Tearing Open

But those trump cards were meant to save its life, not to deal with three Source Sea Dao Lords who had only just entered the mid-level Dao Lord realm.

If it expended too much power here, even greater threats awaited it ahead.

It took a step back.

That step was steady—not a panicked retreat, but a measured, controlled withdrawal.

Its foot lifted from the chaos, moved one zhang backward, then came down.

Abyssal power gathered before it.

Abyssal power surged from its body, forming a black barrier before it.

The barrier curved like a bent wall, completely shielding its body.

Fine Abyssal runes flowed across its surface, spinning rapidly. With every rotation, the barrier grew thicker by a fraction.

Chu Ming struck the barrier with a single sword.

The sword light hit the barrier with a hiss, like a drop of water falling onto a red-hot iron plate.

The barrier shuddered violently. Fine cracks surfaced and spread outward from the point of impact, webbing across it like a spiderweb.

But the instant the cracks appeared, fresh Abyssal power filled them. The barrier steadied amid the trembling.

The mid-level Abyss Great Lord was defending with all its strength.

All of its power was being used to maintain the barrier. The Abyssal power that had originally flowed over its body was all redirected onto the shield. The light on its barbs dimmed, as did the scarlet glow in its eyeballs.

Though Chu Ming's power of order restrained the Abyss, it needed time.

With a mid-level Dao Lord Abyss Great Lord defending at full strength, even power of order would need at least ten breaths to break through this barrier. Ten breaths were enough for it to retreat deep into its territory and vanish into the chaos.

The Abyss Great Lord did not