Chapter 917: Abyssal Blood Battle

A large iron ball fell out of the exploding crate.

Its size was exactly the same as the Iola Core, its surface etched with dense rune arrays that emitted intense energy fluctuations, nearly split in half by the Regicide Sword; the camouflage runes that had been shimmering instantly went out, and it fell straight to the ground.

This is not the Iola Core!

Aiken was greatly disappointed; he obviously knew the importance of the Iola Core, so he spared no effort to bring people here to intercept.

Realizing it was a trap and that he could not match it, making it impossible to seize the Iola Core, he had already resolved to flee.

But before fleeing, he also intended to destroy the Iola Core.

What he could not obtain himself, of course, must not be allowed Lei En to take away safely; moreover, the Iola Core's explosion would generate a lethality even more dreadful than Ten-ring Spell, potentially killing Lei En and Anxiwodasi and several others—a win on multiple fronts.

But it turned out to be just an iron ball…

Aiken felt harshly toyed with, his fury flaring; the eye sockets of his Crown of Dominion spewed two streams of angry flame, staring intently at Lei En.

This must be Lei En's scheme!

'Ryan Augustus, the grievance of today, I shall repay it tenfold in the future!'

Aiken's roar echoed across the heavens, yet he was not blinded by rage; seeing his plot fail, he hesitated no longer and began to retreat, even lacking time to strike the immobilized Golden Three-Headed Dragon before him; in a flash, he appeared beneath the gravely wounded Hell Three-Headed Dragon.

'Ho…'

The Eternal Chosen let out a mighty howl, channeling the demonic energy about to burst from his body into the Regicide Sword; a rune from the four‑god mark at his brow merged into it, turning the crimson blade pitch black as he slashed with all his might.

A muffled boom rang across a hundred‑mile radius, as if something had been torn.

A massive fissure opened beneath the Hell Three-Headed Dragon, spewing countless solidified blood mists; within half a breath the fissure widened into a canyon over a kilometer deep.

An ancient, evil, terrifying aura emanated from the canyon.

Lei En's gaze pierced the canyon, seeing an endless blood‑colored wasteland: the sky scarlet, blood flowing over the ground, countless Demon armies divided into factions slaughtering each other; when the fissure opened, they all simultaneously ceased, looking up at the sky.

This is…

Lei En felt a slight chill; this was the deepest layer of the bottomless Abyss, and Aiken's sword sliced through the planar fissure straight into the Abyss!

What of those blood‑soaked Demon armies?

Anxiwodasi and Oluoyin also saw the scene within the Abyss, a look of dread in their eyes, and did not approach immediately.

As the Abyss fissure opened, the Hell Three-Headed Dragon Duergiha fell right in; it seemed as comfortable as returning home, greedily devouring the omnipresent blood mist, the massive sword wound on its back healing at a visible speed, and a new dragon head sprouting on its neck.

Aiken released the power within his body, exhaling once, then it surged up again instantly.

Huff huff huff…

Several massive fireballs pierced the void, flashing down before him; he raised his Thousand-Throat Demon Shield to block, and the fireballs exploded on the shield.

Amid the violent explosions, high‑temperature flames burst forth and then extinguished.

Aiken's figure materialized.

He stood motionless at the edge of the Abyss fissure; the fireballs failed to pierce the Thousand-Throat Demon Shield, some flames clinging to his armor and burning, the heat seeping in, only to be immediately expelled by boundless demonic energy, and the scorched armor parts rapidly restored.

Reslin's twelve Mirror Images also fell from the river of Time, scattering around to cast swiftly; a kaleidoscopic torrent of spells struck Aiken, but the vast majority were evaded.

Spells above Eight-ring dealt less damage than Anxiwodasi's fireballs.

Aiken stood there too lazy to dodge.

Lei En and his companions, upon seeing this, showed a slight change in complexion.

In this state, Aiken was more than one rank stronger than before, giving them a sense of invincibility.

'Master, don't go.'

Lei En saw that Aiken's condition was off, as if on the brink of losing control, and hurriedly called out.

However, Oluoyin had not intended to charge forward; with his combat experience, he naturally knew when to seize an opening and when to withdraw.

Suddenly, Aiken's third eye closed, his breath rapidly waning.

Then he leapt into the Abyss fissure.

In the next instant, the Abyss fissure snapped shut; the Demon armies still embroiled in bloodshed had already sensed the scent of the primary substance, many soaring upward, attempting to burst out of the fissure; seeing it close, they let out furious roars.

Lei En and the others could only watch Aiken flee into the Abyss, daring not to pursue.

A scorching pressure descended from above.

The Grand Mage's ultra‑effective Meteor Burst had already struck, heat waves rolling, the air igniting, as if the end of the world had arrived.

Yet Lei En and the two others remained calm.

When the meteor was only a few dozen meters above, an invisible ripple spread instantly, and Time Stop occurred again.

Reslin promptly cast Time Stop.

A series of massive meteors hovered mid‑air, their terrifying kinetic energy and heat such that even Lei En would not dare to be struck, yet within Time Stop, even the strongest lethality was like a toy, posing no threat to anyone.

One meteor after another fell into the Time Stop field, as if trapped in amber, unable to move a fraction.

Lei En looked toward the distant Grand Mage.

He was holding his staff to sustain the spell, but within his sight, everything frozen by Time Stop remained still; uncertain of the enemy's movements, a panic flashed on his face.

The Eternal Chosen had already left.

'Escape!'

Before the Grand Mage could finish his thought, darkness fell before his eyes, a giant silhouette ten‑something meters tall blocking his view, brandishing a massive black greatsword.

As a Grand Mage, he had endured countless battles, dealing with innumerable close‑range ambushes.

He calmly activated the magical items on his body.

Yet there was no response.

Only then did the Grand Mage realize the giant had opened an invisible force field, enveloping him; most of his constant spells and magical items dimmed, either unable to activate or ineffective, leaving only a Nine-ring Flame Shield as his sole protection.

'Anti‑magic field!'

He screamed, desperation in his eyes, and the black greatsword came down overhead.

Bang!

The supposedly invincible flame shield under the Soul‑burning Great Sword was as fragile as an eggshell, offering no protection at all; the Purgatory Grand Mage inside was crushed into blood‑foam as the shield was trampled, and a flash of lightning rolled over the sword, leaving not even a speck of ash.

A single strike instantly killed the Purgatory Grand Mage, yet Lei En's expression showed not a hint of ease.

His device failed to capture the opponent's soul.

He stood in the air brandishing his sword, his Soul Eye and All‑Seeing Eye scanning the surroundings, leaving no inch unchecked, even seeing through the Void Plane, yet he found no trace of the Purgatory Grand Mage.

"It must have been another backer, and at a rank above the eighth ring, resurrected at some pre‑arranged location."

Lei En couldn't help but shake his head.

The Purgatory Grand Mage is a legitimate spellcaster, above Saint Rank, with endless varieties of spells and tactics; completely eliminating a Grand Mage is far too difficult.

Anxiwodasi and Ou Luoyin also rushed over.

The two fought Reslin's Time Stop, emerging a bit later; as soon as they neared Lei En they sensed something amiss and halted just outside the anti‑magic field.

A hint of unease and a trace of apprehension flickered in Ou Luoyin's eyes.

Ninth‑ring anti‑magic field!

This thing…

Even if he were caught inside, it would be troublesome; his constant buffs and protective spells aren't all ninth‑ring, many are eighth‑ring or lower, so in close combat with Lei En his power would be significantly weakened—highly disadvantageous.

Anxiwodasi, however, seemed unfazed.

The spells he most frequently employs, including fireball, number only four or five, are all above ninth‑ring; the anti‑magic field has no effect on him.

"Where is the person?" Anxiwodasi asked.

"He's already dead," Lei En said, deactivating the anti‑magic field, then added, "But not completely; he should have resurrected elsewhere."

Both Holy Souls showed no surprise at all.

Defeating a Saint‑rank caster may not be hard, but completely killing one is another matter; they know better than anyone that they themselves possess means of resurrection.

At that moment, Reslin teleported himself and Bo Erqi here; time in that sector resumed its flow, and a dozen massive meteors kept falling, booming loudly, their long fiery tails dragging into the clouds below before vanishing.

"Boss."

Bo Erqi drooped his three heads and called weakly.

All six of his dragon eyes were filled with terror; the battle had swung between Time Stop and spatial freeze, leaving him motionless the whole time, while seven terrifying Saint‑rank elites fought beside him—any stray aftershock could have turned him to ash.

Especially the Eternal Chosen's sword sweeping toward his back—if the blade's light pressed even slightly downward, he would be dead.

Bo Erqi thought he should start worshipping the Goddess of Luck!

Without the Goddess of Luck's protection, he certainly wouldn't have survived to now.

Lei En glanced at Bo Erqi, read his thoughts, and calmly said, "When this transport is over, I'll give you a reward to boost your strength."

Bo Erqi is a mature dragon, equivalent to a mid‑to‑high‑tier legend, and now contributes little in Saint‑rank battles.

As his mount, the legendary dragon's prestige is no longer sufficient.

"Really?"

Bo Erqi's mood instantly lifted.

"When did I stop being credible?" Lei En snorted, offering no further explanation, though a thought of another dragon—his soul‑bound companion Ao Xiliya—flashed through his mind.

Years ago, on the Kānòdé Icefield, he discovered a dragon‑bone gorge; after investigation and excavation he uncovered the source of that massive dragon skeleton, which greatly benefits dragons by rapidly enhancing their power, so he immediately thought of Ao Xiliya, sent her to the icefield, and she has not yet returned.

Through their soul contract he could sense Ao Xiliya's power soaring like a rocket, already approaching the threshold of ancient dragons.

If Bo Erqi performs well enough, I don't mind helping him improve a bit.

Bo Erqi felt delighted, seeing fortune in misfortune.

"Teacher." Lei En looked at Anxiwodasi and asked, "Was that just now the Abyssal Plane a blood battle?"

The so‑called blood battle is the war among the Abyssal Four Gods.

Their demon armies wage endless combat in the bordering planes of the Four‑God realms, countless demons throwing themselves into the blood and slaughter to ascend and win the favor and blessings of the evil gods; or they are slain by other demons, becoming stepping stones.

The mortal wars of the Prime Material Plane, regardless of scale or carnage, are like children's make‑believe compared to the Abyssal blood war—utterly insignificant.

But in the eyes of the Abyssal Four Gods, the blood battle is merely a pastime they use to kill boredom.

Only the war of the Abyss invading the Prime Material Plane merits their attention.

"Yes."

Anxiwodasi nodded gravely, "If I'm not mistaken, it should be the Lord of Darkness versus the Plague Lord's blood battle, the Abyssal 502nd layer 'Blood Flame Plains'."

Lei En exhaled.

Aiken dared to flee into the Blood Flame Plains, surely having a way to emerge safely; as the Eternal Chosen Champion appointed by the Four Gods, he bears their aura, and those demons would never dare strike Aiken.

"What a pity."

Ou Luoyin said with some regret, "Letting him escape this time makes him more cautious; next time we try to kill him it'll be even harder."

Anxiwodasi shook his head, "His magical items are superb; each is blessed by the Abyssal Four Gods and can summon their projections at any moment, so even if we get another chance, killing him remains extremely difficult."

"Are we just letting him keep growing stronger?" Ou Luoyin frowned.

He already believes Aiken is the prophesied Eternal Chosen; already this powerful, he will inevitably become a threat to the Empire and the entire Old Continent civilization.

The prophecy says the Eternal Chosen will destroy this world!

Anxiwodasi fell silent as well.

Lei En felt the situation was extremely tricky; he still wasn't a match for Aiken, and for this pressing menace he could think of no other solution.

"Let's leave it at that for now."

Anxiwodasi gestured, "The Eternal Chosen isn't yet a threat to the Empire; we still have time and can devise a plan later. The immediate priority is to deliver the Iola Core to Gotham City; no more accidents can happen."

"Fine." Ou Luoyin replied helplessly.

Reslin dismissed his Mirror Image, cast a spell to open a portal, and everyone stepped through.

One second before entering the portal, a violent explosion roared from beneath the clouds, the ground shuddered and thundered as if an earthquake had struck.

That was a Meteor Burst hitting the ground.

After two teleportations, the party arrived in an unnamed valley a thousand li away; when they passed here earlier, Lei En buried the Iola Core deep underground and set up a rune formation.

Something so important would of course not be truly exposed before the Eternal Chosen.

Lei En has already bound himself to the Iola Core, knows it is safe, and digs it up from underground to place it on Bo Erqi's dragon back.

"Let's go."

The golden three-headed dragon flapped its wings, surged into the high sky, rose above the clouds, and flew eastward.

After flying at speed all day, by evening the next day a dazzling magical radiance appeared on the horizon ahead; Lei En and the others soon saw a magnificent statue of the God of Magic standing in the bay, illuminating the space within three hundred li.

Finally, Gotham City arrived.

(End of Chapter)