491: Chapter 508: Melee, Struggle.

"But, how do we get out?" someone suddenly asked.

Everyone stared at one another, speechless for a moment.

Right, how were they supposed to get out?

They had been trapped here for so long and had tried every method, yet they simply couldn't break this Restriction.

After discussing for so long, if they couldn't leave, wouldn't it all be for naught?

The group fell silent for a moment, their gazes simultaneously shifting toward the light wall of the Restriction.

Then, they noticed something.

That light wall seemed different than before.

The Restriction, which had originally been indestructible and immovable, was now undergoing visible changes.

The runes on the light wall no longer flowed stably; instead, they flickered in and out like a candle in the wind.

The spiritual light was no longer evenly distributed, but flashed in streaks, as if some force were interfering with its operation.

"This is..." Hua Nongying's brow furrowed, followed by a realization.

"Its spirituality is fading!"

Only then did the crowd realize that the Black-robed Man had used the Dao Court Edict to tear open the barrier of the Secret Realm, drawing the gaze of the eye of the heavenly dao.

The power of the Heavenly Tribulation that descended from the sky had not only struck the Black-robed Man but had also shaken cracks into this Restriction.

The Restriction, which had been a seamless whole, was now in a state of disorder. Those cracks on the light wall were the best proof.

"The Opportunity has come."

Yin Leici's eyes lit up.

"Don't get happy too soon."

Yue Qingyao said indifferently, throwing a bucket of cold water on everyone's excitement.

"Although cracks have appeared in the Restriction, it hasn't collapsed yet. We need to strike together and tear it open from the inside."

"What do you have in mind, Fellow Daoist?" Xuan Zhenzi asked straightforwardly.

Yue Qingyao looked around at the crowd, her gaze sweeping across every face.

"Strike with all your power. Do not hold back, and do not hide your secrets. This is our only chance!"

She spoke in a low voice.

"Fine, let's get out first."

The group stopped talking, each silently circulating their power, gathering momentum for the strike.

Yue Qingyao was the first to act.

Her hands formed seals, and a faint lunar radiance emerged around her body.

That light was not dazzling, but it carried an indescribable coldness, as if the bright moon from the Nine Heavens had fallen to the mortal world.

The lunar radiance condensed, transforming into a vast ocean.

This was a Void Sea formed by moonlight. Above the sea's surface, a full moon slowly rose, its moonlight spilling down and illuminating the entire Restriction.

Bright Moon Rising Over the Sea.

This was a closely guarded secret of the Taixuan Immortal Sect, using the Law of Taiyin to condense lunar radiance and turn the ethereal into the substantial.

Wherever the lunar radiance passed, the runes on the light wall began to twist and dim, like snow and ice being eroded by moonlight.

Yin Leici followed immediately after.

He held his hands high, thunderlight flickering in his palms.

This was the 'Zixiao Divine Thunder' unique to the Zixiao Grotto-Heaven; it was purple with a hint of gold, containing a trace of supreme aura.

The thunderlight grew stronger and stronger, transforming into a pillar of lightning as thick as a barrel, which crashed violently against the Restriction.

Wherever the lightning passed, the Void Realm trembled.

The light wall of the Restriction was struck by the pillar of lightning, exploding into countless fine cracks.

Xuan Zhenzi drew his sword. This was his Natal Flying Sword, which he had nurtured within his body for hundreds of years, named 'dao gives birth to one'.

The moment the sword left its sheath, a sharp Sword Qi soared into the sky, as if it were about to split the heavens and earth apart.

That Sword Qi was not merely sharp; it contained the sword Law unique to the Qingwei Dao Sect.

The majestic Dao of the Sword, supreme under heaven.

Hua Nongying was not to be outdone. She raised her hand, and countless illusory colors emerged around her.

The colors intertwined, transforming into a giant seven-colored peacock. As the peacock fanned its tail, every eye on the tail feathers shot out an eerie light.

When that light fell upon the Restriction, the light wall began to twist and deform, as if it were being eroded by desire, losing its original form.

Yuan Tu also stopped hiding his secrets. His withered figure stood up from the corner like a piece of dead wood.

He didn't perform any earth-shattering Divine Ability; he simply raised his hand and pressed down lightly.

A pitch-black bone claw emerged from his palm. On the bone claw, countless fine runes flickered, emitting a suffocating Death Qi.

That bone claw grabbed the Restriction and forcefully tore away a chunk of the light wall.

The five displayed their respective Divine Abilities, and five forces simultaneously slammed into the Restriction.

Spiritual light exploded, runes shattered, and the entire Restriction trembled violently.

The cracks on the light wall became more and more numerous, growing denser by the second.

Finally—

BOOM—!!!

The Restriction shattered with a roar, and countless motes of light scattered in all directions like a swarm of fireflies.

Everyone felt a weight lift off them. The invisible force field that had suppressed them for so long had finally vanished; they had regained their freedom.

But they had no time to celebrate.

Because the moment the Restriction shattered, everyone's gaze fell upon the same spot.

Upon that crystallized corpse emitting four-colored spiritual light.

A Tier 4 Advanced spiritual object!

No one spoke, nor was there any need for words.

Five figures lunged forward simultaneously.

Yue Qingyao's body transformed into a streak of lunar radiance, her speed reaching the extreme.

Yin Leici stepped on thunderlight, the rolling sound of thunder following close behind him.

Xuan Zhenzi traveled by sword, his Sword Qi like a rainbow, arriving first despite starting later.

Hua Nongying's figure was ethereal, transforming into countless phantoms, making it impossible to tell the real from the fake.

Yuan Tu's figure flickered like a ghost, silently vanishing from his original spot.

They had only one goal in their eyes!

While the aftershocks of the shattered Restriction had yet to dissipate, the five figures had already charged into that broken land.

Yin Leici was in the lead. His Thunderlight Evasion technique was already known for its speed, and now he was holding nothing back.

His fingers were almost touching the hem of the corpse's clothing when a streak of lunar radiance slammed into him from the side, sending him flying.

"Yue Qingyao, how dare you!" Yin Leici roared.

Yue Qingyao didn't say a word, she simply turned her body and swept toward the corpse.

But before her fingers could reach out, a sharp Sword Qi slashed across her path, forcing her to retreat.

Yue Qingyao's brow furrowed slightly as she looked toward Xuan Zhenzi, the coldness in her eyes undisguised.

Xuan Zhenzi didn't pay Yue Qingyao any mind at all as he flew his sword straight for the corpse.

But before his sword could touch it, the tail feathers of a seven-colored peacock swept over, forcing him and his sword back.

"What gall! Hua Nongying, you would stop me too?"

"Who wouldn't want such a good thing?"

Hua Nongying gave a light chuckle, her figure once again transforming into countless phantoms, making it impossible to distinguish truth from fiction.

At that moment, Yuan Tu had already silently appeared on the other side of the corpse, his withered bone claw reaching out.

But before he could touch it, he was struck by a pillar of lightning and sent flying backward.

"Old man, don't even think about snatching it on the sly."

Yin Leici snorted coldly.

Five people, five directions, five methods.

None could get close to the corpse, and none would let anyone else get close.

Whenever someone was about to touch the target, they would be forced back by the joint efforts of the other four.

This strange tacit understanding was born from the fact that no one wanted to see the item taken by someone else.

The scene had descended into total chaos.

Yue Qingyao used the Law of Taiyin to condense lunar radiance into countless moonlight threads, weaving a large net in an attempt to envelop the corpse along with the surrounding space.

But Yin Leici's Zixiao Divine Thunder directly blasted a large hole in the silk net.

Xuan Zhenzi's Sword Qi crisscrossed, slashing apart the phantoms that tried to approach one by one.

Hua Nongying's illusory peacock continuously fanned its tail, shooting out eerie light to disrupt everyone's perception.

Yuan Tu's bone claw appeared and disappeared sporadically, specifically striking when others were preoccupied; he had nearly succeeded several times.

For a time, spiritual light splashed, thunderlight flashed, Sword Qi crisscrossed, illusory colors intertwined, and Death Qi permeated the air.

Within a hundred-zhang radius, not an inch of land was safe.

The corpse was right in the center of the battlefield, kneeling quietly and emitting soft four-colored spiritual light, as if completely oblivious to everything around it.

In the distance, at a corner of the Restriction's edge, a handsome fellow slowly opened his eyes.

Lu Ming leaned against the stone wall. He looked at the chaotic battlefield in the distance, then at the glowing corpse, a strange expression flashing in his eyes.

"Dao Abomination? A Tier 4 Advanced spiritual object... How interesting. I didn't expect that even after that old thing died, he'd leave such a grand gift behind."

Previously, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord had beaten him to completing the trial and then trapped him in a predicament, leaving him to watch helplessly as the demon lord obtained the xuan yin jade marrow.

At that time, Lu Ming thought he had missed his Opportunity and felt somewhat unwilling.

As it turned out, the world was fickle, and things had a way of coming full circle.

He hadn't expected that after all those twists and turns, this thing would actually return, and after the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's meddling, it had transformed into an even more precious spiritual object.

A thirty percent chance of a Nascent Soul Breakthrough—this was far more overbearing than simple xuan yin jade marrow!

"But... it won't be that easy to take!"

Watching the group of Grotto-Heaven prodigies fighting and restraining each other, the corner of Lu Ming's mouth curled.

These people were usually high and mighty, but now they were like a pack of hungry dogs fighting over a bone. Grace, upbringing—it had all been thrown to the Nine Heavens.

"Fight on, fight on. It'd be best if you all killed each other."

Lu Ming mumbled, pulling a spiritual fruit from his sleeve and slowly munching on it.

He didn't plan on entering the fray just yet. If he moved now, he would absolutely become the target of everyone's ire.

These people from the Grotto-Heavens might be fighting each other now, but they were extremely exclusionary toward outsiders.

If Lu Ming rashly intervened, he would surely be targeted by everyone. They would definitely kick him out of the game first before settling things among themselves.

He was well-hidden right now, and the others hadn't even noticed someone was missing from the field. This was his greatest advantage.

Only when they had fought until both sides were wounded would he have the chance to step in as the fisherman reaping the rewards.

So for now, he needed patience. He just had to wait quietly!

In the field, the struggle continued.

Yue Qingyao's lunar silk net was blasted open by Yin Leici, Yin Leici's thunderlight was forced back by Xuan Zhenzi's Sword Qi, Xuan Zhenzi's Flying Sword was entangled by Hua Nongying's illusory colors, Hua Nongying's Clones were torn apart by Yuan Tu's bone claw, and Yuan Tu's true body was locked onto by Yue Qingyao's lunar radiance...

Each move countered the next; no one could gain an advantage.

Lu Ming watched with great interest, unable to resist taking another bite of his fruit.

Splendid, absolutely splendid. This is what it truly means to display one's Divine Abilities!

However, Lu Ming wasn't just watching the show; he was also analyzing the situation in his mind.

His gaze shifted back and forth between the five figures, silently calculating.

Yue Qingyao was the strongest, but she was too steady—so steady that she sometimes missed opportunities.

Yin Leici charged the hardest, but he was prone to losing his cool, which would reveal openings.

Xuan Zhenzi's sword path was sharp, but because of that sharpness, it was hard for him to extricate himself once he was pinned down.

Hua Nongying was the slickest, her truth and falsehood hard to distinguish, but her attack power was insufficient to pose a fatal threat.

Yuan Tu was the most sinister, always hiding in the shadows to snatch things, but direct confrontation was not his forte.

But what Lu Ming found most impressive were the methods used by these few.

Yin Leici was surrounded by purple-gold thunder snakes, illuminating the dim space with flickering light.

His Cultivation Technique was broad and powerful; every punch he threw carried the judgmental might of a Heavenly Tribulation.

This 'Zixiao Orthodox Law' was a secret of the Zixiao Grotto-Heaven, drawing the world's righteous Qi into the body and transforming lightning into punishment.

At this moment, he was like a thunder god acting on behalf of heaven, his violent thunder arcs blasting charred pits into the stone walls.

However, his style of attack was too overbearing. Yue Qingyao only needed to condense a soft light shield from lunar radiance, and his fierce punch would be like hitting cotton, its power silently dissipated.

Yue Qingyao's Dao of Taiyin was the polar opposite of Yin Leici's.

She stood in the field without a hint of worldly fire, only a hazy moonlight seeping from her body.

That was no ordinary lunar radiance, but the 'Taiyin Divine Light' that could only be condensed when the Taixuan Immortal Sect's foundational technique, the 'Taiyin True Manual', was cultivated to a profound level.

Light distorted around her, making it impossible to see her clearly, as if she weren't standing on the ground but in the lunar palace high in the Nine Heavens.

She struck rarely, but every time she waved her sleeve, lunar radiance would transform into a thousand threads, entangling the opponent's Magic Treasures and Divine Abilities like soft water.

Overcoming hardness with softness and using the opponent's strength against them, Yin Leici's violent thunder felt frustratingly powerless before her.

Xuan Zhenzi had a completely different style.

He had cultivated the Qingwei Dao Sect's 'Taichu Sword Scripture' to the Realm of man and sword as one. His Natal Flying Sword, 'dao gives birth to one', was already linked to his Divine Soul. When the sword moved, he moved; when he moved, the sword moved.

His Sword Qi was sharp to the extreme; with one slash, even the Void Realm was torn with a black rift.

Yin Leici's thunderlight was shattered by his Sword Qi, and Hua Nongying's phantoms were split in half along with her illusions.

Although Yue Qingyao's lunar threads were troublesome, he used his Sword Intent as a guide, every swing of his sword striking exactly at the nodes of the threads, causing that seemingly flawless net to crack.

Hua Nongying's fighting style was the most bizarre.

The 'True Scripture of the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Governing All Spirits' did not aim to win by force, but by confusing the emotions.

Those illusory colored lights that fell on people did not attack the Physical Body, but eroded the mind.

Anger, greed, fear, obsession...

The most primal emotions permeated the battlefield, causing everyone's judgment to suffer subtle deviations.

Her figure appeared and disappeared within the illusory colors, every strike catching people off guard.

Yuan Tu remained low-key. His 'Bone-Shattering Demonic Claw' looked unremarkable—that pitch-black bone claw was neither dazzling nor sharp, yet it possessed an eerie penetrating power.

These five figures represented the peak combat power of the Profound Spirit Domain.

They crisscrossed through the ruins, yet none could touch the corpse emitting four-colored light in the center.

Because the five of them each had their own schemes, they were caught in a cycle, making the deadlock difficult to break.

Thus, in the short term, no one could obtain that item.

Lu Ming finished his spiritual fruit, tossed the pit aside, and pulled a handful of melon seeds from his sleeve.

"They've fought to this extent, and they're still just testing each other!"

Lu Ming curled his lip. Though they looked like they were in a life-and-death struggle, they were all holding back and hadn't gotten serious yet.

Furthermore, because they didn't trust each other and were on guard, everyone fought for themselves, and no Alliance had formed to kick anyone out first.

Perhaps sensing Lu Ming's thoughts.

On the battlefield, the situation finally began to change.