Chapter 315: Chapter 274: Mandala Flower, A Fragmented Corner of the Ancient Battlefield
This war would decide the fate of Cangzhou Prefecture. If Cangzhou Prefecture were to fall, the entire prefecture would be completely overrun. This, in turn, would lead to the fall of all of Cang Province, transforming it into a paradise for Demons, Fiends, and Evil Spirits.
In fact,
even now,
no one knew where these mindless Demons, Fiends, and Evil Spirits truly came from. Why was it that during the golden age of a Human Race Dynasty, or when it was protected by Emperor Dragon Qi, these mindless creatures seemed to be suppressed, almost never appearing?
Only the sentient Demons, Fiends, and Evil Spirits would wreak havoc upon the world.
However,
when a Human Race Dynasty truly entered its decline and the Emperor Dragon Qi vanished, these mindless Demons, Fiends, and Evil Spirits would spring up like mushrooms after rain. They would emerge almost ceaselessly to ravage and poison the world, sometimes even destroying the entire Dynasty.
WHOOSH...
Xu Qing took a deep breath, his eyes sweeping across the entire battlefield. Thanks to the protection and enhancement of the Ten Thousand Spirits Four Symbols Array, Cangzhou Prefecture’s side was gradually gaining the upper hand.
If things continued like this,
Cangzhou Prefecture could indeed achieve a final victory. Even if they couldn’t annihilate all the mindless Demons, Fiends, and Evil Spirits, they could at least drive them back.
At that point,
they would naturally be able to protect Cangzhou Prefecture.
However,
things were naturally not so simple.
BOOM!
Another deafening roar.
In the sky above,
within the Void,
blood-red flowers suddenly bloomed. They were a vivid, bewitching crimson—the Mandala Flowers that crept forth from Hell itself.
The seeds of the Mandala Flowers, like a mist of blood-red light, spread rapidly, blanketing the area and landing on many of the combatants.
"AHHH!!!"
"What is this stuff?"
"NO!!"
"..."
Blood-curdling screams rang out.
The Mandala Flower seeds gathered into a blood-red mist, latching onto numerous people. They grew with terrifying speed, draining their hosts’ life force and Origin.
Inevitably,
many people perished, nurturing the growth of bewitchingly beautiful Mandala Flowers. Their desiccated corpses then transformed into eerie, mummified husks.
The mature Mandala Flowers were plucked by an invisible force, swiftly gathering and flying high into the sky. There, a single, colossal Mandala Flower loomed. All the harvested flowers merged into it, becoming one.
Upon closer inspection,
at the very center of this colossal Mandala Flower, countless skulls formed a massive, grinning face of bone.
"!!!"
"The Mandala Flower!"
"A Fourth Realm Mysterious Phenomenon: the Mandala Flower!"
"..."
The crowd cried out in horror.
"Watch out for the seeds!"
"Damn it!"
"Don’t let the seeds latch onto you!"
"..."
Everyone shouted in alarm.
"Black Dragon Tripod!"
BOOM!
Wang Miao stepped forward and acted swiftly. He summoned the Level 20 Black Dragon Tripod. Its massive body shot into the sky, hurtling toward the Mandala Flower to suppress it.
BANG! BANG! BANG!!!
Instantly,
the invisible seeds formed a violent gale that blocked the Black Dragon Tripod. All around, the eerie mummified corpses formed a sea of bodies that surged toward Wang Miao.
"KILL!!!"
RUMBLE!
Another massive roar echoed in all directions.
The battle erupted.
"Good, good, good."
"That great expert, the seventh to enter the Fourth Realm, has intercepted the Mandala Flower."
"Excellent."
"..."
Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
After all,
the Mandala Flower’s seeds contained the Power of Laws. Anyone tainted by them, unless they also possessed the Power of Laws, faced only one fate: to have their Origin and life force drained dry by the seeds, which would then grow into a bewitching, mature Mandala Flower, becoming fertilizer for the Deceit’s growth.
CRACK! CRACK!
In the sky,
cracks suddenly tore open. Within these rifts was an endless darkness, and from that darkness, a shattered fragment emerged.
BAM! BAM! BAM!!!
The sound of explosions thundered in all directions.
Space shattered.
"!!!"
"What?"
"Th-That’s..."
"..."
At that moment,
everyone was horrified, plunged into terror.
"A corner of the Ancient Battlefield."
Golden Cicada’s pupils constricted, and his voice trembled as he spoke. An expression of pure terror had already appeared on his face.
It was important to remember...
Back in ancient times,
this world was home to various powerful races. The Human Race was weak and could only survive in the cracks, serving as food for those powerful races.
But,
powerful prodigies and heroic figures were born among the Human Race. These prodigies and heroes successively created the Martial Path, the Immortal Path, the Dao Path, the Confucian Path, and many other Cultivation paths. Each path, when pursued to its end, could produce beings powerful enough to rival those mighty races.
Therefore,
these prodigies and heroes, born and raised among the Human Race, fought for their people’s freedom and for a true foothold in this world.
Thus,
they declared war on those powerful races, igniting the ’Ancient War’. That battle was terrifying beyond measure, shattering the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands and toppling many powerful races from their pedestals.
Of course,
the Human Race also lost far too many of its own powerful experts.
An unknown amount of time passed.
The Ancient War ended.
The Human Race earned the recognition of all the powerful races and gained the true authority to stand firm in this world. They were no longer food or resources for others.
However,
far, far too many people had died in that Ancient War. Countless figures who had achieved immortality and ancestral status had perished, along with countless prodigies and heroes.
Naturally,
the other powerful races had also suffered many losses.
After the war ended,
the Ancient Battlefield mysteriously vanished. It seemed the battle had shattered space-time and its barriers, causing the battlefield to be lost in the endless turbulent Void.
And now,
for some unknown reason,
the Ancient Battlefield, long lost in the endless turbulent Void, had appeared here—albeit just a tiny, shattered corner of it.
But,
Xu Qing and the others could still see bodies scattered across the ravaged, broken earth of the battlefield. These corpses were mutilated and mostly incomplete; some were nothing more than a single foot or a lone hand.
However, at this very moment,
a strange power invaded this shattered corner, tainting the ancient corpses. It reanimated them, transforming them into the ’Fourth Realm Mysterious Phenomenon: Ancient Battle Corpses’.
"Th-This..."
Everyone was terrified.
"Heavens!"
"That severed hand just now nearly shattered the Ten Thousand Spirits Four Symbols Array! And now... how many corpses are on that broken piece of land?"
"We’re finished! Finished! It’s all over now!"
"..."
A sense of despair washed over the crowd.
"Damn it!"
Cangba Dao roared, "We absolutely cannot let that shattered piece of the battlefield emerge from the spatial rift! If it truly falls on our Cangzhou Prefecture, then we’re really finished."
"Damn it!"
"We have to stop it!!"
"..."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
Everyone roared as they swiftly attacked. Terrifying attacks and Divine Techniques rained down into the spatial rift, bombarding the fragment of the battlefield. They desperately tried to disrupt the turbulent Void and sweep the battlefield fragment into another part of the Void, doing anything to prevent it from falling onto Cangzhou Prefecture.
CLANG!
A sword hummed.
With a thought, Xu Qing raised his right hand. The Level 40 Copper Coin Sword appeared in his grasp. Things had reached a point where he finally had to act personally, as he could feel the terror emanating from the battlefield fragment.
On that shattered piece of the battlefield, there were at least a hundred corpses, some of which were not even from the Human Race. If all these bodies were tainted by that strange power and became ’Ancient Battle Corpses’, the consequences of them falling on Cangzhou Prefecture would be unimaginable. Cang Province would surely fall.
Therefore,
Xu Qing attacked.
"Sever!"
SWISH!
Xu Qing slashed out. A terrifying Law Sword Aura blossomed forth. The Sword Dao Law, the Thunder Law, and the Evil Slaying Law—three great Laws—merged into one, forming an unparalleled Sword Aura.
CRACK! CRACK!
As Xu Qing swept his sword horizontally, space itself was cleaved open. The unparalleled Mighty Power sliced into the spatial rift, even tearing through the turbulent Void.
RUMBLE!!!
Countless roars echoed in all directions.
However,
the turbulence within the Void was simply too terrifying. Although Xu Qing’s strike was incredibly powerful, comparable to a full-force blow from a ’Law Body’,
but,
the turbulence of the endless Void still tore his Sword Aura to shreds.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
However,
the battlefield fragment, which had been falling straight toward Cangzhou Prefecture, was affected by Xu Qing’s strike. It stirred the turbulent Void, like changing the course of a river.
As a result,
the shattered battlefield fragment changed its trajectory, slowly drifting in another direction instead of falling directly onto Cangzhou Prefecture.
"Th-This..."
"HISS..."
"That sword strike just now..."
"My god!"
"..."
Everyone’s eyes widened in utter shock. They all stared at Xu Qing, their faces filled with disbelief. Their gazes toward him were now filled with deep reverence.
"Master Ouyazi..."
Cangba Dao’s jaw dropped, his face a mask of astonishment and shock. "You... You..."
"HISS..."
"T-Too strong..."
"That one strike actually altered the turbulent Void and changed the direction of the battlefield fragment..."
"..."
Golden Cicada and the others also cried out in amazement.
At this moment,
everyone finally understood.
Master Ouyazi had been hiding his true strength all along. The most powerful existence in all of Cangzhou Prefecture was the very master standing before their eyes.
The Marquis, the Sect Leaders, the Great Scholars...
...all of them had to step aside.
"Not good!"
"Some Ancient Battle Corpses still fell out!"
"..."
Just then,
from within the spatial rift...
Xu Qing’s earlier strike had changed the battlefield fragment’s trajectory, so it would no longer fall on Cangzhou Prefecture. However, the turbulence in the Void had shaken at least ten Ancient Battle Corpses loose from the fragment’s surface. They passed through the turbulent Void and were now falling toward Cangzhou Prefecture.
