"Mei Ji?"
Mu Shuyang saw the sudden appearance of Mei Ji, his eyes filled with confusion. Mei Ji absolutely shouldn't be here at this time.
Chu Lingwei didn't answer, just watched him with a smile, mysterious and ironic.
At this moment, Mu Shuyang must know he wasn't Mei Ji. Anything he said would be useless; it was better to leave everything to him, let him connect the dots himself.
"You are not Mei Ji." Mu Shuyang channeled spiritual energy to attack Chu Lingwei. The spiritual energy turned into smoke just before it touched Chu Lingwei, leaving her unharmed. "You are Chu Lingwei."
Chu Lingwei remained in place, smiling faintly at Mu Shuyang.
"Chu Lingwei, you indeed should not be alive." Mu Shuyang's eyes were filled with killing intent. He should have killed Chu Lingwei long ago, not waited until now.
Is this what it means to lose control of one's true self?
Chu Lingwei couldn't help but feel disappointed. With a turn of her body, she disappeared into the illusion array.
"Perhaps, Wei Wei, he's breaking the array." Huan Mao's body was unstable, his spiritual energy flickering. Feng Ming couldn't help but shout.
With Miao Miao's current cultivation, it was impossible to sustain this formation for too long.
Today, no matter what, Mu Shuyang would not be allowed to leave unscathed.
Chu Lingwei's eyes turned cold. Mu Shuyang's killing intent towards her was too strong; it would only endanger the people of the Phoenix clan. She couldn't give him this chance.
She channeled the power of space into the barrier. The once restless barrier suddenly became even more solidified.
"Mao Mao, Feng Ming, set up the barrier. I'll go meet it." Chu Lingwei held the ancient bronze sword and reappeared in the illusion array.
At this moment, Mu Shuyang's spiritual energy was fully unleashed, attempting to forcefully break the array.
"Chu Lingwei, do you think you and a seventh-tier spirit beast can trap me with just your Heavenly Transformation Realm cultivation? You are truly foolish."
As Mu Shuyang spoke, snowflakes flew around him, freezing the entire illusion array. The coldness was like an icy cliff.
"Hahaha." Mu Shuyang laughed cruelly. A small illusion array was nothing more.
"Mu Shuyang, today, I, a cultivator of the Heavenly Transformation Realm, will see the might of you, a Tribulation Period spirit beast." Chu Lingwei raised the ancient bronze sword, channeled her spiritual energy, and attacked Mu Shuyang.
"Today, you must die."
Mu Shuyang's heart was filled with killing intent. A variable, a calamity. Today, he would slay it.
Icy chills permeated the air, and killing intent surged.
"Kill."
"Break."
Chu Lingwei and Mu Shuyang attacked simultaneously. Even within the illusion array, the entire Jingliang Forest trembled violently from the spiritual energy clash.
Huan Mao and Feng Ming were almost thrown off their feet by the force of the spiritual energy collision.
Huan Mao quickly chanted incantations, continuously reinforcing the illusion array. The person trapped within this array was too strong; he had to constantly change his incantations to keep him contained.
"Mao Mao, can you hold on?" Feng Ming injected his spiritual energy into the array to prevent it from shattering.
"I can." Huan Mao's eyes were resolute. If that Mu Shuyang escaped the array, Wei Wei would be in danger. No matter what, he had to persevere.
Within the formation, Chu Lingwei and Mu Shuyang were equally uncomfortable.
Although Chu Lingwei wielded the divine artifact, the ancient bronze sword, she was still only a cultivator of the Heavenly Transformation Realm. She couldn't unleash the full divine power of the ancient bronze sword. For now, she could only barely fight Mu Shuyang.
Mu Shuyang was on the verge of tribulation, his power immense. Now, controlled by illusions, his inner demons grew. His power was suppressed by the illusion array, and he was attacked by Chu Lingwei's divine artifact. Facing enemies on all sides, he wouldn't be able to kill Chu Lingwei in one go.
Chu Lingwei noticed this phenomenon, a glimmer of joy in her eyes. Mu Shuyang wasn't absolutely invincible.
She took out a purple bell and threw it into the air. Profound Heaven Burning Fire attacked Mu Shuyang.
The purple bell had a backlash effect. Mu Shuyang's spiritual energy was completely reflected, and the immense spiritual energy of Profound Heaven Burning Fire struck Mu Shuyang heavily.
"Chu Lingwei, I want you dead."
Mu Shuyang's killing intent erupted, his gaze fixed on Chu Lingwei. In this state, she couldn't possibly survive. Otherwise, what would the world become?
"It's not certain who will die today."
Chu Lingwei looked at Mu Shuyang, who had fallen into a disadvantage, a smile gracing her lips. It seemed this spirit beast had fallen into her trap.
She had been waiting for this moment.
"Array rise."
As Chu Lingwei spoke, a killing array rose around Mu Shuyang, its deadly intent attacking him.
"How is this possible?"
Mu Shuyang felt shocked. He was already trapped in an illusion array; how could Chu Lingwei have set up a killing array here?
Chu Lingwei paid no mind to Mu Shuyang's shock. The ancient bronze sword flew out, striking Mu Shuyang's vital point.
Mu Shuyang was startled, his heart turning cold.
Suddenly, thunder and snow raged around him, each snowflake filled with killing intent, and lightning struck towards Chu Lingwei.
Chu Lingwei advanced instead of retreating. She and Huan Mao had painstakingly set up layers of killing arrays; they couldn't let Mu Shuyang escape.
"Kill."
Chu Lingwei poured all her spiritual energy into the ancient bronze sword and thrust it towards Mu Shuyang.
"Pfft."
Mu Shuyang's body crashed heavily to the ground. His defenses were broken, and his spiritual energy scattered.
Pressing the advantage.
Profound Heaven Burning Fire!
Chu Lingwei created another killing array, her power of space surging, to slay Mu Shuyang.
Mu Shuyang lay on the ground, his eyes suddenly changing. His body rapidly grew, merging with the thunder and snow around him.
"Wei Wei, be careful."
Huan Mao and Feng Ming were repelled by a powerful force. The illusion array shattered, and the killing array collapsed with it.
Chu Lingwei tried to advance but was struck by the backlash spiritual energy and sent flying.
At this moment, a pair of warm hands held Chu Lingwei's waist, catching her steadily.
"Wei Wei, are you alright?" Leng Xingzhi looked down, saw the blood on Wei Wei's lips, his eyes turned cold. He held her and landed beside Huan Mao and Feng Ming.
"Wei Wei, he's gone."
Huan Mao's eyes were filled with disappointment. The moment Mu Shuyang broke free from their formation, he had already vanished without a trace.
Chu Lingwei landed and used her divine sense to scan the entire Jingliang Forest. Indeed, Mu Shuyang's figure was nowhere to be found.
"What a shame."
Chu Lingwei couldn't help but resent. When she was about to deliver the final blow to Mu Shuyang, she had intended to injure him and then trap him within her spatial dimension, leaving him with no strength to fight back.
She hadn't expected him to break free after her final strike and escape.
"Don't worry, Wei Wei. He is severely injured now and can only return to the Ice Extreme Cliff," Leng Xingzhi took out a pill and fed it to Chu Lingwei. "You should recover first."
Chu Lingwei nodded. There was nothing else they could do now.
Leng Xingzhi saw his junior sister sitting on the ground, meditating. With a wave of his hand, the aura of their fight instantly dissipated. The cultivators and powerful beings who had rushed over to investigate suddenly lost their direction.
"Strange, why did the aura suddenly disappear?"
"Wei Wei!"
Chu Ze entered Jingliang Forest. Just a moment ago, he had been unable to discern directions; someone had interfered with his senses.
He could only search for Wei Wei's direction anew and flew away on his sword.