Chapter 0573: Diverted Influence

The climactic battle was more ferocious than anyone had expected.

The eight crimson chains were life-like and infused with murderous intent, like dragons made of blood and wreathed in corruption. The Bloodtailed Other directed his focus upon the eight squad leaders.

Boom!

They held nothing back in reserve, their heroic demeanor on full display as they summoned every remnant of resonant power they had. The Heavenly Pearls behind them voraciously devoured the worldly natural energy as they orbited their respective owners.

Next up was a demonstration of their mighty resonance arts. Heaven and earth continuously rumbled with the roars of materialized creatures.

Invincible dragon-general resonance arts descended upon Russet Rock City one after another and directly struck back against the dragon-like chains.

Yet upon collision, the expressions of the eight changed for the worse! They realized that their almighty resonance arts were being easily bypassed by the chains. The fresh blood that laced the chains also seemed to possess some sort of corrosive effect.

These resonance arts that had the power to move heaven and earth were nothing but a mantis stopping the cart.

The eight squad leaders were temporarily thrown into disarray, quickly taking out their gold-eye treasured artifacts to retaliate. With the assistance of their weapons, they were narrowly able to block the chains!

"What a frightening Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other!"

Li Luo and the rest of the calefare were currently watching the pitiful squad leaders. Horror could be seen in their gazes, and some were a little pale. A seemingly casual attack was already so hard to fend off!

The worst part was that these were the strongest of the Holy Grail Meet!

Their concerted efforts seemed meaningless in front of the Bloodtailed Other's imposing presence, easily being suppressed.

One could finally understand what true terror was like.

"Alright, stop dreaming. We got to get to work ourselves. Whilst the squad leaders do their thing, we have to complete the purification barrier. It will sap away the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class' strength," Lu Ming reminded them helpfully.

"Everyone here has their own responsibilities. The role of setting up the cleansing dew will be left to us." Li Luo smiled as his gaze shifted towards a handsome youth in white robes.

"Senior Ao Bai is at the quasi General Stage, and is the strongest amongst us. We will definitely have to rely on you, then."

The group nodded in agreement. Even the perennially arrogant Jing Taixu kept himself in check whilst facing Ao Bai. There was also interest in seeing just how strong the Two Star Hall champion was.

Although being at the quasi General Stage meant that one had not truly stepped into the Earth Fiend Stage, it was still head and shoulders above the Fourth Changing Tier.

Ao Bai smiled humbly. "Junior Li Luo, you are too courteous. What does the quasi General Stage even stand for in the greater scheme of things? We will require everyone's close cooperation if we want to succeed."

Ao Bai's attitude was like a breath of fresh, spring air. Even the aloof and uptight Lu Ming had a hint of a smile upon hearing his self-deprecating words. He might be the champion of the Two Star Hall, but he was not a champion of hot air.

Zhu Xuan suddenly smiled and declared, "Ao Bai is truly a shining example of a champion. I'll definitely follow your lead when it comes to deploying the cleansing dew. You can order me through hell or high water, and I will obey!"

As he spoke, he took a glimpse at Li Luo.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

During the previous few battles, Li Luo had been the de facto leader amongst the four. As a result, he felt slightly prejudiced. And that damned Li Luo had even wrapped him up in chains when they traveled.

Maybe he had been corrupted just a few too many times... but was there really a need to torment him so!? That brat was clearly trying to give him a hard time.

Thus, Ao Bai's timely appearance only brought Zhu Xuan joy. Li Luo's words would no longer hold the same weight in their group as he was not the strongest. Although Zhu Xuan's intentions were veiled, Li Luo understood it clearly. However, he didn't really care—he only smirked deep down. So what if one could speak on behalf of the group? It didn't mean much, so why would anyone put forth the effort to compete for such a useless position?

In fact. he couldn't be more excited that Ao Bai would take the lead in clearing out the last few anchor points. This way. he could have some peace of mind.

Zhu Xuan's words roused the rigorous support of the rest. In terms of strength, the Two Star Hall champion was a worthy leader for one to follow.

Now bearing the hopes and dreams of the group, Ao Bai could only helplessly smile. "Enough with the blind praises. We are all just here to accomplish our mission. Working together is all that matters." Being able to manage the numerous egoes of the group in such an amiable fashion brought about further praise.

"Let’s stop blabbering like groupies and let's hurry up," Sun Dasheng said impatiently. The critical battle above was shaking the entire battlefield, while their group was still fooling around. Truly infuriating!

Ao Bai nodded and immediately headed towards the next anchor point with the rest following right behind.

Li Luo remained at the back of the group with a measured pace.

Yet all of a sudden, a familiar fragrance wafted by... Turning to look, it was his familiar friend Lu Ming. "Looks like you've been usurped."

"It's a meaningless position anyway..." Li Luo drawled after batting her a glance.

"Relax, I'll keep supporting you. My womanly instinct tells me you're the more reliable one of the two."

"Why in the world do I need your support? We're just condiments to the real fight happening above. Our only use is to take advantage of the distracted Others and set up the cleansing dew appropriately. After that, we can sit back, relax, and watch the show. If the squad leaders can beat the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class, that will be wonderful! Otherwise? We better make use of the distractions to run while we can..." Li Luo joked darkly.

"Hey, truer words have never been spoken." Lu Ming laughed as her beautiful eyes turned to focus on the frightening battle overhead. A flash of worry appeared for a split second. "We still don't know if the squad leaders can even triumph over such a foe. Do you still remember the news about the crimson knight-general? He hasn't appeared... even at this critical juncture. It would be great if he's gone. However, if he's biding his time in the dark, he will definitely be an even more frightening enemy than the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class."

Li Luo fell into pensive thought. The mysterious crimson knight-general could not be overlooked. No one knew how strong he was, and he was definitely the hidden hand behind the shadows of the Blackwind Empire's downfall.

"Sadly, we don't have the strength to bother with this unknown opponent. Him remaining in hiding can only be a good thing. Ideally, he only appears after the Other is defeated. Perhaps he's been scared away by the Academic Federation and has already fled. After all, the reclamation of the Red Clay Province should have been unexpected..."

"Perhaps..." Lu Ming gently sighed. The opponent escaping would be the best news possible. Otherwise, the difficulty of the mixed-level competition would be as difficult as transcending the 18 levels of hell.

As the two continued to banter, the group quickly advanced forth. Meanwhile, the ruckus brought about by the battles of the squad leaders and Three Star Hall students raging around them had managed to attract the attention of the majority of the Others. This resulted in a very smooth journey through the streets.

Upon reaching the first anchor point, they quickly set up the cleansing dew.

The group did not tarry and immediately moved on once the task was complete.

The group managed to achieve bountiful results. Three cleansing dews had been put into place in under an hour, beginning the purification and tearing apart the illusory formation.

Their journey had encountered some troubles, but with everyone's cooperation, it was resolved easily.

Ao Bai's addition had truly improved the speed at which they broke through.

His quasi General Stage power was nothing to scoff at, demonstrating why he was superior to a Fourth Changing.

If all of the cleansing dews could be set up, Li Luo would definitely sincerely compliment Ao Bai. He would even be his loyal follower in word! After all, talk was cheap.

As the eight squads continued with their work, the crimson-knight general was still sitting atop the tower, quietly monitoring the situation.

The bulk of his attention was focused upon the battle against the Bloodtailed Other.

"These eight brats undoubtedly have shown their prowess as the elite of their generation."

They were all only at the Heavenly Pearl Stage, yet their innate genius allowed them to demonstrate a prowess that surpassed their common peers. If they were placed elsewhere, their resplendence would only become more obvious amongst the rabble. Despite the shaky start, their cooperation improved over time and they were eventually able to restrain the Bloodtailed Other.

At the very least, things were now in a deadlock.

This was the best-case scenario as he wanted them to both exhaust their strength!

"However, the irritating ants at the Resonant Master Stage seem to be moving quickly..." He could see that there were numerous cleansing dews being set up, creating pillars of light throughout the city. This was created by the Academic Federation and had been demonstrated to be able to ward off corruption effectively.

He could also see that once the cleansing dew was placed, it would create a purification point.

At a certain point, the purifying powers of the cleansing dew would completely dismantle the illusion formation, further suppressing and weakening the Bloodtailed Other.

He clearly understood the aim of these flies.

The point at which the purification barrier was complete would also be the time to counterattack.

His gaze flickered as he spoke lightly. "It took me so much time to orchestrate this battle between these two parties. I can't let these little rats ruin my finale."

Eyes piercing through the illusion formation, he continued to observe the Resonant Master stage irritants. In the end, his focus was fixated upon their leading figure, a handsome individual in white robes.