Chapter 268: Saber Unsheathed

The Heavenly Rankers who had yet to join the battle fixed their gazes on the projection within the light screen.

The entire realm was covered in a black substance, creating a depressing, eerie atmosphere. All who beheld it felt an unseen weight press down on their hearts.

An enormous cave, longer than three li, lay deep underground. It appeared to stretch on endlessly, completely covered in darkness. It looked like the gateway to hell itself.

Within this cave, 22 figures stood in the air.

Suddenly, the bodies of Daoist Wan Xing, Emperor Dong Pan, Niu Hao, Zhao Xing, Hai Feizhang, Rong Le, and Jin Ji glowed purple. Among them, Daoist Wan Xing was the brightest.

An array disk materialized beneath him, swiftly expanding and growing over ten zhangs in diameter. Countless swirling cryptic patterns decorated its surface.

As the array disk glowed purple, spiritual qi began quickly flowing into it. Then, it fused with the array flags.

Suddenly, a massive roc spanning nearly 400 meters appeared, its body shrouded in vibrant purple flames.

Compared to the time Jin Ji controlled the array, the Septet Ignis Array was far more powerful.

It took six ninth-stage Qi Sea cultivators and one eighth-stage Qi Sea cultivator to unleash the true power of this array.

Simultaneously, Fang Xia, the Arctic King, Bei Li, Liu Junxing, and Wu Nonghan activated their array. Soon, a majestic demonic beast resembling a mantis appeared, standing 30 zhangs tall and entirely gold in color.

At first glance, it seemed much smaller in size, but in terms of power, it only lagged slightly behind the Septet Ignis Array.

The Goldstone Penta Array led by Fang Xia consisted of fewer members, and their team had a lower cultivation level overall, sufficiently illustrating the brilliance of the Goldstone Penta Array.

However, out of its six legs, the front four were as sharp as sabers, two of which extended from the golden mantis’ thorax and the other two from its abdomen. These blade-like limbs were as cold as ice and as sharp as razors.

No one doubted the strength of those blade-like limbs; it was basically a demonic beast born for battle.

Just behind the mantis, a layer of battle armor covered Wu Yuan's body. A pair of black wings emerged from his back, radiating an equally formidable aura.

The other eight powerhouses were all noticeably weaker. Qiong Sea King was no match for Wu Yuan in his Beast Fusion state, let alone the two arrays.

"The two arrays, commanded by Daoist Wan Xing and Fang Xia!"

"The strongest expert, Wu Yuan."

"The eight powerhouses, including Qiong Sea King and Mountain Devil King."

Everyone watched in silence as the two arrays took shape.

Wu Yuan's black wings trembled and his figure transformed into a beam of light, shooting into the cave. He was closely followed by a massive purple roc and golden mantis. The remaining eight powerhouses hurriedly followed suit, venturing into the depths of the devil's lair.

The battle could erupt at any moment.

...

Within the dark world, 100 li below the ground level, all surfaces were completely slathered with the black substance. Countless broken scales littered the devil soil, along with pools of viscous blood. The metallic stench of blood saturated the vast cave.

Within the enormous black sphere, the crystalline orb quivered, transmitting intense fluctuations.

“Kill! Slaughter them all!”

The frail main body of the worm devil made it vulnerable in direct combat. However, it had the ability to manipulate numerous devil soldiers with its powerful soul, which took a peculiarly unique structure. Because of this, its Soul Force perception range extended much further than Wu Yuan's.

Additionally, the devil's lair served as the kingdom it ruled. Though its Soul Force did not cover the entire lair, it had a vague awareness of everything happening within it. Given the huge disturbance caused by the powerful invaders, it was naturally alerted.

At this moment, it sensed over ten immensely powerful auras hurtling towards it through a passage of the cave. The two leading forces in particular had such frighteningly strong auras that even the worm devil trembled.

The worm devil understood that this would likely be the strongest counterattack from the powerhouses of this world. If it emerged victorious, subjugating this world would become effortless.

But if it failed? Then it would perish!

Low roars echoed throughout the underground world, heralding the arrival of massive creatures that surrounded the colossal black sphere. Though they were few in number, all possessed four crimson wings!

...

A glint shimmered in Wu Yuan’s eyes as he extended his Soul Force to its fullest range. However, due to the obstructions of the cave’s structure, his consciousness could only extend to a radius of eight li.

Descending at a speed of six li per second, he was joined closely by the roc, six-legged mantis, and Qiong Sea King. Meanwhile, the passageway of the cave shrank rapidly.

Nevertheless, could mere rocks and soil impede their progress?

Up till now, we still haven’t come across a single devil soldier.

Wu Yuan felt uneasy. They entered the devil's lair two breaths ago and already descended more than 80 li.

The absence of resistance was odd. As the situation grew stranger, Wu Yuan and the other Heavenly Rankers grew more alert.

Then suddenly, Wu Yuan's voice echoed in the minds of the Heavenly Rankers, “Below us is a massive underground world, likely the lair of the worm devil. Everyone, be careful!”

There was no response from the other Heavenly Rankers. They simply followed his orders without question.

Boom!

Wu Yuan was abruptly stopped by a powerful explosion, its dreadful shockwaves sending black soil, blood, and limbs flying into the air.

The earth trembled violently as a massive purple roc wreathed in flames quickly descended, illuminating the vast underground expanse.

Shortly after, Qiong Sea King, the six-legged golden mantis, and several other Heavenly Rankers joined the roc. They stood as a group, their faces filled with shock as they surveyed the stretch of black soil 100 li below the surface. This was the world of the worm devil.

“An underground world!”

“What a pungent stench of blood.”

“This is the devil’s lair, but there were no devil soldiers in sight.” Numerous thoughts raced through their minds.

“No!” a voice echoed in their minds. “It’s just that the weakest devil soldiers have been turned into fodder. Only the most powerful ones are left.”

Wu Yuan's voice grew cold and he raised his saber, pointing it forward. "They are approaching!"

His reminder was unnecessary. Everyone present had already noticed the hazy scene at the far end of the underworld. In the distance, about 100 li away, a massive dark sphere stood out.

There was no doubt – this was the main body of the worm devil. Gigantic crimson-winged creatures surrounded the black sphere, their icy stares chilling one to the bone.

The largest of the crimson-winged devil soldiers let out a powerful roar, its deep bellow echoing throughout the vast underworld.

A chorus of furious roars erupted from the devil soldiers. Their blood-colored wings shuddered, gleaming like honed blades. In an instant, their figures transformed into streaks of light, charging straight toward the purple roc, Wu Yuan, and the six-legged golden mantis.

...

Inside the Conference Hall of the Middle Land Immortal Hall, the 32 Heavenly Rankers who had yet to join the battle watched the screens with incredulous expressions.

Eight devil soldiers with four crimson wings!

This meant that there were no fewer than eight second-stage Spiritual Body devil soldiers within the devil’s lair. It was a terrifying force!

“Can we win?”

"Eight of them? How can we win against that?" Despair filled the hearts of all the Heavenly Rankers.

The worm devil's power completely surpassed their expectations.

The moment the first crimson-winged devil soldier moved, Wu Yuan already transformed into a towering giant, five zhangs tall. He swung his saber forward.

"Slaughter them!" Wu Yuan's command echoed throughout the underworld.

The wings on his back trembled. Then in a flash of light, he flew through the air toward the largest crimson-winged devil soldier.

Earthy-yellow qi streams emerged from Wu Yuan's body, pulsing with unstoppable power. The combination of powers gave him the appearance of a divine entity, fighting against heaven and earth!

"Domain!" Sang Gu exclaimed in astonishment. A glimmer of hope kindled in his heart as he whispered, "There’s hope."

“There’s still hope.”

...

Darkness enveloped the entire subterranean realm, accompanied by the unmistakable scent of blood.

The clash between the worm devil and the Middle Land’s peak powerhouses began.

Eight Spiritual Body devil soldiers? Is there still a point in fighting? Our defeat is all but certain!

Inside the purple roc, Jin Ji's thoughts were in disarray. Any possibility of victory seemed nonexistent.

Previously, they defeated three Spiritual Body devil soldiers, but there were still eight crimson-winged devil soldiers. How could they beat such overwhelming odds?

Escape!

Thoughts of fleeing immediately rose in Jin Ji’s mind.

He exchanged glances with Hai Feizhang and Zhao Xing, who were standing not far away.

Niu Hao, Rong Le, Black Snake King, Black Jiao King, and the other cultivators all felt despair cloud their hearts. The enemy was far too strong!

If there were only four or five Spiritual Body devil soldiers, they might have had a slight chance of winning. But facing eight of them, each at least in the second-stage Spiritual Body phase, the odds were bleak.

Even Wan Xing and Emperor Dong Pan, who were mentally prepared to sacrifice their lives, still felt consumed by hopelessness. Even if they fought with everything they had, victory was still unlikely.

At that moment, a massive figure, the color of earth, zoomed through the sky like lightning, accompanied by swirling earthy-yellow qi currents.

His presence dominated the entire battlefield, slightly surpassing even that of the purple roc.

"The Domain stage?"

"Land Domain."

“Wu Yuan has comprehended a Domain?” Wan Xing, Emperor Dong Pan, and the other Heavenly Rankers were astounded.

The Domain stage! Once a cultivator reached this level, they would be able to progress to the Golden Core phase without any obstacles. Apart from Fang Xia, the Middle Land had yet to produce a single Domain stage expert in the past thousands of years.

Meanwhile, the six-legged golden mantis also sprang into action. It brandished its four saber-like limbs as its body emitted a dazzling golden light, radiating boundless power.

Gold Domain!

"Fang Xia has reached the Domain stage as well!"

"He commands an array as well as a domain. His strength won’t be any weaker than Wu Yuan’s."

"There’s still hope for us yet! Kill!" Wan Xing declared resolutely.

...

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The flaming purple roc spread its wings and launched a fierce attack on the approaching devil soldiers.

"Kill!" shouted Qiong Sea King and Mountain Devil King as they charged into battle, their roars echoing through the air.

"Form the array!" A faint glow shrouded the bodies of Black Snake King, Fu Xinxia, and the other experts, and the six of them faintly began merging into one entity.

This third array did not significantly boost their strength, but it enhanced their defense via circulating the flow of auras.

Swoosh!

Wu Yuan stepped into the air, his wings trembling as swirling earthy-yellow streams surrounded him. Within moments, his speed soared to 160 li per breath.

Wu Yuan’s gaze locked onto his target, the largest crimson-winged devil soldier. He uttered a single word through gritted teeth: "Kill!"

Wu Yuan swung his saber in an upward arc, aiming directly for the devil soldier’s head. At the same time, the devil soldier’s talons crashed down toward the saber.

Boom!

The two met in a cataclysmic collision. Under the pressure of the qi currents, the claw buckled and fractured, staining the surroundings with blood.

The colossal crimson-winged devil soldier, measuring 350 meters in length, was propelled backward by the saber strike, tumbling through the air.