Chapter 2015: 833, Xiang Lingshuang, Disciple He Xuanqi, Xu Wei, Eight Desolations Sword Formation_2
 

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Killing those cultivators who gathered Source Energy and destroying the cities they defend is the only way to obtain Source Power.

“Roar——”

A roar resounded as squadrons of Heavenly Demonic Beasts charged out of the void.

The murderous aura condensed on those Heavenly Demonic Beasts, transforming into a ten-thousand-mile-long blood-red dragon that hurtled towards the city walls below.

“Formation, activate——”

Jade Cicada Sword Immortal, on top of the city wall, gave a low shout, his body soaring into the air, racing ten thousand zhang away, drawing forth flashing sword light.

A million rays of sword light converged, forming a long sword that pierced the sky, colliding with the blood dragon above.

Although the motion of the long sword appeared slow, the power within surged violently.

The blood-red dragon trembled, roaring as it struck the sword body.

The sword body slowly swayed, gradually shattering.

Below, the sword cultivators of Nine Mysteries City all turned pale.

“We can’t hold them back…” On the city wall, standing beside Jade Cicada Sword Immortal, a black-bearded elder gritted his teeth and murmured.

Elsewhere, other sword cultivators took a deep breath, their eyes revealing a determination to fight to the death.

“If we can’t hold back, we are surely dead,” someone in the distance within the city said, panic showing on their face as they spoke in a low voice.

“Should we… flee?” A green-robed elder wearing a jade crown took a deep breath, glanced around, then spoke in a hushed tone.

Escape.

Escape from Nine Mysteries City.

They couldn’t be buried along with Nine Mysteries City.

When the first cultivator burst out of the city and fled, figures from all city gates began to escape.

The sword cultivators on the city wall clenched their teeth, remaining silent.

Escaping at such a critical moment would not only weaken the power of the city’s defensive formations but would also lead to the disintegration of the soldiers’ morale.

“Traitors…” Someone laughed lightly in the sky, “If the Immortal Sovereign were commanding in the city, all these deserters would be executed.”

“Indeed, as sword cultivators, they don’t even know the principle of meeting killing with killing,” someone else said, shaking their head, “Unfit for command if they can’t enforce orders and prohibitions.”

As millions of cultivators fled the city, the defense of Nine Mysteries City began to weaken, and the spiritual light slowly faded.

Not only did the defensive spiritual light weaken, but even the willpower of the Defensive Disciples on the city walls was affected, and their battle intent began to waver.

“Eh, why have so many people fled from the city, yet their rankings in the Golden List haven’t dropped?” Inquired a surprised figure waiting in the void.

Indeed, atop the Golden List where spiritual light flickered, the position of Nine Mysteries City hadn’t fallen despite the millions of cultivators who had fled.

“Why is this?”

Someone asked, perplexed.

The combat strength of these cultivators leaving the city, if combined, would already be substantial.

Such a significant divide would not affect the rankings unless, for one reason, the abilities of these cultivators weren’t accounted for in the strength of Nine Mysteries City.

The second reason might be that Nine Mysteries City still possessed other hidden strength.

“Buzz——”

Sword light gathered again on the head of Nine Mysteries City.

In the sky, the gathering Heavenly Demonic Beasts had already surpassed one hundred thousand.

All were Level three and Level four Heavenly Demonic Beasts.

So many, such powerful congregations of Heavenly Demonic Beasts caused the very heavens and earth to tremble.

Below, the Origin Power of Nine Mysteries City also revealed itself, turning into a stretch of lush green.

For the Heavenly Demonic Beasts, as long as they killed the sword cultivators of Nine Mysteries City and extracted this Source Energy, they could advance their cultivation abilities.

As for the cultivators nearby, once Nine Mysteries City fell, they could rush in to seize the Origin and then harvest the Heavenly Beads that would condense later.

Origin condensing into Heavenly Beads, both second-grade and first-grade beads are the condensation of Source Power.

While true second-grade Heavenly Demonic Beasts may also possess Heavenly Beads, how many forces in the entire Arena of Strife have the strength to hunt down second-grade Heavenly Demonic Beasts?

Not to mention first-grade Heavenly Demonic Beasts.

First-grade Heavenly Beads are not obtained by hunting but are slowly formed by major powers.

“With this strike, Nine Mysteries City is doomed,” someone said in the air.

The Heavenly Demonic Beasts above the sky vault were evidently at their peak strength; not to mention the demoralized Nine Mysteries City, even Nine Mysteries City at its full strength couldn’t withstand them.

Above the firmament, the blood-colored Azure Dragon gathered again, its form stretching beyond ten thousand miles.

The dragon roared, exuding terrifying presence that forced the surrounding observing cultivators to retreat.

Those who had come from the Upper Third-Rank Domains also began to back away.

“I will handle it.”

Just then, a voice spoke up.

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A figure clad in a green robe, donning a jade crown, with a three-strand long beard fluttering, appeared outside the city walls.

The sword cultivators atop the city walls all looked at this figure with a sense of surprise and joy.

“Vice city master!”

“City Master Xu Zhi!”

This figure arriving so smoothly turned out to be Xu Zhi, who had always been in charge of Immortal Burial City.

Governing Immortal Burial City, overseeing Our Heaven Continent, and now the Vice City Master of Nine Mysteries City in the Desolate Heaven Territory.

Within the Nine Mystic Sword Sect lineage, Xu Zhi possessed unmatched leadership.

In the lineage of Nine Mystic Mountain, the rarely seen spiritual pillar and Cloud Ripple Sword Honor Han Muye naturally stood as the foremost individual, the revered elder ancestor by all disciples.

Huang Zhihu, the man commanding all Sword Dao disciples, invincible in battle formations, had indeed become the city master in name and in fact, acting as the spokesperson for Han Muye.

The wildly arrogant and justice-valuing Heaven Trampling Immortal Sovereign Huang Six, though often excessive in actions, possessed sufficient strength and unmatched influence within Nine Mysteries City.

Following these individuals, there was Xu Zhi, known for his tactical acumen, praised as the intimate comrade of Cloud Ripple Sword Honor and acting as a steward.

For many years, the logistics, resources, and strategic dispatches within the Nine Mysteries City lineage had all been managed without fault by Xu Zhi.

Now, with the return of Xu Zhi, the city walls immediately erupted in exuberant cries.

The originally subdued sword intent within countless sword cultivators began to surge and ripple.

“Elder Xu, the command of this battle is yours,” Jade Cicada Sword Immortal said in a low voice to Xu Zhi as he walked up to the city walls.

As a direct disciple of the Nine Mysteries lineage, she addressed Xu Zhi as Elder.

Xu Zhi looked up at the blood-red dragon that was already charging towards them above, did not decline, and nodded in agreement while a dense aura of Confucian Dao transformed into a golden pillar of light around him.

He had always been a Confucian cultivator, not a sword cultivator.

The Nine Mysteries lineage did not specifically require sword cultivation.

Indeed, all paths of cultivation ultimately led to the same destination.

“Set the Eight Desolations Sword Formation,” Xu Zhi shouted loudly.

The sword cultivators on the city walls, without hesitation, instantly began to move and disperse.

To change formation.

To change formation amidst battle was taboo.

But some possessed the confidence to dare change formations in the face of such formidable enemies.

Xu Zhi was such a formidable individual with this level of confidence.

It was only with someone like Xu Zhi present that the sword cultivators on the walls would unhesitatingly obey the order to change formation.

In an instant, the gathered sword light shattered, positions of the sword cultivators on the walls shifted, transforming into eight square formations, with beams of sword light crisscrossing, and eight differently shaped and colored long sword phantasms began to rise.

These eight thousand-foot-long swords, some were gold and red with flames winding around them, some flickered with blue light as if reflecting rippling water, while others were dark and weighty, like stone engravings…

These eight long swords were positioned at eight different points, their sword lights flashing as they protected the entire city walls of Nine Mysteries City.

Above the heavens, the demonic beast transformed into a dragon had already charged over.

The hastily formed sword array had just barely taken shape.

“It’s too late…” someone said in a low voice from a distance.

“I don’t believe he can control the sword array to the limit. Even the strongest array formation cultivator in the world cannot accomplish this,” someone said with a focused gaze and a firm voice.

Above the city walls, all the sword cultivators collected the sword light above their heads and then silently waited.

The last time they had formed an array like this and were commanded by Xu Zhi was at Immortal Burial City, wasn’t it?

The Divine Realm’s siege, the ultimate counterattack.

At that time, the sword cultivators in the city didn’t have the qualifications to participate in the great war and could only watch.

Now, most of them have become Great Luo Sword Immortals and Sword Dao Immortal Lords, their combat strength far surpassing that of the time in Immortal Burial City.

Today, they finally became the protagonists of this battle.

“Eight Desolations, without self,” Elder Xu shouted from the front.

With his voice, eight giant swords flew directly up into the heavens.

The swords intersected, water and fire clashed, wind and thunder merged, and in just a moment, they stirred thunderstorms and rolling clouds between heaven and earth.

The skies for a million miles around became drumming waves of clouds that obscured the sky.

The heavenly demonic beast dragon, originally charging towards Nine Mysteries City, was caught in the rolling clouds and lost direction.

It wasn’t a hard confrontation but using the power of the formation to trap the heavenly demon beast.

This tactic was not in the nature of sword cultivators.

Yet at this moment, such a strike was surprisingly effective.

“ROAR—”

Above the sky, cloud dragons tumbled as countless heavenly demonic beasts were blocked outside the billowing clouds.

This scene shocked many cultivators, showing astonishment on their faces.