Cultivation starts from simplifying the exercises

Chapter 2112 Sweeping Through the Army
The moment Cao Feiyu shouted "Run!", Chen Fei's eyes became unusually calm, even almost cold.

He suppressed all his worries and hesitations deep within his heart. His mind worked at an unprecedented speed, his gaze sharp as lightning, rapidly scanning every detail of the battlefield.

The trajectory of Cao Feiyu's retreat, the movement of the vengeful demon wielding its shield, the flow of black energy around its body, the ethereal and violent aura brought about by the burning of its origin, and the positions of the array bases that he had laid out in the void beforehand.

Chen Fei did not respond to Cao Feiyu's shouts, and instantly slapped the puppet next to him with his right hand.

"Buzz!"

Two profound array runes suddenly lit up in the empty eye sockets of the puppet. Just as Chen Fei's palm struck down, about three zhang behind Cao Feiyu, a void that had been empty suddenly rippled like water.

"laugh!"

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a faint yet exceptionally sharp whistling sound that pierced the very soul. A beam of pure white light, no thicker than a thumb but so dazzling that it was impossible to look directly at it, shot out from the rippling void.

This white light contains the power of a strange array that disrupts perception and dazzles the spirit. It is a variant application of a niche auxiliary array called the Bewitching Light Array, which is recorded in the Eternal Spacetime Array Manual that Chen Fei has mastered. It is specifically designed to target the soul and senses.

The white light moved faster than anyone could imagine. Almost instantly, it traversed the distance and shone precisely on the eyes of the vengeful demon Ke Muqing, which were burning with pitch-black flames.

Moreover, the moment the white light shone into his eyes, the light seemed to become tangible, penetrating directly into the depths of his eye sockets and, along some mysterious connection, reflecting and infiltrating the core of his soul inside his skull.

"Hmm?" Ke Muqing let out a low growl mixed with shock, anger and discomfort.

The pure white, blazing, and dazzling light, like a red-hot iron needle, pierced deep into Ke Muqing's sea of ​​consciousness, which was filled with endless resentment and violent killing intent. The scene before Ke Muqing's eyes shook and distorted violently.

Cao Feiyu's retreating figure seemed to multiply into several overlapping ones, blurring the surrounding space and causing a slight sluggishness in the perception of energy flow.

The trajectory of the jet-black shield blade, about to strike its target, deviated by an extremely slight degree. More importantly, Ke Muqing's soul lock-on experienced a momentary interruption and blurring.

However, Ke Muqing was, after all, a vengeful demon at the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm, and a mad being who burned his origin and forcibly pushed his power to the late-stage level. His soul might be chaotic due to resentment, but its resilience and tolerance for pain far exceeded that of ordinary beings.

"A trivial skill!"

An angry mental roar exploded in his sea of ​​consciousness. The invading dazzling power, like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, was instantly dispelled and annihilated by the even more violent resentment and dark power in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Burning one's source not only increases power, but also temporarily strengthens one's soul and resistance to negative status effects.

The glare only lasted for a negligible moment.

When Ke Muqing saw Cao Feiyu clearly again and locked onto her aura, his massive body continued to swing his shield without the slightest pause or change.

As if the momentary interference with his soul had never happened, the violent power brought by burning his source energy supported him in forcibly maintaining the continuity of his attack.

The thick, black shield blade, still carrying the power to split mountains and cleave the seas, slashed towards Cao Feiyu at the waist with its original trajectory and speed.

For a swordsman of Cao Feiyu's level, every subtle change in battle could mean life or death.

In the instant that Ke Muqing's soul became blurred by the dazzling light, and the attack caused a barely perceptible tremor, Cao Feiyu's crystal-clear combat intuition immediately captured this fleeting opportunity.

She didn't know how Chen Fei had done it, nor did she need to know. All she knew was that the enemy had shown a fleeting weakness. And that weakness might be her only chance to escape this desperate situation.

Without the slightest hesitation, the sword energy within Cao Feiyu's body, which had been poised to withstand the impact, suddenly began to circulate in an even more refined manner.

Her figure, which was originally drifting backward with the wind pressure of the shield blade, seemed to be suddenly pulled to the side by an invisible force.

It's not linear acceleration, nor is it simple lateral movement; rather, it's an extreme change of direction that combines spatial displacement with exquisite body techniques.

Cao Feiyu's body traced an illogical zigzag in the air, shifting precisely one foot to her right at the last moment before the shield blade struck her.

This one-foot distance may seem insignificant under normal circumstances, but at this moment, it is a chasm between life and death.

At the same time, the longsword in her hand, which had been poised to strike, no longer attempted to block the main body of the shield. Instead, the tip of the sword lightly touched the thick, sharp edge of the black shield blade.

"Ding!"

A crisp yet subtle sword rang out as the sword tip collided with the edge of the shield blade, sending up a trail of fine sparks.

Cao Feiyu's wrist vibrated at a high speed that was imperceptible to the naked eye. Her longsword touched the edge of the shield and moved away in an instant. The immense force transmitted by the sword was mostly guided to the void beside her by her exquisite force-dissipating technique, while a small part was used for her own benefit.

Under the combined effect of this force and her own burst of power, her figure, which had just shifted a foot to the side, was like a leaf swept up by a gale, drifting and spinning backward at an even faster speed.

The black shield blade that should have severed her in half was slightly deflected due to Cao Feiyu's crucial one-foot sideways movement and the longsword's exquisite touch.

"call!"

The incredibly heavy shield blade, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, tore several rips in Cao Feiyu's left sleeve, causing a burning pain to her exposed skin. Her protective sword energy flickered violently, but ultimately, she was not hit head-on.

"Boom!"

The black shield blade, having lost its target, still slammed down with undiminished force onto the ground where Cao Feiyu had been standing.

A deafening roar, far more muffled and terrifying than any previous collision, erupted, and a massive chasm, tens of miles long, several feet wide, and bottomless in depth, instantly formed around the point where the shield blade struck.

Countless fragments of stone, mixed with the squeezed-out dark red soil, shot into the sky, forming a huge fan shape that scatters outwards. The violent shockwave swept outwards like a tsunami, plowing through the already ravaged battlefield once again.

Although Cao Feiyu had used the force to fly back, she was still hit hard by the violent aftershock. Her delicate body trembled violently, and her protective sword energy groaned under the strain. Finally, a trace of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

She endured the churning blood and qi within her body and the stinging pain in her meridians, using the force of the impact to fly backward at an even faster speed, trying to widen the distance between herself and Ke Muqing.

However, the seriousness and urgency in her eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

The near-death experience she had just witnessed made her realize even more clearly how terrifying Ke Muqing was at this moment; it was a power that she could not possibly match head-on.

Chen Fei's interference just now, though clever and buying her a chance to survive, must have also enraged this crazed demon. From now on, Ke Muqing's attacks will only become more ferocious and relentless.

Cao Feiyu barely managed to steady herself, her gaze quickly sweeping over Chen Fei, who was still standing in the distance, her anxiety growing even stronger. She knew Chen Fei wanted to help her; that dazzling light attack had indeed saved her life, but now was not the time to act rashly.

"Chen Fei, hurry up, I can't stop him!" Cao Feiyu shouted again, her voice more urgent than before, even carrying a rare hint of severity.

As she continued to fly backward, her longsword was already held horizontally in front of her, its blade ringing out, and fine sword energy swirled around her, forming layer upon layer of sword energy defense. She was clearly prepared to face Ke Muqing's next round of frenzied attacks.

"There's still a chance, Senior Sister. He's not a true late-stage Tai Cang Realm cultivator."

Faced with Cao Feiyu's second, even more urgent urging, Chen Fei did not flee alone.

His gaze was fixed on the massive figure that had just reappeared from the smoke and dust of the shield blade strike, and he responded in a steady and clear voice.

The moment Ke Muqing erupted and his aura surged to the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm, Chen Fei had already seen through him from the inside out, from the core of his power to the flow of his aura.

He saw the unstable foundation beneath that violent power, the volatile state of its soul fire core like a candle flickering in the wind, and the truth that its life essence was being irreversibly consumed by the strange black energy burning wildly within it.

This is not a true breakthrough, but a fleeting glory gained by drinking poison to quench thirst and overdrawing everything.

Before he finished speaking, Chen Fei's hands had already turned into a blur, and countless profound hand seals were cast into the array puppets beside him and into the void.

"Buzz!"

Centered on Ke Muqing, within a radius of dozens of miles, hundreds of array patterns of different colors suddenly lit up in the void.

These light bands did not appear out of thin air, but were the array patterns that Chen Fei had inscribed in advance in the surrounding space using a secret method from the Eternal Spacetime Array Manual, and were now being activated by him.

These array patterns and light bands quickly intertwined and connected, outlining a huge three-dimensional array phantom covering a wide area, firmly enveloping Ke Muqing, who had just pulled his shield blade from the ground.

The array's light swirled, emanating a mixed aura of confinement, stagnation, weakening, and illusion.

Chen Fei's words and actions naturally did not escape the notice of Ke Muqing, who was standing nearby.

His eyes, burning with dark flames, turned to Chen Fei, and seemed to flicker slightly, as if he were sizing up this ant who had repeatedly caused him trouble.

Ke Muqing did not rush to break free from the newly formed array's restraints. Instead, he stopped his attack on Cao Feiyu and allowed the array's light bands to envelop him.

He grinned, revealing a ferocious, mocking, and cruel smile, and his hoarse, deep voice once again echoed in Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu's minds.

“He’s right, I’m not a true late-stage Tai Cang Realm cultivator.”

Ke Muqing's gaze swept between Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu, finally settling on Cao Feiyu, who had just regained her balance and was slightly pale. His dark, flame-like eyes became even more unfathomable.

"But killing you all should be enough!"

Ke Muqing spoke those last words almost deliberately, each syllable carrying undisguised contempt and a determination to kill.

Before he finished speaking, Ke Muqing's already violent aura surged again, and the viscous black energy surrounding him churned violently, as if it were burning and roaring.

He didn't care at all that Chen Fei had seen through his true nature. Even if it was just the temporary power of the late-stage Tai Cang Realm, killing a mid-stage and an early-stage cultivator would be as easy as crushing two insects.

Ke Muqing made a move. He didn't even bother to discern the specific mysteries of the surrounding formation, nor did he search for the formation's core or weaknesses. He simply chose the most brute and direct approach.

"Roar!"

With a short, violent roar, Ke Muqing's thick, ferocious right arm, muscles bulging and fingers like hooks, grabbed the pitch-black, vengeful shield that was stuck diagonally into the ground.

This time, he didn't even fully raise the shield. He simply gripped the edge of the shield with one hand, then used his waist as an axis to unleash his full power, sweeping across the surrounding array of light patterns that were rapidly closing in, attempting to form a binding force.

"Waaah!"

The shield was swung, unleashing a thick, mountain-like arc of dark light. Wherever the arc passed, destruction was swift and devastating; the newly lit, not yet fully stable array patterns snapped and shattered like threads struck by a sharp blade.

The imprisoning aura, the slowing force field, and the weakening aura generated by the formation melted away and vanished quickly in the face of this absolute power, like ice and snow under the sun.

The complex trap set up by Chen Fei was wiped out by Ke Muqing's tyrannical attack, which lasted for more than a moment.

The backlash from the formation caused the puppet controlling it in the distance to involuntarily take a step back, its body flashing with light.

After clearing away the surrounding array obstacles, Ke Muqing's gaze, burning with pitch-black flames, once again locked onto Cao Feiyu.

The sudden glare that had just appeared caused his sure-fire attack to miss, which undoubtedly enraged him. He would never allow the same mistake to happen again.

"Now, let's see who can save you."

With a mental roar filled with killing intent, Ke Muqing's massive body crouched slightly, and the ground beneath his feet cracked again, clearly indicating that he was about to launch a thunderous attack to crush Cao Feiyu, the insect who had injured him, with the fastest speed and the strongest power.

However, just as Ke Muqing exerted force with his feet and was about to rush towards Cao Feiyu, another unexpected event occurred.

"Shhhhhh!"

A series of rapid, slight whooshing sounds rang out simultaneously from different directions around Ke Muqing's body, almost one after the other.

Nine chains of different colors, formed entirely from array runes, shot out and locked onto Ke Muqing's limbs, joints, waist, abdomen, neck, and other vital areas.

The Eternal Void Array Classic's characteristic of concealing arrays within the void suddenly revealed a tremendous advantage at this moment.

Even though Ke Muqing used brute force to sweep through and destroy most of the array patterns and spiritual light, it only damaged part of the function of this complex trapping array.

Those sub-arrays truly hidden deep within the void remained unaffected. As long as Chen Fei, the main array master, retained his divine sense, he could activate these hidden ambush units at any time.

"Puff puff……"

The sound of chains snapping against his body rang out one after another. Ke Muqing had clearly not expected that after he had swept away the surrounding formations with lightning speed, there would still be attacks coming from such a tricky position.

Although he reacted extremely quickly and formed a stronger defense on his body covered by black energy, five chains still managed to successfully wrap around his left wrist, right ankle, left knee, waist, and neck in the rush.

"Ok?"

Ke Muqing let out a low roar, a mixture of shock, rage, and impatience. The power he gained from burning his source energy in the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm granted him near-overwhelming strength, but it also made his temperament more irritable and easily angered.

Ke Muqing lowered his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the chains on his body that shimmered with different lights and were constantly fighting against the protective black energy. On his stone-like face, undisguised disgust, irritability, and impatience were clearly visible.

The binding and offensive power inherent in these chains, in absolute terms, is indeed no match for the vast demonic energy he possesses at the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm.

Ultimately, it was created by a formation master in the early stage of the Tai Cang Realm, who used exquisite formation techniques to activate and draw upon the primordial energy of heaven and earth.

Its essential rules of confinement, delay, and erosion are real and undeniable. When these forces act on key points in his body, especially given his current surge in power and the fact that his control is not yet perfectly smooth, the resulting interference cannot be completely ignored.

Ke Muqing suddenly turned his head, his eyes, burning with black flames, fixed on Chen Fei in the distance.

At this moment, in his eyes, Chen Fei was an eyesore that was getting in his way, so the best course of action was to kick the pebble away first and then continue doing what he wanted to do.

"You want to die first? Then I'll grant your wish!"

A hoarse, low roar, filled with impatience and killing intent, crashed into Chen Fei's mind. Before the words had even finished, Ke Muqing's massive body, bound by several rune chains, shuddered violently.

"Buzz!"

The runic chains binding his body were instantly stretched taut, emitting a groan of unbearable strain. Light flashed wildly across the chains, the runes flickering intensely, attempting to resist the overwhelming, terrifying force.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A series of crisp, snapping sounds, like breaking strings, rang out almost simultaneously. The rune chains broke inch by inch under the force of Ke Muqing's simple and brutal body.

Breaking free from all constraints, the rocky ground beneath Ke Muqing's feet silently caved in and cracked, a violent force gathering beneath his feet. In the next instant, he would wipe this annoying pebble from the world with overwhelming force.

However, just as Ke Muqing broke the chains and locked his killing intent on Chen Fei, a cold and resolute sword light, like a silver flying fish swimming upstream, reappeared beside Ke Muqing, aiming straight for his head.

It's Cao Feiyu.

"laugh!"

The sword light was condensed into a single line, carrying unparalleled sharpness. This sword strike was not intended to kill, but only to stop the enemy.

Cao Feiyu had already clearly realized a cruel reality: given the speed at which this vengeful demon was currently unleashing its power, it was absolutely impossible for her to escape safely with Chen Fei.

If the two were to flee separately, Chen Fei would inevitably become their primary target.

When she saw Ke Muqing break the chains and lock onto Chen Fei with undisguised killing intent, all hesitation and weighing of options became unnecessary.

Therefore, the instant Ke Muqing turned to face Chen Fei, Cao Feiyu had already become one with her sword, pushing her speed and sword momentum to the limit, and charged forward again without hesitation, placing herself between Ke Muqing and Chen Fei.

With her sword, she built a barrier for Chen Fei, even though this barrier seemed so fragile in the face of the raging demonic power.