HSSB637: Hopping on for a ride
While many peak experts of the Grand Xuan Dynasty had invaded, the Dim Darkness Sect had experts like Wu Zixiu and Nie Sheng here.
An incomparably chaotic battle thus ensued, the entire Flourishing Peace region embroiled in a battle that seemed able to overturn the very heavens and the earth.
It was just that as Yan Zhaoge had predicted, the Dim Darkness Sect’s guardian grand formation currently could not function properly.
Under such circumstances, Wu Zixiu, Nie Sheng and the others naturally fell at a disadvantage.
Receiving another spear from the Grand Xuan Dynasty’s Lord Protector Zheng, Wu Zixiu’s old body grew even more bent.
A Dim Darkness Sect martial practitioner beside him was shocked to discover that there was some fresh blood indistinctly visible as if flowed down from the corner of his mouth.
Nie Sheng repelled his opponent with a muffled groan and an additional sword-wound on his right arm, retreating to Wu Zixiu’s side whereupon he sent via sound transmission, “We won’t be able to hold on like this.”
Wiping away the blood from the corner of his mouth, Wu Zixiu coughed a few times, “The news of our sect wanting to perform the Dim Sun Cold Moon Ritual has already been leaked. The Grand Xuan Dynasty wants to make use of this chance to investigate the location of our main altar.”
Nie Sheng said, “The arrow is already notched and cannot be unstrung. Even if we do not perform the ritual, the Grand Xuan Dynasty has already obtained clues.”
“Since that is so, we should just fight it out to the end!”
Hearing his words, Wu Zixiu fell into deep thought.
Raising his head and gazing upwards, he saw streams of fire roiling in the sky up above, waves of fire surging as a massive pattern of light gradually took form amidst the sea of flames that resembled a bright mirror, illuminating the world down below.
Enveloped by this mirror-light, streams of black smoke arose from this Dim Darkness Sect branch altar.
The black smoke did not drift straight upwards. Instead, it flew diagonally, resembling a rope with one end connecting to the Dim Darkness sect’s branch altar and the other extending to some unknown destination in the distance.
If one’s gaze was not limited to the Flourishing Peace Region, viewing the entire Royal Reed Sea, one would find that all the Dim Darkness Sect’s branch altars had received fierce attacks simultaneously.
Strange yet bright mirror-lights were emitted from above all the Dim Darkness Sect branch altars.
Streams of black smoke extended amidst space from different directions, gradually converging towards a single area.
Seeing the black smoke in the air above the Flourishing Peace Region, Wu Zixiu sighed, “They have indeed come prepared.”
There was a decisive look on the old man’s face, “At a time like this, we can truly only go all out.”
Saying thus, he raised a palm to parry the terrifying spear of the Grand Xuan Dynasty’s Lord Protector Zheng within the air whilst slamming down towards the ground with his other palm.
Dim brightness lit up beneath his feet, the appearance of light which was neither bright nor dark revealing the original face of a massive formation.
This formation mightily circulated, a powerful light suddenly lighting up at its centre which actually instantly dispersed the darkness.
Still, this powerful light was gone in a flash as it was consumed once more by the darkness. The current ‘darkness’ was even more profound, even more quiet, yet even more terrifying as well.
Having been instructed by Wu Zixiu, Chen Ke and some other Dim Darkness Sect martial practitioners had not joined in the fighting and reinforced their fellow disciples, instead already having long since prepared various sacrificial items used for the ritual. Now, they threw it all within.
The profound, deep darkness was like a lake whilst also the ocean. After some slight ripples had been caused from throwing all those things within, it very quickly regained its former calm.
“If only we could have had some more time,” Wu Zixiu shook his head, writing a profound black rune in mid-air before touching it with his finger. That rune thus sunk into the darkness formed of the grand formation.
As the Grand Xuan Dynasty martial practitioners up above felt these changes, their attacks involuntarily grew even more frantic.
Wu Zixiu, Nie Sheng and the others resisted them with all their might.
The profound darkness began expanding unceasingly, the surrounding world beginning to dim along with it as all the light in the vicinity was devoured by this darkness.
Even in the sky up above, the host of Grand Xuan Dynasty experts was feeling the radiance of the surrounding world dimming.
There were only Lord Protector Zheng and a few other peak experts who still caused all-encompassing fiery light to blaze, remaining unaffected by the darkness.
However, everyone could feel the intense changes in the branch altar of the Dim Darkness Sect down below.
The next moment, a streak of light that was not bright, instead appearing very dim, rose from the centre of the grand formation, similarly flying outwards diagonally rather than straight upwards.
The dim light pointed in the same direction as that black smoke, extending into the distance to some unknown destination.
As the light arose, the darkness that enveloped the Dim Darkness Sect’s branch altar began dispersing unceasingly.
An authoritative-looking man surfaced amidst the sea of flames in mid-air. He appeared to be middle-aged with a full beard on his face.
Seeing that streak of dim radiance, he could not help but frown. He ignored Wu Zixiu whom he had been clashing with previously, switching to striking towards that streak of light with his spear!
Supported by flames and fire, the descending spear resembled a star that was truly plummeting from the heavens, leaving a long trail of flame behind it as it mightily struck the dim radiance.
In that collision, that middle-aged man’s spear which seemed able to destroy the heavens and exterminate the earth was actually repelled.
The dim pillar of light shook slightly for a moment yet still continued shooting towards the distance.
This middle-aged man, naturally Lord Protector Zheng of the Grand Xuan Dynasty, one of their four Lord Protectors, focused his gaze, “Good fella!”
While this light pillar seemed dim and inconspicuous, weak and turbid, the power within it was vast and heavy such that even Lord Protector Zheng who was a sixth level Martial Saint with a late Seeing Divinity cultivation base had been unable to destroy it in a single blow.
His spear moved once more, Wu Zixiu and the others hurriedly moving forward to stop him.
“Whatever you are thinking of, it will also be for naught,” Lord Protector Zheng smiled, “So what even if you rebels can complete your ritual? Wait to dissipate to ashes along with your main altar.”
Wu Zixiu counterattacked, just having been about to rebut him when a look of surprise suddenly appeared on his face.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, someone of the branch altar had been swept along into the central region of the grand formation.
Wu Zixiu stared and saw that it was clearly Yan Zhaoge.
“This youngster will be crushed by the power of the formation…” Wu Zixiu was thinking when he suddenly saw Yan Zhaoge struggling as he actually vanished within the pillar of dimness.
Wu Zixiu was greatly shocked. As the controller of the formation, he could feel that someone was shooting into the horizon along with the light within the pillar of dimness, instantly travelling far!
This not having affected the formation, Wu Zixiu sighed in relief.
However, Wu Zixiu did not know whether he should feel joyful or worried over this sudden event.
As the experts of the Grand Xuan Dynasty again attacked, Wu Zixiu had not the leisure to consider Yan Zhaoge’s matter as he could only meet the enemy in battle.
Yan Zhaoge was currently not feeling comfortable at all. It seemed like he was being carried away by a flash flood, all blurry before his eyes as the sky rotated and the earth spun.
“Damn! Although there’s this Tide Reversal Formation Technique, this spiritual qi flow is really too chaotic,” Yan Zhaoge could not help but feel like cursing.
Since he had dared to enter, he had naturally prepared for it. Making use of a unique technique to guard his body, not only would he not be ripped apart by the power of the Dim Darkness Sect’s ritual, he would even be able to borrow it to be transported to the Dim Darkness Sect’s main altar, the core of the Dim Sun Cold Night Ritual.
It was just that the journey there truly felt rather terrible.
It was like feeling seasick in addition to sitting on a roller coaster.
Yan Zhaoge was shaken dizzy all around. It was a good while later before the surroundings finally ended up stabilising.
“Huh?” Yan Zhaoge calmed his mind, appraising the surrounding area.
Then, he saw a great black sun currently slowly rising before his eyes.