Chapter 1616: Xia City's Decisive Battle

The Green and Crimson Heads let out devilish murmurs that disrupted the Heavenly Dragon Formation. The expressions of Pang Qianyuan, Li Qingying, and Lan Lingzi turned solemn when they saw this. Without the assistance of the Heavenly Dragon Formation, they had lost a Single Crowned King expert, which greatly affected the balance of things.

On the bright side, the Four Pestilence Kings had been reduced to three, so the three Kings weren’t outnumbered. However, breaking through the Others' defensive line and entering the depths of Xia City to destroy the skull summoning platform would not be as easy.

At this point, Li Luo's clear voice rang out, his expression calm. "Principal Pang, just focus on the Other Kings. Leave everything else to us."

He was clearly unaffected by the disruption of the Heavenly Dragon Formation. Apart from the three Other Kings, he didn't sense any immediate threats. Thus, he and Jiang Qing'e could rampage freely. Six Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds soared into the air above him, causing boundless resonant power of different types to surge, all of it blending harmoniously. At the same time, a violet-gold battle armor encased Li Luo, and a spear and hammer appeared in his hands. Finally, a golden mirror settled itself into his chest, and an ancient horn hung at his waist. The Heavenly Dragon's Five Treasures had been equipped.

Li Luo's body radiated an imposing pressure, startling even Pinnacle Dukes like Li Qingpeng and Li Jiluo.

Even without the Heavenly Dragon Formation's assistance, his sixth-grade Transcendent Duke strength and the Heavenly Dragon’s Five Treasures put him on par with a False King.

At the same time, Jiang Qing'e also summoned up her six Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds, causing light resonant power to burst into the skies. The dense corruption around them began to scatter. With a wave of her hand, the Holy Phoenix Parasol appeared in her grasp, accompanied by the resonant cry of a phoenix that shook the world. The pressure emanating from her surpassed even Li Luo's!

When the husband and wife duo unleashed their power, the incoming tide of Others was suppressed and weakened. As for the experts of the Xia Kingdom, their momentum was greatly bolstered.

Bang!

The three Kings on their side had taken action, their vast resonant power enveloping the skies and turning the void into their battlefield. The three Other Kings were dragged in, preventing them from influencing the battle on the ground.

Li Luo raised the Light and Dark Spear and roared, "Everyone, we were forced to leave Xia City all those years ago. Today, we will take it back!"

Outside Xia City, the morale of the numerous experts on their side skyrocketed. The First Princess' heart shook. She had never imagined that she would be standing before the gates once again. At the same time, she understood that this was only possible because of Li Luo.

"The two of them were nurtured by the Astral Sage College and have become its most outstanding stars," Vice Principal Su Xin said proudly.

She was pleased that she had provided a safe haven for Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo to grow. The college’s reputation had acted as a shield for the duo. It also prevented the people who coveted their wealth and businesses from taking extreme measures.

The decision to protect them had resulted in a deep sense of gratitude and kinship from Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo.

In fact, Vice Principal Su Xin felt as though this was the best decision she had made in her entire life.

Furthermore, with the duo's heaven-defying potential, they were certain to become Transcendent Dukes if nothing went wrong. The best part was that they would probably go even further. Perhaps they would become Heavenly Emperors in the future? If that truly happened, the Astral Sage College would be upgraded to an ancient college, making it the first ancient college in an outer divine continent.

As their hearts pounded, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e vanished in beams of light, heading directly into Xia City.

At the same time, a thunderous boom echoed through the skies. "Everyone, follow my lead!"

Li Jiluo, Li Qingpeng, Ox Biaobiao, and the experts from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li activated their Duke Bergfrieds, following in hot pursuit. The experts from the southern region of the Xia Kingdom were right behind them. Countless streams of light charged towards Xia City with tremendous momentum.

The decisive battle for Xia City had started.

In the depths of the city, countless distorted Others appeared from the dense corruption, letting out harsh screeches.

It was like a spawning pool for devils.

Rumble!

Earth-shattering tremors could be felt throughout the entire city.

Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were like the sharpest blades, cleaving a path through the fog of corruption in domineering fashion. The sheer number of True Devil Others crushed by them was impossible to count.

The two of them were unstoppable, naturally attracting the attention of the high-grade True Devils in the vicinity, including ninth-grade ones! However, such opponents were no different from dried weeds when placed before the two sixth-grade Transcendent Dukes with their Venerated Heirlooms. Every Other that stood in their way was smashed to smithereens. The only thing was the sheer number of Others that kept throwing themselves in their way. They surged forward in near-infinite numbers, clearly looking to deplete the duo’s resonant power.

Even so, they were fighting alone. Li Jiluo, Li Qingpeng, and the rest of the Dukes from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li assisted in reducing some of the pressure on them.

The worldly natural energy was boiling over due to the intense battles.

However, as the forces of the south were advancing, numerous people were observing the battle from a particular mountain in the north. The one in the lead was none other than Gong Yuan, the leader of the northern region's royal court. Beside him were Xuan Chen, Zhu Qinghuo, Si Qing, and the rest of the Dukes.

Gong Yuan and the others wore ugly expressions as they observed the two most outstanding individuals. The pressure emanating from their bodies far surpassed their imagination, causing them to feel a deep sense of unrest.

This was especially true for Si Qing. Although he had heard that Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were sixth-grade Transcendents, it was a different thing altogether to see it for himself. Only now could he personally feel the power they emanated. The two juniors from House Luolan had reached terrifying heights in just a few short years.

Si Qing tightly clenched his fists, his heart filled with endless regret. A moment later, this feeling transformed into the desire to kill. He hoped both of them would meet their end in Xia City! Since they were destined to be enemies, it would be best if they perished!

"Your Majesty, it's almost time," Xuan Chen said to Gong Yuan.

After he spoke, his gaze turned towards a dark forest below. Inside were thousands of figures standing quietly. They looked distorted, and strange things were swimming under their skin, giving off a vicious air. They were lined up in an orderly manner, each standing in their specified location, clearly forming some sort of twisted formation.

Black chains pierced through their bodies, linking them together. Corruption visible to the naked eye flowed along the chains, coalescing at the top of the mountain. A gigantic blood-red cannon engraved with runic patterns stood there. As the corruption flowed through the chains and entered the cannon, a rich, bloody light began to condense in the barrel.

"Your Majesty, this is the Origin Reversion Institute's Blood Devil Cannon. Once fired, it will cause all of the Others in the vicinity to go berserk. That will give us the opportunity to enter Xia City. The Others will reach elevated levels of strength, meaning the southern forces will sustain heavy casualties. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e will be slowed down as well, lowering their chances of destroying the summoning platform," Xuan Chen explained with a grin.

Gong Yuan fell silent for a few moments before a merciless glint flashed through his eyes. "Do it!"

Now that he was part of the Origin Reversion Institute, there was no turning back.

With Gong Yuan's command, the thousands of individuals who were connected to the Blood Devil Cannon began to let out tortured screams as their bodies were further corrupted. Their flesh and blood were drained away, providing fuel for the weapon.

The bloody light in the barrel of the Blood Devil Cannon grew even more dense, like a hungry devil about to roar.

However, just as the light reached its maximum intensity, people jumped out from the shadows. Immediately after, swords imbued with great energy sliced through the human batteries that were fueling the Blood Devil Cannon. One after another, heads with pained expressions were sent flying into the air.

With a large number of flesh puppets being killed, the Blood Devil Cannon formation started to unravel, and the light dimmed down.

This sudden development left Gong Yuan and Xuan Chen in shock.

Gong Yuan stretched out his hand, causing a wave of resonant power to transform into a gigantic hand. He attempted to seize the person in the shadows. When he noticed what was engraved in that person’s black robes, he coldly said, "House Lanling? You dare to meddle with my affairs?"

The one who had secretly ambushed the group was from House Lanling!

Gong Yuan violently waved his hand, squashing the assassin from House Lanling into a bloody pulp.

"Root them out and kill all of them!" Gong Yuan commanded.

The experts from the northern region hurriedly scattered through the woods, hunting down the assassins who had snuck in. These rats were only good at hiding. They were known for only acting when they were paid, so why would they dare to oppose the northern region? Was Duke Lanling, that old fool, looking to die?

At that moment, a signal flare shot into the sky, transforming into an extremely eye-catching firework that could be seen for thousands of miles.

When Gong Yuan and Xuan Chen saw this, they were overcome with fury. Because of the flare, the large army outside Xia City immediately marched towards the mountain.

"Fire!" Xuan Chen formed a hand seal and shot out a bloody imprint, landing on the Blood Devil Cannon and activating it. A thunderous roar followed, and the repulsive, bloody energy shot into the midst of Xia City.

A moment later, the Others in the vicinity of the cannon blast began to hiss, and their corruption undulations intensified.

"It's a pity that the Blood Devil Cannon was interrupted before it reached its peak strength." Xuan Chen sighed.

Their ambush was supposed to greatly disrupt the southern region's plans, but House Lanling had interfered. Xuan Chen then focused on two particular individuals within Xia City, a gloomy look in his eyes. Their plan had only partially succeeded, but they still had other cards to play.

"Shen Jinxiao... it's all up to your group now."