Dr. Sim finished speaking, stabilized his stance, and repelled Han Lang's golden needles with a powerful punch, then roared.
"Golden Luo Illusion, shatter for me!"
With his roar, an identical phantom close-combat form emerged from his body.
The golden form, a hundred zhang tall, was remarkably similar to the nascent soul phantom that burst forth from Han Lang when he broke through the Nascent Soul stage.
The difference was:
Dr. Sim’s golden form was larger and appeared more imposing.
It stood like a colossal zombie Buddha, majestically surveying all beings!
Han Lang and the others were terrified.
They had never witnessed such a spectacle before.
Dan Nan was particularly dumbfounded.
"This... this is... a Heaven-tier martial skill?"
Dan Nan couldn't believe it, and neither could Han Lang and the others.
If they remembered correctly.
Dr. Sim had previously stated that he had only temporarily injected himself with serum from Chinese cultivators. Then, during this brief period of genetic alteration, he had practiced cultivation techniques, thereby transforming into an XS-class esper.
But if that were the case, where would he have found the time to practice martial skills?
Even if he could, it was impossible to master a Heaven-tier martial skill in such a short time!
The most crucial question was, where did his Heaven-tier martial skill come from?
Even if he had successfully subverted some low-level cultivators, where did those people obtain Heaven-tier martial skills?
With these questions, Han Lang immediately inquired.
"Deputy Officer Dan, how is this possible? Dr. Sim is, after all, just an esper. How could he know our Chinese martial skills? Are you sure you're not mistaken? Perhaps this is just an esper's mutated ability?"
Dan Nan shook his head.
"I wouldn't be mistaken! I remember seeing this martial skill, Golden Luo Illusion, before. Although I can't recall where, I am absolutely certain that this is a martial skill!"
Dan Nan's reply only deepened everyone's confusion.
"But, Heaven-tier martial skills are extremely rare even within our Chinese cultivator community. How could they end up in Dr. Sim's hands? Could it be that within China, there are already forces with strong backgrounds who have reached an agreement with Dr. Sim?"
Dan Nan shook his head.
"I'm not sure about that. And this doesn't necessarily mean that Dr. Sim has subverted forces with strong backgrounds. Although Heaven-tier cultivation techniques are rare, it's not impossible for certain families with deep heritage to have ancient traditions! Even if they are somewhat in decline now, it doesn't mean they didn't rise to prominence in ancient times!"
Dan Nan's words were easy to understand.
It was like Murong Fu in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.
Even though his kingdom had been destroyed, he still possessed many items related to the royal family.
Therefore, in the vast land of China, among the numerous families in the cultivator community, there would naturally be many families with deep heritage!
"What do we do now? This illusion feels incredibly powerful!"
Hearing the question, Dan Nan frowned deeply.
"There's no other way! We can only hope that Dr. Sim's mastery of this martial skill is not yet perfect. Everyone, pay attention! Maintain the Seven Absolutes Nine Li Formation with all your might, and let Han Lang be the sole attacker!"
Upon hearing the order, everyone immediately changed their tactics.
Instead of attacking Dr. Sim, they began to desperately maintain the existence of the Seven Absolutes Nine Li Formation.
Han Lang did not hesitate either. He immediately circulated his spiritual energy and drove the golden needles to attack Dr. Sim's illusion.
However, although Han Lang's Shen Nong Needle Art was indeed superior in grade to Golden Luo Illusion, Han Lang had not yet mastered it completely.
With his current ability to control nine golden needles, their grade was at most comparable to Dr. Sim's Golden Luo Illusion.
Therefore, no matter how hard Han Lang tried, the nine golden needles did not inflict significant damage on Dr. Sim's illusion.
On the other hand, Dr. Sim also began to make a move.
He exerted all his strength and, seemingly with great effort, performed a gesture of bringing his palms together.
Following Dr. Sim's action, the illusion also mirrored the same movement.
The illusion's massive palms gradually merged, accumulating power for a moment, and then, under Dr. Sim's control, it slammed down fiercely, striking the Seven Absolutes Nine Li Formation that everyone had jointly constructed.
"Bang!"
The entire formation vibrated.
Han Lang and the others, as the core of the formation, felt a tremor within their hearts.
Liu Xiaoxiao was stunned and shouted urgently.
"This won't do! If this continues, in two or three more hits, our formation will be completely destroyed!"
Dan Nan was also extremely anxious at this moment.
His understanding of the Seven Absolutes Nine Li Formation was deeper than anyone else's.
How could he not know that under Dr. Sim's relentless assault, the Seven Absolutes Nine Li Formation could not hold on?
So, he shouted urgently.
"Everyone, abandon the offense. Maintain formation! The formation can change its position as we move. We must now utilize our speed advantage to evade Dr. Sim's attacks as much as possible. His transformation into such a massive illusion is also an immense drain on his own energy. As long as we hold on longer, Dr. Sim will weaken slightly!"
Following Dan Nan's shouts, everyone understood.
As Dr. Sim's second strike arrived, under Dan Nan's loud command.
"South!"
Everyone moved uniformly towards the south.
"Bang!"
Another loud sound.
However, due to everyone's tacit cooperation, this strike did not land directly on the formation. Instead, it merely exploded in the air, creating a massive energy wave.
Everyone rejoiced.
"It works! Let's continue!"
However, their joy was premature.
Although Dan Nan had rich combat experience and was adept at commanding everyone, Dr. Sim was not a machine.
Having missed his target once, he naturally realized the problem.
Therefore, in his next attack, he also changed his strategy.
While continuing to control the illusion's palm to strike down, he simultaneously controlled the illusion's other hand to fiercely grab at the Seven Absolutes Nine Li Formation.
"Bang!"
Another strike.
Under Dan Nan's command, everyone evaded the strike again.
But before they could celebrate, a giant palm completely grasped them within its palm.
At this moment, Han Lang and the others were almost one with the Seven Absolutes Nine Li Formation.
Although the giant palm did not grab any of them individually, the entire formation was completely within the palm's grasp.
Ma Long's face turned ashen.
"Damn it! This works too?"
Dan Nan's eyes were also filled with horror.
He had not expected Dr. Sim to possess such an ability.
He could control the illusion to directly grab the inherently intangible Seven Absolutes Nine Li Formation.
But now, with the formation already in the illusion's hand, even if they wanted to escape, there was no way to do so.
"Hold on! Make Dr. Sim unleash as many moves as possible. This will also greatly deplete his internal energy!"
This was Dan Nan's last act of defiance.
And it was the only option in their current predicament.
Everyone had no choice but to obey Dan Nan's command and do their utmost to maintain the formation's integrity.
However, with the formation already caught in its grasp, Dr. Sim changed his attack strategy again.
He now controlled the illusion, holding the formation with one hand, clenching the other into a fist, and like hammering a nail, he fiercely struck the formation with his other hand.