377: Chapter 377 The Great Battle of the City (Part 5)

They controlled countless vines and withered wood, laying down layers of barriers in the path of the Spatial Blades! Though those vines and withered wood were severed by the Spatial Blades, they also consumed the power of the blades, preventing them from harming the Time Clan Cultivators!

The battle instantly reached a fever pitch!

On the city walls, Luo Li's Rhythm Legion played with all their might. The melody of the "Star Battle Song" grew increasingly stirring, and the golden soundwaves became more powerful, surging into the bodies of every defending Cultivator. They felt a continuous stream of power gushing out, their fatigue and pain temporarily suppressed, as if they had inexhaustible strength!

Lin Yue gritted his teeth and held on, as the Twelve-Layer Great Defensive Formation operated at full capacity.

Though the first layer, the Enemy-Trapping Array, was already riddled with holes from the Rock Demon Musclemen's bashing, it continued to operate tenaciously, trapping hundreds of enemies charging at the front.

Those enemies lost their direction within the array, crashing around aimlessly, and were slaughtered one by one by the subsequent Killing Array! Some were sliced into fragments by Sword Qi, some were swallowed by traps, and some were trapped in the maze and starved to death.

The second layer, the Killing Array, operated at full power, with countless streaks of Sword Qi weaving frantically through the Formation! The trapped enemies were sliced by the Sword Qi, flesh and blood flying everywhere amidst continuous screams! Some were cut in two, some were shaved into pieces, and some were pierced like sieves! Blood gathered into small streams, flowing through the array and staining the ground dark red!

The third layer, the Defensive Array, transformed into a massive light shield, enveloping the entire Meteor City within it.

Flame spears, wooden spears, and water arrows struck the light shield and exploded one after another, unable to penetrate it! The stone hammers of the Rock Demon Musclemen smashed against the shield, and though they caused it to tremble violently, they still could not break through!

Ripples constantly spread across the light shield, a manifestation of the attack's power being dispersed across the entire barrier. With every attack it endured, the shield would dim slightly, but it would quickly regain its brightness as the Spirit Gathering Array continuously replenished its spiritual energy.

The fourth layer, the Illusion Array, flickered with distorted light that shone upon the enemies, causing them to experience various hallucinations.

Some saw themselves having already breached the city and engaging in a slaughter, dancing with excitement before being hacked to death by their own comrades; some saw countless reinforcements charging from the rear and turned to flee in terror, trampling many of their companions; some saw their commanders already dead, their morale collapsing as they dropped their weapons and knelt to beg for mercy! Those who knelt for mercy were easily captured by the following defenders.

The fifth layer, the Weakness Array, continuously released invisible ripples that permeated the enemies' bodies, draining their strength.

The once-ferocious enemies suddenly found themselves powerless, unable to even lift their weapons, and were easily slain by the defenders! Some Rock Demon Musclemen found they couldn't even lift their stone hammers and were surrounded and hacked to death by Wuxiang Sect Disciples; some Demonic Flame Warriors found they couldn't even spit fire and were pierced like sieves by Qingyun Sect Disciples.

The sixth layer, the Damage Reflection Array, flickered with an eerie light; those enemies attacking the city walls found that the more fiercely they attacked, the more severely they were injured!

One Rock Demon Strongman smashed his hammer against the wall, only to be sent flying back while vomiting blood, his rock armor shattering to reveal a mangled body beneath; a Demonic Flame Warrior spat a mouthful of fire, only to be turned to ash himself before he could even scream; a Shadow Demon Assassin lunged with a blade, only to collapse clutching his chest, a bloody hole appearing where his heart was!

The seventh layer, the Healing Array, continuously released the breath of life, nourishing the physical bodies and spiritual energy of the defending Cultivators.

The wounds of the injured Cultivators healed at a pace visible to the naked eye; those who had overexerted themselves quickly recovered their spiritual energy; those on the brink of death were pulled back from the edge! A Cultivator whose chest had been pierced by a flame spear saw his wound heal rapidly under the light of the Healing Array, soon standing up to fight again; a Cultivator whose spiritual energy was exhausted found his Dantian refilled with power under the light of the Healing Array, enabling him to cast Spells once more.

The eighth layer, the Acceleration Array, vastly increased the speed and reactions of the defending Cultivators!

They dodged attacks more easily, struck more swiftly, and killed enemies more efficiently! A Wuxiang Sect Disciple, bolstered by the Acceleration Array, pierced the throats of three enemies with a single sword thrust; a Qingyun Sect Disciple, under the same enhancement, killed over a dozen enemies with a single sword Formation sequence.

The ninth layer, the Spatial Stabilization Array, made the surrounding space as solid as a rock; those enemies attempting to sneak-attack with Spatial Magic found the space unshakeable, and were instead backlashed by the Space Power!

Some Time Clan Cultivators cast Time Acceleration, only to find their Spells ineffective and themselves backlashed by Time Power, instantly aging decades; some Shadow Demon Assassins tried to dive into the shadows, only to find they couldn't enter at all and were instead torn apart by Space Power!

The tenth layer, the Time Slow Array, made the movements of the charging enemies incredibly sluggish!

They were as if stuck in a quagmire, every step requiring immense effort and every movement slow as a snail, only to be easily cut down by the defenders! The slowed enemies watched helplessly as blades and swords hacked toward them, unable to dodge, only able to wait for death.

The eleventh layer, the Spirit Gathering Array, gathered all the Spiritual Qi within a hundred-mile radius, providing the defenders with a continuous stream of spiritual energy support!

That Spiritual Qi transformed into milky-white bands of light, constantly drifting onto the defenders and replenishing their consumption. Cultivators who were originally exhausted were revitalized under the nourishment of the Spiritual Qi; those whose spiritual energy had been depleted found their Dantians filled with power once more.

But the enemies were too numerous, and their attacks too fierce. The Formations were weakened and breached layer by layer. Lin Yue's face grew paler, and he began to bleed from his seven orifices, the blood streaming down his cheeks and dripping onto the city wall. His body swayed, but Battle Intent still burned in his eyes, sustaining him and preventing him from falling.

"Lin Yue!" Chu Lan cried out in alarm, rushing to his side and stuffing a Healing Spirit Plant into his mouth.

The spirit plant transformed into a warm current, nourishing his near-collapsing Meridians and repairing his damaged internal organs. She also handed him a spirit plant for replenishing spiritual energy, letting him consume it to help recover his spent power.

Lin Yue took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and activated the Formations once more. He knew he could not fall. If he fell, the Twelve-Layer Great Formation would collapse, countless enemies would swarm into the city, and countless comrades would die.

He had to hold on.

On the city walls, the battle was equally intense.

Ling Zhan led the Wuxiang Sect Legion, engaging in a fierce battle with the Demonic Flame Warriors who had charged onto the walls. Holding a longsword, every strike of his carried a sharp sword glow, knocking the Demonic Flame Warriors off the walls one by one.

Though the Demonic Flame Warriors were ferocious, they were no match for Ling Zhan. His swordsmanship was incredibly sharp, and wherever his sword glow passed, flames were extinguished and enemies fell.

But his Disciples were not as strong as him; people were constantly swallowed by flames, letting out shrill screams as they fell from the walls. Some were pierced by flame spears, some were struck by flaming palms, and some were entwined by fire and burned to ashes.

Ling Zhan watched his Disciples fall one by one, his eyes red with grief, yet he was powerless. He could only fight more desperately, using the sword in his hand to avenge them.

"Hold on! Hold on!" Ling Zhan shouted hoarsely, decapitating a Demonic Flame Warrior with one strike and turning to pierce the heart of another. He was already covered in blood, both his own and his enemies'.

His robes were burned to tatters by the flames, and half of his hair was scorched, yet he continued to fight, continued to roar, and continued to give his all.

The Grand Elder led the Qingyun Sect Legion, battling the Rock Demon Musclemen. The Qingyun Sect's sword Formation was immensely powerful; in groups of seven, with forty-nine people forming a great array, their sword light was like a rainbow, gradually shaving away the rock armor of the Rock Demon Musclemen.

Although those Rock Demon Musclemen had staggering defense, their rock armor continuously peeled off under the sustained attacks of the sword Formation, revealing the flesh beneath. Some were pierced by the sword Formation and died; some were trapped by it and could not move; some were slaughtered by it, leaving no intact corpse.

But the strength of those musclemen was too great; with every hammer blow, a Disciple was crushed into pulp. The bodies of those Disciples were mangled beyond recognition.

The Grand Elder's white hair was stained with blood, yet he still fought with all his might, each swing of his sword claiming an enemy's life. Tears welled in his eyes, but his hand did not shake, and his sword did not slow. He knew he had to be strong, he had to fight—to avenge the dead Disciples and to fight for those still alive.

Yun Xi led the Mixed Legion, contending with the Shadow Demon Assassins. Those assassins were elusive and hard to guard against. Yun Xi used rhythm to perceive their positions, providing early warnings time and again, saving countless companions.

Her zither music echoed across the battlefield; with every pluck of the strings, a soundwave would shoot out and strike an assassin. Those assassins struck by the soundwaves were revealed and then slain by the defenders.

But she herself had faced danger multiple times, her body covered in wounds. A gash on her shoulder stained her clothes red; a sword thrust to her back nearly pierced her heart; a cut on her leg made her limp.

Her zither strings were covered in blood, indistinguishable whether it was her enemies' or her own. Yet she continued to fight, continued to play, and continued to protect her comrades in her own way.

Han Shan led the Loose Cultivator Legion, engaging in a fierce battle with the Time Clan and Array Clan Cultivators. Though the Loose Cultivators possessed decent individual strength, they lacked coordination and were left disoriented by the Time Clan's Time Magic and the Array Clan's Formations.

Some were slowed by time, their movements sluggish, and were easily slain by the enemy; some were trapped by Formations and unable to move, hacked to death by the enemy's blades; some were accelerated by time, moving too fast and crashing into the swords of their own people.

Han Shan shouted desperately, trying to organize them, but to little effect. His body was also covered in wounds, yet he continued to fight, continued to roar, and continued to give his all.

Using his extensive combat experience, he repeatedly warned those Loose Cultivators to avoid danger; using his own flesh and blood, he repeatedly stood before them to take the brunt of the attacks.