Chapter 659: Xin Tai Collapsed

One punch.

The wind howled fiercely, and electrical light surged wildly.

At the point of impact on his fist, a burst of white-purple electrical glow exploded like a suddenly bursting sun, carrying an immense force of spiritual energy as it slammed into the entire space of the Ling Zhen array.

"Ji Jin Lie Dian Quan!"

At the Wang Zuo level, with lightning attributes.

Without any deceptive illusions, under the embodiment of absolute power, this punch struck the space before him with devastating force.

"Boom—"

A thunderous roar erupted, loud enough to shatter eardrums.

Just as expected.

After this punch, ripples spread across the space inch by inch, then shattered into pieces like wilting leaves.

Not far away, the Ba Men array, the dismembered remains in front of it, and the surrounding primeval forest... all turned into foam and fragmented under this single "Ji Jin Lie Dian Quan."

"As I thought, it's all an illusion..."

Jiang Tai watched everything calmly, his heart undisturbed.

Jiang Yu had told him that everything seen in the Ling Zhen was false.

If it came to the final moment with no other options,

Using brute force to break the array was always a reliable path.

In the instant he threw this punch, Jiang Tai's mind flashed through countless possibilities.

This Ling Zhen might have been triggered by someone, or perhaps they had activated it themselves...

But regardless, if they wasted too much time in the Ling Zhen, the mission would be as good as failed.

He couldn't wait any longer!

Even if, after this punch, he had to face the full attention of the entire Xu Shi group,

Jiang Tai was confident he could escape unscathed, even if the mission failed.

However, the turn of events came abruptly.

As the space shattered and the dim, dilapidated scene of the ground floor pavilion of Tian Shang Di Yi Lou reappeared, in the corner of Jiang Tai's eye, a black figure spurted blood and flew backward at an angle.

"Thud!"

The black figure crashed heavily onto the side room near the main gate, stirring up waves of light from the ancient pavilion's barrier.

The sound of bones cracking and electricity sizzling echoed sharply in the dark, empty ground floor of Tian Shang Di Yi Lou.

"Pfft!"

The black figure's chest clothing burst open, and the protective barrier was blasted through with a hole.

The moment it hit the ground, blood, fragments of internal organs, and even teeth spewed out.

Jiang Tai: ???

He was completely stunned.

"Jiang Yu?"

His pupils trembled violently as Jiang Tai froze in confusion.

Clearly, in the Ling Zhen, he had only taken a step and returned to his position.

But in reality, he had directly moved from the dark corner beside the main gate to the other side, right in front of Jiang Yu.

This punch not only shattered the primeval forest in the Ling Zhen but also, without any warning, destroyed half of Jiang Yu's heart.

"How could this..."

Jiang Tai murmured in shock, with residual electrical light still flickering on his fist.

He knew all too well the terrifying power of his punch as an absolute attack-type Lian Ling Shi.

The idea of throwing another punch for self-protection had been utterly dismissed by this bizarre turn of events.

"How could it be like this?" Jiang Tai said, dazed, as he clenched his fist and extinguished the light.

"You idiot!"

The weakened Jiang Yu struggled to lift his head from the ground, his eyes full of disbelief, though reality left him no choice but to accept it.

"Are you crazy?"

"Dammit... Didn't I tell you, once we entered the Ling Zhen, everything depends on me?"

"Anything you encounter... uh, don't believe it, just wait for me to break the array... Pfft!"

Jiang Yu spat out another mouthful of blood, then wiped away the remaining foam with his hand and continued to look up, propping himself on the ground. "Damn it, I was just about to get a lead..."

Jiang Tai stared wide-eyed, his face full of shock, and a hint of regret in his eyes.

That familiar tone, the way "dammit" came out when he was angry, and the advice that matched exactly what he had said before...

It was Jiang Yu!

The real Jiang Yu!

"Sorry, I..."

The last shred of clarity and caution in Jiang Tai's mind kept his feet firmly planted, unwilling to move. He raised his hand to scratch his head. "I saw you get killed, and thinking the time had dragged on too long, I couldn't hold back..."

"You have to hold back even if you can't!"

Jiang Yu growled lowly, "Didn't I say it? Time in the Ling Zhen flows differently—it's not as long as you think. It's only been a few breaths..."

Whoosh!

The scene of Jiang Yu's anger ahead was incredibly real.

But Jiang Tai, who had never relaxed his spiritual senses and was scanning all directions, suddenly caught a glimpse of spatial ripples under a low wooden table with its lamp extinguished. A peering gaze seemed to sense it was about to be discovered and vanished with a faint whoosh.

"A cat?"

That tuft of white fur and the faintly glowing eyes in the darkness were exactly like the elongated white cat that had appeared in the first Da Mo illusion in the Ling Zhen.

"The third layer of nested Ling Zhen!"

In that moment, Jiang Tai's arm hairs stood on end, and his scalp tingled.

Was he still inside the Ling Zhen?

"Shh."

He played along, raising a finger to interrupt "Jiang Yu" and whispered, "Did you hear that?"

"What?" Jiang Yu was startled.

Jiang Tai's heart sank into despair.

A Wang Zuo like him, even after taking a punch, and as cautious as Jiang Yu, how could he not have heard that sound?

Sizzle—

White-purple electrical light reignited on his fist.

The pleasant sound, like a thousand birds chirping, reached the ears of the fallen Jiang Yu like a death knell.

"You don't believe me?"

Jiang Yu's eyes widened in alarm, his face turning pale. "This time it's real... Damn! Are you crazy?"

Jiang Tai said nothing.

The electrical light on his fist intensified, enveloping his entire arm.

"Chick—"

Jiang Yu was so frightened he couldn't even curl up, screaming as he tried to shout Jiang Tai's name but stopped in time.

Even if the mission failed, even if Jiang Tai had been driven mad by the Ling Zhen, as long as they were still in disguise, not saying each other's names was the final respect for the mission.

But looking at Jiang Tai's ferocious expression, Jiang Yu felt as miserable as if he were chewing on excrement.

"You're out of your mind!"

Jiang Yu was on the verge of tears. "I already took this punch for nothing, okay? Don't mess things up more—I'm begging you, grandpa, I'll call you grandpa if that's what it takes! Stop, and I'll show you I can break the array..."

He pulled out the Ling Zhen pearl.

Jiang Yu could clearly feel that the fluctuations of the surrounding Ling Zhen had already ceased.

But facing the out-of-control Jiang Tai, he had no choice but to bluff, explaining the scene in the simplest way to the reckless Jiang Tai: This is the third illusion—stop!

Jiang Tai didn't stop. He raised his arm high, the electrical light dazzling enough to illuminate the entire illusory night sky.

"The Wu Yu has no earth," Jiang Tai said quietly.

Jiang Yu struggled to stand, wiping the blood from his face, a glimmer of joy in his eyes.

"Wu Huo!"

Thank heavens you're not completely stupid, and you still remember to ask the code...

At that moment, Jiang Yu felt a wave of relief.

The final code was not to be spoken unless absolutely necessary.

But it was also the last means to verify identity.

With the code matched, he should be safe... right?

"Hmm?"

As Jiang Yu watched, the Jiang Tai who had received the matching code instead closed his eyes deeply and sighed wordlessly.

Jiang Yu froze. What did that mean?

Jiang Tai opened his eyes again, filled with sorrow, shaking his head at the bloodied figure before him. "I knew it, I knew you were already gone if even the code matches..."

He could only imagine how horrific the torture Jiang Yu had endured before dying!

"I'll avenge you!"

Jiang Tai clenched his fist, the electrical light surging as he spoke with determination.

Then, with a fierce swing, without moving his feet, a beam of white-purple light shot from his fist, piercing straight through Jiang Yu's chest.

"Boom!"

Flesh and blood splattered everywhere.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle—

The electrifying hum echoed through every cell in his body. Jiang Yu's mind went blank, his charred form twitching as the Ling Zhen pearl in his hand shattered with a crack.

"Ol-old-old me..."

"Dammit to hell!"

"Idiot... I'm speechless..."

Jiang Tai narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the "Jiang Yu" who, even in his convulsions, tried to provoke him into stepping forward. He smirked dismissively.

With a snap of his fingers,

"Bang!"

Jiang Yu's head exploded on the spot, his headless body collapsing to the ground.

"The farce is over." Jiang Tai withdrew his sleeve and lifted his chin slightly.

Without moving his feet, he turned his head.

He gazed into the darkness at the end of the hall, his brows cold and full of confidence.

From the moment the white cat appeared, anything "Jiang Yu" said had become meaningless.

The pavilion was the pavilion.

The Da Mo was the Da Mo.

The only thing that could distinguish reality from illusion was the signature object.

Even though he, Jiang Tai, was not a Ling Zhen master, he had gained plenty of experience from countless array breaks.

Since that white cat had appeared once in the Ling Zhen illusion of the Da Mo, it marked it as a virtual element of the Ling Zhen world.

And now, in this pavilion, he had spotted it again.

That meant this place was still just an illusion.

How could a virtual object appear in the real world, eavesdropping after he conversed with the "real Jiang Yu"?

Impossible!

So, everything was fake.

Including this vivid ground floor pavilion, Jiang Yu, and all their conversation...

Codes were useful, of course.

But any human words could be extracted through torture.

At least, under Jiang Xian's long-term "mind-reading" ability, Jiang Tai didn't believe there were any secrets that could truly be hidden.

Nothing more to say.

It all came down to confidence—the confidence of a Wang Zuo!

"Thud."

At the side door of the side hall, the ancient wooden bell hanging high emitted another muffled ring after building up wind, echoing deeply and stirring the heart.

It seemed even it was applauding Jiang Tai's reasoning.

Jiang Tai sneered.

How realistic!

Even details from the initial entry were included—not bad for the Xu family kid who could hold his own against Jiang Shao!

"Come out already. Still playing games?"

There was no response from ahead, so Jiang Tai raised his voice again.

Since the situation was already out of hand and the Xu Shi group must have noticed, he decided to lay it all out.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

From the dark corner, a slow, rhythmic applause suddenly echoed.

"Clever."

A low sigh followed, with three parts admiration, three parts respect, and four parts resigned acknowledgment of his own wisdom.

That much was clear to Jiang Tai.

And that voice...

As expected, it was Xu Shao!

He had been prepared all along!

"You say, since we're still in the game, why don't you dare to move your feet?" The doubtful voice continued from the darkness.

Jiang Tai swept his spiritual senses forward, but detected no one.

This only confirmed in his heart that it was an illusion.

After all, in reality, how could a minor figure, not even at Zong Shi level, evade a Wang Zuo's spiritual scan?

"This time, we admit defeat. Hand over my companion," Jiang Tai said, his eyes darting around. "Give him back, and we'll leave immediately, no more trouble."

"How arrogant—to come and go as you please?" The voice of Xu De Nie carried a cool, mocking laugh.

"The person!"

Jiang Tai repeated heavily.

He didn't care about the outcome anymore; he just wanted the person.

Today, this Ling Zhen had truly bested him.

By now, even an ordinary Wang Zuo could have died, and Jiang Yu still hadn't broken the array.

Tian Shang Di Yi Lou probably required someone at Jiang Shao's Dao Zhan level to complete the mission.

"The person?"

"The young master already returned him to you, didn't he? What more do you want—me?"

Xu De Nie's voice still came fixed from the darkness, without the echoing from all sides like in an illusion.

Yet, where his spiritual senses focused, there was still no one.

Damn it...

Jiang Tai clenched his fist, ignoring the words and asking directly, "Are you stalling for time? What's the point of stalling? If you keep it up, my companion, the Ling Zhen grand master, will completely break your array!"

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Then,

"Pfft!"

A suppressed giggle burst out.

It seemed someone quickly covered their mouth, cutting off the laughter.

Jiang Tai was startled.

After a pause, a low scolding came from the darkness.

"Damn it, can you hold it in? What are you doing?"

"H-hold in..." The same voice that giggled was still trembling.

"Endure it, you fool!"

"I-I can't..."

"Go back to sleep! I told you, you don't need to be here. I can handle two Wang Zuo alone!"

"No way, I want to watch the show!"

Jiang Tai: ...

Veins bulged on his forehead, and his fists cracked loudly.

Two Wang Zuo...

These people really didn't take him seriously at all?

And they were laughing?

"Enough!"

He roared thunderously.

The whispers in the pavilion vanished instantly, leaving only the echoing "Enough, enough, uh" reverberating for three days without end.

Silence.

Dead silence.

Only Jiang Tai's uneasy heartbeat thumped conspicuously in the darkness.

"Pfft... Uh."

Still that giggle.

Still that infuriating, unstoppable mockery that stoked his nameless fury!

"Dammit dammit dammit!"

Jiang Tai's eyes widened in rage.

He desperately wanted to charge forward and tear apart the darkness.

To see who was making that giggle.

To probe what else lurked at the end of the darkness.

—But he didn't dare!

His feet felt as heavy as lead.

In an illusion, every step was a struggle.

"Mmm mmm mmm, let me go, I want to laugh..."

This was clearly someone being forcibly muffled, stubbornly resisting.

Jiang Tai was baffled.

He was truly baffled by the absurdity in the darkness ahead.

For a moment, he almost thought he had injured his real companion, and that suppressed laughter represented reality.

But no—it was impossible!

This had to be an illusion!

Just an illusion!

But these people...

"Ahhh!"

Jiang Tai's mentality shattered.

What kind of demons are you?

I'm a Wang Zuo, for heaven's sake!

Can't you show some respect?

The Ba Gua Chao Sheng Tu, the Ba Men array—it's not over yet, and you're laughing?

What does that mean?

Does Jiang Tai have no dignity?!