362: Chapter 362 The Spirit Array is Activated, Trapping the Enemy and Achieving Victory

Ling Zhenzi stood on the high slope of the flank; the runes for the twelve Sub-arrays beneath his feet had been carved for three days, all waiting for this single moment.

He squinted down at the U-shaped valley where the residual enemies were in a state of chaos—some were bandaging wounds, some were piecing together Magical Artifacts, and a few Golden Core Cultivators were gathered together forming hand seals, clearly intending to join forces to break the deadlock.

"If I don't act now, they'll catch their breath," he muttered to himself, lightly tracing his finger in the air. A glimmer of light flashed, completing the final spirit energy calibration with the three distant Sub-arrays.

Just then, a burst of intense light erupted from the southeast—those three Golden Core Cultivators struck simultaneously, blasting Palm Thunder, Heaven-Burning Fire, and Earth-Splitting Blade toward a blue stone where the Array Core was located.

The stone exploded on the spot, cracks spreading like a spiderweb as the blue light flashed once and then vanished.

"Damn!" Ling Zhenzi cursed under his breath. He kicked off the ground, leaping half a zhang into the air while his hands rapidly formed hand seals. "Thinking of breaking the array before I can act? Too late!"

He chanted an ancient incantation, his voice low yet unquestionable: "Heaven and Earth as the guide, Six Extremes in Position, Seal!"

The twelve Sub-arrays lit up simultaneously, the blue light intensifying from weak to strong, as if a giant beast beneath the earth had opened its eyes.

The rune plates that were originally scattered everywhere rotated automatically, adjusting their angles to converge the spirit energy into lines that shot straight into the sky.

"It's not over yet!" a Cultivator draped in a blood-red cloak roared. He tore open his chest with both hands, actually using his heart's essence blood to ignite a tattered array talisman. "I don't believe this wretched array can block a life-risking strike from me!"

Before his voice had even faded, his entire body transformed into a red light that slammed into the southern wall of the array.

Amidst a deafening boom, the array wall vibrated violently, ripples appearing like a water surface struck by a heavy hammer.

Ling Zhenzi's face turned pale. He suddenly bit the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the Jade Plate in his palm.

The Jade Plate instantly turned crimson throughout, humming incessantly.

"Hold steady for me!" he roared, his arms suddenly pressing downward.

In an instant, six pillars of light shot up from the ground, corresponding to the positions of the six main Array Cores.

After the pillars rose a hundred zhang into the sky, they suddenly converged, forming a massive dome-shaped Barrier over the valley, completely blocking all paths of retreat.

Those trapped looked up to see that the night sky was no longer above them; instead, there was a flowing blue light curtain, with all starlight completely shut out.

"It's over..." someone murmured. "We can't get out."

"Shut up!" another person kicked him. "This is just the beginning. I'll cleave through this array even if it kills me just to get out!"

But no matter how they attacked, the array wall remained as flexible as water, quickly returning to its original state after absorbing the impacts.

Even more terrifyingly, as time passed, they felt the spirit energy within their bodies being siphoned away bit by bit, as if the earth beneath their feet was an open mouth swallowing it up.

"Something's wrong!" a warlock cried out in alarm. "My Spirit Sea is shrinking! This Formation is wearing us down!"

No one responded to him. Everyone fell silent, the ferocity in their eyes slowly turning into fear.

Ling Zhenzi stood on the Main Array Platform, his hands still holding the seals, though beads of sweat had already seeped from his forehead. He looked down at the Spirit Energy Monitor at his waist, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"Draining well. The average spirit energy loss rate is 3.7 per breath. At this rate, everyone will fall below the Foundation Establishment stage within half an hour," he said softly. "By then, let alone breaking the array, they won't even be able to stand steady."

At that moment, the communication jade talisman vibrated slightly.

"Old man, is the array ready?" the Mecha Squad captain's voice came through, tinged with a bit of impatience. "We're all waiting to close the net."

"It's done," Ling Zhenzi replied curtly. "Now you can fight however you like; they can't fly out anyway."

"Ha! Should've been like this long ago!" the other laughed loudly. "Brothers, listen up—the cage is closed, let the hunt begin!"

The roar of engines starting sounded in the distance as several small Hunting Mecha drove out from the shadows, their tracks grinding over gravel as they slowly approached the edge of the valley.

The trapped enemies immediately fell into a commotion.

"They're going to launch a full-scale assault?!" someone panicked. "Quick, find a way! We can't let them get close!"

But just as they were preparing to rally for a counterattack, the ground suddenly shook, and several Spirit Energy Chains glowing with blue light erupted from the earth, lunging straight for an assassin who was trying to stealthily approach the Array Foundation.

That person reacted extremely fast, rolling to dodge the first chain, but was caught around the ankle by the second. He was forcibly dragged three zhang away from the Array Foundation, left struggling as he hung in mid-air.

"Anyone else who dares approach the Array Core, this will be your fate," Ling Zhenzi said coldly. He lightly tapped the Jade Plate, and the chains tightened; the assassin let out a muffled groan and fainted instantly.

Total silence fell over the area.

Even those few Golden Core Cultivators didn't dare to act rashly anymore.

"This old fogey... doesn't plan on letting us live at all," one person whispered, their voice trembling.

"Stop talking nonsense!" the person next to him gritted his teeth. "Concentrate your spirit energy and take turns blasting the same spot. We might be able to punch a hole through!"

So, over a dozen Cultivators lined up and began taking turns bombarding a section of the array wall in the northwest corner.

Every impact caused the light curtain to fluctuate violently, and brief cracks even began to appear.

Ling Zhenzi frowned and immediately deployed spare Spirit Stones to replenish the energy, while simultaneously chanting under his breath to temporarily transfer some spirit energy from the other five Array Cores.

"Hold on... just a little longer..." he murmured.

Finally, that wave of attacks stopped. Everyone's spirit energy was heavily depleted, and some were already sitting cross-legged to regulate their breathing.

Meanwhile, the cracks on the array wall were slowly healing.

"It's no use... we can't break through..." someone collapsed to the ground.

"Don't stop!" the leading Golden Core roared. "Try one more time! As long as—"

"Save it," Ling Zhenzi interrupted. His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly. "This Spirit Array isn't a toy for you to take apart for spare parts. It's a prison, and it's also a coffin. The more you struggle, the harder it drains you."

As he spoke, he raised a hand and pointed to the monitor screen:

"See that? You, you struck seven times just now, and your spirit energy dropped by forty percent;"},{

"You, when you burned your Lifespan, you directly lost ten years of your life. Right now, your combined combat strength isn't even as good as the wild dogs fighting at the entrance of my old hometown village."

A deathly silence followed.

Someone looked down at their trembling hands and suddenly laughed, their laughter becoming increasingly manic: "Hahaha... we... we are the strongest combat force below the Nascent Soul stage... yet we're being slaughtered like pigs in a cage by an old man?"

"Shut up!" someone barked.

"I won't shut up!" the person suddenly stood up, pointing at the light curtain above. "Open your eyes and look! Where are we? This isn't a battlefield, it's a slaughterhouse! They don't even need to draw their blades; they're just waiting for us to drain ourselves dry!"

The others remained silent.

Once fear takes root, it grows like wild grass.

Ling Zhenzi ignored them, instead contacting the outer perimeter forces via his jade talisman: "The array has stabilized; continuous energy consumption mode is activated. You may begin clearing them out in batches, prioritizing targets that still possess the will to resist."

"Copy that!" the response was crisp. "We'll start with that group in the northwest corner and let them know the meaning of despair."

A few minutes later, a Heavy Sniper Mecha was quietly set up on the eastern high ground, its barrel aimed at the northwest area of the valley.

Without warning or shout, a miniature Shock-blast Shell whistled down.

Boom!

Five people at the center of the explosion fainted instantly, while seven or eight others nearby were knocked to the ground by the shockwave, their spirit energy in disarray and unable to form hand seals for a short time.

"Next," the sniper said coldly.

Another shot.

And another.

Every explosion was accompanied by screams and wails, but no one dared to charge out—outside were the mecha, and inside was the Spirit Array; whichever way they went, it was a dead end.

Ling Zhenzi stood on the high slope, watching the increasingly chaotic situation in the valley, and slowly let out a breath.

"That madman Chen Tiezhu was right; war isn't about who has the loudest voice, it's about who forces the opponent into a dead end first."

He touched the scalding Jade Plate and said softly, "Now, even the strength you have to cry for help will be eaten away bit by bit by this array."

He looked up toward the city wall, where he could vaguely see a slender figure walking toward the battlements.

"Next, it's up to you, little girl," he murmured.

The wind brushed over the hillside, stirring his graying sideburns. The blue light on the Main Array Platform flowed quietly, as regular and cold as a breath.

In the valley, the last Cultivator who still wanted to organize a breakout finally collapsed, panting on the ground, still clutching half of a shattered protective talisman in his hand.

No one spoke anymore.

There was only the roar of the mecha, one after another, like a death knell.