Chapter 140: Watertight

"Clang!" With a heavy thud of spears against the ground, the armored warriors shouted in unison, "Floating Dust Vanguard, at your service! Hah!"

The thunderous roar was so deafening it felt as though it would shatter Lin Zhan’s eardrums.

"Hah, what an imposing aura!"

These were not real warriors, but manifestations created through some mechanism of the formation. They lacked the natural flow of energy possessed by actual cultivators, yet their formation and the murderous intent they exuded were incredibly overwhelming.

To break the formation, one had to defeat these Floating Dust Vanguards. This time, Lin Zhan had no doubts or hesitations.

Thirty-six of them—these so-called Floating Dust Vanguards—stood expressionless. In perfect synchronization, they raised their spears and fanned out, charging directly toward Lin Zhan.

Lin Zhan had just summoned his ink-black blade when the lead vanguard leaped forward, spear thrusting ahead. The red tassels on the spearhead were so vivid they seemed to show every individual strand.

It was not mere blind confidence; Lin Zhan knew he could have easily defeated soldiers of this caliber back when he was at the Human Stage, let alone now, as he neared the peak of the second-grade Yellow Stage.

Teleportation!

A divine ability he had only begun to master at the Yellow Stage allowed him to shift his body more than a foot to the side instantly, his ink-black sword swinging out in the same motion.

*Whoosh!*

The scene of carnage he expected never materialized. The vanguard mysteriously vanished into thin air.

Lin Zhan’s blade lost its target, carving a dazzling arc of gold and silver through the empty air before returning without having struck anything.

The frustration of having strength with nowhere to apply it was maddening, but before Lin Zhan could ponder why the first vanguard had vanished, the others followed in rapid succession.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

The same moves, the same result. Just before his blade could land, they vanished one by one, as if they had never existed at all.

After only a few exchanges, there was no one left before him except for the swirling mist.

Yet, Lin Zhan could not let his guard down; the surrounding aura of battle remained intensely thick. He dared not be certain if these warriors, who called themselves the Floating Dust Vanguard, possessed the ability to slip into spatial rifts, much like the deadly assassin Shui Hanmeng.

Only such a "super-teleportation" could explain what was happening. And within this formation, it was entirely possible.

*Hiss!*

A sharp, tearing pain pierced the center of Lin Zhan’s left palm. Before he could react, a hole had been punctured through his hand by a tiny, sharp object. A golden, humanoid figure, having passed straight through his palm, was now lunging toward his face.

Sensing danger, Lin Zhan quickly jerked his head aside, but several whistling sounds of air being sliced reached his ears. Though the sound was faint, the speed was undeniable.

He realized then that these incoming humanoid figures were none other than the Floating Dust Vanguards, now shrunk to the size of dust motes!

Only now did Lin Zhan grasp the meaning of "Floating Dust." It described the vanguards' ability to shrink down to nearly invisible specks, hiding anywhere around their opponent’s body to strike when the moment was right.

*Rip!*

The Floating Dust Vanguard, tiny and blindingly fast, caught up to Lin Zhan’s movement and slashed a bloody line across his cheek with its spear.

Elsewhere, the spears of other vanguards grazed his hair, slicing several locks clean off at the scalp.

Despite their miniature size, their combat power had become even more formidable and terrifying. Most crucially, their small stature and agility made them impossible to hit; by the time Lin Zhan tried to strike, they had vanished once again.

Using his heavy ink-black blade to kill them? It would be like trying to hit a mosquito with a cannon.

The White Bone Tower!

It seemed to be the only way; perhaps it could swallow these miniature warriors.

The next moment, the White Bone Tower appeared, but something even more frustrating occurred. Here, the tower could not freely transform or expand; it remained small, held in his hand like a flashlight.

Without the ability to grow, its swallowing capacity and range were drastically reduced. Lin Zhan tried several times, but eventually had to give up.

With no other choice, Lin Zhan erected a full-body defense, wrapping himself tightly in spiritual energy, and sat down to think of a countermeasure.

The miniature vanguards continued to attack, like moths to a flame, hurling themselves against his spiritual barrier repeatedly. They would fall, rise again, and charge once more, displaying extraordinary discipline and combat spirit.

The Floating Dust Vanguards could not breach his spiritual shield, but Lin Zhan was equally helpless against them. The thirty-six spears continued to probe his defenses, creating a rhythmic, crisp clatter of impacts.

Suddenly, a thought struck Lin Zhan. The Creation Spirit Wheel, which had been spinning within him, burst out and expanded outward.

He had reached the second stage of the first technique of the Creation Scripture: "Wind and Clouds Rising."

For the first time, the Creation Spirit Wheel emerged, forming a golden vortex of spiritual energy spinning outward around him.

The golden dragon danced, an imposing gale erupted, and a whirlwind formed. The Floating Dust Vanguards lost their footing, tumbling helplessly into the vortex, spinning wildly in the storm like debris.

"Heh, that should keep you confused for a while. Then I’ll consider this hurdle cleared!"

Feeling a touch of self-satisfaction, Lin Zhan let out a sigh of relief.

But before the breath could even leave his lungs, something flew out of the vortex, growing larger by the second.

Lin Zhan was shocked. It wasn't just "something"—it was the Floating Dust Vanguards, growing rapidly in the wind.

They could no longer be called "dust." Not only had they returned to their original size, but they were continuing to grow frantically. The first one to emerge was already three times its original size, a true giant!

When all the vanguards became giants, Lin Zhan was completely bewildered. The Creation Spirit Wheel struggled to contain them; it simply couldn't move them anymore.

"This cheat code is too demoralizing! One moment they’re too small to see, the next they’re as big as mountains. There’s no justice in this!"

Lin Zhan was forced to withdraw the Spirit Wheel, keeping it close to his body for defense, struggling to hold on.

The giants began to stomp down in turns. Had his defenses not been so formidable, he would have been crushed into a pulp long ago.

After several attacks, Lin Zhan was battered and flustered, drifting here and there in a miserable state, while these giant vanguards had barely spent any energy at all.

"Damn it all..."