“All cultivators of Ice Star City have abandoned their posts and are heading straight for our Scarlet Cloud City!” Deputy City Lord ‘Wu Xiao’ suddenly announced.
“What?”
“Ice Star City?”
The cultivators in Scarlet Cloud Hall were startled. The mirror floating mid-air immediately shifted its gaze toward Ice Star City, revealing an ancient city spanning over a hundred thousand miles. At that moment, three groups of cultivators had just left Ice Star City, soaring into the sky.
“It seems they don’t want to miss this opportunity either—they’re joining in to strike down the Lord of the Abyssal Sea in one fell swoop,” the cultivators murmured in awe.
Dongbo Xueying nodded in agreement.
They all understood.
In truth, those who had come to this sacred cultivation realm had lived for countless eons. Their lifespans were already eternal. Even the youngest among them, like Dongbo Xueying, had cultivated for trillions of years! Over such an immense span of time, those with weaker minds would have long gone mad, their souls shattered.
Of course, cultivators like Dongbo Xueying had long tempered their Dao hearts, unshaken by the passage of time.
But… after living so long, one must have pursuits.
Matters of vengeance or love were fleeting. Many powerful cultivators had long outlived their kin, walking the path of solitude. To them, the ‘path of cultivation’ was the only thing that truly captivated them.
Though their lifespans were eternal, the road of cultivation had no end!
As their strength grew, their understanding of the world deepened. Some even gained the power to create worlds, growing ever more formidable—a pursuit intoxicating enough to consume them.
“Most cultivators in this sacred realm have lived far longer than I have—countless times longer,” Dongbo Xueying mused to himself. He was considered young here. “Across endless ages, many of them have abandoned all but the pursuit of the ‘Dao.’ For the sake of cultivation, they would throw themselves into the flames, willing to battle the Lord of the Abyssal Sea for even the slightest chance at enlightenment.”
Before the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor succeeded, cultivators in this sacred realm had clung to hope despite its dimness—proof of their extraordinary Dao hearts.
But the Nine-Headed Serpent’s success had only stoked their fervor.
“With me in Scarlet Cloud City, and now the cultivators of Tianwu City on their way, it’s no surprise others see this as the best chance to slay the Lord of the Abyssal Sea and want to join in,” Dongbo Xueying thought.
Soon, more news arrived—the cultivators of Tengguang City and Cold Moon City had also abandoned their cities and were rushing toward Scarlet Cloud City.
Thus, the cultivators of four cities—Tianwu, Ice Star, Tengguang, and Cold Moon—were converging upon Scarlet Cloud City. A rare gathering of five cities was about to take place.
“With multiple cities joining forces and the soul techniques of the peerless Emperor Feixue, this is our greatest chance to slay the Lord of the Abyssal Sea. If we fail now, we may never succeed.”
“This is the best opportunity—we must take part.”
“If we miss this, who knows how long we’ll have to wait?”
Squadrons of cultivators advanced, their hearts burning with desire.
Each had their own story, their own path to power. But all shared the same pursuit—the eternal Dao, the dream of breaking free from their cage. None were content to remain mere ants trapped within the bars of fate.
Opportunities like this had to be seized.
The cultivators of Scarlet Cloud City had no intention of waiting for the other four cities to arrive before striking. They would seize the moment—perhaps their city alone could slay the Lord of the Abyssal Sea. Even if they failed, they could still retreat safely.
“He’s almost here.”
“The Lord of the Abyssal Sea is half an hour away.”
Over three thousand cultivators stood atop buildings, waiting in silence. A demonic mirror hovered in the air, tracking the Lord of the Abyssal Sea’s movements.
After six days of relentless pursuit, the towering figure had shrunk from 1,800 miles in height to 1,200 miles. His speed had also noticeably decreased.
“His strength has likely diminished by thirty percent,” Fengyun Yiye, Wu Xiao, and others observed through the mirror.
In truth, all five gathering points encircled the Abyssal Sea. Tianwu City was the closest, while the other four were roughly equidistant.
But since Tianwu and Scarlet Cloud were nearer to each other, the Lord of the Abyssal Sea typically attacked Tianwu first, then Scarlet Cloud.
“With his strength weakened and my ability to hinder the other abyssal creatures, we truly have a chance to surround and slay him,” Dongbo Xueying said from atop his manor’s roof.
“ROAR—”
“KILL THEM!”
“CRUSH THESE CULTIVATORS!”
Outside Scarlet Cloud City, countless abyssal creatures blotted out the sky. They came in grotesque forms, from countless different races, already assaulting the city. But the city’s formations were fully activated, layers of barriers repelling every attack. Dongbo Xueying didn’t even need to use his soul techniques.
Against abyssal creatures alone, breaching a city was impossible.
Time passed.
The three thousand cultivators stood atop their roofs, calm and ready for the coming battle.
Fengyun Yiye, Wu Xiao, Emperor Jietian, Mo Shu, Emperor Liexi—all were prepared to fight with everything they had.
“He’s here.”
No one needed the mirror anymore. A colossal figure, 1,200 miles tall, charged toward them. Even in this heavily suppressed sacred realm, his size was terrifying. The abyssal creatures, mere hundreds or thousands of meters tall, looked like ants in comparison—though their numbers were staggering.
“WHOOSH—”
His running alone stirred hurricane-force winds.
He stopped outside the city, peering down at the cultivators within. His cold, massive eyes instantly locked onto a white-robed youth among them—Dongbo Xueying. He had long since received intelligence on this man, his appearance, his aura.
“Are you Emperor Feixue?” The Lord of the Abyssal Sea’s gaze solidified into beams of light, piercing downward.
“I didn’t expect my name to have reached the Abyssal Sea,” Dongbo Xueying replied.
“Be careful!”
“Brother Feixue, he’s targeting you! He knows you’re the greatest threat. Maybe you should stay inside the city?”
Several cultivators sent urgent mental messages.
“No need. I’m part of the battle formation. If it collapses, we’ll all be annihilated,” Dongbo Xueying responded. “If we lose that badly, staying in the city won’t save me—I’d die regardless.”
“Understood,” Fengyun Yiye acknowledged.
Some had urged Dongbo Xueying to stay behind out of genuine concern. Others, however, hoped to limit his contributions to just his soul techniques.
The Lord of the Abyssal Sea’s voice boomed: “Three of my kin died by your hand.”
“I couldn’t have done it alone,” Dongbo Xueying said, looking up.
“Without you, they would still live. Today, I will break Scarlet Cloud City—and crush you with my own hands.” His eyes burned with killing intent.
“Perhaps you’ll share their fate,” Dongbo Xueying countered. He wasn’t worried for himself. In the worst case, he could activate his mark and flee this world. It would betray the others, but survival came first.
Still, he doubted it would come to that.
“Is that so?”
The Lord of the Abyssal Sea’s furious snort rolled like thunder across the land.
Then his massive hands descended. Dark red flames wreathed his palms, scorching the void and revealing chains of primal runes that crisscrossed the world’s fabric.
Each hand spanned hundreds of miles, fingers like colossal swords stabbing through the city’s layered barriers.
“PFFT—PFFT—”
About twenty layers were pierced.
The cultivators exhaled in relief. Though the Lord of the Abyssal Sea’s strength had waned by thirty percent, his threat to the city’s defenses had dropped by more than half. The higher the initial power, the more drastically destruction scaled. Now, his full-force strike only breached twenty layers—repairable in moments.
“His power has weakened significantly. We can slay him,” Fengyun Yiye transmitted to the others. “As planned—attack!”
“KILL!”
“KILL!”
“KILL!”
The cultivators surged into the sky, splitting into three formations. Over two hundred remained behind, maintaining the city’s defenses at full strength. Though the formations drew energy from the world itself, peak efficiency required direct control.
These remaining individuals were mostly late-stage Divine Emperors, of little use in battle formations.
Dongbo Xueying joined Fengyun Yiye’s squad—the strongest of the three, slightly surpassing those led by Wu Xiao and Emperor Jietian.
“Manifest—Illusory World!”
BOOM—
A vast, million-mile illusory realm descended.
In his homeworld or the Heartvoid Continent, a million miles was trivial. Even in the Thunderworld, it was merely sizable. But in this heavily suppressed sacred realm, such a range was terrifying. Scarlet Cloud City itself spanned barely a hundred thousand miles.
The illusion enveloped the city and its surroundings.
Though the Lord of the Abyssal Sea towered twelve hundred miles high, he seemed but a speck before the illusion’s boundless expanse. Countless abyssal denizens around him were swallowed into the phantasmal realm, their power waning like ebbing tides. Arrayed against a thousand cultivators weaving their battle formation, they became as harmless as shadows at noon.
“So this is Emperor Feixue’s soul technique?” The Lord of the Abyssal Sea felt it but was unaffected. Still, seeing his forces weakened, he muttered, “Impressive.”
A sinister gleam flickered in his eyes.
“Emperor Feixue must die. With him gone, even the hidden abyssal overlords will seethe.” He knew a soul artist of this caliber would have drawn attention from mighty beings.
But what did that matter?
If he struck fast enough, none could intervene in time.
…
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