The sound of clanging echoed loudly within the barrier, and the strong wind generated by the incoming sword energy fluttered Xu Long's robes.
The starlight in his eyes shone brightly, and the disturbing sword energy shattered in the net. Xu Long did not move an inch from beginning to end.
The glimmer of light in his eyes had already faded considerably, but countless sword energies followed one after another. There were countless sword formations within this Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram, and they were all activated after Xu Long entered it.
The high-pitched sword cries continued to resound, and the sharp whistling continued to rage. The sword light spinning in the air had not yet exhausted its full power, and the scattered sword net was slowly closing in.
When the net formed by the sword light is impacted by the sword energy, it will inevitably deform slightly, and the sword energy inside will be instantly shattered by the sword light.
A wisp of Power of Laws emanated from Xu Long's body, and the endless sword energy possessed various auras.
While seemingly chaotic, the energy coalesced within the array, revealing a hidden order. When unleashed, it indeed possessed considerable power, though perhaps too much for Xu Long.
The sword formation appeared formidable, its attack like a torrential downpour, yet its power was concentrated but ineffective, its might undisguised.
This is because there is no dominant sword energy to control it, causing the numerous sword energies to lose their organization and attack without any specific rules. They simply rely on this endless stream of sword energy to wear down the enemy.
If the enemy is already powerful, taking the initiative to attack will put you on the defensive. Xu Long originally wanted to use his sword light to break through these sword energies, but then he thought back:
What if this sword energy is truly endless? Even without a dominant sword energy to control it, these small fry might actually be able to wear down the giant whale.
Xu Long felt a sense of unease. This was indeed a bit troublesome. He could break through the sword energy, but he was afraid he wouldn't be able to find the location of the sword energy's life-binding point. It would probably be difficult to get out of this barrier.
It was clearly not appropriate to linger in the array's barrier at this moment, since his own Magic Power was limited, while this Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram was connected to Phoenix City, and with the supply of energy cores, he was not afraid of Xu Long's antics.
Xu Long let out a slight breath, his left eye quickly scanning the barrier. He thought to himself: I still know too little about the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram. Now that I'm trapped inside, it seems that the Phoenix City is indeed a powerful Earth Immortal.
The clanging sounds continued, and the net above their heads had already closed up, causing the incoming sword energy to be propelled towards the net by inertia.
A meteor shower even appeared in the sky, one end originating from the darkness within the barrier, and the other end disappearing above Xu Long's head, as if he had swallowed up these countless meteors.
Xu Long's expression hardened, and the swirling sword light moved according to his thoughts.
The swirling sharpness in the air suddenly stopped, as if a rolling wheel had been braked. The abrupt halt in the spinning net shattered the incoming sword energy.
With a deafening boom, countless sword energies vanished as their sharpness faltered, transforming into wisps of Power of Laws. Xu Long's left eye narrowed instantly.
An invisible energy fluctuation impacted the interior of the barrier, and the sword energy, carried by inertia, continued to rage within it, while the sharp edge in the air suddenly surged up after a brief pause.
The sword net spun again in the completely opposite direction to before, making loud cracking sounds as the sword energy shattered due to inertia. Xu Long's face tightened, and his Magic Power surged continuously.
The spinning sharpness was like a giant swinging his arm, and a Super Strength snapped the sword energy in mid-air. Countless streams of light in Xu Long were extinguished in an instant.
A chaotic energy fluctuation spread out from inside the barrier, Power of Laws dispersed in the air along with the energy, causing the endless sword energy to pause for a moment.
At this moment, Xu Long's gaze was fixed on the barrier, and the light in his left eye seemed to see through the dissipating Power of Laws.
Buzz!
With a clear, melodious sword cry, the sword light above his head shifted, and his will instantly locked onto the invisible Power of Laws.
As the sword light swept in with the will, a surge of Power of Oblivion flashed across the blade. Before the Power of Laws in the air could dissipate, it was completely shattered by the Power of Oblivion.
The barrier that had been crisscrossed with sword energy was now completely silent, as if the burst of thousands of sword energies was an illusion. With the lock of a powerful will and the erosion of the Power of Oblivion, those invisible sword energies were completely annihilated by the sword light.
After losing countless sword energies, the sword formation within the barrier became largely useless, and the sword light in the air, having swept away the Power of Laws, swirled back towards Xu Long.
After breaking through the array's attack, Xu Long immediately sensed a peculiar aura flowing within the barrier; it was the mysterious power inherent in the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram that reappeared.
Xu Long's left eye was completely white. He observed the various changes in the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram and thought to himself: The sword energy that appeared just now seemed endless, but in fact it was all illusory sword energy.
It is likely an illusion created by countless cultivators inside and outside Phoenix City who drew their swords over the years, their images imprinted within the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram.
Because the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram is secretly integrated with Phoenix City, all cultivators inside and outside the city are protected, and the Power of Laws they bring when they draw their swords is also preserved.
The energy core supplies these Power of Laws so that they are not dissipated and are preserved for a long time within the array. The wonder of the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram is that these illusory sword energies can be used.
With the supply of energy from the core, that trace of Power of Laws will not dissipate, and the sword energy within it can Rebirth Divine Hall along with the Power of Laws, thus achieving endless and inexhaustible life.
The Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram is truly a marvelous treasure. This simple sword attack, though lacking a dominant sword aura, actually contains the Power of Laws!
Within the barrier, Xu Long's eyes shone brightly, his will constantly capturing the mysterious aura released by the array diagram, as he sought to explore its secrets.
He was certain that this Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram was created by a powerful being, and that the truths of the world contained within it were profound. If one could comprehend them, it would greatly improve one's own path to enlightenment.
But it was clearly too late. After Xu Long shattered the Power of Laws within the sword energy, the sword formation had lost its most important element, indicating that the formation's offensive had become ineffective against Xu Long.
The light within the barrier dimmed again, and Xu Long's vision was as if veiled by a black curtain, making it difficult to see his surroundings. Even his will was withdrawn in the darkness.
It seemed as if a mysterious energy was deliberately clouding his senses, and in the darkness, a pair of large eyes were observing his actions, while he felt a sensation similar to spatial teleportation beneath his feet.
Xu Long's heart skipped a beat. Had they passed through the first city gate?
The light flashed again, and Xu Long took a step forward as if possessed. After entering the barrier, the mysterious energy in front of him had already dissipated.
Recalling his recent experience, he realized that he had seemingly passed through a gate in the blink of an eye. Had the sharpness of his sword and the Power of Laws remained within that previous gate when he made his move?
Xu Long hadn't yet fully grasped the mysteries of this Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram. He only sensed that the area beneath his feet was distinctly different from before, now imbued with a chilling aura.
"Imperial Edict!"
Before Xu Long could even see clearly with his left eye, a furious roar came from within the barrier.
The roar was filled with a sense of desperate strain, as if a cultivator had arrived inside the gate before him and been attacked by the array, and was now struggling to withstand the attack.
However, Xu Long didn't speculate too much at this moment. He knew that the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram was constantly changing, and his second gate might be someone else's third gate.
Different levels of luck lead to different crises. The City Lord's Manor may be using this method to eliminate excess cultivators, since the city only needs Spirit Stone and strong individuals.
The cultivators selected from the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram must meet the City Lord's Manor's requirements in terms of combat strength. As for the others, Ma Fang has already said that if they refuse to pay Spirit Stone, they will be sent back to where they came from.
The thought had barely formed when a dark shadow suddenly flew towards him. Xu Long's robes were billowed by the strong wind, and as he watched the shadow approach, he began to retreat rapidly.
Having just arrived, he hadn't figured out what was going on. He could see clearly with his left eye that the black shadow flying towards him was a human figure, but it was coming from behind Xu Long, as if it was being blocked from the front by something.
Xu Long frowned, not bothering to help the figure flying backward, but instead constantly shifting his position to retreat, trying to avoid these unknown things within the barrier.
With a muffled thud, the figure crashed to the ground, and several bloody arrows were embedded in his chest!
Xu Long stopped in his retreating steps, his gaze fixed on the cultivator on the ground; he was on his deathbed.
The arrow fletching in his chest trembled slightly with each heartbeat, the fine hairs on the white fletching stained with bright red blood.
The beeping sound echoed within the quiet barrier, which was exceptionally silent at the moment, but Xu Long's heart sank deeply.
He had seen this cultivator outside Phoenix City before; they had fought together during the Mist Beast Tide. Now, his condition was miserable, which made Xu Long feel a pang of sympathy.
"Um... be careful... cough cough..."
The cultivator who had just fallen to the ground clearly noticed Xu Long's presence. He glanced at Xu Long sideways, as if recalling where he had seen this person before, and then focused his gaze on the arrow fletching in his chest.
He opened his mouth painfully, and with difficulty, he managed to utter a few words to Xu Long, after which blood kept gushing from his throat.
Blood rushed into his lungs, causing his trachea to rise and fall like a bellows.
The arrow in his chest trembled violently, and drops of blood fell to the ground. He was completely dead, but his eyes, as if he had died with his eyes open, had not yet closed completely.
Xu Long's gaze sharpened. After a moment's thought, he got up and went over, bending down to pry open the man's eye sockets with his fingers, wanting to see the last thing he saw.
The left eye met the gaze of the fallen cultivator for a fleeting moment, and in the fallen cultivator's eyes, it saw layer upon layer of clouds, from which hidden arrows burst forth.
Presumably, this fallen cultivator only realized after many attempts that the exit of this gate was behind the clouds, which is why he shouted himself hoarse trying to break through the clouds and pass through the exit at an extremely fast speed.
But he didn't expect the attack from within the clouds to be even more swift. He had already increased his speed to the limit, but he was still pushed back by the attack hidden within the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram.
The arrow in his chest was the weapon that killed him. Xu Long examined the arrows closely, his eyes flickering slightly.
These arrows should be classified as sharp weapons, capable of inflicting great damage on the physical body and soul of cultivators, even able to directly kill powerful cultivators.
You should know that those who cultivate to the Mahayana Stage are theoretically half Undying and Indestructible Body. Ordinary weapons cannot kill them in one blow, let alone the fact that the cultivator just now did not even escape with his soul.
The arrow in his chest appeared to be a direct, fatal blow, but Xu Long surmised that it had imprisoned his soul within his body, preventing its escape, before finally killing him.
Xu Long withdrew his fingers, closed the man's eyes with his palm, and his Magic Power surged out in an instant. The scalding Magic Power flowed through the man's body, instantly burning the corpse to ashes.
The arrow fletching at his chest vanished into several wisps of pure energy within the Magic Power. Xu Long's heart stirred; could the Power of Oblivion possibly counter this mysterious arrow fletching?
Knowing the dangers and the exit beyond the clouds, but with cultivators already perishing within, Xu Long was eager to explore the secrets hidden within.
But how to get past these arrows? These are mist weapons that can kill even great cultivators, and even with Xu Long's Body of Oblivion, he wouldn't dare to take them head-on.
Because there might be countless arrows waiting for him hidden among the thick clouds!
The sword formation he encountered inside the first gate was still vivid in his mind. The endless sword energy swept over everything. If Xu Long hadn't used his Heavenly Eye to discover the clues and quickly turned the tide of the battle, he would have been trapped inside as well.
Only through the final scene witnessed by the fallen cultivator did we understand the power of the arrow.
Xu Long had some doubts. This was the first cultivator he had encountered in the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram, but he had died as soon as he appeared, proving that the formations were interconnected.
If there are enough people and the formation changes coincidentally, you might encounter others. The question is, how do you determine when to Open Gate and exit?
Xu Long pondered a clever solution for a moment, but to no avail. His understanding of the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram was extremely superficial, and he had no idea of its mysteries.
At this point, trying to find shortcuts would be pointless; the only option was to follow Ma Fang's advice and honestly walk through the three city gates.
Following the direction from which the fallen cultivator had flown backward, Xu Long's figure soared into the air. He did not transform into a streak of light and fly away at high speed, but instead continuously sensed the mysterious energy within the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram in the air.
When the first gate was broken, a mysterious energy appeared in the array diagram, which Xu Long took very seriously.
He vaguely felt that this was the key hidden within the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram, and that this energy was protecting the entire formation.
At this moment, he wanted to both explore the energy of the array diagram and break its offensive. He vaguely felt that as long as he controlled that energy, he could completely stop the array.
However, if one absorbs its immense energy, it will bring profound benefits to oneself.