Chapter 860: Sudden Betrayal

The true immortals of the Immortal Xuan Continent did not withdraw at first because they willingly accepted retreat—they knew their world was linked to Earth, and in this age of fierce competition, if they stubbornly hid in a corner, they would inevitably be invaded.

But the war broke out suddenly, and the Xuan Continent's outpost became the first target, already swept clean by two true immortal-level combatants; at that point, for the true immortals to intervene would have been meaningless—the tide had turned, and retreat was their only option.

So they feigned weakness to lure the Demon Kings into action.

Though the scheme succeeded, those two Demon Kings proved utterly incompetent—one died, one fled—causing not a single loss among Earth's top experts; as for the dark world's demonic gods, they were paper tigers, swiftly cut down by the enemy's three ancient gods before fleeing in terror.

Yet these battles were not without effect—at least Li Yi and the others were now utterly drained.

If the true immortals now intervened, they might reap the benefits, wiping out all these opponents at once—but there was risk: they might provoke the enmity of some unknown great realm, or as Cang Erzi had warned, the enemy still held hidden cards.

But the true immortals had little time to deliberate.

For as time passed, Li Yi and the others retreating to Earth's frontline were rapidly restoring their magic power and regaining their composure.

"We've lost hundreds of Mahayana cultivators and over a dozen human immortals—if we true immortals retreat without acting, we'll lose morale and face fierce criticism."

A female true immortal could no longer hold back her words.

Her meaning was clear: as true immortals, they had to do something.

"Their combat strength is no joke—Li Yi already possesses true immortal-level power, and with Xuan Yuezi and Xiang Xiangzi, two formidable Daoists, they're clearly not easy to defeat." One elderly true immortal hesitated.

"But Wang Chengjun and Li Weiguo are no longer useful—their strength has plummeted severely, while the enemy's three top experts have fought relentlessly and are utterly exhausted; we have six of us—united, our odds are overwhelming." Another true immortal was eager to act.

After all, the enemy's condition had been watched closely—they knew it inside and out.

"Taihao, make the decision."

The other true immortals turned to Taihao True Person, hoping he would decide.

After a brief pause, Taihao True Person observed the others' attitudes and immediately decided: "As Cang Erzi said—we six will unleash our peak strike, annihilating Earth's frontline and sending Li Yi and all of them to their deaths in one blow."

"Their magic power is nearly gone—they can barely lift a Demon King's weapon. If we still can't win now, I've got nothing to say."

"Agreed. Let's do it."

The other true immortals instantly agreed—six of them united could shatter this continent, wiping out all their greatest threats at once, a clear boon for the Xuan Continent.

And it would also give every sect a proper explanation.

Cang Erzi stroked his beard and smiled; to the other true immortals, he looked confident of victory—but beneath his smile lay a cold, lethal intent.

"Then let's not wait—strike now," Taihao True Person declared, then shed his concealment, sweeping his spiritual sense—his body vanished instantly.

The other five true immortals vanished with him.

True immortals' spiritual sense could span both worlds—a single teleport could carry them from the Xuan Continent to Earth; distance meant nothing to them.

When the six true immortals appeared above Earth's frontline, staggering energy waves erupted—mere residual divine power rippling through the air tore apart the cloud seas overhead, and a suffocating aura instantly reached the ground.

Those resting within Earth's frontline immediately felt their hairs stand on end, sensing a lethal killing intent enveloping their entire bodies—a killing intent so vast it extended across the entire continent.

"What? More enemies approaching?" A Daoist gasped.

"This aura is vile—it's the true immortals of the Xuan Continent, arriving together on the battlefield," Ye Jingtian looked up; though distant and unable to see their forms, he saw infinite cosmic energy converging.

If this strike landed, everyone on the battlefield would die—even the Crimson Gold Battle Armor would offer no protection, unless they could instantly flee into an Immortal Warship and open a cross-realm gate.

But the enemy had come prepared—there was no way to achieve that.

"The true immortals of the Xuan Continent are truly shameless—launching a surprise attack," Xiang Xiangzi instantly understood everything, her fury erupting—she immediately drew her sword and dagger, ready to charge the true immortals.

But she had just finished a brutal battle, had barely rested, and her magic power was under forty percent—even if she fought to the death, she'd likely only die herself, unable to defeat true immortals at their peak.

Moreover, their numbers far outnumbered hers.

Xuan Yuezi beside her was equally furious at the true immortals' shamelessness—they had promised to withdraw from Earth and never return, yet turned around and broke their word like empty air.

Such untrustworthy beings—how could they even call themselves true immortals?

"Immortal, the Bodhisattva's physical statue!" But Li Yi instantly flew over, shouting urgently.

At this shout, Xiang Xiangzi shuddered, snapping back to reason—she had nearly forgotten: her storage Dao artifact still held the Bodhisattva's physical statue, her final trump card, never used in battle before.

But now, there was no time for hesitation.

The Bodhisattva's physical statue was immediately retrieved.

This seemingly ordinary statue of a compassionate Bodhisattva concealed the power of celestial dragons—Master Yulian had defeated the Tian Yue Demon King precisely by relying on this statue.

"I'll inhabit this Bodhisattva statue," Xiang Xiangzi immediately prepared to let her primordial spirit leave her body.

"No, Immortal—I will. I have the Crimson Lotus protecting my primordial spirit form and the power of incense worship—now I'm better suited to inhabit the Bodhisattva statue. You two Immortals, guard my physical body."

Li Yi immediately stopped her, then his primordial spirit form detached from his body and surged straight into the Bodhisattva statue.

Even though Li Yi acted swiftly, the six true immortals' attack had now fully coalesced.

At this moment, the sky itself tore open—residual power shattered the land for thousands of li, leaving it riddled with cracks; magma erupted in places, seawater reversed, and storms, lightning, and torrential rain erupted simultaneously.

The world seemed to plunge instantly into apocalypse.

Not only did the cultivators within Earth's frontline feel terror—so did the inhabitants of ten survival bases far from the battlefield; as evolved beings, they sensed the abnormality of this surge.

Previously, only residual shockwaves had reached them—but this was annihilation-level power.

Indeed, the true immortals of the Xuan Continent were ruthless—they aimed to shatter this continent in one strike, burying Li Yi and all these immensely promising experts, instantly reversing fate and delivering the Xuan Continent a glorious victory.

"Winning at the start isn't winning—the one who laughs last wins. With six true immortals joining forces to send you to your deaths, you've lived a worthy life," Taihao True Person unleashed all his power without reserve, striking his peak blow.

Yet at this moment, the entire planned sequence was abruptly shattered by a piercing scream—a senior True Immortal had suffered a sudden disaster, struck by a terrifying blow.

But at that very moment, the carefully planned assault was shattered by a piercing scream—a senior true immortal suffered a sudden disaster, struck by a terrifying blow.

With no preparation and all his magic power channeled into the peak strike, his immortal body was instantly shattered, his primordial spirit extinguished outright.

This sudden turn startled everyone.

But immediately afterward, Taihao True Immortal also took a blow, his body half-obliterated in an instant, his Primordial Spirit severely wounded; had he not been wearing a divine armor, he would surely be dead now.

Then Taihao True Person also took a blow—half his body was obliterated, his primordial spirit severely wounded; had he not worn an immortal armor, he would have died on the spot.

"Cang Erzi, what are you doing?" A female true immortal stared in disbelief.

Cang Erzi, with thunderous speed, had already killed one true immortal, then brutally wounded Taihao True Person—and without hesitation, he turned and charged toward another.

"Damn it!" The targeted true immortal finally reacted, raising his hand to unleash an immortal sword that momentarily blocked Cang Erzi's assault, then swiftly retreated.

"Pity—I only sent one true immortal on his way. I thought that strike would've taken out Taihao too," Cang Erzi, seeing his ambush failed, ceased attacking and shifted to defense.

"Cough, cough—Cang Erzi, why are you doing this?" Taihao True Person was a bloody ruin, his combat power gone—whether he could even return safely to the Xuan Continent was uncertain.

"I come from the Dao world—I am close friends with Xiang Xiangzi and Xuan Yuezi. Since crossing over, I've lived as a wandering cultivator on the Xuan Continent, gathering intelligence and learning Immortal arts. Now the time is ripe—I no longer need to hide." Cang Erzi glanced coldly at the remaining true immortals.

Hearing this, the true immortals were stunned and enraged.

They had never suspected a spy lurked among them—if not for today's attack on Earth's frontline, Cang Erzi might still have been hiding.

But now exposed, Cang Erzi had delivered them a fatal blow: two true immortals—one dead, one critically wounded—and their coordinated strike was shattered; only three true immortals managed to unleash a combined blow.

This power fell far short of expectations—it might well be blocked by Earth's experts.

And reality proved it so.

A roar of celestial dragon energy echoed, directly withstanding the three true immortals' combined strike—boundless energy exploded midair, as if overturning the heavens; countless spatial cracks appeared, and occasionally, doors to unknown realms opened.

"Cang Erzi, you've done well—join me and eliminate these true immortals. We cannot let them escape," came a voice brimming with murderous intent.

A flood of Buddhist light enveloped the scene.

A Bodhisattva statue, brows lowered, hands clasped, standing atop a Crimson Lotus, swiftly flew forward.

Around this Bodhisattva statue, shadows of celestial dragons coiled—nothing could stand in its path, its power utterly dominant.

It was Li Yi's primordial spirit, inhabiting the statue, unleashing the divine power of the Celestial Dragon Bodhisattva.

Under this divine power, Li Yi felt his strength surpassing Demon King level, reaching a new height—but wielding such immense power came at a cost.

Li Yi's primordial spirit form felt as if burdened by mountains—constantly enduring the backlash of celestial dragon energy; if he continued, his primordial spirit would shatter, even explode.

Fortunately, the Crimson Lotus treasure protected him, preventing his primordial spirit from breaking—but even so, his spiritual power was draining at a frantic pace.

Thus, he could not sustain this state for long.

(End of Chapter)