297: Chapter 297 An and Lan

Above the ruins after the collapse of Immortal Finger Mountain, a fierce battle was in full swing.

A woman in red wielded a heavy spear like a crimson dragon, every thrust, parry, and sweep kicking up scorching gales of aura, the crimson dragon pattern coiled around the spear tip roaring as it charged toward a Devil Emperor.

The Qi and blood around her body burned like a furnace, crimson Protective Aura rising as she withstood the siege of two Devil Emperors of the Xuanming Clan.

Not far from her, a moon-white figure hovered in mid-air, her Daoist robe snapping in the strong wind.

Her ten fingers danced like butterflies, and the ancient star disk floating before her spun rapidly, drawing upon the Star Power of the heavens.

Streams of cold starlight descended, weaving into complex and profound Formation patterns before her; at times they transformed into barriers of starlight to block the torrent of "Xuanming Heavy Water" controlled by another Devil Emperor, and at other times they turned into chains of starlight, entangling and trapping another Devil Emperor who attempted to sneak up on the woman in red.

Her presence, through the power of her Formation, greatly compensated for their numerical disadvantage.

"Senior Sister, watch out for the Bone-Eroding Devil Sound!"

Lan Zhiwei's cold, clear voice rang out in An Hongxiu's Sea of Consciousness.

Before her voice had even faded, the Devil Emperor who had been hovering at the edge of the battle circle surged with Devilish Qi, opening its mouth to emit a silent shriek.

Visible black ripples instantly expanded, striking directly at An Hongxiu's Divine Soul!

An Hongxiu's Battle Intent was high; the powerful Qi and blood and mental resistance granted by her Scarlet Firmament Battle Body allowed her to merely let out a muffled groan, her movements only slightly stalling.

But it was this momentary hesitation that allowed the two Devil Emperors besieging her to seize the opportunity, jointly unleashing a "Touch of Dark Erosion" with a terrifying aura that lunged straight for her heart.

"Hmph!"

An Hongxiu forced her body to twist, her Breaking Army Spear sweeping across as crimson Protective Aura exploded, colliding with the Touch of Dark Erosion and emitting a sizzling corrosive sound, the Protective Aura visibly dimming.

She was also sent flying back several yards by the immense impact, her Qi and blood roiling.

An and Lan had originally been fighting fiercely at the Northern Main Rift when they sensed two Devil Emperors suddenly break away from the main battlefield and flee south.

Recalling the direction in which Her Majesty the Empress had retreated earlier, they immediately guessed the enemy's intentions.

They followed closely behind and sure enough, witnessed from afar as Su Fengyi, heavily injured, fell into the eerie palace complex below.

Unfortunately, the distance was too great, and they were entangled by two Devil Emperors behind them, unable to intervene in time.

The four Void Tempering Devil Emperors joined forces, their offensive like a tide; even with An Hongxiu's bravery and Lan Zhiwei's ingenuity, they could only barely maintain a stalemate and struggled to suppress the opposition.

"This can't go on!"

Lan Zhiwei's voice was grave as it transmitted into An Hongxiu's ears via a secret technique, "Her Majesty is heavily injured, her aura weak; having fallen into that unknown palace complex, she could meet with misfortune at any moment! We must get in there as soon as possible!"

An Hongxiu swept away the incoming torrent of heavy water with her spear, looking at the four troublesome Devil Heads before her, her face full of anxiety and reluctance.

"But right now..."

"Leave it to me!"

A flash of determination crossed Lan Zhiwei's eyes, "I am going to use the Starfall Forbidden Technique to temporarily trap them! You seize the opportunity to rush in and find Her Majesty! Remember, once you find Her Majesty, escape immediately; do not look back for me! I have my own ways to get away!"

Before she had finished speaking, her hands had already begun to form dazzling seals, and the light on the star disk suddenly became blinding.

"You... are An Hongxiu and Lan Zhiwei?"

A calm male voice rang out abruptly above the chaotic battlefield.

The seals in Lan Zhiwei's hands paused abruptly, and she looked toward the source of the sound with vigilance.

She saw a man dressed in a black robe who had appeared at the edge of the battlefield at some unknown time, standing with his hands behind his back.

The violent energy turbulence below, the overflowing Devilish Qi, and the starlight all quietly vanished into nothingness when they neared within a yard of him.

He was as steady as a mountain, unfathomable.

Alarm bells rang instantly in Lan Zhiwei's heart: Who is this person? Friend or foe? Seeing how composed he was amidst the aftermath of the battle, his cultivation must be far beyond theirs.

She immediately transmitted her voice to An Hongxiu: "Senior Sister! This person's cultivation is unfathomable, and it is unclear whether he is friend or foe, be careful!"

An Hongxiu, beside her, saw the man in the black robe and eyes ignited with surprise, exclaiming: "Supreme Lord?!"

Lan Zhiwei was stunned: "Supreme Lord? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely certain!" An Hongxiu's tone was firm and decisive.

She had seen a simulated portrait of Ling Hao once while with Her Majesty the Empress; she would never mistake him! Yes, she had remembered it after just one look.

The moment those four Xuanming Devil Emperors heard the word "Supreme," the ferocity on their faces instantly turned to fear.

The leading Devil Emperor who had used the Bone-Eroding Devil Sound had his voice change pitch, "Su... Supreme, Mahayana...?! No! How is this possible..."

Their livers and gallbladders were splitting with terror; where was there any shred of Battle Intent left? Almost simultaneously, they turned to tear open space and flee.

Ling Hao's gaze was indifferent as he casually flicked his sleeves.

An invisible breeze swept across the battlefield. The next moment, those four Void Tempering Devil Emperors instantly turned into fly ash, completely dissipating between heaven and earth.

Lan Zhiwei's pupils constricted; witnessing this scene that transcended understanding, the doubts in her heart vanished like smoke.

She suppressed the shock in her heart and bowed respectfully with An Hongxiu: "Thank you, Supreme Lord, for saving us!"

Ling Hao nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the palace complex below that intertwined illusion and reality, and asked: "Where is Su Fengyi?"

An Hongxiu quickly pointed downwards: "Her Majesty fell into that palace complex after being heavily injured!"

"What is this place?" Ling Hao frowned, looking at the ruins.

Lan Zhiwei explained quickly: "This place is called Immortal Finger Mountain. It is rumored that in the ancient era, Cangwu Supreme joined forces with the other eight Supremes to fight a True Immortal who descended from the Immortal Realm here, and they ultimately combined their strength to sever one of that Immortal's fingers. This place was named because of that."

"This place once attracted countless explorers, but all returned empty-handed. Later, when the True Devils invaded, this place was close to the main rift, so no one paid any attention to it anymore."

"Just now, Her Majesty and the Heavenly Devil fought here; perhaps the final strike destroyed something, causing this palace complex to be revealed."

Ling Hao understood and cast his gaze toward the mysterious palace complex again, saying slowly: "Related to an Immortal, huh... That is somewhat interesting."

He then looked at the two, An and Lan: "How is the situation on the northern front?"

Their expressions dimmed, and An Hongxiu spoke quickly: "It is very dire! That group of traitors from the Four Great Families fled in the face of battle, and even took away a large number of elites! Now the defensive line is empty in many places; relying only on us and the remaining generals, we cannot withstand the endless waves of the Demon Army! A large number of Demon Army forces have already broken through the defensive line and are rampaging south! We implore you, Supreme Lord, can you allow the Moonshadow Sect..."

Ling Hao looked toward the south, standing with his hands behind his back.

"Before I came, I had already ordered the Moonshadow Sect to prepare, and at the same time, I sent messages to all the Sect forces that could still be mobilized around the Wutong Divine Dynasty to reinforce the northern border. Counting the time..."

Before he finished speaking, a sound transmission talisman at his waist suddenly lit up, and Chi Wanhe's joyful voice came through.

"Revered Master! We have arrived!"

Rumble—!

As if to confirm her words, the space in the southern sky suddenly tore open, and a fleet of astonishing scale broke through the air, covering both the humans and demons still fighting on the ground in a massive shadow.

The tianque divine boat at the lead was like a moving war fortress, emitting majestic pressure, and behind it, dozens of Moon-Chasing Flowing Light Ships were arranged in a wedge Formation, colorful and resplendent, filled with Killing Intent.

Ling Hao's lips curled slightly: "Go, join up with them, reorganize the defensive line, and clear out the monsters that have moved south. I will handle things here."

Seeing the massive fleet, An Hongxiu and Lan Zhiwei felt the fire of hope reignite in their eyes, and their hearts were greatly steadied.

They bowed again: "Yes! Her Majesty... we leave her to you, Supreme Lord!"

Ling Hao's gaze returned to the palace complex below that radiated a mysterious aura.

He took a step, and his figure, like a meteor, plummeted toward the entrance where illusion and reality intertwined.