Chapter 272: Overcoming The Calamity

The main body of the worm devil.

After breaking into the black sphere, Wu Yuan saw strange rays of light rushing toward him. Past the light rays, at the center of the intricate, honeycomb-like black sphere, was a crystalline orb about the size of a palm.

"Annihilate!" Wu Yuan's fury knew no bounds.

From a single glance at the crystalline orb, he could feel the intense soul aura contained within, and instantly recognized that it was the main body of the worm devil.

However, the realization only lasted for a brief moment.

Whoosh!

The rays of light shot towards Wu Yuan. They completely disregarded the earthy-yellow qi streams swirling around him, broke through all barriers, and poured into his body.

Wu Yuan instantly grasped that this was a soul attack.

The soul power imbued in the rays of light was powerful beyond imagination. As they pierced through his body, they infiltrated his upper dantian lobe and soul chamber in an instant, invading Wu Yuan’s soul.

"AH!" Wu Yuan screamed in pain as the encroaching darkness threatened to consume him. His consciousness quickly dimmed, and he crashed to the ground with a resounding thud.

The soul attack struck him in an instant!

"Little Black! Crush that vile worm devil!" With his last shred of consciousness, Wu Yuan gave Little Black one final order.

Before the battle, the realm master had given Wu Yuan a chance to escape from the calamity, but he decided to face the enemy directly.

After the great battle in North Huang City, Wu Yuan had a sudden insight into the profundity of the ardor of life, and his feelings for the myriad of living beings in the Middle Land deepened.

The actions of Daoist Wan Xing, Emperor Dong Pan, and Niu Hao also touched him, solidifying his resolve.

He would defeat the worm devil, even if it meant death!

As Wu Yuan's consciousness blurred, he faintly saw a shadowy figure emerge from his body, lunging towards the crystalline orb with a fierce roar.

The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly.

"Qiong Sea, relay my command to Fang Xia: Obliterate the Jin royal family!" Wu Yuan transmitted his final directive through their spiritual bond.

With that, he completely lost consciousness, and his head hit the ground.

...

"Die!"

"I’ll live, while you’ll die!" The small crystalline orb watched its attack strike Wu Yuan, emitting invisible waves filled with anger and a hint of excitement.

The worm devil felt its heart bleed. Centuries of hard work were all rendered meaningless.

Nightmare Of A Thousand Hearts drained 99% of its Soul Force and quickly wore down its consciousness.

However, as it sensed Wu Yuan's soul weakening and watched the man plummet to the ground, a surge of joy filled its being.

As long as Wu Yuan perished, no one among the Middle Land's immortal cultivators would pose a threat to the eight Spiritual Body devil soldiers, allowing it to devour as much as it wanted and make a swift recovery.

Suddenly, a black flying snake emerged from Wu Yuan's body, reaching the crystalline orb in a flash. Its sharp claws descended in a swift arc.

"No!" The worm devil's main body emitted waves of despair.

Rip~

Claw rays landed on the crystalline orb, crushing it into countless fragments and scattering motes of strange light in every direction.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

...

After recovering from the assault on their souls, the three colossal Spiritual Body devil soldiers flapped their wings and sped toward the colossal black sphere, their eyes filled with panic and urgency.

"Kill!" The golden mantis bombarded the three Spiritual Body devil soldiers with attacks, causing them to stumble back.

"Kill!" Qiong Sea King and Mountain Devil King attacked the devil soldiers frenziedly, trying to restrain as many as they could.

"We're winning, Wu Yuan has reached the worm devil’s main body!" Fang Xia declared through gritted teeth.

At that moment, the Spiritual Body devil soldiers began shaking their heads furiously, roaring and howling in agony.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The devil soldiers trembled violently. One after another, their ferocious gazes faded, then they fell to the ground. Their vital aura began to wane rapidly.

"What’s going on?" exclaimed Mountain Devil King in shock and confusion.

"We won?" Fu Xinxia and Lei Lie, who were launching long-range attacks, were struck with astonishment and excitement.

"Is the worm devil dead?" Fang Xia, the Arctic King, and others inside the golden mantis felt a mix of elation and disbelief.

Did the fearsome worm devil finally meet its end?

As the devil soldiers began falling from the air, Qiong Sea King suddenly bellowed in a mix of shock and fury, "Mast..Wu Yuan's soul aura is fading."

"He's about to die!"

As Wu Yuan's spirit beast, Qiong Sea King could clearly sense his master's soul aura. Wu Yuan was on the verge of death!

Before the cultivators could react, an overpowering tidal wave of soul power crashed down on everyone, causing their expressions to change instantly.

Weaker cultivators like Black Snake King and Fu Xinxia, who were both at the sixth-stage Qi Sea phase, instantly paled. The wave of soul power was relentless and unyielding, drowning and engulfing all.

"The worm devil is dead. Retreat!" Fang Xia ordered, clenching his jaw in pain.

Even he, the strongest among them, struggled to withstand the continuous onslaught of soul power, let alone the other Heavenly Rankers.

Even before he made the order, those unable to bear the soul power already transformed into streaks of light and retreated hastily. The further they were from the core of the devil’s lair, the weaker the soul power.

...

In the Conference Hall of the Middle Land Immortal Hall, the Heavenly Rankers who hadn't participated in the battle watched the projection on the light screen with bated breath.

Suddenly, a wave of soul power cut off the projection, and the soul avatars of the Heavenly Rankers in battle disappeared.

"Wu Yuan entered the core of the devil's lair!"

"All the devil soldiers have been defeated, so the worm devil must be dead."

"It's hard to say for sure. What if the worm devil is trying to trick us?" Many Heavenly Rankers anxiously discussed the situation.

"Why would the death of the worm devil cause their connection to the Immortal Hall to be severed?"

"Could Wu Yuan, Fang Xia, the Arctic King, and Qiong Sea King all be dead?"

The air was filled with a weighty silence. Nobody spoke, only exchanging uncertain glances amongst themselves.

Hum~

Suddenly, countless points of light converged in the Middle Land Immortal Hall, and avatars appeared one by one.

Miraculously, it was Fang Xia, Qiong Sea King, the Arctic King, and the others. In total, there were thirteen figures.

"They survived!"

"They're alive! And look, there's Fang Xia!" The conference hall, previously silent, suddenly filled with a chorus of joyous voices.

"Daoist Fang Xia, the worm devil..." Sang Gu asked in a low voice. The Heavenly Rankers observing the battle all turned to Fang Xia, Qiong Sea King, and the others, their eyes filled with anticipation, eager to hear the final outcome once and for all.

“We have confirmed the demise of all devil soldiers. Right now, we are swiftly making our way back to the surface through the passage of the devil's lair,” Fang Xia announced.

“The worm devil is dead! We have averted this catastrophe!”

The conference hall exploded with cheers and unabashed joy.

...

Soon, 41 figures floated in the air above the blackened soil.

Qiong Sea King, Fang Xia, and the Arctic King stood before the gathering of Heavenly Rankers.

“The battle unfolded as follows. Jin Ji and Zhao Xing deserted the battle at a critical juncture, putting us in dire straits and causing Daoist Rong Le to lose his life.” Fang Xia slowly articulated each word.

“At our most desperate moment, Daoist Wan Xing, leader of the Starcom Consortium, Emperor Dong Pan, leader of the Wu Sect, and Niu Hao, leader of the Pleiades Guild, saved us. They paid the ultimate price to deal a blow to the three mightiest devil soldiers. Their sacrifice allowed us to create an opening into the core of the worm devil's lair.”

“And finally, Wu Yuan, the top prodigy of the Middle Land, fearlessly ventured into the core of the lair alone and delivered the final blow, sealing the worm devil's fate.”

“At the moment, a violent storm of soul power rages in the underground abyss, preventing anyone from approaching. We do not know what has happened to Wu Yuan, and his fate remains uncertain.” Fang Xia's voice grew deeper as he spoke.

The Heavenly Rankers listened with heavy hearts. When someone's fate was unknown, it often meant that they were dead. Wu Yuan, the peerless prodigy, had perished?

"Today, we took many casualties," Fang Xia declared, his voice resonating through the air. "But let us not forget the countless fallen Daoists from the previous battles, such as Dong Guangbo and Blood Snake King. They were valiant heroes who gave their all to safeguard the Middle Land. Though the calamity may have passed, their heroic spirits live on."

"All factions must spread the news of this battle throughout the world so that countless civilians and martial artists can learn of their deeds." Fang Xia's tone was solemn. "Any objections?"

Numerous Heavenly Rankers nodded in agreement.

The leaders of the Starcom Consortium, Pleiades Guild, and Wu Sect had all perished in battle. How could they allow their legacies to be forgotten?

Their stories would be chronicled and passed down for generations, just like the legends of the Martial King.

"Lastly," Fang Xia said with an icy tone, "I issue a call to arms. Apart from the Starsea Pavilion led by Daoist Hai Feizhang, the other two holy sanctuaries of Great Jin, the Jin royal family and Yuanxia Palace, must be held responsible for their desertion. They are unforgivable traitors, sinners of the entire Middle Land."

"After a discussion with the Arctic King and Qiong Sea King, we have decided to petition the world to launch a crusade against Jin!" Fang Xia’s firm gaze swept through everyone present.

“Crusade against Jin!” The Arctic King declared in a cold voice.

“Crusade against Jin!” Qiong Sea King thundered, his voice filled with boundless fury.

“Crusade against Jin!” Wu Nonghan spoke solemnly, representing the remaining power of the Wu Sect.

"Crusade against Jin!" One Heavenly Ranker after another echoed the cry, seething with anger.

All of them had seen Jin Ji and Zhao Xing's betrayal.

More than 40 Heavenly Rankers swiftly reached a unanimous decision. As representatives of all the forces in the Middle Land apart from Great Jin, the world would launch a crusade against Jin with the goal of annihilating them!

...

The Heavenly Rankers soon left the area, and only Fang Xia and Qiong Sea King remained standing at the entrance of the devil's lair.

Both looked down at the dark abyss below.

"I made several more attempts, but I simply cannot enter that fractured black sphere. The closest I could get to was 50 li. The waves of soul power originating from the sphere are still in effect," Fang Xia shook his head with a bitter smile. "All I can confirm is that all the devil soldiers have been wiped out."

No one knew what Wu Yuan had encountered inside the massive black sphere.

"How about you?" Fang Xia asked, looking at Qiong Sea King.

“I still cannot detect Master's aura.” The Qiong Sea King lamented, shaking its massive head with frustration.

"Let's leave for now." Fang Xia said in a low voice. “While emotions are still running high, we should take the opportunity to join forces with the other factions and march towards the Holy Capital, eliminating Jin. This was Young Master’s final command."

Qiong Sea King nodded in agreement.

Just as they turned to leave, Qiong Sea King suddenly halted, bursting with excitement as he exclaimed, "I can sense Master's aura! Master is still alive!!"