366: Space Control

Meanwhile, Jiang Bei's expression was equally grim.

He had initially thought he could easily crush Xiao Ran, but he hadn't expected the boy to be able to contend with him for a while, relying on his battle armor and light sword. This greatly surprised him.

Although he seemed to have the upper hand in their previous exchange, sending Xiao Ran flying, Xiao Ran's tenacious resistance and the defensive capabilities of the mysterious battle armor still made him feel a subtle unease.

He knew that if he didn't deal with Xiao Ran quickly, complications might arise if he delayed too long.

Jiang Bei subconsciously lowered his head to look at his chest, where a long wound had appeared.

The flesh around the wound was charred, as if it had been scorched by high heat. Wisps of smoke were still slowly rising, and the air was filled with a nauseating smell of burning flesh.

“As expected of a weapon that can kill a Profound Penetration Realm expert with a single strike.”

Jiang Bei marveled inwardly.

“The power of this weapon is indeed not to be underestimated. If I hadn't prepared in time just now, even as a Zhen Condensation Realm Expert, I would have suffered a great loss at his hands.”

However, Jiang Bei quickly composed himself and didn't take this minor injury to heart.

Although the power of this light sword could indeed penetrate his defenses, he knew that while a weapon's power was important, the user's strength and combat experience also played a decisive role.

With Xiao Ran's current combat experience and strength, he was simply not worth mentioning in front of him, the battle-hardened City Lord who had managed Jiangcheng for many years.

“What? Are you afraid to attack again?”

Jiang Bei sneered at Xiao Ran, who was slowly standing up from the large pit but had not yet made a move. His face showed a mocking smile, and his tone was full of contempt and provocation.

He deliberately raised his voice, seemingly wanting to completely crush Xiao Ran's fighting spirit and make him abandon all resistance in this vastly unequal contest.

“Hmph… you'll know soon enough.”

Xiao Ran snorted coldly, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.

He quickly reached into the battle armor's storage space and pulled out the exquisite spherical device.

Under the illumination of the battle armor's lights, the device's surface shimmered with a mysterious and faint glow, with runes appearing and disappearing.

Immediately after, Xiao Ran input an activation command into the spherical device through the battle armor's built-in system.

An invisible energy connection was instantly established between the battle armor and the device. The runes on the device glowed brightly, emitting a faint “humming” sound.

“Beep… Space controlled!”

Accompanied by a crisp notification sound, a powerful and mysterious force, centered around the spherical device, rapidly spread out like ripples.

In an instant, Jiang Bei and the Black-Robed Persons felt an invisible and powerful force descend upon them like Mount Tai, suppressing them tightly.

This force seemed to possess some mysterious magic; their bodies instantly became stiff and utterly unable to move, as if a petrification spell had been cast upon them.

Not only that, but as the device activated, within a 50-meter radius centered on it, it was as if time and everything else had been paused.

Except for Xiao Ran and the normal passage of time, everything else stood still.

They couldn't even perform the most basic act of breathing; their throats felt as if they were being choked by an invisible hand, every attempt to inhale proving futile.

Even the gentle breeze that drifted into this area seemed to hit an invisible barrier, instantly stopping and then disappearing without a trace, as if it had never existed.

“This is the power of space! Impossible, how could a mere waste possess the power to control space!”

As an eighth-layer Ningzhen Realm expert, Jiang Bei had a deep understanding and keen perception of various powers.

He immediately clearly distinguished that the power suppressing him and the others was precisely the legendary, mysterious, and powerful force of space.

He widened his eyes, his face filled with disbelief, his heart filled with shock and panic. In his understanding, the power of space was extremely profound and unfathomable, only those above the Void-Shattering Realm could touch it, and this Xiao Ran, whom he regarded as a waste, was actually able to control such power, which greatly impacted his worldview.

In Jiang Bei's understanding, the power of space was an ultimate power that only super experts who had stepped into the Void-Shattering Realm could possibly touch and master.

It was an extraordinary ability possessed only by those standing at the upper echelons of the martial arts pyramid.

But how could this person, who was only at Body Tempering Third Layer and whom he had always regarded as a waste barely surviving with the mysterious battle armor on him, control such a powerful force! This completely overturned all his understanding of the cultivation world.

Jiang Bei's heart was like a turbulent sea, screaming wildly, with countless questions and unwillingness intertwining and colliding within him.

However, his body was firmly pinned to the spot, tightly bound by this powerful spatial force, unable to make any movement.

Fortunately, with his Ningzhen Realm cultivation, his physical constitution far surpassed ordinary people, so even if he couldn't breathe for a short period, it wouldn't immediately endanger his life.

Otherwise, in this static space, he would have long since perished from lack of oxygen.

Xiao Ran looked at Jiang Bei and the others, who were motionless like sculptures, and couldn't help but curl his lips into a triumphant smile.

“Is this the power of the Empire?”

He murmured to himself, filled with emotion.

“To actually allow me, a Body Tempering Third Layer waste, to so easily suppress a Zhen Condensation Realm Expert…”

Xiao Ran slowly raised the light sword in his hand, which emitted a faint blue glow. The energy of the sword body trembled slightly, as if excitedly anticipating the upcoming “feast.”

He took steady steps, walking one by one in front of Jiang Bei, looking down at him.

“City Lord Jiang Bei, I'm afraid you never imagined such a day would come…”

Xiao Ran's voice was not loud, but it struck Jiang Bei's heart like a heavy hammer.

At this moment, Jiang Bei was like a wild beast trapped in a cage, possessing immense power but nowhere to unleash it.

His body was tightly bound by the spatial force, unable to even move his eyeballs a fraction of an inch, only able to curse wildly in the depths of his heart.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Why! Why does he have such power!”

Jiang Bei's heart was filled with anger, unwillingness, and despair. These emotions were like surging tides, almost completely engulfing him.

He couldn't understand why Xiao Ran, who was like an ant in his eyes, suddenly possessed such powerful strength, pushing him into such a desperate situation.