"Bang!" Suddenly, an explosion sounded behind them.
"Bzzzzzz!" A wave of buzzing rose. Clearly, the Steel-armored Beetles had broken out of the Illusion Formation and caught up.
"Oh no! The Steel-armored Beetles broke through my formation!" Li Xiaoya's expression changed drastically as he cried out, then hurriedly added, "My Formation Flags are gone too! That was my only set!"
"What do we do?" Everyone gazed up at the summit still hidden from sight, their hearts burning with anxiety.
"Go on ahead. I'll find a way to stop them." Li Xiaoya slowed down and spoke coldly.
"All right!"
"Be careful, Junior Brother Li!" everyone hastily replied. They continued racing forward, but they were noticeably slower than before. That strange gravity pulling them downward was far too powerful.
"Bzzzzzz!" The moment Li Xiaoya slowed down, he saw the swarm of Steel-armored Beetles appear around the bend like a whirlwind.
"Smack!" Li Xiaoya slapped the Storage Pouch at his waist, and the Fire Dragon Sword appeared in his hand. He examined it carefully and, finding nothing unusual, cautiously fed magic power into it. The sword's bizarre behavior earlier had left him wary, after all. But using the Fire Serpent again would consume far too much magic power; it was no long-term solution.
"Phew! Thankfully, nothing's wrong." As he slowly fed in magic power, the Fire Dragon Sword instantly enlarged, giving off red and yellow light. Only then did Li Xiaoya heave a sigh of relief. To conserve magic power, he had to use the sword to amplify his spells. Otherwise, however deep his reserves, he would not last long.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!" With that thought, Li Xiaoya silently recited the incantation and swung the Fire Dragon Sword. Two Flame Blades shot out at once, forming a Cross Flame Blade in midair and hurtling toward