Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1404: 754: Survival Against All Odds
In contrast to the protective barriers around Vermilion Bird Star, the Divine Palace Heavenly Battlefield serves as the ultimate "key" that decides the war's fate.
Should the Human Clan emerge victorious, those fortress defenses remain secure!
However, a loss for the Human Clan guarantees the collapse of the fortress defenses!
Not long afterward, the mighty experts of the Human Clan pulled back one after another from the Void Sky Star Domain, until only the Green Phoenix Venerable Immortal and his pair of personal disciples stayed behind.
Up on the highest level of the towering structure in Qiming City, Master Bi Fang abruptly snapped open his eyes, a fierce, inexpressible glow bursting forth from them.
“Qiming, where have you gone?” Master Bi Fang bellowed sharply all of a sudden.
His words had barely settled when a breathtakingly beautiful figure appeared out of thin air, elegantly bending in salute and murmuring gently: “Master, I wish you eternal prosperity. Might I ask what brings you to call upon this humble servant, and what commands do you have for me?”
“Relay this command right away… hold on, withdraw for the moment!” As Master Bi Fang started to issue the order, he halted midway, pondered briefly, and then abruptly dismissed the Illusion Spirit.
Qiming, the Illusion Spirit, offered a smile and another bow before dissolving into scattered specks of light that floated off into nothingness.
“Alas…”
A drawn-out sigh reverberated through the tower's summit, as though it carried the weight of someone's profound despair.
…
Boom, boom!
The punch's radiance surged like an ocean, demolishing every withered limb in a single blow, while the leftover force tore through the rift in space-time and crashed straight into the Void Realm Demon Elder attempting to force its way in.
In a flash, the impact hit the Demon Elder from hundreds of miles distant, nearly scattering the dark mist enveloping its form.
Zhao Sheng pulled back his fist, issuing a cold directive: “We're heavily outnumbered! Pull back from here now, and we'll handle the rest afterward!”
Hundred Birds Taoist acknowledged the order, darting to Ji Tiandu's side and attempting to rouse him with a shove, but his hand met only empty air.
Ji Tiandu's body had become an illusion, shattering into fragments right then.
At the same time, dozens of miles off amid the furious tempest, Ji Tiandu's true form materialized, his expression grim and brooding.
A streak of dull gray light flashed, and he popped up close to Zhao Sheng and the rest, blurting out in haste: “My Corpse Emperor avatar is under chase by three Void Realm Demon Elders, with most of my spirit tied up in that fight, so I can't concentrate here for the time being. Please bear with me!”
“Enough chatter—retreat at once!”
With that from Zhao Sheng, his body blurred into motion, rocketing away at a velocity beyond comprehension.
Behind Hundred Birds Taoist, an image of a majestic, haughty Phoenix took shape.
The Phoenix image gave a gentle flap of its wings, and Hundred Birds Taoist disappeared from his spot in an instant, a trail of flames slicing through the murk and shadows, pursuing Zhao Sheng's burrowing glow in a heartbeat.
Ji Tiandu's countenance turned as black as a cauldron's depths, and with a reluctant stamp of his foot, he launched forward like a loosed bolt.
Scarcely had the trio departed when cracks ripped open in the adjacent void, from which sinister dark silhouettes cloaked in shadowy vapor stepped forth.
“Heh heh, just a tad too slow!”
“It's no big deal if they slipped away—it spares us a brutal showdown to the death!”
“Tsk tsk! With the quarry escaped, why not head over and cause chaos at the second Demon Nest? Word is, some Returning Void Human Clan folks are cornered there.”
“Onward, onward! I've been craving a top-notch vessel for my essence, and this offers the ideal shot. Tsk tsk!”
Amid odd chuckles, the sinister dark silhouettes impatiently shattered the space-time walls, slipping back into the current expanse of stars.
…
Zhao Sheng along with the other two hurtled through millions of miles nonstop before finally pausing inside the “Vortex Eye” of a swirling space-time maelstrom.
Once concealed, Ji Tiandu stretched out his arms wide, erecting a murky barrier of gray to ward off the turbulent space-time energies all around.
“The Corpse Emperor avatar is stuck deep in the planet's core and won't last much longer. It's of utmost value to me. I beg you two Taoists to aid in freeing the Corpse Emperor—I swear to repay you handsomely once it's done!” Ji Tiandu pleaded with evident worry.
Hearing this, Zhao Sheng replied steadily, “The Corpse Emperor's frame is almost as unbreakable as diamond, its power matching a typical Half-Immortal of the Void. It won't perish so simply.”
“Taoist Yan speaks wisely. Though I'd love to assist Brother Ji, I simply lack the means. That galaxy screams of a snare laid by the Alien Demons—how could I dive headfirst into such peril?” Hundred Birds Taoist let out a sigh, appearing completely forlorn.
Ji Tiandu pressed the pair relentlessly to reconsider, promising lavish compensations, all in hopes of saving the Corpse Emperor.
Noting his frantic distress, Zhao Sheng realized the Corpse Emperor held great significance for Ji Tiandu.
Yet… no matter its importance, why should he concern himself!
The array of tempting bounties from Ji Tiandu left him utterly unmoved.
Though Hundred Birds Taoist felt the pull, the dangers loomed too large, leading him to decline repeatedly with assorted excuses.
Left with no options, Ji Tiandu played his final card.
From within his robes, he drew a pale, creamy conch shell, pressing it to his ear and channeling a wisp of divine sense into it.
Before long, delight lit up Ji Tiandu's features, and he cried out in thrill, “Haha, fate hasn't forsaken me yet. Hope glimmers now!”
Zhao Sheng's gaze sharpened with a piercing gleam at those words. Hundred Birds Taoist whipped his head toward Ji Tiandu, astonishment evident.
“Fellow Taoists, hear me out, Ji, at this moment…”
…
Within the starry sky of the now, buried deep in the core of the second world in that unnamed stellar system, an intense encirclement clash had boiled to its peak.
Three Returning Void Cultivators clad in Demon Slaying Robes had arrayed themselves in the Three Talents Formation, barely holding back the onslaught of demonic foes.
Dense fog of devilish thoughts now smothered the skies and lands alike, while endless hordes of enormous stone beasts charged fearlessly at the trio of Returning Void Cultivators, detonating in clusters to shatter the fragile barrier of their formation.
Leading the three stood a lithe woman brandishing a colossal hammer; trailing her was a skeletal elder directing a swarm of flying blades, and rounding out the group was Huang Hongxiang, the fresh addition to the Bing Huo Team.
“Damn it all, they've layered seals over the outer stone casing and space-time walls, thrown in devilish thought fog to scramble our divine senses, and lurking Void Realm Demon Elders add to the peril. This spot's been turned into a perfect 'deadland.' Seems like none of us three are escaping today.” Bai Feihong spat out bitterly, channeling his mana to summon a torrent of swords for protection as he clenched his jaw.
“Tsk, these demon-possessed stone beasts refuse to stay down!” the lithe woman snarled, whirling her massive hammer in a frenzy to pulverize countless hulking stone monsters.
Huang Hongxiang upheld the Three Talents Barrier, laboring against the relentless waves of explosive attacks, his complexion paling somewhat.
Fortune smiled in that those Void Realm Demon Elders held back for now, or the trio's plight would worsen tenfold.
Huang Hongxiang glanced about rapidly and let out a quiet sigh inwardly.
The Bing Huo Demon-slaying Team had gleaned the location of B2 Virtual Realm Fortress from a sly demon, believing they held the advantage, only to tumble into an ambush—a vast army of demonized stone monsters swarming them the moment they breached the core.
“You two, every moment we linger worsens our odds. Better for each to seek their own escape, and leave survival to destiny!” Bai Feihong whispered, his tone ringing sharp and true for the others to hear.
Huang Hongxiang stirred at those words.