Chapter 1039: Siege

Four experts at the ninth level of the Chaos Realm had now formed a battle formation, their menacing auras surging like tidal waves. Even daring to press the attack against the Demon Lord, they brimmed with confidence. Among them, an elderly man with white hair and a blood-red robe casually flicked his sleeve.

It appeared effortless, yet it was already a lethal strike.

After all, not every Chaos Realm cultivator favored close combat. In his previous life, Dongbo Xueying had delved into the Illusory Realm of the Void and rarely engaged in melee battles.

“Hmm?”

Dongbo Xueying’s expression shifted slightly.

The Crimson Cloud Domain he constantly maintained instantly detected an almost imperceptible ripple. With just a flick of the white-haired elder’s sleeve, the ripple traveled to him in an instant. Even his ‘Crimson Cloud Domain’ couldn’t redirect it in time—clearly, the battle formation’s amplification to the tenth level had elevated their prowess beyond the ordinary.

“Buzz.” The ripple struck instantly.

Three swirling vortexes encircled Dongbo Xueying’s body, blocking seventy to eighty percent of the attack’s force. The remaining energy surged through him, causing his entire body to tremble violently, his mind and soul resonating with the impact!

The eighth level of the Nanyun Sacred Body… was ultimately too weak for battles at this tier! Fortunately, Dongbo Xueying’s comprehension was profound enough, particularly in the art of ‘Void Transformation.’ Unlike most bloodline cultivators who relied on supreme techniques, he also cultivated the Rule-Oriented Mystic System. Even with a frail body, he could execute highly advanced ‘Void Transformation’ techniques.

In his past life, the inheritance of the Nine Clouds Divine Emperor and the Walker’s Secret Treasury had both emphasized ‘Void Transformation.’ He had even studied the scales of General Megu, aspiring to achieve ‘Void Transformation Perfection’ while still in the Chaos Realm. Sadly, he hadn’t possessed the scales for long before confronting the Sacred Master and being forced to reincarnate.

Yet, his foundation in Void Transformation was rock-solid. Using Rule-Oriented Mystic techniques, he managed to weaken ninety percent of the attack’s force, allowing his Nanyun Sacred Body to endure.

“Oh? His body should be relatively weak—how did he withstand it?” The white-haired elder who had unleashed the strike gritted his teeth and flicked his sleeve several more times.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Wave after wave of subtle ripples assaulted Dongbo Xueying. Though his body trembled violently, it didn’t hinder his combat ability.

“The Heart Realm Continent is different from the Chaos Void. Combat techniques here are far more diverse! To survive, one must shore up every weakness.” Dongbo Xueying understood this well. Currently, his greatest weakness was his physical body. The difference between the eighth and tenth levels of the Nanyun Sacred Body was a qualitative leap—two tiers that typically decided battles of mass slaughter.

At this moment, both the White Cloud Demon Lord and the four ninth-level Chaos Realm experts in their battle formation were unleashing tenth-level combat power.

“Die.” The White Cloud Demon Lord, disregarding dignity, launched a sneak attack. A massive, bloody maw lunged forward, aiming to swallow Dongbo Xueying whole.

Dongbo Xueying swiftly retreated thousands of miles, simultaneously swinging his spear in a furious slash. The spear descended beside the Demon Lord’s gaping mouth with a thunderous impact—yet the Demon Lord remained unscathed, merely shuddering slightly as his assault faltered.

“Boom!”

A bolt of thunderfire suddenly descended.

Though not as instantaneous as the ripple attack, its speed was still too great for Dongbo Xueying to evade. The thunderfire struck his body, yet it seemed to pass through him as if he existed in another world, crashing into the ground and leaving a bottomless crater.

“Two consecutive attacks?” Dongbo Xueying felt his body grow numb as the White Cloud Demon Lord launched another ambush.

“Roar—”

Among the four ninth-level Chaos Realm experts, Chen Wu finally took command of the battle formation to strike.

Since the formation’s power had to be concentrated into a single individual to unleash tenth-level might, attacks had to be sequential. Simultaneous strikes would drastically reduce their potency.

Chen Wu manifested a giant axe and swung it down with fury—he was a close-combat specialist.

“At least the other two attacks are slower.” Dongbo Xueying exhaled slightly. He had long since studied the ninth-level Chaos Realm fiends and knew their preferred techniques.

Some attacks were unavoidable.

Like his own illusionary techniques or the ‘Flower of Destruction’ from his past life—they struck instantly, impossible to dodge, only endure!

Of the four ninth-level Chaos Realm fiends, one specialized in ripple-based annihilation, an unavoidable instant-kill technique. The ‘thunderfire’ could theoretically be dodged, but its speed was too great for his current frail body to evade. The remaining two, however, were less formidable.

“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!”

Chen Wu, commanding the battle formation, and the White Cloud Demon Lord engaged in close combat. Their techniques were ever-shifting, complementing each other and amplifying the threat exponentially.

Yet Dongbo Xueying moved like a phantom, his spear dancing amidst eerie void rivers that coiled around it. The spear flowed like water, redirecting force to counter two opponents at once—a battle fought with exhilarating intensity.

“Bind.”

Chen Wu retreated, yielding command to a cold-eyed youth.

Boom.

A massive dark-green serpent materialized, coiling to ensnare Dongbo Xueying.

“Can’t let it bind me.” Dongbo Xueying knew the stakes—if trapped, the White Cloud Demon Lord could swallow him whole, and that would spell disaster.

…

Each of the four battle formation experts had their own lethal techniques, now unleashed at peak tenth-level power, coordinating seamlessly with the White Cloud Demon Lord to besiege Dongbo Xueying.

Meanwhile, in the Nanyun Capital, within the Fan Clan’s estate.

“Such strength is undeniably at the tenth level of the Chaos Realm.” Fan Tianchong observed the battle through the Heaven-Mirror, inwardly marveling.

Fifteen billion years to master tenth-level Chaos Realm techniques.

Even in the Heart Realm Continent, teeming with experts and profound methods, such a feat marked him as a peerless prodigy. Among the countless geniuses of the Xiawind Ancient Nation and the Myriad Realms Ancient Nation, he might rank highly—but in Nanyun, he was unprecedented.

“He’s definitely using the ‘Crimson Cloud Combat Art,’ though how deeply he’s comprehended it remains unclear.” Fan Tianchong mused. Not being of the Void lineage himself, precise judgment through the Heaven-Mirror alone was difficult.

He relayed the information to his clan.

Soon, a response arrived.

“Based on analysis, the spear in Ying Shan Xueying’s hand is likely the same Crimson Cloud Demon Spear wielded by the Crimson Cloud Sovereign. He must have gleaned these techniques from studying the spear. So far, he’s demonstrated four of the Crimson Cloud Combat Art’s killing techniques. Given his talent, he’s likely grasped the fifth—’Combined Strike.’ Compared to the complete art, he only lacks the ‘Crimson Cloud Demon Body.'”

The Crimson Cloud Demon Body was renowned for its indestructibility.

“However… he’s likely pushed his domain to its limit, reaching ninth-level power. The tenth-level output comes from the Crimson Cloud Demon Spear. The other three killing techniques, even with the spear, only reach peak ninth-level.”

“Given his comprehension, with enough time, he’ll surely master all five Chaos Realm-tier killing techniques of the Crimson Cloud Combat Art.”

“That Crimson Cloud Demon Spear is somewhat wasted on him. Tianchong, attempt to negotiate its purchase from Ying Shan Xueying.”

Fan Tianchong pondered the clan’s message.

The clan wasn’t overly concerned.

In the Heart Realm Continent, the true foundation of any power lay with the Cosmic Gods. Thus, the most valuable part of the Crimson Cloud Combat Art was its Cosmic God segment.

Many Cosmic Gods, lacking supreme techniques, could only wield tenth-level power—on par with the White Cloud Demon Lord and Dongbo Xueying. To grow stronger? The Cosmic God-tier segments of supreme techniques were exceedingly difficult to obtain. Most Cosmic Gods were forced to pledge allegiance to major factions, such as the Six Ancient Nations.

Only by fighting for these nations could they access deeper knowledge.

Take the ‘Ten Sacred Scrolls’ Cloud Volume—while teachable to outsiders, its highest level was the tenth-tier Chaos Realm. For more? Serve the Myriad Realms Ancient Nation in battle—effectively selling oneself. Once bound, escape was near impossible due to restrictive oaths.

“The Crimson Cloud Demon Spear is wasted on this Ying Shan Xueying.” Fan Tianchong thought. “Such a treasure should be wielded by a Cosmic God who practices the Crimson Cloud Combat Art.”

Within the Xiawind Ancient Nation, several Cosmic Gods cultivated the art.

Only one, however, had mastered it to perfection, rivaling the Crimson Cloud Sovereign himself—a Sacred Elder from the Cang Clan, one of the three great families of Xiawind. Strictly speaking, this elder was slightly stronger than the Crimson Cloud Sovereign, having survived two Ancient Nation Wars and possessing far superior techniques and survival methods. This elder had no need for the Crimson Cloud Demon Spear, having long since crafted a weapon suited to him.

Yet other Cosmic Gods within the nation still coveted it.

“Must acquire it.”

“But overt force is unwise.” Fan Tianchong deliberated. “With tenth-level Chaos Realm strength, the Nanyun Monarch would defend him at all costs.”

Nanyun’s three Imperial Lords and five tenth-level Chaos Realm Kings were its core military assets—protected unconditionally. The Fan Clan couldn’t simply seize him.

Had Dongbo Xueying been a mere weak Marquis, the Fan Clan would’ve taken the spear quietly.

“Need a subtler approach.” Fan Tianchong concluded.

…

In a bamboo hut encircled by a babbling brook, a violet-robed woman named Qian Yixiao sat frozen, her embroidery needle slipping from her fingers.

“What?” She couldn’t believe it.

“Tenth-level Chaos Realm strength?” Qian Yixiao was stunned. Her Qian Clan lacked such power in Nanyun, relying on experts from the Moonflower Ancient Nation in critical moments.

Tenth-level strength…

In the Four Black Demon Nations and the Black Demon Great Marsh, such individuals stood at the pinnacle. Even the Ying Shan Matriarch dared feud with her Qian Clan—ordinary Chaos Realm experts wouldn’t dare.

“That Ying Shan Xueying… is this strong now?” Qian Yixiao frowned. With two tenth-level Chaos Realm experts, the Ying Shan Clan’s standing demanded a revised strategy.

…

As Dongbo Xueying clashed with the White Cloud Demon Lord and the four ninth-level Chaos Realm battle formation, factions across the land analyzed the battle, assessing his strength. Regardless, neighboring nations acknowledged the rise of a new supreme expert—a tenth-level Chaos Realm powerhouse.