Chapter 268: Saber Unsheathed

Chapter 268: Saber Unsheathed

The Heavenly Rankers who had yet to join the battle fixed their gazes on the projection within the light screen.

The entire realm was covered in a black substance, creating a depressing, eerie atmosphere. All who beheld it felt an unseen weight press down on their hearts.

An enormous cave, longer than three li, lay deep underground. It appeared to stretch on endlessly, completely covered in darkness. It looked like the gateway to hell itself.

Within this cave, 22 figures stood in the air.

Suddenly, the bodies of Daoist Wan Xing, Emperor Dong Pan, Niu Hao, Zhao Xing, Hai Feizhang, Rong Le, and Jin Ji glowed purple. Among them, Daoist Wan Xing was the brightest.

An array disk materialized beneath him, swiftly expanding and growing over ten zhangs in diameter. Countless swirling cryptic patterns decorated its surface.

As the array disk glowed purple, spiritual qi began quickly flowing into it. Then, it fused with the array flags.

Suddenly, a massive roc spanning nearly 400 meters appeared, its body shrouded in vibrant purple flames.

Compared to the time Jin Ji controlled the array, the Septet Ignis Array was far more powerful.

It took six ninth-stage Qi Sea cultivators and one eighth-stage Qi Sea cultivator to unleash the true power of this array.

Simultaneously, Fang Xia, the Arctic King, Bei Li, Liu Junxing, and Wu Nonghan activated their array. Soon, a majestic demonic beast resembling a mantis appeared, standing 30 zhangs tall and entirely gold in color.

At first glance, it seemed much smaller in size, but in terms of power, it only lagged slightly behind the Septet Ignis Array.

The Goldstone Penta Array led by Fang Xia consisted of fewer members, and their team had a lower cultivation level overall, sufficiently illustrating the brilliance of the Goldstone Penta Array.

However, out of its six legs, the front four were as sharp as sabers, two of which extended from the golden mantis’ thorax and the other two from its abdomen. These blade-like limbs were as cold as ice and as sharp as razors.

No one doubted the strength of those blade-like limbs; it was basically a demonic beast born for battle.

Just behind the mantis, a layer of battle armor covered Wu Yuan's body. A pair of black wings emerged from his back, radiating an equally formidable aura.

The other eight powerhouses were all noticeably weaker. Qiong Sea King was no match for Wu Yuan in his Beast Fusion state, let alone the two arrays.

"The two arrays, commanded by Daoist Wan Xing and Fang Xia!"

"The strongest expert, Wu Yuan."

"The eight powerhouses, including Qiong Sea King and Mountain Devil King."

Everyone watched in silence as the two arrays took shape.

Wu Yuan's black wings trembled and his figure transformed into a beam of light, shooting into the cave. He was closely followed by a massive purple roc and golden mantis. The remaining eight powerhouses hurriedly followed suit, venturing into the depths of the devil's lair.

The battle could erupt at any moment.

...

Within the dark world, 100 li below the ground level, all surfaces were completely slathered with the black substance. Countless broken scales littered the devil soil, along with pools of viscous blood. The metallic stench of blood saturated the vast cave.

Within the enormous black sphere, the crystalline orb quivered, transmitting intense fluctuations.

“Kill! Slaughter them all!”

The frail main body of the worm devil made it vulnerable in direct combat. However, it had the ability to manipulate numerous devil soldiers with its powerful soul, which took a peculiarly unique structure. Because of this, its Soul Force perception range extended much further than Wu Yuan's.

Additionally, the devil's lair served as the kingdom it ruled. Though its Soul Force did not cover the entire lair, it had a vague awareness of everything happening within it. Given the huge disturbance caused by the powerful invaders, it was naturally alerted.

At this moment, it sensed over ten immensely powerful auras hurtling towards it through a passage of the cave. The two leading forces in particular had such frighteningly strong auras that even the worm devil trembled. Top novel updates at novelhall.com

The worm devil understood that this would likely be the strongest counterattack from the powerhouses of this world. If it emerged victorious, subjugating this world would become effortless.

But if it failed? Then it would perish!

“There’s still hope.”

...

Darkness enveloped the entire subterranean realm, accompanied by the unmistakable scent of blood.

The clash between the worm devil and the Middle Land’s peak powerhouses began.

Eight Spiritual Body devil soldiers? Is there still a point in fighting? Our defeat is all but certain! Inside the purple roc, Jin Ji's thoughts were in disarray. Any possibility of victory seemed nonexistent.

Previously, they defeated three Spiritual Body devil soldiers, but there were still eight crimson-winged devil soldiers. How could they beat such overwhelming odds?

Escape! Thoughts of fleeing immediately rose in Jin Ji’s mind.

He exchanged glances with Hai Feizhang and Zhao Xing, who were standing not far away.

Niu Hao, Rong Le, Black Snake King, Black Jiao King, and the other cultivators all felt despair cloud their hearts. The enemy was far too strong!

If there were only four or five Spiritual Body devil soldiers, they might have had a slight chance of winning. But facing eight of them, each at least in the second-stage Spiritual Body phase, the odds were bleak.

Even Wan Xing and Emperor Dong Pan, who were mentally prepared to sacrifice their lives, still felt consumed by hopelessness. Even if they fought with everything they had, victory was still unlikely.

At that moment, a massive figure, the color of earth, zoomed through the sky like lightning, accompanied by swirling earthy-yellow qi currents.

His presence dominated the entire battlefield, slightly surpassing even that of the purple roc.

"The Domain stage?"

"Land Domain."

“Wu Yuan has comprehended a Domain?” Wan Xing, Emperor Dong Pan, and the other Heavenly Rankers were astounded.

The Domain stage! Once a cultivator reached this level, they would be able to progress to the Golden Core phase without any obstacles. Apart from Fang Xia, the Middle Land had yet to produce a single Domain stage expert in the past thousands of years.

Meanwhile, the six-legged golden mantis also sprang into action. It brandished its four saber-like limbs as its body emitted a dazzling golden light, radiating boundless power.

Gold Domain!

"Fang Xia has reached the Domain stage as well!"

"He commands an array as well as a domain. His strength won’t be any weaker than Wu Yuan’s."

"There’s still hope for us yet! Kill!" Wan Xing declared resolutely.

...

The flaming purple roc spread its wings and launched a fierce attack on the approaching devil soldiers.

"Kill!" shouted Qiong Sea King and Mountain Devil King as they charged into battle, their roars echoing through the air.

"Form the array!" A faint glow shrouded the bodies of Black Snake King, Fu Xinxia, and the other experts, and the six of them faintly began merging into one entity.

This third array did not significantly boost their strength, but it enhanced their defense via circulating the flow of auras.

Swoosh! Wu Yuan stepped into the air, his wings trembling as swirling earthy-yellow streams surrounded him. Within moments, his speed soared to 160 li per breath.

Wu Yuan’s gaze locked onto his target, the largest crimson-winged devil soldier. He uttered a single word through gritted teeth: "Kill!"

Wu Yuan swung his saber in an upward arc, aiming directly for the devil soldier’s head. At the same time, the devil soldier’s talons crashed down toward the saber.

Boom! The two met in a cataclysmic collision. Under the pressure of the qi currents, the claw buckled and fractured, staining the surroundings with blood.

The colossal crimson-winged devil soldier, measuring 350 meters in length, was propelled backward by the saber strike, tumbling through the air.