Chapter 154: Breaking the Array and Unveiling the Legacy!

Bang— Crack!

As the final Talisman Light Screen shattered completely, Wan Honghai let out a deafening cackle: "Hahaha! At last I've broken this turtle shell! Old thing, give me your life!"

His figure flickered, bearing the terrifying pressure of the late Foundation Establishment stage, and he surged toward the Cave Entrance like a starving tiger pouncing.

Behind him, the Black-clad Leader shadowed him silently, and together they stepped into the cave that had just lost all external barriers.

Li Hu and Zhang Mei, drenched in blood, collapsed on the inner side of the Cave Entrance, their strength to even move a finger nearly gone. Li Hu's Kaishan Axe slipped from his grasp, its blade riddled with notches; Zhang Mei's Iron Bone Bow had a broken string, its quiver empty. They could only watch helplessly as the enemy broke in.

"Cough…" Li Hu coughed up a froth of blood, his voice hoarse, "L‑…Lord…"

The Black-clad Leader's gaze was far calmer than Wan Honghai's; his sharp eyes swept the cave interior, lingering little on Li Hu and the other, and immediately turned toward the depths. A faint yet steadily rising Spiritual Energy Fluctuation emanated from there.

"Hmm?" He furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly, "That old fellow actually might succeed?"

Immediately, his sight was drawn again to the figure curled beside Li Hu, Wang Zhize clutching his younger brother Zhitao. More precisely, it was the Black Jade Slip tightly gripped in Wang Zhize's small hand. The slip now emitted an extremely faint, almost imperceptible glow, subtly resonating with some aura deep in the cave.

"That Black Jade Slip…" the Black-clad Leader thought, could this be the 'key' the 'master' mentioned? Or something related to the 'key'?

Wan Honghai, however, cared little for such subtleties; his eyes locked onto the slip in Wang Zhize's hand, greed blazing: "You brat, hand over what you hold! It must be the treasure that helped your grandfather's Foundation Establishment!"

He concluded that Wang Shan's opportunity must stem from some heavenly treasure, and this slip certainly seemed extraordinary. Before the words finished, his vein‑popping hand lunged like an eagle's claw toward Wang Zhize.

"No…don't!" Wang Zhize, terrified to the core, shrank his small body desperately, clutching the slip tightly to his chest.

Deep within the cave.

Wang Shan was at the critical moment of breakthrough. The medicinal force of Purple Monkey Flower and the power of the Condensing Origin Obstacle-Breaking Pill wildly intertwined within him, battering the supposedly indestructible Foundation Establishment Barrier. Each strike came with excruciating, heart‑rending pain.

Boom!

Outside, Wan Honghai and the Black-clad Leader's unrestrained Spiritual Power pressure, upon entering the cave, struck his mind like a heavy hammer. The reckless sweep of his Spiritual Sense further threatened to snap his already taut nerves.

"Pfft!" Wang Shan spat another mouthful of fresh blood, his breath waning for a moment.

What alarmed him further was that the ancient aura that had earlier risen from the earth, once comforting, now grew restless under the external assault. It was no longer a gentle aid but resembled a awakened beast, low‑roaring in the cave's depths, causing the whole cavern to tremble faintly.

"What's happening?" Wang Shan was horrified. This force… seemed linked to the slip in Zhize's hand? He tried to spare a fragment of his mind to investigate, but the agonizing pain of Foundation Establishment and the Counter-Devouring of the bottleneck, like maggots in a heel bone, prevented any distraction; a slight slip could snap his Meridians or burst his dantian.

He could only grit his teeth, withdraw all his mind, fiercely guard a sliver of clarity in his spiritual platform, and keep hammering that damned barrier!

"Hmm? There's a Seal inside?" Wan Honghai lunged a claw at Wang Zhize, but a few feet away an invisible barrier stopped him.

The barrier wasn't strong, yet unusually resilient, bearing an ancient, time‑worn aura.

The Black-clad Leader also sensed something amiss, his eyes flickering: "This cave… isn't simple. There must be another mystery."

Wan Honghai sneered: "Whatever mystery! Before me, they're all mere chickens and dogs! Break it for me!"

He gave up directly seizing Wang Zhize, instead channeling all his Spiritual Power into a fist that slammed at the invisible barrier.

Bang!

A muffled thud echoed, the entire cave shook violently, debris from the ceiling rattled down. The invisible barrier quivered wildly, its color shifting, yet it stubbornly withstood his blow!

"Interesting!" Wan Honghai, not angry but pleased, "Seems there's plenty of good stuff inside!"

The Black-clad Leader no longer stood idle; he formed finger locks, firing streaks of ink‑black energy that also slammed at the barrier.

The two great Foundation Establishment masters now seemed to face a true fortress, joining forces for a fierce assault.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each blast made the cave tremble incessantly.

Li Hu and Zhang Mei, already gravely wounded, now suffered even more under the residual shock of the Array.

"Pfft!" Li Hu spewed another large gush of blood, darkness flashing before his eyes.

Zhang Mei's condition was similar; she bit her lip hard, refusing to pass out.

Wang Zhitao, already weakened by lingering toxins, was hit by the violent tremor and terrifying pressure; his face turned pale, and he collapsed into Wang Zhize's arms, unconscious.

"Brother! Brother!" Wang Zhize frantically shook Wang Zhitao, tears streaming uncontrollably. He stared at the ferocious Wan Honghai, at the ice‑cold Black-clad Leader, and at the barely‑living Li Hu and Zhang Mei, a bone‑deep despair surging within him.

Grandfather… will Grandfather die? Will they… all die?

"Hahaha! Let's see how long your turtle shell can hold!" Wan Honghai grew more excited as he struck, feeling the barrier weakening.

The Black-clad Leader remained calmer, attacking while carefully sensing the cave's depths. Wang Shan's Foundation Establishment aura seemed… more solidified? Yet simultaneously more ferocious, as if making a final struggle.

Crack… Crack…

With another round of fierce attacks, clear fissures finally appeared on the ancient, resilient invisible barrier, spreading rapidly like a spider's web.

Shards of stone fell like rain from the ceiling, striking the ground and the hearts of everyone.

"It's breaking!" Wan Honghai's eyes flashed, a grin of assured victory on his face.

The Black-clad Leader gave a slight nod; to him, Wang Shan was a trapped turtle, wings clipped. Once the Array fell, the old man inside would surely die, and the 'key' would be within easy reach.

Deep in the cave, Wang Shan, drenched in blood, felt excruciating pain coursing through his Meridians, nearly fainting. The Foundation Establishment Barrier, under his relentless assault and the invisible aid of that mysterious ancient aura, had thinned to a cicada's wing, seemingly about to be pierced completely.

Yet the last remaining defense of the Outside World, about to shatter, and the unabashed murderous intent of the two great foes hung above him like a sword, ready to fall at any moment.

Success would mean a leap to the heavens, boundless skies!

Failure would mean death and the end of all things!

His family, his grandson, his hatred… everything rested on this final thread!

Wang Shan snapped his eyes open, blood‑shot, burning with madness and resolve.

"Give—me—break—ah!"

He exhausted his last ounce of strength, mustering all remaining Spiritual Power and the ancient Earth Vein force resonating with the slip, and hurled it at the wobbling Foundation Establishment Barrier—the most tragic and pivotal final strike of his life!