Chapter 1174: Array within an Array

With the alliance of the three Heavenly Dao masters, most of the pressure from the Tian Gang Sword Array was reduced. The remaining dozen or so Mythical Realm experts only needed to take care of the injured and fend off any stray attackers. The forty-nine divine swords didn’t even have the power to break through defenses and were repeatedly repelled by groups of three experts round after round.

As time passed, by the eleventh round, the lethality of the Tian Gang Sword Array suddenly doubled. The forty-nine Tian Gang swords, grouped in sets of seven, surged forward in waves!

“Be careful!”

None of them were amateurs. Sensing the change in the Tian Gang Sword Array, they all warned each other and heightened their vigilance.

When the seven swords reached the periphery of the crowd, they suddenly transformed into sharp, blinding sword beams, instantly enveloping Osaaya, Bi Xuan, and Old Master Qin.

“Not good!”

“It’s an array within an array!”

“Be careful on your own!”

While this side received more comprehensive protection—facing four groups of the small sword arrays—the other side dealt with seven groups. The three experts at the level of Unity with Heaven had no time to help others and could only shout for those behind them to protect themselves.

Yet, when the seven swords combined, they were invincible, causing even the Mythical Realm experts to feel dread…

Swish!!!

The seven divine swords resonated with each other, their sharpness complementing one another, acting like a terrifying cutting machine. The moment they charged into the crowd, several Mythical Realm experts at the outermost edges were torn apart into pieces. The force was as if they were simultaneously under the assault of seven peak Mythical Realm experts fighting desperately.

Even the Heavenly Dao masters found the array within an array extremely troublesome, forced to retreat repeatedly, breaking away from the main group to seek open spaces to fight.

Osaaya somehow obtained a pair of crescent-shaped weapons and danced with them to defend against the relentless attacks of the divine swords. The clanging sound was incessant, with dazzling sparks flying from the weapons. She could no longer worry about the safety of Xikai and the Thousand-Faced Fox.

After all, Bi Xuan was an experienced Heavenly Dao master. Facing the array within an array, he was slightly more proactive than Osaaya. With a long black iron spear, he easily disrupted the coordination among the sword arrays and knocked several divine swords aside with ease, showing overwhelming dominance!

However…

With each of Bi Xuan’s moves, gusts of wind erupted, stirring up sand and dust. His approach was far less refined and calm compared to Osaaya’s, and he couldn’t fight near the team, let alone rescue the group of Mythical Realm subordinates.

In contrast, Old Master Qin was the only one who never strayed far from the team.

Under the pressure of the Small Sword Formation, his hands swiftly plucked out a series of resounding and intense notes on the worn, simple wooden zither. In an instant! A magnificent stream of sound blades formed in the air, crushing the Small Sword Formation mercilessly. The sharp sound blades struck repeatedly against the seven divine weapons of the sword formation, forcing the Small Sword Formation to retreat repeatedly… Noticing this scene… Not only was Kai Xin filled with joy but also other experts of the Heavenly Dao felt the terrifying strength of this usually low-key old man who played the zither. His zither skills had reached such a profound level! Among the experts of the Heavenly Dao, he could probably rival the veteran martial lord Bi Xuan, even having advantages in some aspects. Yet the latter had always concealed his true strength, acting like a humble elder in his later years, never posing any threat until now when he revealed his true power. “Who exactly is this expert with such advanced zither skills?” Kai Xin pondered while closely watching the fourth Tian Gang Small Sword Formation advancing from the outside, quickly shoving aside his doubts and focusing entirely on dealing with the fiercely advancing sword formation… As expected! In this game, it was the players who truly received priority care. With so many experts of the Heavenly Dao not getting fair treatment, it was surprising that just one player received such high-level attention. Ah!!! “Run!” “Hurry up and run!” The group of experts at the Mythical Realm level, as the Small Sword Formation effortlessly killed several of their companions and pushed them further into the formation, immediately lost their composure. Ignoring the injured who couldn’t move on the ground, they fled at full speed. Sensing the sudden change around them, those who had been meditating to heal their wounds opened their eyes… What they saw were dazzling and blinding beams of sword light! It was too fast. Several people were pierced by the divine weapons as soon as they opened their eyes, blood filling the air. “…” Over there, the old man who played the zither saw more than a dozen of his subordinates die in an instant. A look of pity and anger flashed in his eyes, but he couldn’t divert his attention to take care of the two Small Sword Formations either. He could only watch helplessly as the fourth Small Sword Formation pursued the remaining people at an astonishing speed. In just one glance… the old man realized that the trajectory of the Small Sword Formation was heading straight for the old man and the young girl under Osaaya’s protection… Huh! It was only at this moment that the old man truly realized it. After dozens of rounds of attacks from the Tian Gang Sword Formation, many experts in the late Mythical Realm and at the peak of the Mythical Realm had died, but these two of lower cultivation levels had remained unharmed—truly a miracle.

But…
The good fortune must have come to an end by now.
Even experts at the Heavenly Dao level had to exert all their strength to deal with the attacks of the Small Sword Array. How could a mere boy, not even at the Mythical Realm level, survive?
Yet…
The Sword Array moved faster than any light-footed technique. In the blink of an eye, the old man and the young boy were caught up!
What happened next took everyone by surprise.
“Master!”
As the Thousand-Faced Fox retreated in panic, it was still quickly caught up by the Small Sword Array. Just as it was about to be consumed, Happy pushed it several feet away, just in time to divert it from the Sword Array’s path.
However, Happy thus fell within the Sword Array’s crushing range!
Before the Sword Array could reach him, seven sharp sword beams rushed at him. The intense pressure, along with the cold air from thousands of meters above, made it feel like there was no place to hide.
But Happy didn’t give up easily…
He had already taken the Heavenly Crystal Sword with him a moment earlier. In his hand now was a dark, heavy giant sword he hadn’t used in some time—the Dark Iron Heavy Sword!
The elegant young man still carried a somewhat carefree and unrestrained aura with the Heavenly Crystal, but with the Dark Iron Heavy Sword in hand, that aura vanished completely. It seemed as though the Dark Iron Heavy Sword became the focus at that moment, overshadowing everything about Happy.
But only Happy knew that against the overwhelming power of the Tian Gang Small Sword Array, the crushing and blocking effects of the Dark Iron Heavy Sword were undoubtedly the best choice.
Clang!
Clang clang clang clang!!!
A series of metallic clashes rang out as the attacks streaked past the Dark Iron Heavy Sword. All of them were blocked by Happy without fail.
“As expected, as long as I don’t attack, the Sword Array won’t change its tactics…”
After that strike, the Sword Array didn’t lose its momentum. Driven by its invisible force, it quickly reformed and continued to swing at him.
Although Happy only gained a little time, it was enough for experts like the Thousand-Faced Fox to retreat to a relatively safe area.
Driven by life energy, the Small Sword Array naturally focused on the nearest target and continued to chase relentlessly!
With the experience from before, Happy repeated his tactic!
Instead of attacking first, he used the blocking ability of the Dark Iron Heavy Sword and its evasive capabilities to shift all of the Sword Array’s attacks onto the sword itself…
Clang clang clang!!
Another series of metal clashes.
But this time, Happy didn’t let the Sword Array retreat easily. After blocking another round of attacks in an instant, he swept with the Dark Iron Heavy Sword, creating a dazzling sword aura.
Whoosh!!!
A gust of wind swept through the air.
“Ding ding dang!!!”

The sword formation, which hadn’t had time to be reorganized, was struck hard by an astonishingly powerful shockwave from a sword energy wave. The seven divine weapons were swept together on the spot, leaving seven glaring fire serpents scorching across the ground.

Happy’s success didn’t earn applause from the mythic realm experts around him. As if witnessing something utterly incredible, a group of mythic realm experts stared at the young man in white holding the black iron heavy sword with uncertain gazes, their expressions flickering as they wondered what was going on.

Osaaya heaved a silent sigh of relief upon seeing that nothing bad had happened to Happy; however, Bi Xuan and Old Master Qin were truly shocked! They were well aware of the power of the small sword formation. It was already remarkable to withstand just one round of attacks, yet the opponent had managed to destroy it in one go—a feat beyond what even the peak of the mythic realm could achieve. As they grew uneasy, both of them instinctively glanced at Osaaya, finally beginning to understand why she had brought along a boy with seemingly weak cultivation to the Desert Palace.

Happy’s display of strength also shocked several Heavenly Dao experts on another battlefield…

The man in green armor with fangs had his hands behind his back and remained unharmed by the small sword formation, observing the whole situation from the sidelines. Naturally, what was happening with Happy came under his notice. A flash of surprise flashed beneath his mask.

“So it’s him.”

The Evil King, the Dark Queen, Wanwan, and the others recognized the true identity of the young man in white through the black iron heavy sword and his combat style, their expressions immediately turning serious. The Evil King had personal experience with Happy’s strength! The power Happy had displayed just now was clearly even more refined, and he was likely no longer inferior to ordinary Heavenly Dao experts. With Osaaya by his side, whose strength seemed on par with that of the Evil King and the Dark Queen, this was not good news for them. Among the eight Heavenly Dao experts, only the Evil King and the Dark Queen were on the same side. With two such experts, they had always believed they were the most likely candidates to claim the treasures of the Desert Palace. But now, it seemed things had changed slightly.

Ye Gucheng and Dongfang Bubai, busy dealing with the attacks of the Tian Gang Small Sword Formation, couldn’t see the full picture. They were merely astonished by the young man in white’s strength and nothing more.

However…

The Tian Gang Small Sword Formation seemed to have endless energy, launching relentless attacks that would immediately regroup after being repelled, making it exhausting to deal with. Even the Heavenly Dao experts gradually found it increasingly difficult to withstand.