Chapter 330 - 329: Hei Zang

Hei Zang’s aura surged.

"You will pay for this!"

He raised both hands.

The black markings covering his arms began to glow, and enormous chains emerged from the surrounding space.

Each chain was formed from condensed spatial energy, with dark runes running along its surface.

The chains spread across the sky.

Then they descended toward Lin Yuan.

Unlike Xie Luo’s domain, Hei Zang’s technique did not attempt to distort the relationships between spatial coordinates.

It was designed to bind them.

Every chain carried a different spatial restriction, and together they formed a vast network that sought to anchor the target to a single point.

If the chains succeeded in binding Lin Yuan, Hei Zang could gradually tighten the restrictions until the target’s movements became impossible.

Lin Yuan’s eyes brightened.

Another spatial technique.

He had barely finished examining Xie Luo’s method, and now a second Demon King had presented him with a different application of spatial laws.

He almost wanted to thank the man for the opportunity.

Almost.

The first chain descended.

Lin Yuan stepped aside.

The chain struck the ground and wrapped around a massive stone, crushing it into fragments.

The second chain swept across his waist.

He raised his hand.

Silver-blue rain spread across the chain, revealing the faint circulation of spatial energy within it.

Golden-purple thunder followed.

The chain trembled.

Then it shattered.

Hei Zang’s expression changed.

He had not expected Lin Yuan to destroy the chain so easily.

The remaining chains descended at once.

Lin Yuan did not attempt to evade every attack.

Instead, he allowed the rain to spread across the battlefield.

The silver-blue droplets touched the chains, revealing the differences between their spatial restrictions.

Some chains were designed to bind the target’s physical position.

Others restricted the movement of spiritual energy.

A few attempted to interfere with the relationship between the target and the surrounding space.

The techniques were connected, but they were not identical.

Lin Yuan’s Dao Fruit allowed him to distinguish them.

He raised his right hand.

Golden-purple thunder struck the chains that carried the greatest destructive force.

His left hand moved.

Silver-blue rain redirected the chains whose movements depended upon fixed coordinates.

Then the principle of Three Rebirths connected the changes, allowing him to anticipate the next movement of the remaining chains.

Within several breaths, the entire network had become a collection of disconnected restraints.

Hei Zang’s expression turned ugly.

He had not expected the battle to become so difficult so quickly.

The chains were not his strongest technique, but they were a reliable method of restricting opponents who possessed superior movement techniques.

Against most cultivators, even those with stronger bodies, the chains could create enough pressure to force them into a defensive position.

Lin Yuan had dismantled them before they could establish a stable formation.

The Demon King clenched his fists.

His body suddenly expanded.

Black armor spread across his shoulders and chest, while the chains surrounding him merged into a single enormous structure.

The structure formed a pair of dark wings behind his back.

Hei Zang’s eyes glowed.

"Let us see how you handle this!"

He spread his arms.

The chains shot forward.

This time, they did not descend from above.

They emerged from every direction.

The ground split, the air twisted, and the surrounding trees were pulled toward the center of the attack.

Lin Yuan’s expression remained calm.

He raised his hand.

The Dao Fruit within his body rotated.

Rain spread across the clearing.

Thunder gathered within the clouds.

Three Rebirths connected the two principles, creating a circulation that allowed Lin Yuan to perceive the movement of every chain.

Then he stepped forward.

The chains struck.

Lin Yuan moved through them.

He did not rely solely on speed.

Each step followed the gaps created by the shifting spatial restrictions. His Immortal Cloud Step carried him through the narrow passages, while his Dao Fruit revealed the moments when the chains had to adjust their coordinates.

A chain swept toward his shoulder.

He turned slightly.

Another descended toward his legs.

He stepped over it.

A third emerged from the ground.

He raised his hand and struck it with a golden-purple bolt of thunder.

The chain shattered.

Hei Zang’s eyes widened.

Lin Yuan was moving through the attack as though he had already seen every possible movement.

The Demon King increased the pressure.

The chains multiplied.

But the more he attacked, the more clearly Lin Yuan perceived the structure of the technique.

Finally, Lin Yuan stopped.

The chains converged around him.

Hei Zang smiled savagely.

"Nowhere left to run!"

The chains tightened.

For an instant, Lin Yuan’s figure disappeared beneath a mass of dark metal-like restraints.

Then a faint silver-blue light spread through the gaps.

The chains stopped moving.

Hei Zang’s smile froze.

Lin Yuan’s voice emerged from within the network.

"You have made the same mistake as your brother."

The golden-purple light intensified.

"You believe that binding the target is the same as controlling the space around him."

A faint crack appeared along one of the chains.

"But a restraint is only effective if the relationship between its parts remains stable."

The crack spread.

Thunder flashed through the network.

Rain followed.

The principle of Three Rebirths connected the damage, allowing the entire structure to collapse through the same sequence of failures.

The chains shattered.

Lin Yuan emerged from the fragments.

His robes remained undamaged.

Hei Zang stared at him.

For the first time, the Demon King understood that the reports concerning Lin Yuan had not been exaggerated.

If anything, they had failed to describe the most dangerous part of his strength.

The cultivator did not merely possess powerful techniques.

He could learn from an opponent while fighting, identify the principles underlying their abilities, and turn that understanding into an advantage before the battle was over.

Hei Zang’ s rage did not disappear.

It became something colder.

He could no longer afford to underestimate Lin Yuan.

He also could not retreat without avenging Xie Luo.

With a furious roar, he rushed forward.