Chapter 124: The Grand Showdown (1)
Patriarch Zhou Hui was not surprised to notice a presence intruding upon the outside of his private chamber.
He was, however, forced to raise an eyebrow when that insignificant Core Emperor presence slid the door inwards and stepped inside, not stopping until the masked individual stood directly before him.
Direct report from Elder Zhu- A group of unidentified Nascent Souls have triggered one of our detection beacon artifacts, Faceless Nine stated, not in the characteristic flat tone that was associated with her duty but rather a hurried tone that betrayed her nervousness and fear.
Zhou Hui paused for one moment, taking in the information with a mask of perfect composure.
How long till they arrive? He asked calmly.
Twelve minutes, but it required me two to get here, Faceless Nine answered hurriedly.,
Understood. Authorize the evacuation, it should take less than half that time. The outer sect shall move into the inner sect, then you faceless will deploy the veil alongside the protective formation. Do not allow any Legacy Family Elder but the authorized ones to step out of it and if any argue- let them know that this is Yao Shens plan.
As you command, Patriarch! She hurriedly confirmed, before leaving his presence with a flicker of motion.
The moment had finally arrived.
It took Zhou Hui two minutes to equip the Full-Plate Lumenite Armor. In another two minutes he was outside the Hui Family manor and hovering above the Sky Division. He allowed himself a few moments to observe the rapidly evacuating outer disciples head for the protection of the inner sect.
Another minute, he landed on the periphery of the Sky Division, in the supposed direction the Demons were arriving from.
Half a minute later, he was joined by five Elders that arrived in intervals separated only by seconds.
Six sentinels of Lumenite whose surface was deliberately marred by splotches of rust brown and sickly green stood before the Heavenly Sky Sect.
Eight minutes since the incursion, the Sky Divisions protective wind formation was re-activated, the process taking noticeably longer than the near instantaneous cut-off for the evacuation. Moments after, the veil a cluster of Shadow Qi artifacts designed by Meili Zhu, came to life.
The Sky Division was now obfuscated by a dome of wind and shadow.
Finally, Zhou Hui and the Elders noticed the true enemy on the horizon.
Twelve peak-stage Nascent Soul Cultivators that rapidly approached the Sky Division, their physical bodies concealed in a viscous blood cloud that seemed to greatly amplify their collective speed.
They slowed down just outside the striking distance of most Nascent Soul Cultivators, dispelling the blood clouds as they hovered a short distance above the ground, observing the odd sight before them.
The defensive formation that guarded the Sky Division was a laughable one and would likely be unable to bear even a single joint Blood Slash that the cultivators present knew how to perform in unison.
But the six sentinels of corroded metal that stood before them with their heads raised towards the skies, completely unmoving in the face of overwhelming odds. Gave even the demons pause.
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Neither Master Gavril nor the Flesh Puppet had warned against these metallic contraptions, so the Nascent Soul Cultivators gave into their most base instinct.
When they did not understand something, it was only natural that they would inspect it with their divine sense. Seldom did it come with lasting consequences, at most a shattered strand of Divine Sense that was incapable of causing any lasting damage to the Nascent Soul.
The first amongst them to act on this base instinct was also the one to be confronted by a terrible, horrifying realization.
Sou-, He tried to scream out, only for his words to be cut short as the six Righteous Path Cultivators made their move.
Lumenite Armor Greater Rune: Discharge.
The effect of one Lumenite Armor had been a sight to behold when Zhou Hui had tested it in a secluded chamber deep underground.
Six?
It came as no surprise to him when the twelve Nascent Soul Elders were blown back by a torrential force that scythed through their formation, knocking them back in different directions as the focused discharge of two or more Qi arcs clashed against each other.
A few moments passed by them as the Elders communicated via their divine sense, marking the disoriented targets each of them would be taking on.
Reaching an understanding, they triggered a second rune, now that the first one had returned to a state of dormancy.
Lumenite Armor Greater Rune: Diffusion
The feigned rust was stripped away from the armor as a gentle azure aura that was comprised entirely of pure Qi ensconced the six Righteous Path cultivators from all directions.
Zhou Hui unsheathed his ancestral blade, Skyraiser and immediately pushed the pseudo Soul Emperor level blade to its limit. The illusory figure of the four-winged reptillian creature was no longer blurred, as Zhou Hui supplied it with more Qi as soon as even the slightest amount was consumed.
It let out an ear-piercing roar, the implications of which Zhou Hui had no time to consider as he shot forward with Skyraiser in hand.
With his endless reserves of Qi, he only required a moments worth of time to appear before the first disoriented demon that was just beginning to get his bearings. He slashed outward in quick succession, each strike amplified by Skyraisers own properties.
Before the Demon could even come to terms with this abrupt twist of fate, his physical body was cleanly sliced into six, the cutting edge of the Wind Qi shattering his soul before it could even register the pain.
That was all the time Zhou Hui had to admire his own strength as a wash of blood flames came spraying down on him from above, the cursed technique that fed on Qi and would continue burning until he contained even an ounce of it.
Inextinguishable, scalding flames how terrifying the demons were.
How terrifyingly. weak.
The Artifact Spirit that now seemed to be more real than illusory roared again, as if in acknowledgement with Zhou Huis judgment.
He felt a sudden, unexpected draw on his Qi that strained even the Lumenite Armors reserves for a few long moments before abruptly ceasing.
Holding his ancestral sword in his hand, a realization that should have come to him much sooner struck him.
Maybe his ancestral blade wasnt just a meagre pseudo Soul Emperor level artifact
Maybe
Zhou Hui swung his blade outwards in a wide, arcing slash, directed towards the direction the blood flames had originated from.
A pained cry punctuated the air, causing Zhou Huis gaze to turn upwards.
He watched the Peak-Stage Nascent Soul cultivator that would normally be his equal, gaze upon him as if he were a beast from the primordial era. Then, his upper body and lower body collapsed in opposing directions, the last vestiges of his Nascent Soul winking out of his existence.
Zhou Hui mechanically moved onto the next target, taking no pride in these empty victories.
Once the Lumenite Armor had been used, there could be no witnesses left.
No witnesses at all that had been Yao Shens only core directive.
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