"Impossible, impossible! Your strength is clearly inferior to mine, how could you possibly injure me?" A voice filled with terror escaped Xue’s lips as he felt his body steadily dissolving under the immense power, vanishing completely as if it were paper consumed by flame.

Zhurong offered no reply; he had no time. The power drawn from the grand formation had massively amplified his strength, but given his current cultivation was only at the Desolate Level (Huang Ji), he simply could not control such might. Cracks immediately spiderwebbed across his body, and he finally erupted into a sphere of flame, disappearing within the formation, clearly unable to fight again.

It was understandable. Though he once possessed the cultivation of a God-Venerable (Shen Zun), reaching the pinnacle in both insight and application of power, now, bolstered by the formation, he wielded strength surpassing the Desolate Level—but his flesh simply could not endure it.

It was akin to a military scientist who perfectly understands the mechanics of a sniper rifle and knows exactly how to wield it, but whose own body is frail. Even if he managed to kill the enemy with the rifle, the recoil was so fierce it shattered him in the process.

Seeing Zhurong forcefully annihilate a mighty Flood-Level (Hong Ji) expert at the expense of his own existence, Hou Yi, resurrected within Hu Yanqi’s body, instinctively gave a thumbs-up…

"I didn't expect God-Venerable Zhurong to still be as formidable as in the old days! I am truly humbled!" As he spoke, he shook his head vigorously, feigning deep admiration. Yet, to Ye Jingyu's eye, the man seemed to be savoring the moment. Could it be that Hou Yi and Zhurong harbored some old grudge from the Primordial Era?

Regardless, this was hardly the time to discuss gossip, as Xue had already been reduced to ash by Zhurong's Yan Shi Tian Huo (Blazing Devouring Heavenly Fire)…

The remaining demons finally understood that this formation was far from easy. Even those who managed to breach it found that the formation itself remained unbroken, posing a formidable threat.

The remaining twelve Flood-Level experts dared not be careless. They knew their collective strength clearly surpassed that of their adversaries. If they proceeded cautiously, invading the city was not an impossibility.

The twelve quickly converged. Although the Twelve Heavenly Witch Extinction Formation (Shi Er Tian Wu Mie Jue Da Zhen) could cloud the mind, containing these twelve Flood-Level experts proved difficult. As they gathered and struck the formation with full force, the resulting surge of savage energy caused Ye Jingyu to spew forth a mouthful of blood…

Hu Yanqi witnessed all this. Slowly, she raised the longbow in her hands, beginning to seek out her prey. Perhaps, at this moment, the only thing capable of wounding these Flood-Level masters was the longbow in her grip. But how many arrows could she loose with her current strength?

By this time, the aerial battle was escalating into a white-hot climax. Dugu Ba Chen truly lived up to his reputation as the successor of the Blade. Having broken free from the siege of the seven Great Generals, his speed had taken another sudden leap. Instead of attacking all six simultaneously, he focused entirely on one target…

The stone blade in his hand flickered continuously, unleashing waves of blade-light that sealed off the attacks of the other demons. Following this, he surged forward, arriving before Xiao.

As the third battle general under the Demon Lord of Destruction, Xiao’s power was slightly superior to the others, but did that mean he could withstand Dugu Ba Chen alone?

Facing the demon who had just wounded him, a sharp glint flashed in Dugu Ba Chen’s eyes. The stone blade in his hand trembled incessantly. In the blink of an eye, he had unleashed over ten thousand slashes.

Ten thousand layers of blade energy completely enveloped Xiao, and even with his astonishing cultivation, he could not fully resist them.

“Ch-ch-ch…” Countless spurts of blood erupted from his body, turning him into a fountain venting torrents of dark golden ichor.

However, mere blade qi couldn't inflict fatal damage; even before the slashes dissipated, his wounds began to rapidly heal.

In his hand, Xiao produced a weapon resembling iron pincers—a tool entirely white yet faintly emitting a sinister black glow. The moment this weapon appeared, the stone blade in Dugu Ba Chen’s hand actually shuddered slightly.

This… this was a bone artifact, a weapon forged from the bones of an Ancient Great God, a Witch!

Having inherited the legacy of the Blade, Dugu Ba Chen could certainly be considered an heir to the Ancient Great Gods. Discovering that this adversary was using the bone of an Ancient Great Witch as a weapon instantly shattered his normally calm demeanor, igniting pure rage.

His baleful aura exploded outward, violently repelling the demons’ attacks. Clenching the stone blade with both hands, he slashed toward Xiao without reservation…

Xiao’s expression grew grim. Facing this powerhouse whose strength clearly eclipsed their own, he dared not be careless.

Gripping the bone artifact tightly with both hands, he took a slight step back, directly meeting Dugu Ba Chen’s first strike.

With a resounding clang, the stone blade slammed into the bone artifact, erupting in a burst of black and white light—a monumental energy seemingly capable of annihilating the void.

The tremendous force threw Xiao staggering backward, his hands numb, but Dugu Ba Chen was already following close behind, unleashing the second strike.

This slash was faster and more ruthless than the first, its angle even more treacherous, arriving over Xiao’s head in an instant.

Cold sweat beaded instantly on Xiao’s forehead. While rapidly retreating, he marshaled all his strength to intercept Dugu Ba Chen’s second blow.

It was only then that the other demons recovered their senses. Seeing Dugu Ba Chen relentlessly attacking Xiao, they simultaneously moved to intercept Dugu Ba Chen.

Even if they secretly wished Xiao would perish, they understood that once Xiao fell, they would be next. At the very least, they could not afford another casualty before they managed to dismantle this 'Blade World' again.

But Dugu Ba Chen seemed utterly unconcerned by the incoming forces; in fact, the blade in his hand moved even faster.

“Rumble…” Another slash landed on the bone artifact in Xiao’s grasp. A vast wave of blade energy swept upward. Even though Xiao was prepared, both his arms were shredded to pieces by the energy…

Dark golden blood sprayed continuously, and chunks of shredded flesh dropped away. The recoil from the Tian Zun Dao striking the bone artifact hurled him back thousands of miles…

Dugu Ba Chen stepped forward—a simple, small step. With that single movement, he completely evaded the attacks of the other demons and reappeared before Xiao.