Swish—
Just then, a streak of blood-colored light suddenly flashed by.
Its speed was so swift that Gu Tianchen had no time to react.
Suddenly, Buzz—
The Golden Tortoise Spirit Soul, linked to his mind, abruptly blocked in front of Gu Tianchen. Golden light flickered as it connected to his Trunk Bone Soul Skill, activating "Golden Turtle Shedding its Shell" for the final time.
The next second, Clang!
The blood-colored light heavily smashed against the golden turtle shell.
However, Gu Tianchen himself was instantly teleported into the midst of the Star Luo Empire's airborne forces. Moreover, this sudden teleportation caused Gu Tianchen to stumble in mid-air.
Just as Gu Tianchen steadied himself, wild laughter suddenly rang out. A tall figure slowly walked out from the dark clouds. This person was none other than the Master of the Holy Spirit Cult—"Zhongli Wu".
A terrifying pressure fully demonstrated the dread of a Limit Douluo.
This scene made the hearts of the three Titled Douluos sink.
A Limit Douluo! The Sun Moon Empire, no, to be exact, the Holy Spirit Cult's side, had dispatched a Limit Douluo!
If it really came to a fight...
Three against one?
Even multiplying their numbers by three probably wouldn't be enough!
Coupled with the power of that Soul Tool from just now, their entire army would likely struggle to withstand "Zhongli Wu"'s attack.
Unless...
The three Titled Douluos cast their gazes toward Chen Junting and the others. Didn't news come last time that during the battle at the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Chen Junting, Gu Tianchen, and that Young Sect Master had slain Zhongli Wu when he was alive?
How about doing it again? Although this "Zhongli Wu" was probably an impostor, his strength should at least be similar.
However, Gu Tianchen's face was not as optimistic as the three Star Luo Empire Titled Douluos had imagined, and the same went for Chen Junting. After all, their victory last time was due to a clever trick.
Furthermore, they had Xiao Tian's support.
Now that Xiao Tian wasn't here, let alone three Titled Douluos, even five or more wouldn't make much of a difference!
"We meet again."
"Zhongli Wu" let out a cold sneer. His indifferent gaze swept over Chen Junting and Gu Tianchen, and then over the rest of the people.
Toward the former, he showed indifference and a hint of curiosity;
Toward the latter, he was filled with disdain.
He suddenly raised his hand and waved, and a massive black energy ball condensed in his palm, pointing directly at the Star Luo Empire's airborne forces.
"Everyone, be careful."
Shattered Star Douluo's expression changed drastically at "Zhongli Wu" attacking without a word. Unaware of Gu Tianchen's soul skill condition and assuming he was heavily depleted, Shattered Star Douluo took the initiative to step forward, projecting his purple Shattered Star Light to shield everyone inside.
Hammer Douluo was even more direct. Swinging his giant hammers with both hands, he aimed at the black energy ball and, as if playing baseball, forcefully swung out. At the same time, his entire body bloomed with intense yellow light, and his ninth soul ring flared brightly.
Behind him, a giant hammer swept out horizontally through the air. The atmosphere seemed like a mirror shattering, even triggering spatial distortions that layered upon each other, the force endless like ocean waves. For a moment, violent and continuous booms echoed in the high sky.
However, right at this moment, a bizarre—yet not entirely unexpected—scene occurred. The black energy ball acted like a black hole, entirely swallowing the shockwaves from Hammer Douluo's attack. When Hammer Douluo's hammer actually struck the black energy ball...
Suddenly, that giant hammer rapidly turned black.
Following that, with a muffled groan, Hammer Douluo's soul skill was not only broken, but it directly caused him to suffer a backlash. The black energy ball then devoured all the energy contained within the shattered ninth soul skill, causing the black energy ball to instantly grow in size, coming at them with undiminished momentum.
At this, the faces of Shattered Star Douluo, Chen Junting, and the others all changed color to varying degrees.
As a powerhouse at the Titled Douluo level, although Hammer Douluo wasn't exceptionally strong, he was renowned for his immense strength. He was an assault-type with a cultivation of level 92. No matter how weak a Titled Douluo is, they are still a Titled Douluo!
And that soul skill, no matter what, was still a ninth soul skill!
It's not just some common cabbage!
Yet, such an attack not only failed to work, but was instead shattered by "Zhongli Wu"'s soul skill and turned into nourishment.
Because of this, even Shattered Star Douluo didn't dare to continue resisting. He was terrified that his Shattered Star Light wouldn't be able to block it, and would instead further enhance the energy within the black energy ball, elevating the attack's power to another level.
Seeing this, Gu Tianchen's expression also drastically changed.
His defenses were also fundamentally based on soul power. But right now, there was no time to overthink it. Since soul power wouldn't work...
"Gate of the Void, open."
The Gate of the Void instantly opened, and the pull of space immediately dragged at "Zhongli Wu"'s attack. But before the black energy ball could even reach the edge of the Gate of the Void, the terrifying energy contained within it "resonated" with the spatial power around the gate.
The next second, the surrounding space tore apart layer by layer.
Gu Tianchen immediately shouted, "Defend!"
The Golden Tortoise Spirit Soul emitted a burst of golden light. Outside the Shattered Star Light, an Invincible Barrier instantly enveloped all of them.
Boom—
The spatial collision caused an immediate conflict. The shockwave instantly slammed against the Invincible Barrier.
But now, misfortunes never came singly.
After blocking one attack, during their brief retreat, four Rank 9 Soul Engineers rose into the air again, arriving beside "Zhongli Wu". Clearly, they intended to use the Limit Douluo's power to completely crush this formidable effective fighting force!
However, at this critical moment, a clear, cold voice suddenly rang out from beside him, "Zhuxian Sword Array, rise!"
As the voice fell, a terrifying aura emerged.
If slaughter had an absolute extreme, this was it.
Because just this solitary killing intent alone gave "Zhongli Wu" and the others the feeling of a sword's edge pressed directly against their necks.
At this moment, the wind and clouds above the Mingdou Mountain Range changed drastically. Yet, it wasn't covered by dark clouds; rather, it was the agitation of the extreme killing intent that made the vault of heaven seem as if it had been soaked in blood, turning an incomparably bizarre and blood-red!
Even on the Star Luo Empire's side, Huo Yuhao and the others felt as if they had been placed in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Then, four rays of multi-colored light tore through the firmament and landed on this high-altitude battlefield, transforming into four killing swords that attacked "Zhongli Wu" and the others.
In reality, four brilliant sword lights descended from the heavens, landing around "Zhongli Wu" and the others respectively. Within the sword lights, four massive ancient swords slowly materialized. Each sword was carved with ancient runes, emitting a heart-palpitating aura.
Zhuxian!
Luxian!
Juexian!
Xianxian!
Following closely behind, Chen Junting's figure appeared in front of "Zhongli Wu" and the others. Holding a Seven Killing Sword, his gaze was cold and stern, and at the same time, the space between his brows split open with a sudden burst of golden light.
A massive formation diagram, as if blotting out the sky and obscuring the sun, slowly rotated. Four auras and killing intents intertwined, seemingly capable of suppressing mountains and rivers.
"Go."
As the words fell, the Zhuxian Formation Diagram instantly broke through the air, turning into a streak of flowing light as it suppressed down upon "Zhongli Wu" and the others.
"What is that!?"
Seeing this, Xu Tianyuan's face drastically changed!
From it, he sensed something similar to the Lightning Sky Curtain. He knew that this thing did not belong to the category of Soul Tools!
And the existence of this thing would absolutely further close the gap between the original Three Great Empires of Douluo and their Sun Moon Empire.
He cannot be kept alive!
Absolutely cannot be left alive!
As the commander of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion, Xu Tianyuan was top-tier in every aspect. With just a single glance, he recognized the threat.
However, even though his mind was racing with thoughts, Chen Junting was completely unaware of it at this moment. Right now, Chen Junting simply looked coldly at Xu Tianyuan and the others, the light of absolute rationality in his eyes shining brightly.
"This is the Zhuxian Sword Array."
In four different directions, the four Zhuxian swords hung suspended.
The Zhuxian Sword was permeated with an aura of destruction, like bathing in the end of times; the Luxian Sword was as if soaked in blood, emitting a bone-chilling killing intent; the Juexian Sword brought dead silence to all living spirits, wherever it passed was freezing cold; the Xianxian Sword held myriad transformations, its killing intent seemingly imperceptible.
Each of these killing swords made even "Zhongli Wu" feel a slight sense of dread.
Above the firmament, the Zhuxian Formation Diagram slowly rotated. The four great sword intents spread out, and endless sword qi permeated the sword array.
At this moment, killing intent filled the air, and aura of calamity ran rampant.
It was as if the heavens and earth wanted to rain down blood!
"I invite you all to enter the array!"
Chen Junting took a step forward, personally controlling the grand array.
As his voice fell, the Sword God has no self!
At the same time, three great Spirit Souls manifested from his Spiritual Sea. Familiar with the routine, each held one sword. Only the final Xianxian Sword kept ringing without stopping. However, a single indifferent glance from Chen Junting gave Gu Tianchen a sudden flash of inspiration.
With a flash of his figure, he stepped into the sword array. Under the possession of his Bone Dragon Martial Soul, his martial soul transformed into bone armor; his defense was already world-shocking. Now, holding the Xianxian Sword in hand, he could be said to be a unity of offense and defense!
"Zhuxian Sword Array?" "Zhongli Wu" frowned, apparently somewhat wary of this formation. But he quickly returned to normal and sneered, "A mere sword array dares to show off in front of me?"
Chen Junting ignored "Zhongli Wu"'s taunts. With a thought from him, within the grand array, the three Spirit Souls plus Gu Tianchen became of one mind with him. The four ancient swords simultaneously emitted a buzzing sound.
The formation runes within the sword array began to flash one by one. Rays of sword qi burst forth from the four killing swords, pointing directly at "Zhongli Wu".
Little did they know, without the Sun Moon Empire's side realizing it, a black dragon scale pendant on Chen Junting's body flickered.
At the same time, within the Great Star Dou Forest.
"Oh—"
In the Lake of Life, Di Tian suddenly opened his eyes.
His golden gaze was like a flaming golden torch, searingly intense.
...
Above the Mingdou Mountain Range, the thick clouds were like blood.
The enveloping barrier formed by the Zhuxian Sword Array refracted bizarre lights, covering a large area of the high-altitude battlefield in a blood-colored thin mist. Chen Junting stepped on the void, his white clothes flapping in the wind. The Zhuxian Formation Diagram slowly rotated beneath his feet, as if shifting the stars themselves.
Besides this, the three Titled Douluos of the Star Luo Empire also entered the array. Meanwhile, the five-hundred-strong Soul Saint unit, led by Huo Yuhao, continued to find ways to fight for air supremacy over the battlefield.
They absolutely could not let the currently resurgent Sun Moon Empire airborne forces and the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion seize the advantage again!
"Go to hell!"
The skull on "Zhongli Wu"'s black robe glowed with an eerie light. Nine soul rings revolved around him, and the seventh soul ring suddenly lit up brightly.
"Death God Puppet True Body!"
The black cape suddenly expanded, turning into a Death God phantom that blotted out the sky. Thousands of pale arms stretched out from the void, and every palm held a blood-dripping bone scythe.
At the same time, dark soul power wrapped around the edge of the formation diagram like venomous snakes.
This scene made Chen Junting's pupils shrink slightly.
But it wasn't out of emotional turmoil; it was a reactive judgment under absolute rationality.
The Martial Soul changed!
And a major change at that!
However, in the next instant, the Zhuxian Sword Array immediately operated, directly shredding the dark soul power entangled on the formation diagram.
At the same time, "Zhongli Wu" swung his bone scythe...
"Rise!"
The four ancient swords simultaneously let out sword cries, and four-colored sword qi soared into the sky. The Tyrant, holding the Zhuxian Sword, took the lead in breaking through the void. Wherever the sword light passed, the bone scythe melted away like ice and snow, utterly destroyed.
Seeing this, the four Rank 9 Soul Engineers also immediately took action.
Complex soul tool circuits lit up on the surface of their humanoid soul tools, radiating brilliant light. Among them, a purple-bearded old man raised his staff, and an octagonal energy shield instantly expanded, enveloping the four of them. The shoulder armor of a red-haired female Soul Engineer in the back snapped open, and thirty-six honeycomb-shaped soul tool cannon barrels began to charge.
However, Chen Junting directly took action.
The sword array erupted, and sword qi instantly crisscrossed the space!
The purple-bearded old man's pupils contracted. The soul tool core at the top of his staff erupted with blinding blue light, rapidly switching to defense mode.
But looking at "Zhongli Wu"...
He merely let out a cold sneer, and his soul rings suddenly lit up.
The Death God Puppet phantom behind him rose up. A pitch-black vortex split open in its chest, and countless maimed undead surged out from within. These undead were not ordinary soul bodies; each was wrapped in nine blood-red chains, and the ends of the chains seemed to connect to a boundless hell.
Woo woo woo—
The next moment, the undead howled as they charged over.
A golden light screen instantly rose up, and the Xianxian Sword qi from within the array struck down, causing those vengeful spirits and undead to let out shrill, miserable shrieks.
The red-haired female Soul Engineer seized the opportunity. The honeycomb cannon barrels on her back simultaneously fired crimson beams. These beams bizarrely twisted in mid-air, bypassing everyone to shoot straight at Chen Junting's face.
Shattered Star Douluo was just about to make a move to block it...
Clang!
The Luxian Sword suddenly barred the sky. The blade reflected a mountain of corpses, a sea of blood, and the killing intent of heaven and earth. With a single sword strike from the Mad King, those crimson beams were like they had crashed into a bottomless abyss, decomposed into raw soul power by the terrifying Luxian Sword qi.
The Mad King held a sword in one hand and waved a claw in the other, striding through the air. Wherever his sword edge and terrifying claws pointed, fine spatial cracks actually appeared—he was truly incredibly fierce!
Also at this moment, "Zhongli Wu" holding the Death God Scythe, suddenly cleaved toward the void on his left. A sound of clashing gold and iron came from a place that should have been empty. The cold gleam of the Juexian Sword collided with the scythe, and the resulting shockwave shattered all the ice into powder.
At the same time, the Snow Empress struck out with a palm!
Empress' Palm: Snowless Glacier!
"Zhongli Wu" raised his Death God Scythe, not only blocking it, but with a reverse swing of the scythe, he directly chopped toward the Snow Empress's head.
Clang—
Gu Tianchen, holding the Xianxian Sword, blocked it.
At this very moment, myriad transformations and freezing cold stacked together.
Xianxian and Juexian struck simultaneously. While trapping "Zhongli Wu," Chen Junting took a step forward and slashed out with his sword.
The killing intent and sword qi within the array linked up at this moment, seemingly merging into one.
"A song of thirteen strings in a cup—"
"Half a life of wind and rain, all returned to a single sword!"
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