Chapter 818: The Fall Of A Sovereign (1)

"Cang Feng." Sovereign Sha Fan's expression shifted.

In terms of direct combat power, only Sovereign Qing Ling and Sovereign Voltari could match Sovereign Cang Feng throughout the Greenridge Macrocosm.

Sovereign Sha Fan? He was a qi refiner.

Moreover, Sovereign Sha Fan recognized that the weapon Sovereign Cang Feng wielded was his renowned high-grade Dao Instrument battle saber. It was his primary weapon, capable of unleashing his mightiest power.

In contrast, Sovereign Sha Fan had infiltrated deep into the eldritch world’s territory. Knowing that he faced the risk of perishing, he hadn't brought any powerful treasures with him.

In terms of personal strength and artifacts, they were mismatched in every aspect. It could be said that if struck by the saber, Sovereign Sha Fan would perish in a single strike!

Grotto-heaven Realm. Ancient Tune of Troubled Thoughts!

Sovereign Sha Fan's gaze sharpened.

Whoosh~

Beneath his feet, chains shot forth in all directions, inscribed with countless complex cryptic patterns. The myriad chains interlinked, wrapping around Sovereign Sha Fan and distorting space.

Following this, countless crystalline threads emerged from among the chains, thoroughly transforming the distorted space into a cohesive entity separated from the rest of outer space, as if forming an independent realm or grotto-heaven.

Hum~

A vexing tune invaded the depths of Sovereign Cang Feng's spirit, causing his mind to grow tranquil.

Instinctively, the killing intent infused into Sovereign Cang Feng's battle saber greatly diminished. As the killing intent receded, its power naturally weakened.

This was a type of soul secret art Sovereign Sha Fan excelled in. Soul techniques weren't limited to slaying powerhouses or direct interference, but also included such spirit-influencing secret arts.

Boom!

The dim blade ray slashed across millions of li of void, striking the newly formed grotto-heaven.

The ten million li-long blade ray tore through the sealed grotto-heaven, shattering it layer by layer. Its frightful power even penetrated higher spatial dimensions, causing this vast region of outer space to tremble.

This was the combat power of a late-stage Sovereign powerhouse.

Silence fell.

In battles within outer space, no sound traveled. There were only the turbulent fluctuations of energy and Laws.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

I blocked it.

Sovereign Sha Fan's heart lifted slightly. By simultaneously unleashing his two most powerful secret arts, he had barely withstood this saber strike.

Spacetime, array!

Sovereign Sha Fan's eyes shone like two stars, emitting dazzling light.

Daos and Laws intertwined.

Countless Dao patterns streamed forth, and a great number of chains rolled like flowing water, rapidly repairing the torn grotto-heaven world.

Rumble~

Simultaneously, the entire grotto-heaven world expanded madly, but within its core region, an even more unique area was being opened up.

Spacetime is sealed. But, as long as I open a world, carving out an extremely stable and vast space, I can still escape into a higher spatial dimension and depart.

Sovereign Sha Fan gritted his teeth.

The simultaneous execution of so many powerful arcane arts placed a great strain on him. His mana was being consumed at a rapid rate.

...

Spirit Unified as One, From Ancient to Present, Only I Endure.

Sovereign Cang Feng's gaze grew frosty.

As a body refiner, he wasn't adept at soul-attack secret arts. But he had cultivated secret arts for guarding the Yuan Soul and spirit, excelling at resisting secret arts targeting the spirit.

Whoosh~

Countless threads seemed to extend, connecting every strand of consciousness in Sovereign Cang Feng's soul, uniting his spirit.

His thoughts were purified—Kill!

Whoosh!

The blade ray ignited once more, its power immediately surging, striking this rapidly expanding grotto-heaven world.

It left another enormous rift in the grotto-heaven world, but still couldn't penetrate the innermost region.

Hmm? What a powerful defensive secret art. This grotto-heaven defense is indeed difficult to destroy.

Sovereign Cang Feng frowned.

"Cang Feng, you can forget about killing me. You and I have clashed many times, we’re very familiar with each other's abilities," Sovereign Sha Fan sneered as he transmitted. "Though you are strong, even a late-stage Sovereign powerhouse would need to spend a long time to breach this arcane art of mine once it begins expanding."

He had already set his mind at ease. After the grotto-heaven world expanded a little more, he would be able to seize partial control over this region of spacetime and get an opportunity to flee.

"Sha Fan, how about two more of us?" Two cold voices rang out simultaneously.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two azure lights flashed with blinding intensity. Immediately, it seemed as if the vast outer space itself would be torn asunder.

In an instant, two rifts opened in this originally sealed expanse of outer space. Those were not mere spatial rifts. Rather, they were the intersection of different spatial dimensions.

Rip!

The grotto-heaven world, having just endured Sovereign Cang Feng's saber strike, was once again subjected to these two incomparably terrifying attacks, shaking violently. The rate of its expansion also slowed.

Two towering figures with identical soul auras appeared at the edge of the void. One wielded a battle sword, the other a long spear. Their fury rose like a tidal wave, crashing into the heavens.

"Kua Chi? You've even sent out your true body? Aren't you afraid of death?" Sovereign Sha Fan's expression contorted as he gazed at the two distant figures, their auras vast and mighty.

In terms of vital aura strength, they might even slightly surpass Sovereign Cang Feng.

"You want to kill my disciple. As his master, it’s only natural that I take action." Sovereign Kua Chi's voice was chilling, his gaze even more unforgiving. "Besides, kill me? Even if Voltari came, he wouldn't dare say he could kill me. You?

Sha Fan, this mana body of yours will not be leaving alive!"

Boom! Boom!

Sovereign Kua Chi's true self and ether body unleashed attacks once more.

Taking a single step, the stars seemed to shift. Though the step appeared ordinary, it caused outer space to tremble, as if unable to withstand such a terrifying outburst.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The divine sword thrust forth like flowing light. It penetrated different spatial dimensions, its power vast and unstoppable.

Swish!

Spear silhouettes filled the sky, as if billions of figures simultaneously wielded long spears, rushing in from all directions.

Rumble~

It was like the force of countless supernovas rocking the grotto-heaven, causing it to sway as Sovereign Sha Fan struggled to support it.

"Again.” Sovereign Kua Chi's expression didn't change in the slightest as his true self and ether body continued to unleash powerful ultimate moves, not the least bit worried about the massive quantities of vital ether consumed.

This was Sovereign Kua Chi, a Sovereign of Life. In battle, his attack power might not be too terrifying, nor did he possess exceptionally brilliant combat techniques. But, he fought like a frenzied madman, with no thoughts of holding back. Ultimate moves that other Sovereigns would only use after careful consideration, he employed without the slightest hesitation.

Having comprehended the Law of Life, Sovereign Kua Chi's vital ether recovery speed was at least ten times that of Sovereign Cang Feng. This was the main reason he was known as the Undying Sovereign.

"Haha! Kill! Sha Fan, you’re dead meat!" Sovereign Cang Feng laughed loudly. His moves were grand and unrestrained, each saber strike appearing to carve out a gash in space the size of a vast world, its power endless.

Boom! Rumble!

The three Sovereign-level entities joined forces, completely suppressing Sovereign Sha Fan. That magnificent grotto-heaven world began to shrink.

Not good.

Sovereign Sha Fan's expression turned extremely unsightly.

How did these eldritch world scum arrive so quickly?

Where's Voltari? I sent word early on, hasn't he arrived yet?

He exerted all his strength to resist the encirclement of Sovereign Cang Feng and Sovereign Kua Chi.

A hint of regret arose in his heart. To increase his chances of success, he had unwittingly placed his mana body in grave peril.

If he could successfully slay Wu Yuan, even at the cost of his mana body's demise, it might have been worth the risk. However, the karmic assassination had failed. And now, his mana body teetered on the brink of destruction.

I can't maintain the grotto-heaven arcane art. I'll be reduced to passively enduring their attacks, unable to escape.

Sovereign Sha Fan gritted his teeth.

Boom!

The grotto-heaven world, which had expanded to encompass vast reaches of the void, suddenly exploded with a thunderous roar. Terrifying shockwaves rippled outward in all directions.

Three particularly devastating waves surged towards Sovereign Kua Chi and Sovereign Cang Feng.

"If this were a one-on-one battle, you'd stand no chance against me, Cang Feng. Your Eldritch Court only excels at overwhelming opponents with superior numbers," Sovereign Sha Fan's voice dripped with icy contempt.

Boom!

His figure suddenly blurred as several flying swords, each radiating an aura of immense power, materialized before him.

The flying swords crisscrossed, attempting to forcibly tear open a passage to the Vacuum Spatial Layer. Yet, only ripples shimmered across the fabric of space. The process of breaching the barrier progressed at an agonizingly slow pace, as if some tremendous force was actively dampening their efforts.

Spacetime is in such turmoil, yet my attempts to open a rip are still being thwarted. This region must be protected by a powerful array.

Sovereign Sha Fan realized, clenching his jaw.

In normal regions of spacetime, he could have fled in a frenzied dash even if outmatched. Once he escaped into higher spatial dimensions, it would be extremely difficult for them to pursue him.

But this was the heart of the eldritch world, a mere few million light-years from the Cang Feng Continent.

A few million light-years might sound vast, but with the might of the Cang Feng Eldritch World, they could easily erect numerous defense arrays across tens of millions of light-years in the core region.

At that moment, having weathered the brunt of the shockwaves, Sovereign Kua Chi and Sovereign Cang Feng launched their assault on Sovereign Sha Fan.

"Sha Fan, cease your futile struggle," Sovereign Kua Chi's true self thrust his long spear forward.

That single thrust sent ripples cascading through layer upon layer of space, as if a colossal blanket had been violently shaken. Even an Astral Lord would be instantly annihilated in the wake of such spatial turbulence.

Go.

Sovereign Sha Fan willed, and the two Dao Instrument flying swords orbiting him shot forth.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several Dao Instrument flying swords sliced through the void, their radiance blinding and endless, intercepting the spear thrust.

But from the other flank, Sovereign Cang Feng pressed his own relentless attack. A blade ray streaked towards Sha Fan, forcing him to deploy even more artifacts in defense. He unleashed a barrage of arcane arts that transformed into roaring divine dragons as they surged outward.

Boom!

Though unable to flee through higher spatial dimensions, Sovereign Sha Fan retreated through outer space, desperately attempting to deflect the combined onslaught of the two mighty Sovereigns.

I can hold out for quite some time yet.

Unable to escape, Sovereign Sha Fan poured all his energy into empowering his arcane arts and artifacts.

Voltari should be arriving soon.

He just had to last until Sovereign Voltari arrived.

"He's a difficult one to kill."

"Too slippery. This Sha Fan may not be overwhelmingly powerful, but his movement techniques are truly impressive," Sovereign Kua Chi and Sovereign Cang Feng both frowned inwardly.

Their offensive capabilities were terrifying, but they lagged far behind in speed and restraining techniques, inferior to Sovereign Sha Fan in these aspects.

Qi refiners naturally held the advantage in domains, binding-type arcane arts, and various other aspects. Thus, even though they easily overpowered Sovereign Sha Fan, actually slaying him proved challenging in the short term.

This was the norm in battles between Sovereigns.

If their techniques happened to perfectly counter each other, the outcome might be swiftly decided. For instance, a Sovereign of Space ambushing a qi refiner Sovereign far weaker than himself might defeat him in an instant.

But when combatants of similar strength and combat skill clashed, the battle could drag on interminably. Fighting for a day and a night without reaching a conclusion was not uncommon.

"Sha Fan, there’s no need to struggle anymore. Resistance is pointless." Suddenly, another cold voice reverberated through the void.