"Nanfeng, it's you! It's so good to run into you."
Zhan Guoliang let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Liu Nanfeng.
"Uncle Zhan, are you alright?"
Although Zhan Guoliang appeared unharmed, his face couldn't hide his exhaustion. He was fortunate to be near the closest point of the spiritual energy tide, which not only allowed him to recover but even significantly advanced his cultivation. Otherwise, he would have long since succumbed to exhaustion and death.
"These damned things are simply too numerous, charging forward relentlessly. No matter how many I kill, there are always more," he said, his exhaustion already subsiding somewhat during this brief respite.
"Did you not encounter anyone else?" Liu Nanfeng asked.
"No, I entered the Heavenly Palace through the Heavenly Gate and appeared here. Everyone else scattered. I don't know how Dun Dun is doing?"
Thinking of his son, Zhan Guoliang became worried.
Liu Nanfeng didn't know how to comfort him, so he could only say, "Don't worry, he'll be fine."
He had made contingency plans during their last meal together, ensuring he could rescue Dun Dun if anything unexpected happened.
Zhan Guoliang nodded upon hearing this. "The elders of the clan gave him many defensive items, so he should be alright."
While he said this to Liu Nanfeng, he was speaking more to himself.
"But where is this place? It's so strange." Zhan Guoliang was also full of questions.
"This is the Heavenly Palace," Liu Nanfeng replied with a smile.
"The Heavenly Palace?" Zhan Guoliang exclaimed in surprise. He turned to look around, his expression one of disbelief.
Wasn't the Heavenly Palace supposed to be magnificent, filled with celestial music and breathtaking scenery? But this...
"Something must have gone wrong," Liu Nanfeng said.
"What about those powerful celestial beings who entered the Heavenly Palace before?" Zhan Guoliang hadn't recovered from his shock.
"Who knows? If those people were still around, I doubt the Heavenly Palace would have become like this," Liu Nanfeng said.
"That makes sense, that makes sense..." Zhan Guoliang murmured, as if remembering something.
"Uncle Zhan, staying here is also dangerous. Why don't you come with us?"
Zhan Guoliang was extremely fortunate to have arrived directly in the Heavenly Palace, bypassing many difficulties.
However, he was also incredibly unlucky. Since arriving, he had been almost constantly engaged in battles, never getting a moment's rest.
"Go where?" Zhan Guoliang hadn't fully grasped the situation.
"Over there. That should be the central hub of the Heavenly Palace," Liu Nanfeng pointed to a massive structure in the distance.
Zhan Guoliang readily agreed and joined them.
With Zhan Guoliang's arrival, the atmosphere became somewhat subdued. Liu Nanfeng took the initiative to speak, "I wonder where the old man has ended up?"
"No need to worry about him. His strength is far greater than mine. After arriving here and breaking free from the shackles of his lifespan, he's probably hiding somewhere, living it up," Zhan Guoliang said dismissively.
Liu Nanfeng: ...
What a devoted son.
Just then, a tremendous roar echoed from behind them. Liu Nanfeng glanced back. Zhan Guoliang said, "It's probably other people. For days now, we've heard battle roars from various directions."
"If that's the case, why aren't you all gathered together?"
"Firstly, the sheer number of these monsters blocks our progress. Secondly, if we don't know someone, how can we trust them?"
So, those were their concerns, explaining why they were all fighting alone.
At that moment, a slender creature suddenly slammed against the mirrored space. Its tiny, bean-sized eyes peered around inside, its huge mouth curving to the sides.
It seemed to have discovered its hidden prey, revealing a hint of joy.
Everyone was startled by it.
"Did it see us?" Su Huamei asked cautiously.
Liu Nanfeng nodded. Frankly, he was more surprised than Su Huamei.
The mirrored space was his creation, and he understood its unique properties. He never expected a monster capable of piercing through the void and detecting them through the spatial barrier.
As they spoke, countless slender monsters slammed against the mirrored space like raindrops. They resembled roundworms but possessed bodies as hard as steel yet as soft as cotton. They adhered to the spatial wall and relentlessly gnawed at it. The mirrored space immediately began to shake, collapsing at a visibly rapid pace.
However, in Liu Nanfeng's eyes, he saw something different. These roundworm-like monsters weren't consuming the spatial wall; instead, they were expelling peculiar information and adding it to the mirrored space's barrier, making it unstable and ultimately leading to its collapse.
This time, Zhu Yin'e made the first move. A ball of fire erupted, and countless surrounding monsters turned into wisps of smoke beneath the flames.
Everyone assumed that as the Water Lord of the Yangtze River, Zhu Yin'e's greatest strength would lie in water manipulation. This was not the case. Although she had transformed from a fine-scaled dragon, she had a remarkable origin. Within her, there was an innate wisp of divine fire.
After transforming into a dragon, it became her protective divine fire, residing in her heart and lungs. This divine fire also greatly aided her after she became the Dragon Lord of the Yangtze River. Water was Yin, and fire was Yang, allowing her to transcend the limitations of a Water Lord. Yin and Yang mutually generated, making her even more powerful.
This was also why the Dragon Lord of the East Sea greatly respected her, and why she had peacefully resided in the Yangtze River for so many years, all due to her strength.
Perhaps seeing Su Jinxiu's powerful display, Zhu Yin'e didn't want to be outdone. Countless flames surged upwards, and even standing behind her, one could feel the searing heat of the flames on their skin.
Any monster that touched them would turn into a wisp of smoke, leaving nothing behind. Even the jade brick walls on the ground melted like cheese.
"So she's this powerful," Su Huamei exclaimed in surprise.
Let alone her, even Su Jinxiu was astonished. She had initially believed Zhu Yin'e was only skilled in water manipulation and control, but she never expected her to wield such divine fire.
Only Liu Nanfeng was not surprised. With his eyes of analysis, he had long since detected the wisp of divine fire Zhu Yin'e harbored within her.
Moreover, since the little koi possessed her bloodline, she actually had it within her too, which was the origin of her red scales. However, this divine fire was inferior to the Kunpeng bloodline, which was why Zhu Yin'e had agreed to Liu Nanfeng activating the little koi's hidden bloodline back then.
Seeing Zhu Yin'e make her move, the others naturally didn't stand idly by and also began to fight.
Su Jinxiu wielded her twin bone swords. This time, she didn't summon her bone manifestation, but instead, she gracefully landed among the monster horde like a swallow. Her swords danced elegantly, yet her dual blades acted like a meat grinder, completely ignoring all surrounding bizarre attacks and cleaving them in two.
Su Huamei also sprang into action. Two long silk ribbons meandered through the air, and an invisible wave spread outwards, causing countless monsters to fall like harvested wheat.
She triumphantly raised an eyebrow at Zhu Yin'e, but Zhu Yin'e responded with a completely indifferent gaze, which only frustrated her further.
Liu Nanfeng chuckled slightly and pressed his hand against a nearby structure. Numerous runes were reactivated. As the runic light flashed, everything around them vanished, as if it had all been an illusion.
"Nanfeng, you're becoming more and more formidable," Zhan Guoliang couldn't help but exclaim.
"I'm just taking advantage of the situation," Liu Nanfeng said with a smile.
Then, he reached out again, reconstructing the mirrored space. However, this mirrored space was slightly different from the previous one.
Since arriving in this world and broadening his horizons, he had accumulated a vast amount of information and knowledge, and his strength had been growing at a visible rate.