The entire battlefield of the great immortal-demon war saw the Eastern Sea cultivators' armada stretched out in one continuous line, surrounded by countless pinpricks of light from the magical artifacts of numerous surrounding cultivators. In the demon ranks, a churning black tide of beasts surged forward, crashing against the Eastern Sea formation like a wave.
The two forces collided ferociously, forming a monstrous, churning wave stretching for hundreds of miles. The sea surface became a shocking expanse of eerie, boundless crimson. As time wore on, the vast tide of beasts at the vanguard visibly shrank, and spots of light from the cultivator formations vanished in large numbers.
The battle devolved into a brutal war of attrition, where the beast tide relentlessly advanced to devour the cultivator lines, only to be violently repelled by furious counterattacks.
At the flagship of the Northern Sect of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, the onslaught from the beast tide was equally frenzied.
Yet, a single figure cloaked in crimson stood fixed like a spike, unmoving fifty miles ahead of the flagship for an entire day, refusing to retreat a single step.
Even as the beast tide nearly engulfed him, and the allied Eastern Sea cultivators nearby were forced to fall back due to dwindling spiritual power, he showed no sign of withdrawal. Only when these Eastern Sea cultivators recovered their strength and surged forward again did they manage to stabilize the battle line.
The myriad eyes of the Northern Sect cultivators of the Heavenly Dao Alliance were all fixed upon that faint, blood-red silhouette. As long as that shadow remained, it meant the line had not broken, and the confidence of countless cultivators remained as solid as bedrock.
On the battlefield, Ye Qin’s tally of slaughtered low-level demonic beasts was already beyond counting, and he had felled just as many demonic cultivator elites.
After a day and a night of fighting, the dense aura of slaughter surrounding him had nearly solidified into a tangible substance, creating a strangely sanguine miasma spanning dozens of feet around his body. When this Blood Evil manifested, any low-level demonic beast that strayed within thirty feet of Ye Qin was struck by intense fear and could only turn and flee.
“Heavens, that’s the Blood Evil!” “One must kill enemies across the plains in an extremely short time” to form Blood Evil this substantial.” “Blood Evil dissipates easily; it must be maintained by continuous slaughter. Elder Ye’s layer of Blood Evil around him” will likely last for several days at least.”
The Nascent Soul cultivators fighting near Ye Qin in the same formation trembled inwardly, keenly aware of the Blood Evil's potent nature.
The vanguard beast tide suffered massive losses, their corpses sinking into the bloody sea.
The slaughter had been intense; the beast tide had incurred staggering losses, yet their overall gains were meager. Apart from killing some Golden Core cultivators and very few Nascent Soul cultivators, they had failed to breach the Eastern Sea fleet’s battle formations.
Many demonic cultivators amidst the beast tide glared with grinding teeth at the most resolute and stubborn blood-red figure in the Heavenly Dao Alliance Northern Sect’s zone. Nowhere else did cultivators fight with such stubborn tenacity; that single crimson shadow was lodged in their hearts like a splinter.
“Damn it!” “Kill him!”
“He has five Minor Divine Ability flying swords; he can only handle five demonic cultivators at a time at most! Let’s swarm him, kill him!” Dozens of transformed demonic cultivators suddenly surged out from the remnants of the beast tide, charging towards Ye Qin in a desperate, unified assault from all directions.
Ye Qin’s mind was perfectly clear, and he instantly sensed the dozens of potent demonic energies surging toward him from the tide.
If he used only the Grand Five Elements Swords, he could handle the siege of three to five ordinary transformed demonic cultivators simultaneously. With other means coordinated, that number could increase.
Fear had long since vanished from Ye Qin’s heart; he felt no intention of retreating, but rather a slight surge of excitement. He genuinely wanted to know how many transformed demonic cultivators he could simultaneously engage at full power on this chaotic battlefield using all his available techniques.
“Azure Python’s Venom!” Ye Qin roared softly, sweeping his Azure Wood Azure Python Sword in a horizontal arc. The Wood element sword spirit shrieked, releasing a streak of cyan light. This streak transformed into a miles-long, highly toxic mist-python that coiled fiercely around him, engulfing any living creature that entered its thousand-foot radius.
“Raging Ocean Tide!”
He brought his Sea-Suppressing Raging Tide Sword down toward the sea surface below.
Boom!
Waves erupted skyward, coalescing into a vortex miles wide. It shot up from the sea straight into the sky, encircling him. The already blood-stained vortex resembled a bottomless, eerie bloody abyss.
“Sky’s Pinnacle Prairie Fire!” Ye Qin aimed his Blazing Primordial Crimson Cloud Sword toward the heavens.
Above his head, a churning sea of fire cloud, miles wide, began to form.
The Blazing Heaven Fire, a Minor Divine Ability level spell, could descend across a vast area at any moment.
Ordinary eighth or ninth-tier demonic beasts would be instantly incinerated upon contact.
“Sword Feather Volley!” Hundreds of streaks of golden light, each several feet long, stood upright around him, like golden armor plating.
“Mystic Spirit Earth Armor!” Thick earth armor encased his body.
He unleashed the innate spells of his five Minor Divine Ability artifacts in one breath.
The Grand Five Elements Sword Array of the Purple Sword Palace was justly famous for being unrivaled among peers of the same rank. Only this array could manipulate five elemental flying swords with such effortless grace.
Ye Qin hovered in the air, using his divine sense to control the five Minor Divine Ability-level flying swords weaving around him, while his hands clutched several Blood-Devouring Demon Vine seeds. He stared coldly at the oncoming demonic cultivators. They would have to pass through these five lines of defense before they could attack him.
Once they breached those five lines, their deaths were certain.
Near Ye Qin, a core group of Nascent Soul cultivators from the Heavenly Dao Alliance Northern Sect had gathered; they were no weaklings either.
“Kill!”
“Demonic cultivators dare to play tricks? They’re still too green!” When these Nascent Soul cultivators saw dozens of transformed demonic cultivators launching a full-force assault on Ye Qin, they immediately abandoned the beasts they were slaughtering and focused all their power on intercepting these transformed demons, easing the pressure on Ye Qin. More than half of the attacking demons were halted by these Nascent Soul cultivators.
Ultimately, only seven or eight demonic cultivators managed to break through to Ye Qin’s immediate vicinity.
For an average Nascent Soul cultivator, this number was still enough to cause their scalp to tingle.
These seven or eight demons forced their way through the potent Azure Python’s Venom, punched through the Raging Ocean Tide vortex, endured the descending Heaven Fire Prairie Fire, and forcibly resisted hundreds of barrages from the Golden Feather Volley; their flesh was already torn, and they were significantly wounded.
Just as they prepared to unleash a barrage against Ye Qin’s Mystic Spirit Earth Armor, everything came to an end. The five Minor Divine Ability flying swords shot out, transforming into massive greatswords hundreds of feet long, forcibly intercepting five of the demonic cultivators. Several Blood-Devouring Demon Vine seeds shot toward the remaining cultivators. Smack, smack!
The Blood-Devouring Demon Vines grew wildly, entangling the remaining demons. Their blood thorns fiercely pierced the demons' flesh, rapidly absorbing their vital blood, causing their eerie crimson light to surge. The demons let out several piercing screams before falling toward the sea surface, their cries quickly fading.
The terrifying aspect of the Blood-Devouring Demon Vine was that the moment it touched flesh and blood, its power exploded. It could transform from a tenth-tier vine into an eleventh, twelfth, or even a thirteenth-tier Demon Saint level vine, growing ever more formidable until it stripped the enemy down to a mere husk. Forget mere demonic cultivators; even thirteenth-tier Demon Saints viewed these vines with extreme caution and were loath to provoke them lightly. Demonic cultivators usually possessed incredibly robust physical bodies, resistant to ordinary flying swords, but to the Blood-Devouring Demon Vines, they were practically a feast; no physical toughness could withstand their ravenous absorption.
The Blood-Devouring Demon Vine was not native to the Eastern Sea Cultivation World. These demonic cultivators from the Demon Sea had never encountered them and were thus ignorant of their true might.
Ye Qin controlled the five Minor Divine Ability flying swords and beheaded the last demonic cultivator, who was attempting to flee in terror. The sea surface beneath his feet now bore the withered bones and corpses of seven or eight more demons. The Blood Evil surrounding him intensified once more, its crimson hue so vibrant it bordered on purple.
In the span of barely half an incense stick’s time, the seven or eight demonic cultivators who had besieged Ye Qin were completely annihilated.
The Nascent Soul cultivators who had been helping intercept the attackers, having defeated their own foes, turned back to aid the besieged Ye Qin, only to find he had already dispatched the seven or eight demons cleanly and efficiently. They were all dumbfounded.
Ye Qin guided his flying swords, his cold, indifferent gaze sweeping across the battlefield spanning dozens of miles. He had, without realizing it, broken through the seventh layer and stepped into the Late Nascent Soul stage.
This was cause for ecstatic joy for any Nascent Soul cultivator, but for him, it was merely a natural progression.
In the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, Late Nascent Soul placed one among the absolute pinnacle of cultivators, qualifying them to strive for the Soul Transformation realm. To boast of having a chance at Soul Transformation while still in Late Nascent Soul would invite ridicule. Once one achieved Late Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation became the most anticipated milestone, dwarfing all other concerns.
This wave of demonic cultivators and beasts surging toward the Heavenly Dao Alliance Northern Sect was now largely destroyed or routed under the combined assault of him, the Nascent Soul cultivators, and the Golden Core cultivators, completely collapsing into a partial rout.
The demonic cultivators who had attempted to surround Ye Qin felt a chill deep in their bones, as if plunged into an ice cave. Their hope of killing Ye Qin shattered entirely, and amidst roars of resentment and rage, they retreated along with the collapsing beast tide. Unless they could organize a far larger assault, there was no chance of threatening Ye Qin. Far above the battlefield, thousands of feet high in the cloud layer.
Old Devil Blood Gourd and Sword Venerable Qing Hao had returned at some point, silently observing the battle raging below in the vicinity of Linhai City. The fighting between the demon and Eastern Sea factions was intense, but to these Soul Transformation cultivators, it seemed somewhat dull.
They had returned to Linhai City but had no intention of interfering with the battle.
This was a great war belonging to the lower-tiered cultivators, serving as brutal practical training. If Soul Transformation cultivators intervened, what would be the point of having these lower-tiered cultivators? Therefore, as long as no Demon Saint intervened, the Soul Transformation experts would remain uninvolved.
Then again, at this point in the battle, although the demon beast tide was overwhelming and imposing, the Eastern Sea formation had held steady and was subtly gaining the upper hand. They had no need to intervene.
Had it not been for the Three-Legged Crow Demon Saint causing trouble and disrupting Linhai Immortal City’s protective barrier, the city would likely be impregnable now.
“Sword Venerable Qing Hao, your swordsmanship has improved considerably. But that Three-Legged Crow Demon Saint is rather strange; it runs away when it can’t win—it has no backbone for a high-ranking demon! Wasn’t it supposed to be here causing trouble in the East Sea?”
Old Devil Blood Gourd grinned widely as he spoke.
He scanned the battlefield and noticed a faint blood-red shadow in the Heavenly Dao Alliance war zone. On such a massive battlefield, a mere Nascent Soul cultivator would not normally attract the attention of Soul Transformation experts, but the Blood-Devouring Demon Vines cast by that shadow startled Old Devil Blood Gourd.
Old Devil Blood Gourd let out an involuntary “Hmph,” expressing his surprise, “That kid’s Wood-type entanglement spell, isn’t that the Blood-Devouring Demon Vine from the Demon Realm? Those seeds aren't found in the Eastern Sea Cultivation World; how did he obtain them? His Blood Evil is so thick; he must have killed ruthlessly! With this level of power, he could be the top general under this Devil Lord!”
Old Devil Blood Gourd pointed to the blood-red shadow below, addressing Sword Venerable Qing Hao, “Sword Venerable Qing Hao, that kid is likely a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Alliance. Are you interested in taking him as your subordinate to Beiming? If you don't want him, this Devil Lord will take him to Nanmo!”
Sword Venerable Qing Hao looked down at the sea below with a cold expression, his gaze somewhat complicated. “He cultivates the Zuo Wang Jing (Sect-Forgotten Scripture); you truly dare take him to Nanmo?” With a light snort, he vanished from the sky in a whoosh.