Qingmu finally saw how that spiritual array was formed. There was indeed some magical power supporting it, and through the Soul of Wood, he could sense the connection between this Mental Power Formation and the altar.
He seemed to remember something again, feeling that the method of forming the array was familiar. It was like a game he played as a child; he forgot how to play it when he grew up, but as soon as he saw someone else play it, he immediately remembered it.
But at this moment, he couldn't afford to think too much; he had to focus all his efforts on dealing with the Itza People's desperate counterattack.
Mental Power surged forth like a tide, and the stench of blood grew stronger, as if the air itself had solidified.
Qingmu raised the Soul of Wood, connecting the Mental Power Field between heaven and earth to counter the Mental Power Formation of the Itza People. Situ also raised the Soul of Stone, cooperating with Qingmu to form a small array.
They were reluctant to kill Itza People, but those savages had completely lost their minds, and after so many of their people had died, it would be difficult for the three tribes to recover. Even if the remaining people were not injured, it was not certain that Xia Huo could continue. At this point, it was impossible for them to remain rational.
Fortunately, this Mental Power Formation is much weaker than the previous thousand-person array.
The power of Group Dream grows exponentially with the number of people involved; the more people there are, the stronger their Mental Power becomes, and the larger the mental space they create. Reducing the number of people from over a thousand to around a hundred—a tenfold decrease—does result in a power difference far exceeding tenfold!
Even with the help of the altar's mysterious power, Qingmu and Situ were able to hold their own, unlike before when everyone had to flee in disarray.
But the Itza priests clearly had more than just that. The 'Ura ura' sound they uttered continued incessantly, growing louder and louder with the addition of other Itza People. Eventually, the sound became earth-shattering, drowning out all other sounds, as if Titans were sounding the battle horn.
Qingmu felt a little suffocated, and at the same time, he sensed a hint of danger.
However, their Mental Power Formation remained unchanged, and the strength of the resulting Mental Power Field was still relatively small. Meanwhile, the sense of danger he felt became increasingly apparent, piercing his consciousness like a needle.
He thought carefully about what had given him this feeling, but his mind suddenly became a jumbled mess, and his head began to ache. Whenever he had a headache, he would become very lazy, too lazy to think about anything or do anything.
He really wanted to lie down and take a nap, or light a cigarette; the pungent smell of the smoke would soothe his headache and make him feel better. Sometimes he even wondered if he had been born in fire, because the pungent smell of smoke was more comforting than the scent of sandalwood.
" Qingmu, don't let your guard down!" Situ warned, "It's very dangerous!"
Qingmu knew that Situ was right; his Mental Power at this moment was not entirely his own, but rather he was using the Soul of Wood and borrowing the Mental Power Field that originally existed in this world.
When so much external force suddenly rushes in, it's like compressing air into a bellows and then blowing it out. Your brain is the motor that controls this air compressor. Once you relax, the control system malfunctions, and the compressed air can easily explode, blasting your mental world to smithereens, turning all your memories into fragments or even powder.
He finally realized what the danger signal he had just sensed was.
The Itza People's shouts grew louder and louder, their faces flushed red, as if each of them had drunk two jars of aged wine. Their individual condition was improving, which should have strengthened their Mental Power Formation, but their Mental Power remained unchanged. This indicated that they were receiving mental input but not outputting any more.
Qingmu finally understood; they were gathering their strength.
Using the entire group's spiritual array as a container, a massive amount of Mental Power is being accumulated, forming a spiritual bomb. Once this bomb reaches its critical point, all the Mental Power will surge out in an instant, causing indiscriminate spiritual damage. Once this damage is formed, he and Situ might be able to withstand it with the help of the Sacred Staff, but others will probably not fare so well. Even someone with Mental Power as strong as Su Huilan might have her consciousness instantly scattered, or be dragged into an unknown abyss of dreams, never to be connected with her body again.
"Watch out, they're going to self-destruct!" Qingmu warned.
Situ immediately understood and shouted, " Duwa, what are you waiting for? Are you waiting for us all to die together? This is Ramla; Buddha may not even care for the creatures here!"
Duwa sighed softly, uttered a Buddhist chant, and raised the Soul of Wind.
Of the others, Su Huilan was the first to react. She shouted, "Quick, protect Madam and Alice! Weapons! Use all the weapons you can!..."
Apart from Mrs. Larry and Alice, everyone else joined this silent battle.
Qingmu, Situ, and Duwa stood at the forefront, forming a barrier of mountains, trees, and gales in the spiritual world; Crow transformed into a giant bird, its outstretched wings blotting out the sky; Hanran transformed into a white cat, meowing at the sky before its body suddenly grew larger and pounced like a giant beast; Petru used half of the Soul of Fire to create a blazing shield, protecting Mrs. Larry and Alice, while simultaneously throwing the grenade he was carrying to Ivan.
Although Ivan, Boris, and Anderson were so caught up in the turbulent atmosphere that they couldn't distinguish between reality and illusion, they still threw out all the grenades they had on them, which landed in the ranks of the Itza People.
boom--
The mental bomb and the hand grenade exploded almost simultaneously.
An overwhelming Mental Power surged forth like the shockwave of an atomic bomb explosion. Dark clouds churned in the sky, Crow suddenly tumbled and flew towards the horizon like kites with broken strings. The white cat, which had just leaped into the air, was sent flying backward as if kicked by a giant. Mountains crumbled, the earth split, and a fierce wind swept through the air, uprooting trees. Rocks and fallen leaves danced wildly, and sand and blood mist filled the air...
Su Huilan felt as if she had turned into a tiny fly, and a giant fly swatter came crashing down on her, lifting her up heavily and then slamming her to the ground.
She thought she was dead. Her consciousness wandered into a dark, boundless, and silent world, where there was nothing but deathly silence.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she saw a white line light up in the far, far distance. She knew it was a glimmer of hope and ran towards it with all her might.
I ran and ran, and the white line got closer and closer, yet it seemed as if it might close at any moment.
She ran as fast as she could, desperately, enduring all the pain, clinging tightly to the light that was sneaking in through the white line.
The light grew brighter, and some colorful things appeared.
She smelled the scent of dirt and blood.
Finally, she opened her eyes, and a flood of light rushed in, transforming into a familiar face: strong and handsome features, messy hair, and a slightly faded gray trench coat collar.
She felt a tightness in her chest, a sweet taste in her throat, and spat out a mouthful of blood, almost spraying it onto that person's face.
She said in a weak voice, "Take a few steps, let me hear your footsteps..."
Then she saw him stand up and take two steps in front of her. The familiar tap-tap-tap footsteps sounded, and she knew she was still alive.