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No wonder they were shocked. If ranking the most self-defeating and harmful magics in the world, the "Void Exile Trap" would undoubtedly be among the top three twisted spells, even surpassing certain lethal forbidden curses. The principle of this spatial magic involves twisting vast amounts of chaotic spatial energy into spatial nodes, which then serve as points to construct a trap enveloping an area. Within the enclosed space, any magic, dimensional ripples, or attempts to escape would trigger these spatial nodes, releasing spatial turbulence that randomly transports everything inside to unknown dimensions. Originally, this could have been hailed as a supreme offensive and defensive spell, but one critical flaw relegated it to the shelves as a useless incantation—the caster must stand inside the trap to set it up. Once deployed, all spatial nodes lock onto the caster, freezing them in place completely. They cannot move, cast spells, or even detonate the trap voluntarily. Meanwhile, others trapped inside can dispel it by killing the caster.

Thus, after this colossal magical trap was set, Dongye himself became fixed above the Crystal Palace. However, the same trap also deterred the residents of Sacred Dragon Mountain from fleeing, and the thousands of spell cannons in the Crystal Palace fell silent to avoid triggering the massive spatial trap.

"Could it be... he thinks he's a dragon and believes we can't kill him without magic?" another elder frowned in speculation. "But what then? Does Sacred Dragon Mountain lack battle qi masters? Even if the five Dragon Sovereign Knights have descended, we still have many experts who’ve reached the Sword Saint realm without relying on dragon combat qi. He can’t possibly be unaware of this."

"Enough speculation! Dispatch our elites immediately to eliminate this menace!"

"Don’t act rashly. This is the descendant of the Demon Dragon King, who has lain dormant for a millennium. There must be a scheme. Look at the scale of this 'Void Exile Trap'—even a hundred tenth-level spatial mages working together couldn’t set it up so effortlessly. The Demon Dragon deployed it instantly, meaning preparations were made long ago. How could he not have anticipated our elite assault?"

"Then what do you propose? Should we just wait, unable to attack or call for reinforcements?"

"What’s wrong with that? Now that the enemy is immobilized, we can gather the remaining civilians. Don’t forget, there are still dozens of dragons on Sacred Dragon Mountain and a full legion of elite troops at the Purple Crystal Terrace. Once they arrive, we can break this trap with ease by coordinating from within and without."

"Wait for outside intervention? Don’t jest. If the trap is dismantled from the outside, the Demon Dragon will escape immediately. Remember, slaying him and retrieving his dragon crystal and horns could allow us to forge another 'Sacred Dragon Covenant'—the very foundation of Sacred Dragon Mountain’s existence!"

Inside the Crystal Palace, arguments erupted as over a dozen elders fiercely debated how to handle the situation.

Yet, despite the discord, these elders were no deliberative elves who debate for years. Even as they quarreled, they had already summoned several Sword Saints loyal to Sacred Dragon Mountain, forming an assault team.

However, this team soon returned after a brief reconnaissance.

"What? Unable to attack? Why?"

"The enemy’s spatial trap has two layers. Around the Demon Dragon’s body is a smaller, cruder one. To approach, we must dismantle it—but any method used would trigger dimensional ripples, inevitably setting off the larger outer trap and hurling the entire Crystal Palace into another dimension."

"So, we truly cannot act?" The eldest mage among the elders spoke gravely. "It seems the enemy has indeed plotted something. This is clearly a stalling tactic. We must not let them succeed!"

The Crystal Palace’s forces mobilized once more. With magic unusable, they turned to other means—ballistae, catapults, powerful bows, and only a token number of siege weapons were gathered. Combined with Sword Saint-level experts unleashing sword energy and combat energy projectiles, they launched a full assault on the immobilized Demon Dragon in the sky.

Unfortunately, the Crystal Palace, renowned for its magical offense and defense, had only a token number of siege weapons. Sacred Dragon Mountain, long reliant on dragons, had also hoarded few Sword Saint-level experts outside the Dragon Sovereign Knights, far fewer than the Radiant Sanctum. With only four or five such masters and no ability for lesser troops to harm the Demon Dragon, their attacks were sporadic and feeble. Meanwhile, Demon Dragon Dongye, a tier-11 magical beast, was not defenseless. Though immobilized and unable to cast spells, he could still retaliate with dragon breath.

Of course, this was the advantage of draconic spellcasting. A human spatial mage, once magic-sealed, would be utterly helpless, which was why the "Void Exile Trap" became infamous as a useless spell.

Strangely, though both dragon breath and Sword Saint combat energy contained magical elements, their intense life-force infusion prevented them from triggering the spatial trap. Conditions were equal, but the outcome was anything but. Dongye, relying on his adamantine scales, ignored enemy attacks entirely, instead bathing the palace in torrents of dragonfire. Forced to divert experts to intercept the breath and protect the palace, Sacred Dragon Mountain’s offensive grew even weaker.

Watching this unfold, one elder sighed, "Ah, if only a Saint were here, we wouldn’t be in such a predicament."

"Hmph! If you hadn’t insisted outsiders couldn’t be trusted and refused to disclose the Crystal Palace’s transportation circles to those young Sword Saints, they could’ve arrived the moment we were attacked," a black-bearded elder retorted angrily.

Another elder defended, "The transportation circles in the Crystal Palace were always kept secret from the dragons. How could we reveal them? Besides, no one expected the enemy to strike so suddenly. Otherwise, the Dragon Sovereign Knights could’ve contacted the Sword Saints and brought them here..."

The hours dragged on in this stalemate. Thanks to Dongye’s surprise attack and prearranged trap, a single dragon suppressed the vast Crystal Palace, nullifying its thousands of spell cannons. Neither side could gain the upper hand, left only to await outside intervention.