The formation? Zhao Chenghuang's eyes widened. Witnessing the water and fire entwined into a dynamic formation, his seasoned observer instantly turned and sprinted wildly outward—away from the array. He could not be trapped within it. He folded his small clay figure and transformed into a blur of motion, reaching the edge of the water-and-fire formation in less than a breath. Yet, he then collided with an invisible wall of energy. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Tensing his back muscles, he used his arms like levers, driving his fists with rapid, forceful strikes against the wall. Under the violent pressure that could shatter steel, the invisible wall rippled with swift, concentric waves of water-like undulations. Zhao Chenghuang's face grew pale. Switching from fists to claws, he drove his dark, sharp nails against the wall and gave it a sharp, powerful pull. The ripples intensified, yet no sign of collapse or rupture appeared. His heart sank. Though his claws were as effective as some armor-piercing tools, they proved powerless against this barrier. "Hmm-hmm~" Suddenly, a hoarse, breathy laugh echoed from behind. Zhao Chenghuang swiftly produced a small clay figure, holding it gently in his palm, and slowly turned to face the other way, remaining on guard. He saw a humanoid form made of flame, with blurred facial features, holding a narrow-mouthed long knife in hand. On the opposite side, a humanoid figure gradually materialized from a shimmering stream of water. What kind of artifact is this—one that can simultaneously manifest both fire and water capabilities? Where is the Prime Immortal, the very one who should possess such a creation? In his ghostly, ethereal state, Zhao Chenghuang coldly observed the two elemental figures. The audience section gasped in unison. The official xingzhe members were clearly taken aback. Artifacts that combine the characteristics of two distinct professions are exceptionally rare—almost nonexistent in dedicated spiritual realms, and even in multi-partner realms, they are a mere handful, outnumbered even by intelligent fire masters. Only scholars possess the ability to create such artifacts, though the process is demanding, production limited, and costly, with few exhibiting particularly powerful functions. This artifact crafted by the Prime Immortal, capable of evolving into an array of formations, clearly stands as a top-tier masterpiece. At the same time, they recalled that when Yuan Shi Tian Zun had defeated Qing Song Zi yesterday, he had previously utilized the passive ability of the Water Spirit. This indicated that the array was not solely dependent on this artifact. The Water Spirit and the Fire Master suddenly felt their breaths grow rapid. A single artifact combining both Water Spirit and Fire Master roles proved to be their greatest weakness. With fire overcoming water and water overcoming fire, whether as a Water Spirit or a Fire Master, they would inevitably suffer a decisive defeat when trapped within such an array. However, if either of them wielded this artifact, they could fully unleash its power, thanks to a unique advantage inherent in the five foundational, orderly professions—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. A home-field advantage! For instance, no peak-tier professional could easily defeat a Water Spirit of equal rank in a river setting. Thus, when either a Water Spirit or a Fire Master donned the Yin-Yang Robes, the Water and Fire arrays became their home grounds, where their combat effectiveness surged dramatically. Zhao Chenghuang searched for a while and failed to spot Yuan Shǐ Tianzūn. He gazed at the flame-being for a moment, then suddenly felt that the figure bore a striking resemblance to Yuan Shǐ Tianzūn, and exclaimed, "Are you Yuan Shǐ Tianzūn?" His voice, now ghostly and cold after his transformation, echoed with a sense of solemnity. The flame-being chuckled with an odd, hollow sound: "You have a good eye—no point in wasting your efforts. Once the array is activated, no one can exit within ten minutes. Zhao Chenghuang, are you ready to be trampled underfoot by me?" Indeed, he was Yuan Shǐ Tianzūn, capable of transforming into an elemental form! Zhao Chenghuang was momentarily stunned, then a thought struck him: ten minutes?! "Stupid!" The ethereal figure composed of water, now taking on a human shape, erupted in sharp indignation. "Though your body has turned into flame, your mind hasn't caught up—how could you have simply revealed such crucial information? I'm going to have my patience shredded!" The Flame Person blinked, then snapped to it, muttering, "Damn it, I completely overlooked this—my intelligence has now dropped all the way to the level of a Fire Master." The buzz in the audience momentarily quieted. Representatives from various professions subtly turned their attention toward the Fire Masters beside them. The Fire Masters either twitched at their mouths or had veins bulging on their foreheads, as if ready to charge into battle against the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign at any moment. After finishing his complaint, the Flame Person's body suddenly dissolved, and the flame behind Zhao Chenghuang erupted with a loud "pop," solidifying into a human form. But what he captured was only a swelling mass of fire—Flame Person once again moved with the flow of fire, vanishing. "Thump-thump-thump…" Flame Person circled Zhao Chenguang, cutting one after another at the luminous barrier, producing dense, sand-like shards of light. Each time Zhao Chenguang launched a counterattack, Flame Person used the fluid motion of fire to position himself from behind or the side, launching surprise strikes. In the realm of fire, Flame Person moved with ease, like fish in water. Meanwhile, Zhao Chenguang, who was supporting the clay figure, moved with increasingly sluggish motions, his shoulders as if bearing a mountain. This was the price of the prop—defensive props for earth-based monsters typically came with the burden of heaviness. As the protective barrier grew increasingly unstable and the small clay figure began to waver, Zhao Chenguang realized that the defense offered by this prop could no longer withstand the sharp edge of the war blade, and thus made a decisive move to set the figure down. "Are you trying to die?" Flame Person roared with laughter, charging with a slash. Zhao Chenguang stepped aside, avoiding the blade, and extended his dark claws toward the Flame Person's head. Thud He forcibly crushed the flame-being's head. With its head severed, the flame-being swung his sword in a broad arc, cleaving deep wounds through Zhao Chenguang's waist and abdomen, exposing bone. They separated instantly upon contact. "Stupid! I am immune to physical attacks!" the flame-being laughed triumphantly. Zhao Chenguang's face darkened. He drew in a deep breath of scorching air, and his wounds in the waist and abdomen swiftly began to pulse and heal. Since his ghostly transformation, his vitality and self-repair capabilities had greatly increased. As long as his head remained intact, even if his heart were destroyed, he could endure for a considerable time—long enough to await treatment with the life essence. Thud! The flame-being stepped forward heavily, driving his narrow-bladed sword with a forceful thrust from his arm. Zhao Chenguang moved with sharp agility, sidestepping and extending his dark, sharp claws to grip the sword firmly. The flame-being retracted his arm and drew the sword back, but Zhao Chenguang held it tightly. His palms immediately gushed out crimson blood, and the claws dug deep, leaving white streaks along the blade. Was The Flame Person snorted, about to exert himself, when suddenly felt an unexpected strength surge within the blade, aiding Zhao Chenguang in seizing it. His gaze shifted to the tip of the blade, where he saw a white-eyed spirit servant with black lips assisting Zhao Chenguang. The servant possessed elemental control. Zhang Yuanqing, whose body had transformed into elements, though unafraid of the servant's attacks, had lost his means of countering them. The narrow, long blade gradually slipped from his hands, and the Flame Person's feet slowly slid toward Zhao Chenguang. The water-bodied duplicate, currently aiding the first deceased in battling the shadow corpse, scoffed, "A waste! I told you this blade was mine. Look at you—your body's still intact, yet you've lost the blade!" The Flame Person growled, "Shut up! Did I need you to teach me how to do things?" With that, he unleashed a surge of blazing flame onto the blade, heating it until it turned into a red-hot iron rod. "Shhh—!" Zhao Chenguang's hands rose in wisps of steam, emitting a pungent smell of scorched flesh. His face convulsed, his pain The Flame Person opened his mouth and unleashed another surge of scorching fire, this time aimed directly at Zhao Chenghuang. In an instant, flames surged from Zhao's hair, eyebrows, and garments, spreading across his dark, ink-black skin, leaving it scorched and blistered. The fire burned steadily, gradually carbonizing his skin until it glowed a deep red. Finally, with a thunderous roar, Zhao retracted his claws and swiftly retreated, stepping out of the zone of intense flame. Seizing the opportunity, the Flame Person closed in swiftly, wielding his narrow, long blade with swift horizontal and vertical strikes, carving deep, exposed wounds across Zhao's body. The once dark, bluish-black skin now shimmered with a metallic sheen, yet beneath the blade, it was as brittle as paper. Had Zhang Yuanqing not possessed skill in sword techniques, Zhao would have already been cut down at that moment. On the stands, the members of the Taiyuan Sect suddenly rose to their feet and shouted toward the senior monks' section: "Foul play! He's committed foul play!" "Is this a divine-grade artifact?" "Using an artifact of this caliber constitutes cheating—passive defense only, unable to mount any counterattack at "The elders, speak up!" The Night-Wanderer of the Taiyuan Sect grew anxious—never having imagined that the Yuan-Shi Tian-Zun possessed such an extraordinary artifact, which now left Zhao Chenghuang in a perilous situation. This was contrary to their expectations. In their minds, Yuan-Shi Tian-Zun should have been in peril, while Zhao Chenghuang should have been dominating the opponents. Witnessing Yuanshish Tianzun's wildly unrestrained performance, the fire priests nodded slightly, expressing clear appreciation and thus forgiving his earlier disrespectful remarks toward the fire. Zhao Chenghuang took another cut, but by now he had retreated to the boundary where water and fire merged. As the flame figure raised his blade once more to strike, Zhao leaped over the flame boundary. In an instant, a surge of ethereal water flowed toward him, pressing against his chest. Though the water was intangible, it felt tangible and cool, soothing the burns on his body and bringing a refreshing sense of comfort. The flame figure halted at the boundary, choosing not to advance. Seeing this, Zhao smiled gently and said: "Earlier, I've always wondered why the elders didn't call for a halt, and why such powerful equipment remained unpenalized. Now I understand—it truly is an extraordinary piece of equipment. Your item has one critical flaw: water and fire cannot merge. The two duplicates each oversee their own distinct zones, clearly separated." "He fought the flame duplicate for a long time, and even when he seized the sword, the water duplicate didn't intervene—clearly, there was a limitation; the water duplicate could not reach the flame area. The flame figure shouted, "So what?" Zhao Chenguang replied, "Attack won't work! Water spirits and fire masters at the transcendental stage have limited offensive power—neither of them can harm me. The only real threat to me is the sword in your hands. Therefore, your array can only hold me, not injure me. That's why the elders didn't call for a halt." The flame figure fell silent. "Do you look down on me?" The water duplicate appeared silently behind Zhao Chenguang, delivering a punch to his back. Zhao Chenguang sank his knees, lowering his body by several centimeters, deflecting the blow aimed at his back, while simultaneously spinning and sweeping his claw to cut the water duplicate in half. "Plash—!" The water duplicate shattered into ethereal streams, flowing from all around Zhao Chenguang. Water has no form, yet it is deadly. On the other side, the fourth-rank shade, being battered, slowly spoke, his voice hoarse: "The Night-Wanderer has strong vitality. Even without breathing, I can endure for a long time, until your array concludes." The Flame-being roared, "Switch positions!" It lifted its foot and stamped down hard. The Water-Fire Array spun like a grinding plate, swapping elements. Zhao, the Water-Deity, and the two shades now found themselves in the region of swirling flames. The Flame-being, gripping his sword, pursued Zhao and the shades. Yet they neither engaged nor fought, merely rushing back into the Water Array, calmly stating, "This makes no sense! I will no longer fight you. I have only one sword. When the Flame-Aspect holds the sword, I avoid the fire; when the Water-Aspect holds it, I avoid the water. The only threat you can pose to me is always on one side. That is your vulnerability." As H Zhao stepped out of his ghostly state, he gasped for breath, his strength no longer able to sustain it. Yet it didn’t matter—he had already seen through Yuan Shi Tian Zun’s strategy. For the next ten minutes, Zhao skillfully utilized this rule, repeatedly darting in and out of the water-and-fire array, defending without attacking, avoiding direct confrontation. When the ten minutes were up, the ethereal fire and the scorching fire returned to the celestial yin-yang robe floating in the air. As the robe descended, Zhang Yuanqing materialized and reached out to catch it. The two yin corpses each withdrew, returning to their respective owners. Seeing this, the night-wandering deities of Tai Men breathed a collective sigh of relief. It had been so perilous—Zhao Zhao had nearly fallen to Yuan Shi Tian Zun’s hands, thanks to his sharp insight into the flaw of that piece of equipment, which had averted the crisis. "Well, just a close call—Yuan Shi Tian Zun seems to have run out of moves now." "Zhao Zhao has been seriously injured; it’s no easy feat to push him to this point." "That’s what it means to reach the peak Sun Miaomiao and the other Mountain Sect practitioners remained silent but slightly relaxed. The Saintly figures such as Feng Du Ghost King and Yin Ji expressed satisfaction—being key pillars of the Taiyuan Sect, they did not want Zhao Chenguang to fall to Yuan Shi Tianzun. As for the Waywalkers of the Five Elements Alliance, while some had bet on Zhao Chenguang’s victory, most showed clear disappointment. Yuan Shi Tianzun’s response was truly outstanding: he enhanced the Yin corpses with his armor, countering Zhao’s greatest strength, and then deployed his robe to form an array that launched a counteroffensive against Zhao’s “ghostification.” With strength overcoming strength, he maintained firm control over his opponent. Anyone else facing such a formidable Zhao Chenguang would have surely succumbed. “It’s a pity—Zhao Chenguang is quite intelligent and hard to beat,” Anne lamented. “Not quite. You need to think differently.” "Mr. Bill smiled: 'It was Master Yuanshi who successfully stabilized Zhao Chenguang's terrifying condition. Look—Zhao Chenguang was seriously injured, and that state placed an immense burden on him, while Master Yuanshi remained calm and composed, with hardly any energy expended.' Annie was momentarily taken aback, observing Zhao Chenguang with focused attention, his slightly labored breathing catching her eye; her eyes brightened: 'Indeed, that's exactly what I see.' Mr. Bill said seriously: 'Zhao Chenguang himself is most aware of his condition, so now he will launch his decisive move and will no longer hesitate to engage Master Yuanshi.' Inadequate output is the greatest vulnerability—especially when only three props are available. Relying solely on water and fire abilities, even defeating Li Xianzong was a tight squeeze, let alone with the ghostly transformation of Zhao Chenghuang. His ability to swiftly identify the flaws in the yin-yang robe demonstrates real skill. "This must be your trump card," Zhao Chenghuang exhaled softly, his breath completely disordered, as if he had just finished intense physical exertion. His stamina had dropped by at least forty percent. The ghostly transformation placed a heavy burden on his body, compounded by the cuts and burns sustained during the ritual. Healing those wounds was further depleting his cellular energy—within just ten minutes, he was already exhausted. "Yes!" Zhang Yuanqing nodded, without hesitation. "It's now my turn to deploy my trump card," Zhao Chenghuang said, slightly panting, with a cold tone. "You should know I have a spiritual servant that I use infrequently, but I'm sure you don't know why I haven't summoned it yet." "Why not?" Zhang Yuanqing asked naturally. Zhao Chenghuang's gaze suddenly sharpened: "You've quickly realized it." As he spoke, he reached into his inventory and grasped a bronze box measuring exactly one meter in length, width, and height. The surface of the box was carved with a scene of two armies locked in battle, their spears and halberds clashing fiercely, the scene vivid and grim. A palpable aura of solemnity and martial intensity washed over the room. Upon seeing the box, the armored swordmaster seated at Zhang Laoshi's side stared in astonishment. "A storage box for military figures?" The elders of the Wu Xing Alliance exchanged puzzled glances. From a nearby position, Zhao Elder smiled gently. "It's merely a replica." The armored swordmaster looked at him intently. "Even if it's a replica, if it possesses the characteristics of a master craftsman like Yanshi, it's a violation!" Zhao Elder smiled quietly, without speaking. At that moment, Zhao Chenghuang took a deep breath and released a surge of Taiyin energy. This energy gently drifted to the back of his head, coalescing into a translucent silhouette clad in tattered robes—like a deity from an ancient tale, floating in mid The ethereal figure behind Zhao Chenghuang slightly lowered his gaze, fixing it on the bronze box. His ten fingers surged forth streams of fine, translucent black lines. These lines cascaded into the box like a waterfall. Moments later, a humanoid form emerged from within. It was a bronze automaton, with facial features resembling those of the Terracotta Army—eyebrows arched, eyes wide open. Its body and limbs were crafted entirely of bronze, covered in verdigris, and its joints, long rusted, creaked with a sound that made one's teeth ache. It stood unsteadily, wobbling as it found balance. In its hands, it held a long battle blade, heavily coated in bronze rust. The night-wandering immortals could see that a translucent black line connected from the automaton's back to the spiritual attendant behind Zhao Chenghuang. One after another, figures emerged from the bronze box—ten, then twenty, then thirty—until a total of thirty bronze automata had stepped forth. Each bore the same face, carried the same standardized long blade, and stood wobbling, their joints emitting a creaking sound. The attendant, draped in a tattered robe, felt a slight trem "Crunch~" All the bronze puppets tilted their heads simultaneously, staring intently at Zhang Yuanqing. Though expressionless, they radiated a chilling, eerie presence. One Yanshi is equivalent to a thousand soldiers, to an entire army. The Battle-Form Storage Box is a prop belonging to an elder of the White Tiger Army. This prop can only be used by a Yanshi; otherwise, the battle figures inside become mere inanimate objects. That's why the Covered Sword Knight remarked that if the Yanshi's special ability is utilized, it amounts to cheating. Yet Zhao Chenghuang indeed did not cheat—his servant's ability to manipulate puppets differs from that of a Yanshi, though both achieve the same form of puppet control. In the elders' eyes, the servant's technique appears crude and unrefined. Yet for a transcendental-level traveler, this is utterly inadequate. How could Zhao Chenghuang possess such a skill? The audience, staring at the dense array of thirty bronze puppets, were left speechless. Is this still a match? Or is it simply a display of contempt? Mr. Bill's face grew pale: "God, it's over..." At the White Tiger's seat, seven times over in the back row, Fu Qingyang, angrily exclaimed: "Damn it, five years' funding are gone." "Fu Lai Yi and others remained silent." "The spirit servant of Zhao Chenghuang is this one, isn't it?" said the Mountain School master sitting beside Sun Miaomiao, chuckling happily. "Sun Miaomiao, why didn't you tell me earlier? If you had, I would have added more to it." As a former subordinate of Yuan Shi Tianzun, he delighted in seeing Zhao Chenghuang triumph over his rivals. Sun Miaomiao glanced at him sideways. "I didn't know either. This item was likely commissioned by Zhao Elder and crafted overnight by the scholars' family—Zhao Chenghuang had never used it before." "Hmm, having a grandmaster of the Dominant Rank is truly a blessing," said the Mountain School master. At that moment, the smiling Zhao Elder heard the voice of Sun Elder on his left, speaking with deep distress: "It's over. It's all over now." Zhao Elder turned to look, slightly surprised, and furrowed his brow. "You weren't particularly fond of Yuan Shi Tianzun, were you?" Sun Elder replied with irritation. "I mean, your grandson's trump card is gone now." "With that, the other elders also turned to look. 'Master, what do you mean?"