Chapter 112: Devastation

The light surged toward Li Zhi'an and Cheng Xi like a tide, forming a strange cage of interwoven radiance around them.

Li Zhi'an held Cheng Xi tightly, the Long Sword in his hand flashing with cold light as he watched their surroundings vigilantly. Cheng Xi's face was as pale as paper, and the blood at the corner of her mouth slid down her jaw, staining her clothes in a particularly shocking manner.

"Xi Xi, how are you? Hold on!" Li Zhi'an's voice was filled with anxiety and worry; his spiritual power circulated rapidly within his body, attempting to channel some strength to Cheng Xi to alleviate her injuries.

Cheng Xi struggled to open her eyes, looking at the anxious Li Zhi'an, and forced a weak smile: "I'm fine, these lights... are very strange."

Just then, those gathered lights suddenly began to change form, gradually condensing into illusory figures. These figures were neither quite human nor inhuman, emitting a strange aura as they bared their fangs and brandished their claws, pouncing toward Li Zhi'an and Cheng Xi.

Li Zhi'an's eyes sharpened, and the Long Sword in his hand slashed out streaks of Sword Qi toward the illusory figures. As the Sword Qi swept past, the figures dissipated instantly, but they soon condensed again, as if they were endless.

"This can't go on, there's no end to these things!" Li Zhi'an frowned, silently pondering a countermeasure.

"Perhaps these lights are related to the power Ji Hang triggered; we must find the root cause to break all of this," Cheng Xi said while fending off the attacks of the illusory figures.

Li Zhi'an nodded. He looked around and discovered that the center where the light gathered seemed to be the City Lord's Mansion not far away.

"Let's go to the City Lord's Mansion to take a look; there might be clues there," Li Zhi'an said, then carried Cheng Xi and rushed toward the direction of the City Lord's Mansion.

Along the way, the light continued to gather, the illusory figures grew more numerous, and their attacks became increasingly fierce. Li Zhi'an and Cheng Xi fought hard to resist, and more wounds gradually appeared on their bodies.

They walked cautiously into the City Lord's Mansion, searching for clues among the ruins.

Suddenly, Cheng Xi discovered a stone emitting a faint light, its surface covered in strange Runes.

"Li Zhi'an, look at this stone." Cheng Xi picked up the stone and examined the Runes on it carefully.

Li Zhi'an leaned in to look; these Runes seemed familiar. He tried hard to recall the scene of his previous battle with Ji Hang and suddenly remembered that the Jade Seven Stars in Ji Hang's hand seemed to have similar Runes on it as well.

"Could this be related to Ji Hang's Blood Sacrifice Array?" Li Zhi'an speculated.

Cheng Xi nodded. She closed her eyes, using her heart to sense the power of the Runes on the stone. In an instant, a powerful stream of information flooded into her mind, and she saw some ancient secrets regarding this world.

It turned out that the power Ji Hang triggered came from a great war in the ancient era. At that time, the spiritual power between heaven and earth was unbalanced, triggering a massive catastrophe. To save the world, ancient powerhouses used the power of the stars to Seal an evil force, and the key to the Seal was this Jade Seven Stars and the stone engraved with Runes.

Although Ji Hang's Blood Sacrifice was stopped, his actions had accidentally triggered the Seal, causing the evil force to show signs of awakening. These lights and illusory figures were precisely the power leaked out after the Seal loosened.

"We must reinforce the Seal, otherwise there will be no more peace in this world," Cheng Xi said softly.

"Alright."

Just as they were preparing to find a way to reinforce the Seal, a huge rumbling sound suddenly came from outside the City Lord's Mansion. They hurriedly ran out to check, only to see a massive monster slowly emerging from the vortex of light.

This monster was as large as a mountain, its body emitting black mist, and every move it made caused the earth to tremble. It opened its bloody maw and sprayed streaks of black flame toward Wanxing City; wherever it passed, houses instantly turned to ash.

"What is this monster?" Li Zhi'an looked at the monster before him in shock.

Cheng Xi's expression was grave; she knew that this was likely the manifestation of the evil force released after the Seal loosened.

"We cannot let it continue to destroy; we must find a way to stop it," Cheng Xi said, once again mobilizing the spiritual power within her body.

Li Zhi'an was not to be outdone; he poured all his spiritual power into his Long Sword and charged toward the monster. Cheng Xi stayed in the rear, casting spells to provide support for Li Zhi'an.

Li Zhi'an arrived before the monster and leaped high, the Long Sword in his hand carrying sharp Sword Qi as he slashed toward the monster's head. The monster seemed to sense danger and swung its massive claw, swatting toward Li Zhi'an.

Li Zhi'an's figure flashed, dodging the monster's attack, while his Long Sword successfully slashed into the monster's head. The monster let out a painful roar, and black mist poured out continuously from the wound.

However, this strike did not cause it much damage. It roared in anger, attacking Li Zhi'an and Cheng Xi even more crazily.

Seeing this, Cheng Xi immediately unleashed the power of the constellations, summoning the illusory images of the three divine beasts: the Vermilion Bird, the White Tiger, and the Black Tortoise. The divine beast images roared as they charged at the monster, launching a siege on it together with Li Zhi'an.

Under the attacks of the divine beast images and Li Zhi'an, the monster gradually fell into a predicament. Its movements became sluggish, and the black mist on its body grew thinner and thinner.

Just when everyone thought victory was in sight, the monster suddenly let out a heaven-shaking roar. Its body began to swell, and the black mist instantly spread, shrouding the entire Wanxing City within it.

In the black mist, Li Zhi'an and Cheng Xi lost track of the monster; they could only rely on their senses, continuously attacking the surrounding mist.

"This won't work, we must find the monster's weakness," Cheng Xi said anxiously.

Li Zhi'an nodded. He closed his eyes, using his heart to sense the surrounding aura. Suddenly, he felt a faint fluctuation of energy, which seemed to be the sound of the monster's heartbeat.

He took Cheng Xi and followed the direction of the aura. In the depths of the black mist, they finally found the monster. At this moment, the monster was in a weakened state, its body trembling continuously as if it were enduring immense pain.

Li Zhi'an's Long Sword pierced through the monster's heart. The monster finally let out a desperate hiss, its body slowly collapsed, and the black mist gradually dissipated.

With the fall of the monster, the vortex of light also gradually stopped rotating, the strange light in the sky gradually vanished, and Wanxing City finally returned to calm.

Li Zhi'an and Cheng Xi sat on the ground, exhausted, looking at the devastated Wanxing City before them. The two remained silent, neither speaking a word.

"Was that an Array Spirit just now?" After a long while, Li Zhi'an asked.

"That's no Array Spirit; it was merely a demonic creature transformed from the desires of the human heart," Cheng Xi replied. "Ji Hang's physical body is already destroyed, and his soul had long since fled; this Heart Demon was what he left behind to hold us back."