Chapter 2011

Like us Dao friends stuck in the mid-stage of the Body Integration realm, I don't know how many there are among the human and demon races. But those who can break through to the late-stage realm are only a handful. If I remember correctly, Daoist Han should have only just advanced to the mid-stage realm not long ago. To already begin assaulting the late-stage bottleneck so quickly—this cultivation speed is truly monstrous. Even those few legendary figures of ancient fame in our clan, I fear, are no more than this. Master Jinyue nodded, fully agreeing with the silver-haired elder's opinion.

"But precisely because Daoist Han's talent is too astonishing, this step is all the harder to cross. After all, in such a short time, Daoist Han's foundation is inevitably too shallow, which will increase the difficulty of breaking through the bottleneck." The silver-haired elder said, eyes slightly narrowed.

"Hehe, all this is merely our speculation. As for the actual outcome, we still need to wait and see. Daoist Han might yet surprise us greatly!" Master Jinyue replied with a light laugh.

"I hope so! If our city gains another late-stage cultivator to hold the fort, in the decisive battle against the demon race, we shall have things much easier. And with Daoist Han's divine abilities, even at mid-stage he rivals a late-stage cultivator; if he advances another step, I fear even the incarnations of the demon holy ancestors could be matched." The silver-haired elder said, sinking into contemplation.

"Hmm, while the demon holy ancestors' true forms have not yet descended, their incarnations are the highest existence of the demon army. If Daoist Han can truly entangle them, we can abandon our original plan and concentrate our forces to first deal with those demon venerables." Upon hearing this, Master Jinyue's eyes suddenly flashed with a cold glint.

The silver-haired elder nodded, but said nothing more, turning his gaze again toward the celestial phenomena in the distance.

At this moment, the fire clouds in the high sky had already turned into a vast red 'color' ocean, covering most of the sky beneath it.

Meanwhile, the splendid light and haze beneath the fire clouds began to condense into clusters, transforming into countless giant runes of five-colored hues, floating lightly in the high sky, blazing with dazzling light.

In the next instant, these runes suddenly trembled violently, then shot straight toward the upper fire clouds as if intending to pierce straight through.

With a sudden loud humming sound, the fire clouds intensified their violent tumbling. As soon as those giant runes touched the clouds, they immediately emitted a 'hissing' strange sound, then trembled and shattered one after another.

These runes were actually pressed down by the fire clouds and held fast beneath them, utterly unable to break free even a little.

A cold snort suddenly echoed through the void without end, followed immediately by a flash of azure light in the void, where a blurry figure a thousand zhang tall flickered into existence, then expressionlessly pointed several times at the high void above.

After an intangible 'ripple' spread through space, the giant runes' condensation speed instantly surged to over ten times faster than before.

Millions of runes, in just a few breaths' time, suddenly took form and appeared, then surged upward like a tide once more.

The fire clouds, for some unknown mysterious reason, remained as steady as Mount Tai despite facing the surging runes, showing no sign of faltering.

However, whether fire clouds or giant runes, both continued to expand at an astonishing speed, as if they would never cease their 'expansion'.

But that huge phantom seemed to have grown impatient; suddenly, an arm moved, and it actually struck far away at the red clouds.

Though it appeared merely a phantom, when this punch was thrown, it suddenly produced a thunderous boom like a clap of thunder.

The azure 'color' figure flickered and dissipated, but an intangible immense force easily sank into the fire clouds, then instantly exploded outward.

After a continuous rumble of 'Boom—', a patch of fire clouds vanished into thin air, leaving behind a giant hole over a hundred zhang in diameter.

Some runes shot out from this gap in a burst, while the fire clouds flashed, and the hole quickly sealed itself as before.

These flying runes instantly condensed into a cluster, vaguely forming another giant rune about the size of a mu.

With a flash of light, this rune began to gradually become clear, and seemed about to directly transform into a solid 'form'!

But just at this critical moment, suddenly above the fire clouds came thunder and lightning, as rolling black clouds condensed out of nowhere, vaguely taking shape as black 'color' giant flood dragons, baring fangs and claws, and in an instant they tore apart the five 'color' humanoid figure that was unable to move.

Immediately followed by thunderclaps that shook the heavens!

Thick silver arcs appeared on the flood dragons' bodies, interweaving and flashing, truly astonishing!

"Actually eighty-one of them—truly unbelievable! I remember that when that senior predecessor passed his late-stage tribulation, the lightning flood dragons summoned were only thirty-six. Daoist Han's late-stage tribulation has actually drawn so many—this is truly hard to believe!" Master Jinyue exclaimed involuntarily upon seeing this.

Seeing this, the silver-haired elder's eyes likewise flashed with a hint of alarm, but he calmly said:

"This late-stage tribulation is so fierce, I don't know how Daoist Han will cope. One misstep, and not only will he fail to break through to the late-stage realm, but he might even severely damage his own vital energy. Unfortunately, outsiders cannot 'intervene' in such heavenly tribulations. Otherwise, if we were to lend a hand, Daoist Han might still have a chance."

The elder seemed to have already concluded that Han Li could not pass this tribulation!

"Elder Gu need not worry too much; since Daoist Han has chosen to assault the late-stage bottleneck at this time, he must have some confidence. We should just wait and see." Master Jinyue took a light breath, his expression solemn as he spoke.

As if to confirm the monk's words, a thunderclap rang out from the clear sky!

Dozens of bolts of gold 'color' lightning, as thick as water jars, shot up from below, piercing through the rune-fire clouds in a flash, and violently struck those black 'color' flood dragons.

The booming sound rose loudly!

Wherever the gold light passed, the black flood dragons' huge bodies suddenly appeared with giant holes, and the silver 'color' lightning arcs coiled around their bodies were sucked away like dragons returning to the sea. Had the gold light not lasted only a moment before vanishing, these flood dragons might truly have been scattered by that single strike.

But this action of the gold light also instantly enraged these flood dragons.

All the black flood dragons let out a low roar from their mouths; nearby winds rose and clouds surged, countless mists gathered at the damaged parts of their bodies, and instantly repaired themselves as before.

The flood dragons opened their mouths again, and gusts of gray 'color' gale wind surged out, sweeping straight downward in a wild rush.

The fire clouds below were swept up by this wind, and with a 'whoosh' they blazed fiercely.

Fire borrows wind's might, wind borrows fire's power—under the union of wind and fire, a vast fire sea over a hundred li in breadth instantly formed, and then slowly pressed down from above.

Before the fire sea had truly fallen, the void below was illuminated entirely red, as if the whole space were about to be ignited.

Seeing this, Master Jinyue and the silver-haired elder's faces 'color' couldn't help but change slightly.

Given the vast extent of this fire's coverage, if the one undergoing tribulation responds poorly, the number of ordinary cultivators affected by the collateral damage will likely far exceed common imagination.

Other cultivators nearby likewise sucked in a breath of cold air.

They never imagined that this tribulation, as soon as it began, would already possess such tremendous power.

Asking themselves, if they were in his place, probably just this wave of heavenly fire would be enough to reduce them to ashes and smoke.

At the center where the fire sea was descending, lo and behold was the stone tower where Han Li was in seclusion.

Though this tower indeed had some protective restrictions, if it were truly crushed by the fire sea, naturally only the tower's destruction and the person's death would result.

Just then, a cluster of silver light flickered into view at the tower's top, followed by a clear chime; a ball of silver flame rolled out from the spiritual light, slowly turned, and then transformed into a giant fire bird covered entirely in silver 'color' plumage.

This fire bird was at first only about a zhang in size, but when its wings spread, silver flame suddenly surged up ten or more zhang high, swelling to a hundred times its original size into a colossal being, and it lunged straight at the fire sea.

A muffled boom!'

The moment the silver bird touched the fire sea, it silently sank in, but the next instant, the fire sea began to boil.

The crimson flames seemed to be drawn by an irresistible force, rushing madly toward where the great fire bird had vanished, then quickly disappearing in flashing light.

In a short time, the entire fire sea had already diminished by more than one-fifth.

At this rate, the fire sea would vanish completely in an instant.

But before that, the black flood dragons in the sky shook their heads and swayed their tails, then opened their mouths again.

This time, however, it was a stream of white air pouring down from the sky.

This white air seemed ordinary, but when the cold air dispersed in midair, it instantly condensed into crystal-clear ice cones over ten zhang long, their tips razor-sharp, their bodies perfectly transparent! Yet before these ice cones could truly fall, from within the stone tower below came a sudden chorus of ghostly wails and wolf howls, followed by five skulls the size of carts rolling out, mouths open as they sprayed forth, and five streams of five 'color' cold flames turned into a snow-and-ice waterfall that flew upward.

As soon as the ice cones were caught by this cold flame, they melted and dissolved, being restored to extremely pure spiritual energy, which the cold flame then wrapped and made disappear. After two kinds of attacks were broken, the black flood dragons showed no reaction; twisting their bodies, they suddenly erupted in loud explosions and shattered themselves.

Their shattered bodies in the air merely flickered for an instant, then transformed into countless large and small stone fragments.

The smaller ones were not even the size of a skull, while the larger ones were as huge as a thousand zhang, enormous like small mountains. With so many boulders crashing down, it seemed as if heaven and earth were collapsing, causing the ordinary cultivators trapped beneath the storm of stone to instantly turn pale with fear.

In the deepest chamber of the underground level beneath the stone tower below, a human figure sat cross-legged with eyes tightly shut on a yellow cushion.

Spiritual energy surged violently across his body, his face flushed crimson, sweat pouring from his temples as if he were at a critical juncture of utmost importance.

Before him stood two towering peaks, one green and one black, each about a zhang in height, side by side. Above his head, seventy-two small green swords transformed into a blooming green lotus of swords, swirling and dancing around him without cease.

His body was covered in layers of black runes that churned incessantly, faintly enveloping him in a suit of armor as black as ink.

Yet strangely, despite the numerous protective treasures surrounding him, the outer periphery was filled with dense gray specks of light, each the size of a thumb, emitting an extreme yin chill and a low, droning hum.

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