Chapter 1847 - Dying Light
In the distant skies above, Chi Wuyao was pus.h.i.+ng herself to match the heavy pressure coming from Long Si. However, she was still distracted during that one instant as she turned to send Yan Tianxiao off with her eyes.
“Do you have any regrets?” Mu Xuanyin asked.
Chi Wuyao shook her head, “Since I’ve already made my decision, I won’t regret it, no matter the outcome… However, this guilt and debt that I owe, I’m afraid that I won’t have the opportunity to make up for them.
She was the only surviving member of the three G.o.d emperors of the Northern Divine Region.
To be completely accurate, her current t.i.tle was the Devil Master’s Queen… Hence, the three G.o.d emperors of the Northern Divine Region were already a thing of the past.
The dark binding had vanished but the released Western Region profound pract.i.tioners simply sat there with stunned expressions on their faces. They watched the Northern Region’s Yama Emperor turn into swirling gray ashes with a complicated look in their eyes and a stifled feeling in their chests.
The White Rainbow Dragon G.o.d angrily waved a hand at the swirling dust, his petty act of angry petulance scattering it to the wind.
“Let’s go!"
The White Rainbow Dragon G.o.d and three G.o.d emperors of the west immediately started flying toward the ruined Deep Sea Royal Hall with dark looks on their faces.
As a result, the Dragon Sovereigns and the Western Region profound pract.i.tioners had no choice but to suppress the shock in their hearts, grit their teeth, and follow after them.
In the north, the Blue Dragon Emperor, who had been battling Cang s.h.i.+tian all this while, gave a melancholy sigh and murmured, “Why must there be conflict in this world… So much blood has been shed, so many lives have been lost, but is the end result really worth the cost?”
“Heh!” Cang s.h.i.+tian wiped away the blood that trickled down from the corner of his mouth. “Little Blue Dragon, I really love that naivete of yours.”
Boom!
Just as Cang s.h.i.+tian finished speaking, a frigid spear of ice smashed into his face. The impact caused his left cheek to sink in as his body did a few pathetic-looking cartwheels in the air.
“Hmph!” A Blue Dragon Divine Attendant stared icy daggers at Cang s.h.i.+tian as she spat in a cold voice, “How dare you insult my lord!? You’re courting death!”
“Heh heh heh.” Cang s.h.i.+tian chuckled as he rubbed his left cheek. “Little Blue Dragon, the entire G.o.d Realm knows that your Blue Dragon Realm never wishes to be involved in any grievances or conflict, but there are far too many things in this world which will not allow you to be the righteous one among the wicked.”
The Blue Dragon Emperor, “...”
“I’m already not your match in a one-on-one duel, so I wonder why I haven’t been defeated even though you have all these girls helping you,” Cang s.h.i.+tian said with a leering grin. “It’s way too obvious that you’re taking it easy on me. It’s so obvious that the Dragon Monarch would be able to tell even if he was an idiot. Do you really think that he will ignore your uncooperativeness once everything is over?”
“Oh, no, no! You’re basically defying him at this point.”
The Blue Dragon Emperor remained silent… The Dragon Monarch she had seen over the last few days was far different from the Dragon Monarch that everyone knew and loved. His usual calm and peaceful demeanor had disappeared and it had been replaced by perversely dreadful malice.
Perhaps this had been his true nature all along.
Furthermore, the reason behind everything… The shocking “green hat” that Chi Wuyao had uttered was still reverberating in everyone’s heart, but no one dared to ask or even mention it.
In the distance, they could see that the second-last barrier had already become torn and tattered. Cang s.h.i.+tian let out a dreadful laugh before he said, “It looks like it’s about to be game over for us. But I really had fun, so it’s worth it even if I die!”
“You on the other hand. I really advise you to hurry up and use your full strength to cripple or kill me. If not, it’ll be too late. Trust me, you’ll definitely regret it if you don’t.”
The Blue Dragon Emperor remained silent but it was clear that she wasn’t going to take his advice.
“Heh!” A mocking expression appeared on Cang s.h.i.+tian’s face. “To think that the current Blue Dragon Emperor is so indecisive and full of compa.s.sion. It looks like your Blue Dragon line won’t last for many more generations!”
“You’re really looking to die!” a Blue Dragon Divine Attendant yelled. Water climbed and swirled around her, forming into a thick whip of ice that lashed at Cang s.h.i.+t.i.tan.
Crack!
The heavens and earth shook once more as the sixth barrier collapsed amidst the clouds of blood that were erupting all around it. Now, only the final barrier glowed with a faint light that almost seemed tinged with despair.
The sixth barrier had become the barrier that had lasted the longest… Alas, this star of hope had only been able to s.h.i.+ne brilliantly because of the brief light of hope brought about by the Yama Emperor’s complete and utter self-sacrifice.
The eyes of the Northern Region profound pract.i.tioner had become as red as blood. Now that their backs were truly against the wall, they had transformed into despairing beasts who focused only on killing the enemy, even if it came at the expense of their own lives. They crazily released all of the power left in their bodies as they started their final counter-attack.
At this time, Long Bai suddenly frowned.
Now that there was only one dark barrier left, its ability to block out his spiritual senses had greatly weakened. His divine sense penetrated the barrier from a long distance away, but he did not sense Yun Che’s aura as he had expected. Instead, he sensed a very unique aura, one which was very familiar to him.
The Eternal Heaven Pearl!?
After a brief moment of shock, sudden realization dawned on him. The reason why Yun Che had yet to appear had nothing to do with him entering seclusion to awaken some power. He was inside the Eternal Heaven Pearl’s Eternal Heaven Divine Realm!
“Stop attacking the barrier for now! I want you to subdue all of our enemies instead!” Long Bai’s voice boomed out like thunder as he gave that sudden order.
The Dragon Monarch was finally making his move. As he shot into the air, a vast and overwhelming draconic might instantly covered the skies. Even the blood and dust swirling around the battlefield started surging toward the Deep Sea Royal Hall after him.
The Dragon Monarch’s order caused the situation on the battlefield to change drastically. Now that the Divine Masters of the Western Divine Region no longer needed to split their focus between their enemies and the barrier, they could use all of their might to suppress the opposition. This caused the pressure on the Northern Region profound pract.i.tioners to explosively increase in a single instant.
Long Yi, Long Er, Long San and the three Dragon G.o.ds gathered their power together as they tried to take down the Three Yama Ancestors.
Meanwhile, the Three Yama Ancestors did not dare to dodge this blow. The reason for this was simple. If they chose not to take this attack head-on, it would explode against the barrier and deal severe damage to it. As such, they also attacked at the same time, the Yama Devil shadows behind them howling to the skies.
The two terrifying attacks crashed together and started pus.h.i.+ng against each other as the s.p.a.ce around them was compressed to the point where it looked like a balloon that was about to pop.
The Three Yama Ancestors were very much on the backfoot when it came to power. When the fearsome struggle started, their expressions grew violently sinister and their feet became nailed to the ground. They would not retreat even an inch and only their arms, which were discharging world-ending power, were shuddering violently.
Long Bai’s aura had shocked everyone. The profound pract.i.tioners of the north knew that his power would be the straw that broke the camel’s back if he joined the fray… No, rather than a straw, it would be the mountain that broke the camel’s back.
Mu Xuanyin’s eyes went cold as her figure blurred out of existence. She had used Moon Splitting Cascade to instantly escape the lock Long Wu’s draconic aura had on her. As she reappeared again, the image of an Ice Phoenix appeared behind her back. The image almost seemed to be solid as it let out an extremely loud and shrill phoenix cry. The Snow Princess Sword shone with a brilliant icy gleam as resplendent as any heavenly light as it sliced apart the dragon domains of two Venerable Withered Dragons and shot through hundreds of kilometers of s.p.a.ce as it headed right for Long Bai.
Unfortunately, the distance was simply too great.
Long Bai swept his right hand forward and a huge energy field of imperial draconic might unfurled from his body. When that streaking icy-blue comet finally arrived, the power of his energy field was able to easily alter its trajectory.
Whoosh———
Ice Phoenix divine power exploded behind Long Bai as an incredibly powerful beam of rainbow-colored light pierced through the heavens and the earth to strike him. However, it didn’t do the slightest bit of damage to the Dragon Monarch. All it had done was to slow him down a little.
A storm howled in the air as the s.p.a.ce around Long Bai violently shuddered. When he arrived, the energy wave that erupted from his body along with his oppressive might was enough to knock most Northern Region profound pract.i.tioners and Dragons of Absolute Beginning off their feet. An empty s.p.a.ce had actually opened up around Long Bai in this blood-soaked battlefield.
As Long Bai hurtled downward, the image of a claw appeared above his hand when he struck at the final barrier.
The previous flurry of frenzied attacks had already caused the light of the final barrier to grow dim, and a spider web of cracks could already be seen running down its surface.
The final barrier shuddered violently when the Dragon Monarch’s claw smashed into it. A pitiful-sounding screech could be heard as a million black cracks appeared on the surface of the barrier.
The hearts of the profound pract.i.tioners of the north immediately fell into a deep abyss. Yan Three gnashed his teeth as he roared, “Old ghosts, hold the fort for me!”
He suddenly withdrew his power as he spun around and let out a howl before he rushed at Long Bai like a rabid dog.
Now that they were missing Yan Three, the pressure on Yan One and Yan Two had drastically increased. The skin of their withered arms started to split and peel as black blood spurted out.
Even though the situation was already unspeakably terrible, they still refused to collapse as they stubbornly fought against the power of three Venerable Withered Dragons and three Dragon G.o.ds. No one could understand how their withered and skinny bodies and arms could endure such gigantic pressure.
It seemed as if the heavens and earth were flipping over with every second that pa.s.sed.
They had not been holding on with their own strength, but by the force of their convictions and absolute loyalty to Yun Che.
Rumble!
Long Bai slammed a palm into the barrier once more. Under his vast draconic might, the barrier had already become a giant web of cracks and it was only glowing with the last vestiges of a faint black light.
“AAAAAAAAAH!”
Yan Three let out a sinister cry as his fingers curved into black hooks. Violent black light erupted out of that claw as it dove straight for Long Bai’s eyes.
Long Bai did not even bother to turn around to meet Yan Three. He abruptedly swung his right arm backward, intercepting Yan Three’s dark withered claw with a hand that was radiating a dull white light.
Crack!!
A cracking sound so dreadful that it tore at one’s soul rang through the air. The black light surrounding Yan Three’s hand completely dispersed, leaving broken bone.
Long Bai’s powers of recovery were too scary. He, who had been quietly observing the battle thus far, had nearly recovered all of his power and even the serious wounds that he had recently suffered were almost completely healed.
Meanwhile, Yan Three was not only covered in wounds, but he was also exhausted. So how could he possibly go against Long Bai by himself?
Yan Three let out a strange yelp as his Yama Devil power surged forth once more. Yet, before he could even release that power, Long Bai’s draconic might had already rushed past his arm to smash into his body.
Yan Three felt an explosion go off in his head. He was only half-conscious as his body was sent flying through the air like a withered leaf caught in a storm.
He desperately bit down on his tongue as he was hurtling through the air and haphazardly gesticulated with both his arms. Those actions caused the still-existing Yama Devil shadow that was behind him to shoot down to the ground. Yama Devil power forcibly exploded when the Yama Devil shadow hit the ground, sending many Western Region Divine Masters flying. This also allowed a bunch of the Northern Divine Region’s Realm Kings to escape from their shackles.
“Stop him… STOP HIM!!” Yan Three hoa.r.s.ely yelled with all of his might. The Dragon Monarch had sent his body hurtling more than fifty kilometers away… but his voice could still be heard wildly howling from the distance.
Ding!
Long Bai’s finger smoothly pierced the barrier. As the sound of gla.s.s shattering rang in the air, the final barrier collapsed like evaporating soap bubbles.
The Eternal Heaven Pearl quietly floated in the middle of the destroyed barrier as it radiated a dim but unspeakably pure and sacred white light.
“The Eternal Heaven… Pearl?”
“The Eternal Heaven Pearl!!”
As startled cries rang out from all around the battlefield, all the Western Region’s profound pract.i.tioners suddenly realized why the Dragon Monarch had ordered them to stop attacking the barrier.
They definitely did not want to harm that divine artifact, even by accident.
In the distance, Zhou Xuzi, who was barely more than a ragged corpse at this point, seemed to sense its presence as he slowly lifted his head up from the ground. When he saw that speck of incredibly weak white light, unintelligible words croaked out of his throat.
“Sigh.” The Eternal Heaven Pearl was right in front of Long Bai, and no one could stop him any longer. Chi Wuyao slowly closed her eyes and let out the most helpless and powerless sigh of her life.
However, there was still someone who had not given up yet.
Just as Long Bai started walking toward the Eternal Heaven Pearl, Tian Guhu, who had escaped his captivity thanks to Yan Three’s efforts, suddenly exploded out of the pool of blood he was lying in and violently smashed into Long Bai side. He poured all of his power into his limbs as he desperately tried to wrap them around the Dragon Monarch’s body.
Tian Muyi, who had also been kneeling in a pool of his own blood, had already fallen into despair. But when he witnessed what was happening, his body stiffened and he gave a strangled cry, “Guhu!”
Bang!
Long Bai’s expression grew stiff and cold. He thrust a hand out, his claw instantly piercing Tian Guhu’s body. He lifted him into the air and fiercely threw him to the ground, filling the air with the ear-splitting sound of bones being shattered.
“Guhu!!” Tian Muyi shouted miserably, his eyes bulged out of their sockets.
Long Bai didn’t even turn to look at his fallen a.s.sailant as he took another step … However, a cold dark wind suddenly brushed against his back as a bloodstained arm looped around his neck.
Long Bai’s eyebrows sank imperceptibly.
The force he had just used had been enough to shatter at least sixty percent of the bones in Tian Guhu’s body. It should also have dealt him fatal internal injuries. Yet, he still managed to bounce to his feet and leap at his back… To be honest, even Long Bai felt a ripple of shock run through his heart at Tian Guhu’s actions.
“Do not… approach… the Devil… Master…”
Tian Guhu’s arm fiercely tightened as if he was trying to break the bones of his own arm. Long Bai stopped moving as he casually reached back to place a hand on Tian Guhu’s right shoulder. He gently released a wisp of draconic energy.
CRACK!!
Tian Guhu’s right arm was instantly shattered into dozens of pieces.
“URGHHHH~”
Despite the unimaginable pain that was coursing through his body, Tian Guhu only let out a hoa.r.s.e moan as he immediately replaced his shattered right arm with his left arm by fiercely hooking it over Long Bai’s neck!
White light flashed through Long Bai’s eyes as draconic energy erupted from his body.
BOOOOM!!!
Tian Guhun finally screamed within the m.u.f.fled sound of an explosion. Both his arms shattered in the air, becoming a large expanse of bone fragments and blood foam. The armless body sprayed blood as it flew, smas.h.i.+ng into a thick, sticky pool of blood.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”
Tian Muyi had clearly exhausted all of his energy to the point where he might even die from overusing it. But at this moment, an extreme power that transcended anything he had ever displayed before burst out of his body. He fiercely hurled himself at Long Bai like a despairing beast. He clearly planned to use his blood-drenched body to impede Long Bai’s advance.
“Sect Master… We’re here!” The Imperial Heaven Grand Elder roared from behind… as he charged along with the surviving members of the Imperial Heaven Realm.
Soon, Huo Tianxing, the Great Viper Sage… and all of the higher realm kings who had escaped their captivity charged Long Bai with eyes as red as blood. Some of them fell on him from above, others tackled him from the side, and there were even some who clawed at him from the ground. One person after the other, one wave after the next.
Their bodies and powers got tangled up together as they formed a solemn and tragic human wall to impede Long Bai’s advance.
Long Bai’s body stumbled under the rush of people who were exerting power beyond life and death, beyond belief and determination. He was even pushed back a step.
To the Dragon Monarch, this single step backward was undoubtedly one of the most incredible humiliations he had experienced in his life.
His eyes turned dark and cold as the image of a dragon appeared around his body. A soul-shaking dragon cry reverberated through the air as he unleashed his wrathful draconic might.
BOOOOM!!!!
Cruel explosions ripped through the air as blood fountained like freshly-dug geysers.
The anger that was burning in Long Bai’s heart had caused him to lash out with nearly all of his strength, so how could these Divine Masters, who were already at the end of their rope, withstand it?
The wall built with the bodies of many Divine Masters was violently blasted apart as broken bodies and severed limbs were sent flying through the air. Half of them had simply been blasted to death while the rest had all suffered serious injuries.
The Imperial Heaven Realm King Tian Muyi had been the very first person to block him and his body had simply been shattered right then and there. He hadn’t even been able to leave a single word behind.
“Hmph!” Long Bai flung his arm out in disgust, shaking off the blood that stained his body. He was just about to take a step forward when a biting pain suddenly coursed through his leg.
The bones in Tian Guhu’s legs had been shattered and his arms had been blasted to bits, so he was no longer even able to stand up straight. However, he had crawled forward and used his teeth to bite down on Long Bai’s leg. Those eyes, which had clearly already lost all of their light before this, were now s.h.i.+ning with a frightening determination.
Vexation suddenly filled Long Bai’s heart as he kicked Tian Guhu. A rupturing sound that was even more heart-wrenching than the last filled the air as Tian Guhu flew across the ground like a broken blood bag.
“Urghh… Aaaah…”
He still hadn’t pa.s.sed out. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that he refused to let himself pa.s.s out. His head was wobbling as he continued to struggle, the sight of it tearing at everyone’s heart, but this time, he wasn’t able to stand up or move anymore.
His injuries were extreme and every source of his vitality and lifeforce had been destroyed. Even if one of the ancient True G.o.ds suddenly appeared before them, they would still not be able to save him. The only reason he was still alive at this moment was because his unrelenting will refused to let him die as he stubbornly clung to the last threads of life.
He had battled for Yun Che until his last breath, until he shed his last drop of blood… Just like he had vowed before.
Now that there were no more “flies” to block his path, Long Bai grandly advanced. His eyes grew focused as he slowly stretched out a hand to the Eternal Heaven Pearl.
It was over...
It was really over...
This was the gloomy and most depressing thought that rang through the hearts of all the Northern Region profound pract.i.tioners at that moment.
However, it was also at that moment that the white light around the Eternal Heaven Pearl suddenly disappeared as s.p.a.ce started to twist around it.
A wave of repulsive spatial energy erupted from the pearl. It was so overwhelming that even Long Bai could not ignore it. Color drained from his face as he swiftly s.n.a.t.c.hed back his hand and flew backward.
Amidst the twisting s.p.a.ce, two black figures emerged side by side… as everyone stared at them in shock.
The Eternal Heaven Pearl slowly descended from the air and landed in the upraised palm of the man before vanis.h.i.+ng completely.