Ever since he became an eldritch warrior more than a year ago, Wu Yuan dedicated his vital ether to nurturing the Teng Snake egg, hoping that it would hatch as soon as possible. Wu Yuan initially estimated that it would hatch in half a month to a month.
However, at this critical juncture, disaster struck in the form of the worm devil. The calamity proliferated swiftly, and the devil soldiers showcased strength beyond their imagination. In just three to five days, it was likely that they would launch the final decisive battle.
But now, the blood-red mist emerging from the black pagoda exhibited a miraculous effect—though it could no longer strengthen Wu Yuan's physical constitution, it certainly quickened his cultivation progress.
The cultivation of essentia is basically to circulate essentia constantly, perpetually expanding the qi sea—it is a process that spans many years. Cultivating vital ether similarly necessitates an ongoing process of expansion and fortification of the soul chamber. One simply cannot rush the process.
It was just like how human growth adhered to the rules of natural biology; one couldn’t grow fat from a single mouthful of food. The cultivation of mana followed the same principle as well. Absorbing the spiritual qi from heaven and earth, as well as the spiritual qi from etherstone and the Luminous Immortal Soil, merely allowed one to improve the type of ‘nourishment’ they consumed, facilitating accelerated growth, yet there existed a limit to the speed of progress.
But now, the blood-red mist melded into the soul chamber, merging with the vital ether, improving Wu Yuan's progress several times over. The blood-red mist had an even more pronounced effect on the Teng Snake egg's growth.
Even if I exert myself to the fullest extent and unleash Eldritch Form, my power still falls short of Old Fang’s. Wu Yuan clearly understood this. The Domain stage granted one truly frightening power!
I’m not even able to match Old Fang, much less the two arrays. Take, for instance, the Goldstone Penta Array—once activated under Old Fang's command, it has the potential to put up a decent fight against a true Golden Core Superior.
It stood a good chance of winning against first or second-stage Spiritual Body devil soldiers.
However, the moment the Teng Snake emerges from its shell, not only will my strength skyrocket, but the Teng Snake itself will be a formidable fighter. Wu Yuan's heart swelled with anticipation. He could sense the Teng Snake egg's rapid growth within his soul chamber.
Hm? There are devil soldiers in the vicinity!
Wu Yuan came to a sudden halt, his Soul Force delving deep into the earth below. A colossal devil soldier over 100 meters long lurked underground, concealed beneath the earth.
Boom! A burst of power surged through his legs as Wu Yuan split the ground and into the depths.
The Middle Land encompassed thirteen continents, along with the overseas Feng Continent, Qiong Continent, and tens of thousands of islands scattered in the South Ocean. It was home to billions of people and a myriad of beasts.
On this particular night, apart from the inhabitants of the Huang Continent, the common folk went about their lives as they had for millennia, resting as the sun set.
Deep within the remote wilderness, amidst towering mountains and dense forests, the Heavenly Rankers of the Middle Land waged a brutal battle against the devil soldiers, determined to secure the fate of their homeland.
The world was oblivious to these events. Still, not a single Heavenly Ranker complained or faltered in their resolve. They understood that this battle was their duty and burden to bear.
In the skies, Qiong Sea King’s massive body displayed astonishing agility. With a force that seemed to rend the sky and split the earth, it smashed its draconic tail into a devil soldier, causing its head to explode.
"Devour!" Mountain Devil King, as large as a miniature mountain, opened its gigantic maw. An invisible suction force caused a devil soldier, almost the same size as him, to fly toward him.
Boom! Mountain Devil King violently headbutted the devil soldier.
"Meteor shower, fall!" Dong Guangbo, a sixth-stage Qi Sea cultivator, was among the strongest Heavenly Rankers participating in the first wave of attacks.
Explosive booms filled the air as flames poured down like a cascading meteor shower, setting the night sky alight. Amidst this blazing sea, devil soldiers writhed and howled in agony.
As the night deepened, the worm devil's ferocious counterattack incited a series of bloody clashes between the Middle Land’s cultivators and the numerous Communion devil soldiers.
More and more devil soldiers joined the fray, executing the commands of the worm devil. The relatively powerful devil soldiers moved individually, while others gathered in droves to unleash synchronized assaults.
With each ensuing battle, the tension in the Middle Land Immortal Hall grew. With Emperor Dong Pan acting as the war commander, countless Heavenly Rankers patrolled for devil soldiers while simultaneously communicating with the immortal hall and seeking reinforcements when necessary.
The initial wave of Heavenly Rankers was relatively weak, hence their confrontations were marked by a brutal display of bloodshed. In the first large-scale clash, over 40 devil soldiers met their demise, with nearly 1000 juvenile devil soldiers wiped from existence.
However, the worm devil swiftly adapted and launched a second retaliatory strike. By midnight, over 200 devil soldiers joined the battle at the same time. In just a single hour, eight Heavenly Rankers succumbed to their relentless assault!
Besieged by a horde of more than ten devil soldiers, even the powerful Dong Guangbo perished before the other Heavenly Rankers could come to his aid. A wave of grief swept through the immortal hall. In this second wave, two battles in particular left all the experts dumbfounded.
The first battle revolved around Qiong Sea King. Unleashing the terrifying might of a ninth-stage Communion cultivator, he engaged in a massive confrontation against eight devil soldiers. Ultimately, he killed six of them, including two ninth-stage Communion devil soldiers.
The second battle revolved around Wu Yuan. Perhaps because the strength Wu Yuan unleashed in the first wave was far too frightening, he found himself surrounded by more than ten Communion devil soldiers in the second wave, the weakest of which was at the sixth stage.
Up till now, Wu Yuan had yet to reveal his ether arts, refusing to expose his trump card to the worm devil. Nevertheless, Wu Yuan emerged triumphant from the skirmish by relying on his indomitable defense and vitality!
Under the watchful eyes of dozens of Heavenly Rankers, Wu Yuan confronted the army of devil soldiers again and again. Each time, he found himself besieged by uncountable foes, yet just like an invincible war deity, he simply refused to retreat or go down!
Finally, after a full ten breaths of intense combat, eight devil soldiers died, while four flew away in defeat. On the other hand, Wu Yuan stood with his back against the night sky, as steady as a mountain.
This awe-striking spectacle not only left the devil soldiers in a state of terror, but also evoked astonishment and reverence from all the Heavenly Rankers of the Middle Land.
"Wu Yuan's vitality defies all comprehension!"
"His defense is strong enough to withstand a direct assault from a ninth-stage Communion devil soldier? Such an opponent would make even Qiong Sea King hesitate to confront head on!"
"Though his saber technique may not rival Qiong Sea King's claw technique in sheer power, Wu Yuan possesses a vitality that could very well match Qiong Sea King’s." The Heavenly Rankers looked at Wu Yuan with renewed gazes.
During the first wave of the battle, Wu Yuan exhibited remarkable offensive power and speed. And in the second wave, he displayed astonishing defense.
"In terms of overall strength, Wu Yuan deserves to be ranked among the top five in the Middle Land," exclaimed Daoist Wan Xing, "In a battle to the death, neither I nor Emperor Dong Pan can be absolutely confident of defeating him!"
In just one night, nine Heavenly Rankers from the Middle Land met their demise. However, the vanguard felled more than 100 Communion devil soldiers and thousands of juvenile devil soldiers, a staggering loss for the worm devil.
As if recognizing that the immortal cultivators of the Middle Land were a tough nut to crack, the devil soldiers began to retreat.
As dawn broke on the Huang Continent, the vanguard of Heavenly Rankers scoured the outskirts of the devil zone, yet only a few dozen juvenile devil soldiers were spotted. Not a single Communion devil soldier was found.