The little creature had huge eyes, its pupils pitch black and brimming with innocence. But its mouth was tiny, like a mere slit. As soon as its eyes darted about, it picked up a piece of golden eggshell and began munching on it with delight.
And with the birth of the little one, the golden pillar of light in the sky vanished as well.
Outside the valley.
"A rare treasure has appeared!"
No one knew who shouted it, but some of the indecisive cultivators once again rushed into the grand array.
Inside the Divine Temple, Ian Song was still racking his brains, trying to figure out how to break the array under the small world’s crushing pressure.
Suddenly, Lila Li asked, "Fellow Daoist Song, how long will it take you to break the array?"
Ian thought for a moment. "Just ten breaths. I can set up a formation to counteract the small world's pressure, then I’ll be able to defend and operate. But in that environment, I’m afraid I won’t last ten breaths—the pressure alone could destroy my body!"
Hearing this, Lila’s eyes lit up. "If it’s only ten breaths, we might be able to give it a try."
"How do we try?"
Lila’s cheeks flushed slightly. "I’ll use my true essence to shield your body, then you can focus on setting up the counter-formation."
Ian nodded thoughtfully. "If that’s the case, I might be able to shorten the setup time." As he spoke, a worried look appeared on his face. He glanced at Lila. "But the pressure in that small world is intense—can your Saintess true-essence barrier withstand it?"
Lila replied, "I have a pill bestowed by my master. If I take it, my strength will double for thirty breaths, but after the effect wears off, my power will be cut in half for the next ten days!"
"Then that’s our only option!" Ian nodded. "Let’s go out now."
"Wait!" Lila called out.
Ian looked at her, sensing a hint of shyness in her expression.
"Fellow Daoist Song, even if my strength doubles, I’ll only barely be able to shield both our bodies. So... we’ll have to press our bodies tightly together!"
After saying this, Lila looked even more embarrassed. Not even with her childhood friend and senior brother had she ever been so physically close, yet now she had to maintain such intimacy with a man she’d only just met. Her heart was a tangled mess of shyness, but for the sake of escaping, she had no choice.
Still, thinking back to the moment she fed him medicine earlier, just pressing their bodies together didn’t seem so hard for Lila.
Hearing Lila’s words, Ian instantly understood the reason for her embarrassment. Although he had no improper thoughts, the idea of hugging a peerlessly beautiful woman made his heart race a little.
But he didn’t let it show on his face. Instead, he said solemnly, "Then I’ll have to trouble you, Saintess."
"Mm!"
Lila nodded.
Time was short; every moment they delayed, the small world’s pressure grew stronger. So Ian didn’t hesitate—he stepped up and hugged Lila tightly, saying, "Forgive me, Saintess!"
The moment Ian embraced Lila, he felt her body stiffen. Her fragrance filled his nose, and the soft sensation of her body against his made his mind wander for a second.
Luckily, Lila spoke up just then. "Fellow Daoist Song, get ready. I’m about to take the pill!"
"Alright!"
Ian snapped back to attention and quickly refocused his mind.
The next moment, Lila popped the pill into her mouth and swallowed it. Instantly, she felt her true essence surge, doubling in strength. She hurriedly wrapped both Ian and herself in a protective barrier of true essence.
"Careful, Saintess. Let’s head out now!"
After reminding Lila, Ian brought her straight into that gray, hazy small world.
"Mm!"
The moment they appeared, Lila felt an immense pressure. Even in that short time, the small world’s pressure had grown noticeably stronger.
At the same time, under the force of the small world, Lila’s true essence barrier kept shrinking inward, forcing their bodies to press even closer together—so close that not a single gap was left.
Feeling his chest crushed tightly against Lila’s, Ian didn’t dare entertain any improper thoughts. He called out, "Hold on, Saintess—I’m starting!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ian suddenly flung out seven formation disks, each inlaid with eighty-one top-grade spirit crystals.
"Activate!"
With a low shout, Ian quickly cast a series of formation hand-seals. The seven disks lit up, linked together, and formed a cyan barrier that enveloped both of them.
"Crack! Crack!"
But under the pressure of the small world, the newly formed barrier actually seemed on the verge of collapsing. Alarmed, Ian hurriedly cast more formation hand-seals to stabilize it.
After several breaths, the formation barrier finally stabilized, completely blocking out the pressure from the small world. But Ian knew that unless he broke the Innate Grand Array itself, this counter-formation wouldn’t last long.
Lila also sensed the pressure had vanished, but she didn’t dare release her true essence barrier or let go of Ian. She asked, "Fellow Daoist Song, are you done?"
"Yes, it’s done!"
Ian stepped away from Lila, only to see her cheeks flushed deep red. In the life-or-death moment earlier, he hadn’t had time to notice the wonderful sensation, but now, recalling it, he realized the Saintess’s figure was truly something—and that seamless, close contact was unforgettable.
Noticing Ian’s meaningful look, Lila snapped with a mix of shame and anger, "Fellow Daoist Song, aren’t you going to break the array already?"
"Oh, right away!"
Ian nodded hurriedly and began casting formation seals into the void.
Watching this, Lila couldn’t help but recall their earlier embrace—their bodies pressed so tightly it felt as if they’d almost merged, sharing heartbeat and breath, her skin tingling all over. Just thinking about it made her legs go weak.
Suddenly, she steeled herself and silently scolded: Lila Li, you’re your senior brother’s Dao-companion. He died for you—how can you have thoughts about another man?
After a round of self-reproach, Lila’s expression gradually returned to normal, and even her gaze toward Ian became calm and steady again.
Having browsed countless formation texts, Ian’s mastery had improved by leaps and bounds. Previously, he couldn’t even glimpse the array’s operating pattern from inside the small world.
But after casting a series of formation hand-seals to probe and deduce, it took him only moments to figure out the array’s operating rhythm.
Next, with a flick of his fingers, he injected a rapid sequence of formation seals into the void and commanded, "Freeze for me."
In an instant, the madly revolving Innate Grand Array suddenly ground to a halt.