Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1404: 754: Survival Against All Odds
While the fortress defenses on Vermilion Bird Star hold importance, it's the Divine Palace Heavenly Battlefield that serves as the real "key" shaping the war's outcome,
Should the Human Clan secure victory, those fortress defenses will remain secure!
Yet should the Human Clan suffer defeat, the fortress defenses are destined to crumble!
Not long afterward, the mighty experts of the Human Clan one after another pulled back from the Void Sky Star Domain, until only the Green Phoenix Venerable Immortal and his two personal disciples remained.
Upon the highest level of the towering structure in Qiming City, Master Bi Fang abruptly snapped open his eyes, a fierce and intense glow bursting forth from them.
“Qiming, where have you gone?” Master Bi Fang bellowed sharply all of a sudden.
His words had barely settled when a breathtakingly beautiful figure appeared out of thin air, elegantly bending in respect and murmuring gently: “Master, may your life endure eternally. Might I ask why you have called upon this humble servant, and what commands do you bear?”
“Relay this order at once… hold on, withdraw for the moment!” As Master Bi Fang started to issue the directive, he halted midway, pondered briefly, then abruptly commanded the Illusion Spirit to leave.
The Illusion Spirit called Qiming offered a smile and another bow, dissolving into numerous specks of light that floated off into nothingness.
“Alas…”
A drawn-out sigh resounded across the tower's summit, as though expressing profound frustration from an unseen soul.
…
Boom, boom!
The punch's radiance surged like an ocean, demolishing every withered limb in a single blow, with the leftover force ripping through the space-time tear and crashing straight into the Void Realm Demon Elder attempting to force its way in.
In a flash, it hammered the Demon Elder from hundreds of miles distant, nearly scattering the dark mist enveloping it.
Zhao Sheng drew back his fist, issuing a cold directive: “We’re too few in number! Pull back from here now, and we’ll handle the rest afterward!”
Hundred Birds Taoist acknowledged, soaring over to Ji Tiandu's side and extending a hand to rouse him, yet grasping only empty air.
Ji Tiandu had become an illusion, which shattered in an instant.
Meanwhile, dozens of miles off amid the furious tempest, Ji Tiandu's form reappeared, his expression grim and brooding.
A streak of dim light flashed, and he materialized close to Zhao Sheng and the rest, voicing hastily: “My Corpse Emperor avatar faces pursuit from three Void Realm Demon Elders, and most of my spirit remains tied up there, leaving me unable to concentrate here for the time being. Please bear with me!”
“Enough words—retreat without delay!”
Once Zhao Sheng finished speaking, his body blurred, rocketing away at a velocity beyond imagination.
Behind Hundred Birds Taoist, an image of a majestic and haughty Phoenix took shape.
With a gentle beat of its wings from the Phoenix image, Hundred Birds Taoist disappeared from his spot in a heartbeat, a trail of flames slicing through the murk and gloom, pursuing Zhao Sheng's burrowing glow in mere moments.
Ji Tiandu's countenance grew as black as a cauldron's base, reluctantly stamping the ground before launching forward like a bolt.
Scarcely had the trio departed when cracks split the void nearby, and sinister dark silhouettes wrapped in shadowy haze stepped out from the gaps.
“Heh heh, too slow by a hair!”
“Allowing their escape works just as well—spares us a desperate fight to the death!”
“Tsk tsk! With the quarry slipped away, why not head to the second Demon Nest for some excitement? Word is, a few Returning Void Human Clan folks are cornered there.”
“Onward, onward! I’ve longed for a top-notch vessel, and this offers the ideal opportunity to claim one. Tsk tsk!”
Amid odd chuckles, the sinister dark silhouettes impatiently tore through the space-time walls, heading back to the current starry expanse.
…
Zhao Sheng along with the other two soared millions of miles nonstop, eventually settling inside the “Vortex Eye” of a space-time whirlpool.
Right after concealing themselves, Ji Tiandu stretched out his arms wide, erecting a murky shield to ward off the turbulent space-time energies all around.
“The Corpse Emperor’s avatar remains stuck in the planet's core and won’t last much longer. It holds tremendous value to me. I beseech the two fellow Taoists to aid in saving the Corpse Emperor—I vow rich compensation once it’s done!” Ji Tiandu pleaded with evident worry.
Hearing this, Zhao Sheng replied steadily, “The Corpse Emperor’s frame is almost as unbreakable as Vajra, its power matching a typical Half-Immortal of the Void. It’s not going down without a fight.”
“Fellow Taoist Yan speaks wisely. Though I yearn to assist Brother Ji, I find myself completely unable. That galaxy seems like a ploy laid by the Alien Demons, after all—how could I dive headfirst into such a snare?” Hundred Birds Taoist lamented, appearing thoroughly at a loss.
Witnessing this, Ji Tiandu pressed the pair over and over to reconsider, promising lavish bounties in exchange for the Corpse Emperor’s rescue.
Noting his frantic distress, Zhao Sheng realized the Corpse Emperor meant everything to Ji Tiandu.
Yet… vital or otherwise, why should it concern him!
The array of tempting offers from Ji Tiandu held no sway over him whatsoever.
Though Hundred Birds Taoist felt the pull, the dangers in mind led him to decline repeatedly under different excuses.
Out of options, Ji Tiandu turned to his final ploy.
From within his robes, he drew a pale conch shell, pressed it to his ear, and channeled a wisp of divine sense into it.
Before long, delight lit up Ji Tiandu’s features, and he cried out in thrill, “Haha, fate hasn’t abandoned me yet. Hope glimmers now!”
At those words, a keen glint sparked in Zhao Sheng’s gaze. Hundred Birds Taoist swiveled to face Ji Tiandu, astonishment clear.
“Fellow Taoists both, hear me out now, Ji…”
…
Within the current starry sky, buried deep in the core of the second planet from that unnamed star system, an intense siege clash burned at its peak.
Three Returning Void Cultivators clad in Demon Slaying Robes maintained the Three Talents Formation, barely holding against relentless demon assaults.
Dense fog of devilish thoughts now smothered the skies and ground, while endless hulking stone beasts charged fearlessly at the trio of Returning Void Cultivators, detonating in swarms to shatter the fragile barrier of their array.
Of the three, leading the front stood a elegant woman brandishing a massive hammer; trailing her was a skinny elder directing a swarm of flying swords, and completing them was Huang Hongxiang, the fresh addition to the Bing Huo Team.
“Curse it, the external stone layers and space-time walls are fortified with multiple seals, the devilish thought fog scrambles divine sense, and those perilous Void Realm Demon Elders lurk besides. This spot’s been designed as a total ‘deadland.’ Seems we three won’t see the outside today.” Bai Feihong muttered grimly, channeling his mana to summon a torrent of blades for protection as he clenched his jaw.
“Tsk, these demon-tainted stone beasts refuse to stay down!” the elegant woman spat, whirling her enormous hammer to pulverize countless colossal stone monsters.
Huang Hongxiang upheld the Three Talents Barrier, barely enduring the endless suicidal rushes, his complexion turning pale.
Fortuitously, those Void Realm Demon Elders had yet to strike, or the trio’s plight would worsen tenfold.
Huang Hongxiang glanced about rapidly and let out a quiet sigh inwardly.
The Bing Huo Demon-slaying Team had gleaned the location of B2 Virtual Realm Fortress from a sly demon, believing they held the advantage, only to tumble into an ambush by hordes of demonized stone monsters upon delving into the planet's core.
“You two, the more we linger, the grimmer it gets for us. Better if each seeks an escape route alone, and we leave our fates to chance!” Bai Feihong whispered, his tone ringing sharp and true for the others.
Huang Hongxiang stirred at those words.