“Of course. We will spare no effort in this battle. While I cannot claim we will stand or fall with Tianyuan City, as long as there is the slightest chance of victory, we will never give up,” the black-robed demon cultivator snorted in response.
The elders of both races present also nodded solemnly, their expressions turning grave.
The silver-haired elder, satisfied with the response, turned to Han Li and whispered a few words.
After a moment of consideration, Han Li gave a slight nod.
The silver-haired elder clapped his hands in delight, and immediately, a golden-armored guard flew up from below the stone tower, his light dissipating as he appeared before the group and bowed deeply to the elder.
“Escort Fellow Daoist Han immediately, following the prearranged plan. Not a single mistake is permitted!” the elder commanded sternly.
“As you command. Senior Han, please follow me,” the guard replied respectfully to Han Li.
Han Li said nothing, but a flash of cyan light enveloped him as he transformed into a streak of radiance, shooting downward.
The golden-armored guard hurriedly followed, soon overtaking Han Li slightly to lead him away from the palace to a heavily guarded pavilion near the city walls.
Inside the pavilion’s main hall, thirty-six male cultivators of varying heights sat cross-legged around a massive array inscribed on the floor.
All wore identical green robes, appearing to be in their thirties or forties, with faint traces of emerald-green energy seeping from their skin—a clear sign they cultivated the same peculiar technique.
However, their cultivation levels were not particularly high, merely at the Nascent Soul stage.
Han Li swept his divine sense over them and frowned slightly.
Their auras were highly unstable, indicating their current realms had not been attained through rigorous cultivation but rather through some forced method.
“Greetings, Senior!”
Upon seeing Han Li and the golden-armored guard enter, the cultivators rose and bowed, their expressions cool and detached.
“This is Senior Han, the one you will assist in this battle. From now on, all your actions must align with his commands. Come forward and pay your respects,” the guard said solemnly.
“The Thirty-Six Emerald Cloud Guards greet Senior Han!”
The green-robed men seemed unsurprised, as if they had already been briefed.
“Rise. I’ve heard that when you join forces to form your grand array, even a Demon Venerable would struggle to break free for a time. Is this true?” Han Li asked slowly, scanning the group.
“Senior, we have trained for this array since the beginning of our cultivation. While we cannot claim to be as one, our coordination is flawless, leaving no gaps. The Verdant Radiance Array is an ancient secret formation—though not particularly lethal, its trapping capabilities are extraordinary. Against ordinary Demon Venerables, it poses no issue,” the lead green-robed cultivator replied earnestly.
“Good. That puts me at ease. When the time comes, follow my orders,” Han Li nodded, a trace of satisfaction in his eyes.
The thirty-six cultivators immediately assented.
Han Li then took a seat at the center of the grand array, expressionlessly waiting.
The golden-armored guard quietly withdrew from the hall.
Though the pavilion was shielded by a barrier, the distant roars of beasts soon erupted like a tidal wave, followed by thunderous booms as countless fluctuations spread from around Tianyuan City. The ground trembled slightly as if from an earthquake.
The demon beast army had begun its assault, and the defenders atop the city walls fought back desperately.
The great battle had begun!
The thirty-six green-robed cultivators remained motionless, eyes closed, as if oblivious to the chaos outside.
Han Li’s gaze flickered, and his vast divine sense pierced through the barrier, surveying the battlefield.
With his current spiritual power, he could effortlessly scan tens of thousands of miles unhindered. However, with Tianyuan City’s arrays fully activated and the battlefield awash with chaotic fluctuations, his range was severely limited to only a few hundred miles.
Still, this was enough to grasp the general situation.
Under his perception, the demon beast tide surged relentlessly toward the walls, while high-ranking demon beasts—those at the Transformation stage—led the charge with various supernatural abilities. The weakest among them were at the Void Refinement stage, with a few even at the early Body Integration stage. Their leadership drastically reduced losses among the lesser beasts.
Meanwhile, the super-ranked demon beasts, shielded by their lower-ranked kin, became cunning, grouping in fives to attack in coordinated waves.
This made Tianyuan City’s counterattacks far less effective.
On the seemingly endless battlements, dense volleys of spiritual light rained down like a storm, interspersed with blinding flashes as grand formations activated, unleashing massive spells that crashed into the densest clusters of beasts.
Tianyuan City’s retaliation was far fiercer than during the demons’ earlier probing assaults.
Yet the sheer number of demon beasts was overwhelming. Many were thick-skinned and resilient, continuing to rampage even after sustaining multiple injuries.
Beneath the walls, a thick layer of demon beast corpses quickly accumulated, yet their numbers seemed endless.
As more and more beasts reached the barriers, the city’s protective light flickered unsteadily, nearing collapse.
However, neither the blood-robed youth atop the demon army’s chariot nor the silver-haired elder and his group in the city showed much reaction.
Only when cracks began to spiderweb across sections of the barrier did the elder’s expression darken. He issued a cold command into his formation disk: “Activate the formation! Spare no spirit stones—deploy the Four Heavenly River Treasures!”
The waiting messengers on the other end immediately relayed the order.
In an instant, high-ranking cultivators appeared atop the white jade altars, each standing within a formation.
After a series of hand seals and incantations, the altars hummed to life. The cultivators pointed solemnly at the treasures upon them.
A moment later, the four treasures—a gourd, a screen, a flying sword, and an alms bowl—sprang to life with a clear chime. Multicolored light swirled within the formations as an astonishing surge of spiritual power flooded into the artifacts.
The treasures glowed brilliantly before rising into the air, their sizes fluctuating as they unleashed their might.
The blue alms bowl and black gourd spun midair before inverting, one spewing a cloud of blue crystalline sand, the other a stream of inky-black liquid.
The blue sand expanded endlessly, each grain multiplying until it formed an endless sea that engulfed tens of thousands of beasts. Within the sandstorm, the creatures were instantly ground to paste, their souls obliterated.
The black liquid transformed into a cascading waterfall, its toxic waters dissolving flesh and bone on contact, leaving nothing behind.
Meanwhile, the silver flying sword grew to a colossal thousand-zhang blade before splitting into thousands of sword shadows. These rained down like silver mountains, slicing through the demon horde with terrifying ease.
Blood and gore filled the air as the sword shadows carved through the beasts like tofu.
The white screen, though seemingly unremarkable, expanded to cover several acres before pressing silently onto the battlefield. When it lifted, the beasts beneath had vanished without a trace.
After a few passes, thousands of demon beasts had been erased, sending the survivors fleeing in terror.
In mere moments, the Four Heavenly River Treasures had annihilated hundreds of thousands of demon beasts, their power awe-inspiring.
But their appearance also provoked the demon high command.
With several piercing shrieks, a black cloud, a yellow whirlwind, and two blood-red streaks shot up from the demon army’s rear, heading straight for the treasures.
Seeing this, Han Li withdrew his divine sense.
There was no need to watch further. Though the Four Heavenly River Treasures were formidable, the demons would surely counter them. The true test of strength was about to begin.
The high-ranking figures on both sides would not engage immediately—likely waiting until one side’s forces were decimated before the real battle commenced.
Until then, Han Li would conserve his strength.
When the time came to face the Blood Light Sacred Ancestor’s avatar, he would ensure it never left this place alive.
Cold determination filled Han Li’s heart.
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