Supreme Emptiness

Chapter 2248: Chapter 2292: Saving the Master

The Bone Struggle Sage scoffed coldly. ”Could our majestic Nanqian truly be stumped by just a few of them?

”Once the Nanqian Imperial Jade Seal is brought here, they will have only one path left—death!”

Feng Lingxiao suddenly understood.

These Arrays were indeed powerful, but the Imperial Jade Seal could manipulate them. Even though Nanqian’s Imperial Jade Seal was a replica, it still possessed a portion of that mobilizing power. Once the Arrays were mobilized and a breach opened, the intruders would undoubtedly die.

Within the Array interstice between the Third and Fourth Layers.

Inside this space lay an indestructible cage. The only exit from the interstice was a natural breach in the Array.

Jian Sankuang stood guarding the gap, gripping a broken sword. A Sealing mark on her glabella had already been torn open. Outside the Array, a chaotic jumble of corpses lay strewn across the surroundings.

Jian Sankuang’s body was riddled with wounds inflicted by the Law. Her aura was weak, yet her gaze remained as sharp as ever. Like a lone hero holding a narrow pass against ten thousand men, she used the tight confines of the breach to avoid being simultaneously besieged by multiple experts.

”Can you hold on?”

Beside her stood a three-foot-tall child, his body similarly covered in Law injuries, his aura frail. This was none other than the leader of the Seven Swords, the Dragon Cry Great Sage!

Jian Sankuang’s eyes narrowed. ”If the sword scabbard hadn’t been lost, why would I need to struggle like this?

”I could slaughter my way through them all by myself!”

The unspoken implication was that she was on the verge of breaking.

The Dragon Cry Great Sage sighed silently, glancing at the unconscious, blood-soaked octogenarian beside him. A deep solemnity settled between his brows.

The three of them had activated that deity as a diversion to break into Nanqian’s Heavenly Prison and rescue their four imprisoned comrades. Everything had gone smoothly. The four companions were rescued; though their condition was concerning, their lives were at least out of danger.

Unfortunately, before they could escape the underground Sealing, the Nanqian army caught on and surrounded them here. Now, there was no room to retreat and nowhere left to run. The three had taken turns guarding the breach, but the old man was severely injured, and both he and Jian Sankuang were quickly losing ground.

The most frustrating part was that the sword scabbard Jian Sankuang had brought was snatched away during their initial escape. Otherwise, given her past experience of carving a bloody path out of the Divine Capital, breaking through their current encirclement wouldn’t have been entirely hopeless.

The Dragon Cry Great Sage’s eyes grew profound. ”Let’s see who loses their patience first.”

The words had barely left his mouth when the Arrays above and below them suddenly began to tremble.

RUMBLE!

A series of deafening roars echoed throughout the entire underground area. The great Arrays were being completely mobilized under some unseen control. The breach in front of them visibly expanded outward on both sides. Their advantage of a single person holding off ten thousand was rapidly disintegrating.

The Dragon Cry Great Sage abruptly looked up at the sky, speaking with profound depth. ”Nanqian finally lost their patience and used the Imperial Jade Seal!

”Our hope has arrived!”

Jian Sankuang stared at the sky. She could faintly make out an aged hand in the heavens, tightly grasping a blurred Jade Seal that was impossible to look at directly.

”Hope?” Her brows knotted tightly. Madness surged in her eyes as she said, ”You take them and leave. I’ll carve out a bloody path for you.”

She pressed her finger to her glabella, causing the remaining two Sealing marks to surface.

If she tore open two Sealing marks, she could rely on her bloodline to manipulate the swords of all the experts outside. Catching them off guard and slaughtering them wasn’t entirely impossible. If she tore open three, she would descend into sheer madness, unable to distinguish friend from foe. However, it would also unleash unimaginable destructive power.

Whether that would ultimately allow the Dragon Cry Great Sage and the others to escape, only heaven knew.

It was a desperate gamble!

The Dragon Cry Great Sage stood up, a mysterious smile gracing his face. ”Heh, there’s no need.

”I’ve been waiting for them to mobilize the great Arrays!”

RIIIIP!

Right at that moment, the terrifying aftershock of a burst of Sword Qi seeped in from the Arrays below.

Taken aback, Jian Sankuang exclaimed, ”Is this... our Martial Vault’s World Artifact, the Heavenly Ah Divine Sword?”

Besides possessing boundless power, this sword had another heaven-defying ability: it could suppress all Arrays in the world. Nanqian’s eighty-one layers of Arrays might be as solid as a fortress, making it difficult for even a World Artifact to break through. But it had a moment of weakness!

And that was... the exact moment they were mobilized!

Jian Sankuang looked at the Dragon Cry Great Sage, excitedly asking, ”Leader, you made arrangements for this long ago?”

The Dragon Cry Great Sage smiled slightly. ”What else?

”Forcefully storming the Nanqian Prison is a path of certain death. How could I lead you down a dead end?

”Long before the operation, I had already contacted reinforcements from the Martial Vault.

”We just had to wait for the Arrays to be mobilized while trapped here, and he would find a way to rescue us.”

They had been missing in Nanqian for so long; how could the Martial Vault remain completely inactive? They had secretly dispatched experts to coordinate their escape. At this exact moment, taking advantage of the great Arrays’ mobilization, the reinforcements were forcibly blasting open a passageway from the outside to save them.

However, the commotion here hadn’t escaped the notice of the Nanqian experts either.

The aged, mysterious figure in the sky projected an ethereal yet majestic voice. ”They are leaving. Attack!”

The numerous experts surrounding the fissure hesitated. The breach hadn’t fully opened yet. Whoever stepped up first would have to fight Jian Sankuang one-on-one.

Who would dare face that madwoman head-on?

SWISH!

Near the fissure, Jiang Fan rushed over just in time.

Everyone was closely monitoring the situation below the crack; nobody cared about the arrival of an insignificant cultivator in the Divinity Transformation Realm. Jiang Fan quickly locked onto Feng Lingxiao’s position. Finding him beside the Bone Struggle Sage, he temporarily concealed his killing intent.

Now was not the time to make a move.

Seeing that everyone was acting as if they were facing a formidable enemy, Jiang Fan followed their gazes. His pupils inevitably shrank as he exclaimed in his mind, ”Jian Sankuang? This broad is here too?”

With a quick scan, he instantly realized her dire situation.

Once the breach in the Array widened completely, the Nanqian experts could swarm her all at once. Two fists were no match for four hands; Jian Sankuang would undoubtedly die!

He felt a twinge of anxiety.

This woman wasn’t bad. She had even imparted her lifelong comprehension of the Sword Dao to him. In the books stored in the library, the two of them had even shared a twisted master-apprentice romance.

How could Jiang Fan possibly stand by and watch her fall right before his eyes? But how on earth was he supposed to help her?

Just then, the voice of the old man in the sky echoed once more.

”Attack immediately!”

The dozen or so Three Calamities Realm Sages present looked hesitant. A few of them exchanged glances, preparing to join forces for a forceful assault.

Jiang Fan inwardly realized things were taking a turn for the worse. He felt the sword scabbard on his back. With a shift in his gaze, he decisively shot forward and shouted, ”I’ll go first!”

His sudden action drew the attention of the entire crowd, but no one moved to stop him. The Bone Struggle Sage’s eyes even glinted slightly. Having someone act as bait would only make it easier for the rest of them to strike—why not let him?

Jian Sankuang’s brows tightened. She gripped her broken sword, initially treating the incoming threat as a formidable foe. But when she took a closer look, she couldn’t help but laugh out of sheer exasperation. ”A mere Divinity Transformation Realm cultivator dares to seek death?”

As Jiang Fan charged toward her, she raised her hand, ready to strike him down with a single swing.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Fan suddenly waved the Light God Command Banner. All light around him vanished, rendering him completely obscured from anyone’s sight. Taking advantage of the moment, Jiang Fan equipped the Yuhua Divine Boots and activated their time-freezing ability.

Ripples of time swept outward, freezing everything in all directions.

Caught off guard, Jian Sankuang fell victim to the effect immediately, standing completely immobilized with her sword in hand.

She inwardly cursed, ”This is bad!”

Although the freeze only lasted for a fleeting instant, it was enough for Jiang Fan to lunge at her. By the time Jian Sankuang recovered, a searing, robust body had already tackled her, sending her flying back to smash heavily against the wall.