Chapter 1183: Luring the Enemy
Chapter 1183: Luring the Enemy
A deafening rumble spread across the mountains.
The protective dome flickered between light and darkness, unstable and wavering. In several places, cracks and fractures appeared. Cultivators nearby were killed or injured. Some spat blood and staggered backward, only for fresh squads to immediately fill the gaps and desperately repair the dome.
Yet the battle formation never fell into disorder. The first wave of attacks from the Two-Domain cultivators failed to tear open Sin Abyss’s defenses.
Sin Abyss refused to be outdone. Seizing the brief lull, they surged forward and launched a fierce counterattack.
After several exchanges, the distance between the two sides steadily shrank. The protective dome was already on the verge of collapse.
Inside the cold mist, a portion of the cultivators simultaneously released shield-like artifacts. The shields were wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Once activated, they radiated brilliant light and projected enormous phantoms many times larger than the shields themselves.
These projections flew into the air and overlapped, assembling into a sharply faceted light shield that hovered above each squad.
These projections flew into the air and overlapped, assembling into a sharply faceted light shield that hovered above each squad.
Experience proved they worked exceptionally well on the battlefield. After the formation of the Two-Domain allied army, they quickly became widely adopted.
Besides the shields, the remaining cultivators in each squad wielded uniform black iron greatswords and sabers.
The instant the light shield formed, saber light and sword qi burst out of the formation in perfect order. Row after row, column after column, they gleamed with icy brilliance and surged toward the enemy like a tsunami.
In contrast, Sin Abyss’s side appeared far more bizarre. Some squads formed circles. The cultivators within them shook strange black bells while muttering incantations, seemingly performing some peculiar spell.
Soon, clusters of black qi condensed above the center of each squad. Under everyone’s gaze, the black qi twisted and deformed like viscous polluted water, shifting into grotesque shapes that made one’s stomach churn.
When these masses touched the black radiance emitted by the Nether Crystal Towers, they seemed to come alive. Tendrils extended outward, gradually forming torsos and limbs.
The shapes they assumed varied widely. Some resembled birds or beasts, while others even took on human forms.
Yet their bodies remained unstable. Polluted liquid constantly flowed across their surfaces. Shrill, eerie screeches filled the air.
Qin Sang and Jinglin had quietly left the Cold Bell Array and were slowly infiltrating toward the Nether Crystal Towers.
Qin Sang clearly saw that Old Devil Pei, the one controlling the Nether Crystal Towers, was not standing among the three towers but was hiding beside one of them.
Old Devil Pei believed that under the protection of the Nether Crystal Towers he was perfectly safe. In reality, every move he made lay plainly before Qin Sang’s eyes.
"What exactly are those things?" Qin Sang asked, frowning deeply as his attention shifted to the grotesque creatures released by the Sin Abyss cultivators.
Jinglin replied, "As far as I know, it is a kind of shape-mimicking spell. It works in combination with those strange bells they’re holding. But the true core lies in the Nether Crystal Tower. These creatures are quite difficult to kill, though they are not immortal..."
Qin Sang studied the nearest creature carefully but could not discern its underlying mechanism.
Old Devil Tan saw the incoming waves of saber lights and sword shadows. With a cold snort, he issued an order.
Roars erupted. The monsters drifted rapidly to the front of the formation. Facing the razor-sharp attacks without fear, they surged forward one after another.
Rip! The sound of tearing cloth rang out repeatedly.
The monsters in the front row were instantly torn into pieces, limbs flying everywhere. Yet they did not die. Their broken bodies continued attacking, clawing and tangling with the incoming saber lights and sword shadows.
Rows of monsters were shredded, but the saber lights and sword shadows were rapidly consumed as well.
Both sides clearly understood each other’s methods. Before the monsters and saber light could determine a victor, the second wave of attacks was already unleashed.
Led by Old Devil Tan, the Sin Abyss cultivators charged forward without pause and finally reached the edge of the cold mist. Without hesitation, they led their troops straight into the array!
Suddenly, a fierce gale erupted. Inside the cold mist, heavy snow began to fall. Endless snowflakes drifted from the sky and were carried by hurricane winds toward the Sin Abyss forces.
The light membrane bestowed upon the Sin Abyss cultivators by the Nether Crystal Towers proved its worth. Snowflakes melted silently the moment they touched their bodies.
Seemingly realizing the attack had little effect, the Cold Bell Array rang out again. The array controller altered its configuration. The heavy snow lessened to moderate snowfall, while the raging winds condensed into towering walls of snow and wind, blocking the advance of Sin Abyss.
The cultivators of the Two-Domain Alliance seized the opportunity to launch their full assault.
Seeing this, Old Devil Pei, who was controlling the Nether Crystal Towers from the rear, let out a cold snort. Changing his hand seal, he caused the crystal sphere atop the tower to release countless streaks of black light that slammed into the wind walls, forcibly tearing open passages.
Throughout this process, cultivators from both sides clashed fiercely. The protective domes above the battle formations had already shattered badly and were on the verge of complete collapse.
Finally... Crack!
The protective dome on Sin Abyss’s side shattered first. Casualties instantly surged. Blood stained the ground red.
Fury flashed across Old Devil Tan’s face. He immediately ordered all the monsters to be released. These fearless creatures charged through wave after wave of attacks and finally tore apart the light shields above the Two-Domain cultivators.
Si Di’s expression remained cold as he stared fixedly at Old Devil Tan. Yet when he saw this scene, his face did not change in the slightest.
Within the array, they already held the advantage of terrain. Their defenses should not have broken so quickly. This had been intentional.
If the two sides continued exchanging long-range attacks, the Spiritual Infant experts would never clash directly. Si Di was worried that if too much time passed, the Golden Core cultivator controlling the Cold Bell Array might falter and reveal a flaw.
If that happened, their plan to ambush Old Devil Pei would fail completely.
Whoosh! A streak of golden light circled beside Si Di. It was his famous astra, the Aurric Mirror.
The treasure was only palm-sized. At its center lay a mirror surface polished from an unknown material. Aside from the mirror itself, the entire surface of the Aurric Mirror was uneven, covered with countless protruding golden nodules.
The Aurric Mirror flew faster and faster until the naked eye could only see streams of golden light.
At the same time, Old Devil Tan grinned savagely as he locked eyes with Si Di without the slightest retreat.
The fire chain wrapped around his arm trembled lightly, releasing scorching flames. Under their heat, the surrounding air warped.
The two Spiritual Infant experts had long fixed their sights on one another!
The Sin Abyss forces advanced rapidly. Within both battle formations, the cultivators were tense, holding their breath as they prepared for the brutal clash to come.
The distance between the two sides shortened. One hundred zhang! Fifty zhang! Ten zhang!
"Kill!" In an instant, earth-shaking roars erupted simultaneously.
The two battle formations slammed violently into each other, plunging the battlefield into immediate chaos as cries of battle thundered everywhere.
The chaos did not last long. Both sides were battle-hardened veterans. Fighting in squads, they gradually stabilized their positions and entangled themselves with the enemy.
Viewed from above, the formations spread out like streams of water, merging and separating as they collided. The entire process unfolded amid brutal, bloody slaughter.
Si Di and Old Devil Tan each harbored their own schemes. Ignoring everyone else, they flew directly toward each other through the air, their astras colliding even before they reached striking distance.