Chapter 125: Falling One After Another
Chapter 125: Falling One After Another
“How can we hold with so few people left?”
“Dammit, we can’t hold!”
“Retreat!”
The moment the assault came from the Sky Passage and the peak of Two Realms Mountain by the monster beast command center, Combat Zone 617 was instantly thrown into crisis.
Guarding this place were three Spirit Coalescence Elders. Inside the Matrix Tower lay twenty Epiphany Stage wounded. Seeing that the Spirit-Concentrating monster beasts here hadn’t been dealt with yet while a ferocious Beast Tide was charging in, the cultivator guarding the Matrix Tower, in sheer desperation, gave an order. All the wounded were expelled.
“Run toward War Zone 618!”
The group sprinted desperately, heading straight for Combat Zone 618, which was defended by Zhao Qian.
Although this Combat Zone had recently fallen, the reappearance of the Matrix Tower offered a glimmer of hope…
“Fck! Where is everyone?”
But upon entering this zone, they found it desolate and bleak. There was only a lone Matrix Tower standing bare, not a single soul in sight.
Just then, the group suddenly noticed dense clouds of Sword Qi rising from the direction of Combat Zone 619. They slaughtered hundreds of Monster Beasts mid-air. It was like a colossal giant’s hand woven from Sword Qi, forcefully holding the Combat Zone’s aerial defenses.
“Run that way!”
Without hesitation, the group charged toward the direction ablaze with Sword Qi.
“Huh?”
“Where are they going?”
“Where is everyone going?! Stay! Hey! Hey, hey…” Zhao Qian had been heartened to suddenly see over twenty helpers arriving in his Combat Zone. But he never imagined that these people would be so inconsiderate. Without even a word, they immediately dashed off toward Lu Hangzhi’s Combat Zone, leaving him alone to face the savage, bloodthirsty Beast Tide, and the countless fireballs raining down densely from the sky.
How outrageous!
That Lu Hangzhi brat didn’t know how to keep a low profile either!!
Just as Zhao Qian was drowning in frustration and silent curses, Combat Zone 617 fell…
Boom!
The Reverse Two Forms Annihilation Array detonated just in time. Monster Beasts that had breached the zone and those plummeting toward the ground were all rapidly engulfed by a terrifying force, violently sucked into a void that resembled a black hole, wiped clean with not even a speck remaining.
It was like a horn blared, signaling an all-out assault by the Two Realms Mountain beasts on the southern Combat Zones. The zones closest to the mountain peak fell one after another in rapid succession.
Not enough manpower!
Hope hung by a thread!
A multitude of unfavorable factors chilled the hearts of the Spirit Coalescence Elders guarding the Matrix Towers. They resolutely chose self-destruction, taking the Monster Beasts down with them.
…
Finally, the Beast Tide surged into Combat Zone 619.
Lu Hangzhi focused wholeheartedly on handling the Monster Beasts menacing down from the Sky Passage. Two Sword Formations operated in a semi-activated state, cooperating with five Sword Spirits. Barely managing the threat from above, he also split his attention to monitor the battle situation of Elder Lu and the others.
As a veteran of the Core Battle Zone, Elder Lu had clearly weathered too many storms. Despite the terrifying force of the Beast Tide, he remained unflinching. Chest out, head held high, he stepped before Chen Xiangxiang and Buming, flanked by the White Tiger and Spirit Ape on either side. His robes billowed despite the lack of wind. The unique aura of a peak stage of concentration cultivator rose like a mountain range, countering the oppressive force radiating from thousands of beasts, refusing to yield an inch.
Only when the leading beasts charged deep within a mile of the zone, their Qi and Blood raging at their peak, their speed exploding once more…
Chen Xiangxiang struck!
“Shadowmirk Slaughter! Illusion Formation, arise!”
An Illusion Formation had been laid across the entire zone long before. Now, seeing a group of beasts step into its activation circle, Chen Xiangxiang triggered the Illusionary Killing Array without a second thought.
Hundreds of Monster Beasts suddenly found themselves shrouded in thick fog and eerie shadows. Countless battle cries seemed to rise from all directions, crashing into their ears like thunder. Then, they saw countless Human Cultivators appearing all around them. Enraged, the beasts roared, attacking the nearby Human Cultivators in a frenzy.
Hundreds of beasts instantly fell into chaos, suddenly stopping and attacking wildly around them.
The weaker beasts met a grisly fate, torn in half by higher-ranked companions before they could react.
Roars of anger and shrieks of agony intertwined into a chaotic symphony of death.
The tide of beasts behind was also affected, their advance halted.
However…
Chen Xiangxiang’s Illusion Arts worked on ordinary Early Spirit Concentration Stage and Epiphany Stage Monster Beasts, but couldn’t control the Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage and Late Concentration Stage monsters among the swarm.
Seeing the hundreds of beasts suddenly tear into each other, the Soul-Concentrating Demon Beasts among them tried to roar orders, attempting to awaken these foolish low-rank soldiers.
But it was useless.
How could beasts blinded by killing frenzy distinguish friend from foe?
Dozens of beasts immediately hurled themselves at one Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage Monster Beast, ripping and biting, unleashing all manner of close combat techniques and Art Techniques upon it.
Enraged, the Soul-Concentrating beast tore this swarm to pieces. Drenched in thick blood, it radiated an aura of dread.
“Hmph!”
Seeing Xiangxiang’s Illusion Arts succeed, Elder Lu seized the moment. The Beast Suppressing Platform soared out again, landing above two Soul-Concentrating beasts…
Roar!
Roar, roar!!
Hundreds of Spirit-Concentrating Stage Monster Beasts bellowed deafeningly. Like a many-limbed terror, they instantly pinned the two beasts down. Without effort, they dragged the beasts, screaming in terror, into the Beast Suppressing Platform, sealing them away, further strengthening the power of the treasure.
Buming, clearly not focused on heavy offense, had the task of assisting Elder Lu with controlling the Soul-Concentrating beasts…
Diamond Subduing Demon Scrolls snaked into the Illusion Spell Array battlefield. Easily wrapping around the Soul-Concentrating beasts subdued by Elder Lu and sealing them, Buming swiftly turned to the next target.
Within moments, the hundreds of beasts invading the Combat Zone were shattered into pieces, utterly annihilated.
The seamless coordination of the trio showcased their formidable synergy.
A chill shot through Lu Hangzhi.
Elder Lu, Chen Xiangxiang, Buming—these three Mind Focusing Cultivators might not stand out individually among their peers. Yet, fighting together on Two Realms Mountain, the power they unleashed far surpassed that of ten ordinary Spirit Coalescence Elders.
“Team warfare.”
The thought struck Lu Hangzhi.
On his first visit to Two Realms Mountain, under Revered Qin’s command, Epiphany Stage cultivators had operated in three-person squads…
The difference was, that was with Epiphany Stage teams. Now, he saw this principle applied at the Spirit Condensation Stage.
“It seems, upon returning, I must suggest to Lady Honglian a restructuring and refinement of the Special Operations Team members…” Lu Hangzhi pondered, even as he continued defending the zone’s airspace, his mind suddenly swirling with tactical inspiration.
“Powerful control abilities, matched with potent offensive output, supported by solid defense capabilities… even in the Core Battle Zone, such a unit could hold its own ground easily. Of course… provided they have sufficient magical supplies.”
Lost in thought, he saw the stubborn Beast Tide launch another charge!
Though dim-witted, these beasts carried a cunning awareness. They sensed that human Spirit Coalescence Cultivators couldn’t possibly maintain such a large-scale Illusion Spell Array indefinitely. They resorted to the bluntest tactic: a war of attrition.
In normal circumstances, affecting hundreds of beasts simultaneously, Chen Xiangxiang couldn’t have sustained it beyond fifteen minutes…
But now!
Downing two bottles of Spirit Honey instantly replenished her expended Magic Power. Confidence surged. She drew hundreds more beasts into her Illusion Formation in one fell swoop.
Elder Lu, expending considerable energy wielding the Beast Suppressing Platform, also drank a bottle of Spirit Honey. He signaled Buming to continue…
Combat Zone 619, through the concerted efforts of these four, miraculously repelled both the ground Beast Tide and the aerial threats from the Sky Passage.
The over twenty cultivators fleeing from Combat Zone 617 witnessed this scene. They saw the four cooperating flawlessly, unleashing astonishing Art Techniques, effortlessly slaughtering Monster Beasts. Those utterly despairing wounded soldiers couldn’t hold back tears of elation and relief at this sudden rescue from certain doom.
The three Spirit Coalescence Elders leading the group exchanged glances:
“So strong!”
“Indeed!”
“But… isn’t that Elder Lu’s team? He’s a super-veteran haunting Two Realms Mountain, surviving countless critical situations. I’d only heard tales of Elder Lu, but never imagined… his strength so shocking!”
“Mhm, that female Venerable’s strength is nothing to scoff at either. Influencing hundreds of beasts single-handedly… tsk tsk, sustaining such a large-scale Illusion Formation is no simple feat.”
“That little monk, while unremarkable in attack, his binding techniques work across ranks… can’t argue that. As for the other one…”
When the group’s gaze fell upon the noticeably youthful boy, barely fifteen, confusion clouded their faces.
This boy looked absurdly young and inexperienced, his cultivation seeming only Eighth-grade Epiphany Stage, yet…
This ridiculously young upstart was the mysterious Sword Cultivator who had erupted with volcanic might, releasing that overwhelming Power of Heaven and Earth through his blasts of Sword Qi.
A fifteen-year-old Epiphany Stage cultivator?
Impossible!
Could an Epiphany Stage cultivator power such a massive, terrifyingly potent Sword Formation?
Could an Epiphany Stage cultivator alone hold the entire Sky Passage assault?
Could an Epiphany Stage cultivator, while blocking the Sky Passage, simultaneously lounge comfortably, propping an umbrella with one hand while downing gulps of wine directly from a large gourd bottle held in the other?
Many Epiphany Stage cultivators’ eyes gleamed, mentally swapping Lu Hangzhi as their new idol and life goal.
“So strong!”
“This senior must surely possess some incredibly profound art to conceal his aura and mask his true cultivation.”
“Absolutely! Look at those surges of Sword Qi! Does that look like mere Epiphany Stage firepower?”
“Is he Late Concentration Stage? Or Peak Stage…? Could someone possess such peerless age-defying arts?”
“I wonder when I’ll ever reach such heights!”
The wounded excitedly chattered.
Just then, Lu Hangzhi spoke up.
“Honored Venerables! Could I trouble yourselves to watch things here momentarily? I need to help in the neighboring zone.” He had noticed that the Matrix Tower in Zhao Qian’s zone next door was swaying precariously, clearly in grave danger.
“We wouldn’t dream of refusing!” “We’ve taken refuge here; it’s only right we do our part!”
The three Venerable Spirit Focusers in charge naturally obliged without hesitation, immediately stepping up to assume control of the entire aerial defense perimeter Lu Hangzhi had managed.
“Clang, clang, clang…”
A rapid flurry of metallic chimes rang out. Nineteen Flying Swords simultaneously shot after Lu Hangzhi’s departing figure, swiftly returned to their positions within the folds of his Tianji Umbrella.
“So cool!”
“Those are all Top-grade Magical Artifact Flying Swords…”
“I’ve decided! I’ll become a Sword Cultivator!”
“Don’t steal my line!”
The wounded group of escapees completely forgot their dire circumstances.
Among them, only a girl with bandaged eyes wore an expression of stunned disbelief as she turned towards Combat Zone 618. “That place… has fallen…”