Four colossal beasts exchanged glances, then suddenly opened their mouths wide. A deluge of dense, dark, ethereal wind blades erupted, rushing forth like a storm in all directions toward the crimson giants. These dark blades clearly differed from ordinary ones—they flickered in and out of visibility as they surged, appearing ghostly, and upon striking the crimson giants, merely flashed with a black glow before vanishing completely, dissolving both the blade and large chunks of flesh. The beasts themselves momentarily blurred, their massive forms surging forward in the wake of the wind blades. As their forelimbs swept out, a series of dark, piercing beams materialized and cut through the air. The crimson giants responded without hesitation, extending both massive hands forward to gather swirling streams of blood, while their back tendrils, dancing wildly, coalesced into a flowing curtain to meet the assault. Although these blood-colored giants were swiftly wounded, clearly no match for the black níl beasts, they possessed an immortality that allowed them to recover instantly—no matter how severely their bodies were torn or cut—as the blood river rolled back behind them. The four black níl beasts, though gaining the upper hand, showed a certain hesitation when it came to the giants' tentacles, and thus the two sides momentarily held their ground in a stalemate. "I've already cast a subtle spell to examine the array. There should be two focal points. You go and destroy one of them. Once one of the focal points is broken, I won't need to expend half my magical power merely to withstand the array's defenses—instead, I can unleash my full force and wipe out the opponent completely." Ma Liang spoke without hesitation. "Understood, subordinate, I will immediately proceed with that task. But I wonder how the owner of the other focal point intends to handle it." Yang Lu bowed and nodded, but paused slightly before asking. "Hmph. You simply do your duty—nothing more. As for the other focal point, you needn't worry about it." Ma Liang's expression darkened, and he gave a sharp exhalation. "Yes, subordinate, I've spoken out of turn. I hope the master won't mind. I will immediately go and break that other focal point." Yang Lu felt a chill run through him and quickly bowed his head. "Wait a moment—I still have two items to entrust to you." "As soon as he finished speaking, Mali raised his hand and swept toward the sky. At once, a wave of light surged from the great umbrella covering the Blood River, splitting off a cluster of emerald light that shot down, then shimmered into a miniature umbrella only a few inches in size. With the other hand, he gently touched his brow, and a luminous, round orb burst forth. "Next! This consciousness orb contains the exact locations of the array points I sensed just now. With it, you'll be able to pinpoint your position accurately, and I'll be able to monitor your condition at all times. This emerald-drenched umbrella duplicate will relieve the constraints of the magical array and its restrictions, though only for a limited time—so you'd better move swiftly and return promptly." After tossing both items, Mali issued a serious instruction. "Master, please rest assured—your servant will not let you down," Yang Lu replied, his tone grave. He then tossed the small umbrella in front of him, where it instantly expanded into a seamless sheet of emerald light, enveloping his entire body. With a mental sweep of his awareness over the orb, he rolled onto his back and revealed his original form—a deer-headed, bear-bodied creature. The colossal beast burst forth from the river of blood, plunging headlong into a cluster of great banners in one direction, and the radiance of霞light vanished instantly. When Ma Liang saw Yang Lu had moved away, he then shook his sleeve, and from it emerged a crimson jade box. With a single finger, he pointed at it. "Boom!" The lid of the box flew open, and a small figure, adorned with several golden talismans, floated out. Though seemingly only half a cun tall, the figure had long crimson hair and a ghost-faced mask. Yet, its eyes were closed, and its body was covered in a network of crimson spiritual patterns, faintly glowing with red luminescence. Ma Liang gazed at this small figure, and for the first time, a serious expression appeared on his face. Yet his hand movements remained undisturbed—he swiftly formed a single hand seal, then raised his hand to emit a silver glow. The silver glow flashed and vanished, merging seamlessly into the crimson figure's body. At that very instant, the golden talismans on the figure drifted silently to the ground, and the ghost mask, with its closed eyes, slowly opened to reveal a pair of Ma Liang didn't say a word. With a subtle surge of power in his brow, another sphere of intent materialized and, with a flick of his finger, was sent into the body of the small figure. "Go," Ma Liang said, fixing his gaze on the small figure's eyes, "and destroy the other array point. If anyone stands in your way, kill them." The crimson figure merely had its eyes flash with a faint glow before it rose into the air, spinning once in mid-flight, then vanishing into a streak of crimson light. The laws of the realm outside seemed to have no effect upon it at all. Above the full moon, Ming Zun—responsible for overseeing the overall situation and having remained uninvolved in the attack—saw the developments and his face slightly tightened. Yet after a brief consideration, he turned to the sixth-winged disciple beside him, who had likewise sustained significant energy loss and had not yet stepped forward, and said: "Six-Wing, it appears the opponent has now identified the location of the array's core. Although they have dispatched Han and Yun Dan Yue Shu, the twin siblings, to guard the core, for added security, you should still go ahead and intercept them, delaying their approach to the core as much as possible." "Master Ming, with my current condition, do you truly think I can hold them off?" Six-Wing replied, having just witnessed the scene. "Rest assured," said Ma Liang calmly, "I will not have you engage them directly. I possess a partial array disc crafted from a celestial relic known as the Xuan Tian Residual Treasure. As soon as you activate this artifact, the opponent will be temporarily contained. Should they succeed in breaking through, simply retreat with composure." "As long as it's just a matter of running around, this is quite manageable." Very well. Take out that array disk; if it truly has the effect of holding off enemies, I’d be happy to go through once myself.” After a moment’s thought, Six Wings nodded with some hesitation. Ming Zun smiled slightly, then flicked his wrist, and a previously prepared milky-white circular disk flew past to land at his side. Six Wings extended one hand, and the disk materialized silently in his grasp. After glancing at it carefully, he nodded calmly to Ming Zun. “Ice Phoenix, join us for this journey and lend a hand to Six Wings.” Ming Zun also addressed the Ice Phoenix, who stood beside him. “Very well. Since this battle concerns our very lives, it’s only natural that we contribute more effort.” Ice Phoenix smiled warmly and readily agreed. Upon hearing this, Ming Zun’s expression brightened. With a single hand gesture, he suddenly produced a slender, translucent black flag from the air, then pointed it toward the space between Six Wings and Ice Phoenix. “Boom!” As the waves of energy beneath them surged simultaneously, a vibrant, multicolored light array materialized out of nowhere, spinning smoothly and, amidst the hum, instantly transported them. "Master Ming, should I make a trip to another location? It seems here I won't be needed for the moment." Xu Jiuling's voice suddenly came from beneath Master Ming's feet. "Are you certain you can handle that little red figure? Should you end up falling into their hands, it wouldn't be a mere matter of chance." Ma Liang hesitated slightly. "Rest assured. Though its aura is somewhat unusual, it's no more than a refined spirit beast or a mythical creature in humanoid form. My cultivation technique specifically counters such beings—handling them is a matter of simple grasp, and I won't delay matters here. Moreover, if I don't go, you'll have to personally journey there yourself. Only you can leverage the power of the array to maintain control over the situation!" Xu Jiuling's voice remained calm and unhurried. "Very well. Since you've made that clear, there's little choice but to accept it." But if I send you there, don't hesitate—immediately employ your thunderous techniques to defeat the opponent and return right away." After thinking it over, Ming Zun could only agree. "Do you doubt my abilities? The entire journey—one way and back—will take no longer than a meal's time," Xuan Jiuling laughed. As the ripples in front of Ming Zun settled, a middle-aged man dressed in gray robes and with an ordinary appearance gradually emerged. Ming Zun raised his black flag slightly, then gently pointed the tip of the flag toward himself, and a five-colored light array appeared. With a radiant glow sweeping over him, the man vanished silently. Below, in the river of blood, Ma Liang, his golden glow fading, observed Ming Zun's actions in the sky, yet aside from a faintly cold expression, he made no further gestures—merely standing still in the river, watching the intense battles unfolding around him. Ming Zun saw this and naturally found great delight in his opponent's composed demeanor—just as steady as one sitting patiently on a fishing platform, standing motionless upon the full moon, with no further action. ……Han Li remained seated beneath the altar, eyes slightly closed, appearing serene and focused. Suddenly, his expression shifted, and he opened his eyes wide, gazing in surprise toward a distant direction. At the same moment, a deep rumbling sound emanated from the horizon in that direction, carrying a wave of energy that, though distant, did not pose any immediate threat to the central point of the array. However, the nearly one thousand merchant alliance soldiers guarding the array's core immediately grew alert, their expressions tense, as though facing a formidable enemy. Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly, blue light flickering within his pupils, and his gaze instantly spanned thousands of miles, clearly capturing every detail of what unfolded in the distance. There, where the sky had previously been empty, a vast, creamy-white light array had appeared without any prior notice. The array roared with thunderous sound, and within it, a colossal black silhouette several dozen zhang tall surged back and forth, yet remained unable to break free from the white light. Above the center of the array, two figures floated side by side. The woman wore a silver robe, her face beautiful, yet her expression cold and composed. The man in a white robe bore intricate gold and silver ink-like patterns etched across his cheeks. "Hmm, it's her!" Han Li quickly scanned the woman, then settled his gaze on the man in the white robe, whose face bore a resemblance to his own. A subtle surprise stirred within him, though his expression remained composed—half-smiling, half-quietly reserved.