220: Crisis

Boom!!!

The earth shook violently, and dust and residual energy light shot into the sky like a volcanic eruption. That solitary blue sword light was instantly swallowed and suppressed by the overwhelming giant shadow palm, vanishing into the churning darkness and dust.

"Girl!"

The old man, who was locked in combat with another black-robed figure, felt his eyes nearly split. The Decapitation Great Sword in his hand erupted with an explosive, majestic energy, forcing his opponent back half a step. His figure transformed into a streak of blood-red lightning, and ignoring the vulnerability of his open back, he lunged toward where the giant palm had fallen!

"Trying to leave?!"

How could the black-robed figure he was fighting let this chance go? A raspy voice like dry wood rubbing together sounded, and several hideous tentacles condensed from pure shadow, their surfaces featuring agonized human faces, shot out from his sleeves like lightning, aiming straight for the old man's heart and limbs from behind.

"Elder Lin, save her! Leave this place to me!"

At the critical moment, a low roar as steady as a mountain exploded. A giant axe as wide as a door panel with a dull edge slashed across, carrying a fierce wind that could split mountains and crack rocks, accurately striking the weakest joints of the shadow tentacles!

Rip!

The tentacles snapped at the impact, black mist gushing out with a shrill shriek.

A figure as burly as a mountain, carrying a giant axe on his shoulder, stood firmly between Lin Zhenyue and the black-robed figure. It was Zhou Dong, a high-ranking official of the Special Affairs Department.

Elder Lin looked back, his eyes meeting Zhou Dong's, and nodded heavily: "Be careful!" Before his voice finished, he had already turned into an afterimage, resolutely rushing toward the dust-filled area.

In the dust, a deep pit had been pressed into the ground. At the bottom of the pit, a layer of pale blue light flickered stubbornly, protecting Ye Nianyao within. Though the light was dim, it had not shattered.

Elder Lin broke through the dust, waving his sleeve to pull her out with gentle force, and immediately scolded her: "Girl! So reckless! What would happen if something went wrong?!" His voice was full of lingering fear.

Ye Nianyao's face was slightly pale. She pursed her lips and remained silent, her fingers gripping the sword turning white from the force.

Seeing her like this, Elder Lin couldn't bring himself to scold her further and sighed heavily: "Go help Chen Yu and the others. Leave this place to me."

With that, his gaze suddenly became as sharp as a blade, turning back toward the massive, buzzing Formation patterns.

The Decapitation Great Sword seemed to sense his Killing Intent, its edge gleaming with a cold, sinister light. Lin Zhenyue gripped the hilt with both hands, his Aura rising. A tragic and pure blood-red Killing Intent surged from within his body, spreading rapidly until it completely covered the cold blade.

"Hah—!"

He let out a low growl, and his figure shot up from the ground like a cannonball. Without dodging, he charged head-on with his saber toward the most violent core of the Formation's energy!

Bang!!!

The Formation barrier was brutally torn apart. Lin Zhenyue vanished into that light where dark red and deep purple intertwined.

In the next moment, a terrifying saber glow carrying a tragic blood intent tore out from inside the Formation, as if it wanted to split both this filthy Formation light and the sky itself!

However, that peerless blood-red color failed to slash through the sky. Instead, the moment it touched the top of the Formation, it was silently "swallowed" by a deeper, more viscous purple-black energy.

No, it wasn't swallowing; it was more like it had triggered something.

Buzz—!

The entire grand Formation vibrated violently, emitting a tooth-aching resonance. That sky-piercing saber glow seemed to have become the final heavy hammer blow, shattering some invisible barrier. At the core of the Formation struck by the saber glow, the deep purple Evil Qi was no longer just light, but had turned into a viscous, ink-like, almost liquid energy, gushing out continuously!

Mist, or more accurately, a "thick slurry" condensed from Evil Qi, spread out. It was so dense it could hardly be dispersed, cutting off all light and perception. In the center of this churning purple-black sea, two points of crimson suddenly lit up—a pair of eyes, filled with Chaos, madness, and ancient malice, snapped open!

The black robe covering his body burst inch by inch, revealing a pale face. Dark purple magic patterns loomed under the skin, and his Aura fluctuated—at times weak, at times suddenly soaring, violent and ferocious.

Lin Zhenyue saw that face clearly, his expression turning icy cold, and the Killing Intent in his eyes freezing into ice.

"As expected, it's you, you beast," his voice was as hard as iron. "Invading our country back then and not being finished off by my blade is the greatest regret of my life. Now—stretch out your neck, Araki, you old dog."

Araki Sadao.

This name was branded with a bloody history.

"Cough... cough cough..." Araki Sadao coughed raspily, but a twisted curve formed at the corners of his mouth. "Lin-san... after all these years, your Killing Intent is still so nostalgic. Unfortunately... the one who will die today is you."

His Aura fluctuated violently, and the Formation patterns beneath his feet flickered. Countless Souls imprisoned in the Formation emitted even shriller invisible wails, transforming into pure resentment that flowed into his body. The color of the magic patterns on his face suddenly deepened.

Cold light exploded in Lin Zhenyue's eyes. Without further words, he slammed his foot onto the ground! Spiderweb cracks exploded on the ground as he turned into a blood-red meteor, trailing a tragic saber glow, slashing straight for Araki Sadao's head!

"Well come! I'll use your old blood to celebrate my Lord's return!" Araki Sadao laughed wildly, but his figure drifted back like a ghost, his arms waving rapidly.

The Formation patterns at his feet brightened suddenly. Countless hideous ghost hands condensed from deep purple Evil Qi and Soul Power burst from the ground, grabbing at Lin Zhenyue from all directions! Even shriller Soul shrieks charged straight at his Divine Soul!

"Cheap tricks!" Lin Zhenyue roared, his momentum undiminished. He swung the Decapitation Great Sword into a blood-red storm, the Saber Qi exploding and shredding the ghost hands. But the Soul shrieks were invisible and slammed hard into his Sea of Consciousness. He let out a muffled groan, his charge faltering slightly, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

In that split second of delay, a fierce light flashed in Araki Sadao's eyes. He hooked his fingers into claws and made a fierce grabbing motion from a distance!

Five pitch-black claw glows, refined to the extreme, seemed to tear through space. Carrying a malicious Aura that could corrode everything, they instantly reached Lin Zhenyue's chest!

Lin Zhenyue's pupils constricted. His battle instincts honed through a hundred wars allowed him to twist his body at the critical moment, his Decapitation Great Sword whirling back to block.

Rip! Rip! Rip!

Two claw glows were swatted away, but the third one weirdly curved, savagely tearing through the Protective Aura from his left shoulder to his ribs! His clothes shredded and his flesh was torn open. The wound, deep enough to see bone, instantly turned black as a cold and malicious Aura rapidly eroded toward his heart!

"Ugh!" Lin Zhenyue's brows furrowed in pain, but his movements didn't stop for a moment. Using the momentum from his twist, his blade slashed diagonally upward, a blood-red crescent Saber Qi cutting along the ground toward Araki Sadao's lower body, forcing the opponent to dodge again.

The two figures crossed paths rapidly within the Formation, saber light and claw shadows flying everywhere. Lin Zhenyue's saber technique was bold and sweeping, blood-red Killing Intent crisscrossing. Every strike carried a tragic resolve to perish together. Araki Sadao, on the other hand, moved like a ghost, using the power of the Formation to frequently unleash evil arts, constantly wearing down and eroding his opponent.

Wounds gradually increased on Lin Zhenyue's body. The blackness from the wound on his left shoulder spread, and his movements took on an imperceptible stiffness. But the Killing Intent in his eyes burned even more fiercely, his Aura becoming even more violent under the stimulation of pain.

"Old dog... can you only hide?!" Lin Zhenyue spat out a mouthful of black, clotted blood, his hair standing on end in rage. He slammed the Decapitation Great Sword into the ground and rapidly formed hand seals. The blood energy around him surged crazily, even igniting into faint blood flames!

"With my battle blood... Incinerate the Heavens!"

Boom! With him as the center, a more solid blood-red Domain expanded outward, actually forcing back the deep purple light of the Formation for a moment! Within the Domain, all Evil Qi and Soul Power melted away as if they had met their nemesis. Araki Sadao, standing within it, suddenly felt his body grow heavy, his evil power becoming sluggish.

"Desperate struggle? Just what I wanted!" The magic patterns on Araki Sadao's face flashed wildly. He stopped maneuvering and folded his hands, the speed of his chanting increasing sharply.

All the Soul shadows in the Formation emitted a final shrill wail and actually burned together, turning into the purest and most violent torrent of resentment, which poured into his body! His Aura rose steadily, his body expanding, and the magic patterns under his skin almost burst through!

The two were like two meteors about to collide, accumulating their final and strongest power.

In the next moment—

"Kill!!!"

Lin Zhenyue rose with his saber. Man and blade seemed to merge into one, transforming into a blood-red rainbow that pierced through heaven and earth. With a resolve to incinerate everything, he stabbed straight for Araki Sadao's heart!

Araki Sadao also roared and pushed out both palms. A beam of purple-black evil energy, condensed into substance from countless resentful Souls, shot out with a boom!

The blood-red rainbow and the evil energy beam collided fiercely!

There was no loud bang, only the sound of energy annihilation that made the Soul tremble. The two extreme powers swallowed and melted each other, the space at the center point twisting and showing fine cracks!

The stalemate lasted only an instant.

The blood-red rainbow was ultimately superior. Carrying Lin Zhenyue's indomitable and tragic will, it forcibly split the evil energy beam down the middle and surged upward against the flow!

Pfft!

The blade pierced into flesh.

It accurately pierced Araki Sadao's chest—right into his heart! Violent blood-red Killing Intent instantly invaded his body, wreaking havoc.

"Ugh—!" Araki Sadao shrieked in agony, his eyes filled with disbelief and extreme pain. His outstretched palms fell weakly, and the surging evil power around him dissipated rapidly like a leaking balloon.

Lin Zhenyue's figure appeared behind Araki Sadao, maintaining his stabbing posture. The tip of the Decapitation Great Sword protruded from the back. His face was as pale as paper, the wound on his left shoulder black and continuously seeping dark blood. Other wounds on his body were blood-stained, his Aura withered to the extreme, and his hand holding the saber trembled slightly.

"...Cough... Fi... Finally..." He coughed up a large amount of blood mixed with visceral fragments, but looking at the impaled Araki Sadao, a flash of satisfaction crossed his eyes.

However—

The dark red blood flowing from Araki Sadao's wound did not drip down. Instead, it flowed back like a living thing, instantly connecting with the dark purple magic patterns under his skin! Those magic patterns, like the veins of an evil god being fully activated, erupted with an eerie purple-black light. Centered on the heart wound, they frantically spread and swallowed his entire body!

"Heh... heh... Lin... Zhen... Yue..." Araki Sadao's voice was distorted and overlapping, as if countless voices were roaring at once. "You... cannot kill me... My Lord... has granted me... eternal life!!"

"Aaaaagh—!!!"

Amidst an even shriller howl that didn't sound human at all, Araki Sadao's body began a terrifying mutation! His bones popped and cracked, his body expanded and grew taller, and his skin was forcibly burst and torn open by the surging, eerie energy beneath it—an intertwining of dark red and purple-black like molten lava!

The Decapitation Great Sword was "squeezed" out of the wound by a terrifying force and clattered to the ground. No blood was seen in the wound; only writhing, semi-solidified dark red energy frantically intertwined and healed, restoring it instantly.

In the blink of an eye, Araki Sadao was no longer there.

Replacing him was a hideous monster nearly three meters tall, its entire body covered in black-red keratin like armor. It had curved horns on its head, a distorted face, and protruding fangs. Only its eyes were a pure, cold crimson blood color, devoid of any emotion.

A terrifying pressure of pure, chaotic, and destructive desire erupted from it like a physical black tide, sweeping across the entire battlefield!

The heavily injured Lin Zhenyue bore the brunt of it. Hit by this pressure, his already teetering body could no longer hold on. He stumbled back several steps, spitting out another mouthful of blood mixed with visceral fragments. His face was as pale as paper, and he could barely stay upright by leaning on his saber.

The monster slowly raised a shell-covered claw. In its palm, dark red energy frantically gathered, stretched, and solidified—a strangely shaped long saber, its entire body wrapped in viscous, blood-colored Evil Qi, materialized inch by inch in its palm! On the blade, distorted and hideous blood-red runes lit up one after another, each seemingly condensed from the wails of countless lost Souls.

Chi—!!!

Without any warning, a blood-red light pillar several meters in diameter erupted into the sky from the monster and the Evil Qi Long Saber in its hand! The light pillar pierced straight into the dark sky, staining the thick clouds with an eerie blood-red glow, as if the sky had been torn with a bleeding wound! Violent energy turbulence swept in all directions. The nearest Special Affairs Department members and evil ghosts were blown away before they could react, their fates unknown.

"Grandpa Lin!"

Ye Nianyao's eyes nearly split as she cried out. Ignoring the churning blood and qi in her body, she forcibly activated her remaining spiritual power. She turned into a resolute blue light, pushing her Sword Intent to the extreme, and slashed boldly toward that terrifying blood-red light pillar that connected heaven and earth!

The ice-like blue sword light was cold and clear, but before that majestic, chaotic, and destructive blood-red light pillar, it was as tiny as a moth flying into a flame.

"Thor!" On the dragon's back, Yukino Mifuyu's cold voice sounded, and the frost qi around her suddenly intensified.

"Roar—!!!"

The ear-splitting dragon roar resounded across the battlefield, drowning out the energy booms. Thor's massive dragon body erupted with dazzling golden lightning. His wings flapped furiously as he charged toward the top of the blood-red light pillar!

The Dragon opened its massive maw and spat out the purest and most violent Origin lightning! At the same time, Dragon-language Magic was chanted, and majestic magic power surged out.

Buzz—!

Right above the blood-red light pillar, in the Void Realm, seven incredibly complex giant magic circles, shining with the light of various elements, appeared and unfolded layer upon layer like a miracle!

With a roar from Thor that contained the Dragon-language Law, the light of the seven magic circles reached its peak. Then, like the heavenly river pouring down, a majestic and peerless elemental energy torrent—a Fusion of seven colors that looked like the Chaos at the beginning of the world—crashed down like a waterfall from the Nine Heavens toward the blood-red light pillar below!

The blue sword light and the seven-colored elemental waterfall, one from below and one from above, simultaneously struck that heaven-piercing blood-red light pillar!

In an instant, the world lost its color. Only the energy waves were roaring, annihilating, and tearing!