22 A Meeting (1/2)

The Two-Headed Lioness struck ferociously without stopping. The Rhino King could only focus on its formidable defense, but the enemy's tail still managed to pierce it and its claws left huge deep marks.

In a few bouts, the Rhino King's longhorns already cracked and its armor took heavy damage. Lin Qiang and the rest shivered. The Queen's prowess was beyond expectations.

Ming Ren focused on the formation, thinking on how to open it quickly using the damaged spots as weaknesses. The grade of this formation could be said to be at the peak of the Lower Realms, and it even mixed several arrays and mechanisms. Whoever created it certainly could be called an extreme expert.

But in front of Ming Ren, it was still nothing. How many formations did he study inside the Bright Scripture?

How many arrays did he set up with a higher grade than this one?

How many did he break and tear apart just out of curiosity?

Formations had rules. Many depended on a determined mystic sequence to maintain power. Others on specific catalysts and materials. Every single formation had a source of power, and this one drew it primarily from a natural [Spirit Gathering Formation] but had a secondary mechanism that sucked energy directly from High-grade Spirit Stones. Even if it took some damage or the Spirit Gathering stopped, it would still be able to work for a long time.

No matter what, in a perfect state, Ming Ren would take a lot longer to be able to bypass it. There was even a chance he would overlook this formation's existence in the first place.

In a few breaths, the Rhino King had sustained severe damage, completely dominated by the Lioness. The Queen finally roared and tore its enemy's armored body apart, piece by piece, crushing armor like glass. Even Ming Ren didn't expect her to be this powerful. No wonder Red Leg died instantly and so many proud beasts submitted without question.

However, it didn't matter anymore. Ming Ren had finished finding what he wanted, a weak spot in a vital point of the formation. As long as he hit that spot with enough precision and power the formation would open, at least temporarily. He didn't know exactly what rested inside, but his Soul resonated somewhere in there. Staying in front of the Queen was not an option, he could only gamble on luck.

Even if one had peerless talent, he had to have luck as well.

After tearing the Rhino King apart and becoming the ruler of yet another territory, the Two-Headed Lioness glared at Ming Ren furiously. It had already engraved his face into memory!

But before it could rush forward, Ming Ren took out the First Rank sword and concentrated with all his might. Lin Yin had goosebumps. The aura around Ming Ren looked capable of cutting anything in half, a true swordmaster's aura, unlike anything he had ever seen before.

From all the weapons he was proficient with, Ming Ren liked swords the most. He instantly ignited his Life Essence, turning it into extra Spirit Energy and revolving his Cultivation Law to the extreme. At the same time, Dragon Light Divine Body activated to its limits, and Ming Ren's might reached its apex. With a single thrust, space itself seemed to be pierced.

Obviously, it was only Lin Yin's perception. The real strike was powerful, but nothing that could tear down space!

The hidden formation itself trembled. A small gap started opening until it became the size of an adult. Lin Qiang and the rest didn't think twice and jumped in. Anything would probably be better than facing that Queen.

Ming Ren looked at the Queen before going in. Somehow he got the feeling that, no matter what, it wasn't willing to go in there. In fact, it somehow looked at him with pity.

Yet he had no other choice, and decisively jumped inside.

The Queen stood there without moving. It gave orders for the rest of the Spirit Beasts to keep hunting the human cultivators around but stayed there motionless for a while.

**

The group got a feeling they crossed into another world. The air itself seemed much heavier and harder to breathe. Their bodies sensed an extreme pressure as if a whole mountain weighed upon them. They felt full of vigor but at the same time completely unable to absorb the Spirit Energy in the air due to its concentration.

The whole place was filled to the brim with a very pure Spirit Energy!

All around, there was no beginning and no end to the clearing. When they walked it seemed that it extended to the infinite. Before any of them could say anything, they felt as if their souls threatened to leave their bodies. An intense pressure from the world hit heavily. Without any pain, Lin Qiang and the rest fell unconscious one by one.

A translucent veil clouded figured stood in the middle of that mysterious place, its real form unknown. Only hundred-veiled eyes could be seen.

”Unlucky things you all are, to have trespassed into this one's home by bad luck. Curse the heavens you c- huh?” Its hundred veiled eyes fixed on a heroic bearing youth, standing in front of the unconscious group with unwavering eyes and determination. The youth bore no hostility nor any disdain, was neither overbearing nor servile.