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However, what truly gave Chen Xuanfeng a headache were the hundreds of thousands of crania scattered throughout the dark space.

Though Chen Xuanfeng had once enjoyed honing the "Nine Yin White Bone Claw" with human crania, piercing them with five holes and assembling them into bone pagodas, he had never imagined that one day he would face the predicament of being bitten full of holes by countless crania in return. Even if this was karmic retribution, it was far too terrifying.

Yes, "bitten." The moment Chen Xuanfeng began fighting the Holy Temple's forces, tens of thousands of crania soared from the will-o'-wisp lights, swarming toward him. It wasn't the judgment of holy light or the barrage of magic—just the most basic form of attack: countless crania flying at him, their clattering jaws snapping.

"Hey, hey, are you serious? This is Saint Spirit Mountain, right? Why are there skeletons flying everywhere?"

Though Chen Xuanfeng's Golden Bell Armor had long surpassed the original creator's expectations—leaving no mark even against steel blades, let alone bones—these crania bore holy seals on their foreheads, relics of hallowed saints. Their gleaming white teeth shimmered with pure holy power, radiating a chilling light more terrifying than any necromancer's summoned skeletons. Confident as he was in his defenses, Chen Xuanfeng dared not let them take a single bite.

"Hmph, the wisdom of the ancient saints is beyond the comprehension of a beast like you," sneered one of the Holy Grail Knights. With the crania joining the fray, the three knights had largely withdrawn from direct combat, guarding the Four High Priests instead, leaving only Xi Luo to engage Chen Xuanfeng.

Hearing this, Chen Xuanfeng paused, about to ponder further, when Xi Luo also retreated. Suddenly, he was surrounded by nothing but countless flying, radiant, holy—crania. And now, these crania had shed their menacing snarls, tightly arranging themselves into dozens of serpentine bone chains, spiraling like seashells yet forming a colossal cage that trapped Chen Xuanfeng within. Thrumming divine power coursed through each spiraling bone chain, making them countless times harder than steel.

"Damn it, tricked by a bunch of bones!" Chen Xuanfeng cursed, realizing he'd been fooled. The crania's biting assault had been a ruse—their true purpose was to trap him. "But do you really think this can hold me?"

"Indeed, even the sealed crania of these saints, even when forming the 'Eternal Heroic Wheel' and gathering all their divine power, cannot withstand the Platinum Lightning of the 'Sword of Divine Punishment,'" the Golden Crest Arch High Priest declared proudly. "But do not forget—this is the domain of the gods. All holy remains here are indestructible. Even if ground to dust, they will instantly coalesce through the power of the heroic spirits. No blade, no matter how sharp, can cut through flowing water. You will never escape this cyclical prison. And do you think we intend only to imprison you? Once the judgment of light begins, you won't even have the strength left to take your own life."

As he spoke, the Four High Priests simultaneously began chanting incantations, preparing to attack the moment the bone cage fully restrained their enemy. Chen Xuanfeng recognized the spell—it was the strongest holy offensive magic, the "Great Judgment," which Jin Luosha had wielded multiple times. The combined power of the four priests surpassed even Jin Luosha's amplified might with her phantom beast. Chen Xuanfeng knew he couldn't withstand it, especially with the looming threat of Xi Luo's "Hero's Sword."

Swinging his blades, Chen Xuanfeng confirmed that whether shattered or crushed, these holy crania quickly regenerated without losing power. Yet he remained undaunted, sneering, "Tch. I'm the one who plays with skulls, not the other way around. You underestimate me too much. Fine—I'll just slash these bones to pieces, along with this entire fifth-level catacomb!"

————After battling three million jade dragons, broken scales and shattered armor fill the sky————

The first form of his blade technique, "Snowragon's Fall," manifested once more. Countless sword energies, wreathed in Platinum Lightning, erupted from Chen Xuanfeng in all directions. The overwhelming force, combined with the lightning's keen edge, instantly carved the bone prison into fragments that swirled like a blizzard across the space. The relentless slashes carved onward, crashing into the Holy Temple's forces—and the massive magic array formed by the hundreds of thousands of crania behind them.

"A last gasp before death throes," one Holy Grail Knight scoffed, unleashing his Sword Emperor-tier combat energy alongside his comrades to meet the attack. Yet even combined, they were forced back after blocking just two slashes.

Xi Luo, too, raised his sword and charged, shouting, "Don't clash head-on! This technique can't last—just endure a moment longer, and he'll exhaust himself!"

He positioned himself before the Four High Priests, who had already abandoned the "Great Judgment" to focus on channeling the holy power of the hundreds of thousands of spirits in the space, maintaining their suppression of Chen Xuanfeng. More bones flew from the "Eternal Heroic Wheel," layering onto the prison to slow its destruction, resulting in more collisions, more explosions, and more bone fragments swirling through the darkness.

This time, Chen Xuanfeng sustained his blade technique far longer than before. The crisscrossing sword winds raged for over a minute before finally waning. Within a hundred meters of him, only a thick layer of bone dust remained, while deep gashes scarred the ground beyond. It was only due to the fifth-level catacomb's unique structure—lacking pillars or beams—that it hadn't collapsed entirely.

Yet despite his ferocious assault, Chen Xuanfeng ultimately failed to achieve his goal. Though over a third of the bones in the "Eternal Heroic Wheel" had been destroyed, the magic array held. Under the flow of holy power, the bone dust coalesced into countless crania, once again closing in on Chen Xuanfeng—who, after his devastating attack, was now running on fumes, his strength plummeting.