Chapter 2228: Chapter 2228 Battle of the Five Elders
As the battle raged on, the combined might of Ye Liuyun’s martial practitioners and Yuanhao’s vast army pushed the conflict toward its inevitable conclusion. Not a single member of the Royal Court, including Yuanhao himself, was spared—each one was cut down without mercy.
Yet, Ye Liuyun’s elite Blade Legion remained untouched, held back as a strategic reserve. Their mission was clear: to deal with Mo Xiaotian’s formidable formation.
Meanwhile, the experts sent by the Alliance of Ten Thousand Gods edged forward, their presence growing more ominous. They were prepared to launch an attack at any instant.
From the very beginning, they had been watching from a distance. But Ye Liuyun, along with Qiong Qi and the others, had long since noticed their presence.
Earlier, an elder named Liang Yuan had secretly transmitted a message to Qiong Qi, urging Ye Liuyun to spare the Formation master and hand him over to the Alliance of Goddesses. But Ye Liuyun and Qiong Qi had already exchanged secret signals—sealing the fate of the formation master, who was swiftly eliminated.
Liang Yuan harbored a simmering resentment, his displeasure evident in the dark glint of his eyes. Ye Liuyun’s defiance of his command only added fuel to his growing resentment.
Once the formidable experts of the Royal Court had been eliminated, Ye Liuyun ordered Yuan Hao to withdraw the army as well.
Now, only the final duels between the strongest experts remained. The presence of soldiers was no longer of any use.
As the dust settled, Ye Liuyun found himself accompanied by just three individuals—Yuanhao, Thousand-Faces, and Qiong Qi.
The barrier suddenly collapsed on its own as he was about to order his martial practitioners to bombard the palace’s defensive formation.
All eyes turned toward the grand hall. Inside, six figures stood amidst the fading glow of the vanishing formation.
Seated upon the throne was Mo Xiaotian, a middle-aged man in his forties. His narrow eyes gleamed with a cunning light, and his thin mustache curled into a sharp, well-groomed arch.
The remaining five were elders of the Royal Court, their wizened faces betraying at least a century of life. Yet, despite their age, their cultivation had reached the peak of the ninth level.
Ye Liuyun cast a sharp glance at their virtuoso, sensing the density of their genuine energy. Compared to Yuanhao and Thousand Faces, these elders’ energy was far more refined. Even their Divine Soul power vastly outmatched that of his companions.
"Five of them? Wasn’t there supposed to be only one protector?" Ye Liuyun turned to Yuanhao, puzzled.
"They are not Protectors," Yuanhao explained. "They are simply the five strongest elders of the Royal Court—known as the Five Elders."
"So, they aren’t the real Protectors after all!"
It was only then that Ye Liuyun fully grasped the situation. These five were not the ones he had originally anticipated facing.
As if to confirm their presence, the Five Elders stepped out of the grand hall, their gaze steady as they regarded Ye Liuyun. One of them finally spoke, his voice carrying the weight of time. "Young man, we old relics are already halfway into our graves. We are no match for you youngsters."
"But since all of the sworn enemies of the Alliance of Goddesses are gathered here today, why not let us settle our old grudges in one final duel?"
Ye Liuyun had been about to give the order to strike, but this unexpected challenge caught him off guard.
His gaze flickered toward the martial practitioners of the Alliance of Goddesses, gauging their reaction.
Liang Yuan let out a cold sneer, his eyes filled with disdain. "Mo Di, you and your ragged old comrades have spent a lifetime fighting against us. Even with one foot in the grave, you still refuse to yield. Are you that eager to meet your end at our hands?"
Mo Di merely smiled, his eyes filled with a quiet resolve. "Does it truly matter how one dies? Rather than being cut down by the younger generation, I’d rather end things properly—one on one, as it should be."
To everyone’s surprise, Liang Yuan did not scoff at the proposal. Instead, he nodded. "Very well. We shall grant your wish. It’s time to put an end to both old and new grudges."
Ye Liuyun promptly took action. He ordered the army to withdraw while the surrounding martial practitioners stepped aside.
Along with Qiong Qi and the others, Ye Liuyun also took a few steps back, choosing to watch the spectacle from a safe distance.
"What’s the story behind their grudge?" Ye Liuyun asked Qiong Qi, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
Qiong Qi smirked. "It’s the same old story—kill or be killed. After all these years, does anyone even remember what started it?"
Yuanhao nodded in agreement. "Both sides have been evenly matched for so long. One side kills a disciple, the other retaliates by killing a family member. Years of scheming and betrayal and eventually, it became a blood feud with no way out."
Ye Liuyun sighed. "What a waste of time. If they had been fighting foreign invaders instead of each other, none of this nonsense would have happened."
Unexpectedly, the people around him silently nodded, sharing his sentiment.
On Liang Yuan’s side, four more elders stepped forward, each squaring off against a member of the Five Elders. From their final words before battle, it was clear that this was no ordinary grudge. Their hatred ran deep, forged over decades of bloodshed.
They were very comparable in their abilities. It depended on who could react faster and seize the opponent’s weakness.
The powerful were engaged in a fierce battle in the air. The audience could not tear their gaze away from the epic battle.
But Ye Liuyun’s clone never let up on keeping a watchful eye on Mo Xiaotian.
Even after exerting every possible effort to fight, they were unable to break the impasse and made no real headway.
Their energy was nearly depleted. To conserve energy, both sides were becoming increasingly close.
Suddenly, the five elders of the royal family launched a fierce attack all at once.
Once the fighters of such a level launched a full-scale attack, they would inevitably expose their weaknesses. Their opponents wasted no time taking advantage of the situation by launching a counterattack.
To the astonishment of the elders of the Alliance of Goddesses, the five elders made no attempt to defend. They only pressed forward with relentless attacks. The moment their weaknesses were attacked was also their opportunity to counterattack.
They were willing to stake their lives on this.
Since their demise was inevitable today, it did not matter what. They wanted to take a few powerful fighters from the Alliance of Goddesses with them before they died.
The hardened warriors of the Alliance of Goddesses clearly had a different frame of mind.
Their only intention was to assess the situation. They had not expected to meet their end here.
As a result, the Five Elders gained an advantage because some players immediately shifted their focus from attacking to defending.
Some had no chance to retreat and clashed head-on with the Five Elders, fighting with such ferocity that both sides suffered grievous wounds. Despite their wounds, the Five Elders persisted in launching a vicious attack.
Currently, the five experts of the Alliance of Goddesses were steadily pulling back, limiting themselves to defense.
Moreover, Liang Yuan and two other experts were seriously injured.
One of them couldn’t hold it any longer and was directly killed by the opponent. Meanwhile, the other one was mutually destructed with the opponent.
With an injury to contend with and now two opponents, Liang Yuan just could not handle it.
Equally oppressed and beaten by the Five Elders were their other two companions.
"What are you all staring at? Why aren’t you doing anything?"
Eventually, Liang Yuan reached a breaking point and even summoned for reinforcements.
This left Ye Liuyun and others speechless. "Didn’t we agree to settle our grievances one on one?"
However, the members of the Alliance of Goddesses were unconcerned and swiftly dispatched the Five Elders with the help of a few additional elders.
They were nearing the end of their endurance, barely able to resist.
Ye Liuyun’s Golden Phantom Eyes saw everything clearly, and Mo Di gave Ye Liuyun a meaningful smile just before he died.
"Are they intentionally inciting discord between me and the Alliance of Goddesses, or hiding some hint?" Ye Liuyun wondered to himself.
At this point, Qingqi also sighed, "Ah, you can not trust anyone!"
He is subtly reminding Ye Liuyun not to rely too much on the Alliance of Goddesses.
Ye Liuyun was fully aware of this. Ever since he came into contact with the Alliance of Goddesses, he had been thinking about cooperation, not dependence.
At this point, Mo Xiaotian stood up, adjusted his clothes, and walked slowly out of the hall.
Everyone’s attention was on him. No one cared about the few dead elders anymore.
After Mo Xiaotian emerged, he looked somberly at Ye Liuyun and the others before suddenly laughing, "The Alliance of Goddesses and Ye Liuyun, you guys forced me into action. Don’t blame me!"
