Under this force, the black substance around Lu Li grew so dense that it seemed to solidify completely. Because the space inside the Golden Bell was limited, those solids also enveloped Valkyrie and Lu Yi.
However, when the shadow revealed its killing intent, both Lu Xueqing and Lu Yi had stopped thinking, so they were entirely unaware of this.
The reason the shadow's finger had not fallen upon the Golden Bell so quickly was that it had been held back by another force. A peerless expert had returned from the far shore of the World Sea at tremendous speed, using invincible Soul Intent to restrain the shadow's movements. That was why its finger had been delayed by several seconds.
"Looks like I won't be able to take you away..."
There was a trace of regret in the shadow's voice. Then its form completely faded into illusion, while the power contained in that finger reached its peak.
Dragged by the powerful force from behind, it pressed down upon the Golden Bell.
Even with ninety-nine percent of its power restrained, this force was still far beyond what the Golden Bell could withstand. The Golden Bell instantly shattered, and the immense penetrating force continued to erupt.
At that moment, the expert behind it increased the restraining force. With that single pull, the finger shifted slightly off course, failing to strike the center of the point the shadow had wanted to attack.
Boom—
Amid the thunderous explosion, the pitch-black solid burst apart. A mass of crimson True Soul tangled together with black matter was flung away. Under the tremendous impact, the black substance around it was continuously worn away, while the mixed mass accelerated into the distance and vanished into the World Sea in an instant.
On the other side of the solid mass,