251: Chapter 251 A sneak attack on the Queen Insect: The breakthrough!

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The battle quickly reached a fever pitch.

High up in the sky, Shi Jian fought the Poison Flood Dragon King with ease.

The Poison Flood Dragon King was indeed a tier-seven great demon; his six hundred years of cultivation were not for show, and he truly possessed some skill. Relying purely on physical collisions, Shi Jian really couldn't take him down immediately...

Although his poison techniques were countered by Shi Jian's lightning, his close-combat capabilities were equally terrifying. His hundred-and-fifty-zhang-long dragon body writhed and coiled in the Void Realm, unleashing tail sweeps, sharp teeth, dragon horns, and claw strikes. His offensive was like a tempestuous storm, leaving no room for error with every move.

What was even more annoying was that a layer of purple-black toxic film constantly secreted over the Poison Flood Dragon King's scales. Every time Shi Jian made a close-range attack, he had to first use his lightning to purify that toxic film before breaking through the scales, which significantly reduced his efficiency.

The two fought for nearly an hour, and Shi Jian remained completely unharmed.

On the other hand, three inches above the Poison Flood Dragon King's head, a crack had been smashed open by one of Shi Jian's claw strikes. Seven or eight scales were shattered, and purple-black blood seeped out, dripping down his dragon head.

“You bear... are truly troublesome.”

The Poison Flood Dragon King gasped for breath, clearly falling into a disadvantage. It even seemed as though his opponent hadn't used his full strength at all.

Only after fighting until now did he realize that this bear's combat power was completely unlike what a Mid-stage Golden Core cultivator should possess.

The pressure on his Divine Soul was too heavy; with every close-range clash, his Sea of Consciousness would be run over by an invisible, crushing weight.

His Divine Sense was by no means weak.

The Flood Dragon Clan possessed an exclusive Bloodline Legacy, which included methods to enhance the Divine Soul specifically to counter soul slavery and attacks from other races.

Although his thoughts were only dulled for a fraction of a breath, in a Golden Core duel, a fraction of a breath was the difference between life and death.

Shi Jian did not reply; he was waiting for an opportunity.

The Poison Flood Dragon King's poison techniques were countered by him, so this dragon had been relying solely on his Physical Body to fight head-on.

But Physical Body clashes were one of Shi Jian's most proficient Domains. Bear demons were naturally born with robust physical bodies, and after hundreds of years of lightning Body Tempering, his physical constitution had almost no rivals among those of the same rank.

Dragging this out would be advantageous to him.

The Poison Flood Dragon King was, of course, also aware of this...

He began to change his tactics, making adjustments accordingly.

His dragon body suddenly soared a hundred zhang higher, and he opened his mouth to spit a cloud of purple-black toxic mist into the sky.

The toxic cloud spread extremely fast, covering an airspace of several hundred li in the blink of an eye, turning the entire sky into a purple-black purgatory.

“I didn't expect you to be so troublesome. If this king wants to defeat you, trapping you will suffice.”

The Poison Flood Dragon King's voice echoed from within the toxic cloud, its location shifting unpredictably.

“This king only needs to hold you back. As for the battlefield below, you won't be able to do anything about it.”

Shi Jian's brow furrowed; this dragon was not stupid.

Knowing he couldn't kill Shi Jian, he simply changed his strategy, using the toxic cloud as cover to tie Shi Jian down and prevent him from leaving.

As long as Shi Jian was trapped in this toxic Domain, no one would be able to hold down the Foundation Establishment battlefield below, and it would collapse sooner or later!

“Planning to hide in your shell like a turtle?” Shi Jian said in a deep voice.

“It's not hiding; it's being smart.” The Poison Flood Dragon King's laughter echoed through the toxic cloud. “Foolish Bear, your subordinates won't be able to hold out for much longer.”

Shi Jian looked around. The purple-black toxic cloud blocked his vision, and when he extended his Divine Sense outward, it was interfered with by the Poison Flood Dragon King's spiritual power imprints mixed within the cloud, disrupting his sensory perception.

He could no longer clearly see the battle situation below.

“Heh.”

Shi Jian sneered. Wanting to trap him?

Instantly, purple-gold lightning flared wildly. Shi Jian opened his massive mouth and let out a roar!

This was no ordinary roar, but a thunderous sound technique fused with Nascent Soul-level Divine Sense!

Boom!!

The sound waves transformed into physical ripples of lightning, spreading outward with Shi Jian at the center.

The toxic cloud was torn apart by the thunderous sound, and the purple-black toxic mist was ionized and decomposed within the lightning, dissipating in massive swathes...

The Poison Flood Dragon King let out a muffled groan as his Sea of Consciousness was shaken once again.

Although he was prepared and it wasn't as severe as last time, it was still extremely uncomfortable, leaving his eyes rolled back and blood streaming continuously from his ears!

A massive gap was torn through the toxic cloud, and Shi Jian took the opportunity to look down.

The southern battlefield was a bloody mess, with Crocodile Beasts and Dragon Pythons slaughtering each other in the river.

Both sides suffered casualties, with severed tails, shattered scales, and bloody water floating on the river's surface. Although the Foundation Establishment Cultivator of White Cloud Temple held their defensive line, they were clearly holding on at the cost of their lives...

The eastern side was even worse; the insect tide was simply endless!

Bee soldiers surged forward in an endless stream, and the spiritual energy of the Formations on the eastern city defense line was depleting rapidly. At this rate, they wouldn't survive the night.

Sun Chengzhu was still pursuing the Bee Queen, but that insect wench was far too slippery. Once closely pursued, she would dive deep into the insect tide, using tens of millions of bee soldiers as meat shields.

No matter how sharp Sun Chengzhu's thirty-six Flying Swords were, they still consumed spiritual energy when facing an endless sea of insects, making it impossible to pursue her indefinitely.

“I have to think of a way.”

Shi Jian's mind raced. The core of this predicament did not lie in the Golden Core duel.

He could hold back the Poison Flood Dragon King, and Shi Yin and Golden Crocodile's side was also fighting back and forth.

The problem lay below. The attrition from the insect tide was too massive. Fengshui City's Formation spiritual energy was limited, as were the people's energy and resources.

They had to end this quickly. At the very least, they needed to resolve one front as soon as possible!

Shi Jian made a decision.

No longer entangling himself with the Poison Flood Dragon King, he turned and rushed toward the east.

“Trying to run?!”

“This king admits you are very strong, perhaps even superior to me, but do not look down on me too much! I might not be able to defeat you, but can I not even hold you back?!”

The Poison Flood Dragon King was furious, his dragon body giving chase.

Shi Jian ignored him entirely, fleeing at full speed toward the insect tide.

The Poison Flood Dragon King pursued from behind, but Shi Jian's speed was already not slow among those of the same rank. Coupled with the full-force burst of his Way of Thunder extreme speed, even the Poison Flood Dragon King could not catch up for a time under his all-out sprint.

“Little pest, I've caught you!”

The moment Shi Jian charged into the insect tide, his Nascent Soul-level Divine Sense instantly locked onto the aura of the Bee Queen, Mingshui.

The Bee Queen was directing the insect tide's attack from the core of the insect cloud when she suddenly felt an extremely terrifying pressure crushing down from above...

Just as she raised her head, she saw a terrifying giant bear, about twenty zhang tall, enveloped in sky-covering purple-gold lightning, diving down toward her.

The Bee Queen's six wings fluttered frantically as she tried to dodge.

But Shi Jian's Divine Soul suppression unleashed at this exact instant.

The Nascent Soul-level Divine Sense power precisely locked onto the Bee Queen's Sea of Consciousness, unleashing the thunderous sound Divine Ability once again. In just that single instant, it completely shocked the Bee Queen into freezing on the spot.

Her pupils dilated, and her consciousness was blasted into pieces at this moment...

It was this split-second delay.

Shi Jian's bear claw had already slammed down upon her head.

Puff—!

Two of the Bee Queen's three pairs of wings were snapped, and her dark blue carapace was mostly shattered. Her body was sent flying dozens of zhang by the immense force, crashing through her own insect nest before tumbling onto the ground.

With just this single strike, she was severely wounded and left on the verge of death!

This strike left everyone dumbfounded.

Losing the Bee Queen's command, the insect tide instantly fell into chaos.

Those bee soldiers no longer attacked in an orderly fashion; instead, they flew about in all directions, crashing into one another, with some even turning around and flying back.

Just like that, the insect tide's offensive was broken!

“Excellent!”

“The Old Ancestor is mighty!”

On the city wall, Zhao Yanshan slapped the battlements and leapt up, extremely excited.

Seizing this opening, Sun Chengzhu transformed his thirty-six Flying Swords into a river of dark gold swords that poured down from the sky, surging straight toward where the Bee Queen had fallen—

“Enough!” the Bee Queen let out a shrill, piercing shriek.

She struggled to fly up from the pit, her remaining two wings flapping desperately as blood poured from her shattered carapace, staining a large area of the ground.

“Retreat—!”

The Bee Queen did not hesitate, turning around to flee immediately.

As if receiving the signal to retreat, the remaining bee soldiers ebbed away like a tide, retreating toward the east in a dense, black mass.

Shi Jian did not pursue, for the Poison Flood Dragon King had arrived.

“You—! Shameless bear, how dare you do this!”

The Poison Flood Dragon King was absolutely furious. He never expected Shi Jian to be so unscrupulous as to suddenly change direction and launch a sneak attack on the Bee Queen.

This completely defied all conventions! You were fighting me, so what was the point of attacking her?

It would have been one thing if you fought her normally, but you even resorted to a sneak attack!

Truly a brazenly shameless fellow!

“Who says one must follow rules during a battle? You are a demon; do you follow the rules of the Human Race? How utterly laughable!”

“No matter what kind of strategy it is, as long as it wins, it is a good strategy!”

Shi Jian turned his head, baring a mouthful of fangs.

The Poison Flood Dragon King was about to die of anger. This bear was simply a rogue!

But the facts were right before his eyes. The eastern insect tide had instantly collapsed and retreated, and the Bee Queen had fled with severe injuries. Had the Bee Queen not possessed a naturally strong Divine Soul even among the Yao Race, she would probably have already died under Shi Jian's claws.

His plan of a three-pronged siege had now been ruined on one front.

The southern battlefield was still at a stalemate, but the great demons of the Crocodile Beast Five Branches, the Black Dog Clan, and the Wind Rat Lineage had already all taken the field.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator of White Cloud Temple also held their ground stubbornly without retreating. Although the Dragon Python Clan had the advantage of numbers, they couldn't break through the defense anytime soon.

Not to mention the western front; those fellows of the turtle species hadn't even moved a few steps since the start of the battle, purely there to make up the numbers!

Only now did the Poison Flood Dragon King realize.

Did that old bastard Wanxiang not exert any effort at all?!

“Old Turtle! You bastard!”

“To think that in the end, it would be you who slacked off and did no real work!”

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