Chapter Ninety-One: Breaking the Formation

After breaking through the thin membrane, Chu Han wasted no words and charged straight at Xue Ren. Xue Ren occupied the central nexus of the formation—the crucial mechanism of the grand array. As long as Chu Han dealt with Xue Ren, the rest would be easily resolved.

Yet, he could not break through as intended. Though he had shattered the membrane, he remained trapped within the array. Countless ice spikes and ice spheres assaulted him from every direction. Helpless, Chu Han had no choice but to halt his advance and fend off the attacks.

Although these assaults could not truly harm him, their relentless onslaught was intensely irritating. Chu Han frowned; the formation’s attacks rendered his bodily defenses useless. If he forced his way forward, he would inevitably be wounded, which would be a costly mistake. The Xue family still had many members present—if he were injured, his escape would not be guaranteed. Yet, without a bold charge, it would be difficult to reach Xue Ren. If this continued, his true energy would eventually be depleted, leaving him to await death. Thus, he found himself trapped in a dilemma.

“Chu Han, you are formidable. In all these years, you are the first to dare challenge the Xue family—killing our kin and escaping unscathed. But before our ancestral protection array, no matter how strong you are, at best you can struggle a bit. This array embodies the strength of our entire clan; you cannot stand against it,” Xue Ren laughed heartily. Earlier, Chu Han had startled him by breaking through the membrane, but seeing Chu Han forced back once more, he finally relaxed.

Though he had great confidence in the protective array, Chu Han was not a man to be understood by ordinary reasoning. Anxiety still lingered in Xue Ren’s heart, so he had to maintain the array’s attacks, determined to kill Chu Han within the formation.

Chu Han’s face darkened—this Xue family indeed possessed some remarkable means. With this ancestral array, it was difficult for any other force to escape from the Xue family, but he was different. These tricks were not enough to make him surrender.

Suddenly, Chu Han’s figure flickered, dodging the barrage from all sides. He stamped his foot upon the ground, and cracks instantly spidered across the earth. He sought to exploit his strength to force the enemy into exposing a weakness.

His tremendous power opened fissures throughout the ground, frightening those nearby out of their wits—they had never witnessed such strength in a single man. It was terrifying.

Chu Han’s assault had not ended. Raising his fist, he hammered the ground again, widening the cracks until they reached beneath the feet of several men. To avoid falling into the fissures, they had to abandon their positions and retreat.

In that moment, as they left their posts, the array was disrupted. That was the opportunity Chu Han had waited for. He dashed forward at lightning speed; the crowd saw only a flash, and Chu Han vanished.

He appeared before a man, seized his throat, twisted violently, snapping the neck. Then, with the ice spikes still pursuing him from behind, Chu Han flung the corpse backward to block the attack.

With a breach now open in the array, escaping was no longer difficult for Chu Han. He slipped through this gap, dodged several attacks, and rushed to confront Xue Ren. Lightning coiled about his right hand as he struck with a powerful punch.

Though Xue Ren was panicked, he was nonetheless a master of the Shadow Realm. He quickly recovered, seized his spear, and parried Chu Han’s blow. Chu Han pressed forward, accelerating, and appeared behind him.

His fist crashed into Xue Ren’s back, staggering him away from the array’s central node. With the nexus abandoned, the grand array collapsed of its own accord. The backlash struck everyone except Xue Ren; blood sprayed from their mouths and they fell to the ground, unable to rise again.

Chu Han smiled faintly, leaping onto the wall. The lightning in his right hand transformed into a colossal qilin, its blood-red eyes gleaming with a sinister light. With a thunderous roar, it charged into the crowd.

Those wrapped in lightning were scorched black, dying instantly. The survivors screamed and fled into the buildings, terrified of facing Chu Han’s fearsome power.

“You truly are strong—to break the array. In that case, let us battle in earnest. I want to see just how far your talent can reach,” Xue Ren snorted coldly. The others could run, but he had to fight to the end—he was the head of the Xue family, and it was his duty.

Chu Han smiled slightly; he actually admired Xue Ren’s resolve. To fight to the death, knowing full well he was outmatched, and refusing to flee—such men deserved respect.

However, despite his admiration, Xue Ren was still his enemy. Chu Han would not hold back; he would never treat any foe lightly—a lesson he had learned in his previous life.

Xue Ren moved, clenching his teeth as he charged forward. The spear he wielded was encased in thick ice, and suddenly the ground erupted with countless ice spikes. Startled, Chu Han leaped into the air to evade the assault.

“Freeze! Dance of the Frozen Ice!”

Xue Ren shouted, sweeping his spear below in a motion resembling a dance. Yet Chu Han could sense an intense killing intent emanating from the weapon—this was no simple dance, but one that could claim lives.

Chu Han was aloft, descending, while Xue Ren unleashed his attacks directly below. As soon as Chu Han landed, he would be struck—and crucially, his trajectory was fixed in midair, leaving him no way to alter his path.

As Chu Han drew closer to the spear’s tip, Xue Ren’s face twisted with a malignant grin. “Die!”

Chu Han gritted his teeth, twisted his body midair, and, exerting his waist, spun around. He kicked the spear’s tip, the immense force halting the Dance of Frozen Ice, then kicked the spear from Xue Ren’s grasp, sending him stumbling back several steps.

Chu Han landed, panting heavily. It had been a close call—had he not improvised, Xue Ren’s attack would surely have struck him. The spear carried the power of ice; if he were hit, his body would be encased in frost, slowing him, and the outcome of their duel would be uncertain.

Though disarmed, Xue Ren did not cease his attack. He placed both hands upon the ground and shouted, “World of Ice Rivers!”

His hands, sheathed in thick ice, began to freeze the earth from his body outward. The ice spread rapidly, transforming everything it touched into solid blocks—nothing could escape.

Chu Han was stunned—he had never encountered such a technique. He retreated swiftly, but the ice advanced even faster, reaching him in an instant. With nowhere to run, he jumped again, but the ice surged up after him, enveloping his legs before he could react.

A chilling cold pierced him, shocking Chu Han as he landed. His legs were encased in frost, immobilizing him. He struggled, but to no avail.

At this moment, Xue Ren burst into laughter, seized his fallen spear, and charged straight at Chu Han. Now was the perfect moment to finish him.