CHAPTER 419: CHAPTER 419: ENTERING THE SOUTH HEAVENLY GATE

The absorption force produced by the space fissure seemed to carry some type of law. No matter how strong or powerful you were, it felt as if there was nowhere to exert any strength.

Yu Ruoyun and Wang Lan frantically channeled their Star Power, but the surging Star Power had no effect whatsoever on their surroundings. Their bodies continued to rise slowly, getting closer and closer to the space fissure.

BOOM— Suddenly, an Extreme Heat Light Beam blasted towards the fissure in the sky. The fissure twisted slightly, and the beam of light was instantly swallowed up, vanishing without a trace.

Yu Ruoyun frowned suddenly, and a burst of purple light surged from her eyes.

"Don’t!" Wang Lan urgently shouted, "There’s something strange about this space fissure, don’t be rash."

Yu Ruoyun hesitated slightly, and the purple light in her eyes disappeared.

Once the Star Sky God Arrow was released, Yu Ruoyun would be left without any fighting strength. If she could close the space fissure, it would be fine, but if she failed and they entered a fixed space, she would be at the mercy of others.

The Star Sky God Arrow was a desperate all-or-nothing shot. Failure would mean certain death.

Soon, Lv Xiangyang, Lv Yifeng, and Qiu Bo reached the area below the fissure. The three Titled Strongmen were sucked into the sky without any suspense. Lv Yi’s body was the first to enter the void, followed by Lv Qi, and then the common enemies who had been around Lv Qi.

Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun were successively sucked into the space fissure, and that muddled feeling came over them in an instant. Wang Lan quickly bit his tongue to regain his senses as soon as possible, and before he could take a clear look around, a sudden feeling of weightlessness overcame him.

He and Yu Ruoyun were now in mid-air, plummeting rapidly.

They activated the Weight Exchange immediately, and their forms abruptly halted before they began to float down slowly like dandelions.

Upon stepping on solid ground, neither of them could relax. The scenery around them was somewhat familiar, almost identical to when they entered the seventh floor of the Nine-layer Pagoda. Dense jungle extended before them, and beyond, the blue outline of distant mountains.

"The Lv Family? And Qiu Bo... where are they?" Yu Ruoyun asked anxiously after landing.

"Although we entered through the same fissure, we might have been transported to different places. Let’s search the area but stay alert..."

Before Wang Lan could finish, the earth suddenly trembled. Their figures vanished instantly, becoming a flurry of dancing butterflies. In the moment they turned into butterflies, dozens of tentacles shot out from the ground, piercing through the space they had just occupied.

Since the Nether Butterfly existed in a state between illusion and reality, their Nether Butterfly form was intangible, and the tentacles could not harm them in the slightest. The wings of the Nether Butterfly fluttered, and in an instant, they reappeared three hundred meters away.

The forms of Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun reappeared, warily watching the tentacles that had suddenly attacked them.

The tentacles drilled out of the ground with no definite shape. They were like a mass of green jelly, but the jelly could solidify into any form or substance at will.

Gradually, the liquid emerged completely from the ground, forming a ten-meter-high bizarre creature, with a blood basin-sized mouth making up a third of its body.

The large mouth dripped with mucus, as if salivating over Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun.

"Attack!" Wang Lan gave the command in a flash. He wielded the Flame Method, and Yu Ruoyun used a combination of wind and dry ice. The roar of the fire dragon they jointly created with their fused Star Power was like a high-speed train crashing into the Exotic Beast.

The body of the Exotic Beast instantly morphed, turning into a silvery-white shield. The force of their combined Star Martial Skill was undeniably super-S grade, but it had no effect on the beast’s shield form.

Neither the lava’s impact nor the high temperature of the flames managed to affect the shield in the least. This Exotic Beast is strong!

Suddenly, alarm surged, and Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun almost simultaneously activated Lurking Butterfly Dance. At the same moment, a gigantic energy beam, several meters in diameter, shot out from behind the shield.

In a mere fraction of a second, it tore through the spot where Wang Lan had been standing. The dense forest behind them was instantly destroyed, turned to ashes, and annihilated.

When Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun reappeared in mid-air, the dense jungle that had been behind them was now a giant ravine, over five hundred meters long, created by the blast.

The sheer power of that single attack was beyond the Star Sea realm.

"An Exotic Beast above the Star Sea realm?" Wang Lan observed. "It seems the level of this space is comparable to the seventh floor."

"It’s probably even more dangerous than that!" Yu Ruoyun exclaimed. Suddenly, a strong sense of danger assaulted them from all directions. In the sky, the two of them instinctively positioned their backs together. From within the surrounding jungle, several huge figures slowly rose.

Trees dozens of meters tall merely reached the midsections of these beasts. The gigantic Exotic Beasts all fixed their gazes on the two humans suspended in the sky. They felt like prey surrounded by a pack of wolves, as if they were a sumptuous dish laid out on the table.

GULP—

Even though it was embarrassing, Wang Lan couldn’t help but swallow a large gulp of saliva.

If the battle a few days prior in the East Sea Pioneer Space was a fight of many against many, now it’s many Exotic Beasts against just the two of us. The problem is, this instance might be filled with only these kinds of super Exotic Beasts.

There’s no escape!

"Let’s go down!" Yu Ruoyun suddenly exclaimed sharply, and they both transformed into beams of light and plummeted downwards. An instant after they left the area, an almost imperceptible shockwave grazed past them. The edge of Wang Lan’s clothing, barely nicked by it, was instantly reduced to dust.

"Phoenix Constellation!"

With a powerful shout, the Star Palace opened, and the silver-white Phoenix Constellation Saint Cloth burst forth. It immediately disassembled and wrapped around Wang Lan’s body.

It’s time to test the new Phoenix Constellation Saint Cloth’s ability to resist attacks. While the Saint Cloth’s metal material is incredibly strong, right now, I have no certainty. Any one of these Exotic Beasts before my eyes is no trivial adversary.

I dare say with confidence that I’m no match for any one of the Exotic Beasts present.

Upon touching the ground, the green, bizarre Exotic Beast revealed a humanlike, mocking smile, as if to say, "Why don’t you run? Why did you stop? What brings you back?"

Damn, it must have gained sentience!

BOOM— A loud noise came from the distance, accompanied by a surging tide of intense Star Power. It seemed the Lv Family was also engaging Exotic Beasts in combat. Because of this noise, two of the Exotic Beasts surrounding Wang Lan were drawn away.

But under the current circumstances, having two fewer or two more beasts doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Lan fiercely slapped the ground. "Mandala Flower!"

Lush green tendrils instantly took root and sprouted, and within the blink of an eye, under the fusion of both their Star Powers, grew into a jungle of vines. The green Exotic Beast opposite them seemed to think it saw its kin and suddenly liquefied, extending countless tentacles and brandishing its teeth and claws.

BOOM—

The enemy attacked. Wang Lan controlled the tendrils to meet their onslaught. Their tentacles collided and shattered violently, like two giants with a hundred arms frantically swinging their fists.

BOOM—

The whole Mandala Flower trembled violently as the two Exotic Beasts behind them charged crazily into it. Yu Ruoyun manipulated the tendrils, intercepting the two gigantic beasts.

"Wang Lan, make them bloom quickly!" Yu Ruoyun urged.

"Bloom, Mandala Flower!" Wang Lan cried. As his Star Power surged, countless flower buds suddenly opened. Colorful blossoms filled the Mandala Flower area in splendor, instantly forming a mist of pollen.

The true lethal trick of the Mandala Flower wasn’t its vines’ binding attack or its ability to absorb Star Power but the pollen that could create illusions. The lethality of the Star Martial Toxins was indiscriminate. No matter how strong you were, if you lacked resistance to poison, being defeated by Star Martial Toxins was only a matter of time.

Soon, the movements of the two charging Exotic Beasts began to slow. Under Yu Ruoyun’s control, the tendrils successfully entangled them. A steady flow of Star Power was absorbed by the tendrils, which also eased the Star Power pressure on Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun.

RUMBLE—

The sounds of distant combat carried over. In short order, a group of people was seen running for their lives, chased by several Exotic Beasts. Yu Ruoyun immediately spotted the injured Qiu Bo among them.

"Qiu Bo, come here quickly!" Yu Ruoyun called out.

Qiu Bo was already injured, covered in blood. Hearing Yu Ruoyun’s call, his eyes lit up, and he sped up instantly, turning into a streak of light and rushing into the Mandala Flower.

"Come here quickly, I’ll heal you," Wang Lan said hastily. A Life Lock Chain connected to Qiu Bo, and his wounds began visibly healing.

"Let’s go too!" A member of the Lv Family shouted excitedly.

"No! It’s a Wood Attribute Star Martial Skill! Who knows what the Yu Family plans for us? Entering it would be like walking into a trap," Lv Yifeng urgently exclaimed.

"But, Seventh Uncle, if we don’t go over, we’re all going to die."

A troubled look appeared on Lv Yifeng’s face as he recalled how Lv Xiangyang had been killed by a gigantic beast. A Titled Strongman, dead under the energy cannon of a gargantuan Exotic Beast—it was so infuriating!

"Aren’t you coming quickly? We can only survive if we join forces!" When Qiu Bo saw that the Lv Family was still hesitating, he roared urgently.

"Patriarch? What do you think?" Lv Yifeng asked Lv Yi.

"I never thought that the illustrious Sunlight Sword Pavilion would be occupied by Exotic Beasts... They are fierce, and we indeed should put aside our prejudices and join forces. But we also have to be cautious, for once we enter, we could completely be at their mercy."

"Yes!" Lv Yifeng quickly responded, "Leave ten people to cover our retreat and buy us some time. Let’s go and meet with Princess Yu—"

Lv Xiangyang protected Lv Yi, leading several direct descendants of the Lv Family towards Wang Lan. But those ordered to stay behind and cover the retreat were not willing at all. If not for being threatened by Lv Yifeng’s power earlier, they would have rebelled on the spot.

Seeing Lv Yifeng and his group escaping, they fired a symbolic blast and instantly turned to run.

BOOM—

Several beams of light descended from the sky, bombarding the fleeing crowd. In the blink of an eye, the ten Star Martial Warriors left behind to cover the retreat were swept by the Exotic Beasts’ energy cannons and instantly turned to ash, annihilated.

After that, several slower-running Lv Family juniors were hit by the energy cannons, and in a blink, the group of dozens was reduced to just over ten.

But this was not the most fatal blow. The weird green Exotic Beast suddenly grew a head from its rear, and countless tentacles shot out, stabbing towards the Lv Family members.

"Evil beast, die!" Lv Yifeng roared.

Lv Yifeng’s hair wildly danced as a whirlwind blade shot out from his fingertips, shredding countless tentacles and continuing to strike the beast’s face without losing its momentum. The massive head burst instantly.

But this beast was peculiar. Despite its head being blown apart, it was not affected in the slightest and instantly grew another one. A huge mouth then fired an energy cannon straight at the crowd.

BOOM—

The quick ones saved their lives by dodging, but several slower responders were reduced to ash in an instant. These were the elite heirs of the Lv Family. After entering this space, three thousand years of the Lv Family’s accumulated foundation had been shattered.

Lv Yi now had to ponder a question: Even if we obtain the inheritance of the Sunlight Sword Pavilion later, can the Lv Family, with its current strength, hold on to it?

HUM—

Suddenly, the sky and earth buzzed. The swords in the hands of the Lv Family members all violently shook as if they were about to fly out of their grasp.