“Ahhh~~~”
Almost instantly.
Among the fifty-one Protectors of the Mother Goddess Sect, six clutched their heads in agony, their eyes ablaze with flames—flames that signified their souls burning away. Under the torment of ‘Purgatory Reincarnation,’ they had failed to endure, their souls incinerated into nothingness. The other Protectors, though some showed signs of suffering, managed to barely hold on.
“Go.” Nightmare Monarch let out a soft, eerie chuckle, his laughter weaving its way insidiously into the minds of every Protector.
Two more of the Protectors who had just endured the onslaught of Purgatory Reincarnation now wore twisted smiles, their eyes closing as they fell into a deep slumber.
“Descend.”
Dongbo Xueying swiftly followed up with his Void Illusion technique.
Each of the three wielded distinct methods. The Purgatory Commander’s ‘Purgatory Reincarnation’ was an extension of his ‘Path of Purgatory,’ leaning heavily toward direct soul assault—the illusions it conjured were merely incidental. Those who failed to resist would find their souls reduced to ashes. Nightmare Monarch specialized in nightmares, capable of manipulating the souls of his enemies.
Dongbo Xueying’s ‘Void Illusion,’ however, crafted an entire illusory world so real it could deceive the senses, trapping victims in an eternal delusion separate from reality.
“Whoosh~~~”
Under the influence of the Void Illusion, five more Protectors succumbed, slipping into unconsciousness, their breathing steady and undisturbed.
“Hmm?”
Both the Purgatory Commander and Nightmare Monarch cast surprised glances at Dongbo Xueying. They knew well that the first illusion cast was the most effective—six Protectors had already perished. The second illusion, though weaker, still claimed two more victims, as the weaker-willed had already fallen. Yet, the third illusion, Dongbo Xueying’s, had ensnared five Protectors at once. This astonished them—his mastery over illusions might very well make him the strongest among the Venerables in this regard.
Dongbo Xueying was fully aware of his progress. Years of cultivation had deepened his understanding of the Void Path, and his sixty-thousand-year study of the Black Gourd’s Void Annihilation Array had yielded insights that further elevated his prowess. Now, his Void Path had reached the pinnacle of its tier.
The Purgatory Commander’s illusions were merely a side effect of his attacks. Nightmare Monarch was but an ordinary Venerable. Dongbo Xueying, however, specialized in illusions, and with his Void Path at its zenith, his illusions were unmatched among the Venerables.
“Divine Emperor Dongbo struck last, yet he incapacitated five Protectors.”
“His illusions are far more formidable than anticipated.”
The Venerables of the cultivators’ universe observed with keen judgment. Dongbo Xueying’s youth had led them to underestimate his illusionary prowess.
“Boom~~~~”
Among the thirty-six Venerables, the Phoenix Demoness, clad in resplendent violet robes, exuded an aura of lethal grace. Countless violet rays erupted, flooding a radius of billions of miles, forming a shimmering sea of purple light—each mote brimming with terrifying power.
Yet—
All the Protectors of the Mother Goddess Sect were shielded by an intangible force, emanating from the golden-furred ape, the venom-tailed woman, and the staff-wielding giant. While illusions targeted the soul directly, leaving little room for external defense, the Phoenix Demoness’s domain attack was effortlessly repelled.
“Annihilate them all!” roared the golden-furred ape, swinging his colossal palm with world-shattering force toward the gathered Venerables.
Fueled by rage, the ape unleashed his full might, his body radiating golden light as his aura surged. His massive, fur-covered hand expanded rapidly, each hair like a towering tree, aiming to crush the Venerables in a single strike. The edges of his palm warped space into dark, twisted voids.
Dongbo Xueying and the others paled.
Facing thirty-six opponents alone seemed ludicrous—yet they knew better. The golden-furred ape’s strike, already at the level of a Dominator, was amplified severalfold by his desperate gambit. Even with their mastery of the Void Realm, many ordinary Venerables would be obliterated under such force. This was the might of the strongest among the Three Sacred Protectors.
“Begone!” bellowed the Silent Extinction Emperor, swinging his black staff with a force that transformed it into a streak of violet lightning.
“Boom~~~~~”
His power surged to Dominator-level, his techniques nearing that realm as well.
In the age before Pang Yi’s ascension, it was an undisputed truth among the Venerables—Qing Jun stood peerless, a sovereign whose might could challenge even the Dominators themselves. The Silent Extinction Emperor held the second throne, capable of crossing blades with a Dominator, though destined to falter should the battle endure. As for the rest—the Water Demon King, the Pale Monarch, the Sorcerer蛐 Emperor—though mighty elites in their own right, they could only weather the storm of a Dominator’s wrath, never truly standing as equals in the dance of war.
“Crash!!!”
The black staff tore through the void, colliding with the ape’s gargantuan palm. The staff trembled slightly, dispersing the impact, as the Silent Extinction Emperor held his ground and pressed forward.
“Kill Silent Extinction first, then sweep through the rest,” the golden-furred ape commanded.
“Slay!” The venom-tailed woman and the staff-wielding giant joined the ape without hesitation, converging on the Silent Extinction Emperor. Individually, they were his equals at best, but together, their complementary techniques—coupled with their extensive knowledge of his abilities—gave them absolute confidence in their victory.
…
Within the Mother Goddess Sect’s stronghold, the leaders sat cross-legged in a vast hall, observing the battle unfolding within the Flying Boat of the Heavens.
“In an instant, twelve Protectors were lost—six slain, six trapped in slumber, unable to aid,” remarked a gaunt elder. Awakening those ensnared in illusions was a feat few among even the leaders could achieve, let alone the Venerables. Their only hope lay in locating the Protectors’ true bodies in their home universe and having a leader intervene.
“Dongbo Xueying struck last, yet five Protectors fell to his illusions. In the Six Paths Heavenly Wheel, he was never this formidable.”
The leaders murmured among themselves.
Indeed.
Back in the Six Paths Heavenly Wheel, Dongbo Xueying had only slain a single Protector. At that time, his Void Path was newly forged.
Now?
After nearly ten million years of cultivation and insights gleaned from the Black Gourd’s Void Annihilation Array, his Void Path had ascended to its pinnacle—its power far surpassing his earlier self.
“Everyone.”
Suddenly, the fanged giant spoke gravely. “We’ve received word. The six Protectors who succumbed to Purgatory Reincarnation—their true bodies in our homeland have also perished, their souls consumed by flames.”
The hall fell silent.
Dongbo Xueying and Nightmare Monarch’s attacks rendered victims comatose across all incarnations. The Purgatory Commander’s assault, however, eradicated every trace of their souls.
“They died for our homeland, for our kin,” the fanged giant intoned. “Their sacrifice was worthy.”
A female leader added calmly, “The war has only just begun. All is for survival.”
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