190: Chapter 190 The Soul-Devouring Army, the Black Tide Presses In

Boom—!!!

The sealing runes at the edge of the hundred-zhang rift completely shattered.

Like shattered colored glass, countless dark red cracks spread through the Void Realm, and then...

It completely collapsed.

At this moment, it felt as if something in the world had been completely torn open.

It wasn't a sound, nor a sight.

But rather... a shattering on the level of laws.

Within a hundred miles, an inexplicable palpitation rose in the hearts of all living beings, as if they were witnessing the world's wound spraying blood with their own eyes.

Immediately following...

Roar—!!!

The roars of a hundred thousand monsters converged into a tidal wave of sound that swept across the world.

It was no longer the scattered groups of monsters that had emerged before.

It was the true, organized, tiered, and strictly disciplined main army of the Spirit Devouring Clan!

The first to swarm out were the sky-blotting "Winged Demons."

These monsters resembled bats, but their wingspan exceeded three zhang. They were pitch-black and could spit corrosive poison mist from their mouths.

They were the most numerous, totaling thirty thousand, covering the sky like a dark, oppressive cloud.

Following closely behind were the ground troops.

"Bone-Armored Demons" were like mobile fortresses, five zhang tall and covered in thick bone armor; every step they took made the earth tremble.

"Thorn-Blade Demons" were slender with four blade-like arms, moving as swiftly as ghosts.

"Rot-Poison Behemoths" moved slowly like small mountains, with dark green venom constantly seeping from their bodies, causing plants to wither and rocks to dissolve wherever they passed.

Within this sea of fodder, thirty powerful auras stood out like lighthouses.

Those were thirty Spirit Devouring War Generals!

Each one possessed the strength of the Late Nascent Soul Stage or even the Peak!

They either rode hideous monster mounts or floated in the air, their crimson pupils scanning the Human Race defense line like butchers sizing up lambs for slaughter.

But the most terrifying were the three figures standing at the very rear of the army.

On the left, a Six-Armed Giant Ape Commander held a dark gold great axe, its blade flowing with lava-like evil light.

In the center, a Twelve-Winged Lava Commander slowly flapped its wings; each flap brought forth a shower of sparks, twisting the air with heat.

On the right, a Thousand-Legged Humanoid Commander's three heads opened their vertical pupils simultaneously, and the evil light swept across the battlefield like a physical substance, causing even the Starlight Forbidden Zone to ripple.

Early Spirit Transformation Stage, Middle Stage, and Peak!

Three great Commanders personally overseeing the battle!

"This... this is the main force of the Spirit Devouring Clan."

On the First Line of Defense, a Ten Thousand Swords Sect Golden Core Cultivator held his sword with a trembling hand.

He had experienced internal Sect wars and participated in the suppression of evil Cultivators, considering himself someone who had seen blood.

But now, facing this boundless sea of monsters, the thirty abyss-like auras of the War Generals, and the pressure of the three Commanders capable of changing the world's color...

He felt his sword was heavier than ever before.

"Form the array!"

The Commander of the allied forces, a Ten Thousand Swords Sect Nascent Soul Elder, roared hoarsely: "Golden Core Battle Array, activate!"

Buzz, buzz, buzz—!

On the First Line of Defense, three thousand Golden Core Cultivators from various Sects activated their battle arrays simultaneously.

Sword light, flames, thunder, and frost...

Various spiritual lights intertwined, constructing a hundred-zhang-thick spiritual power barrier in front.

This was the strongest defense the allied forces had built over three days using countless resources.

Theoretically, it was enough to withstand the combined assault of ten Nascent Soul Cultivators.

But theory... was just theory.

"Kill."

The Twelve-Winged Lava Commander spoke a single word indifferently.

Roar—!!!

Thirty thousand Winged Demons, like a plague of locusts, were the first to crash into the spiritual power barrier!

Thud, thud, thud, thud—!

The frontmost Winged Demons slammed into the barrier and were instantly ground into blood mist by the counter-shock force.

But the Winged Demons in the rear were fearless and continued to charge!

One wave, ten waves, a hundred waves...

In just ten short breaths, over five thousand Winged Demons had turned into blood mist.

And the spiritual power barrier also began to vibrate violently, its light dimming at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Hold on! Inject Spiritual Qi!"

The Nascent Soul Elder roared, personally standing at the formation eye and frantically outputting spiritual power.

But just then...

Three of the thirty War Generals stepped forward.

One had bone spikes on its back and held dual hammers.

One was shaped like a giant scorpion, its tail hook shimmering with an eerie light.

One held a spear with four arms, possessing the most ferocious aura.

The three War Generals raised their arms simultaneously.

Dark red evil qi converged frantically, condensing in front of them into a ten-zhang-wide... Evil Energy Light Cannon!

"Not good! Quick, dodge—"

The Nascent Soul Elder's face changed drastically.

But it was already too late.

Boom—!!!

The Evil Energy Light Cannon tore through the sky, slamming hard into the weakest point of the spiritual power barrier!

Crack—!!!

The barrier... shattered.

Like glass struck by a heavy hammer, countless cracks spread instantly, and then... it collapsed with a bang!

The backlash swept through the battle array.

Pfft, pfft, pfft—!

Over five hundred Golden Core Cultivators spat blood on the spot, with nearly a hundred having their Meridians completely shattered, falling to the ground.

And this was only the beginning.

The moment the barrier shattered, the army of monsters on the ground surged toward the defense line like a bursting flood!

"Engage the enemy!"

The allied Cultivators roared hoarsely, clashing with the monsters.

Sword light severed monster limbs, flames incinerated their bodies, and thunder crushed their heads.

But there were simply too many monsters.

Kill one, and ten would swarm in.

Kill ten, and a hundred would swarm in.

Moreover, those monsters were completely unafraid of death, even using self-destruction to frantically consume the effective forces of the Human Race Cultivators.

In just half a stick of incense's time...

The First Line of Defense collapsed.

Of the three thousand Golden Core Cultivators, over fifteen hundred were killed, eight hundred were heavily injured, and the rest retreated with wounds.

Yet the price paid by the monster army was merely... over ten thousand fodder and a dozen or so Golden Core stage monsters.

The casualty ratio was shocking.

"Second Line of Defense, prepare to engage the enemy!"

Immortal Master Qingluan's face was pale as she gave the order sharply.

The Second Line of Defense consisted of the Luoxia Sect War Department and Nascent Soul Cultivators from various Sects, totaling fifty Nascent Souls and two thousand Foundation Establishment elites.

This was already the final mobile force of the allied army.

If they failed again...

"Sect Master Lin!"

Sect Master Mo Chen looked toward the command platform, his voice anxious.

On the platform, Lin Yue quietly watched the collapse of the First Line of Defense, the swarming army of monsters, and the three slowly approaching War Generals.

There was no expression on his face.

He only slowly raised his right hand, palm upward.

"It's time,"

He murmured softly, and then... his fingers suddenly clenched into a fist!

"Grotto-Heaven Secret Method: Law Projection!"

There was no world-shaking commotion.

There was no dazzling light.

There was only an invisible, intangible, yet indescribably vast "Spiritual Qi Tide" that exploded outward with Lin Yue as the center!

This Spiritual Qi Tide instantly enveloped the entire Second Line of Defense.

All the Cultivators on the defense line were stunned at this moment.

Because they felt that the concentration of Spiritual Qi around them was skyrocketing at a terrifying speed!

Ten times, a hundred times, five hundred times, a thousand times... two thousand times!

Two thousand times the concentration of the outside world's Spiritual Qi!

The Spiritual Qi, so dense it almost turned liquid, fell upon every Cultivator like sweet dew.

The wounds of the heavily injured healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Dantians of those with depleted spiritual power were instantly refilled.

Cultivators stuck at a Bottleneck broke through on the spot!

Even three Early Nascent Soul Stage Elders saw their auras suddenly surge under the wash of this Spiritual Qi Tide, stepping directly into the Mid Nascent Soul Stage!

"This... this is..."

Immortal Master Qingluan stared blankly at her hands, feeling the spiritual power within her body surging so much it almost overflowed; for a moment, she was speechless.

"Star Lord Secret Method?"

Sect Master Mo Chen looked at Lin Yue in shock.

This was the only explanation.

Besides an ancient Star Lord, who could have such Heaven-Defying means to change the world and forcibly increase the Spiritual Qi concentration of an entire area?

But what they didn't know...

Was that this wasn't some Star Lord Secret Method at all.

This was Lin Yue using his authority as the Lord of the Grotto-Heaven to forcibly "project" the two-thousand-fold concentration of Spiritual Qi from within the Grotto-Heaven into reality!

The price was... the Grotto-Heaven's Spiritual Qi reserves instantly dropped by fifty percent!

And it could only last for... a hundred breaths!

After a hundred breaths, the projection would end, and the Spiritual Qi concentration would return to normal.

But a hundred breaths was enough.

"Everyone."

Lin Yue's voice spread throughout the entire second defense line via a secret method: "This two-thousand-fold Spiritual Qi is something I have forcibly condensed with a secret method; it can only be maintained for a hundred breaths."

"Within a hundred breaths, you will have a nearly infinite spiritual power recovery speed, your wound healing speed will increase tenfold, and the power of your techniques will be boosted by thirty percent."

"After a hundred breaths, everything will return to its original state."

"So..."

He paused, his voice suddenly sharp as a sword: "In these hundred breaths, kill them for me!"

"Kill them until they are terrified!"

"Kill them until they... regret stepping into this world!"

As his voice fell...

The eyes of all the Cultivators on the second defense line ignited with soaring Battle Intent simultaneously.

"Kill!"

Immortal Master Qingluan was the first to charge out, the light of her Qingluan Sword expanding tenfold; with one strike, she cleaved a Nascent Soul stage monster in half!

Sect Master Mo Chen rang the qinglan bell, and wherever the sound passed, the Divine Souls of dozens of Golden Core stage monsters were annihilated!

Fifty Nascent Souls and two thousand Foundation Establishments, empowered by the two-thousand-fold Spiritual Qi, erupted with terrifying combat power far beyond their usual levels.

They actually... held back the charge of the monster army!

They even began to push back!

On the platform...

After doing all this, Lin Yue's face turned slightly pale.

The sudden drop in the Grotto-Heaven's Spiritual Qi reserves also had a certain impact on him as the Lord of the Grotto-Heaven.

But he didn't rest; instead, he slowly drew the starfall sword and looked toward the very back of the battlefield.

There, of the three Commanders, the Six-Armed Giant Ape Commander on the far left seemed to have sensed something, its crimson pupils... looking toward him.

Their gazes met across the dozens of miles of the battlefield.

A cold arc curled at the corner of Lin Yue's mouth.

"Early Spirit Transformation Stage."

"I'll use you... to test my sword."

Taking a step forward...

His figure merged into the starlight, heading straight for the deepest part of the battlefield.

The true Peak Duel...

Was about to begin.