Bai Xiaotian formed a strange hand seal with one hand and let out a muffled "Hum."
Golden ripples immediately surged from his body. A hazy golden radiance condensed around him, forming a bell-shaped barrier that protected his entire body.
The sky-filling barrage of green flying blades struck the golden bell with repeated booming clangs, yet failed to shatter it.
On the other side, Shen Luo let out a loud shout. The ground beneath his feet suddenly rose sharply, and he seemed to ride a cloud of sand into the air, soaring into midair.
"Using water to seep into the sand, then controlling the water with water arts to carry the sand free—quite a time- and effort-saving method. Clever, clever..."
"Huasheng Temple's Vajra Body Protection may not yet be fully mastered, but it is still quite good...
At that moment, a voice suddenly came from across from them. It sounded as though it were offering commentary, praising both of their performances.
Shen Luo descended, while Bai Xiaotian came to his side. The two stood shoulder to shoulder. Looking around again, they found themselves neither in a marsh lush with aquatic plants nor in a desert blanketed in yellow sand, but in an ordinary-looking oasis.
Clusters of shrubs grew haphazardly across the ground, bare in one spot and sparse in another, as though they had been gnawed by dogs. A narrow stream wound its way through the middle.
The black bird that had stood atop the wooden puppet earlier was unexpectedly not an illusion. Flapping its wings, it flew past Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian, landing on the shoulder of the figure opposite them.
"Why is it you?" Shen Luo cried when he saw the figure.
The man standing opposite them wore a gray robe, his whole body piled with fat. He