangong to save itself. But now, bound by the chains of an oath, it could only pray that He He Lingchuan truly had a way to disable this array eye.

In any case, before the array eye was damaged, it could not lay a finger on any building in Xushan. In the current chaotic situation, it could only stare and worry, unable to exert any strength.

"I'm thinking!" He He Lingchuan ground his molars. "You're experienced and knowledgeable, can't you offer a suggestion?"

"If I hadn't been suppressed, I could have shattered this lousy dome with one slap!"

"Nonsense! Can you say something..." He He Lingchuan dodged a sneak attack from a monster again, "... useful!"

The Junior Inspector of Works Lord Zaifu Kua only said the glass dome was incomparably hard, but he didn't mention that there was such a troublesome barrier outside the spider molt. He He Lingchuan estimated this was added later.

More than a decade ago, before the Spirit Gathering Array was completed, a small "flaw" appeared: the array eye could not escape into the void during autumn and winter, posing a risk of exposure. Perhaps the Heavenly Gods later devised many new methods to improve the security level of the array eye.

Of course, He He Lingchuan knew very well that even with thorough preparations, there was no guarantee of absolute safety.

Accidents could happen at any time.

Normally, the way to open this transparent dome was to use the child-mother spheres.

The large dome itself was the mother sphere, and the Master of Douyun had a child sphere in his hand, which acted as a key. Whenever the array eye needed maintenance, the Master of Douyun would come up personally to open the dome.

He He Lingchuan couldn't get the key, so he could only attempt a brute-force breach.

Just at this moment, a glass monster suddenly sprang from the surface of the star ring and lunged straight at He He Lingchuan.

It seemed to know the principle of capturing the leader to capture the gang.

The Spider Guard gave a violent jolt and dodged it.

This glass monster pounced onto the dome, but instead of being bounced off or electrocuted, it simply melted into it.

"Eh?" Are these two things made of the same material?

He He Lingchuan's gaze sharpened.

He grabbed another Ice Talisman and secretly channeled his technique, causing the patterns on the talisman to emit a pale blue light.

Li Li Qingge had said that as long as it was used properly, this single Ice Talisman could freeze half a mountain peak without difficulty.

At this moment, the Spider Guard beneath him was trembling incessantly, its body shrinking lower and lower—it was reaching its limit.

Although the other Spider Guards were fighting desperately, there were simply too many enemies, and they were disappearing one by one.

He He Lingchuan knew that in ten breaths at most, they would vanish into nothingness.

This was also his own countdown to death.

He had swapped in using the Ghost Shadow Cicada Molt, a divine ability that could not be used a second time in a short period. To him, the array eye was a sealed space.

If he couldn't think of a way to break the dome, this day next year would be his death anniversary.

Especially when He He Lingchuan saw red light flashing in the distance; several Lamp Guards had rushed in, each clutching a burning candle.

A white candle sprinkled with pale gold.

He had seen it in the hands of Bai Bai Ziqi; this was the candle spirit of the Ever-Bright Lamp.

With these things joining the battle, what chance of victory did he have?

Another small glass shark leaped out of the star ring and lunged at him.

These monsters had simple minds and monotonous attack patterns, but their numbers were terrifying. Even ants could kill an elephant, let alone these large, high-temperature creatures. This time, He He Lingchuan didn't dodge. He swung his mirror shield with his left hand, shouted "Grow, grow," and jammed it into the mouth of the incoming glass shark.

After fully digesting the Emperor Flowing Nectar, the mirror shield had evolved further in form, now capable of transforming into a four-cornered heavy shield half a person tall. It could be carried on horseback or used to block on foot, providing even more comprehensive protection for its master.

It grew inside the glass shark's mouth, instantly blocking its throat.

Before the glass shark could shake its head, He He Lingchuan grabbed an Ice Talisman with his other hand and slapped it into the shark's teeth with a "snap."

A wave of cold air swept over, and He He Lingchuan quickly pulled his hand back.

He saw the glass shark's large mouth freeze into an ice sculpture, unable to snap its teeth anymore. This ice transformation spread from the inside out, from mouth to tail; in just two breaths, the flapping fins were frozen solid.

The mirror shield also screamed inside the shark's mouth: "Ah, it's so cold! Hurry up, I can't hold on much longer!"

A layer of hard ice formed on the shield's surface, but the cold didn't spread to the back of the shield, sparing the master's arm. This was the result of its desperate resistance.

He He Lingchuan grabbed the handle behind the shield once more, channeled his strength into his arm, exhaled, and actually lifted the glass shark up! This thing must have weighed seven or eight hundred pounds.

It was fortunate that he often wrestled with Jiao Yu; the fierce tiger was about as heavy as this thing.

He He Lingchuan forcefully shoved the tail of the glass shark into the dome.

Being of the same glass material, the two fused together just as before.

Furthermore, the Ice Talisman in its mouth was neither ejected nor shattered.

The Ice Talisman then unleashed its full power, the ice transformation spreading all the way to the shark's tail, and then—

It was transmitted onto the dome.

The transparent dome was covered in white frost, and He He Lingchuan saw hexagonal ice flowers appear, growing thicker and thicker.

There's a chance!

He patted the dome and found that the frozen part no longer repelled attacks, so he immediately took several more Ice Talismans and stuck them directly onto the glass shark's tail to enhance the effect.

During the process of patting the dome, lightning flashed on its surface, but it couldn't electrocute him.

He He Lingchuan had a Lightning-Repelling Tablet hidden on his person.

It was made from the skin of a Lightning-Striking Giant Beast. That lord-level giant beast could release thunderous power while remaining unharmed itself, all because of the skin's powerful insulating properties.

Although the "Lei Chi" restriction of the array eye was powerful, it was still a notch weaker than the innate instinct of a lord-level Danube beast.

Otherwise, He He Lingchuan would have long since been blasted into a charcoal briquette.

This scene left those before the Mountain and River Splendid Map in disbelief.

In just a few breaths, the large section of the dome in front of He He Lingchuan had frozen into ice. Because of the rapid freezing, cracks even appeared on the surface of the dome.

Although the patterns were very fine, in He He Lingchuan's eyes, they were a huge hope! There's a chance.

It is well known that glass is prone to cracking when rapidly cooled. He He Lingchuan decided to help it along.

He grabbed a forged-flower iron hammer from his storage ring and smashed it fiercely against the ice dome.

Clang—the array's counterattack still didn't appear; perhaps it was frozen along with the dome? Now he was relieved, and he showered it with a storm of enthusiasm.

Clang, clang, clang, clang—seven more strikes, each one heavier and more powerful than the last, making the entire array eye tremble.

This hammer was also a magic treasure found for him by Fang Fang Canran; it could triple the master's attack power within fifteen breaths, making it a great helper for short-term heavy assaults.

At this life-and-death juncture, both his dantian were operating, and his true power was violently scouring his meridians, no less than when He He Lingchuan refined the Emperor Flowing Nectar at Sanxinyuan that day.

Having conserved his strength for over a month, wasn't it for this moment of eruption? More than half a year ago, when he struck the water at Hanhe, he could draw his blade and slice seven raindrops in succession; now, smashing seven hammer blows in a single breath was a matter of course.

All seven hammers landed on the same crack point.

At this very moment, he erupted with unprecedented strength.

On the seventh strike, the hammer head sank, embedding itself into the dome.

The dome was actually pierced by him!

He He Lingchuan was overjoyed; that sound of shattering glass was nothing short of heavenly music to his ears.

At this moment, the last two Spider Guards had been crippled, and with a "puff," they turned into two drops of blood and fell.

There were no more obstacles between all the enemies and He He Lingchuan.

Two arrows flew over, one aiming for his left eye, the other for his heart, as fast as meteors. Clearly, his actions were unforgivable.

He He Lingchuan didn't even look back, using one hand to hold the shield to block while the other hand swung the hammer frantically, landing three more chiseling strikes.

Between life and death, one must exert full effort, holding nothing back.

Fortunately, there was already a hole in the dome, making it much easier to cause further damage.

With three "clang, clang, clang" sounds, glass ice fell in showers, and the widest part of the hole was over a foot across. The large iron hammer also snapped at the handle with a "clatter."

At this time, the crowd of enemies pounced.

The situation of dozens surrounding one was a foregone conclusion!

In the face of danger, He He Lingchuan grabbed an object and threw it in front of him.

All the Tiangong guards felt a sudden brightness before their eyes, as if they were suddenly staring directly at the midday sun; this intensity made even closing their eyes useless.

In this instant, flesh-and-blood creatures were either dizzy or overwhelmed with agitation, and they all halted their attacks.

The Soul-Shocking Thunder he had extorted from Fang Fang Canran was meant to shock the souls of enemies, causing them to freeze instantly.

This stolen second or two was incredibly precious to He He Lingchuan; he grabbed the giant shield, channeled all his true power, and smashed it directly against the edge of the hole.

Once, twice.

The hole grew from one foot to over two feet wide.

A blur appeared before his eyes; the Lamp Spirit flew over, arriving first despite starting later. It didn't know what kind of monster it had mimicked, but its face could open like flower petals, and two long tongues shot out like a frog hunting.

He had already experienced its power at Baishajue, and he definitely didn't want to face it head-on now.

He patted his mount, and this last Spider Guard sprayed a web at the Lamp Spirit, plugging its mouth, then stood up abruptly and lunged at it, barely holding off the Lamp Spirit's first attack.

In just two exchanges, the Spider Guard turned into drops of blood and fell.

It had exhausted its energy and reached the end of its life.

But it had also successfully completed its mission, because He He Lingchuan seized the gap and zipped through the hole in the dome! The enemies outside were swarming, but the gap in the dome was only so big. Aside from the glass monsters, how many could squeeze in? At this moment, Quju's stone man also strode over, crouched down, and blocked the gap in the dome directly.

It dared not touch the Lei Chi and could not actively attack opponents, but it was no problem to act as a stumbling block to stop most of the pursuers.

At this time, the Lei Chi restriction on the dome became He He Lingchuan's great helper. Two guards outside were instantly scorched by the lightning, and the rest dared not force an attack on the dome, so they could only push and attack the stone man with all their might.

Taking this opportunity, He He Lingchuan grabbed the xun and played it, racing against time! The furry chelae of Zhu Zhu Xiuer's molted shell were just a yard away, nearly poking him in the face.

With the distance this close, don't tell him playing the xun couldn't summon reinforcements!

The "hissing" sound resonated throughout the entire array eye.

(End of chapter)