Chapter 211: The Stratagem of Using One Predator to Swallow Another

“Fangcun is my heart.”

Li Shun silently repeated these words in his mind, and his consciousness instantly retreated into Fangcun.

At the same time, that rebellious strand of consciousness followed like a shadow.

Strictly speaking, this rebellious consciousness was also a part of Li Shun.

Thus, it was naturally able to follow him into the Fangcun space.

At this moment, under the invasion of the divine intent of [Formless Suspended Skull], Fangcun was undergoing an unprecedented transformation.

The phantom image of [Formless Suspended Skull] slowly condensed above Fangcun.

Beyond the boundaries of Fangcun, the white mist that had churned endlessly throughout the years had fallen into an eerie silence because of the descent of this divine being. It seemed afraid to make even the slightest sound, lest it disturb the god before it.

The entire space was thrown into tremendous upheaval, but the most violent reaction came from the central region of Fangcun.

The two Sage stone statues.

The statues seemed to have come alive, confronting the phantom of [Formless Suspended Skull] from afar.

Within Fangcun, a mighty wind suddenly arose.

It was as though invisible forces were continuously clashing with one another, and grand, thunderous roars rang out one after another.

Amid this stalemate, the Xuanhuang Qi gathered above the dome of Fangcun also joined the battlefield.

Strands of Xuanhuang Qi rapidly circulated, gradually forming the illusory image of a vast and magnificent world.

Endless sacred radiance blossomed forth, confronting [Formless Suspended Skull] in midair.

The two Sage stone statues, which had originally seemed to be at a disadvantage, appeared to receive some inexplicable encouragement under this sacred radiance. They faintly began to stand as equals against [Formless Suspended Skull].

Yet the phantom of [Formless Suspended Skull] showed no intention of retreating.

The nebula-like abyssal vortex at the position of its heart suddenly accelerated.

The phantom consequently became increasingly solid.

Creak... creak...

The entire Fangcun space seemed unable to bear the burden, emitting faint sounds that made one's teeth ache.

It seemed that in the very next moment, it would shatter and explode under the overwhelming pressure of this divine being.

Even though the mass of light formed from Xuanhuang Qi continued to release its radiance with all its might, its limited quantity and scale eventually caused it to weaken.

In contrast, the phantom of [Formless Suspended Skull] continued to become increasingly real, seemingly receiving support from some unseen force beyond Fangcun.

It was as though the divine being known as [Formless Suspended Skull] had truly descended into Fangcun.

Divine grace was as vast as the sea.

Divine might was like a prison.

Fine cracks gradually appeared across both the Threefold Self-Reflection Stone Statue and the Heaven Being Codex Stone Statue.

Clearly, in the face of a divine being, they had already been pushed to the limits of what they could withstand.

Yet even so, neither showed the slightest intention of retreating.

Amid this confrontation between world-shaking forces, Li Shun, as the master of Fangcun, seemed almost powerless.

All he could do was desperately maintain the clarity of his divine sense, preventing himself from being contaminated by [Formless Suspended Skull].

The strength of this divine being was truly beyond anything he had imagined.

The Sage stone statues, which had previously never failed him, were now being forced back step by step before the might of a god.

Within Fangcun, indescribable whispers gradually began to echo.

The surrounding space seemed to be rejoicing in anticipation of Li Shun's impending fall.

Yet Li Shun could do nothing about it.

Just as the situation was becoming increasingly perilous, he suddenly noticed the profound, secluded door above the dome of Fangcun, the same door that had previously been sealed by the Xuanhuang Qi.

This door had been formed from another supreme and mysterious aura, one that stood in opposition to the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth.

That aura had come from a strange tortoise shell Li Shun had obtained in the martial arts world.

After the ancient characters engraved upon the surface of the tortoise shell had been peeled away, they had transformed into this lofty and mysterious aura, resembling the depths of a starry sky.

The instant Li Shun caught sight of this door, inspiration struck him.

He immediately released the Xuanhuang Qi's seal upon it.

The profound, secluded door once again manifested within Fangcun.

The phantom of [Formless Suspended Skull], which had been glaring menacingly at the Saint stone statues, suddenly froze when the door appeared.

The countless eyes upon its divine light had originally been fixed upon the two Sage stone statues within Fangcun.

But now, all of them shifted toward the mystical door suspended in the air.

The mystical door seemed to have sensed the appearance of [Formless Suspended Skull] as well.

Its surface churned like boiling water.

It seemed that something was about to crawl out from within.

For a moment, the Fangcun space fell into an eerie three-way standoff.

Li Shun keenly noticed that the appearance of the mystical door had caused [Formless Suspended Skull] to hesitate.

In the end, for reasons unknown, the phantom of [Formless Suspended Skull], which had previously become increasingly solid, gradually faded.

Then it vanished completely.

With the threat of the divine being gone, the previously agitated mystical door also returned to its former tranquility.

Only occasional ripples rose across its surface, as though inviting Li Shun to enter.

A calamity that had threatened life and death had thus quietly dissolved into nothingness.

Still shaken, Li Shun first examined his own condition.

In particular, he checked that rebellious strand of consciousness from earlier.

As the vessel through which [Formless Suspended Skull] had descended, that strand of divine consciousness had completely disappeared after the divine being withdrew.

The god Li Shun had seen atop Buxian Mountain seemed as though it had never existed at all.

It had come without a trace and departed without a trace.

Only the somewhat battered appearance of Fangcun remained as evidence that it had once arrived.

“Damn it. Everyone keeps praising this Hundred Schools Grand Gathering as though it were some heaven-defying opportunity, yet not a single person ever warned that it could be this dangerous.”

“If I hadn't encountered that fortuitous opportunity in the martial arts world, I probably would have been finished despite having Fangcun.”

Having narrowly escaped death, Li Shun could not help cursing inwardly.

“A god...”

It was only after a long while that he gradually calmed down and began pondering what had happened.

Although that rebellious consciousness had already vanished, at the instant their consciousnesses had intersected, Li Shun had also gained a complete understanding of everything it had experienced.

“[Formless Suspended Skull] is not an original creation of the Primordial World. Its manifestation atop Buxian Mountain was merely a projection of its power.”

“Its true strength... is unfathomable. It is beyond imagination.”

“Above the Heaven-Earth realm... are the gods?”

The strange scene once again surfaced in Li Shun's mind.

Behind the phantom of [Formless Suspended Skull], a strange umbilical cord had risen upward and pierced directly into the heavens.

Buxian Mountain was one of the many divine mountains of the Primordial World that reached into the heavens.

[Formless Suspended Skull] should not be the only so-called god.

“Communicating with Heaven.”

“Severing Heaven from Earth.”

“Perhaps... the catastrophe that caused the ancient Primordial World to collapse was related to these so-called gods.”

Just as Li Shun was pondering this, back in the real world, everyone who had participated in this Hundred Schools Grand Gathering was escorted to a manor at the foot of Mount Dai.

It was grandly called a celebratory banquet.

However, before attending the banquet, the elders of every school first conducted a detailed and rigorous interrogation of their participating disciples.

There was even something of an interrogation in the atmosphere.

They did not first ask about what the disciples had experienced within the Primordial Illusionary Realm.

Instead, they carefully questioned them about the classic texts of their respective schools, as well as their various doctrines and principles.

Only those who could answer fluently without the slightest change in expression were permitted to take their seats.