Chapter 578: Heaven and Earth Crumble, Angrily Exploding a Realm

A loud boom echoed through the air.

The Fengtian Great Array, which covered the entire Lijian Grassland, suddenly lit up with Tianji Dao Wen, emerging vividly.

The Dao Wen, filled with intense red light, seemed to be swollen with energy, as if it might explode at any moment.

Shuo Shuren's face changed dramatically at the sight.

In his own ancient book space, even the Fengtian Great Array was a replicated creation.

Yet, how had the Hong Yi managed to control the array and shield it from his own detection?

It was completely beyond suppression!

With a stir of his spiritual sense, Shuo Shuren realized the Fengtian Great Array no longer responded to his commands.

Although he wasn't a Ling Zhenshi,

In his own world, the Tianji Dao Wen should have been freely manipulable.

Even if he didn't know how to use it, destroying it should have been as easy as turning over his hand.

But now, it was utterly impossible!

"Second brother!"

Shuo Shuren shouted sharply and immediately turned his head toward his second brother.

He knew that in his second brother's hands was the Tian Shu Ji Pan.

If the Hong Yi were trying to forcibly destroy this space,

Then, clearly, only his second brother could stop it.

With a swift motion, before Shuo Shuren could even finish shouting, Xu Xiaoshou had already flipped his hand to summon the Tian Shu Ji Pan.

As his spiritual sense enveloped it, he instantly sensed the state of the entire Fengtian Great Array.

The array was like a vessel that had been secretly chiseled with a small hole.

Endless power was surging in from the outside, continuously pouring into the Fengtian Great Array within the ancient book space.

"Hong Yi, when did you connect the ancient book space to the outside world?" Xu Xiaoshou asked in surprise.

Through the Tian Shu Ji Pan, he could feel that the unceasing power flowing into the ancient book space was all too familiar.

It was exactly the power from Bai Ku's "Thirty-Six Heavens Feng Wu Array"!

"They didn't tamper with the replicated 'Thirty-Six Heavens Feng Wu Array' in the ancient book space. Instead, while everyone's attention was drawn elsewhere during this time, they secretly dug a small hole in the ancient book space..."

"Thus, linking it to the outside?"

Xu Xiaoshou had to admit, he truly wanted to applaud the Hong Yi at that moment.

This unexpected maneuver of secretly crossing the Chencang was something he hadn't even considered.

And now, the situation made it abundantly clear.

With Shuo Shuren present, forcibly breaking the ancient book space would have been impossible.

Because as soon as the Hong Yi acted, Shuo Shuren would suppress them.

But after all the events that had unfolded earlier, the Hong Yi had still managed to secretly dig that small hole?

A thousand-mile embankment can collapse from an anthill.

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly understood why Yu Zhiwen's shout of "run" had been directed straight at him.

She wasn't just disrupting Lan Ling's thoughts earlier; more importantly, she was trying to tell him.

The Hong Yi still had a plan?

"Once the ancient book space is broken and we return to Bai Ku, the 'Thirty-Six Heavens Feng Wu Array' will truly return to Lan Ling's hands, and even Shuo Shuren won't be able to interfere."

"By then, Lan Ling's power will skyrocket."

"And most crucially, once we're back in Bai Ku, with the Hong Yi's methods, they can definitely contact the outside world."

"Moreover, in the Eight Palaces, Gou Wuyue is watching like a tiger ready to pounce!"

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts sparked like fireworks, instantly piercing through everything.

"Run?"

He recalled Yu Zhiwen's final shout.

But...

Running was impossible; it was impossible for this lifetime.

Xu Xiaoshou knew he had no way out.

Even if Yu Zhiwen shouted that word, whether they could return to Bai Ku would truly decide if he had any chance of escaping alive.

Therefore, not only would Xu Xiaoshou not stop them,

He had to help the Hong Yi and blow up this ancient book space!

"Old Seven!"

Xu Xiaoshou's pupils contracted sharply as he met Shuo Shuren's gaze with utter shock on his face.

"Can't handle it?"

Shuo Shuren instantly understood something.

Spiritual energy erupted from Xu Xiaoshou's hand, continuously injecting into the Tian Shu Ji Pan, making it hum and vibrate.

It's not that I can't handle it!

That small hole in the Fengtian Great Array was just too tiny!

Something like that, I, Xu Xiaoshou, could patch up in an instant.

With the Tian Shu Ji Pan, it would be as simple as slapping on a bit of mud.

But...

"No!"

"These guys have connected to the 'Thirty-Six Heavens Feng Wu Array' in Bai Ku. They've been preparing all along, and without your space power, no one can control it in Bai Ku."

"Once the Hong Yi gets out, they can contact Gou Wuyue, and no one will be able to fix this!"

"So..."

Xu Xiaoshou spoke rapidly, transmitting the details via voice.

Shuo Shuren stared at the wildly trembling Tian Shu Ji Pan in his hand, hesitating. "Even you can't control it..."

"So what the hell have you been doing!"

Xu Xiaoshou erupted in fury in an instant, shifting his tone to interrupt directly: "In your space, the Hong Yi were secretly digging holes right under your nose, and you didn't notice a thing?"

"Your job here is just to watch the show?"

"Ah?!"

Xu Xiaoshou's neck flushed red with anger.

Shuo Shuren nearly choked on a mouthful of blood at the words.

Ever since you pulled out the Tian Shu Ji Pan, who would still pay attention to the Fengtian Great Array?

Besides, even if they did, whether the array was breached or not—I'm just a storyteller; how could I spot anything?

Let alone your string of chaotic moves, which distracted everyone from the space entirely.

To step back, the ancient book space is always on the verge of breaking; a sneaky extra hole—who could detect that?

Do you think I'm some all-powerful Sheng Di?

"Second brother, you're right; it's my fault..."

Though grumbling inwardly, the next second, Shuo Shuren lowered his head pitifully.

"Instant."

On the other side, Lan Ling had already called upon the power of the Fengtian Great Array again, enveloping the Hong Yi crowd in light and initiating rapid, random teleportation without any pattern.

"Good one."

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

He could feel that the breach in the Fengtian Great Array was too small; the energy the Hong Yi had secretly stored couldn't detonate the array instantly.

But he never expected Lan Ling to go to such lengths to prevent Shuo Shuren from attacking the Hong Yi.

It was ridiculous.

But undeniably effective!

"Stop this for me."

Xu Xiaoshou pretended to control the array masterfully, but in reality, he used the Tian Shu Ji Pan to make the Fengtian Great Array's Dao Wen glow even brighter.

When it came to explosions, probably no one here had more experience than him.

The layered structure of the spirit array in Tian Sang City's city lord's mansion had already been highly unstable with seven or eight nests, and Xu Xiaoshou could trigger it with just one setup.

The nesting in this Fengtian Great Array was far more complex than that in the flower sea.

Normally, its stability would be dozens of times greater if everything was tightly interlocked.

But right now...

Detonating it would just involve breaking a key node.

The Hong Yi didn't dare detonate it directly, fearing the ancient book space would explode and kill many of their own.

They had scruples, but Xu Xiaoshou...

Didn't!

"A bunch of foolish simpletons. You've come this far and still dare to hold back? Do you really think Shuo Shuren is harmless?"

"If you're suppressed again, how will you get out?"

"Just get locked up in someone else's space for centuries!"

Xu Xiaoshou scolded inwardly, using the Tian Shu Ji Pan to invoke "Textile Mastery" and connect the Dao Wen bridges.

The spirit array patterns formed without any mental filtering, directly disrupting the Fengtian Great Array in front of him.

The next second.

"Bang!"

A massive explosion boomed, sending the unprepared Xu Xiaoshou stumbling back repeatedly.

Shuo Shuren was dumbfounded.

"Second brother, this..."

"Don't move; leave this to me. I don't believe that with the Tian Shu Ji Pan, I can't handle this bunch of Hong Yi!"

Xu Xiaoshou seemed possessed, shouting to stop Shuo Shuren from acting.

Spiritual energy poured madly into the Tian Shu Ji Pan again.

"Bang bang bang!"

The void shattered in all directions, like triggered landmines, the blasts echoing in Shuo Shuren's ears even from a distance.

But seeing his second brother's frenzied expression, Shuo Shuren felt he was giving it his all.

Though this effort felt a bit off,

He couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong...

"Second brother, what exactly are you doing?"

Just as doubt crept into his mind, he saw his second brother beaming with Kuang Xi and shouting.

"Fix it!"

With a whoosh, the scattering, teleporting Hong Yi crowd halted abruptly, as if a switch had been flipped, stopping randomly in place.

They looked at each other in bewilderment.

All faces blank.

Lan Ling's heart skipped a beat.

Sweat beaded on every Hong Yi member's forehead.

Joy surged on Shuo Shuren's face: "Second brother, you stopped it?"

Xu Xiaoshou awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth, flipped the Tian Shu Ji Pan in his hand back into his storage, adjusted his straw hat, and lifted his head.

"Old Seven, to be honest with you, I've actually only studied the Dao of Spirit Arrays for a short time..."

Before Shuo Shuren could ponder the implications,

And before Lan Ling could figure out who in Bai Ku was aiding her,

Suddenly,

The space in front of Xu Xiaoshou burst open with flickers of silver serpents.

Like a lit fuse, the silver light crawled along the dense web of Tianji Dao Wen, instantly spreading across the entire Fengtian Great Array.

In the next second,

Silver replaced the red.

The world brightened explosively.

Blinding light engulfed everything!

Immediately after, the wind, shouts, and chaos in everyone's ears...

All vanished together.

Then, after a breath,

A thunderous "Boom!!!"

The sky shattered, the great Dao unraveled.

The massive net that had enveloped the entire Lijian Grassland, like a gigantic nuclear bomb wrapping everyone in the ancient book space,

Detonated and ignited directly!

"Rumble rumble rumble..."

The surging blast wave tore through every inch of space's fabric in an instant, leaving it ragged and shattered.

Following the blinding silver light, as the explosion sounded, everyone felt as if they had plunged into hell.

Darkness swallowed everything before their eyes.

Black hole fragments replaced the ancient book space.

The massive mushroom cloud of gas, not yet fully risen, was sucked in and dissipated by the terrifying black hole force.

Doomsday had arrived.

The world was a scene of utter desolation!

"Second brother, you sneaky bastard..."

Faintly, Shuo Shuren's voice, nearly severed by the black hole, echoed from afar.

Along with it came Lan Ling's final desperate roar to all the Hong Yi: "Protect yourselves..."

And then, nothing.

In this cataclysmic explosion, no one had time to worry about anything else.

Everyone was too busy saving themselves, wrapping their bodies in spiritual energy, desperately trying to navigate the endless black hole fragments in search of survival.

"Space node!"

Xu Xiaoshou watched as the figures around him vanished in an instant, his scalp tingling.

He knew the explosion of the ancient book space wouldn't kill people.

After all, there had been experiments before...

But while the explosion wouldn't kill,

The black hole could even swallow a Dao Chopper.

Last time, he escaped the ancient book space easily because the entire process was under his control.

He could even take his time, slowly advancing,

And had the leisure to verify the Gray Mist Person's true intentions after finding the space node.

But this time, under Shuo Shuren's pressure, Xu Xiaoshou hadn't considered the consequences at all... and detonated it directly!

The disordered Dao Wen from "Textile Mastery," combined with the final "Jin Zhao Ning Dan Technique,"

Treated the world as a furnace, igniting the chaotic "medicine" called Dao Wen, and forcibly blew up the furnace!

Xu Xiaoshou was already quite adept at this.

The explosion was poetic, but if he couldn't find the space node this time,

He, Xu Xiaoshou, might just end up burying himself in this blast!

"Woo woo..."

The black hole tore at his red robe, and Lu Ke couldn't even utter a half-sentence.

Even the flesh on his body was being stripped away piece by piece under this frenzied suction.

Xu Xiaoshou heard the young man's pained whimpers, reached out, and pulled him close.

"Want to live? Nod if you do."

"Woo woo..."

Lu Ke nodded frantically like a pecking chick.

"Good, close your eyes. I'll keep you alive." Xu Xiaoshou's words trailed off as he felt he could barely hold on, so he gripped the young man without waiting for a response.

His eyes narrowed.

"Freeze!"

Crack—

The person in his hand turned instantly into an ice sculpture.

The power of "Three Days Frozen Tribulation" could even freeze the soul.

If it wasn't someone like Shuo Shuren and was just an ordinary young Hong Yi,

How long they could endure would be up to fate.

"Don't worry, if I survive, I'll definitely unfreeze you."

Xu Xiaoshou casually tossed the human-shaped ice sculpture, along with the frozen famous sword, into his Yuan Fu.

Lu Ke couldn't die.

Gou Wuyue was waiting outside.

Who knew, this young man might become a card up his sleeve.

"Now..."

Xu Xiaoshou felt his body losing control, being tossed wildly by the black hole, and finally stopped suppressing the ferocious power of the four swords within him.

"Boom!"

A golden light burst forth in the black hole as the massive, violent giant descended.

"Rumble!"

The golden violent giant planted its feet in the black hole, barely stabilizing, and beneath its feet, a massive ice lotus bloomed abruptly.

The ice lotus had twelve petals, each dancing gracefully.

"Jingle jingle..."

"Little one."

The violent giant shook its head in mid-air, as if shaking off dizziness, then boomed at the ice lotus below: "Feeling the ice-element energy of Bai Ku? Find it—that's the space node!"

"Jingle jingle..."

A beam of silver light emerged from the sword, turning half of Bai Ku into a silver cave.

After the deafening boom,

The real Bai Ku, above the real Lijian Grassland, saw the once lush green grassland completely overturned by the explosion.

Centered on Lijian Grassland, half of Bai Ku's territory fragmented inch by inch, the earth shattering and collapsing.

Gray destructive currents rampaged like the scythe of death, harvesting the lives of countless Bai Ku creatures in an instant.

Dim.

Silent.

Indeed, many low-intelligence white skeletons and other beings perished directly in the explosion, dying inexplicably.

But the trial-takers of Bai Ku, including those injured in the earlier battles who weren't pulled into the ancient book space, and those still training on the outskirts without entering Lijian Grassland...

All were gone!

Yes.

Just vanished.

Not because of the explosion.

But because the vast Bai Ku, before the explosion even occurred, had reverted to its state before the Bai Ku trial began.

If not for the missing Ling Rong Ze, the unearthed treasures, and the craters left from battles and explosions...

It would have seemed like nothing more than a dream.

Drip.

A single raindrop appeared out of nowhere, falling onto the black hole.

In an instant, it was torn into water mist and then dissipated into nothing.

The next second,

A light rain began to patter...