26: A city surrounded by blood and fire! The tribe defends itself and the truth emerges.
The Divine Travel Technique tore through the biting cold wind, and afterimages constantly flickered before Di Tian's eyes.
The resonance between the Divine Artifact fragments in his embrace and the direction of his clan became increasingly intense, each tremor like a heavy hammer striking his heart.
He could even “see” the joint army, composed of the Burning Heaven Sect and the Netherworld Palace, like two venomous snakes of different colors, outflanking the clan'sstation from the east and west.
“Ding! Detected 5 Nascent Soul Stage powerhouses, 200 Golden Core Stage Cultivators, and 150 Netherworld Palace evil Cultivators.”
“Ding! White Frost has activated the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array, remaining energy: 47%.”
The System's alert tones continuously exploded in his Sea of Consciousness.
In Di Tian's Dragon Transformation Human Form, the Five-Colored Divine Dragon phantom almost materialized, surging and roaring behind him.
He knew that with the clan's current strength, facing an attack of this scale, every moment of delay was an agony.
When he finally saw the familiar outline of the mountains and forests, the sight before him caused his pupils to constrict.
The Burning Heaven Sect's crimson warships hovered in the air, flames erupting from their bows like doomsday fire, igniting the entire forest; the Netherworld Palace's evil Cultivators formed a Formation on the ground, countless chains extending from the black mist, greedily devouring the defensive light of the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array.
White Frost stood at the core of the Formation, her white tiger fur covered in scorched burns, the Silver Moon Fox Consort's illusionary arts were crumbling under the joint army's assault, and the Qingluan Clan's elites were using their flesh and blood to resist the enemy's aerial forces.
“Di Tian! They have a Formation-breaking Magical Artifact!”
White Frost's roar was mixed with the roar of spiritual power.
Di Tian followed her gaze and saw a Black-Robed People holding half of an ice crystal staff—it was the unique aura of Eternal Night City.
The ice-blue gem embedded at the top of the staff was continuously drawing power from the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array.
“Candle Dragon · Reverse Scale!”
The Five Elements spiritual power around Di Tian went berserk, and the Five-Colored Divine Dragon phantom transformed into a thousand streams of light, instantly piercing through three Golden Core Stage Cultivators.
His target was directly the Black-Robed People, and the five elements panlong halberd tore through the air, but just as it was about to touch the opponent, it was blocked by a blood-colored barrier.
On the barrier, the Blood Moon Altar pattern of the Seventh Altar appeared prominently.
“Candle Dragon descendant, do you think only you can master the power of the Divine Artifact?”
The Black-Robed People threw back his hood, revealing a middle-aged Cultivator with an unfamiliar face, a dark red moonTexture branded between his eyebrows, “Let me tell you a secret—” He waved the staff in his hand, and the flames and black mist above the battlefield suddenly fused, forming a giant Yin and Yang fish diagram, “The fragments of Eternal Night City were originally a bait set to lure you out!”
A violent explosion sent Di Tian flying, and he crashed through three ancient trees before barely steadying himself.
Just then, the three Divine Artifact fragments in his embrace lit up simultaneously, resonating with a certain location in the center of the battlefield.
Di Tian's Candle Dragon Insight talent operated at full power, and he finally discovered—under the raging flames, a fragment emitting a faint blue light was sealed within an ice coffin, and around the ice coffin, twelve mummified corpses dressed in Xuanxiao Sect attire were encircled.
“That's… the tomb of the Xuanxiao Sect's first Sect Master!”
The Silver Moon Fox Consort's voice in the spiritual power transmission was filled with shock, “We found an anomaly underground during our reconnaissance, but we didn't expect…” Her words were cut short as the ice coffin suddenly shattered, and the fourth Divine Artifact fragment shot into the sky, attracting the fragments in Di Tian's hand in the air.
Seeing this, the Black-Robed People laughed wildly: “Perfect timing! Activate the ‘Blood Moon Return to Ruins Formation’!”
Following his incantation, the blood of all enemies on the battlefield transformed into a blood mist, pouring into the Yin and Yang fish diagram in the air.
Di Tian felt his Bloodline Power uncontrollably draining away, and even more terrifying, the spiritual power of White Frost, the Silver Moon Fox Consort, and others was also being forcibly extracted.
“Warning! Detected an ancient forbidden Formation, recommended to destroy the core immediately.”
“Core location: A five-point Formation formed by five enemy Nascent Soul Stage powerhouses.”
Di Tian gritted his teeth and mobilized all the power of the fourth transformation of Candle Dragon Nine Transformations, and the Five-Colored Divine Dragon phantom swelled to a thousand feet.
The moment he charged towards the five-point Formation, a familiar cyan figure blocked his path—it was the Qingluan mate who should have remained in Eternal Night City!
Her wings were stained with blood, but her eyes gleamed with determination: “I'll hold them off, you go destroy the core!”
“No! Your injuries…” Di Tian's roar was interrupted by the Qingluan mate's wings.
She spread all her feathers, transforming into a cyan light that entangled the strongest Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator: “Go quickly! Our child… is still waiting for you!”
These words were like a heavy hammer, waking Di Tian from his rage.
He looked at the precarious nursery in the distance, where the future of the clan, including the young with ice-thunder Spiritual Root, huddled.
Taking a deep breath, Di Tian forcibly reversed the extracted spiritual power, his dragon claw tearing through space, heading directly for the core.
“Five Elements: World-Ending Finale!”
The five elements panlong halberd erupted with dazzling light, colliding with the power of the five-point Formation.
In the violent explosion, Di Tian saw the Black-Robed People's panicked expression, saw White Frost's figure desperately maintaining the Formation, and saw the Qingluan mate's wings gradually becoming transparent in the blood-colored light.
When the fourth Divine Artifact fragment finally fell into his hand, the battlefield's clamor suddenly fell silent.
“Ding! Defeated 5 enemy Nascent Soul Stage powerhouses, gained 8000 years of Cultivation.”
“Ding! Successfully acquired the fourth Divine Artifact fragment, unlocked hidden map ‘Ice Dragon Remains’.”
“Ding! Qingluan mate… life signs disappeared.”
The System's cold notification sounded, and Di Tian looked at the gradually dissipating cyan feather in his hand, unable to Move for a long time.
White Frost, dragging her scarred body, walked to his side and gently leaned her head on his trembling arm: “She passed away peacefully, saying that for the clan… everything was worth it.”
“Current Panel”
“Cultivation Accumulation: 27915 years”
“Strength Attribute: 15500 kg”
“Current Cultivation: Breakthrough to Nascent Soul Stage Early Stage (Progress 32%)”
“Cultivation Techniques”
“- Five Elements Art (Perfection)”
“- Soul Devouring Skill (Improved Version - Can Purify Evil Power)”
“- Candle Dragon Nine Transformations (Awakened 4 transformations, hidden Moves “Candle Dragon · Chaos World Extinction” “Five Elements: World-Ending Finale”)”
“Talent Skills”
“- Heaven Defying Dragon Roar”
“- Candle Dragon Insight”
“- Five Elements Ancestral Witch Body”
“- Candle Dragon Burns the Heavens”
“Passive Skills”
“- Beast Kings Blessing”
“- Elemental Resistance Enhancement”
“- Five Elements Spirit Devouring”
“Number of Offspring: 955”
“Special Items”
“- five elements panlong halberd (ancient Divine Artifact)”
“- candle dragon jade slip (incomplete)”
“- xuanxiao sect secret jade slip”
“- Unknown Divine Artifact fragments × 4”
“- netherworld hall bone staff (to be purified)”
“- “tai chu prophecy record” Incomplete Manual”
“- netherworld moon token”
“- netherworld palace secret order (incomplete)”
“- netherworld hall high-level cultivation technique fragment”
“- Black Jade Token”
“- Blood Moon Altar Clue Note”
In the ruins, Di Tian gripped the four Divine Artifact fragments, his vertical eye reflecting the dawn light about to break on the horizon.
He knew that the Qingluan mate's sacrifice would not be in vain, and in this gamble with fate, he had to win.
Turning to look at his surviving clansmen, his voice was low and firm: “Prepare to depart, next stop—Ice Dragon Remains.
We not only need to collect all the fragments, but also make those enemies hiding in the shadows pay the price.”