Chapter 775: Chapter 775: 776: You impudent brat, how dare you deceive me?

“The Eighteenth Prince?”

“Come to think of it, he didn’t come out with us, could he have met with disaster inside the Illusion Array?”

Upon hearing the Crown Prince say this, everyone reacted, realizing that indeed, the always arrogant Eighteenth Prince was not among them, no wonder the atmosphere felt much colder.

“No, look ahead, someone is lying at the very center of the Metal Slaughter’s Qi!”

An observant cultivator suddenly pointed ahead and shouted.

Following his gaze, they saw within the Metal Slaughter’s Qi, a figure lying steady and even, clad in magnificent clothes, clearly not a mere mortal.

“That is… the Eighteenth Prince!”

Once they clearly saw his face, everyone gasped, the Eighteenth Prince had actually fallen in the very center of the Metal Slaughter’s Qi, could it be that he had met his demise?

“So the old Eighteenth was actually the first to come out!”

“And he even stepped into the Metal Slaughter’s Qi. But looking at this situation, I’m afraid his condition is not very optimistic!”

“Hehe, he always aimed too high, thinking that with some fortuitous encounters he could take on the world. I’ve seen too many cultivators like him. I didn’t expect that the old Eighteenth’s temperament would still be as impetuous as ever.”

A few Princely Heirs whispered to each other, their eyes full of schadenfreude. They couldn’t be happier about Li Xiaobai dying there.

Effortlessly defeating the opponent and having all the blame fall on the Crown Prince, nothing could be more satisfying than this moment.

“Hiss!”

“It really is old Eighteenth.”

The Crown Prince also looked surprised, not expecting to have eliminated the opponent so easily; the process went so smoothly he could hardly believe it.

But just as everyone was gossiping, they suddenly saw the figure lying in the center of the Metal Slaughter’s Qi slowly stand up.

At the center of the Formation, Li Xiaobai got up, looked at the crowd with an extremely weak appearance, and said, “Hehe, I didn’t expect that you wastes would also make it out. But unfortunately, the first one to break through the Metal Slaughter’s Qi is still me!”

“What, you’re not dead?”

“What did you say, how dare you challenge us?”

“Old Eighteenth, you’re getting a bit carried away.”

Several Princely Heirs watched Li Xiaobai slowly stand up, all shocked, not expecting him to still be alive and resisting. But seeing his weak appearance, they believed he wouldn’t last much longer.

“Old Eighteenth, do not be childish like a kid. In overcoming an Array, the most important thing is to recognize your own strength. Never challenge a Formation far beyond your capabilities, it can kill you!”

“Come back here, let me help heal your injuries!”

The Crown Prince had a concerned look, but his eyes flashed with mocking amusement. He saw that old Eighteenth was clearly unwilling to admit defeat, trying to pretend to be stronger than he was. His job was to provoke the opponent’s rebellious spirit and urge him to continue moving forward, which would undeniably exhaust him to death within the Formation.

This was all witnessed by everyone, it was his own decision to go in, and it had nothing to do with him.

“Old Eighteenth, oh old Eighteenth, I never thought you’d be so foolish. Although you usually act strong, at heart you’re still just a juvenile. Today I’ll let you die here and be rid of future trouble!”

The Crown Prince muttered to himself, his eyes full of indifference, as he had already sentenced Li Xiaobai to death in his mind.

“Hehe, it’s not that I’m targeting anyone in particular, I just want to say, everyone present here, you’re all trash!”

Li Xiaobai curled his lips into a disdainful smile, his eyes contemptuous, immediately stirring up the anger of all the young talents present.

“Utter nonsense, clearly on his last legs, he still dares to provoke us. Does he not know the meaning of death?”

“Eighteenth Prince, you’re treading on a narrow path!”

“Let’s go in too. Today we’ll exhaust him to death right here!”

The cultivators were filled with indignation, without saying another word, they entered the Metal Slaughter’s Qi one after another, moving forward while resisting the fierce attacks.

The Crown Prince maintained a calm demeanor, similarly stepping into the Formation and heading toward Li Xiaobai’s position.

…

A short while later.

Li Xiaobai staggered forward, the Crown Prince at his side was also sweating profusely, persevering through immense pressure with each step. A group of Princely Heirs and young talents chased after from behind, all eager to suppress Li Xiaobai.

“Eighteenth brother, I must say, you have done quite well to come this far. It’s just a pity that you misjudged your own strength. This competition will be your execution platform!”

“You will meet your death here!”

“At this moment, the Immortal Yuan inside you should have dried up, right? Resisting such intense Metal Slaughter’s Qi is no easy task, even for me, I’m feeling the pressure.”

“I’m not afraid to tell you that this Formation was tailor-made for me. You could say no one understands it better than I do. Today, dear brother, your death is certain. Who asked you to rise unexpectedly, to act so aggressively, even winning over Grand Emperor? Don’t blame your brother; if anyone, blame yourself!”

The Crown Prince’s lips curled into a cold smile as he spoke, seeming absolutely certain of Li Xiaobai’s defeat.

“Big brother, I never thought you could be such a sinister person; I misjudged you!”

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaobai looked utterly shocked, his eyes filled with rage, regretting his earlier misjudgment.

Seeing this, the Crown Prince’s eyes contained an even deeper disdain. He remained silent and continued to step toward the outside of the Formation; having expended too much Immortal Yuan, he now had to carefully conserve his strength and cultivation level to prevent injury from the Metal Slaughter’s Qi.

However, after walking for a while, he was surprised to find that Li Xiaobai’s pace was not any weaker than his, still staggering yet keeping up beside him.

Crown Prince: “Why haven’t you fallen yet?”

Li Xiaobai: “Heh, is it not allowed for me to hold on a bit longer?”

A few minutes later.

Most cultivators were trapped in the center of the Formation, their speed noticeably slower.

Li Xiaobai and the Crown Prince had now completed two-thirds of the path.

The Crown Prince couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed: “How can you still hold on? You should have reached your limit long ago!”

Li Xiaobai: “Cough cough, I think I could still push through a bit more, just hold on.”

Crown Prince: “…”

Several more minutes passed.

The Crown Prince could now see the exit of the Formation, yet Li Xiaobai was still methodically following by his side.

Sweat poured down his forehead ceaselessly; reaching this point had nearly drained his energy, and every step he took required considerable willpower, moving at a snail’s pace.

Although he was curious about how Li Xiaobai could continue to persist, he had no more energy to inquire. He faintly felt that something wasn’t quite right.

“Big brother, you’ve sweated a lot. Are you reaching your limit?”

Li Xiaobai asked.

Clenching his teeth, the Crown Prince forced a few words out through gritted teeth: “If you can, then go ahead!”

“Heh heh, big brother indeed has discerning eyes. Well then, I won’t keep you company; I’ll take my leave first.”

Having said that, Li Xiaobai’s steps suddenly became light, and with quick, short strides and a hummed tune, he hopped out of the Formation amidst the Crown Prince’s stunned gaze.

The Crown Prince felt his heart violently twitch, his mind wavered, and a slight disturbance in the Immortal Yuan within his Dantian led to an instant assault from the Metal Slaughter’s Qi. He suffered considerable injury, fell to one knee, and blood spurted out of his mouth.

“Scoundrel, how dare you deceive me!”

“Pfft!”