The three companions didn’t move an inch. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to save him; they just didn’t dare to.
Zhang Wuying’s previous actions had provoked the other two statues to attack as well. Fortunately, the companions were far from the statues and had remained completely still, so the enemies hadn’t reached them yet. They had figured it out: as long as a person stopped moving, the statues would only remain active for a single second. In that one second, the statues could kill Zhang Wuying, but not them.
If they tried to save Zhang Wuying now, they would only be seeking their own deaths.
"You guys!" Zhang Wuying gritted his teeth. He was the closest to the statue, without even enough time to get up. He could very well be dead in the next second. He watched helplessly as the statue’s fist grew larger in his vision.
Right at this critical moment, his retreating body scrambled over a headless corpse.
Instantly, the statue stopped. Its fist was merely a centimeter away from Zhang Wuying’s face.
Zhang Wuying’s eyes widened, his forehead drenched in cold sweat. After a while, since no one around made a move, the statues stood upright again and returned to their original positions. However, everyone knew the crisis wasn’t over. The moment they moved, the statues would launch another swift attack.
In this bizarre place, the more panicked and chaotic a Cultivator became, the higher their chances of dying.
"What do we do? What should we do? Even though they won’t attack if we don’t move, are we just supposed to wait here to die?" The companions were on the verge of tears, their bodies as stiff as stone.
Zhang Wuying didn’t speak. At this moment, he looked down at the corpse beneath him. His eyes darted around, as if he had realized something. The next moment, he stood up, balancing on top of the corpse. His movement did not trigger the statues to attack.
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. A Treasure Sword appeared in his hand. With a burst of Spiritual Qi, the longsword began to spin. Like a shuriken, he slashed toward an unprepared youth nearby.
SLICE!
Blood sprayed as a severed head fell to the ground. The youth died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.
"Wuying, wh-what are you doing?" The remaining two companions instantly fell into a panic.
Zhang Wuying remained silent. With a leap, he landed on the corpse of the newly deceased youth. After landing, he turned to check on the surrounding statues.
Sure enough, they remained motionless.
His guess was right. As long as a living person’s hands and feet didn’t touch the floor, the statues wouldn’t react. There had to be an Array on the ground. The Array could only be activated by the living, not the dead.
"Hahaha." Zhang Wuying laughed. He truly was a genius! No difficulty could stop him. He was determined to claim the serendipitous opportunity for himself.
His laughter fading, he stood on the corpse, picked up his sword, and attacked his remaining companions.
SLICE!
Another head rolled onto the ground.
"Wuying, you... you..." The last person was struck with sheer terror, but before he could finish his sentence, his head also tumbled to the floor.
All of Zhang Wuying’s companions were dead.
He wiped the bloodstains from his face, carefully grabbed a corpse, and tossed it into the distance. Using the corpses as stepping stones, he hopped his way out of the area guarded by the four divine statues. He turned around to look at the four motionless statues and burst into maniacal laughter, looking completely unhinged.
He was still alive. He had survived. The fortune was his alone!
"Wuying, so you’re here. Hmm? How did they die?"
Just then, the voice of a gray-robed elder drifted over. He had been extremely cautious along the way, only arriving at this spot now.
"First Elder." Zhang Wuying’s expression grew somewhat complicated when he saw the old man.
The First Elder had always maintained a good relationship with him. Should he tell the First Elder that the four statues ahead formed a Killing Array? But, if the First Elder came over and they truly encountered a massive fortune, would he yield it to him? Would the First Elder swallow up his opportunity? Could any Cultivator resist the temptation of such a treasure?
Even though they both shared the Zhang Family’s blood, in the heart of a Cultivator, there was only profit and benefit. At least, that was how it was for Zhang Wuying.
In the end, he said nothing. He simply watched as the First Elder stepped into the range of the Killing Array. The moment the First Elder entered, the four statues instantly blasted toward him.
"Hmm?" The First Elder was somewhat surprised, but he didn’t dodge.
His body erupted with Spiritual Light, and the image of a lion appeared above his head. He possessed a cultivation base at the 4th Layer of the Super Spirit Realm; why would he be afraid of wooden statues?
But soon enough, the First Elder realized his mistake. Initially, the power of these statues wasn’t significant—only at the Strong Spirit Realm. However, as their strikes landed, their strength continuously escalated. In just a single breath, they reached the Frenzy Spirit Realm. And their power was still climbing.
"What are these things?" Sensing something was wrong, the First Elder knocked all the statues back.
But the moment they were repelled, the statues lunged at him again. Their strength was still increasing, and their speed was getting faster. By now, they had already broken into the Super Spirit Realm!
"I’m done playing with you. Be destroyed!" The First Elder’s expression turned grave as he directly unleashed a High-grade Profound Level Martial Technique. He intended to smash these statues to pieces.
BOOM!
The next moment, a loud explosion rang out, shaking the earth itself. The wooden statues had indeed been shattered.
"The First Elder is so strong!" Zhang Wuying’s expression shifted. It seemed this Killing Array was useless against the First Elder. Should he tell him that the range of the Killing Array was only a hundred meters?
While Zhang Wuying was pondering, the shattered statues began to reassemble. In a mere breath’s time, the four statues were restored to their original forms.
The First Elder furrowed his brows and resumed his attacks. When he moved, the four statues moved with him. The power of the statues continued to swell.
1st Layer of the Super Spirit Realm, 2nd Layer of the Super Spirit Realm, 4th Layer of the Super Spirit Realm...
SPURT.
A mouthful of blood sprayed from the First Elder’s mouth as his body was sent flying backward. After he landed, the four statues had already surrounded him. Their outstretched hands felt like a collapsing sky. They seemed intent on crushing the First Elder’s head.
RUMBLE.
A thunderous bang echoed. The massive force caused the ground to tremble.
"Is he dead?" Zhang Wuying’s eyes burned with fervor.
But suddenly, a muffled BOOM rang out. All four statues were blasted away. The First Elder stood up, his hair disheveled. Even though he was coughing up blood and his arms were battered to a pulp, he was still alive.
"Wuying, run! These statues are too strong. I’m no match for them!" The First Elder roared.
His body blurred into a trailing shadow as he rushed toward Zhang Wuying. He grabbed the younger man and dashed deep into the passageway. The statues behind them only gave chase for a few dozen meters before returning to their original spots.
"They didn’t follow!"
After running a long distance and confirming the statues hadn’t pursued them, the First Elder put Zhang Wuying down and slumped onto the ground in a sorry state. "What kind of statues were those? How did they possess such formidable power? They actually forced me to use the Celestial Ascension Lotus Forbidden Technique!"
"First Elder, you used the Celestial Ascension Lotus!" A faint gleam flashed in Zhang Wuying’s eyes.
The Celestial Ascension Lotus was a Forbidden Technique of the Zhang Family. This technique could temporarily raise a person’s combat prowess by a full layer. However, the price was complete exhaustion of Spiritual Qi and physical weakness, which even a Spirit Revitalizing Pill could not restore. This was because the Celestial Ascension Lotus Secret Technique overdrafted the entire body.