In the instant this spectral visage manifested, Zhao Kongcheng felt as if the heavens and earth had inverted, a unprecedented dizziness surging through his mind.
His brows furrowed, his body tensed, barely stabilizing his posture.
In his field of vision, everything before him seemed like a spinning kaleidoscope—chaotic, scattered, and elusive.
"Dreadful... it can still utilize the Forbidden Array. I am truly ensnared," Zhao Kongcheng muttered to himself, recalling Wu Xiangnan's words before the battle.
"…Forbidden Sequence 176, [The Ghostly Visage Domain]. Within the Forbidden Array's domain, it deceives the perception of all beings with realms less than or equal to its own, inverting the concept of space.
Within the Phantom Countenance Grounds, up, down, left, right, and forward, all change according to the Ghost Face King's will at any given moment. While one can resist to a certain extent through personal consciousness and experience, without a doubt, within this Forbidden Array, all of one's attack methods will be affected, significantly reducing combat prowess.
Hence, besides the captain, who is also in the 'River' realm, none of the other members can engage in direct combat with the Ghost Face King. Doing so would only lead to a dead end..."
Indeed, a disgustingly perverse Forbidden Array... Zhao Kongcheng, as one who experienced it firsthand, truly grasped the aberrant nature of this array.
So, it was within this Forbidden Array that the captain forcefully inflicted severe wounds upon the Ghost Face King?
He's also a maniac!
Zhao Kongcheng took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.
"Roar!!!"
Roaring echoed from all directions, the location of the Ghost Face King impossible to determine. The earth trembled slightly, and Zhao Kongcheng could sense that the Ghost Face King was rapidly closing in!
From where would it emerge?
In reality.
On that eerie and grim ghostly visage, Zhao Kongcheng, with closed eyes, stood like a revered sculpture, hands gripping the blade aimed forward, brows furrowed.
Unbeknownst to Zhao Kongcheng, the Ghost Face King had silently moved behind him.
In Zhao Kongcheng's perception, whether visual, auditory, olfactory, or tactile senses, all rapidly fluctuated, as if being thrust into an extraordinarily powerful washing machine, flooding his mind with erroneous information, rendering him incapable of discerning anything in the real world.
The Ghost Face King's gaze fixed on the oblivious Zhao Kongcheng, the pallid ghostly face revealing a bloodthirsty smile.
It slightly leaned forward, then, like a colossal projectile, burst through the curtain of rain with a body so swift it left behind afterimages. Sharp claws traced several glimmers of cold light, slashing toward Zhao Kongcheng's neck!
It seemed to anticipate the gush of warm blood, envisioning a scene of delight as it coated its body.
In the very moment when its talons were about to make contact with Zhao Kongcheng's body, a sudden change occurred!
As if his back had grown eyes, Zhao Kongcheng swiftly moved, narrowly avoiding the Ghost Face King's claw in a perilous maneuver!
Following that, the straight blade in his hand carved a long arc through the rain, directly aiming for the Ghost Face King's head!
Clang!
A sharp collision resounded as the Ghost Face King tightly gripped Zhao Kongcheng's blade. Then, with a forceful kick, it sent Zhao Kongcheng flying like a sandbag!
Yet, even so, it couldn't hide the astonishment in its eyes.
It couldn't comprehend how Zhao Kongcheng had detected its attack.
Zhao Kongcheng crashed heavily to the ground, groaning in pain. Despite the difficulty, he managed to rise from the ground, a smirk uncontrollably forming on his lips.
"Surprised, aren't you? Unexpected, isn't it?"
Supporting himself with the straight blade, Zhao Kongcheng laughed, his expression mocking.
"Your Forbidden Array is truly perverse. Usually, I'd probably have fallen for your tricks and died by your hands. Unfortunately..."
Zhao Kongcheng extended a finger, pointing to the sky. "Today, it's raining."
"You can deceive the perception of living beings, but you can't impede the rain falling due to gravity. Rain on my skin surface brings me tactile sensations.
You can alter my sense of touch, making me feel like rain is pouring from all directions... and I, in turn, can deduce the true direction!
As long as I know a standard direction, the rest becomes much simpler."
Zhao Kongcheng smirked, spat out a mouthful of blood, arrogantly raised the straight blade in his hand, pointing it at the Ghost Face King.
"I'm not boasting, but if I had a Forbidden Array, damn, you would've died a hundred deaths!"
"Roar!"
Successfully infuriated by Zhao Kongcheng, the Ghost Face King charged madly towards him. Zhao Kongcheng continued to keep his eyes closed, predicting the direction of the Ghost Face King's approach.
Ding ding ding ding!
Zhao Kongcheng engaged in a fierce battle with the Ghost Face King, relying on his terrifying combat intuition and experience to exchange blows with it!
But it was limited to this.
Under the Ghost Face King's relentless attacks, Zhao Kongcheng's mortal body quickly succumbed. Seizing an opportunity, it delivered a powerful blow to his chest, shattering two ribs and sending him flying.
This time, it took Zhao Kongcheng a full five seconds to barely stand up.
If not for the straight blade mitigating some of the damage, this blow would have been enough to end his life.
"Cough, cough, cough..." He coughed up consecutive mouthfuls of blood, his face incredibly pale.
The Ghost Face King stood tall in the rain, its gaze resolute, gradually approaching him step by step...
Just then, a voice suddenly echoed from behind Zhao Kongcheng!
"Zhao Kongcheng! Zhao Kongcheng!!
—Zhao Kongcheng!!!"
Zhao Kongcheng froze, sensing that the voice seemed oddly familiar.
Wait, this couldn't be...
He opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but after a moment of hesitation, he chose silence.
His gaze was filled with complexity.
...
At this moment, outside the Forbidden Area of No Restraint.
Lin Qiyue stood near that open space, rain soaking his hair. Unperturbed, he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Zhao Kongcheng! Stop hiding! I know you're nearby!"
After shouting, Lin Qiyue listened intently for a while, but besides the raucous sound of rain, there was nothing else.
"Damn it, the bat clearly saw a cloaked man disappear with a monster here. How could there be... Could it be a mistake?"
Lin Qiyue furrowed his brows, scanning the surroundings.
Suddenly, his gaze focused.
Several meters away from him, three peculiar signs stood alone.
Lin Qiyue walked over, wiping away the rain from the signs and quietly read the words.
"No passage ahead? When was this sign erected here? Moreover... the arrangement seems quite peculiar."
Lin Qiyue pondered, and then, as if recalling something, his eyes gradually lit up.
"He seems to have mentioned that his Forbidden Array is an auxiliary one for concealing battlefields, something like... [Forbidden Area of No Restraint]?"
Lin Qiyue carefully examined the three signs in front of him, a smile playing on his lips. Once again, he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Zhao Kongcheng! I know you're in the Forbidden Area of No Restraint! Open the damn door and let me in!"
One second, two seconds...
Zhao Kongcheng's voice faintly came from behind the signs:
"For heaven's sake, you're out here making a fuss at this late hour. Get lost!"
In the instant this spectral visage manifested, Zhao Kongcheng felt as if the heavens and earth had inverted, a unprecedented dizziness surging through his mind.
His brows furrowed, his body tensed, barely stabilizing his posture.
In his field of vision, everything before him seemed like a spinning kaleidoscope—chaotic, scattered, and elusive.
"Dreadful... it can still utilize the Forbidden Array. I am truly ensnared," Zhao Kongcheng muttered to himself, recalling Wu Xiangnan's words before the battle.
"…Forbidden Sequence 176, [The Ghostly Visage Domain]. Within the Forbidden Array's domain, it deceives the perception of all beings with realms less than or equal to its own, inverting the concept of space.
Within the Phantom Countenance Grounds, up, down, left, right, and forward, all change according to the Ghost Face King's will at any given moment. While one can resist to a certain extent through personal consciousness and experience, without a doubt, within this Forbidden Array, all of one's attack methods will be affected, significantly reducing combat prowess.
Hence, besides the captain, who is also in the 'River' realm, none of the other members can engage in direct combat with the Ghost Face King. Doing so would only lead to a dead end..."
Indeed, a disgustingly perverse Forbidden Array... Zhao Kongcheng, as one who experienced it firsthand, truly grasped the aberrant nature of this array.
So, it was within this Forbidden Array that the captain forcefully inflicted severe wounds upon the Ghost Face King?
He's also a maniac!
Zhao Kongcheng took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.
"Roar!!!"
Roaring echoed from all directions, the location of the Ghost Face King impossible to determine. The earth trembled slightly, and Zhao Kongcheng could sense that the Ghost Face King was rapidly closing in!
From where would it emerge?
In reality.
On that eerie and grim ghostly visage, Zhao Kongcheng, with closed eyes, stood like a revered sculpture, hands gripping the blade aimed forward, brows furrowed.
Unbeknownst to Zhao Kongcheng, the Ghost Face King had silently moved behind him.
In Zhao Kongcheng's perception, whether visual, auditory, olfactory, or tactile senses, all rapidly fluctuated, as if being thrust into an extraordinarily powerful washing machine, flooding his mind with erroneous information, rendering him incapable of discerning anything in the real world.
The Ghost Face King's gaze fixed on the oblivious Zhao Kongcheng, the pallid ghostly face revealing a bloodthirsty smile.
It slightly leaned forward, then, like a colossal projectile, burst through the curtain of rain with a body so swift it left behind afterimages. Sharp claws traced several glimmers of cold light, slashing toward Zhao Kongcheng's neck!
It seemed to anticipate the gush of warm blood, envisioning a scene of delight as it coated its body.
In the very moment when its talons were about to make contact with Zhao Kongcheng's body, a sudden change occurred!
As if his back had grown eyes, Zhao Kongcheng swiftly moved, narrowly avoiding the Ghost Face King's claw in a perilous maneuver!
Following that, the straight blade in his hand carved a long arc through the rain, directly aiming for the Ghost Face King's head!
Clang!
A sharp collision resounded as the Ghost Face King tightly gripped Zhao Kongcheng's blade. Then, with a forceful kick, it sent Zhao Kongcheng flying like a sandbag!
Yet, even so, it couldn't hide the astonishment in its eyes.
It couldn't comprehend how Zhao Kongcheng had detected its attack.
Zhao Kongcheng crashed heavily to the ground, groaning in pain. Despite the difficulty, he managed to rise from the ground, a smirk uncontrollably forming on his lips.
"Surprised, aren't you? Unexpected, isn't it?"
Supporting himself with the straight blade, Zhao Kongcheng laughed, his expression mocking.
"Your Forbidden Array is truly perverse. Usually, I'd probably have fallen for your tricks and died by your hands. Unfortunately..."
Zhao Kongcheng extended a finger, pointing to the sky. "Today, it's raining."
"You can deceive the perception of living beings, but you can't impede the rain falling due to gravity. Rain on my skin surface brings me tactile sensations.
You can alter my sense of touch, making me feel like rain is pouring from all directions... and I, in turn, can deduce the true direction!
As long as I know a standard direction, the rest becomes much simpler."
Zhao Kongcheng smirked, spat out a mouthful of blood, arrogantly raised the straight blade in his hand, pointing it at the Ghost Face King.
"I'm not boasting, but if I had a Forbidden Array, damn, you would've died a hundred deaths!"
"Roar!"
Successfully infuriated by Zhao Kongcheng, the Ghost Face King charged madly towards him. Zhao Kongcheng continued to keep his eyes closed, predicting the direction of the Ghost Face King's approach.
Ding ding ding ding!
Zhao Kongcheng engaged in a fierce battle with the Ghost Face King, relying on his terrifying combat intuition and experience to exchange blows with it!
But it was limited to this.
Under the Ghost Face King's relentless attacks, Zhao Kongcheng's mortal body quickly succumbed. Seizing an opportunity, it delivered a powerful blow to his chest, shattering two ribs and sending him flying.
This time, it took Zhao Kongcheng a full five seconds to barely stand up.
If not for the straight blade mitigating some of the damage, this blow would have been enough to end his life.
"Cough, cough, cough..." He coughed up consecutive mouthfuls of blood, his face incredibly pale.
The Ghost Face King stood tall in the rain, its gaze resolute, gradually approaching him step by step...
Just then, a voice suddenly echoed from behind Zhao Kongcheng!
"Zhao Kongcheng! Zhao Kongcheng!!
—Zhao Kongcheng!!!"
Zhao Kongcheng froze, sensing that the voice seemed oddly familiar.
Wait, this couldn't be...
He opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but after a moment of hesitation, he chose silence.
His gaze was filled with complexity.
...
At this moment, outside the Forbidden Area of No Restraint.
Lin Qiyue stood near that open space, rain soaking his hair. Unperturbed, he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Zhao Kongcheng! Stop hiding! I know you're nearby!"
After shouting, Lin Qiyue listened intently for a while, but besides the raucous sound of rain, there was nothing else.
"Damn it, the bat clearly saw a cloaked man disappear with a monster here. How could there be... Could it be a mistake?"
Lin Qiyue furrowed his brows, scanning the surroundings.
Suddenly, his gaze focused.
Several meters away from him, three peculiar signs stood alone.
Lin Qiyue walked over, wiping away the rain from the signs and quietly read the words.
"No passage ahead? When was this sign erected here? Moreover... the arrangement seems quite peculiar."
Lin Qiyue pondered, and then, as if recalling something, his eyes gradually lit up.
"He seems to have mentioned that his Forbidden Array is an auxiliary one for concealing battlefields, something like... [Forbidden Area of No Restraint]?"
Lin Qiyue carefully examined the three signs in front of him, a smile playing on his lips. Once again, he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Zhao Kongcheng! I know you're in the Forbidden Area of No Restraint! Open the damn door and let me in!"
One second, two seconds...
Zhao Kongcheng's voice faintly came from behind the signs:
"For heaven's sake, you're out here making a fuss at this late hour. Get lost!"
