Chapter 879: Hammering the Deceiver

The most abundant spells in the sky were light spears.

Crystal light spears over two meters long were packed together densely, denser than raindrops, and this was only the first wave of spells.

Spells cast during Time Stop only take effect when time resumes its normal flow; twelve Mirror Images, like relentless casting machines, unleash a massive wave of spells each second, all targeting the nearby Lo Xi.

Light spears, fireballs, flame burst, Ma Youfu's micro meteor;

Tim Kainen Sword Magic, Tim Kainen Disintegrate, Big Bai's crushing fist;

Space-Time Shock, Mind Blast, True Word Technique: Soul Rift, Idiot Technique, Weak Energy Technique, Mind Freeze, Spirit Whip;

Dimensional Anchor, rainbow light jet, malicious transformation, Greater Dispel Magic;

Void Storm, Void Bomb, Void Chains, fictitious gravity…

Wave after wave of spells surged forth, all Arcane, fire, and mind spells, combining damage and control; although none reached Nine-ring, the lowest were at least Five-ring. With such sheer number, they erupted together when Time Stop ended, the quantitative change causing a qualitative shift, their power not inferior to Ten-ring Spell!

Reslin within the Absolute Holy Shield also cast a large number of spells.

The deep crimson signet ring on his hand released all stored spells at once: the thrice‑daily Ruby Reverse Ray.

Holy Blood Amber also spared no holy light, forging a massive "Dawn Sword"; the four‑to‑five‑meter blade radiated dawn light, descended from the sky, slashing toward Lo Xi's crown.

Aside from the unique methods of the Dark Sun Divine Realm and the deities, the divine power Lo Xi invested in this saintly avatar was not great, roughly equivalent to a Thirty-level Transcendent.

He was the Shadow King before ascension.

After becoming a deity he only then encountered magic and Divine Technique, but was not proficient; for over a thousand years he indulged in schemes, provoked various deities, constantly caused trouble and made enemies, never having the mind to study the Divine Technique tied to his office, arrogantly believing he needed no magical knowledge to become the strongest deity.

Lo Xi's mind was unstable, but He was not a fool.

On the contrary, He was extremely clever.

Lo Xi instantly gauged the potency of these spells, realizing they could harm Him, yet He dismissed them with contempt; His pallid face was full of scorn and arrogance.

I am a god!

Supreme, greatest deceiver!

If this human Wizard were unleashing many Nine-ring spells, He might give it a proper look; what right do a few hundred sub‑Eight-ring spells have to make me dodge?

Divine power surged through Lo Xi's body, coalescing into a layer of black armor that shielded him entirely.

Simultaneously, the Dark Sun Divine Realm generated massive black poisonous mist, as thick as blood, covering the sky‑full of spells and the twelve casting Mirror Images, corroding the Empire's strongmen immobilized by Time Stop, preparing to kill them all in one breath.

The Dark Sun deities, affected by Time Stop, responded sluggishly.

When the black mist filled the air, Time Stop also ended.

Boom!

Hundreds of spells erupted simultaneously; Lo Xi, standing outside the Absolute Holy Shield, was instantly engulfed by spells—explosions, fire, burning, slicing, piercing, rainbows, psychic energy—terrifying spell power mingling with Lo Xi's divine power, ravaging the area and turning it into a chaotic void.

The Dark Sun Divine Realm was punched by the spells, leaving a blank.

The energy aftershock swept across the palace ruins, triggering a chain reaction; amid the booming, the rubble and broken walls of the ruins were broken down into dust finer than sand, leaving only vast white ground.

The instant Time Stop ended, the Empire strongmen who were slaughtering each other vanished.

Among the spells cast by the Mirror Images was a "Directed Teleportation", applied to each individual; although a few of them had already been killed by their own, only the corpses were teleported away, but had they remained, whether alive or dead, perhaps except for Batula, no one would have been able to locate the bodies.

Also teleported away were Lei En's weapons and equipment left on the ground and the Nebula Ring.

The twelve Mirror Images continued casting wildly.

Their spatial barriers blocked the spell energy shockwaves, ignoring the black poisonous mist that corroded the shield, and hurled the spells toward Lo Xi's location.

Within that chaotic void, a glittering golden shield stood firm.

The Absolute Holy Shield, like Time Stop, lasts six seconds, but it activated three seconds later, so it is still ongoing.

Reslin cast spells while calmly staring straight at the deity before him.

Lo Xi's divine power armor fluctuated violently, growing ever weaker, even developing a few fine cracks, yet He remained unmoved; his jet‑black eyes locked onto Reslin, waiting for the Absolute Holy Shield to end, then a sword would pierce the human Wizard dead.

Three seconds, two seconds, one second!

In the final second of the Absolute Holy Shield, the Dawn Sword released by Holy Blood Amber struck Lo Xi, and his divine power armor collapsed completely.

The Mirror Images' spells came in succession, hitting the saintly avatar's body, spilling divine blood.

Lo Xi ignored his wounds, raised his sword and thrust.

He knew that killing the Wizard's true form would cause those Mirror Images to vanish together, so he need not act himself.

The glittering golden shield vanished.

Almost in the same instant, Lo Xi's Divine Disaster Sword arrived; the intangible spatial barrier held for only half a blink before being pierced, the blade tip crossed the folded space, and when it was less than an inch from Reslin's brow, Reslin vanished.

In his place appeared a Thundercast Celestial Soldier clad in golden armor and wearing a mask.

Ding!

This Thundercast Celestial Soldier was over ten meters tall, like a Titan Giant; the Divine Disaster Sword pierced his lower leg, the golden armor was instantly breached, then stalled, as if it had struck something harder than mithril, temporarily unable to penetrate further.

The Thundercast Celestial Soldier gripped two weapons: a war hammer crackling with electric light, and a black, coarse greatsword.

The terrifying power it emitted made Lo Xi turn pale.

The moment it appeared, the Thundercast Celestial Soldier's war hammer slammed down, evidently having already swung before being teleported.

The timing was perfect, a seamless transition.

Lo Xi had no chance to dodge, not even forming the thought to evade, when the massive war hammer struck his head.

Boom!

A earth‑shaking roar echoed throughout Banbei City, countless golden lightning bolts erupted, and a dazzling golden sun rose in the Dark Sun Divine Realm.

Before the war hammer fell, Lo Xi's divine power armor had already been shattered by spells and the Dawn Sword, exposing the saintly avatar.

Defenseless, He was instantly crushed by the hammer.

The Dark Sun Divine Realm that had shrouded the palace ruins vanished, the shadow covering the sun receded, and the eclipse ended.

The Thundercast Celestial Soldier raised the war hammer, discovering that the large crater it created contained a pool of viscous black mist like liquid; the dissipating Dark Sun Divine Realm contracted into the pit, the scattered divine power poured into the black mist, violently churning and expanding, and an evil silhouette rapidly took shape.

A deity's saintly avatar is not mortal; as long as its divine power endures, it can be reborn.

Boom!

The Thundercast Celestial Soldier swung its war hammer and struck again, shattering the Holy Avatar that was coalescing, turning it into a wisp of black mist.

"Hahaha…"

Luo Xi's manic laughter echoed around: "Foolish mortal, I am a god, the greatest deity in the world; in my eyes your power is no stronger than an ant's. Yet you dare try to kill my Holy Avatar—how laughable…"

The Thundercast Celestial Soldier wore a mask, its expression hidden.

It raised its war hammer to strike again, giving the Holy Avatar no chance to rebirth, attempting to hammer the enemy repeatedly, draining divine power until it vanished completely.

However, the black mist in the pit disappeared.

The Thundercast Celestial Soldier snapped its head upward; the black mist instantly teleported a hundred meters into the sky, and Luo Xi's Holy Avatar reconstituted.

Twelve Mirror Images immediately locked onto the black mist, launching various spells at it, but to little effect.

"Too late."

The Thundercast Celestial Soldier decisively abandoned the attack, shrinking its body and instantly slipping through successive void planes, distancing itself from the Prime Material Plane, vanishing without a trace.

A second later, Luo Xi's Holy Avatar appeared at the Thundercast Celestial Soldier's former position.

"Phase Walker!"

Luo Xi's expression darkened, his jet‑black pupils suppressing boundless fury, yet he was helpless.

He was not adept at planar travel, and the true form of a deity could not easily leave the divine realm; relying only on a Holy Avatar, it was nearly impossible to catch a target wielding Phase Walker. In that instant, the opponent could have already slipped through dozens of planes, hiding in some unknown concealed space.

The human wizard from earlier was also nowhere to be found.

However, the wizard's Mirror Images remained.

The twelve Mirror Images scattered, continuously casting spells around; the sky‑filled magic never paused for a second, persistently bombarding Luo Xi's Holy Avatar.

"Die!"

Luo Xi, seething with anger, again unfurled the Dark Sun Divine Realm to envelop the ruined palace, but before he could act, the Mirror Images simultaneously dissolved into nothingness, leaving no trace.

It was then he realized that those Imperial Exalted had also been teleported away.

The vanished venting target forced Luo Xi's raging fury to choke back, his mind aching to the brink of madness. As a dignified deity, he had plotted against a mortal, expended great effort, even daring to act personally, only to fail and be toyed with by the mortal.

An absolute, humiliating disgrace!

Even battling a deity, a deceiver has never felt so stifled—like being slapped hard in front of countless onlookers, his psyche exploded.

Luo Xi turned his gaze toward Banbei City.

Tens of thousands of Imperial legions still lingered in the city, along with millions of Banbei City's residents; he intended to slaughter all the mortals in his wrath.

Just as he was about to act, the Flaniss Floating City in the heavens stirred.

A booming roar.

A towering figure clad in jet‑black armor stepped out of the floating city; he wore an iron crown, a black‑red cloak draped over him, looking like a monarch, exuding a powerful divine aura. He surged upward at lightning speed, entered a passage leading to the void, and vanished in an instant.

It was the Holy Avatar of Black Emperor Ban Erkou, who had returned to the divine realm.

Luo Xi's expression shifted.

As Ban Erkou's Holy Avatar departed, a graceful, beautiful female silhouette materialized before his eyes, her face veiled in a mysterious shroud, surrounded by vast magical radiance, clashing fiercely with his Dark Sun Divine Realm.

The Holy Avatar of the God of Magic!

Luo Xi's Holy Avatar was smashed twice; each re‑coagulation drained a great deal of divine power, its strength plummeting, making it no match for VijesCui.

"Run!"

He did not wish to waste the Avatar's divine power, instantly turning into a wisp of black mist and fleeing.

VijesCui's figure flashed, giving chase.

The two deities' Holy Avatars, one fleeing, one pursuing, quickly left Banbei City, leaving the Xiwaji Palace reduced to a barren plain.

Soon, the Flaniss Floating City resumed operation, radiating magical brilliance.

Portals opened throughout Banbei City, reestablishing central coordination, unleashing wave after wave of powerful spells against the stubborn enemies still resisting within the city.

The Imperial legions' confidence surged, and they swiftly seized the entire city.

The war ended with the Empire's victory, leaving only occasional skirmishes; one hundred Extreme Warriors and Thundercast Celestial Soldiers gathered and returned to the Flaniss Floating City via a portal.

At Eight‑Leaf Plaza.

GreyEagle Duke Tim*Kenan's expression was grave; his gaze swept over the Extreme Warriors as he asked, "Where is Lei En?"

A Thundercast Celestial Soldier stepped forward, removed its golden mask, and replied, "Sir Duke."

It was Lei En.

He surveyed the surroundings; the plaza was riddled with craters from magical bombardments, and the eight surrounding building zones had large sections collapsed, clearly evidence of a fierce battle, with lingering divine energy—Flaniss Floating City had suffered heavy losses this time.

Aside from the GreyEagle Duke, the other Holy Soul wizards were nowhere to be seen.

Tim*Kenan saw a flash of surprise in Lei En's eyes, nodded, and said, "Follow me." He waved his hand as he spoke, and together they teleported to his high tower.

The top‑floor hall of the tower.

Upon entering, Lei En sensed the heavy atmosphere; five Holy Soul wizards were present: Ouroin Master, the Silver Star Duke, the Storm Queen, all looking pale as if recovering from a serious illness.

A group of Imperial elites were also there, each bearing wounds—some missing limbs—lying on the ground, gasping for breath.

Several bodies floated mid‑air in the hall, already lifeless. Lei En stared closely, his face turning pale with horror, and shouted, "Howai Master!"

The Holy Soul wizard of the Supreme Council, Wan Tu Si Rui*Howai Master, was dead!

Lei En was startled.

He had little contact with Howai Master, yet had long known his unfathomable power.

As the sole thousand‑spell wizard to ascend to Saint Rank, Howai Master's level exceeded Thirty-level; after Augulevi Master vanished, he ranked just below the three greats in the Supreme Council, though he lived reclusively in a hidden valley, keeping a very low profile.

No one could have imagined Howai Master would die!

The corpse bore no visible wounds.

Next to Howai Master were six more corpses; three were unfamiliar, and from the residual aura they were all Saint Rank elites—a Holy Soul wizard never seen before, a Shadow King, and finally a Sword Saint.

The other three dead were Empire citizens: Otiluk, a member of the Eight Leaves; Chaeni, an alchemical sage; and Soreik, commander of the Steel Knights Order.

Their deaths were gruesome, the corpses mutilated and incomplete, all slain by their own comrades who went mad in the Dark Sun Divine Realm.

Lei En felt a tremor in his heart.

No wonder Tim*Kenan's expression in the plaza was so grim; in the hall, no one showed any joy of victory, and with Governor Herts of Suranye Province's missing corpse, the Empire suffered heavy losses in this revenge operation—a tragic victory indeed.

However, the combined importance of those dead does not match that of a single Howai Master.

Lei En inhaled deeply and asked, "Lord Duke, who infiltrated Flaniss Floating City, and how did Howai Master die?"

This chapter is hard to write; I'll rest for a while and aim to write another chapter tonight.

(End of chapter)