Chapter 1202: The Weakest Among the Group

The massive black mist face instantly lunged toward the ever-good-tempered His Highness Bloodflame Ji.

“Boom!” His Highness Bloodflame Ji’s body suddenly erupted with crimson flames, his aura surging violently. With a thunderous punch, the void before him twisted and burned. The black mist face transformed into a black-clad maiden, who forcefully withstood the fiery impact and closed in on His Highness, her clawed hands sweeping toward him.

Her hands were pitch-black and enormous, sharp as blades.

Over twenty more Deathblight creatures swarmed the other native experts, who naturally formed battle formations of three and immediately engaged.

…

Dongbo Xueying was the most relaxed among them. He didn’t rush to act, instead leisurely observing the battlefield.

“This native prince’s might rivals that of an invincible existence, but his techniques are far cruder, nowhere near as refined as a cultivator’s,” Dongbo Xueying judged. His raw power was immense, but his grasp of laws and mysteries was severely lacking—perhaps only twenty to thirty percent of the Nightfall Ancestor’s strength?

His fifteen subordinates, however, were no weaklings.

Especially the three who formed battle formations—the weakest among them had combat power at the Ultimate realm, while the strongest nearly matched the prince himself.

“No wonder they dared to come to the Floating Island. This team is quite strong. Though, the Swordmaster alone could probably suppress them,” Dongbo Xueying mused.

On their side, five Deathblight creatures attacked.

Insect Ancestor Batuchen’s black robe unfurled once more, transforming into countless insects that surged toward the Deathblight creatures. But this time, it failed. The leader of the Deathblight creatures, an ugly black-robed elder, twisted his body into a massive black skull. Its gaping maw swallowed the entire swarm of insects in one gulp.

The insects struggled desperately.

The skull’s jaws clamped shut, its form contorting violently as it forcibly trapped the insects.

“Hmph.” A fierce glint flashed in Insect Ancestor Batuchen’s eyes. With a flap of his wings, he charged forward.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The other four figures lunged toward the Swordmaster and Dongbo Xueying.

The Swordmaster merely shook his head lightly. He could tell that the strongest among this group of Deathblight creatures was the one fighting Bloodflame Ji. The five attacking them were formidable, but still no match for him.

“Shhh—”

His sword light was dazzlingly beautiful, like streaks of radiance slicing through the air, cutting down one Deathblight creature after another.

The Swordmaster’s strikes were gentle, as if he sought to gauge each Deathblight creature’s strength.

Yet, under his blade, the creatures were cleaved apart. Some panicked, dissolving into mist and fleeing into the earth. Others, weaker and slower, were utterly annihilated.

In an instant, four Deathblight creatures were dealt with—two dead, two scattered in retreat.

The massive skull trapping the insects shuddered in fear. Unable to hold on, it too dispersed into black mist and fled into the ground.

“Ah!”

“No—!”

“Die!”

While Dongbo Xueying’s group handled their foes with ease, the natives bore the brunt of the Deathblight assault. Under the siege of over twenty Deathblight creatures, two of their battle formations had already collapsed. Six members from the shattered formations were either grievously wounded or slain outright—though some erupted with desperate fury.

“Break!” One native, in his frenzy, saw his aura surge violently. His attacks suddenly reached Ultimate realm strength, and his survivability skyrocketed.

“Swish!”

The Swordmaster frowned. The two formations had collapsed too quickly for him to intervene. Without hesitation, he swung his divine sword.

A streak of sword light arced across the sky, striking down one Deathblight creature after another.

Though his attacks seemed less imposing than His Highness Bloodflame Ji’s, their profoundness was unmatched—far deadlier in effect. Cultivators inherently held an advantage in technique, and the Swordmaster had even mastered a Supreme legacy.

“Retreat!”

The black-clad maiden battling Bloodflame Ji let out a piercing shriek.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

All the Deathblight creatures dissolved into black mist, vanishing into the earth. In terms of escape, no outsider could match the native Deathblight creatures of the Floating Island. They could teleport freely and burrow effortlessly, while Dongbo Xueying’s group could neither teleport nor dig. Unless they possessed overwhelming power to slay a Deathblight creature swiftly, killing even one was a challenge.

“The Deathblight creatures have retreated.”

“They’re gone.”

The natives sighed in relief, though their mood was somber. In that brief clash, they had lost four comrades.

“Swordmaster of the Demon Blade, thank you for your aid. Without you, our losses would have been greater,” His Highness Bloodflame Ji approached, gratitude in his voice. His gaze toward the Swordmaster had shifted, and his subordinates now regarded the Swordmaster with reverence—far more warmly than they did Dongbo Xueying.

They had initially speculated that among the two suspected Ultimate realm experts, one might be invincible.

Now, after the battle, Bloodflame Ji and his people understood—the one called the “Swordmaster of the Demon Blade” surpassed even their strongest, His Highness Bloodflame Ji. His power was likely at the invincible level.

Such an ally was worth befriending. With his help, their chances of obtaining the Netherspirit Fruit would rise.

The Swordmaster was invincible. The Insect Ancestor was a fearsome, unpredictable foe. As for the white-robed youth, Feixue the Exalted—they knew that in the Heartvoid Continent, “Exalted” only referred to second-tier Cosmic Gods. He was likely the weakest of the trio.

“Since we’re traveling together as allies, it’s only natural to lend aid. I only regret I couldn’t intervene sooner,” the Swordmaster said.

“If they’re so weak, why take such risks?” Insect Ancestor Batuchen frowned. “Their strength is negligible to you, Your Highness. Why bring them to their deaths?”

“This isn’t death—it’s tempering.”

“Though we lost four, Feiyun Lin has awakened his bloodline once more. His power has grown.”

The natives retorted.

Dongbo Xueying and his companions exchanged puzzled glances.

They weren’t entirely ignorant of the natives. Through the Xiawind Ancient Nation’s long history of exploration, much had been learned. The natives were scattered across hidden worlds, each representing a clan. Their ability to awaken bloodlines and grow stronger was said to stem from their lineage—traces of the Bloodline of the Primal Chaos.

One method of awakening was through life-and-death trials.

True mortal peril could trigger breakthroughs, but many also perished in the attempt.

Thus, those who ventured into the Floating Islands were usually few and exceptional.

For an entire team to enter—especially those whose combined strength barely reached Ultimate realm—was unduly reckless. Cultivators from the Heartvoid Continent had clones and cared little for losses. But natives rarely took such risks.

“We temper ourselves through life and death,” His Highness Bloodflame Ji said simply. “Those who choose this path are prepared to die. With the Swordmaster here, our safety has improved. But I must warn you—his power will make the Deathblight creatures wary. The weaker ones won’t dare approach. But this Floating Island hosts countless Deathblight creatures, with the strongest dwelling at its core. Though their intellect is limited, they share information.”

“Once they learn of our strength, the next assault will be deadlier. Even the Swordmaster may not protect us then,” Bloodflame Ji said. “Our only hope is to reach our destination before they regroup.”

“Understood. Since you know the Floating Island best, lead the way swiftly,” the Swordmaster said.

“No time to waste. We move now—and faster.” His Highness Bloodflame Ji led the group at full speed, confident that Dongbo Xueying’s team could keep up.

The trio trailed behind.

“Did you hear the prince? Now that the Swordmaster has revealed his strength, the next wave of Deathblight creatures may be beyond even his ability to stop,” Insect Ancestor Batuchen transmitted.

“We never planned to slaughter the Deathblight creatures outright. Survival is enough—any treasures we snatch are just a bonus,” Dongbo Xueying replied with a mental chuckle.

“Xueying, you’re our trump card. If I falter later, it’ll be up to you,” the Swordmaster transmitted.

“We’ll see how effective this trump card is,” Dongbo Xueying responded.

“Brother Feixue, these natives seem to think you’re the weakest among us. Little do they know—that honor belongs to me,” Insect Ancestor Batuchen joked. Their spirits remained light.

…