The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 329. Array vs Winged Arbiter

Suddenly, the strange creature that had been crawling near the spatial crack froze mid-motion. Its antennae twitched, and its head turned sharply toward the battlefield. As if it had sensed the overwhelming clash of domains and power signatures, it shuddered and then quickly dove back into the rift, vanishing in an instant.

Everyone let out a collective breath of relief.

"Heh... looks like a weak creature after all," Tyler sneered, relaxing a little. "Thank goodness it wasn’t something strong that jum—mmm!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Mana clapped her palm over his mouth, eyes wide with urgency.

"Don’t jinx us," she warned, glaring at him.

Tyler nodded sheepishly, his lips still pressed against her hand.

Even the Grandmasters chuckled lightly, a brief moment of levity amidst the chaos.

The rumbling skies above crackled again. Lightning twisted violently, and Raptor’s roar echoed, shaking the air as the battlefield near the spatial passage raged on.

The pressure from his domain was only growing.

Tyler’s expression sharpened. "Let’s attack Raptor directly."

"You thought of a plan?" Mathilda asked, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

Tyler nodded, his voice calm but resolute. "Thunder Subduing Array."

The words instantly caught the attention of everyone nearby.

One of the Grandmasters turned toward him. "Do we even have enough materials for something of that level?"

Tyler just smiled.

Without another word, he reached into his storage ring and began pulling out a cascade of rare materials—Black Jade Conductors, Silvertrace Inks, Lightning-Absorbent Stones, and Auric Threads refined for spiritual conductivity.

Even the Grandmasters couldn’t hide their surprise at the sheer quality of the array components.

"You were carrying all that...?" Grandmaster asked in astonishment. These are all rare materials even in their world. But Tyler pulled out multiple materials in one go.

"You never know when a bird-shaped thunder demon might show up," Tyler said with a half-smile, arranging the components swiftly.

With practiced precision, he began to sketch a formation on the ground using a metallic chalk that glowed faintly with runic patterns. Every movement was efficient, almost like a dance—his fingers drawing lines in the air that settled onto the ground, forming the basic framework of the array.

"Is this array?" Looking at the small device, Mana asked.

"Nah... It’s just mini version. We have to cover up the whole battlefield." Tyler said.

"I do have slight knowledge in Arrays. This is not just a Thunder Subduing Array," one Grandmaster whispered, observing closely.

"That’s right. I am weaving in a Spirit-Locking Seal and Abyssal Interference Lines." Tyler said without looking up. "If Raptor’s power source has both divine and abyssal signatures, we’ll need to scramble its resonance."

Mathilda leaned closer, watching in fascination as Tyler added the Final Conductor Node, embedding a lightning-reflective core crystal at the center. It shimmered with energy, ready to absorb and redirect incoming attacks.

"Now I will give materials. Also try to carve these ruins across the battlefield." Tyler said.

"Understood," the Grandmasters responded.

Without delay, two of them rushed into the battlefield.

Lava surged like a tidal wave, while rock pillars rained down once again—this time more aggressively, aiming to restrict Raptor’s aerial movement.

One of the Grandmaster activated his river domain. A surge of river flowed in the battlefield even the Lava couldn’t evaporate it. It is moving in different patterns. The grandmaster used his domain power to draw the runes for array.

Above The battle escalated.

Raptor spun midair and unleashed a barrage of crackling thunder whips, each one lashing out in multiple directions. One whip tore through a rock pillar like paper, but a moment later, a geyser of molten fire exploded beneath him, singeing his wings.

He roared in frustration, only to be caught off guard by a volley of spirit chains, hurled by the Light Domain Grandmaster. The chains latched onto his limbs briefly, disrupting his rhythm.

"Now!" a Grandmaster yelled.

Giant Stones appeared like rain and poured on the Raptor.

"Now let’s use this mini version as a remote controller." Tyler muttered.

Then Tyler took out his copper Ladle and swiped it on the materials. Then he swiped his ladle towards the battlefield they were placed in particular places. He doesn’t even stepped inside the battlefield.

"Now it’s time..."

Tyler slammed his hand onto the center of the Mini Array. The Giant Thunder Subduing Array in the battlefield flared to life, illuminating the with runes dancing across the ground and air.

A massive sphere of runic light expanded outward, forming a dome around Raptor’s domain. The ball lightnings in the sky flickered and began to spiral toward the array’s core, sucked in by the spiritual vacuum it created.

"huh?!" Raptor growled, his wings faltering mid-flap.

"Just Lightning Rod but cultivation version." Tyler muttered, watching the formation feed off Raptor’s power like a leech. Whenever Raptor uses Lightning the Formation absorbed it.

Crackles of spiritual lightning zipped through the array’s conduits, redirecting bolts into self-contained nodes that began to build explosive charge. Every second the array was active, it grew more unstable—for Raptor.

The creature flailed, trying to break free, but every movement only fed more power into the trap.

"His lightning is going berserk!" Mathilda shouted.

"We overloaded the spiritual polarity. His own domain is counteracting his movements," Tyler explained.

On cue, a shockwave burst from the core, sending Raptor crashing into the ground.

The Grandmasters didn’t miss the chance.

All three activated their ultimate techniques—Lava Hell Spiral, Meteor Cage, and Spirit Shackle Binding. Raptor was pinned down by molten spirals, crushed by falling boulders, and restrained by glowing chains infused with Divine Qi.

"He’s weakening!" one Grandmaster confirmed.

Yet, even in defeat, Raptor’s red eyes glowed ominously. He uttered something in the unknown Abyssal tongue, and his armor began to crack. Black smoke oozed from the crevices, spreading like a plague through the air.

Tyler frowned. "That’s not a retreat tactic... that’s a failsafe."

"Step back!" one Grandmaster shouted. "He’s invoking a Self-Purge Abyss Burst!"

The spiritual energy in the area churned violently as Raptor’s body combusted in a blinding flash of abyssal light—a last-resort explosion meant to take his enemies down with him.

Tyler and the others were pulled back by the defensive Grandmasters just in time as the shockwave rippled through the valley, leaving scorched earth and flickering arcs of residual energy.

When the smoke cleared, all that remained was the armour that Raptor was wearing.

"Is he dead...?" Mathilda asked. freewebnoveℓ.com

"No," Tyler said slowly, eyes narrowing.

The Grandmasters nodded grimly.

A figure escaped swiftly - sneaked back into the Abyss Rift.

Looking at the Figure Tyler mouth twitched.

"He will probably bring his companions next time." Tyler muttered.

"Don’t Jinx it..." Mana muttered.

Tyler looked at his compass it is pointing towards the Abyss Rift that Raptor left.

"We have to find Lily faster and get the hell out of here," Tyler said, his eyes scanning the battlefield one last time. The air was still charged with the remnants of the earlier clash, the acrid scent of ozone lingering thick in the atmosphere.

He turned to Kairon, activating the translation app again. "What are you going to do now?"

Kairon bowed low, his expression solemn. "Thank you for saving me. Truly. I owe you my life." He straightened and continued, "I’m leaving the Abyss... I don’t care which planet I land on. Mine is already dead."

There was a pause. Even the Grandmasters exchanged quiet glances, sensing the weight behind his words.

"Well," Tyler said, fishing into his storage pouch, "This compass can lead you to near by Abyss Rift that is connected to another world. Try your luck."

He handed Kairon a small, metallic compass etched with glowing runes. "This will guide you toward another world’s spatial signature. If you’re lucky, you’ll make it out."

"And take these too," Tyler added, tossing him some Weapons and a few Prana Stones to charge it. "You’ll need them if anything else tries to eat you along the way."

Kairon’s voice cracked slightly. "I... I don’t know how to repay you."

"Try not to die" Tyler said casually, already turning away. "We might never seen again."

Kairon clutched the compass tightly. "I won’t forget this kindness."

Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the shadows, heading in the direction opposite the rift, toward whatever future awaited him.

Tyler turned back toward the swirling spatial rift, its edges still sparking faintly with residual energy.

"Do you think he can survive?" Mathilda asked Curiously.

"It’s nonofa...." Tyler said.

"Nonofa what?" Mathilda was confused.

"None of our business." Tyler smirked.

Mathilda tapped him lightly like giving a beating.

"Alright," he said with a breath, "let’s go."

The others nodded. Mathilda, Mana, Astrid and the remaining Grandmasters gathered behind him. No one spoke further—there was no need. The sooner they reunited with Lily and left this cursed realm behind, the better.

One by one, they leapt into the rift, their figures vanishing into the shimmering portal as the last echoes of the battle faded from the abyssal valley.

Behind them, the remnants of the shattered domain smoldered, and the wind howled through the hollow landscape.