My gorgeous wife Chapter 1937 - 1906: Red Dust Heavenly King (Part 11)

Li Chen's complexion turned an alarming shade of white, so drained of color it was unsettling. He had been perilously close to falling just moments before. Fortunately, his foresight in keeping the Three Lives Everything Armor constantly active had saved him; otherwise, that last blow could have easily ended his life!

Although Wordless had managed to hold its ground against the spectral black Sword Radiance, it ultimately succumbed. This was due to Wordless's significant energy expenditure, coupled with Li Chen's own depleted Yuan Force. After unleashing that single slash, Li Chen couldn't muster the strength for a follow-up, while the Seven Slaying Sword swiftly retaliated with another Sword Radiance.

This subsequent attack was intercepted by the Three Lives Everything Armor. However, in that brief instant, it consumed over half of Li Chen’s remaining Yuan Force.

"Old Third, let’s retreat," Li Chen declared, taking a deep breath.

"Retreat? But..."

Li Chen shook his head. "Don't worry, I won't allow it to exploit any further openings."

The resplendent nine-colored glow of the Three Lives Everything Armor gradually began to fade.

Li Chen admitted that if circumstances permitted, he would have preferred to continue wielding the Three Lives Everything Armor. Its protection offered a virtually invincible stance. Yet, the sheer drain on his Yuan Force was unsustainable.

He was certain that another engagement like the one just concluded would completely exhaust his Yuan Force.

While Li Chen might have faced the Purple Armored Immortal Emperor without Yuan Force, confronting this particular killing weapon left him severely lacking in confidence.

Instead of engaging in a hesitant battle fraught with such apprehensions, he reasoned it was better to shed the Three Lives Everything Armor and seize victory through a calculated risk!

"The Immortal Yuan of an Immortal Emperor is not boundless. From its recent actions, the Seven Slaying Sword has unleashed three Sword Qis. Though they appeared similar, their potency diminished with each emission. If I hold on a bit longer, I suspect the Seven Slaying Sword will lose its ability to threaten me without the constant replenishment of Immortal Yuan."

Li Chen’s gaze shifted to the Purple Armored Immortal Emperor, who was fiercely battling the Nine Palaces Heavenly Bead, and his eyes regained a flicker of determination.

His own predicament was dire, but the Purple Armored Immortal Emperor was faring no better. It now boiled down to a contest of endurance.

...

Upon a desolate mountain seventy thousand miles away, a congregation of martial artists had assembled, the atmosphere thick with an unusual tension.

The peculiar mood stemmed from the unexpected presence of an immortal among their ranks: Yang Xin.

Upon their arrival, numerous martial artists had nearly launched an immediate assault on Yang Xin. Only the swift intervention of Li Changkong and Li Bihai prevented a calamitous misunderstanding.

"So, you're telling us this so-called Destroyer is immensely powerful?" a Heavenly King inquired sternly.

"Not necessarily immensely powerful, but they are insidious and pervasive. Critically, they possess the ability to erode a cultivator's soul..." Yang Xin elaborated.

"Enough." Another formidable figure interjected, silencing Yang Xin with a wave of his hand. "I have no desire to listen to an immortal's rambling." Turning to Li Changkong, he continued, "If you have something to convey, speak plainly. I have other pressing matters. If not for the Mechanical Mole, I wouldn't concern myself with your trivial affairs."

Li Changkong and his companions wore grim expressions.

Indeed, the contingent of martial artists who had responded to the summons numbered over a hundred. Among them were several experts at the Heavenly Venerable level. While the most powerful among them was merely the Heavenly Sovereign of the Shen Tian Realm, their arrival was an invaluable and timely reprieve for the precarious situation Li Changkong's group found themselves in.

However, these esteemed experts displayed little courtesy, with some exhibiting marked impatience. These individuals caused Li Changkong and his brother considerable unease.

"Brother, Old Third's safety is paramount!" Li Bihai secretly transmitted his thoughts to Li Changkong.

"I am aware," Li Changkong responded with a nod.

"Esteemed sirs, your presence here is indeed to request your invaluable assistance," Li Changkong stated, stepping forward and cupping his hands in a respectful gesture.

"I surmise everyone received the news... One of my brothers is presently engaged in a battle against an Immortal Emperor Level expert to secure our survival. Therefore, I implore you to lend your might, for we all hail from the Heaven Realm..."

"Very well." The previously speaking formidable figure waved his hand dismissively. "No more preamble. Lead the way. I have a secret realm to attend to once this is concluded."

Li Changkong and the others reluctantly nodded in assent.

This imposing figure was the sole Heavenly Sovereign of the Shen Tian Realm within their assembled group. It was evident, however, that this Heavenly Sovereign harbored a certain animosity towards their Li Family; had it not been for military directives, he likely would have refused their plea outright.

"The destination is about seventy thousand miles to the west, let us depart."

The group moved with haste.

"Isn't it just the Li Family's Old Third? I've long heard of the Red Dust Heavenly King's fame. I truly wish to see if he indeed has three heads and six arms."

His voice was not loud, yet what level did the present cultivators possess? A low chuckle rippled through the group.

Seeing this, Yang Xin felt no relief, but instead, a growing unease. She began to question if requesting help from Li Changkong and the others had been the right decision. Would it ultimately affect Li Chen?

...

"Zzzt zzzt..."

Li Chen was evading. He dodged the assault of the Seven Slaying Sword. The earlier clash had already made it clear that facing it directly would result in certain defeat. Thus, he resorted to a strategy of maneuverability, aiming to deplete the opponent’s Immortal Yuan through attrition. Yet, after a prolonged period of evasion, the Seven Slaying Sword continued to emanate a formidable malevolent Qi, showing no signs of exhaustion, which left Li Chen deeply troubled.

The evasive capabilities granted by the Law of Space, while potent, were not limitless. In the previous confrontation, the surrounding space had become violently chaotic, speckled with minute spatial rifts that had yet to mend. Executing a spatial transference in such an environment risked partial displacement of his body, a fate akin to suicide. Consequently, even when maneuvering to dodge, Li Chen could only employ the Law of Wind and Thunder for acceleration, a significantly inconvenient restriction.

He also considered launching a counterattack, but the remaining Yuan Force at his disposal was already critically low. If he didn't conserve some Yuan Force, he feared he would be powerless to resist should the Purple Armored Immortal Emperor manage to break free.

Li Chen's gaze shifted towards the Purple Armored Immortal Emperor, who was still locked in a struggle with the Nine Palaces Heavenly Bead. The Emperor's Immortal Yuan and Domain Force were pushed to their absolute limits; otherwise, the sheer crushing power of the Nine Palaces Annihilating Path would have long since reduced him to dust.

Wait!

Domain?

A spark ignited in Li Chen's eyes. To a certain extent, Domain Force could be viewed as an advanced iteration of Domain Power, yet this did not signify the obsolescence of the domain's inherent abilities. Not only did the domain's faculties persist, but they were amplified upon transformation into a Domain Realm!

With this realization, as the Seven Slaying Sword lunged once more, Li Chen’s body executed a sudden lateral shift. Simultaneously, he extended his hand, grasping at the void.

"Domain—Selflessness!"

"Crash!"

In that instant, Li Chen's physical form seemed to disintegrate. Or rather, it did not truly break apart, for within his own domain, a cultivator could temporarily achieve feats comparable to a creator. Li Chen's action, dispersing himself into the entirety of the domain, was a manifestation of this creator-like ability.

Within the confines of his domain, Li Chen appeared to vanish completely. For a moment, even the Seven Slaying Sword lost its bearing, freezing mid-air as if searching for its elusive target.

In the ethereal depths, Li Chen observed the stationary Seven Slaying Sword, his brow furrowing once more. "No! If it remains inert like this, the effect of depletion will not be achieved. Furthermore, expending domain power also drains me, which is highly unfavorable."

His thoughts churned, and Li Chen reappeared within the domain. However, this time, Li Chen did not manifest as a singular entity but instead... transformed into thousands!

"Domain—Condensed Knife!"

"Crack!"

The domain Li Chen had unleashed abruptly contracted by half. In the hands of each of his manifested duplicates, a seventh-colored blade materialized. Li Chen felt a cracking sensation within his mind, his sea of consciousness and divine soul wracked by sharp pain. Yet, he did not falter.

The myriad duplicates simultaneously raised the seventh-colored blades they held, focusing their sword intent towards the Seven Slaying Sword, which still appeared to be searching for the genuine target. It was evident that the Seven Slaying Sword could not discern the true location of Li Chen. This was because all of these thousands of duplicates were, in essence, Li Chen! Though only a minute fraction of his being, each was undeniably real!

This feat was forcibly achieved by Li Chen through the exertion of his domain's power!

"I cannot utilize 'Wordless,' otherwise, before this Slaying Sword kills me, I would exhaust myself to death entirely."

"'Unsheathed' is also unsuitable; it lacks the power to harm this Slaying Sword and would easily be dispersed."

"'Unsheathing the sword' possesses sufficient might, but this Slaying Sword is far too formidable. If it were to strike from without and cleave my domain, the consequences would be even graver."

"Therefore, it must be this!"

Muttering softly, thousands of Li Chens drew their blades in unison.

"Wind..."

With a single utterance, Li Chen's domain experienced a significant reduction, shrinking by half once more. Despite the alter egos wielding mere infinitesimal versions of sword intent, their sheer multitude was quite daunting. Li Chen was compelled to expend his domain's power almost entirely, striving to conserve some of his Yuan Force.

"Roar."

As the final two words were spoken, a multitude of Li Chens unleashed a simultaneous assault with their seventh-colored blades.

"Rumble!"

An awe-inspiring tempest, once contained within the epicenter of Li Chen's domain, now violently erupted outwards.

While each individual storm generated by Wind Roar was indeed minuscule and possessed greatly diminished power, the essence of Wind Roar remained. When an innumerable quantity of these weakened Wind Roars converged, the resultant tempest approached a truly terrifying magnitude!

"Crack!"

Li Chen's domain utterly shattered.

Deprived of the domain's support, every single one of Li Chen's doppelgangers, along with the seventh-colored blades they held, dissolved into nothingness. Li Chen's primary form plummeted from the heavens, his vision succumbing to darkness.

Bai Tianyi ascended gracefully, intercepting the falling Li Chen.

At that precise juncture, the colossal storm, bridging heaven and earth, transitioned entirely from the confines of Li Chen's domain into the tangible reality.

"What… what manner of entity is that?"

From a considerable distance, a contingent of martial artists, who were in the process of approaching, gazed with stunned expressions at the fearsome tornado that seemed to pierce the very sky of the Ancient Battle Realm.