The battlefield stood in a tense silence, the oppressive aura of the Nine Evil Yin's overwhelming reinforcements crushing the spirits of even the Eternal Jade Heaven Immortal Realm's most powerful defenders. Their numbers, their might, and the absence of their realm's most powerful protectors painted a grim picture. Yet amidst the chaos, one figure remained utterly unshaken.
Azmodeus.
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He stood amidst the broken remains of countless Immortal God and Emperor cultivators, his blade lowered but still gleaming with the blood of his enemies. His calm demeanor was unshaken, his expression betraying neither fear nor urgency. Instead, a faint smile played across his lips, as if he alone saw the battlefield from a vantage point none could comprehend.
Anna, standing at a distance, narrowed her eyes as she watched him. Others might have seen a peer struggling valiantly against impossible odds. She, however, knew better. Azmodeus wasn't fighting for survival. No, he was simply biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash his true power.
"Here we go..." she murmured, a flicker of excitement crossing her face.
As the Nine Evil Yin reinforcements descended, their leader—still smirking from the chaos his forces had wrought—sneered at Azmodeus. "Eternal Jade scum," he called, his voice carrying over the battlefield. "You fight valiantly, but you cannot escape your fate. Submit and die quietly, or we'll tear your precious realm apart piece by piece!"
Azmodeus did not respond immediately. Instead, he raised his gaze, his eyes locking onto the horde above him. His faint smile widened as he slowly released the hilt of his current weapon, letting it clatter to the ground.
"You speak of fate," Azmodeus said, his voice calm yet carrying an unmistakable edge of derision. "But your fate was sealed the moment you stepped into my domain."
The battlefield seemed to freeze as he extended his hand to the heavens. The air grew dense, crackling with power as ancient symbols began to form in the space above him. The symbols twisted and burned with golden light, illuminating the battlefield and forcing even the Immortal Transcendent cultivators in the skies to pause.
"What is he...?" Ming Chao whispered, her eyes wide as she felt the air shift around her.
From the heavens, a deep rumble echoed—a sound that seemed to resonate with the very fabric of existence. The sky split open, revealing a rift from which a massive weapon began to descend. Its sheer size dwarfed anything on the battlefield, as it was larger than a mountain. Its presence shook the ground and forced even the most stalwart of the Nine Evil Yin forces to falter.
The surviving Transcendents roared, their auras flaring as they launched a coordinated assault. Beams of divine energy and chaotic techniques filled the air, each one powerful enough to destroy entire cities. They converged on Azmodeus with the force of a collapsing star.
Azmodeus remained unmoving, the cleaver resting casually on his shoulder. As the attacks closed in, he raised his free hand, and a barrier of golden light erupted around him. The attacks struck with deafening force, creating an explosion that rocked the battlefield and sent shockwaves across the realm.
When the dust cleared, Azmodeus stood unscathed, his barrier shimmering faintly before fading away.
"My turn," he said.
He moved.
"What—!?"
To the Nine Evil Yin forces, Azmodeus became a blur, his movements too fast to track. Each swing of the Grand Pandemonium Cleaver reshaped the battlefield, leaving massive craters in its wake. Immortal Transcendent cultivators fell one after another, their defenses meaningless before the weapon's overwhelming power.
Above, Ming Chao and the other powerhouses could only watch in stunned silence. To them, Azmodeus had always been a capable ally, but this... this was beyond anything they could have imagined.
"He's been hiding this... all this time," one of the elders murmured, his voice tinged with both awe and fear.
Anna smirked, crossing her arms. "You're surprised? This is nothing. Just wait until he gets serious."
As the last of the Immortal Transcendents fell, Azmodeus turned his attention to the remaining forces—a sea of black-robed cultivators trembling in fear. He raised the cleaver once more, its blade glowing brighter than ever.
...