"Damn it, how could they appear here?" said Parasyte with an ugly expression. No one answered him as they were also perplexed.
"Did the weapon awaken their sense of danger sense?" asked Yu Zhou.
"The weapon is an Emperor Artifact, naturally containing the power to cancel cause and effect. Unless their strength were closed, they would never sense any danger," explained Designer.
They all ruled out this possibility since it was impossible.
"Could it be Wang Wei's intuition?" added Tong Ruobing, who was in the back. "From the information gathered, his intuition has always been extraordinary even when he had no cultivation."
"As I said, due to the vast difference in power from the artifact, his intuition would be useless. Plus, if it was his intuition, why did Di Tian also show up?"
"Could it be the result of their Emperor Artifact?" asked Yu Zhou. No one answered him as they looked at Designer for an answer.
"They are connected to their artifact as the leader of their respective factions. However, unless their artifact was a special one related to divination, calculation, or clairvoyance, it should not work."
Everyone frowned as this answer was a partial one. They had no way to check whether this was the truth or not.
"It's not time to ponder these things," said Parasyte. "The main issue we have to figure out is how to deal with their attacks."
"This might be a good opportunity," uttered Yu Zhou. "We don't have to worry about searching for them; their actions have brought them to our doorsteps."
"Designer, what do you think?" asked Parasyte.
"I would love to gather more energy for the weapon to ensure we can use a few more attacks. However, the current state is more than enough for our needs."
"So, what is our strategy?" asked Tong Ruobing.
"Why do we need a strategy? Just kill them with the spear," sneered Yu Zhou, who remembered the humiliation he suffered during the Clean-up; he could not wait to witness Wang Wei's death with his own eyes.
"The spear needs a certain charging time," explained Designer. "We must channel some of its power into the array to prevent any variables. And maybe, we can try to trap them with it before striking."
Designer suddenly looked at Parasyte with sharp eyes, "Situation like this will prove Tong Ruobing's value."
Parasyte frowned, not hiding his displeasure, "How many times do I have to apologize?"
"This is not the time for in-fighting," chimed Yu Zhou, reminding them of the urgent situation. Designer coldly snorted before looking at someone next to him:
"Yang Guowei, you're in charge of this node."
He then pointed in another direction. "Bing'er, you're in control of this formation's node. Be careful since you will be under the greatest pressure."
"No problem." Tong Ruobing took her position as Designer and assigned each person a node to control the formation.
Then, the group waited.
Outside the black mist:
Wang Wei observed the mist, analyzing it. He realized its only purpose was to hide all senses or prying eyes.
'It's not a formation,' he thought as his eyes pierced the veil of truth behind this mist. 'It seems to be a strange lifeform.'
He had never heard of such a creature, so he concluded this fog was something from other World Communities or something from the upper dimension.
'Although this method is weird and unknown, its overall power is still weak.'
Wang Wei then created a black hole that swallowed the black mist before him. Meanwhile, Di Tian waited for him to act as he observed. He squinted his eyes after noticing the latter only displayed peak 5-Root Strength.
So, he followed him. He created an illusory world that also absorbed the black mist. With their effort, the fog dispersed in less than five minutes.
The fog disappeared, revealing what was behind. Wang Wei saw a formation with a spear at the center. Then, he saw the people controlling the array, focusing on one person.
"Tong Ruobing?" he asked, squinting his eyes. "I guess I should not be surprised."
Of all the Heaven Chosens, Wang Wei always labeled her the most threatened since she was like him, willing to do anything for success. And with her high charisma, it's easy to get people's good grace and use them as pawns.
Tong Ruobing did not say anything as she knew her life was at a precipitous moment. If she makes the wrong choice, she will die miserably. Although she has prepared for the worst-case scenario, no one would like to die if they had the chance.
Wang Wei did not pay too much attention to Tong Ruobing as he focused on the spear at the array's center; it was the source of his danger sense.
'An Emperor Artifact? How could these people create such a thing? Better yet, why did Heavenly Dao allow these people to use this weapon?' He immediately answered his question.
These spies originated from a higher cultivation civilization, so certain things impossible for people in the lower dimension are not a big deal in the Eternal Ascension World.
As for Heavenly Dao's nonresponsive behavior to their actions that obviously break the rules? The answer is also obvious–Heavenly Dao raised the power ceiling of this battle because of Wang Wei and Di Tian's Ten Supremacy Foundation.
'In some ways, Heavenly Dao already decided the final winner would be between our three factions,' analyzed Wang Wei. Although it seems unfair that the winner was already decided before the battle, Heavenly Dao's actions are the most correct.
The moment Di Tian and Wang Wei succeeded in their Ten Supremacy Foundation, the final winner was between them. As for the spies? Their existence brought hope to other Heaven Chosens.
Heavenly Dao introduces new variables to this battle by allowing them to use this weapon. If the three parties managed to injure or defeat each other, the other contestants might have a slight chance of victory.
'Everything is about balance.' Wang Wei summarized Heavenly Dao's core existence with these four words.
'What's the plan?' asked Di Tian through their Divine Sense communication. He was surprised these spies could create an Emperor Artifact, threatening his victory in this battle.
Regardless, he knew his true opponent was Wang Wei. So, he chose to follow his lead to observe from the back; this tactic would reduce the risk of betrayal and allow him to respond appropriately in case something occurred.
'It's time to reveal our true strength,' replied Wang Wei. He knew Dao Ancestor's strength was not enough to deal with the array, so they must go all out.
'We will deal with them as swiftly as possible.'
'What about the ownership of the spear?'
'We can decide after we deal with them,' replied Wang Wei.
'Fine.'
Boom!
They released a terrifying aura, pressuring all five people behind the formation. Immediately, they felt their bodies, souls, and minds unable to move or think; they even felt the aura suppressing their Dao.
"Impossible," roared Yu Zhou; his unwillingness superseded the pressure the aura left on him. Of course, the spear's sentience played its role and provided some protection.
"No, no, no," uttered Designer. "That's impossible. Impossible. IMPOSSIBLE" He lost all the vocabulary he cultivated after living for millions of years and repeated the word impossible like a broken record.
It was one thing to create a weapon on par with a Great Emperor, but acquiring such power while still a mortal was entirely different. Something like that has never happened in the history of the Eternal Ascension World.
But now, he saw two people who succeeded. His mind could not accept such a thing. No, he refused to accept such a truth.
And he was not the only one with this fierce reaction.
Tong Ruobing was immobile as she had a blank look; the outside world blurred out as a single thought overwhelmed her mind: How could they be so powerful?
Yang Guowei had a similar reaction as her, except less obvious as he closed his eyes to enter meditation to calm down.
Parasyte felt his Dao Heart collapsing after sensing the aura of these people. Luckily, he was chosen for this mission for a reason, so he held on by biting his tongue, using the pain to distract his mind.
"They are probably using some kind of secret technique with terrifying side effects," said Parasyte to reign the group's mind.
"Y…Y…You're…probably right," stuttered Yu Zhou. However, he knew these words were probably false because such a secret technique does not exist in the upper dimension. Even a Paragon could not create such a technique.
Tong Ruobing did not believe in these words. She has been in contact with the Origin Talisman, so she could sense a similar aura on Di Tian and Wang Wei.
'What should I do?' Her mind was too chaotic to think properly or strategize. So, she activated a Purifying Mind Talisman and used it on her Sea of Consciousness.
However, even with this talisman, her mind could not properly calm down.
"What…should…we do now?" asked Yu Zhou.
"Designer, do you have any ideas?" asked Parasyte, his complexion extremely pale.
