Chapter 1295: Chapter 1293: Reinforcements from Beyond the Skies
East Victory City had enjoyed only a year of peace before the Outer Heaven forces launched another fierce attack, yet their method left everyone bewildered.
Since the Supreme Lord hadn’t made a move, those responsible for the main offense were countless soldiers from the Outer Heaven Army. Among them, not a single one was a Martial Emperor from the Void Origin Realm, not even the younger Earth Immortals from the Divine Barrier Realm.
To everyone, it felt as though they had come specifically to offer themselves to death.
But whether it was a trap or not, they absolutely couldn’t allow the people from Outer Heaven to attack the Array System. Shi Xiaole led the heroes of East Victory into battle, charging ahead alone with his sword. With one strike, numerous Outer Heaven experts burst into a mist of blood.
Empowered by the martial way of life and death, Shi Xiaole was like an untiring killing machine. Within the span of several hundred thousand li that he was responsible for, the Outer Heaven Army couldn’t advance an inch.
From high above, it looked like a tidal wave halted by an invisible mountain – anyone who approached would die.
The efficiency and speed of his killing sent shivers down the spines of Supreme Lords from both sides. The Supreme Lords of Outer Heaven gnashed their teeth with hatred, wishing they could personally take him down.
Under Shi Xiaole’s constraints, the East Victory forces quickly repelled the Outer Heaven Army, significantly increasing the survival rate of the martial artists from East Victory.
What was astonishing and perplexing was that, no matter how badly they were defeated, every half a month the Outer Heaven Army would launch a fierce attack. If they were short on numbers, no problem – droves of people would cross over from the lands beyond, refilling their ranks.
"What exactly are they plotting?"
Even the Heavenly Demon’s brow twitched at the sight.
After several months, at least nearly a billion soldiers from the Outer Heaven Army had perished, and nearly a hundred million from East Victory as well, turning the entire battlefield red. Many times heavy rains fell but failed to wash away the blood, and from behind the Array System, one seemed to smell the dizzying stench of blood.
The Holy Empress was pale as she said, "They are setting up some kind of array system."
"What kind of array requires so many deaths?"
The Immortal Scholar saw a trace of helplessness in the Holy Empress’s expression, and his heart skipped a beat.
"I don’t know either, but I am certain that they are using countless heads and streams of blood to prepare for some kind of array formation. We can’t stop them."
The look on the Holy Empress’s face was bitter.
The first step in breaking an array system is to discover it, but even with the Holy Empress’s insight and knowledge, she couldn’t sense the existence of any array’s embryonic form, just a profound and ominous premonition.
It was as if, on the blood-soaked land ahead, a mysterious force was connecting the world of East Victory with another, larger world – invisible and impossible to sever.
The words of the Holy Empress silenced the Supreme Lords around her.
Certainly, if the Outer Heaven forces were intent on attacking, no one could stop them. Surely they couldn’t just let them assault the Seal Heaven Array. It just wouldn’t do not to resist, yet resisting seemed to fall right into the enemy’s trap, an absolute dilemma.
"We must prepare for the worst."
From that day on, the Holy Empress never left the city walls. She observed the land ahead day and night, holding an array plate in her hand, incessantly pondering and calculating.
Fairy Xinluo and the Red Jade Saint stood to the left and right of their mentor, also studying the array system, hoping to uncover the true conspiracy of the Outer Heaven people.
Three frail figures stood atop the city walls like statues.
Every day, countless martial artists of East Victory would step outside and the first thing they’d do was look in the direction of the Holy Empress. At that moment, their eyes would fill with boundless admiration as well as a sense of desperate determination and conviction.
If even the Holy Empress and her two disciples were doing this much, what reason did they have not to give their all to defend the world of East Victory?
Shi Xiaole was frequently engaged in battle, and his understanding of life and death grew ever stronger. With each sword strike, his martial way of life and death imperceptibly improved at an undetectable pace.
The Demon Martial Way was improving as well, and even faster than the way of life and death.
Since the Demon Martial Way could absorb any negative energy, the battlefield, teeming with slaughter, rage, evil, and insidiousness, was the perfect breeding ground for it.
One year.
Two years.
By the third year, Shi Xiaole’s Demon Martial Way was the first to break through to the late stages of eleven times strengthening.
In an instant, boundless black energy emanated from his body, turning the air around him into a hellish demon realm where all sorts of demonic imagery materialized – some tearing at flesh, others gnawing on bones and drinking blood, some flaying skin... It caused everyone to shudder with dread and fear.
"Disperse!"
With a thought from Shi Xiaole, the power of the demon realm exploded, and strands of negative energy surged into the bodies of countless soldiers from the Outer Heaven Army, causing their eyes to turn red and their minds to become muddled as they began to scream in madness.
Seizing the opportunity, the East Victory warriors cut them down with ease, effortlessly killing the enemies before them.
The might of the Demon Martial Way caused both Supreme Lords to furrow their brows, speechless in their astonishment.
"If this child were to join our Devil Path, he would surely become the greatest Devil Sovereign in tens of thousands of years," chuckled the Giant Demon Heavenly King, purposely speaking loudly.
"The path one walks and one’s character are intertwined, thus we must be vigilant! I hope the Holy Young Master does not stray from the right path, otherwise, it would spell disaster for East Victory," commented the Mingyi Fire General of the Fire Stiff Palace, his face expressing concern but his tone suggesting something more teasing.
Hearing his pointed reminder, other Supreme Lords, including even those who followed the Holy Monarch, showed a change in their expressions.
Shi Xiaole’s martial art was indeed too sinister, seemingly encompassing all the negative powers imaginable. Over time, it could greatly influence a person’s character, and straying into the Devil Path was not out of the question!
There were many such examples in the history of the Martial World.
"Your Excellency, please do advise the Holy Young Master more," someone telepathically urged Shi Xuanzhong.
Shi Xuanzhong remained silent, his profound gaze fixed intently on the figure in green amidst the battlefield.
"What is this?"
At the moment when the Demon Martial Way broke through, Shi Xiaole seemed to see invisible breaths surging up from the depths of the pit, entering the sky, piercing through the cosmic starry sky.
Could this be the conspiracy of the Outer Heaven Army sending people to their deaths as Mother mentioned?
Shi Xiaole operated the Demon Martial Way, and under the strong suction force, the invisible breaths around him rushed towards him, absorbed by the Demon Martial Way.
But quickly, they drilled out of Shi Xiaole’s body, only slightly weakened.
"These breaths contain a small amount of evil energy, but more of it is energy made from a mixture of righteous blood and spirit essence."
With his exceptionally keen spiritual sense, Shi Xiaole easily analyzed the composition of the energy, sending shivers down his spine.
Logically, energy mixed with blood and spirit essence couldn’t escape the gaze of a Supreme Lord; it only proved that someone at the far end must have interfered, and that person’s methods were above even the Holy Empress!
Shi Xiaole swung his sword ten times, cutting down numerous experts from Outer Heaven.
However, the energies that the Demon Martial Way sensed because they contained evil energy, remained completely unaffected, like dense mist steaming upward at a steady pace.
Shi Xiaole hurriedly reported what he saw and sensed to the Holy Empress.
"Based on blood and spirit essence, this is an Array System that exemplifies the utmost simplicity of the Great Dao, but because it is simple, it is unsolvable. For now, the only choice is to make a forced attempt."
The Holy Empress’s eyes dimmed, then quickly disappeared. She did not want to affect the morale of the troops, so even with her unease, she could only force herself to remain calm.
Although they didn’t know what the people from Outer Heaven were up to, as long as they could disrupt that energy, they could thwart the plans of the people from Outer Heaven.
"Xinluo, Red Jade, prepare to set up the Heaven and Earth Evil Array."
After hesitating for a moment, the Holy Empress made up her mind.
"Master, no!"
Fairy Xinluo’s face changed dramatically; she had always held the utmost respect for her master, and this was the first time she had openly defied her.
All because the Heaven and Earth Evil Array was extremely dangerous; it required the main Array System operator’s life and soul as the focal point, and any mishap could result in their soul being scattered, forever unable to transcend.
Even though the Holy Empress had repeatedly instructed her during her teachings, not to use this array unless absolutely necessary.
"Master, we are not yet desperate; there’s no need for this!"
Red Jade Saint also shouted loudly.
The Holy Empress smiled and said, "You two silly children, by the time we are truly desperate, it would be too late! The people from Outer Heaven must have a grand scheme, we must be on guard. Moreover, with your teacher’s prowess, as long as I am careful, there should be no mistakes."
Fairy Xinluo clenched her teeth and resolutely said, "If it must be so, then let your disciple be the one to operate the main Array."
The Holy Empress looked tenderly at her eldest disciple, who had always been loyal and diligent since she became her apprentice and held a special place in her heart. Now, how could she bear to let her risk her life? Shaking her head, she refused, "With your current accomplishments, you are not yet capable of controlling the Array. Say no more, my mind is made up."
"Mother!"
The tearful eyes of Fairy Xinluo and Red Jade Saint made Shi Xiaole realize something; he reached out to grasp the Holy Empress’s hand, "It’s not the last step yet."
The Holy Empress was about to say something when suddenly, a thunderous roar sounded!
In the distant sky, dark clouds that blotted out the sun began to gather, thick black bolts of lightning, as wide as buckets, flickered uncertainly within the clouds, resembling a wild dance of thousands of snakes.
An extremely oppressive force charged madly towards East Victory City, making it feel like the entire world was expanding.
On the city walls, countless warriors of East Victory City looked towards the distance with alarmed eyes.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
One after another, Supreme Lords rushed over, their expressions incredibly grave.
"Just a mere East Victory World, and you can’t even take it down, how embarrassing!"
"Wrap this up quickly."
"A bunch of stubborn fools, wasting time, no mercy shall be given!"
As the dark cloud tore open, aside from the invincible Outer Heaven Supreme Lords like Wan Ren Invincible, this time there were also hundreds of unfamiliar figures, each more imposing than the last, standing firm like unyielding mountains—all of them Supreme Lords!
Especially the three in front, one unmatched in iron-blood, making the void roar constantly, not a display of air, but the sound of his blood and qi surging.
One held a long sword, the sharpness of its Sword Qi seemed capable of splitting open the cosmic starry sky, no Supreme Lord among the swordsmen of the East Victory World could match him.
The last person, as if he existed in nothingness, wrapped in layer upon layer of profound power, eluding grasp, yet carrying an authentic, overwhelming threat.
"Hahaha, people of East Victory, your end has come! Limitless Sword Sovereign has broken through to the Supreme Realm and has helped our Outer Heaven successfully conquer the Yang Separation World among the four great worlds. Next up is you!"
Wan Ren Invincible roared with laughter.
After annihilating ten worlds, the forces of Outer Heaven converged, fighting in five directions, but their real elite were actually assigned to the other four major worlds.
Originally, East Victory should have been peaceful for a while longer, but human plans cannot compare to those of heaven.
The number one swordsman of Outer Heaven, Limitless Sword Sovereign, had unexpectedly made a breakthrough, his strength greatly increased, allowing him to swiftly kill the number one expert of Yang Separation World and soon after, lead the Outer Heaven Army to conquer the Yang Separation World.
So, under the orders of the three Celestial Masters, Limitless Sword Sovereign led the hundreds of Supreme Lords stationed in the Yang Separation World to rush towards East Victory, aiming to achieve victory in one fell swoop!
