Marvin Mu scanned his surroundings, searching for a weak point in the formation. Noah Qiu, full of confidence, stood atop the water, smiling at the crowd. Seeing everyone focus their attention on Noah, Nangong Palace Lord relaxed—at least for now, no one was forcing him to swear any oaths.
Damien Darkmoon watched from the side, waiting for Marvin Mu’s answer. Besides them, many others had gathered around.
Yvonne Darkmoon was also beside Damien Darkmoon, watching the changes on the field. Terry Yang, besides observing the scene, also sent Yvonne a sound transmission: "Little girl, that slap you gave me—I’ll pay it back tenfold. Watch yourself."
Hearing Terry Yang’s harsh voice, Yvonne searched for his location and, once she found him, replied via sound transmission with a cold snort: "Don’t think you’re so great just because you’re from the Yang Clan. I’m not afraid. If you try to control me again, I’ll make sure you lose face!"
"Hmph, just wait." Terry Yang snorted coldly, but in his heart he thought, "One day, I’ll make sure to ruin you in bed."
Yvonne had no idea what Terry Yang was really thinking. She only knew he was a frightening person, so she ignored him and kept her attention on the scene.
Among the crowd was also Yang Han, who muttered suspiciously as he studied the scene, "This formation really is vicious, but if you use an array-breaking method against it, there’s still hope to crack it."
Marvin Mu had already pinpointed the approximate location. He aimed at a spot in midair and said, "Right there!"
Damien Darkmoon was overjoyed when he heard this, quickly flying out on his treasure toward that spot.
Everyone watched as the treasure crashed down with a rumble. The water below surged violently. Just as the crowd thought the formation had been broken, Noah Qiu burst out laughing, "Ridiculous, ridiculous! You’ve all fallen into my trap. This isn’t the array eye—it’s actually the most dangerous spot in the whole formation!"
The crowd was shocked, while Damien Darkmoon showed a suspicious look. Just as he was about to withdraw his treasure, he found it wouldn’t budge—as if it was fixed in place. Seeing Damien Darkmoon’s predicament, people rushed forward to help him pull his treasure, since its middle was connected by a rope.
The rope was said to be extremely tough and wouldn’t break, but Damien Darkmoon was frustrated—one end of his treasure was caught right at that spot, and a strange suction force was pulling it.
Noah Qiu kept laughing, "Emperor Damien Darkmoon, stop struggling—it’s useless. And the rest of you, if you want to die, keep helping. Soon you’ll all be dragged into the danger zone."
The crowd was terrified. Damien Darkmoon was being dragged step by step toward the lake—not of his own will, but pulled by the force.
Those who had been helping Damien Darkmoon gradually backed away. They didn’t want to get caught up in this, and after all, they’d just seen several experts die atop the water.
"Ha! Cowards, all of you. And Marvin Mu, your formation dao—I understand most of it, so I knew exactly how you’d look for the array eye. That’s why everything you saw was just a false lead." Noah Qiu sneered.
Marvin Mu glared at Noah Qiu, "Damn you!"
"Feeling guilty? Think you’ve doomed Emperor Damien Darkmoon?" Noah Qiu boasted.
Marvin Mu realized things had come to this. Watching Damien Darkmoon slowly being dragged closer, he hurried over to help. "It’s all my fault. If anyone has to die, let me go first."
"Back off! Don’t throw your life away!" Damien Darkmoon didn’t blame anyone—he could only blame the enemy for being ruthless, and for his own treasure being rope-linked.
Yvonne Darkmoon, seeing the situation, ran over angrily and grabbed the rope. "Father, let me help you!"
For Yvonne, things felt hopeless now. She was deeply upset, almost on the verge of tears—worse than when Damien Darkmoon entered the black castle.
Seeing Yvonne’s eyes redden, Damien Darkmoon shouted, "Step back! Get back!"
"No, if you die, I die with you!" Yvonne said sadly, finally unable to hold back her tears.
"Why won’t you listen? Go find Elder Lewis Lu—maybe he has a way." Damien Darkmoon didn’t want Yvonne to watch him slowly walk to his death, so he urged her to find Elder Lewis Lu.
Yvonne wasn’t stupid—she understood, and replied, "I’ve already contacted Elder Lewis Lu. He’ll be here soon."
Damien Darkmoon hadn’t expected Yvonne to have already reached Elder Lewis Lu. He was shocked, "Then step back, you’re not helping at all."
"No, I don’t want to. I want to help you pull." Yvonne used all her strength to tug the rope, but it was useless—instead, the rope kept inching forward.
"Step back!" Damien Darkmoon roared.
Yvonne refused. Damien Darkmoon had no choice but to turn to Marvin Mu, "I’ll leave it to you—make her step back."
"Uh..." Marvin Mu was helping Damien Darkmoon. How could he back down? So the three of them were stuck there, and their hands gradually started bleeding—skin torn from too much friction and force.
The atmosphere was awkward. Some wanted to help, but it was too dangerous, so they could only stand by. Damien Darkmoon’s guards wouldn’t let anyone approach, or else it would be seen as defying orders.
Seeing this, Noah Qiu laughed, "I never thought I, Noah Qiu, could have so many experts dancing in the palm of my hand."
The crowd was furious, feeling Noah Qiu was utterly heartless. But seeing their anger only made Noah Qiu happier.
As time passed, Damien Darkmoon was only two meters from the lake, and Yvonne Darkmoon was just one and a half meters away. If this continued, Yvonne would soon die.
"Go!" Damien Darkmoon shouted.
"No!" Yvonne replied.
The two argued. Noah Qiu laughed, "Let me help you—all of you want to die, so I’ll let you go first, little girl."
With a wave of his hand, the formation changed. The pull intensified instantly. Yvonne’s strength wasn’t enough—she was flung outward, shocking the crowd.
Seeing Yvonne thrown toward the water, Damien Darkmoon was horrified: "No!"
Some kindhearted people closed their eyes, unable to watch, while others could only stare as Yvonne soared through the air, about to fall into the water.
Terry Yang was also shocked, but there was nothing he could do. Sacrificing himself for a woman was not his style.
Elder Lewis Lu had arrived, but he was still too late. He was stunned at the moment Yvonne was thrown.
Everyone could only watch Yvonne’s arc through the air, tracking her movement bit by bit.
Damien Darkmoon’s mouth was frozen in the shape of the word 'no,' but despite his strength, he could do nothing to help Yvonne now.
Yvonne watched herself drifting farther from Damien Darkmoon and the shore. She could sense she was already inside the formation—no matter how she tried to escape, it was impossible.
Noah Qiu laughed wildly, "Die, die!"
"Noah Qiu, if I survive, I’ll destroy you!" Damien Darkmoon raged, convinced Yvonne had little hope left.
"Destroy me? Can you even escape now? Or are you planning to cripple your own hand?" Noah Qiu sneered.
Cripple his hand? Damien Darkmoon heard this, looked at his wrist, and knew that if he wanted to survive, he’d have to do just that.
Damien Darkmoon was ecstatic, "Girl, are you alright?"
Elder Lewis Lu watched the scene with suspicion, feeling the situation was simply absurd.
Damien Darkmoon silently prayed, "Go for it."