Liu Ping returned to the Taiwei Palace tent.
At this moment, the lines he had seen in the void were no longer visible, but his mind felt even more unsettled.
One spell to rule all the dead.
What kind of being could possess such power? How could he possibly defeat it?
Despite all his methods, Liu Ping had no idea how to deal with it.
After some contemplation, he realized that Sequence's approach might be the right one.
— Stay hidden, continue exploring, gather intelligence, and uncover the truth.
Perhaps, when the time came to understand everything, he would find a way to confront the entity known as Lady Pain.
In the meantime, he needed to find a way to restore his strength to its peak level.
Liu Ping sat down cross-legged, took a pill from the bottle given to him by the Taiwei Palace cultivator, and swallowed it in one go. Closing his eyes, he began to regulate his breath and entered a calm state.
Time passed slowly.
The spiritual power he had lost gradually replenished, and the total amount of spiritual power in his body even increased slightly.
When he calculated the time, he realized that it was already past noon.
In a few hours, the day in the world of the living would come to an end.
Liu Ping could stay a little longer.
He stood up, preparing to borrow a furnace to see if he could separate the materials from the long blade.
Just as he took a few steps, he heard shouting from outside.
"What's happening?"
Liu Ping was about to step out when suddenly, the ground trembled—
Boom!!!
A deafening sound rang through the air.
In a flash, Liu Ping appeared on the gravel road outside, where he saw everyone looking at the sky.
Beneath the endless, dark lead clouds, a red light was falling rapidly.
It was the little girl!
A massive wall made of countless white bones had been shattered, leaving only a small portion standing, barely erect, still holding off something for her.
Bang!
The little girl collided with a mountain, collapsing it entirely.
"Don't try to eat me!"
She screamed in defiance, raising her hand she struck a pole larger than the mountain peak.
The pole was sent flying by her punch, disappearing into the depths of the lead clouds.
An incredibly shocking scene unfolded before Liu Ping's eyes.
A colossal gray palm emerged from behind the thick lead clouds, gripping the pole with unyielding strength.
Molten red light surged from the massive hand and sank into the pole.
Moments later, the entire pole rapidly melted into a liquid, which was then swept away by the wind, raining down to the ground.
The little girl froze for a moment, her expression turning fierce. She gritted her teeth, transforming into a streak of red light and rushing back into the clouds.
But another muffled sound echoed, and she was thrown back, hurtling toward the ground.
Suddenly, a slender claw emerged from the clouds, snaring the little girl in its grasp and holding her firmly.
"Ughhhhhh!"
The little girl struggled with all her might, her entire body flushed red with effort.
Around her, weapons of strange and ancient design materialized one by one in the void. These weapons seemed to have endured through an immeasurable span of time. Just gazing at them made one feel an overwhelming sense of weight and history.
The weapons danced and spun through the air, yet the little girl was trapped within the claws, unable to reach them or use their power.
The slender claws, however, seemed to understand the gravity of the moment. Despite the little girl's desperate thrashing, they gripped her tighter, not allowing the slightest chance of escape.
Liu Ping's heart began to race as he watched.
Liu Ping quickly made his way back to the Profundity Palace tent. As soon as he entered, he sat cross-legged and placed the formation plate before him, his mind focused and determined.
The little girl had always been his ally, not just providing him with crucial information, but even assisting in eliminating the pursuer. Without her help, he might have been the one caught facing that terrifying monster.
'—She can't die!'
Liu Ping extended his hand to the formation plate and spoke in a calm but firm voice, "Come on, let us fight side by side this time."
As his fingers made contact, the formation plate lit up, unleashing a torrent of spiritual energy. Thousands of intricate spirit patterns swirled around his body, creating a mesmerizing display of energy.
This formation was the very heart of the camp and protected the entire Western Desolet Camp. Typically, the defensive and offensive arrays of such a vast formation would be sufficient to withstand the onslaught of tens of thousands of demons.
Its power went far beyond the ordinary concept of battle formations—it was designed for large-scale warfare. Even a powerful cultivator of the Divine Reflection realm would find it impossible to break such a formation alone.
With lightning speed, Liu Ping moved his hands, drawing countless intricate spiritual patterns in the air. In a single breath, he completed a complex spiritual array.
He pressed his hands firmly into the formation.
In the void, burning lines of small words appeared, quickly updating him on his progress.
[You have entered a focused state.]
[You have completed the transformation of the array, fusing the sixteen attack arrays into a new formation.]
[You may name the formation at any time.]
Liu Ping glanced at the new formation, his expression fierce and resolute.
"This formation is ruthless and uncontrollable. Once unleashed, it will be unstoppable. I will call it soul-severing."
Liu Ping pressed one hand firmly on the formation plate and raised the other high. He stretched out a finger, pointing toward the sky, and in a low, commanding voice, he spoke:
"Go with it!"
Above the Western Desolate Camp, a massive surge of auras began to converge.
Countless threads of spiritual energy gathered, forming intricate, glowing lines of spirit patterns in the air. Each of these spirit patterns shone with a radiant light, gathering at the central point above the camp.
A deep hum reverberated through the air, shaking everything in its wake.
Suddenly, a blinding beam of light shot upward with immense force, breaking through the clouds.
With a flash, the light tore through the air and struck the slender claw that was gripping the little girl.
The claw recoiled violently, a bloody gash opening along its sharp surface. The claw was sent flying backward by the force of the impact.
At that moment, the little girl let out an enraged cry as she braced herself. Her claws flared wide, and with all her might, she threw them out, slashing viciously through the air.
"Ahhhhhhh, don't catch me again!" she screamed in fury.
Around her, an assortment of weapons materialized, each more formidable than the last.
They hovered in the air, their dark, ancient forms exuding a sense of terrifying power. The little girl quickly assessed the options before her, then selected a crimson knight halberd.
The halberd was a masterpiece of sinister craftsmanship, its entire length etched with intricate, arcane patterns. At its head, a dark, long-tailed devil loomed in sharp relief. The devil clutched a vicious axe blade in one hand and a backward-curving spike in the other. A jagged horn jutted menacingly from the top of its head, completing its fearsome visage.
"You've pissed me off."
Gripping the halberd with unwavering resolve, the little girl surged upward, a crimson streak tearing into the depths of the turbulent sky.
Meanwhile, within the tent, Liu Ping's eyes snapped open. A contemplative look crossed his face as he mulled over the scene he'd just witnessed.
The devastating attack, the culmination of the entire Western Desolate camp's spiritual power, had barely scratched the monstrous claw. While it had rescued the little girl, it was far off from delivering any significant harm.
"That was far from enough," Liu Ping muttered, his brow furrowing. "I need to refine the battle formation... there must be a way to improve its output."
He pressed his hands onto the formation plate, his mind racing as he manipulated the array with practiced precision.
First, he released all the stored spiritual power reserves, allowing the array to recalibrate itself. Next, he adjusted its configuration, channeling the power more effectively while pushing its potential to the absolute limit. The delicate interplay of spirit patterns and energy flows required his full concentration, but Liu Ping worked with a focused intensity.
Just as he finished realigning the array, a faint voice echoed in his mind:
"Thank you for saving me, but this opponent is far beyond what I expected. I didn't think something this powerful would show up."
The voice startled him. It was the little girl.
"You're saying you can't defeat it?" Liu Ping asked, his tone laced with concern.
"It's incredibly difficult," she admitted, her voice strained. "I'm an outsider in the world of death, but that thing... it's from the upper echelon of Evernight."
Liu Ping's expression tensed as he sensed something unusual. Without hesitation, he unleashed his divine sense, sweeping it across the area outside the tent.
Outside, Liu Ping saw the cultivators standing still, their expressions vacant and lifeless.
Looking around, he realized that all the practitioners were frozen in place, as if they were mere husks, devoid of souls—more like corpses than living beings.
In the void, rows of burning text quickly appeared
[The plot has been paused.]
[All souls are under control and unable to act.]
[Notice!]
[The current situation is unprecedented, and this sequence will initiate further investigation.]
[You need to touch the monster flying in the sky so this sequence can analyze it.]
Liu Ping's expression darkened. "Touch it? Are you kidding me!" he muttered in disbelief.
Another line of burning text appeared:
[Upon completing the exploration, this sequence will grant you a corresponding role.]
A role! This was yet another unknown power besides Lady Agony.
And it could assist him.
Liu Ping sighed deeply, closed his eyes, and pressed his hands lightly against the formation plate.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind, each examined, selected, and pieced together like a puzzle.
"Are you there?" he asked silently.
"I'm—dodging its attack—speak quickly," the little girl said, her voice strained.
"Bring it down here" Liu Ping instructed.
"Why? Your attack didn't seriously damage it" the little girl retorted.
"I know. Just lure it down. I have a new method I want to try" Liu Ping insisted, his tone unwavering.
His hands moved rapidly over the formation plate. In the void, streaks of light flared up, producing an incessant buzzing on the formation disk. Yet, under Liu Ping's precise control, they remained contained, refusing to shoot outward.
"...Don't blame me if you die" the little girl muttered.
In the sky, a crimson glow plummeted rapidly toward the ground.
The defensive magic circle of the Western Desolate Camp momentarily retracted, creating an opening for her. She entered the camp's perimeter and landed heavily in front of the Profundity Palace tent.
"Be careful! It's coming!" the little girl shouted, her voice urgent.
Above, the dense leaden clouds parted, revealing a grotesque monster.
Its vaguely humanoid form was marred by its hideous features: a head shrouded in ashen gray, with long, twisting horns that bent backward. Its body was encased in black scales, and countless sharp claws extended from it, resembling the gnarled branches of a dead tree.
The creature emitted a guttural, incomprehensible incantation, its voice dripping with malice, before diving toward the Western Desolate Camp.
In the void, one after another, the camp's colorful protective barriers dissolved.
"You've dropped your defenses? Do you need me to block it?" the little girl asked, casting a wary glance toward the tent.
From within the tent, Liu Ping's calm voice responded:
"No need."
The next moment, the monster rushed into the camp, its sharp claws raised high, ready to strike—
Liu Ping removed his hands from the array and said softly, "Let's see how powerful the shotgun is!"
Hum hum hum!
On the array disk, the densely packed light points scattered with a bang.
Light—
Blinding radiance engulfed everything.
The little girl squinted, barely able to open her eyes against the searing brightness. She looked around and saw hundreds of beams of light erupting from the ground.
Each beam was identical to the earlier attack that had saved her life.
In an instant, the dense pillars of light rained down like a relentless storm, bombarding the monster from every angle.
"Grraaaah—!"
The monster let out a high-pitched, ear-splitting scream as it was thrown backward, tumbling hundreds of feet before finally stabilizing in midair.
Above, green blood rained down, dripping continuously from the sky.
A horrific wound was carved into the monster's chest, oozing its vile essence and leaving it in a pitiful state.
The creature had set its sights on the little girl, but it hadn't anticipated that someone else in the camp would still be able to move. Caught off guard, it had been struck by hundreds of beams of light. The combined power of the attack exploded in a devastating blow, inflicting significant damage.
The little girl's expression shifted from worry to delight as she burst out laughing.
"How did you do that? I've never seen an array formation with such destructive power!"
Liu Ping's voice sounded:
"A soul-severing array can only leave a shallow wound on it, so I changed the method."
"What way?" asked the little girl.
"I have a double-barreled shotgun—everyone told me that the shotgun is very powerful, so I secretly studied it." Liu Ping said.
The little girl widened her eyes and said, "Could it be that you... used technology from a technology civilization in the array formation?"
"The blow just now was the soul-severing shotgun array I developed a bit ago." Liu Ping admitted.
"But... the spiritual energy of this large formation shouldn't have been enough to realize the blow just now."
"It's okay, I have a solution."
The little girl looked in the direction of the tent and gradually closed her mouth.
The tent could no longer bear the impact of mana, and it completely disintegrated, revealing Liu Ping's figure.
He was standing on a pile of spirit stones as high as a hill.
spirit stones submerged his knees.
In the void, spirit stones kept popping up and falling into the pile of spirit stones.
Whenever the spirit stones are exhausted, Liu Ping will take a storage bag from his waist and pour it out——
The pile of spiritual stones continued to expand, changing into the shape of a mountain.
Liu Ping stood on the pile of spirit stones, took out a bottle of wine, and drank it slowly, looking
quite comfortable.
The little girl glanced at his waist.
She noticed two rows of storage bags hanging from it, each packed to the brim, looking as though they were—
"Upstart..."
The little girl murmured.