Devour

Chapter 454 No Lingering in Battle

Master Li's eyes held a hint of longing, but his expression was more solemn, as if facing a formidable foe. He spoke slowly, "Celestial Immortals survive the Three Calamities, their divine bodies tempered by the energies of the sun, moon, and harmony, their magical power transforming into a higher level of immortal power. The Void Realm opens up a supreme divine kingdom, the Myriad Manifestations Realm develops innate divine abilities, the Creation Realm creates something from nothing with a thought, the Victory Realm bears the imprint of the Heavenly Dao, and the Immortal Realm finally transcends reincarnation..."

He paused for a moment, his eyes seeming to hold the fading of stars, and his voice was ethereal: "...The realm that reaches the heavens and penetrates the earth is beyond the comprehension of us cultivators, no matter how hard we try!"

Lan Xinqi from the Xun Palace chimed in, “Teacher, why fuel the arrogance of others and diminish our own prestige? This place is far away in the outer realms, belonging to the Five Continents, and backed by Mount Sumeru. Foreign celestial beings will definitely be suppressed and unable to use much of their abilities.”

“He’s about to attack.” Master Li smiled calmly, his eyes resolute and his fighting spirit high. “Gentlemen, follow me and focus on dealing with the enemy.”

The eight individuals' auras merged into an unbreakable whole, continuously unleashing the power of the grand formation through intertwined array runes.

Seeing the array's power surge, the Sword Prison, hovering in mid-air, calmly raised its right hand, fingers pointing like a sword, and made a gesture in mid-air as if drawing a talisman: "Shadow Demon Style!"

It seemed understated, without any earth-shattering momentum or dazzling brilliance; all that remained were the ethereal sword shadows, as faint as wisps of smoke, countless in number, blending into the night.

"Is it a feint?" Cheng Bai felt that Sword Prison's move was strange, and Phoenix Force could only barely catch a trace of it.

He suppressed his surprise and curiosity, and focused his attention on the sword energy: "This sword energy is restrained, completely different from the fierce and powerful Falling Thunder Sword Technique of before. It feels like a leech, omnipresent... It's even more dangerous!"

Meanwhile, Master Li inside the building was already twitching his eyelids and shouted repeatedly, "It's a move from the 'Demon Demon Sword Technique,' insidious and treacherous, far more ruthless than the Thunderfall Sword Technique."

As Master Li transmitted his divine thoughts, the formation suddenly changed: "The Sword Prison is intended to slaughter the weak, create panic, and test our control over the formation! Order: Guard all directions and intercept the sword shadows!"

The ghostly sword shadows seemed to have countless clones, suddenly spreading throughout the entire academy, imbued with the endless malice of the Demonic Sword, silently attacking the countless lives around them.

The Qingyun Tower emitted a burst of crystalline starlight. In an instant, countless rays of light burst forth, as fine as hair, as dense as raindrops, and as solid as matter, clashing with the fleeting sword shadows in the shadows.

There were no dazzling lights, no deafening explosions. Only a dense, fragmented chorus of fighting, like the rustling of bones being gnawed, permeated every corner, sending chills down one's spine. To ordinary cultivators, it sounded like a chilling symphony of insect chirps.

Imperceptible forces collided one after another, causing the space to tremble slightly, followed by ripples that were barely visible to the naked eye.

The double barrier of the Golden Pagoda operated in a cycle, secretly protecting Cheng Bai and the others from one fierce attack after another.

Shi Chi warned, "My lord, the battle between the two sides is extremely dangerous. To ensure your safety, please quickly enter the tower and take refuge far away!"

"Being inside the tower, unless one is seated on the throne of the Supreme Harmony Emperor, one cannot see the fierce battle outside. If the methods escalate further... well, self-preservation is the best policy." Cheng Bai weighed the pros and cons and began to consider retreating.

But before they could even enter the tower, the vast battlefield underwent another dramatic change.

The countless ghostly sword shadows were intercepted and dissipated by the starlight. Seeing that the attack had been in vain, Jian Yu was not surprised and calmly stretched out his left hand to grab downwards.

Suddenly, waves surged on the surface of the Inkstone Washing Pool, and a twelve-petaled bone lotus flew out.

As soon as it broke through the water, the bone lotus spun and shrank, landing steadily in the open left palm of the Sword Prison in the blink of an eye.

"Five thousand cycles of reincarnation, and the result is still not perfect. I only got an extra Azure Dragon Fang? No matter, I will find a way to make the Bone Lotus perfect."

After Jian Yu finished speaking, the Tongxuan Flying Armor shone brightly with a gray-brown light, its radiance condensing around him like a cold, eerie moon. Suddenly, his figure soared into the sky, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

This earth-shattering battle was unexpected, it came violently and it ended abruptly, leaving behind only a scene of devastation and a great deal of astonishment and speculation.

Inside Qingyun Tower, the tense atmosphere that had been focused on the battle situation eased slightly.

Master Li slowly exhaled a long breath, looked around at everyone, and announced in a deep voice: "Sword Prison, relying solely on his divine sense avatar, had no confidence in breaking through the Star-Suppressing and Star-Fixing Formation. A prolonged battle would only exhaust him and make it difficult to achieve anything. His decision to retreat was a wise one. We have won this battle!"

The cultivators throughout the academy had been on high alert, and only after learning that the crisis had passed did they cautiously step out of the rune array one by one.

Many people who did not participate in the battle collapsed almost completely, as if all their energy had been exhausted, after the chilling pressure of the Sword Prison dissipated.

Cheng Bai gazed at the sky where Sword Prison had disappeared, his brows furrowed deeply: "The situation is probably very bad!"

He thought to himself, "I originally thought that a dignified celestial being would rely on his status to confront the Star-Suppressing and Star-Fixing Formation head-on, resulting in a draw. This would allow me to see through the truth, find a good opportunity, and perhaps even seize the Bone Lotus in the chaos."

Cheng Bai turned his gaze to the inkstone washing pool, where the spiritual energy had suddenly diminished.

Although the surface of the pool had returned to calm, the faint golden ripples reflecting the dawn light made it appear desolate.

Recalling the battle, Cheng Bai felt dejected and suppressed his unease: "That old fox Jian Yu is truly ruthless! He failed to probe the formation, took the Bone Lotus, and left without lingering for a fight!"

In the shadows of the Tinghetai Post Station, three other people watched from the sidelines, observing the entire course of the battle.

The young man in the finest clothes leading the group was none other than Cai Youling, whose head was adorned with the Illusionary Feather Void Mirror. He said in a deep voice, "The war among the saints was earth-shattering. Do you know how difficult it will be to contend for the throne of the Imperial Star in the future? I must accelerate our war preparations and deployments."

Wu Qiubai bowed and said, "My lord, the imperial court has dispatched Wen Jia to deliver the second batch of Dragon Soul Bloodline, which is expected to arrive before noon today."

Cai Youling frowned and shook his head, saying, "Why her? A woman who's more trouble than she's worth! What are those old men thinking?"

Wu Qiubai hurriedly said, "In any case, Wen Jia is the only remaining human king battle body among the descendants of the Duke of Zhenguo."

Cai Youling nodded and said, "I understand! Father means that if he thinks the Dragon Soul bloodline is not enough to improve his power, then he will also use her bloodline."

Wu Qiubai said awkwardly, "His Majesty the Emperor did not mean that. It is truly that the Duke of Zhenguo has been loyal and righteous for many years, and he hopes that the Lord will take him under his command and give him an important position, considering the legacy of this old minister."

Cai Youling scoffed, “Lord Wu, then tell me. Since you’ve already used the Demon-Sealing Grass, Griffin Bone, and other spiritual materials that I sent back to prepare the Bloodline Ascension Pill and the Dragon-Lion Reversal Blood Pill to extract the selected Dragon Soul Bloodline… why do you still need my beloved concubine to bring one of each of the two pills over?”

Wu Qiubai paused slightly, then lowered his head and remained silent. The Insect God, meanwhile, giggled and covered his mouth beside Cai Youling.

Cheng Bai bid farewell to Xu Buwei and returned to the Huai'an Inn with Bei Tingjun. He planned to take a good rest during the brief respite after the war.

Alone in the room, Cheng Bai flipped his hand and took out the Golden Pagoda. His eyes were resolute as he said, "The Bone Emperor's Holy Embryo is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity. If we don't use it to break through to the Unimpeded Realm, when will we?"

The space around him distorted slightly, and he suddenly disappeared into the central hall of the "Blue Eye Maze" on the fourth floor of the tower.

The enormous corpse of Yingzhao stood there, radiating a chilling aura, faithfully obeying Cheng Bai's commands, and intimidating the Bone Emperor's Holy Embryo.

After several days of continuous refining, the ferocious bone sword was completely transformed, its original violent consciousness stripped away. Its bone spurs remained, but its malevolent aura was completely subdued, and its color changed from grayish-blue to a pure, deep blue, its surface gleaming with a warm luster.

Cheng Bai stepped forward slowly, his divine sense sweeping over the Holy Embryo. He realized he wasn't confident he could control it, so he held out his left palm, and the Inheritance Cube suddenly appeared in his palm.

"Li Tong." Cheng Bai gently summoned the artifact spirit to assist him, gazing intently at the Bone Sword Saint Embryo, and asked, "How does the extraction of the secret technique essence from this object differ from the inner cores used in the past?"

"Are you going to make a move?"

Li Tong chuckled a few times, then straightened up and earnestly replied, "The Sacred Embryo is the result of an Earth Immortal's comprehension of the laws of heaven and earth, and is truly the cornerstone of becoming a saint. Apart from needing to separate the original owner's consciousness, the secret runes it contains are far more magical than the inner core. However, this treasure cannot be chosen directly; in the end... it's more like opening a blind box."

Cheng Baijian frowned slightly, his face showing worry, and said in a deep voice, "If the essence of the Holy Embryo's secret technique needs to be extracted randomly, the risk is really hard to estimate!"

“No.” Li Tong shook his head in denial, solemnly pointing out the way, “The difficulty of extracting this treasure is far greater than refining the inner core! You must use your divine sense to sense the runes within the sacred embryo, identify the target, lock onto it immediately, and offer it as a sacrifice to the Jianmu tree as soon as possible. Compared to others, you, who cultivate the Phoenix Force, have a unique advantage, making your lock-on much more accurate and your success much easier.”