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Over five years had passed, and to have mastered such a degree of control over his powers was unparalleled—even during the peak of the Sorcerer Dynasty, Chen Qing had never encountered such a thing.

It was said that before the ancient times descended, the Human Race had geniuses in abundance; it seems that was no exaggeration.

It would truly be a pity to kill him now...

Zhang Xiaoyun’s body exuded a relentless aura, and though his eyes showed less of a murderous intent, his actions did not hesitate in the slightest.

Clad in pitch-black, he seemed to transform into a pool of black water, or perhaps a wisp of thick smoke, and the moment he entered range, countless bolts of thunder struck, visibly carrying a terrifying force.

But he didn’t look, allowing the myriad thunderbolts to strike his body, only to see them piercing through him and ferociously smashing into the ground. With a thunderous roar, the whole earth blew apart, and the surrounding Cang Wood trees, extending tens of meters, were destroyed along with it!

Chen Ying’s pupils sharply constricted.

She had considered many scenarios, but never imagined one like this.

The thunderbolts of Azure Dragon Sorcery were supposed to harm only the enemy and not oneself, yet they seemed to have lost their effect on the other party.

That fellow was like a phantom shadow, capable of allowing thunderbolts to pass through him without harm, making her question whether Zhang Xiaoyun’s body was even real at that moment.

As if that weren’t enough, the thunderbolts that passed through Zhang Xiaoyun’s body seemed out of control, blasting the Cang Wood-protected land and trees to smithereens, completely ungovernable!

What... exactly was happening?

Zhang Xiaoyun didn’t give Chen Ying a chance to think, as his figure, ghostlike, swiftly approached.

His speed was so great that Chen Ying couldn’t react in time, but she was not overly concerned about someone with such fast movements. As a Spatial Art practitioner with constant practice against Murong Yunji in Jiangnan, she had long adapted to dealing with such swift warriors.

Just as in a previous trial, the moment Zhang Xiaoyun drew near, he was immediately blocked from entering by the infinitely folded space created by Chen Ying.

Chen Ying kept her gaze firmly on her opponent, sensing changes within the spatial formation.

In the trial at White Tiger Palace, Zhang Zhiyun had demonstrated a high proficiency in Spatial Art, forcibly breaking through the folded space. She was well-prepared for this, ready with numerous countermeasures should the other party attempt to forcefully unravel it.

And if he dared to solve it, the force of spatial suction would be used by her as a lock to pin down his position.

But he didn’t do that; he simply stepped into the range of the folded space!

Chen Ying tensed up immediately, contemplating her next move. She had a multitude of options: dragging him into the interior of the folded space to trap him with the pre-prepared barriers, or slicing his surrounding space to then concentrate Cang Lei for an attack.

But these thoughts vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

For she sensed something extremely bizarre; it was as if he had twisted her space!

Ordinary people coming close would be held at bay by the infinitely folded space, unable to approach—or like Zhang Zhiyun, they would utilize a technique to disrupt the spatial structure, causing a collapse and creating an immense suction force.

But he was different. He was like an independent entity, not entering space when close, but compressing the entire space from the outside, and the whole compressed space was deforming due to his approach, just like a powerful energy exerting pressure on another energy.

But this was space...

She had never before seen something that could directly compress space and deform it!

What kind of technique was this?

Think fast, Chen Ying... think fast!

Chen Ying’s back was covered in cold sweat; she knew she didn’t have much time left. Once the enemy closed the distance, there was no chance for a second round in close combat!

She didn’t want to die. She didn’t know whether she could return to Jiangnan after dying here, nor did she know whether Jiangnan would still exist if she died. Chen Qing had said to try to win as much as possible, and even if victory wasn’t possible, to drag out the time!

"Stop struggling..." Zhang Xiaoyun’s speed had slowed down since entering the folded space, but she was still gradually closing in, exerting a pressure that made Chen Ying feel suffocated.

"You can’t win..." Zhang Xiaoyun said indifferently, "This is the Azure Dragon Hall. You’re confident in the Azure Dragon Barrier and the presence of the Grey Wood Spirit here, providing you with such great convenience—what do you think that means?"

"What are you implying?" Chen Ying tried to remain calm as she faced her opponent.

"I... don’t care about all that!" Zhang Xiaoyun sneered, "It doesn’t matter if Zhang Zhiyun and the others lose. In fact, in these four trials, it doesn’t matter who wins or loses, as long as we control the ritual here in the end.

But you, you can’t lose because you possess the Azure Dragon Sorcery.

Your technique must be stripped away; surely, Chen Qing must have guessed this, right? "

Chen Ying: "....."

"No!" Chen Ying hesitated for only a moment before she realized something, shaking her head, "Murong Ziyi isn’t an Ancient Demon, and neither is that White Tiger Sorcerer, so their techniques don’t need to be stripped away? Or did they know from the beginning that they were bound to die?"

"You’re lying! I’ve seen Murong Ziyi’s battle; her desire to win was very strong, she even risked her life.

The reason she gambled with her life was that she wanted to live, which I could see in her eyes, especially when she was saved by Lady Ziyue at the last moment—I clearly saw the light in her eyes. "

"She wanted to live and wasn’t a death soldier... So, in cooperating with you, she doesn’t need to sacrifice her life, or else she wouldn’t have cooperated."

"And as for the Four Saints Sorcerers you mentioned, if I’m not mistaken, you’re still missing one, right?"

"The Vermilion Bird?" Zhang Xiaoyun said with a laugh, "How long has it been since you’ve seen Fei Jun?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ying’s heart grew cold.

Just two days ago, Chen Qing had inquired about Fei Jun’s whereabouts from Chen Baifeng.

But since the death of Siao Mingyue, Fei Jun had stayed indoors in the Capital City, and few people were concerned with his movements.

So... had he already been quietly brought here?

Ten meters, seven meters, five meters...

The visual angle was getting closer and closer, and time was running out, but in that instant, Chen Ying’s mind was racing furiously.

The opponent seemed to move meter by meter towards her, but in terms of the distance within the folded space, they had already crossed hundreds of thousands of meters. The opponent’s speed hadn’t changed; they weren’t mocking her but... could only move slowly!

"You’re right... They were not doomed to die!

" Zhang Xiaoyun said coldly, "They only needed to prove that they had the qualifications to withstand the Sorceries of the Four Saints and gain approval. Then, they could merge with the noble Ancient Demon Nobility. But, unfortunately... those two failures didn’t make it. "

"It doesn’t matter, though. This trial wasn’t necessarily about them qualifying; anyone who does is all the same!"

"What about Fei Jun?" Chen Ying immediately asked, "He hasn’t undergone the trial yet; has he already qualified?"

"He is an exception..." Zhang Xiaoyun laughed, "You and he are both exceptions, so both of you need to be re-tested..."

"No... he’s already being tested!" Chen Ying suddenly looked up, staring intently at her opponent, "I’m right, aren’t I, Lord Fei Jun??"