Chapter 1440: Dead End (Second update, requesting everything)

"How dare you, thief!"

The Xuan Emperor's stern rebuke rang out. The Dragon-Phoenix Clashing Ruler in her hand transformed into a streak of light; the sounds of dragon roars and phoenix cries echoed through heaven and earth. Phantoms of a dragon and phoenix emerged upon the ruler, shooting straight toward Li Zhangsheng.

Although the Dragon-Phoenix Clashing Ruler had long since been upgraded by the Xuan Emperor to a mid-grade Langhuan Supreme Treasure, it was a weapon of pure slaughter, possessing no extra functions, only sheer lethality.

Clang—

Before the Dragon-Phoenix Clashing Ruler could get close, the Biluohuangquan Twin Swords both unsheathed. Aided by the Lingxiao Sword Box, the might of the twin swords combined was even greater than that of the Dragon-Phoenix Clashing Ruler.

Ding—

In an instant, the two Strange Treasures collided.

The two held their ground for a moment, then the Dragon-Phoenix Clashing Ruler was knocked flying, and a small crack even appeared upon it.

The Xuan Emperor's delicate brows furrowed tightly as she continued to control the Dragon-Phoenix Clashing Ruler to intercept the Biluohuangquan Twin Swords.

Ding-ding-dang-dang—

After the first strike, the might of the Biluohuangquan Twin Swords returned to its normal level. The power of the two was not much different, and they began to clash incessantly in the air.

Because the Dragon-Phoenix Clashing Ruler had sustained damage, the cracks on it began to spread gradually with each successive strike.

At this moment, the Nine Heavens Clear Qi Pagoda appeared in Li Zhangsheng's hand, condensing eight thick and one thin pillars of light that swept toward the Xuan Emperor from all directions.

The Xuan Emperor hurriedly pointed at the Twelfth-Grade Wutu Yellow Lotus beneath her feet. An extremely thick, earthy-yellow energy barrier emerged. The nine attacks landed upon it, causing only intense ripples, and it barely managed to hold on.

Due to the Zhou Tian Star Dou Forbidden Array, the Xuan Emperor could not fully utilize the power of the Twelfth-Grade Wutu Yellow Lotus by drawing from the earth.

Roar—

Just at this moment, an Eight-Clawed Golden Dragon appeared abruptly above the Xuan Emperor. Its massive dragon claw descended, forcefully breaking through the earthy-yellow energy barrier and swiping toward the Xuan Emperor.

At the critical moment, the Water-Patterned Mirror Platform Immortal Robe on the Xuan Emperor's body automatically protected her, transforming into ripples. Each time the Eight-Clawed Golden Dragon's claw broke through a ripple, its power diminished by a fraction, and by the time it neared the Xuan Emperor, it was completely neutralized.

Moo—

Only then did the Demon Emperor-level Five-Colored Divine Ox beneath the Xuan Emperor let out a lowing sound. Five-colored light spread rapidly, forcefully pushing the Eight-Clawed Golden Dragon away by a distance and inflicting a certain amount of damage.

Chirp—

Yet at this very moment, Li Zhangsheng transformed into a Three-Legged Golden Crow and opened his mouth to spit out a stream of Sun True Fire. However, his target was not the Xuan Emperor, but one of the Tiangang Treasure Mirrors.

The 108 treasure mirrors could be considered a single entity; since they were created by the Ancient Xuan Queen, they naturally possessed powerful defensive measures.

However, due to the suppressing force of the Zhou Tian Star Dou Forbidden Array, the defensive strength of these treasure mirrors was also weakened.

Naturally, the Xuan Emperor could not just watch as Li Zhangsheng attacked the treasure mirrors. Although the mirrors' inherent defense was strong, it also consumed energy, and the breakthrough process would be negatively affected.

The Zhou Tian Star Dou Forbidden Array had the function of isolating external energy, but ever since the Xuan Emperor activated the treasure mirrors, the entire Zhou Tian Star Dou Forbidden Array had become increasingly unstable.

Besides this, the 108 treasure mirrors constantly emitted special ripples, dispelling the star power within a large area.

In this area, the various effects of the Zhou Tian Star Dou Forbidden Array were also greatly weakened, such as the effects of weakening enemies, protecting oneself, and confusion effects, among others.

At the same time, the energy consumed by the humans and puppets holding the Star Banners was being forced to increase continuously. As long as this continued, the Zhou Tian Star Dou Forbidden Array would soon collapse on its own.

This mainly depended on the shortest plank, which was that batch of puppets. Unlike human Strongers, the energy stored within the puppets ultimately had an upper limit; unless refilled, it could not be recovered.

Before being hit by the Solar True Fire Pillar, the treasure mirror released a light barrier. The golden Sun True Fire scorched the barrier, causing layer upon layer of ripples.

Li Zhangsheng could feel the intensity of the light barrier decreasing. As long as he continued, he would be able to break the barrier and hit this treasure mirror.

Naturally, the Xuan Emperor would not let Li Zhangsheng destroy the treasure mirror. She immediately pointed at the Nest of Radiance above her head, and a blinding pillar of light instantly tore through the air, forcefully dispersing the raging Sun True Fire in one go.

Without waiting for Li Zhangsheng to act further, the Nest of Radiance released another pillar of light, sweeping toward Li Zhangsheng.

Li Zhangsheng ignored it. The River Map and Luo Scroll, the Twelve-Grade Star Palace Lotus Platform, and the Nine Heavens Clear Qi Pagoda appeared above his head, transforming into layers of light barriers to neutralize the Nest of Radiance's attack with relative ease.

The only flaw was that doing so significantly increased the depletion of his Mental Power.

Suddenly, the Xuan Emperor's exquisite, shapely body swayed, and her complexion turned a shade paler.

Li Zhangsheng's lips curled upward; this was already within his expectations.

While he was pinning down the Xuan Emperor, Ning Bizhen and Luo Yuanjun entered the battlefield one after another. They were like the final straw that broke the camel's back, directly causing the Xuan Emperor's already precarious Demon Pets to suffer heavy losses.

Neither Ning Bizhen nor Luo Yuanjun were ordinary Top-tier Double-Character Kings; they could even be called Pseudo-Emperors. Their combined strength was almost equivalent to that of a veteran Emperor. With the cooperation of Li Zhangsheng's Demon Pets, they took out three or four of the Xuan Emperor's Demon Emperor-level Demon Pets in just a few breaths.

The loss of these Demon Pets directly caused the Xuan Emperor's situation to become increasingly precarious, as the liberated Demon Pets naturally would not remain idle and instead joined the ranks of those besieging the Xuan Emperor's other Demon Pets.

The Xuan Emperor's other Demon Pets were already at a disadvantage, let alone now; they simply could not hold on for long.

In this situation, the Xuan Emperor steeled her heart and decisively unleashed Bloodline Burning.

Even if it could only solve the immediate crisis, it was better than being killed quickly.

Most importantly, as long as the Xuan Emperor preserved her life, the bloodline concentration of these Demon Pets might not be impossible to recover, and even if not, she could always replace the Demon Pets.

The Xuan Emperor was ruthless enough not to spare even her Emperor Rank ancestral Crystal Dragon.

In the state of Bloodline Burning, the ancestral Crystal Dragon, which had been completely at a disadvantage, was clearly invigorated. Its body seemed to be draped in blood flames, its combat power soared, and it finally managed to reverse the disadvantage.

On the other side, the opponents of the Four Seas Dragon Kings were also in a state of Bloodline Burning, but the Four Seas Dragon Clan had long anticipated that such a turn of events might occur, so they still appeared to have plenty of leeway.

Facing the desperate Xuan Emperor, Li Zhangsheng, in his normal state, indicated that it would be difficult to defeat the opponent before the Bloodline Burning state ended.

The crucial point was that the Zhou Tian Star Dou Forbidden Array was becoming increasingly unstable and likely could not hold on for much longer.

Once the Xuan Emperor escaped, it would be no different from letting a tiger return to the mountains. With her strength greatly diminished, she might lose the desire to contend for hegemony and instead join other factions.

Regardless of whether the Xuan Emperor chose to join the Human Emperor or the Blood Emperor, it would inevitably cause one of those sides' strength to skyrocket, making them even harder to deal with.

Li Zhangsheng was naturally unwilling to let the tiger return to the mountains. In this situation, the Purple Extreme Golden Palace Starry Sky Crown appeared above his head.

Between the choice of the Purple Extreme Golden Palace Starry Sky Crown and the Future Sumeru Pill, he leaned more toward the former, mainly because the latter had too much randomness and would cause his combat power to be impaired for a period of time.

(End of chapter)