Chapter 86: The Mysterious Seal
Chapter Eighty-Six
The Cave Entrance and the Strange Barrier of Heaven and Earth
Lu Yao watched Li Hao’s mysterious movement technique, her curiosity piqued. She turned to Lin Xueyou beside her and asked, “Sister Lin Xueyou, why does Brother Li Hao’s movement have the shadow of the Purple Cloud Leopard?”
Lin Xueyou was equally puzzled and found it very strange. Hearing Lu Yao’s question, she replied, “I don’t know either. That boy is odd in every way. I’m used to it. We’ll just ask him later.”
Lu Yao nodded, “That’s all we can do.”
Li Hao began channeling the laws of heaven and earth to condense his own Law Body, which was nearly twice the size of his original form. At this moment, Li Hao’s true and false selves were intertwined, impossible to distinguish. Zhenba, Kuihu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen couldn’t tell what was happening. Only Zhenba and Lin Xueyou could barely track Li Hao’s true form; the others had completely lost him.
Just as Li Hao was preparing to unleash his full attack, the sky suddenly dimmed. Lin Xueyou was the first to notice the anomaly in the world within worlds and quickly called out to those immersed in battle, “Brothers, stop fighting. The heavens are strange tonight.”
Li Hao and the others heard her call and immediately halted, withdrawing their movement techniques and laws. Once they stopped, they all noticed the unusual sky, looking up to see black clouds rolling in, swallowing all light wherever they passed.
Tonight promised to be another restless night.
Li Hao spoke, “Everyone, quickly find somewhere to hide. Better safe than sorry.”
Without hesitation, the group spread their spiritual senses, searching for shelter from the oncoming storm. Within a few breaths, Lin Xueyou pointed straight ahead, “Go two hundred miles forward, there’s a cave there.”
As soon as she finished, Li Hao declared, “Let’s move!”
Everyone sped toward the direction Lin Xueyou indicated, Lu Yao lagging behind. Li Hao grabbed her hand and used his Phantom Step to carry her forward at full speed. Within four or five breaths, all seven had reached the cave Lin Xueyou mentioned.
Lin Xueyou was slightly surprised. Li Hao noticed her odd expression and asked curiously, “Sister Xueyou, what’s wrong?”
Lin Xueyou, a bit worried and confused, replied, “Why would there be a restriction seal inside this cave?”
Everyone focused the laws of heaven and earth into their eyes, examining the cave closely. Sure enough, there was a law-sealing formation—a yellow earthen seal, an earth-attributed array.
Li Hao worried they couldn’t break the seal and asked, “Sister Xueyou, are there any other caves nearby?”
Lin Xueyou sensed with all her might and shook her head helplessly. Everyone knew what that meant.
Zhenba thought for a moment and said, “Young Master, protect yourselves. Let me try.”
Li Hao cautioned, “Alright, but be careful, Brother Zhenba.”
Once everyone had gathered the laws to shield themselves, Zhenba summoned his Arc Moon Yin-Yang Blade and executed its first technique, Yin-Yang Crescent Slash, striking at the cave’s law barrier. The blade crashed against the earthen shield with a dull thud.
Zhenba’s blade was immediately rebounded, flying back at him with equal force. He quickly gathered the laws in front of his chest, forming a protective barrier.
The blade, now out of his control, struck his own shield with the same power he had thrown it, shattering it to pieces. Zhenba was sent tumbling backward over ten yards, barely steadying himself before spitting blood.
The others had thought Zhenba was controlling the blade, but seeing him injured, they realized something was wrong.
They rushed to his side, asking with concern, “Brother Zhenba, are you alright?”
“Brother Zhenba, are you okay?”
Zhenba looked gratefully at his companions and shook his head, “I’m fine, just sorry to have let you down. This formation seal rebounds one hundred percent of the force. I am powerless against it.”
By now, the strange black clouds had covered a third of the world within worlds, and time was running out. Seeing even the strongest among them fail, the others could only feel helpless.
Lu Yao anxiously asked, “Brother Li Hao, what should we do?”
Li Hao comforted her, “Don’t worry, little sister. I will protect you.”
He spoke to ease her worries, though he himself was uncertain.
Fortunately, Zhenba had used only the first technique of his blade; if he had used the second, Yin-Yang Crescent Cut, the consequences would have been disastrous.
As everyone pondered, Li Hao suddenly said, “Step back, everyone, keep a safe distance. Let me try.”
With no other options, they let Li Hao have a go, hoping for a miracle.
“Young Master, be careful!”
“Brother Li Hao, be careful!”
“Brother Li Hao, be careful!”
Each person reminded him, full of concern.
Li Hao assured them, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect myself.”
With that, everyone moved aside. Li Hao summoned the Nine-Dragon War Halberd, stood before the cave, and gathered the laws of heaven and earth onto his weapon until it shone brightly. When his power peaked, he spun around once and hurled the halberd at the cave’s seal.
To avoid Zhenba’s fate, Li Hao simultaneously used Phantom Step to leap skyward. In a single breath, he soared a hundred yards high as the halberd struck the barrier below with thunderous force.
The halberd was rebounded, flying back just as violently. The group watched, hearts pounding, grateful for Li Hao’s quick thinking.
After the halberd was repelled, everyone approached the barrier and examined it carefully. To their astonishment, the law barrier was completely unharmed. Li Hao recalled his weapon, landed, and was quietly surprised by the barrier’s resilience.
At that crucial moment, Xiao Jiu’s voice sounded in Li Hao’s mind, “Master! This law barrier rebounds whatever force it receives—you cannot break it by force. Master, why not try your special decomposition array and see if you can purify the power of this strange formation?”
Li Hao found Xiao Jiu’s suggestion reasonable. With time running out, he had no choice but to act. He immediately recalled the Nine-Dragon War Halberd, walked to the barrier, and prepared.
The others worried he might act recklessly, reminding him, “Young Master, if it doesn’t work, let it be. Look, we survived last night, didn’t we?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Brother Li Hao, don’t be reckless. Safety is most important.”
Li Hao smiled at their concern, “Thank you all, but don’t worry. I know my limits and won’t act rashly.”
Despite his reassurance, everyone remained anxious for his safety. Li Hao, fearing tonight might bring unexpected danger, felt compelled to take the risk.
As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. Blessings and disasters often come hand in hand.
Li Hao approached the cave, gently probing the law barrier with his hand. When he touched it lightly, nothing happened. The harder he pressed, the stronger the rebound.
After several tests, Li Hao mused, “Is this formation’s power interactive? Seems like only using an array or knowing the right seal-breaking imprint can solve it. There’s no other way.”
With that thought, he sat cross-legged before the barrier. Lin Xueyou and the others watched his movements with confusion, unsure what he intended.
Li Hao entered his spiritual sea, quickly summoning the Primordial Chaos Pearl. With his intent, he activated the decomposition array of the Primordial Chaos Yin-Yang Formation. At first, the array rotated slowly under Li Hao’s control.
Once Li Hao felt no rebound from the cave formation, he sped up the rotation. As the array moved faster, the cave’s formation light grew dimmer.
Lin Xueyou, Lu Yao, Zhenba, Kuihu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen watched this wondrous scene, excitement surging in their hearts. None had expected Li Hao to succeed.
Meanwhile, the strange black clouds sank lower, nearly covering the entire sky. The group grew increasingly anxious, silently urging, “Hurry, Young Master, hurry!”
They dared not disturb him aloud, only shouting inwardly. Li Hao too felt mounting urgency. The faster the array spun, the more energy it consumed. Sweat began to bead on his forehead.
As the minutes passed, Li Hao grew steadily weaker, sweat pouring down his face. He was nearly at his limit, unable to sustain the array any longer.
He kept telling himself, “I can do this. I must not give up. Everyone is waiting for me—I cannot fall.”
The others noticed his distress, realizing the array was powerful but draining. Their worry and anxiety deepened.
Finally, Li Hao reached his limit, unable to persist. At the moment of success or failure, a terrifying idea struck him: “My strength is depleted—then I’ll absorb yours!”
With this bold thought, he lost control of his emotions. His soul, will, and hands summoned the last vestige of his power, transforming the decomposition array into the Primordial Chaos Yin-Yang Fusion Array.