Chapter 903: Chapter 626: Master’s Peril
Buzz!
In utter silence, a bizarre and dazzling illusion enveloped the entire battlefield. Countless Tianxia powerhouses vanished from reality as if erased.
At the pinnacle of the Illusion Realm, the hook-nosed Daoist descended like a god, the shadow of a Gu Diao spanning the heavens and earth behind him.
Suddenly, his expression changed.
"Not good!"
Crack!
"Break for me!"
A pair of heavy fists tore the Illusion Realm apart. The Priest’s blazing golden pupils burned with fierce flames; behind him, a pair of butterfly-like wings unfurled, scattering multicolored scales that filled the world.
The scales condensed into the phantom of a dragon-headed, insect-bodied being, with seven-colored insect wings on its back, emanating Dragon Power.
"Heavenly Gu Daoist..."
The Priest’s voice was deep.
Heavenly Gu Daoist’s eyes twitched.
"Ancient Mirage Dragon?"
His invincible Dream of Yellow Millet divine skill had been broken twice in a row: first by a Seventh Realm brat, now by a newly-advanced Eight Realms First Step cultivator. Did he, Heavenly Gu, have no dignity left?
He was, after all, a Second Step powerhouse!
From what he knew, the Priest’s Tianxia Fighting System featured a mighty physical body, but weak spiritual cultivation. Yet the Priest broke free faster than that Shitian, who specialized in Heart Cultivation—a connection with the Ancient Mirage Dragon was apparent. Among the three giants of the Great Wilderness Illusion, Heart Emperor’s Great Dream Dao was strongest, the Mirage Dragon’s False Realm second, and finally Gu Diao’s Illusion.
"Eh? You broke out so quickly?"
Emperor Shitian was surprised as well.
He was an Eighth Realm Heart Cultivator.
He had some skill dealing with Illusion powers.
But he hadn’t expected the Priest to break free before him.
This guy...was supposed to specialize in the body!
The Priest said with confidence, "If the Eternal Immortal hadn’t just inherited the Blade Ancestor’s legacy, setting aside the Dragon King, the seat of Tianxia’s number one would belong to me."
As the number one fighter, the Priest was blessed with fortune. In his journeys through minor worlds, he acquired an Ancient Mirage Pearl left by a True Spirit Ancient Mirage Dragon. Refining its Mirage Qi, he forged a strand of Mirage Dragon bloodline—while his body remained unmatched, his spiritual cultivation kept pace, especially his mastery of the Illusion Realm Dao, approaching the sixth rank.
As the two Eighth Realms broke free, the Illusion Realm became unstable, and Tianxia powerhouses drove through, smashing the Illusion.
"Useless! Truly useless!" The Thunder Realm Venerable cursed Heavenly Gu Daoist inwardly. Originally, he thought the Daoist’s intervention would instantly end the battle. But Heavenly Gu’s vaunted Divine Skill was entirely ineffective against Emperor Shitian and the Priest. In direct combat, Heavenly Gu was only average for a First Step, of limited help to the Divine Alliance.
Emperor Shitian and the Priest’s faces grew grave.
The situation was dire. Though they broke the Illusion Realm, Heavenly Gu was a Second Step powerhouse, solid Eight Realms combat power. To face a triple assault from three Eighth Realms, the two simply could not last.
Though Yaochi Immortal could barely muster Quasi-Eighth Realm combat strength with the Cosmic Light Sword, it was good only for survival; she could not endure in an Eighth Realm war for long.
Not to mention she still needed to guard Lu Chenzhou; until now, Yin Jiujiao had yet to appear.
"You two, give up resistance. Hand over Lu Chenzhou, and I will leave immediately,"
Heavenly Gu Daoist had no desire for a desperate fight.
His target was Lu Chenzhou.
"Then let’s fight." The Priest made a casual motion, and phantom heavens rolled forth, crushing all in their path.
"So stubborn, sacrificing a civilization for one man—truly foolish beyond compare."
Heavenly Gu Daoist conjured a seven-colored Illusion Sword in his palm, wielding it like the wind, slashing apart each paradise,
"Today, I’ll show you the difference between First Step and Second Step...Divine Power: Illusion Feather!"
Heavenly Gu possessed over ten divine skills.
It was far more than just Dream of Yellow Millet.
The Illusion Sword split into eight hundred eighty million shifting sword shadows, surging like the Milky Way. The Priest did not evade; instead, he unfolded his Time Domain, and his Fighting Spirit condensed into a Heavenly Giant Sword, cleaving at the surging waves.
Emperor Shitian intercepted the Thunder Realm Venerable. The clash of two Thunder arts masters shook the world.
"Fang Xingyu! Take this chance to seize Lu Chenzhou, and plant the servant brand!"
Thunder Realm Venerable messaged telepathically.
"Leave it to me."
Fang Xingyu strode forth on long legs, transforming into a Flame Divine Bird. With a sweep of her wings, she scattered the Tianxia Seventh Realms trying to block her. A Flame Barrier billowed around her, enduring the Aurora Palace’s defensive formation as she reached the place where Lu Chenzhou slept.
"Get out of my way!"
Yaochi Immortal bit down on her silver teeth, spitting Essence Blood onto the Cosmic Light Sword. Her face turned pale as the sword burst out with Eighth Realm might, slashing fiercely down.
"Mystic Sky White Light Flame!"
E Immortal likewise burned her True Spirit Bloodline, erupting with Quasi-Eighth Realm combat strength and assaulting Fang Xingyu.
Wang Changming stood by Lu Chenzhou’s side.
Blade, spear, and sword formed a triangular defense.
In an instant, the battle reached fever pitch.
The unexpected arrival of Heavenly Gu Daoist tipped the scales of victory back toward the Divine Race.
Meanwhile—
Thirty thousand miles from the battlefield.
"Now that Yaochi Immortal and E Immortal are tied up by Fang Xingyu, there’s only an Early Seventh Realm left. No one can possibly intercept my arrow—the time has come."
Sixth Rank Wind Dao Essence surged in Yin Jiujiao’s eyes; the Wind Chasing Bow appeared in his right hand. In an instant, the wind within ten thousand miles coalesced from invisible air currents into countless Divine Wind Birds, paying homage before the Divine Bow.
Yin Jiujiao’s bloodline blazed, his cultivation nearing the Eighth Awakening. Behind him appeared a monstrous beast, twenty-four wings on its back, halfway between fish and bird.
This shot was enough to pierce the Eighth Realm!
Yin Jiujiao smiled pale-faced:
"Lu Chenzhou, farewell."
He shut his eyes and loosed the bowstring.
His arrows never missed.
Whoosh! An invisible Wind Arrow ripped through the void, traversing thirty thousand miles in a blink.
Meanwhile,
Yaochi Immortal and E Immortal had no time to react, all their strength focused on containing Fang Xingyu.
Only Wang Changming sensed a keen Qi instantly punch through the blade he had placed before Lu Chenzhou, his Seventh Rank Spiritual Weapon ripped apart like paper.
There was no time to mourn it—by instinct, he raised his hand to intercept, but the Qi carried by the attack instantly smashed his arms to pieces and tore apart half his body.
His organs and intestines spilled onto the ground.
Thud.
Wang Changming half-knelt, gripping his sword. The vast Wind Dao Essence merely brushed past, yet left him on the brink of death. The gap between the two sides was too great.
Yet, by attempting to intercept, he caused the Wind God Arrow’s trajectory to shift slightly—it avoided Lu Chenzhou’s head, instead passing through his upper body. A purple leather armor appeared automatically, blocking the penetrating strike; the aftershock had little effect on Lu Chenzhou.
Seeing the Purple Thunder Armor shield him,
Old Wang’s eyes gradually closed.
"Thank goodness..."
He’d heard from Mr. Tortoise that Lu Chenzhou’s Undying Body meant not even his head was a weakness.
But he dared not gamble. Lu Chenzhou was heavily wounded and comatose, still resisting severe poison and curses, unable to use his divine skills—otherwise, with the Mystic Sky Shield active, no foe could harm him.
"Damn it, Wang Changming—you dare waste my arrow? If you want death, I’ll grant it first." Yin Jiujiao cursed, once again nocking his bow. To deal with an Early Seventh Realm, only a third of his previous power sufficed for a killing blow.
The Wind Arrow solidified.
The second arrow gathered, shot forth through the air.
Thirty thousand miles away, just as the arrow was about to strike Wang Changming’s head, a hand intercepted it.
Boom! The arm burst into a mist of blood; Wind Dao Rule clung to Yaochi Immortal’s wound, preventing even her mighty Undying Body from healing anytime soon.
One-armed, she grasped her sword, blocking Fang Xingyu. Drenched in blood, face gaunt, this was no longer she wielding the Cosmic Light Sword, but her burning five centuries of lifespan to let the sword wield her—to fully unleash its might.
"E Immortal, go find Yin Jiujiao—he’s sniping from the shadows. I’ll hold off Fang Xingyu myself."
Yaochi Immortal messaged silently.
"Understood..." E Immortal knew her first priority was to ensure the Military Leader’s safety. She followed the direction of the arrow, transforming into a beam of pure light, searching for Yin Jiujiao.
"You alone think you can stop me? How much lifespan do you have left?" Fang Xingyu laughed aloud.
"Zhang Ancestor, lend me your strength!"
Yaochi Immortal reached out to the Mingming Martial Realm. A white-robed phantom crossed endless spacetime, descending from afar.
After years of Martial World development, Zhang Ancestor’s projection had achieved Quasi-Eighth Realm combat power. With a Green Blade slash, he forced Fang Xingyu back.
"Divine Dao Totem? You Tianxia really know how to hide your trump cards," she muttered, not expecting Tianxia to possess such means.
But such external aid could not last. With time, victory would inevitably belong to the Divine Alliance.
On the other side—
The Priest and Emperor Shitian communicated telepathically.
"Withdraw—the mine can’t be held."
"Never thought Heavenly Gu would suddenly appear, else we would’ve kept a Realm Venerable here for sure."
They felt helpless.
Tianxia still lacked enough Eighth Realm power.
Buzz! Aurora Palace shone fiercely, erupting with blinding white brilliance. A myriad of Sword Qi slashed in all directions, eradicating a Realm King to dust nearby.
Even Heavenly Gu, Thunder Realm Venerable, and other Eight Realms retreated; this was the Xuanji Aurora Sword Formation, the formation that once slew the Black Mountain Demon Saint.
"Retreat!"
"Divine Power: Silent Heaven!"
A vast Time Dao Essence swept across the battlefield. As if frozen, all—for ordinary soldier or Thunder Realm Venerable—were immobilized, at least briefly. Aurora Palace withdrew the Da Xia army, smashing through the Divine Alliance lines and the thunder-net cast by Thunder Realm Venerable, vanishing into the void.
The Priest, ignoring the poison devouring him, picked up Lu Chenzhou and the half-dead Wang Changming. Emperor Shitian grabbed the blood-soaked, silver-haired Yaochi Immortal. With a wave of his hand, a green Thunder Peng exploded behind, covering their retreat.
"They’re trying to run!"
"After them!"
Thunder Realm Venerable and Heavenly Gu Daoist only froze for a split second before regaining movement. They instantly activated their divine skills, blasting at Aurora Palace, which shook violently but still held out.
The Aurora Empress, a Third Step powerhouse, had crafted treasures beyond their ability to break.
The Priest, holding Lu Chenzhou, sensed a bone-chilling danger close in. A blade light, hidden in the shadows yet bearing the might of Heaven and Earth Creation, slashed toward him with ruthless force.
Boom!
Caught off guard, the Priest was smashed to the ground. His Eighth Rank Low Grade Spiritual Armor shattered, revealing his bronze fighter’s body. Even after the blade split his armor, its aftershock nearly severed him at the waist.
A shadow-formed whip lashed out from the void, coiling around Lu Chenzhou, trying to snatch him from the Priest’s grasp. But the severe poison corroded the whip, causing it to snap, so the strike failed.
"Surrender Lu Chenzhou, or die."
A throne emerged from the shadows. Atop it, crowned, Achilles gazed down, eyes cold.
Shadow enshrouded the world.