Flames of countless radiance burned from the sword. The wounded Night Demon Venerable let out a howl of resentment, seemingly enduring the utmost agony as it writhed in distortion.
Yet its entire body was inevitably transformed into a wisp of smoke, dissipating into the void.
The Crimson Robe desperately dodged the bursting five-colored light quills. What manner of secret arts were inscribed upon those quills? Their penetration was astonishing, rendering several consecutive spiritual techniques useless in defense. Even the barrier woven from spiraling wind surrounding him failed to stop them entirely, merely managing to deflect their trajectory at best.
At this moment, he was managing to cope, though just barely. Those in worse predicaments were the other Night Demons, already struggling to cope with the sudden assault.
Blasted by thousands of light quills now, they were thrown into utter disarray. When several God-Realm Night Demons were struck, vast swathes of their bodies immediately began to rot, melting into pus and gore.
A heavy dread settled in everyone's hearts; these quills were not only swift and powerful but also saturated with virulent poison.
And following those eight tubes of five-colored quills, eight more silver cylinders materialized beside Shen Yuexuan, sending chills down the spines of observers.
In his hand now appeared a small ball, no larger than a fist. It then unfolded in layers, revealing sheets of metallic wings. Each metal sheet was inscribed with a defensive spiritual technique.
Nearly a thousand sheets stacked together formed an incomparably thick, shield-shaped aura of light.
The Crimson Robe’s pupils contracted. What kind of spiritual treasure was this? It concentrated a thousand defensive spiritual techniques into a single artifact using specialized mechanical arts.
To his eyes, it was either an Immortal Treasure or a thousand magical artifacts combined. Beyond mere mechanism, it also incorporated forbidden array formations. A thousand layers stacked meant an array of immense, boundless power.
Though not a Divine Artifact, in terms of defensive capability, even a Divine Artifact could scarcely surpass it.
Its only flaw was likely the slow deployment speed, and the protected area was extremely narrow, capable of shielding at most one or two people.
Yet, precisely because it was small, this Immortal Treasure was all the more impregnable!
Relying solely on this unknown treasure, capable of countering the five-colored quills, this individual before him was sufficient to withstand the combined might of any two Saint-Rank Venerables present.
Watching as Zong Shou’s body was about to be enveloped within the protective array, the Crimson Robe grunted and fled at full speed. The instant the second wave of five-colored quills exploded, he forcibly flashed to Zong Shou’s side. The Crimson Robe immediately pointed a finger again, expending all his effort, to the extent that celestial phenomena manifested around him.
A portion of the primal spirit of heaven and earth unexpectedly broke free from Yuan Wushang’s control, forming a colossal conical spiral, its apex aimed directly at Zong Shou’s forehead.
But just as his finger was about to make contact, Zong Shou’s silhouette flickered, vanishing from the spot and reappearing behind Shen Yuexuan.
Instantaneous Spatial Shift?
The Crimson Robe froze momentarily, realizing his miscalculation this time. He had forgotten that Zong Shou possessed this divine ability.
Years ago, when Zong Shou was hunted by Lu Wushuang, he relied on the Instantaneous Spatial Shift to flee across thousands of worlds, leaving Lu Wushuang utterly helpless, until Zong Shou advanced to the Immortal Realm and slew Lu Wushuang in turn.
Every Venerable above the Saint Realm in the Cloud Realm knew of this event.
Without hesitation, the Crimson Robe abruptly retreated. Dodging with all his might, he batted away the pursuing quills one by one.
Only when he had regained a sliver of strength did he spread his spiritual sense again, observing the situation around them.
The Night Demon Venerable stabbed by the sword had been utterly annihilated by the Immeasurable Light. Part of its flesh was incinerated, while the remainder transformed into blood essence, which was then absorbed by the Spirit Refining Sword.
Among those present, only Han Qing and the other four Saint-Rank cultivators survived. Fortunately, these survivors had managed to stabilize themselves after their desperate struggle. The situation had turned, and they now had some residual strength.
However, Zong Shou’s side was equally astonishing. Su Chuxue, whom he had heavily injured moments ago, had already recovered the vast majority of her wounds. Her spirit was vibrant, her aura shifting from decline to ascendancy, as if she had never suffered a grievous injury at his hands.
The Blood Moon blade light continued to hover, locked onto the few remaining figures.
It was only at this moment that the Crimson Robe noticed the layer of jade-colored radiance enveloping the area.
It was clearly teeming with vitality; with the infusion, Su Chuxue’s final wounds healed at a visible rate.
And this had transpired in less than the time it took for him to launch his previous attack.
Damn it!
At this point, it wasn't just the Crimson Robe; the mood of everyone present plummeted to the abyss.
Though they did not know the nature of the treasure, with its support, these five individuals—no matter how severely wounded—could recover almost instantly.
If this continued, the longer the delay, the more disadvantageous it would be for them.
The four opponents had not reached the true Saint Rank; their magical power should not be sustainable for long.
However, under this relentless barrage, how long could the seven of them hold out? How many casualties would it take to last until Zong Shou exhausted his power?
A cyan hue flickered in the Crimson Robe’s eyes. He knew that any hesitation, any indecision, any misjudgment now could determine life or death, plunging him into an abyss from which there was no return.
He completely abandoned Zong Shou, who had hidden behind Shen Yuexuan, and lunged straight toward Yuan Wushang, who stood alone in the distance.
Simultaneously, the shadow of a Blood Phoenix materialized behind him. The fierce, unquenchable flame burned, transforming into a scorching white color under the pressure of the raging hurricane.
The flame power melted everything; even Shen Yuexuan’s five-colored quills melted the instant they neared it.
The Crimson Robe himself transformed into a white streak of light, his speed rivaling the sword Zong Shou had previously accelerated with the Chronos Scroll, but his momentum was even more ferocious and peerless, carrying the determination of an unyielding return!
Yuan Wushang was the weakest in raw combat power among the four opponents, yet he was the most crucial.
Controlling the Jade Puppet conferred the equivalent of a Saint-Rank combat strength. And while the Spirit Sealing Art could not stop them from using spiritual power, it drastically reduced the potency of their spiritual techniques.
The Myriad Spirit Annihilation Talisman was also a concern. Who knew how many of those this person still possessed?
If Yuan Wushang were slain, victory today would be assured!
Zong Shou watched the unfolding scene from the corner of his eye. He could even observe the grimace on the Crimson Robe's face as he swept past.
Attacking their weakest yet most critical link?
Yet, his heart remained utterly cold and distant, completely unconcerned with Yuan Wushang’s fate.
Immortal power surged within him, and he unleashed another sword strike, piercing through the void. The blood essence power absorbed earlier was now fully detonated.
The previous strike relied on the Chronos Scroll of the Cosmic Grade to accelerate time. However, the temporal energy here had been neutralized by the dark brown crystal hanging in the air.
Therefore, this second strike was slowed by at least ten times! Yet, the power contained within this sword exceeded the previous one by a factor of six!
Primal Unity Sword—Immeasurable Light!
A pale flame burned in Zong Shou’s soul sea. The Spirit Refining Sword still radiated white brilliance, making it impossible to see anything in this small space nearing collapse.
It distorted and forced back the spiritual senses of everyone present.
The remaining two Night Demon Venerables on the opposite side gasped simultaneously. They joined forces, each spitting out a mass of black qi to coat the weapons in their hands.
This was a Night Demon technique for urging their own vital blood to boost combat strength; they had been forced to this extreme.
And the vast radiance caused the three 'Unfettered Divine Demons' discomfort as well. Though they had narrowly escaped the control of the Illusionary Heart Realm, they were still being forced to retreat by the relentless assault of the Jade Puppet.
The Jade Puppet was not a living being; it possessed only an elemental spirit, thus it was completely unaffected by their mental arts.
Conversely, the clear spiritual light channeled into the Jade Puppet by the Illusionary Heart Realm was harming them.
And those five-colored quills could actually wound their formless, intangible bodies. The injuries weren't severe, and the poison was ineffective against their souls, but the sheer quantity was overwhelming!
At this moment, they could only watch helplessly, unable to offer aid.
Boom!
When the weapons clashed, the tomb chamber shook violently once more. The earth, sand, and stones collapsing from above were utterly pulverized by the surging residual power, causing a larger area of the surrounding mountainside to collapse. Furthermore, the Two Poles Dragon Convergence Array, which had repaired nearly half its restrictive runes earlier, suffered another massive blow; entire swathes of spirit runes and restrictions disintegrated.
The two Night Demon Venerables were sent flying back, coughing up blood. Their weapons were unharmed, but their arms, under the impact of the Immeasurable Light, had been burned to smoke.
Their entire bodies were riddled with breaches, melting rapidly like ice meeting a scorching sun.
Zong Shou was no better off. His silhouette shot backward, unable to maintain its form. His body tumbled until it stopped a thousand feet away. Blood leaked from his seven orifices, his appearance utterly wretched.
And when he finally stabilized his body and stood firm again, he saw the Crimson Robe, a finger thrust downward, completely smashing Yuan Wushang into a cloud of blood dust, spinning violently.
Even his primordial soul shattered into thousands of pieces, just one step away from complete annihilation of body and soul.
The Crimson Robe let out a cold sneer. This battle, after all, was their victory!
With Yuan Wushang dead, Zong Shou’s side was reduced to three. Meanwhile, their side, though suffering heavy casualties, still retained six genuine Saint-Rank Venerables!
His mind was already racing, considering how to prevent Zong Shou from escaping.
Victory was settled; the only slightly troublesome matter was his escape mechanism.
Han Qing on the other side also felt a surge of excitement. Once Yuan Wushang was dead and the restriction of the Myriad Spirit Annihilation Grand Law lifted, the spiritual techniques of the three Unfettered Divine Demons would no longer be constrained. The remaining three opponents would have no choice but to flee.
But escaping under the combined siege of six Saint-Rank Venerables—how easy could that be?
Especially since the Crimson Robe had recently ascended to the late stage of the Saint Realm.
Even though he had to expend nearly eighty percent of his power to maintain the Cosmic Spirit Apex Crystal, neutralizing the temporal energy of the Cosmic Chronos Scroll, he was still incomparable to an ordinary Saint-Rank cultivator!
“It has been a few months, Your Majesty, such potent killing intent!”
Having escaped the immediate danger, Han Qing found the leisure to mock and jest, “What a pity, today’s plot to seize the chicken has only resulted in your own burial here!”
The other five alien Saint-Rank cultivators watched with glittering eyes, quietly awaiting the moment the Spirit Sealing Art dissipated.
Yuan Wushang’s death was the signal for their full counterattack!
Zong Shou watched impassively, seemingly unconcerned. And just then, the first Life-and-Death Epiphyllum within his body quietly bloomed.
The Crimson Robe initially paid it no mind, but when the massive, mystical surge of life force quietly enveloped the few remaining fragments of Yuan Wushang’s soul, he sensed something was wrong.
What manner of technique was this?