Chen Tian asked the system helplessly, "System, is there any way?"
The system fell silent for a moment before replying, "Analyzing solutions, please do not worry, host."
Helpless, Chen Tian had no choice but to sit on the Cloud Emperor. After all, Chen Tian had no idea how to find the Heavenly Dao he wished to revive. He sat on the ground, awaiting news from the system.
On Earth, at the fortress, the battle between Chen Ling and Xie Yuan raged on. Chen Ling's formations gave Xie Yuan a significant headache. The battle had already lasted two days and two nights without end. Chen Ling's formations augmented his body, covering him in arrays that significantly boosted his strength. Combined with Chen Ling's surging power, which was already comparable to Xie Yuan's, their fight was a true fifty-fifty contest. Chen Ling's eyes glinted coldly as two vines, born from a formation beneath Xie Yuan's feet, emerged and coiled around him.
Xie Yuan's body was temporarily immobilized. Seeing this little trick, Xie Yuan exerted all his strength, his arms straining against the vines until they snapped apart and dissipated into light. Chen Ling's plan wasn't to restrain Xie Yuan with vines; he only needed to trap him for a brief moment. In that short span, Chen Ling silently appeared behind Xie Yuan, his palms crackling with energy. A formation materialized, and the power radiating from it, coupled with Chen Ling's own strength, made Xie Yuan feel a sense of crisis. Not daring to underestimate his opponent, Xie Yuan unfurled his Evil Spirit Wings, which coalesced into a shield. Chen Ling's palm struck the shield, and Chen Ling himself was forced back several steps.
Evil Spirit Wings were different from the wings of ordinary Evil Spirits. For high-level Evil Spirits, their wings were physical. Lower-level Evil Spirits merely used Evil Spirit Qi to condense their wings. For a being like Xie Yuan, his Evil Spirit Wings had existed since his birth; they were an integral part of him, wielded with complete freedom and without the constraint of primal energy.
Xie Yuan saw Chen Ling's next move and immediately retreated. His eyes glinted shrewdly. "So that's how it is. It seems you've also awakened the Spirit Race's mind-reading ability. But that won't work on me."
Chen Ling's previous action had revealed his mind-reading ability. Chen Ling showed no fear. The only thoughts he could hear were Xie Yuan's own internal musings. Chen Ling's mind-reading was different from that of other Spirit Race members. Chen Ling waved his arm, and formations materialized on either side of it, transforming into countless ice cones that shot out. Ice cones filled the sky, and the cold heavens seemed to herald winter. As the ice cones swept towards Xie Yuan, he flapped his wings, unleashing countless black feathers. The feathers clashed with the ice cones, creating explosions.
Chen Ling and Xie Yuan were evenly matched. Chen Ling opened his palm, and a red, five-pointed star formation began to expand, emitting a pillar of fire from its center that shot upwards. Xie Yuan flapped his wings, and a black wind swept out, forming blade-like gusts that shot forward. These blades sliced into the pillar of fire from the center, continuing their advance. As they approached Chen Ling, their speed slowed; the reason was simple: the closer the flame's energy was to the formation, the more potent it became. Chen Ling sensed something was wrong and stopped his attack, retreating a few steps. With a boom, an explosion occurred, but Chen Ling's quick reaction saved him from being caught in the blast.
Chen Ling's reaction puzzled Xie Yuan. According to logic, Chen Ling shouldn't have been able to perceive that hidden trap, so why the swift response? Was the mind-reading effective, or was there another reason? However, Xie Yuan harbored four different thoughts within him, making it impossible unless Chen Ling believed all the mind-reading results. Xie Yuan didn't dwell on this.
Xie Yuan and Chen Ling stared at each other. Fortunately, Chen Ling's mind-reading was effective against Xie Yuan. That hidden trap would have surely dealt a heavy blow to Chen Ling, who was at the center of the explosion. As a formation master, Chen Ling's physical resilience was weak; he primarily relied on formations to cover and strengthen his body. An explosion's power was not something his formations could easily withstand. This scene was witnessed by Ling Fengyun, whose eyes widened in astonishment. As a member of the Spirit Race, he naturally understood Chen Ling's actions; they were clearly a response to the effectiveness of mind-reading.
But how was this possible? His own mind-reading was ineffective, and the princess's was as well. Could it be a higher level of mind-reading ability?
Thinking this, his expression turned excited, but he forcibly suppressed it. Perhaps the Spirit Race could become even more dominant.
Chen Ling's mind-reading saw through Xie Yuan's every thought with perfect clarity. Xie Yuan's attacks were utterly ineffective against Chen Ling, who dodged them with ease, his movements fluid and unhindered. Xie Yuan soon sensed that something was amiss; his opponent seemed to know his every move, preemptively defending against them.
"Could it be that mind-reading is effective against me?"
Xie Yuan could only think this. The ability to predict the future of combat was something no race possessed; he refused to believe Chen Ling had such a power. Xie Yuan halted his movements, and Chen Ling seized the initiative. Chen Ling had been defending for a while, and when Xie Yuan paused, his mind momentarily blank, Chen Ling attacked. Six formations appeared behind him, from which emerged chains of six different colors. These chains tightly bound Xie Yuan's hands, legs, and body, rendering him immobile.
It would take Xie Yuan some time to break free from these energy chains. Four-colored formations then materialized behind Chen Ling, different from the previous ones. These four colored formations slowly merged together. As a formation master, Chen Ling's favorite technique was elemental formations, and these four were precisely that. The concept of fusing elements with elements was viable; this had already been proven by Chen Tian. Now, Chen Ling was embarking on a path similar to his brother Chen Tian, fusing elemental formations with other elemental formations.
"Madman, madman, this is simply impossible. You actually intend to fuse formations together."
Witnessing Chen Ling's insane endeavor, Xie Yuan stopped pondering why Chen Ling's mind-reading was effective against him. His priority now was to break free from these bothersome chains and attack Chen Ling; he absolutely could not let Chen Ling unleash this move. Xie Yuan had no retreat; it was either death here or completing his mission and returning. Failure to complete it meant facing the wrath of that certain individual in his clan.
The chains were gradually broken free by Xie Yuan. With an outburst of power, these chains were easily snapped. After Chen Ling's chains were completely severed, the formations behind him completed their fusion. Chen Ling extended his arms, and the formations behind him slowly transformed into streams of colored air that flowed into his arms. Chen Ling stretched out his arms, and a vortex of elemental energy began to swirl around them. Chen Ling swung his arms outwards.
A tornado formed from the fusion of elemental energies erupted from his arms and swept towards Xie Yuan. The power of a tornado composed of multiple elemental energies neared the level of world destruction. Even the barrier set by the Heavenly Dao showed cracks, a testament to this move's might, as the battles between Xie Yuan and Ling Fengyun had barely affected it.
Chen Ling's tornado moved at incredible speed, reaching Xie Yuan in an instant. Xie Yuan was still gathering power for his attack. In that moment, Xie Yuan's form was engulfed by the tornado. The tornado spun relentlessly before soaring into the sky.
The tornado continued to spin for a period before dissipating completely. Xie Yuan's figure was nowhere to be seen; he had vanished from existence, along with his aura and presence.
This move by Chen Ling had consumed all his strength.