Chapter 228: Chapter 228: Entering the Illusion Array Again

Once he figured out how to break the Stone Statue Sword Array, Shen Haoran stopped blindly dodging. He started intentionally herding the statues closer together.

Fortunately, the statues had no minds of their own; they only attacked based on Shen Haoran’s aura.

Slowly, the sixteen stone statues converged, leaving Shen Haoran with no room left to dodge.

But there wasn’t a trace of panic on Shen Haoran’s face. The corners of his mouth lifted into a grin, and he actually began to laugh.

WHOOSH...

A huge Stone Sword came crashing down toward Shen Haoran, carrying with it an oppressive gale.

At the sight, Shen Haoran’s figure blurred. He leaped onto the body of the giant statue, as nimble as a monkey.

BOOM! BOOM!

The statues were packed tightly together. As their Stone Swords swept out, a series of explosive cracks echoed. Countless stone fragments flew through the air, along with severed limbs and arms!

Seeing this, Shen Haoran sneered. He used the flying debris as footholds and continued leaping to other statues.

The statues were completely oblivious to the fact they had fallen into Shen Haoran’s trap. All they knew was to blindly swing their Stone Swords in his direction.

The next moment, the entire square descended into chaos. With every swing of their Stone Swords, more and more statues fell, littering the ground with their heads and limbs.

BOOM...

With another deafening crash, Shen Haoran lured the last two statues into striking each other with their massive Stone Swords. Both statues collapsed with a thunderous roar. Now, Shen Haoran was the only one left standing in the square.

PANT... PANT...

Looking at the field of shattered statues, Shen Haoran leaned against the blade of a Broken Sword, panting heavily.

’Using their own spears to attack their own shields...’ This seemingly simple method was incredibly difficult to execute. The statues’ attacks were fast and ruthless, and luring them was extremely risky. One careless slip and a Stone Sword would have smashed him into a pulp. Fortunately, Shen Haoran’s Nine Heavens Shocking Cloud Step had reached Minor Achievement. He’d relied on its ghost-like speed to save his life several times during moments of crisis. And after all this, his Nine Heavens Shocking Cloud Step had even shown signs of a major breakthrough!

Haaa...

Shen Haoran took a deep breath. After a brief rest, he started walking toward the other side of the square. ’Who knows what other bizarre things might happen if I stay here? Better to get moving.’

Crossing the square, Shen Haoran came to a stop before a massive Bronze Gate.

Staring at the Bronze Gate, which stood over twenty feet tall, Shen Haoran’s Heart Spirit trembled. Carved upon the two doors were two enormous Ancient Fierce Beasts. A faint, malevolent aura radiated from them. The beasts were surrounded by archaic, incomprehensible runes, but most were obscured by patina, making them difficult to see clearly. Just standing before the gate, he could feel an ancient, primordial presence wash over him.

"This must be a relic from the ancient era," Shen Haoran murmured. ’This Secret Realm was left behind from ancient times, so this Bronze Gate must be from that period, too.’

’The Fire Spirit Pearl for the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian is in there!’ Through the Bronze Gate, Shen Haoran sensed a familiar aura. What’s more, just standing here made the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian within him grow restless. An extremely intense craving was transmitted to Shen Haoran, as if it couldn’t wait to burst through the Bronze Gate.

"Well then, let’s go in," Shen Haoran said, taking a deep breath to suppress his excitement. ’The Fire Spirit Pearl is right in front of me. I’m finally going to obtain the complete Fire Spirit!’

Taking a deep breath, he placed both hands on the Bronze Gate. Power surged forth as he pushed with all his might!

"HRAAAGH!"

The Bronze Gate was incredibly heavy. Shen Haoran let out a roar, veins bulging on his arms. Under the immense force, the Bronze Gate began to give way.

RUMBLE...

With a deafening rumble and a shower of dust, the Bronze Gate slowly swung open. A wave of scorching heat washed over him. Sensing this energy, the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian within him flared violently. If Shen Haoran hadn’t been suppressing it, it would have already burst out of his body.

Forcibly suppressing the rampaging Fire Spirit Black Obsidian inside him, Shen Haoran peered warily through the Bronze Gate. But it was pitch-black within; he couldn’t see a thing.

However, Shen Haoran didn’t sense any danger from within the Bronze Gate. He let out a sigh of relief and stepped inside.

But the moment both his feet crossed the threshold, a powerful sense of unease washed over him.

’Not good!’ Shen Haoran cried inwardly. But before he could retreat, the Bronze Gate slammed shut with a BOOM. Immediately, a black mist extended from the pitch-black depths and bound him in place. In an instant, the black mist completely enveloped him.

BUZZ...

A ringing exploded in his mind, and the world began to spin. It was a long moment before his senses returned to normal.

"Ugh... ah..."

Shen Haoran rubbed his throbbing head and slowly opened his eyes. When he saw the scene before him, he couldn’t help but gasp.

He now found himself in a pitch-black space, surrounded by eternally burning black flames. It was the fire of the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian; something Shen Haoran knew all too well.

"Where is this place?" Shen Haoran’s brow furrowed. He scanned his surroundings warily, but there was nothing to see but endless darkness.

Shen Haoran took a step, then another, moving slowly forward.

"Brother Haoran, Brother Haoran..."

Suddenly, a voice like silver bells rang in his ear, sounding so familiar and dear.

’Ling’Er?’ Shen Haoran’s heart jolted. ’Isn’t that Ling’Er’s voice?’

At this thought, Shen Haoran peered into the distance. Not far away, a graceful young lady was running toward him. Looking at her, wasn’t that the little girl from the Shen Family who used to follow him around everywhere—Shen Ling’Er?

Looking at her familiar face, Shen Haoran couldn’t help but feel a surge of nostalgia. ’How long has it been? More than three years... I haven’t seen this little girl in so long. I can’t believe she’s grown up to be so beautiful.’

But then, Shen Haoran suddenly felt that something was wrong. The face of the Shen Ling’Er before him slowly turned sorrowful. By the time she reached him, her face was already stained with tears.

"Brother Haoran, Grandpa... Grandpa and the others... sob..." Shen Ling’Er whimpered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Shen Haoran had never seen Shen Ling’Er so grief-stricken. A pang of pain shot through his heart, and he asked gently, "Ling’Er, what’s wrong?"

But Shen Ling’Er didn’t answer him. Instead, she turned and ran off, still crying. Seeing this, Shen Haoran quickly gave chase.

Shen Ling’Er didn’t run far. A few minutes later, she stopped and pointed ahead, tears streaming endlessly from her eyes.

Shen Haoran looked in the direction Shen Ling’Er was pointing. When he saw the scene before him, a terrifying aura erupted from within his body. The dense, murderous energy made the very space around him begin to ripple. His eyes turned blood-red, and in that instant, even the air itself seemed to freeze...