Chapter 255: Fighting the Heavenly Monarch, the Situation Reverses

"Who is it?"

At this very moment, the wild thunder filling the sky had completely dissipated, and the world was in a state of utter ruin. Shi Mingkong, looking slightly disheveled, had a ferocious expression on his face, emitting a vicious roar from his mouth. Dark, baleful flames surged around his body for dozens of miles like a monstrous, heaven-engulfing wave:

"Show yourself, this seat commands you!"

Boom!

With fangs growing from his mouth, he was clearly enraged to the extreme. As he opened his mouth to exhale, countless wailing, aggrieved souls flew out, swirling around him like a torrent and spreading rapidly, as if searching for something.

Although Corpse Demons have neither souls nor spirits, once they reach the level of a Heavenly Corpse King, their intelligence is powerful, and they possess their own means to achieve an effect similar to the Divine Sense scanning of a Refining Qi into Spirit cultivator.

However, as rolling aggrieved souls filled the heavens and earth, his perception of evil intent covered the surrounding hundreds of miles, yet he could not detect even a trace of the attacker's aura. It was as if the rolling Heavenly Thunder from just moments ago was not man-made, but truly a divine punishment sent down by the Heavens.

Unable to find the attacker, Shi Mingkong let out an even more furious, shrill scream. The violent, boundless baleful energy erupted like a volcano, causing the earth to crack and the sun and moon to tremble. The swarm of demons, having suffered no small losses, also let out wails and collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.

Such surging baleful flames clearly proved that he had suffered no major harm under the bombardment of the wild thunder, at most only minor injuries. Even so, this left Lingjian Tianjun and Zhuhuo Tianjun, who were watching with Divine Sense from over a hundred miles away, feeling deeply alarmed:

"What a tyrannical thunder-type Supernatural Power; which fellow Daoist is this exactly?"

"A pity, a pity. This fellow Daoist seems to have only just stepped into the Refining Qi into Spirit stage and lacks sufficient cultivation; otherwise..."

The two had fought Shi Mingkong head-on and clearly knew how terrifying this Heavenly Corpse King, who was comparable to a late-stage Refining Qi into Spirit cultivator, truly was.

At that time, the two of them had exhausted all their means, yet they could only barely hold on under the other's offensive. They could not even achieve a stalemate, let alone injure the opponent.

Yet just now, the mysterious cultivator who struck not only injured Shi Mingkong but even left this evil creature unable to find a trace, like a headless fly.

Although the massive Heavenly Thunder lasted for only a short time, its power was grand and violent, and it was exceptionally restraining to evil creatures like Shi Mingkong. If the frequency and duration of the Heavenly Thunder bombardment had been longer, it might have been able to severely wound this fiend.

It was not just the two Tianjun; Yang Xianlin, Wei Bufan, and other True Monarchs within the formation, and even the mid-level and low-level cultivators, were all slightly invigorated for a moment, looking forward to the mysterious Tianjun striking again.

However, what no one knew was that outside the formation, in the firmament high above their heads, Lu Yuan was hidden in the void, his eyes flickering as he sighed in his heart:

"As expected, the gap between the two sides is still too large. Even with 【Mastering Five Thunders】 combined with 【Slaying Demons】, it is impossible to cause much damage to a Heavenly Corpse King of this level, and killing it is even more nearly impossible..."

In reality, the one currently inside the formation was his Cloning, while his true body had remained outside the Main City's formation from the very beginning, waiting for an opportunity to act.

Originally, he had not intended to intervene under the eyes of so many high-level cultivators, but seeing countless people outside the city being slaughtered, he ultimately chose to strike—not for anything else, but for the sake of his own peace of mind.

Of course, the result was not unexpected: even when he exerted his restraining 【Mastering Five Thunders】 and 【Slaying Demons】 Supernatural Powers to their fullest, he could not do much to an existence of Shi Mingkong's level.

After all, in the Yuanling Heaven cultivation world, every major cultivation realm represents an insurmountable chasm. Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for cross-realm battles to occur; let alone Nascent Soul fighting Refining Qi into Spirit, even Foundation Establishment fighting Golden Core, or Qi Refining fighting Golden Core, are impossible things.

Although Lu Yuan possessed Heavenly Gang Great Divine Ability, his Refining Qi into Spirit realm was only comparable to Nascent Soul, and he was a whole insurmountable major realm away from Refining Qi into Spirit, not to mention that the opponent was comparable to a late-stage Refining Qi into Spirit, an existence that even the two Tianjun, Lingjian and Zhuhuo, had to retreat from.

Fortunately, the 【Flying Body Hiding Traces】 Supernatural Power was powerful enough, and combined with the fact that the Corpse Demon's perception was a weakness, he hid in the void, cast his Supernatural Power, and immediately fled, never exposing his tracks from beginning to end.

Just as he was observing secretly from afar.

"Do you not dare to come out?"

"Cowardly creature, since that is the case, this seat will let you see the price of offending this seat!"

Shi Mingkong let out a ferocious, long howl. Countless corpses on the ground floated up, their flesh and blood detaching. The originally collapsed Corpse Bone Throne was rapidly repaired under the replenishment, and at the same time, he pointed a finger:

"Go!"

The Corpse Demons, which had been slaughtered by nearly half under the wild thunder, regained their ferocity and spread out in all directions toward the periphery of the residential area for mortals, driving and devouring even more mortals.

At the same time, rolling black energy spread from Shi Mingkong's body like a tsunami. Every mortal, whether swallowed by a Corpse Demon or poisoned to death by death energy and corpse energy, had their fearful living soul forcibly extracted immediately after death, turning into ghostly light that merged into the black energy and became Shi Mingkong's supplement.

And this was not all. Just as terror and death continued to spread rapidly on the outskirts of the Immortal City, on the horizon far away, a gloomy and massive darkness accompanied by the trembling of the world was gradually approaching. The cultivators within the Big Dipper Heavenly Star Killing Array did not need to use their Divine Sense to probe; they knew that the lagging, endless Corpse Demon tide was about to arrive!

The Corpse Tide numbered in the millions and tens of millions. Once it arrived, it would not only inevitably slaughter the mortals on the periphery but also deal the greatest impact to the Main City's grand formation. Regardless of their cultivation level, the cultivators inside the formation all had stern expressions and tightly pursed lips, quietly waiting for the arrival of the greatest impact.

Lu Yuan also just watched with cold eyes, his gaze flickering as if he were pondering something.

And it was at this moment.

In the center of the Main City, two massive fluctuations of Dharma Power suddenly appeared out of thin air. Sensing these fluctuations, the two Tianjun, Lingjian and Zhuhuo, turned their heads in surprise:

"This is!?"

Their Divine Sense had just been sent out when a voice filled with supreme majesty resounded through the entire void, ringing directly in the hearts of thousands of cultivators:

"Fellow Daoist Lingjian, Fellow Daoist Zhuhuo, you two have worked hard."

"Entrusted by the Immortal Alliance, we have come specifically to assist in the battle and slay the evil demons!"

Then, two rainbow lights were seen crossing over from the direction of the teleportation array in the center of the Main City, appearing before the many cultivators.

One old man had eyes that were incomparably weathered, with silver-white hair and beard, unkempt, and a wine gourd hanging from his waist.

The other had the appearance of a middle-aged man, dressed in a mysterious gold Daoist robe. His entire form looked as if it were condensed from gold, and his eyes were bright with divine light, faintly reflecting glazed, colorful radiance, majestic and supreme like a heavenly god.

Seeing the two, Lingjian Tianjun and Zhuhuo Tianjun had their gloominess completely dispelled and laughed heartily:

"Douzhan Tianjun, Jiuxian Tianjun, you two have finally arrived!" "Well come, well come indeed!"

Jiuxian Tianjun was naturally the unkempt old man with the wine gourd at his waist. He noticed at a glance that Zhuhuo Tianjun was actually in a Primordial Spirit state, his gaze slightly narrowing:

"Fellow Daoist Zhuhuo, what is this?"

In front of a peer, Zhuhuo Tianjun, who had suffered such a great loss, could not help but feel a bit embarrassed, saying helplessly:

"I have let you two fellow Daoists see a joke. That evil creature is fierce and peerless; I was careless for a moment, so..."

"Shi Mingkong, is that the evil beast on the throne?"

Douzhan Tianjun, who was majestic and overbearing like a heavenly god, frowned and did not waste a single word:

"Very well, this seat will go and meet this fiend. I must trouble you two fellow Daoists to open this formation."

With a strong reinforcement like Douzhan Tianjun, they no longer needed to be trapped inside the formation, watching thousands of mortals being slaughtered, and they could also regain their standing and vent their anger. Lingjian Tianjun immediately shouted:

"Yang Xianlin, open the formation passage, prepare to go out and meet the enemy!"

Yang Xianlin hurriedly agreed and commanded the formation department cultivators under him to activate and open a corner of the Big Dipper Heavenly Star Grand Array.

Immediately after, Douzhan Tianjun's figure was seen transforming into a brilliant, crystalline golden rainbow, crossing dozens of miles of void in two or three breaths, appearing before the swarm of demons that were currently wreaking havoc outside the city.

A Corpse King, which was gorging itself and covered in blood, discovered the presence of Douzhan Tianjun and immediately lunged over while howling. However, the latter's cold eyes merely swept over it indifferently:

"Scram!"

Bang!

The next moment, his gaze seemed to transform into peerless sharpness, flashing instantly through the void. The Corpse King that was charging at him, and even all the Corpse Demons within twenty miles around him, instantly shattered and turned into countless corpse fragments only the size of a thumb!

Hm?

Above the throne, Shi Mingkong locked onto Douzhan Tianjun at the very first moment; his body and the throne drifted forward rapidly amidst countless surging ghostly lights and black Qi, facing each other from afar:

"Interesting. You are the reinforcement they brought in?"

However, Douzhan Tianjun only looked over with an indifferent gaze:

"Why speak more, you evil beast? Just accept your death."

Before the words had even faded, he raised a finger and tapped lightly; streaks of magnificent and violent golden light crisscrossed, carving out trails of pale gold, and amidst rapid tremors, they instantly transformed into an incomparably solid, heaven-piercing Golden Pagoda!

As soon as this massive, noble pagoda took shape, it faintly exhaled and inhaled obscure Qi that was difficult to fathom in the void, perfect and bright, illuminating the void.

It was unknown what material it was composed of; with nine levels and eight faces, countless golden lights flowed upon it, faintly refracting an aura of the suffering of all worlds and the great desires of human life, while strange phenomena such as giant dragons, flying phoenixes, and dragon-steeds appeared, reflecting the various miseries of the human world and forming a vast ocean of suffering!

Under the rendering of the golden light, the booming sound, like morning bells and evening drums, became increasingly grand, possessing the power to shake the void; streaks of golden light crisscrossed on the pagoda, filled with the supreme will to cross the sea of suffering, and there was not a trace of ferocity or evil in it, as if thousands upon thousands of people were chanting in unison, faintly and endlessly booming and echoing in mid-air, rendering the space for dozens of miles around entirely golden, and then it instantly grew larger and larger, covering Shi Mingkong head-on.

"Arrogant! I want to see how much weight you have to dare to spout such nonsense!"

Shi Mingkong's expression was fierce; as he spoke, a beam of flame-like black radiance erupted from his entire body, the light curtain swaying like a tide, and streaks of pitch-black mist flew out lightly, slithering through the void like dragons and snakes; in an instant, the surging black mist formed a huge Underworld Lotus, trembling gently in the wind!

There was even a faint, dark fragrance flowing from the Underworld Lotus, its petals blooming layer by layer, carving out a space within the sky-filling golden sea of suffering; cold and destructive black light wantonly rendered this piece of heaven and earth, and the lotus leaves rotated, crashing down to strangle the Golden Pagoda that was covering him.

Hum!

The next moment, the pagoda suppressed downward, and the endless thunderous roar echoed like exploding thunder in all directions.

One could see the pagoda shining with great light, streaks of golden light hanging down from it, crashing violently into the huge black Underworld Lotus below; the heaven and earth were shaken for a hundred miles around!!

At the very center of the collision, the void suddenly twisted and deformed violently like a piece of transparent silk; at the center of the most severe distortion, thousands of fine ripples spread in all directions. Wherever they passed, all air, dust, and light were like a scroll being wantonly twisted and torn, ripped apart from within with no room for resistance.

One side of the world was already in the state of an apocalypse where the heavens collapsed and the earth crumbled; amidst the roar of billions of thunders, golden light and black radiance, along with countless fireworks, exploded crazily, like countless meteors falling from beyond the heavens, the splashed trajectories looking as if the space had developed thousands of cracks, ready to shatter completely the next moment!

Chi chi chi chi—

Along the trajectory of the suppression, the Golden Pagoda crushed everything into dust, a large amount of pitch-black mist was shredded into sky-filling streamers, and the huge Underworld Lotus formed by Shi Mingkong's Supernatural Power also trembled violently, after which the petals on the surface of the Underworld Lotus continuously cracked and shattered!

Just as the pagoda destroyed all the outer petals of the Underworld Lotus and was about to suppress Shi Mingkong's figure, he roared fiercely:

"I underestimated you!"

A deep and dangerous aura emanated from his body, and countless ghostly lights emerged like a tsunami, rapidly pouring into the pitch-black Underworld Lotus before him, causing its black light to flare up.

Amidst the wails of billions of living beings before death, the thick, resentful, and evil Qi on the Underworld Lotus instantly erupted and swept across the sky, deep and surging, containing infinite fierce and evil Qi, making one feel as if they were in a boundless sea of the underworld, rapidly corroding and devouring the golden light between heaven and earth, while simultaneously attempting to pollute the Golden Pagoda that was suppressing the world!

The battle between two late-stage Spirit Severing experts could be called a reversal of heaven and earth, an imbalance of yin and yang; the rumbling sound shook the ground until it trembled incessantly like a sieve, as if Divine Thunder from the heavens were exploding directly beneath the earth, like a subterranean dragon waking from its slumber, cracking the earth and causing the mountains to roar.

The heavens and earth lost their color, the sun and moon lost their light, and in everyone's eyes, the place of battle was a chaotic mix of gold and black, with nothing clearly visible.

With two late-stage Spirit Severing existences, the battle could not be decided so quickly; at this moment, outside the battlefield, Jiuxian Tianjun, Lingjian Tianjun, and even Zhuhuo Tianjun, who had joined the battle together, communicated via Divine Sense and reached a consensus:

"With Douzhan Tianjun here, this fiend will find it hard to show his ferocity; we can take this opportunity to plan the extermination of the other two Heavenly Corpse Kings!"

"After killing them, we will join forces to leave this fiend here for good!"

"That is only right."

In an instant, the three Tianjuns locked onto the Heavenly Corpse Demoness among the demon horde and the other Heavenly Corpse King transformed from a Supreme Elder of the Star River Sect, then turned into rainbow lights and rushed over.

Three waves of killing intent surged like a tsunami; these two Heavenly Corpse Kings surprisingly did not flee, but instead shrieked and stirred up rolling fierce flames to meet them, beginning to fight and grapple with the three Tianjuns.

Meanwhile, Yang Xianlin had already led several hundred cultivators at the Foundation Establishment level and above to fly out of the grand formation, shouting sternly:

"Everyone, follow me to clear out the Corpse Demons!"