After hearing this, Yang Lu's face turned pale, and as he scanned the surroundings, he found everywhere dark, stagnant energies of a sinister hue. His spiritual awareness could only reach a range of十余 miles, and beyond that, he could not tell whether any hidden forces were truly waiting. "Don't worry," Ma Liang said with a cold smile. "Didn't we already anticipate that the powerful figures of this continent would take such action? This precisely aligns with my intentions. As long as I eliminate these people entirely, no one in the spiritual realm will dare to challenge me." Yang Lu still remained cautious and added, "I suggest you remain vigilant. From what I know, the He Lan Commerce Alliance's influence in the spiritual realm is truly formidable. If they mobilize all their potential resources, their reserve strategies may not be lacking at all." "Reserve strategies?" Ma Liang replied, yawning, with a dismissive air. "What could a mere lower-level faction possibly offer that would threaten me? Even if they understand the method of utilizing the Chain of Laws, it will be ineffective against me this time." Yang Lu, seeing Ma Liang's confident demeanor, could only nod hesitantly, saying "yes" without adding more. At that moment, the Blood River and the lead flying vessel ahead had already surged forward, entering the depths of Ming Sha together. Suddenly, the leading vessel flickered momentarily and then vanished entirely, as if appearing out of thin air while still in motion. Ma Liang's eyes widened in surprise, and with a swift motion of his sleeve, the entire Blood River roared to a sudden halt, freezing mid-air. Yang Lu, observing this, grew serious, her body's yellow glow flashing, and a thick, solid yellow armor instantly materialized upon her form. At that very instant, a thunderclap echoed across the sky, causing the entire world to seem to invert and shift—rumblings surged from all directions, dark, malevolent energies rolled forth in waves, and countless banners emerged densely in the void, swelling in the wind to towering heights of over a hundred paces, transforming into colossal trees that encircled and sealed the entire Blood River within. At the same time, a silvery full moon silently emerged in the sky, with十余 figures faintly standing together, each gazing toward the Blood River with different expressions. These were precisely the great cultivators, Ming Zun's Yin Gangzi and others; the six-winged ice phoenix, which had previously vanished, now stood among them, pale-faced. Ma Liang remained composed, merely glancing at the massive banners before suddenly raising one hand and giving a sweeping gesture toward a specific direction in the air. A tremendous roar erupted! The Blood River instantly surged with vitality, and suddenly a colossal blood-colored hand, about one mu in size, materialized from within, striking the air in the same direction. "Boom!" With the impact, the light and glow of nearly a hundred banners converged to form an immense, five-colored mirror at the forefront. The blood-colored hand struck the mirror and instantly vanished into it, leaving not a single sound. At the same time, in a remote corner of the Ming Sha land, a blood-colored hand surged forth from the void and struck firmly onto the ground of a person standing in the air. A deep, earth-shaking rumble caused the ground to sink and collapse, revealing a massive crater several miles across. "Hmm, spatial displacement! This array seems to be..." Ma Liang murmured, slightly surprised. At that very moment, the great banners began to hum loudly, and one after another, identical five-colored luminous mirrors coalesced into form. For a brief while, the area near the Blood River was bathed in brilliant hues of霞, with countless phantom images of people, beasts, and structures gradually emerging—so vivid and lifelike that one could easily lose one's footing and be swept into them without noticing. Ma Liang's expression darkened upon seeing this. With a single hand gesture, a surge of black and white energy rose from his back, forming a mirror of black and white. Initially no larger than a palm, the mirror spun rapidly under the power of his incantation, expanding to the size of a basin. As the pattern of a black-and-white Taiji symbol appeared on its surface, a beam of radiant black-and-white light shot forth from its center. Suddenly, a roar of tearing sounds erupted in the void, and the five-colored light mirrors near the Blood River were instantly pierced and torn apart by beams of white and black light, dissolving into scattered sparks of luminous energy. The senior cultivators on the full moon watched in astonishment, each altering their expressions; the bald man turned directly to Ming Zun and asked, "Brother Ming, you've so highly praised this Two-Principles-Extinct Array—does it really possess only such power, that a single follow-up attack from the opponent could easily shatter it?" "Hmph. A mere strike? If I'm not mistaken, that mirror of white and black light should be a rare treasure of no less value than the Xuan Tian treasures. Do you really think a regular assault could penetrate its array of illusions? But if the opponent truly believes such a simple tactic would suffice to dismantle this array, then they are utterly mistaken." Ming Zun gazed steadily at the Blood River below, yet did not turn to face them. "Indeed so?" The bald man seemed still somewhat doubtful. The others exchanged glances, and likewise appeared half-believing, half-skeptical. Yet seemingly to verify the Master's words, at the very moment the five-colored light mirrors below were completely shattered by the black light pillars, white glyphs the size of rice grains began to rise from near the Blood River—initially sparse, but soon cascading down like snowflakes. At the same time, a force of law instantly enveloped the entire Blood River. Ma Liang within the river felt a sudden chill, the surrounding air growing noticeably thick and viscous; his face paling, he quickly chanted incantations to regulate his inner qi, only to find that over three-tenths of his qi had become sluggish and unresponsive. As for Yang Lu, he fared even worse—immediately upon the law's influence, he felt his body weighed down as though by a mountain, barely able to summon half of his inner qi, and his expression turned slightly anxious. "Even I am being restrained—this truly is a celestial secret array." You truly have remarkable skill—managing to set up such a spell array even in the lower realm. Yet, it's somewhat incomplete; I shall have little difficulty in dismantling it." After taking a deep breath, Ma Liang burst into laughter, then suddenly opened his mouth and expelled a small parasol shimmering with vibrant jade-green light. With a simple finger gesture toward the empty space, the parasol immediately emitted a sharp cry, soaring upward toward the sky above the Blood River. As it drifted, it gently expanded into a broad, indistinct form, growing to about a li in size and then slowly unfurling. A shimmering green veil, like a curtain of mist, rolled down from within the giant parasol, completely enveloping the entire Blood River. The celestial laws that had previously affected the surrounding void were now significantly weakened—by nearly seven or eight tenths—after passing through this green veil. The Yang Lu, which had been severely impacted in the river, instantly felt a sense of relief, and her internal qi immediately regained its original vitality and fluidity. Ma Liang himself seemed to have completely freed himself from the constraints; with a fierce laugh, he suddenly raised his foot and stamped it firmly upon the blood dragon beneath him. The eight five-clawed blood dragons hidden within the river of blood leapt forth instantly from the blood water, their massive silver arcs winding around their bodies, each radiating a terrifying aura of supreme cultivation level. They surged directly toward Ming Zun and the others on the bright moon. "Let's act now. He must simultaneously withstand the celestial array's restrictions and drive the river of blood against us—his endurance can't last long. I'll summon my Four True Spirits to assist you." Ming Zun, witnessing the scene, immediately roared and, with a single hand gesture in the air, suddenly produced a purple-red seal token, which he then threw forward. A thunderclap split the sky! The token swayed and instantly transformed into a large, purple-red glyph. With a series of thunderous booms—"thunder, thunder, thunder, thunder"—the spatial ripples surged at the four corners of the river of blood, and four towering black platforms materialized out of nowhere, each hosting a monstrous, grim black beast resting upon it. These four monstrous forms were remarkably uniform, each measuring over a dozen zhang in length, with dragon heads and lion bodies. As they emerged from the elevated platform, their eyes, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened, and at the same time, they rose to their feet, raising their heads to emit a powerful roar reminiscent of a tiger's cry. "Four black nio beasts all at once! Hah! We've been kept in the dark by Ming brother for quite some time. With their aid, victory in this battle is now assured." Silver Gans immediately expressed his astonishment and excitement upon seeing these four black beasts. The others, including Wu Ling Lady, likewise displayed expressions of great joy and relief. The black nio beasts were among the top-tier true spirits, ranking nearly on par with the highest echelon true spirits such as the celestial dragons and phoenixes. Even when compared to the various true spirits of the qilin lineage, they were hardly inferior. Now, with four of them appearing simultaneously, everyone's confidence soared. When these Mahayana masters, upon seeing the four great black rhinoceros beasts shake their bodies and each surge forth a strange black wind, charging straight down toward the River of Blood, immediately launched their flight spells or summoned their divine powers, rushing toward the eight blood dragons below without hesitation. At that moment, the sky was aglow with a myriad of colorful halos, blood-colored mists swirling and surging, and thunderous explosions resonating throughout the heavens. Yet, as soon as the four black rhinoceros beasts reached the vicinity of the River of Blood, Ma Liang only smiled coldly, then pressed a single hand seal. Instantly, a surge of阴 wind rose from within the river, and the blood surged upward in great waves, suddenly transforming into four colossal blood-colored giants, each towering a hundred zhang high, bald-headed, clad in crimson armor, who raised their fists and charged directly at the rhinoceros beasts. Even before the massive fists made contact, waves of foul, nauseating bloodstains swept down, filling the air. Four black níl beasts倏地一跃, simultaneously dodged the entangling aura of blood energy and materialized like instantaneous teleportations behind the crimson giant. With a mere flick of their forelimbs, long black blades flashed and vanished, and the four massive heads immediately rolled down. The níl beasts made no pause, twisting their bodies once more and charging straight into the river of blood. Yet at that very moment, a cold, resonant "zhèn" emerged from Ma Liang's mouth. Instantly, the four beasts felt a deep, resonant hum within their heads, their bodies momentarily stalling. A series of sharp "pup" sounds followed, as dozens of blood-colored tentacles unexpectedly surged from behind and struck the níl beasts with lightning speed. The beasts barely managed a low cry, their black energy being scattered and drawn out several dozen feet, while a surge of crimson flames erupted and roared across their bodies. At that very moment, roars surged through the surging waves of blood flame, four black whirlwinds rising skyward and sweeping all the flame away, revealing four black giants, each several times larger than before. Meanwhile, not far behind these giants, the four blood-colored titans that should have been slain stood upright, their heads intact—yet from their backs, blood tendrils had begun to surge and dance erratically, their lifeless eyes fixed unblinkingly upon the four black giants.