Chapter 527: The Slaughter Commences (1)

Whoosh!

The horned man in purple robes fled desperately, nine spirit cauldrons surrounding him as he unleashed their full power, sweeping across the vast expanse of space.

However, An Shu was faster. As a peerless genius who had comprehended the Wind Dao and honed his skills as a sword cultivator, An Shu's movement skills and attacks were fearsome beyond measure.

"Scum of the Immortal Court, stay right there!" An Shu growled, his body suddenly glowing with countless azure cryptic patterns that burst with light, spreading thousands of li across the sky. They lent a boost to the winged serpents, which roared and sped up even further.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The nine winged serpents, assembled from flying swords, violently struck the spirit cauldrons in a series of deafening collisions. They swept across the skies, shattering rogue planets into countless fragments, shaking the very fabric of space.

One of the winged serpents broke through the barrier of cauldrons, opening its gaping maw to chomp down on the purple-robed man. Its teeth were forged from innumerable sword lights, gleaming with deadly intent.

"Curse you, eldritch!" the man in purple robes snarled, pressing his palms together as countless beams of light shot out. Then, he ripped his horn from his head, sending blood splattering across space.

In an instant, the massive horn and beams of light combined as one, forming a giant cone that he thrust toward the roaring winged serpent.

Boom~

The impact was cataclysmic! The giant cone pierced through the winged serpent with tremendous force, causing it to explode into countless flying swords that scattered in all directions.

Blood trickled from the corner of An Shu's mouth. The sword array had shattered in a single blow; even his lifebound flying swords had taken damage. As a result, his mind also suffered backlash.

"Damned eldritch! One-on-one, how could you be my match?" the man in purple robes roared in fury. The cone, formed from his horn, swept across the vast expanse like a colossal spear, aided by the spirit cauldrons as it sent the remaining winged serpents flying.

"Ha! You may be stronger than me, but only by a bit. And I'm not alone. You're doomed," An Shu laughed manically, blood dripping from his lips, his expression turning deranged.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

With the infusion of essentia and augmentation from the domain, the winged serpents roared and continued their relentless assault on the purple-robed man. This time, they no longer clashed head-on but instead impeded him, drastically reducing his speed.

"Senior Brother!”

“Save me!" Two desperate cries echoed through the battlefield. They came from the two six-armed Amethyst Cradle battle arrays.

Pei He and Lie Shier fought with all their might, taking on the two Amethyst Cradle battle arrays.

The tide of battle was decisively turned when Gong Shujie, the puppet master, joined the fray. His humanoid puppet warriors, numbering in the hundreds, each as strong as a Shambhala cultivator, overwhelmed the Amethyst Cradle arrays. The six puppet serpents far surpassed the ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase in power, making them an unstoppable force.

No! I'm so close to completing my trial mission. I cannot die here! It shouldn't end like this!

The purple-robed woman leading one of the six-armed Amethyst Cradle battle arrays went berserk, her eyes filled with a desperate will to live.

She was a genius of the Immortal Court with a high Dao comprehension level and was on the cusp of breaking through to the Void Refiner phase. But the Immortal Court had its rules—no breakthroughs were allowed on the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield. She could only fight with the base power of the ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle level.

Originally, once the Fire Ethercrystal vein was fully mined, they could return to the Immortal Court. But no one expected to encounter such a terrifying opponent—a peerless genius who had comprehended a Dao Field. In the Immortal Court, each one was renowned and formidable.

"Roar~" Suddenly, a puppet serpent lunged, taking a strike from the Amethyst Cradle battle array's saber before biting down hard on the battle array's body.

Rip~

The serpent’s bite tore a huge gash in the battle array, exposing the terrified Amethyst Cradle cultivators within.

This strike was the final straw that broke the camel's back. The already severely damaged Amethyst Cradle battle array completely fell apart. Panic ensued as the cultivators operating the array scattered in all directions, desperate to flee.

"Run!"

"Get out!"

"Flee!" The cries of the fleeing cultivators filled the air, but Pei He, Zhang Shan, and Bing Roushui showed no mercy.

"Run?"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Kill! Let’s earn those ethercrystal laurels." They relentlessly hunted down and slaughtered the retreating Amethyst Cradle cultivators.

"Roar~"

Whoosh!

The puppet serpents swam through space, tearing the Amethyst Cradle cultivators limb from limb. Even the genius at the seventh-level True Intent stage of Dao comprehension failed to escape, quickly meeting his end.

Of the two six-armed Amethyst Cradle battle arrays, one was destroyed, leaving only the other. Surrounded by enemies, its position became increasingly untenable.

...

Battles on the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield often took time to erupt, but once they did, they usually ended swiftly—unless the two sides were evenly matched.

The purple-robed man, who had been in frenzied flight the entire time, sensed the predicament of his two junior sisters. He knew one had already fallen, and the other wouldn't last much longer.

Junior Sister!

The man in purple robes felt a pang of sorrow.

We promised to return to the Immortal Court together, to ascend to Archimmortality together!

But he had no time to grieve.

Wu Yuan, his power now fully unleashed and his path unimpeded, closed the distance in an instant. Sword light streaked across the sky.

Boom~

Sword met cauldron in a colossal clash. The once unyielding spirit cauldrons were sent flying, unable to withstand Wu Yuan's divine sword. The man in the purple robe coughed up a mouthful of blood.

A cauldron, capable of stabilizing the void and harmonizing with the unique profundities of heaven and earth, possessed extremely high defense and stability. But when the power gap became too vast, it no longer mattered.

"Give up resistance. It’ll make your death easier." Wu Yuan stepped through space as if walking on land, swiftly closing in and thrusting his sword forth. Further supported by the Celestial Body True Intent, it felt as if the heavens were collapsing.

"You should be the one to die!" the young man in purple robes raved madly, sensing his last junior sister's demise.

Boom!

A fearsome light gathered around the gigantic cone. As if piercing through the heavens, it clashed with Wu Yuan's divine sword.

Boom!

An unimaginably catastrophic collision ensued, the shockwaves rippling across outer space.

Wu Yuan, commanding the Amethyst Cradle battle array, stood firm in the void. Meanwhile, the immense cone shattered, revealing the horn within, now marred by a faint crack.

The young man in purple robes spat blood once more, his soul essence flagging. This was his strongest lifebound artifact, something he only used in critical situations. Its power was immense, but once damaged, the backlash was severe.

"No! You lowly bunch of scum, get out of my way!" The man in purple robes struggled to control the spirit cauldrons, trying to fend off the winged serpents.

But as Wu Yuan's oppressive Celestial Body Domain bore down, accompanied by sword lights that tore through the sky, there was no escaping his defeat and demise.

Whoosh!

Another sword light tore through space, piercing straight through the body of the youth in purple robes. The sword lights scattered, reducing his body to oblivion. All that remained was a pile of ownerless artifacts.

With the battle concluded, outer space regained its calm.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

"Commander!"

"Commander."

Eight towering figures rushed forward, filled with immense excitement—Pei He, Lie Shier, Yu Zhu, and the others. They surrounded Wu Yuan, their eyes burning with fervor and admiration.

"Commander, we underestimated you," Pei He said deeply, his eyes alight with reverence. "It is our honor to follow you."

"Exactly. From today onwards, we’ll follow you wherever you go," Zhang Shan said with a wide grin. The other captains laughed, their spirits high.

With this battle, their hearts were truly conquered by Wu Yuan. With just one Amethyst Cradle battle array, he had effortlessly slaughtered an Elysian Field powerhouse. How terrifying was that?

He was undoubtedly a peerless genius who could slay enemies of higher cultivation phases alone. Following such a genius, their chances of survival and the speed at which they completed their assignment would greatly increase.

"Remember, never reveal my identity. The fact that I joined the team at the last minute must be kept secret. I am just a member of the Huo Cang Army," Wu Yuan's voice echoed in the minds of all the Huo Cang Army soldiers.

"Roger."

"Understood," Pei He, Lie Shier, and the others responded in kind.

All of them had their suspicions. The commander likely hailed from the core of the Eternal Sun Immortal World, a peerless genius hiding his identity to temper himself on the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield.

...

Swish! Swish!

After clearing the battlefield, An Shu and Gong Shujie transformed into two streams of light, rushing over to join Wu Yuan.

"Daoist Ming Jian, you have my admiration!" An Shu's tone was now markedly more respectful. "With your strength, you’d likely rank among the top thousand members of the Fourth Origin Eldritch Field in the Cang Feng Eldritch World."

"Fellow Daoist, are you perhaps a peerless genius from the Eternal Sun Immortal World?" An Shu ventured cautiously.

Wu Yuan merely smiled, offering no response.

"An Shu, it’s best not to pry," Gong Shujie interjected with a chuckle. "With Daoist Ming Jian's strength, he's undoubtedly one of the top figures on this battlefield—invincible and unrivaled. On top of that, he commands an army."

"Teaming up with Daoist Ming Jian to slay enemies is truly our good fortune," Gong Shujie continued with a grin. "An Shu, let's make haste to the Fire Ethercrystal mine before the crust shifts and buries it again."

"Haha, yes." Seeing Wu Yuan's silent smile, An Shu realized he had breached a taboo and quickly changed the subject. "This area is quite remote. Though our battle was intense, it's unlikely other teams will come to investigate."

"Let’s go inspect the Fire Ethercrystal mine," An Shu suggested.

"Daoist An Shu, please lead the way," Wu Yuan said, still smiling.

"Let’s move!"

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Without disbanding their battle array, they transformed into streaks of light, diving toward a distant star tens of thousands of li away.

In the distance, a first-grade spirit battleship followed them, carrying several non-combatant Shambhala/Amethyst Cradle Huo Cang Army soldiers.

...

Within the Blood Eldritch Temple, a towering hall buzzed with activity as countless light screens displayed data and images. Black-armored soldiers moved purposefully through the space.

"Attention, a sixth-rank fighter has just emerged from Outer Space War Base 1294, named Ming Jian."

Several figures standing before one of the screens focused intently on the text and data analysis displayed. "He killed an Elysian Field powerhouse."

"He also took down a genius from the Immortal Hall."

"Ming Jian is likely not a native of the Cang Feng Eldritch World; he hails from the Huo Cang Army of the Eternal Sun Immortal World. Keep him under close watch."

...

At the same time, in a similar hall on the other end of the Blood Eldritch Immortal Continent.

This was the base of the Voltari Temple, also bustling with activity. Here, many geniuses had gathered.

"The Amethyst Cradle genius Gu Zhong, a member of the Immortal Hall, has fallen."

"The Elysian Field cultivator Shi Jing has also fallen."

"The killer is suspected to be the same person, likely a peerless genius who has comprehended a Dao Field (Lesser Law)."

"Monitor him closely."

"The location is Outer Space War Base 1294." In this towering hall, vast amounts of information were also being compiled and analyzed.