"Brother Chen, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time... I knew... I knew that you always cared for Yi’er."
"Once I talked so much about this garden, you would surely come here sooner or later."
"Since that was the case, I’ve long been prepared."
A soft laughter echoed through the garden, as though Luan Yi was delighted that her plan had succeeded.
Pointing toward the sky once again, she controlled countless chains to emerge from the formation and shoot toward Chen Xuan, just like the black threads from before.
This time, however, the chains were no longer formed solely from Luan Yi’s own power. They were also blessed by the strength of the entire formation.
The moment they appeared, Chen Xuan felt as though he had entered the Nine Halls of Hell, where these chains were the instruments of his punishment.
An instinctive thought surfaced in his mind—the idea of surrendering and allowing them to bind him.
It felt as though this was the natural outcome, as though he had been destined to be captured from the very beginning.
Fortunately, Chen Xuan recovered in time. As his consciousness snapped back to reality, he faced the incoming chains and swung the saber and golden sword in his hands.
This time, scorching flames accompanied his attacks.
Half of them were orange, carrying the rebirth nature of the Phoenix, while the other half were blue, intertwined with the aura of death.
Nirvana Phoenix Flames. Underworld Fire.
Under the control of Chen Xuan’s Law Mark, these two completely opposite flames appeared at the same time. Moreover, due to the effects of his mutated Physique, they did not repel one another.
Instead, they coexisted perfectly, like life and death blending into a single cycle.
Crack! Bang!
The chains surrounding him shattered. A small opening appeared once again in Luan Yi’s endless assault.
Yet before Chen Xuan could feel relieved, another wave of chains arrived, violently whipping toward him.
Once those were destroyed, new chains appeared.
Again and again. The endless cycle continued.
Chen Xuan found himself completely surrounded, forced to fight back desperately just to maintain his current position.
From an outsider’s perspective, the two seemed to have reached a stalemate.
However, Chen Xuan knew very well that this was far from the truth.
Sensing the Spiritual Energy rapidly draining from his Dantian and feeling his physical strength being consumed at an astonishing rate, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
’I’m not a true Soul Formation cultivator after all. Using a Law Mark consumes an unimaginable amount of Spiritual Energy.’
’For ordinary Soul Formation experts, this isn’t a problem. After breaking through, their Spiritual Energy has already undergone a qualitative transformation. As for me...’
Chen Xuan shook his head.
In just a few seconds, more than ten percent of his Spiritual Energy had already been consumed.
Yet he had no way to stop. If he didn’t urge his Law Mark and use his strongest abilities, he would immediately lose his advantage and be overwhelmed.
Moreover...
Chen Xuan raised his head. Although the two appeared to be fighting intensely, he knew that Luan Yi had yet to truly enter the battle.
She was currently only manipulating the formation within the garden and had not personally made a move.
The Myriad Souls Banner. The corpses under her control. Her own terrifying physical strength.
None of these methods had been used, yet she was still able to fight evenly against Chen Xuan.
’Is this the power of a Soul Formation expert? They possess countless methods, can create incarnations, and their strength is almost inexhaustible...’
’Although I can contend against one for a short period of time, the final outcome is already decided. Once my Spiritual Energy is exhausted, I will inevitably lose.’
Chen Xuan shook his head.
He understood that defeating Luan Yi in his current state was impossible. At the same time, escaping was equally impossible.
’It seems that I can only try that...’
’Luan Yi has already been driven mad. Even if the situation worsens, it cannot become much worse than it already is.’
With that thought, Chen Xuan no longer hesitated.
Suddenly, he swung the two weapons in his hands a thousand times. The countless saber and sword lights consumed more than twenty percent of his Spiritual Energy in an instant.
A long path appeared amidst the endless wave of chains.
Taking advantage of this opening, Chen Xuan transformed into a streak of light and weaved through the gaps, quickly escaping their range of attack.
However, he made no attempt to flee. The barrier surrounding the garden still existed.
His instincts told him that with his current strength, he had no chance of breaking through it.
Compared to wasting his time attempting the impossible, Chen Xuan had another target in mind.
The moment that thought appeared, his gaze descended toward the garden below.
Despite the terrifying battle happening nearby, the formations protecting the flowers had remained intact.
The flowers themselves had not suffered even the slightest damage.
However, this was destined to change.
Because Chen Xuan’s target was precisely them.
Looking at the countless flowers, each containing fragments of Laws and possessing extraordinary auras, Chen Xuan’s eyes flashed with ruthlessness.
The next moment, he waved his hand. A colossal palm formed from Yin-Yang Symbols appeared in the sky and descended with overwhelming force.
Boom!
The formations protecting the garden shattered instantly. The palm then swept through the surroundings, picking up the flowers sealed within each individual section before bringing them all before Chen Xuan.
There were thousands of them.
Each possessed a unique appearance and aura. Together, they looked like a bizarre yet magnificent banquet gathered within Chen Xuan’s palm.
Yet he had no time to admire them.
"What are you doing?! Brother Chen... you—you..."
Disbelief flashed across Luan Yi’s face as several emotions alternated in her eyes.
Puzzlement, shock, fear, fury.
Her expression continuously changed, as though she could not decide how she should react.
Looking at Luan Yi, who looked ready to cry but at the same time skin him alive, Chen Xuan felt a chill run down his spine.
However, since things had already reached this point, he had no time to consider her feelings.
With a thought, the miniature Seven Trials Tower appeared in his hand before shrinking down until it was smaller than even a grain of dust.
As his divine sense communicated with its will, Chen Xuan’s body began to gradually fade.
Within mere moments, he had completely disappeared.
The disbelief in Luan Yi’s eyes only grew stronger.
The Seven Trials Tower possessed the ability to conceal itself, meaning that even she was unable to detect its existence.
Even so, Luan Yi understood that Chen Xuan had not truly vanished. Most likely, he had used some method to hide himself within the garden.
Luan Yi was already furious after seeing the results of her centuries of efforts being destroyed. Now that she watched her "lover" disappear right before her eyes, the last trace of restraint within her completely vanished.
"AAAAGH!"
A powerful scream erupted from her mouth as she unleashed her fury upon everything around her.
Under her overwhelming strength, the environment that had remained intact for centuries was destroyed within moments.
The ground was reduced to dust, while several massive cracks, stretching for miles, spread across the garden.
Yet Luan Yi showed no signs of stopping.
If anything, her attacks only grew more violent and relentless, as though she wished to tear apart the entire world in order to find the person who had disappeared.
"Brother Chen!"
Her voice echoed through the ruined garden as she continued to strike out madly, her expression filled with a mixture of anger, sorrow, and unwillingness to accept reality.
Meanwhile, inside the Seven Trials Tower, on the second floor, a figure stood silently in front of a furnace.