Chapter 259: Number One Immortal Cultivator Of The Middle Land (1)

"A snake?"

"What’s that?"

"I’ve never seen such a creature before!" Within the Middle Land Immortal Hall, the gathering of Heavenly Rankers was stunned at the sight of Wu Yuan towering five zhangs high, alongside the sudden appearance of the Teng Snake, whose presence and aura radiated undeniable dominance.

Employing the Eldritch Form ether art, Wu Yuan’s aura almost seemed to suppress the crimson-winged devil soldier.

The Teng Snake’s body, extending 100 meters in length, seemed to blot out the sky. It unfurled its black wings, exerting immense pressure. Its aura was by no means inferior to Qiong Sea King’s.

"Is this black snake at the ninth-stage Communion phase? Its aura seems stronger than Mountain Devil King’s!" Sang Gu, who was controlling the array, murmured in a low voice.

"A spirit beast?"

"Wu Yuan has such a powerful spirit beast?" Daoist Wan Xing, Jin Ji, and the other Heavenly Rankers looked on in shock, their amazement palpable.

On the other hand, Fang Xia, Bu Yu, and Huan Jian exchanged awed glances. All three of them were practitioners of the Eldritch Codex, and were well-versed in the various top divine beasts documented within its pages.

This was the fabled Teng Snake!

The young master's lifebound eldritch beast hatched so quickly, and it’s none other than the legendary Teng Snake?

Fang Xia's eyes sparkled with excitement.

In close-quarters combat, the young master's combat power might even exceed my own.

There’s hope!

A flicker of optimism arose within Fang Xia's heart.

Within the immortal hall, a mixture of shock and anticipation flooded the Heavenly Rankers.

"Hold firm!"

"Let’s see what Daoist Wu Yuan is capable of."

"No need to retreat just yet!"

"We still have hope." The Heavenly Rankers assembled in North Huang City prepared for battle, exchanging words of encouragement among themselves.

Though they were on the brink of despair, they were still determined to fight without any regrets. Losing the battle in North Huang City would deal them a devastating blow, making the final decisive battle much more difficult.

...

In the deepest recesses of the devil's lair, within the heart of the devil zone in the Huang Continent, lay an immense and shadowy underworld. It was a place of complete darkness. At the center of the colossal black sphere, which was adorned with intricate and cryptic patterns, resided a strange, dignified-looking orb – the main body of the worm devil.

Abruptly, a terrifying radiance flared within the orb!

It's a Teng Snake! And it has learned ether arts!

Countless thoughts, accompanied by waves of terror, swirled within the orb.

True hell devils were born from the Abyss and possessed incredible power. Among them, the worm devil was an elite subspecies from a noble bloodline. They also possessed inherited memories, which included cultivation knowledge, as well as clear records of their enemies.

The Teng Snake was a huge nemesis etched deeply into its memory!

Buried within the inherited memories of the worm devil was an image: in a vast expanse of outer space, a mass of worm devils congregated, forming an unending army of devil soldiers that traversed different spacetimes regions, feasting on one world after another.

Then, a Teng Snake spanning billions of li suddenly appeared! Opening its gargantuan maw, it slurped up the entire army of devil soldiers in a single breath!

"Kill!"

"Kill them! Kill the Teng Snake! Kill this human!" The worm devil sent its consciousness to the distant North Huang City.

To the worm devil, Wu Yuan was its primary target - the most significant threat to its existence.

...

With the ferocious battle in the sky and the defensive array half-destroyed, the southern district of the North Huang City was completely ravaged, and other regions of the city were also affected by the conflict, with countless civilians falling victim to death or injury.

Yet, only a moment had passed since Wu Yuan had activated Eldritch Form.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Roar!"

The colossal crimson-winged devil soldier bared its bloody maw once more, unleashing a thunderous roar as it charged ferociously toward Wu Yuan. Its speed was nothing short of heart-stopping!

"Kill!" Wu Yuan's battle intent raged. Transforming into a towering giant fifty zhangs tall, his saber grew proportionately longer, growing into a gigantic weapon that induced sheer terror.

Wu Yuan coiled his legs like a spring, then launched himself forward with explosive power. This was Wu Yuan's first time activating the Eldritch Form ether art since reaching the fifth-stage Communion phase.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two colossal claw rays swiped through the sky, resembling gigantic pillars as they converged on Wu Yuan from opposite directions.

Previously, Wu Yuan would have deftly evaded the attack, fearing a direct confrontation.

But now? He would kill it!

"Kill!" A battle cry ripped from Wu Yuan’s throat as he swung his saber in a savage arc. The majestic blade ray collided head-on with the claw rays.

Boom~

The cataclysmic collision unleashed a shockwave that flattened everything in its path. Two deep gashes tore open on the talons of the devil soldier, spilling blood onto the ground.

When a devil soldier reached the Spiritual Body phase, the toughness of its hide was greatly augmented, akin to wearing a suit of spirit battle armor. And its talons were one of the sturdiest parts of its body, second only to its head. Hence, Wu Yuan was unable to cut off its talon.

Wu Yuan was sent hurtling backward. Thanks to the eldritch armor, his qi roiled but he wasn’t injured.

However, Wu Yuan quickly realized the futility of a head-on confrontation. Even if he unleashed Eldritch Form, it would only allow him to match the crimson-winged devil soldier at best. Eliminating it swiftly was nearly impossible! In other words, defeating it in a one-on-one battle was an extraordinarily difficult feat.

At the end of the day, I’m still still an entire phase short.

Wu Yuan's eyes hardened. Fighting an opponent one phase above was always insanely difficult. Furthermore, he was only at the fifth-stage Communion phase.

"It’s injured.”

"Wu Yuan managed to actually injure a crimson-winged devil soldier!"

"With the aid of his ether art, his power risen exponentially." The Heavenly Rankers observed the projection on the light screen intently. Those closer in proximity to the battleground, like Qiong Sea King, watched from afar.

"With Daoist Wu Yuan's power, he can already be hailed as the world's number one expert," Emperor Dong Pan gritted his teeth. "Yet, it still won’t be easy to win this battle!"

The hearts of the Heavenly Rankers grew heavier with each passing moment.

...

Wu Yuan roared and charged back into the fray, engaging in another lightning-fast exchange with the devil soldier. Blade rays and claw rays split the air.

The battle between the human and creature was the most climatic battle the Middle Land had witnessed in thousands of years. The aftershocks of their clashes sent shivers down the spines of countless onlookers. Despite their enhanced vision, even martial artists struggled to see the details of the battle clearly.

While qi refiners battled with arcane arts, body refiners typical fought in physical brawls, displaying hair-raising physical strength.

Little Black’s wings glinted like twin blades as they cut through the air with astonishing velocity.

In a split second, it thrust itself into the conflict between Qiong Sea King, Mountain Sea King, and the two other Spiritual Body devil soldiers, swiftly alleviating their burden.

The Teng Snake's swiftness was nothing short of astounding, its noble bloodline imbuing the young Little Black with fearsome combat power.

However, the two Spiritual Body devil soldiers were not going down easily. Though it was two versus three, they were not outmatched in the least.

Once again, the battle reached an impasse, a deadlock with no clear victor.

Bang! Bang!

Wu Yuan and the crimson-winged devil soldier clashed fiercely in mid-air, locked in a brutal skirmish.

Rip~

A blade ray flashed, and the crimson-winged devil soldier's front talon was slashed open once more, resulting in a gaping wound spanning eight meters.

Hiss~

A strange dark substance flowed, rapidly healing the injury.

This was the Spiritual Body phase! In the Communion phase, one gained the ability of flight, but the body still suffered from numerous vulnerabilities, not too different from that of an ordinary body refiner.

But in the Spiritual Body phase, one could run on air as if traversing solid ground, and even regenerate lost limbs! A Spiritual Body cultivator’s body had next to no weaknesses. As long as their head and soul chamber were still intact, they would live.

Roar~

Suddenly, the crimson-winged devil soldier bellowed and a shroud of black light materialized over its body, subtly bolstering its aura and augmenting both its speed and strength.

It seemed that failing to complete the orders of the worm devil and getting locked in a grueling struggle against Wu Yuan finally drove the crimson-winged devil soldier to desperation.

Devil Technique?

Wu Yuan's gaze turned cold. Devil soldiers could not cultivate ether arts. The only technique that they could employ was one that harnessed the power of their devil crystal to release an explosive burst of strength for a short time.

With an earthshaking roar, the crimson-winged devil soldier charged once more.