Volume 1, Chapter 258 – Dead End

Almost at the very same instant, more than thirty figures appeared in succession in the air. Every mighty human expert within Xianwu City had arrived. As if they had rehearsed it countless times, they moved with practiced ease to occupy the major formation nodes.

Countless spirit crystals were crushed on the spot, stirring up a raging tide of spiritual qi like towering waves!

The yin-yang totem in the sky erupted with boundless divine might, carving out a region of chaos above Xianwu City. Yin and yang qi intertwined, blotting out the heavens and almost recreating the primordial scene from before heaven and earth had been divided!

Clearly, this arrangement had been prepared for a long time. They intended to use the Xianwu Yin-Yang Grand Array to keep this Demon Emperor, whose natural lifespan was almost exhausted, here for good!

The Heaven Demons not far away followed close behind, but they were blocked by the formation and could not lend aid for the moment.

“You…”

By now, Shi Lan had already reacted. Glancing at the terrifying lineup in the air, she could not help feeling shaken. The strength of the old man before her had clearly reached an appalling level.

Before she could make any move, the sky suddenly brightened, as if heaven and earth had been remade, and the surroundings transformed into a towering ancient forest lush with greenery.

Shi Lan took one look and quickly realized something was wrong. She was still standing on the city wall, but within several hundred zhang around her, it was as if she had been placed in another world.

The chaotic domain pressing down from above was blocked several hundred zhang away and could not advance another inch.

The mighty experts in the air grew somewhat anxious, their divine senses communicating constantly.

“This is his ‘domain.’ Our cultivation is limited. Even with spirit crystals, we cannot do anything to him.”

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“This old thing has already reached the third level of the Emperor level, the Heaven-Gazing Realm. He must have gone into the starry skies beyond the domain before. Perhaps he once saw some terrifying creatures there and imprinted their forms. Be careful.”

“His lifespan is nearly exhausted. He cannot keep his Emperor Domain open forever. Drag it out!”

“Now that he has shown himself, we absolutely cannot let the tiger return to the mountain. We can only grit our teeth and hold on to the end!”

Standing at one of the formation nodes, Jiyun saw Shi Lan before the old man and was immediately both shocked and overjoyed. He had assumed Shi Lan had already died in the spatial storm. Never had he imagined that she had actually escaped with her life.

But now, it was obvious that Shi Lan had fallen into mortal danger once again.

“My time is running out…”

The old man’s figure grew even more stooped, like the last flicker of a candle in the wind. Staring at the broken sword in Shi Lan’s hand, he sighed and slowly reached out his hand.

He had experienced too much in his life. The instant Shi Lan snapped the sword, he had felt something in his heart. He had no road left to retreat upon. If he did not strike now, he would never have another chance.

The moment the old man reached out, a hazy azure glow rose from the broken sword in Shi Lan’s hand and condensed into the phantom of a man. His features were handsome. It was none other than Wuxu.

The old man’s eyes widened slightly, and his hand clenched. The towering ancient trees around them seemed to have passed through ten thousand years in the blink of an eye, withering and decaying at once. Yet as the forest withered away, the old man’s body seemed to return from death to life, suddenly erupting with vigorous vitality.

Boundless Dao resonance shattered the void, and rays of divine light emerged from the old man’s body. This was a brief flowering purchased with the cultivation of his entire life. He had even burned his own imperial Dao to force himself back to his peak.

His domain began to contract, yet the chaotic qi around him still could not press inward. Instead, it was forced back several chi.

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This phantom of Wuxu seemed to possess no intelligence. Silently standing before Shi Lan and facing the old man, his expression did not change in the slightest. Suddenly, he lifted his leg and stamped down on the old man’s chest like thunder!

Crack!

Even an Emperor’s body restored to its peak could not withstand this kick. The old man’s chest caved in, and several terrifying cracks spread across it. He coughed up a great mouthful of blood, yet planted his feet firmly, retreating only half a step.

Quite a few people in the air changed expression. One look was enough to tell that this phantom was merely an incarnation formed of spiritual qi, yet it had still severely wounded an Emperor-level expert in a single move. One could only imagine the strength of the true owner of this incarnation.

The old man bared his teeth in a grin. Dazzling divine light flared within his eyes, reflecting a vast starry sky in which a nameless giant beast roamed the cosmos, opening its jaws to swallow stars and devour suns.

The heavens changed. The old man unleashed a heaven-shaking demon art, conjuring up an endless starry sky. A giant beast came howling forth from the depths of the stars, crushing countless stars beneath its bulk.

‘Wuxu’ remained as impassive as ever. An unmatched sword light burst forth from his eyes. Majestic sword might shook the four directions and nearly split heaven and earth apart.

The giant beast seemed to have no true body. The sword light passed through it, grazed the old man’s shoulder, nearly severed his right arm, then tore open the chaotic domain above and almost split apart the Xianwu Yin-Yang Grand Array itself.

Most of the Heaven-Men in the sky were caught up in it. They tumbled down from the clouds and nearly suffered grave injuries.

The giant beast swam past, swallowed Wuxu’s incarnation whole in a single gulp, and then vanished without a trace along with the starry sky.

“To witness a bit of a Sovereign Weapon’s splendor before dying means this trip was not in vain…”

With a soft laugh, the old man slowly straightened his body. Loud cracking sounds kept coming from inside him, and fissures split across his body, yet he remained unmoved. He did not even pay attention to his nearly severed right arm before reaching toward Shi Lan once again.

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Gritting her teeth, Shi Lan leapt back. A small azure sword appeared in her hand, and three strands of Divine Martial Heavenly Astral Sword Qi shot out explosively!

Those sword qi strands, enough to slay an ordinary Heaven Demon, achieved nothing at all. That wrinkled hand casually brushed them flat.

“With your strength, you cannot kill Miaomiao…”

“Samsara!”

At this moment of life and death, Shi Lan could only place her hope on Samsara once more.

Samsara silently took control of Shi Lan’s body and, with a flip of the hand, took out the Tianhuang Halberd from the Qiankun Bracelet.

Samsara held nothing back. It used up all the remaining energy and pushed its cultivation to the greatest height it could reach. Whatever the reason, it could not let Shi Lan die here.

“The fourth stage of the Heaven-Man Realm… Is this your support…?”

The old man remained unmoved. His hand was nearly touching Shi Lan’s cheek.

The instant the blood-colored battle halberd was grasped in hand, Samsara retreated sharply while simultaneously activating the Scarlet Dragon Armor and the Yueji Skirt. Then it opened the Azure Lotus totem on Shi Lan’s forearm. The energy it had stored in that totem for so long poured into Shi Lan’s body, and her power began rising yet again!

After opening the totem, Samsara used the Spirit-Burning Art, which Shi Lan had never used before. Her blood and qi, even her lifespan, began burning away rapidly to increase her strength.

With one layer of power after another stacking together, her strength was pushed to a peak she had never reached before!

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“The eighth stage of the Heaven-Man Realm…”

The old man’s fingers paused, and a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes.

Samsara tightened its grip on the battle halberd, swept it across the air, and unleashed the Heaven-Scorching Three Halberds.

Terrifying energy fluctuations surged without end. In Samsara’s hands, the Tianhuang Halberd erupted with the true might of the Third Halberd: Heaven Burns, carrying terrifying fluctuations of the laws as it slashed toward the old man’s reaching hand.

The Tianhuang Halberd was only a magic treasure. It simply could not withstand such violent energy. Countless cracks spread across it, and if not for Samsara’s support, it would already have shattered.

The crashing sounds inside the old man’s body grew louder and louder. An unnatural flush spread across his face, blue veins standing out. He was clearly enduring intense agony. Anyone with eyes could see that he was already at the end of his strength and could not hold on much longer.

A few of the Heaven-Men around them stayed behind to maintain the formation, while the rest acted as one and struck together. Laws of every kind intertwined and crashed down!

The old man ignored the Heaven-Men entirely. His hand lightly brushed over the blade of the halberd Samsara had brought down. The Tianhuang Halberd paused for an instant, then burst apart into countless fragments.

The armor on Shi Lan’s body was shredded into a sieve by the exploding fragments. The Yueji Skirt was torn apart immediately after, splitting inch by inch. The Scarlet Dragon Armor surged with dragon patterns and rose to protect its master on its own. All thirty-six layers of formations lit up one by one, yet they were still utterly powerless and were pierced through layer after layer.

Countless gashes split open along the arms holding the halberd, exposing flesh to the air. When the shattered Azure Lotus totem fell into the old man’s eyes, it struck him like a bolt from the blue, making him turn pale in an instant.

“You…”