By the time the formation barrier closed behind them, the cyan blade light had already collided with the bone-spiked figure a second time.
Gale landed closer than before. Rather than fully withdrawing her blade, she slid it along the edge of the figure's bone spikes, shaving off a small black fragment that the wind pressure swept away before it could hit the ground.
The figure retreated two steps and readjusted her balance. The cracks across her bone spikes slowly healed.
Xiao Tiance's voice came from the passage entrance:
"The barrier inside is contracting. The entrance is narrowing."
He stood at the edge of the barrier with the Sky-Piercing Halberd held across his body, its blade pressed against the inner wall of light as though he were testing the structure's hardness.
Tiny ripples spread across the light, but there was no sign of penetration. Clearly, the defenses of the Myriad Demons Return to the Void formation were growing stronger layer by layer.
"Breaking through from outside will take time," he said.
Qi Wu did not look back. His gaze remained on the other three figures, but he directed his voice toward the passage:
"Don't force your way through the barrier. Follow the route I took here and keep your distance from the Demons in the passage. They won't attack you on their own. Circle around to the other side of the barrier. There should be a way in there. The formation's foundation nodes are scattered all around it. There has to be a weak connection somewhere."
Xiao Tiance fell silent for a moment, then put away his Sky-Piercing Halberd and glanced back at the Northern Expedition Army's ranks, seemingly estimating how long it would take to change direction, before turning back.
"How long can you hold out here?"
"Long enough."
Xiao