Chapter 1673 Swallowing
“Killing these demonic shadows here will only embolden the evil power of this realm!” Zhang Xuan’s heart sank.
More Devouring Path Demon Shadows surged in from all directions, some of which even retained parts of their original divine abilities.
"We can't stay here any longer. We must find a way out, or... find the weakness of this 'mouth'!"
Zhang Xuan's mind raced. While using his supernatural powers to repel or avoid the attacking demonic shadows and Dao corpses with minimal consumption, he also spread out the threads of cause and effect to the maximum extent, attempting to decipher the rules and structure of this place.
However, the devouring power of this mouth is omnipresent, even slowly consuming divine sense, greatly limiting its detection range.
"We have no choice but to use our trump card!"
He directly urged the True Immortal Puppet to clear the way ahead.
The True Immortal Puppet unleashed a punch, its immense immortal energy transforming into a tangible shockwave that cleared a temporary safe zone.
Similarly, the scattered energy was still rapidly absorbed by the space.
Zhang Xuan followed closely behind, speeding in that direction.
Suddenly, the entire space shook violently!
The surrounding causal threads tightened, and the upper jaw above slammed down with a speed far exceeding that of before!
At the same time, the suction force below increased several times!
This was a violent swallowing!
Zhang Xuan felt a tightness all over his body, the illusory power of the Great Dao Tree twisted violently, and the illusory image of the Imperial Palace flickered uncertainly.
The True Immortal Puppet burst forth with dazzling immortal light, its palms reaching for the sky, forcefully holding back the dense causal threads on its upper jaw. However, its body was also being pulled downwards by the terrifying suction force.
"You can't resist!"
A fierce glint flashed in Zhang Xuan's eyes. He knew that if he was successfully swallowed this time and fell deep into his throat, he would probably be doomed forever.
"The Puppet Palace, appear!"
Without hesitation, he summoned the exquisite Tongtian Lingbao Puppet Palace.
The puppet palace exuded an ancient and desolate aura, enveloping Zhang Xuan and the True Immortal puppet.
The palace's surface defenses were fully activated, barely managing to withstand the crushing and suction forces from the outside world.
But that's not enough!
This devouring rule was too domineering, and the protective shield of the puppet palace was dimming at a visible speed, its energy being rapidly consumed.
Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth, made hand seals, and activated the half-step eighth-order array within the True Demon Body, which was naturally generated by the powerful cultivators of the Shangjing Immortal Mansion!
"Om-!"
A formation far more magnificent than the puppet palace suddenly unfolded around him!
The array diagrams activate the earth's fire and feng shui, evolving into yin and yang and the five elements.
Although it cannot fully display the power of a half-step eighth-level being due to the suppression of the rules here, the stable isolation and self-contained Daoist charm it exudes protects the puppet palace and forcibly opens up a relatively independent safe zone in this mouth!
The light of the Myriad Things Return to Nothingness Formation clashed violently with the devouring rules of the mouth, producing a sizzling, ear-piercing sound.
The light barrier of the great formation continued to distort and fluctuate, but it ultimately managed to temporarily withstand the swallowing force.
The surge in suction subsided slightly.
This violent swallowing finally subsided.
Zhang Xuan stood at the core of the Myriad Manifestations Return to Nothingness Formation, breathing slightly heavily.
Activating this half-step eighth-order grand formation was a huge burden for him, especially having to continuously resist the devouring rules of this place.
The True Immortal Puppet stood beside him, its dark golden body bearing some marks of corrosion and impact, but it was not seriously damaged.
Inside the puppet palace, he looked out of the great formation. Beneath the dark red void, countless demonic shadows and Dao corpses lingered, yet they could not approach the range of the Myriad Manifestations Return to the Void Great Formation.
"We're safe for now... but we're completely trapped." Zhang Xuan frowned.
The Myriad Manifestations Return to the Void Grand Formation, an eighth-order formation, can withstand attacks for a time, but it cannot last.
Moreover, energy replenishment is extremely difficult in this place, and the consumption far exceeds the recovery.
Once the immortal essence stones supplying the great formation are exhausted, or if this mouth launches an even more ferocious devouring attack, the consequences will be unimaginable.
He tried to communicate with the Starry Sky Order, but found that the spatial blockade and rule suppression in this place were extremely powerful, making it impossible to make effective contact with the Myriad Elephant Merchant Alliance.
"We must find a way to get out of this predicament..."
Zhang Xuan sat down cross-legged, maintaining the operation of the Myriad Manifestations Returning to Nothingness Array while fully activating his own Void Great Dao Tree, especially the Causal Branch and the Spatial Branch, in an attempt to find a weak point.
Divine consciousness struggled to extend under the interference of the devouring power, and the causal threads were sorted out amidst the chaos.
He sensed that the core principle of this mouth was an extreme form of devouring and digestion; it devoured all energy and laws, transforming them into nourishment for its own growth.
Those demonic shadows and Dao corpses are nothing more than residue produced during the digestion process.
"Unlike the Eye Outpost, this place is purely for feeding..."
Zhang Xuan understood more deeply, but also felt the situation was even more difficult.
Dealing with a mouth full of rules driven by appetite is far more dangerous and direct than dealing with an eye full of rules driven by indifferent observation.
Time passed unnoticed by Zhang Xuan in this despairing and eerie space.
He could only sense that the energy of the Myriad Manifestations Returning to the Void Formation was being consumed little by little, and the demonic shadows outside were gathering more and more, among which some powerful Devouring Dao Demonic Shadows with auras comparable to those of the early Mahayana stage had even begun to appear.
They continuously impacted the light barrier of the great formation, stirring up ripples.
And the rhythmic swallowing motions seemed to be shortening in intervals, with each swallow becoming more powerful than the last.
He tried to distort space with the power of gravity to create instability, or to slash at the void with the sharpness of the Blade of Death in an attempt to sever certain key causal connections. He even unleashed the full power of the True Immortal Puppet to bombard a point on the "upper jaw" or "lower jaw"...
But the effects were minimal.
This mouth, formed by causal threads, is perfectly integrated and possesses extremely strong resilience.
Unless its core can be fundamentally destroyed in one strike, it will be difficult to shake.
Another violent swallowing attack came!
This time, the light screen of the Myriad Manifestations Return to the Void Array emitted a tooth-grinding groan, its light dimming by more than 30% in an instant!
The base of the array even began to show tiny cracks!
Zhang Xuan grunted, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He forcefully suppressed his surging blood and qi, urging the Great Dao Tree to stabilize the great formation.
"No, if this continues, the great formation will surely break after enduring two or three more of these swallowings at most!"
A sense of crisis crept into my heart.
He used every trick in the book and revealed his trump cards frequently, but he could only barely protect himself in this desperate situation, trapped in a predicament with no end in sight.
His gaze swept over the hideous demonic figures outside the formation, sensing the unfathomable depths of their throats, and a wave of discouragement washed over him.
"Could it be that I'm about to perish in this strange mouth, becoming its food after it digests me, having just advanced to the Mahayana stage?"
The light barrier of the natural array swayed violently under another intense swallowing impact, and cracks spread like a spider web at the base of the array, emitting a "crackling" sound as it struggled under the strain.
Zhang Xuan's face was pale. He forcibly activated the Void Dao Tree, and the Huangji Palace drew upon the Primordial Purple Qi of the Primordial River and his own myriad Daos to infuse the array eye, barely managing to stabilize the array that was on the verge of collapse.
