Chapter Sixteen: Annihilating a Squad

"Why don't you ask the insect for a little more?" Old Bear Three whispered, but Wuyun hurriedly shook his head and replied, "This is his treasure for ascending as a butterfly; even a bit less would be a flaw! If I hadn't pointed it out, he'd rather not ascend than beg me for a way to resolve it! Yet, big bug, the method is good, but the calamity before us is hard to overcome!"

Hearing this, the Seven-Colored Strange Insect was invigorated. From its seven heads spewed gold, wood, water, fire, earth, thunder, and lightning. Each spell transformed into a dragon, roaring and clawing its way through the air.

Then, each dragon morphed into a wrathful-eyed Vajra and burrowed beneath the layers of silk web and the Buddhist chants. With each one that entered, the ancient turtle shell calmed a bit more. When all seven Buddhist shadows had penetrated within, a great Buddha appeared inside the shell, and the two pages atop it resembled holy scriptures, emitting a thousand yards of radiant light, dazzling in the void.

The Tiger-Faced Immortal within the shell appeared serene, but in reality, he was resisting. Wuyun glanced at the fortunate strong ones still observing, while only Nantian muttered incantations, brewing some unknown spell.

Liuyuyan and the Battle King also lent a hand, unleashing their treasures in an attempt to unravel the formation trapping the Seven Kings of Qi. If the kings and their twelve generals could break free, their chances of victory would increase.

Yet only a quarter hour passed before the Serpent Daoist, who had just staunched her bleeding, began to cough blood again. Her voice was hoarse and distorted, lacking a tongue: "He is absorbing the power of the turtle shell artifact, and has devoured my own treasure!"

No sooner had she spoken than, stripped of her life artifact, her magic weakened and she separated from the Turtle Daoist.

"Quick, lend the Turtle Daoist a hand!" Nantian finally shouted, his prepared spell completed as a simple symbol flew from his mouth and a surge of peak Divine-Breaking power flooded forth.

This was the soul energy Nantian had absorbed from slain Divine-Breaking cultivators—a formidable force, one of his trump cards, now unleashed without reservation.

Beside him, Old Bear Three grew restless. His life artifact, silken threads, had woven a totem of thunderous bear all around. Just as he was about to act, he heard Wuyun mutter, "Fool, inside his formation, who can defeat him? Only by breaking or leaving this formation do we have a chance! Little Black Bear, let's go!"

Though Wuyun seemed to address all the strong ones, his words were aimed at the Tiger-Faced Immortal, for the Heavenly Dao kept urging Wuyun to slay everyone before him!

To act for Heaven is truly hard!

Cursing inwardly, Wuyun looked at his own Qi-gathering stage cultivation. Truth be told, if a few of these eyesores would just die, his own power would rise, allowing him to wield more spells and methods.

Yet the Tiger-Faced Immortal was like a cat toying with a mouse, not content until he played his victims to death!

"Only you understand me. It seems that once I capture you, this small cosmic space will have no more threats!"

The Tiger-Faced Immortal's voice echoed, followed by a faint sound—the celestial Dao resonating, battling with the Buddhist chant and gradually suppressing it.

"Detonate the ancient turtle shell!" The Turtle Daoist cried out in agony, more pained than if he himself had died!

Not waiting for Wuyun to shout, the remaining bystanders unleashed their artifacts in self-destruction, joining with Nantian's released soul energy to cover the turtle shell.

"Run!"

Wuyun managed to squeeze out this word after much difficulty, unable to withstand the immense pressure while hiding behind Old Bear Three.

Old Bear Three, without doubt, led Liuyuyan and the Battle King away, fleeing as Wuyun directed.

As the many self-destructing artifacts converged, the strong ones—Turtle and Serpent Daoist among them—also retreated.

Only the Seven Kings of Qi and the Tiger-Faced Immortal within the shell remained, forgotten by all.

Reality, so stark!

"Boom, boom, boom!"

With everyone roaring, a colossal explosion erupted, like a volcano, shaking the entire space.

Even the fragile space cracked, revealing a sliver of spatial rift.

This was the strongest combined strike of the space's mightiest!

The violent blast rippled outward, enveloping the illusory formation bubble trapping the Seven Kings and their twelve generals, blurring everything.

The shattered turtle shell, layered like gauze, from afar resembled a mirage, or clouds billowing and churning, instantly dispersing.

Old Bear Three kept fleeing under Wuyun's urging, while Nantian and the elderly Ming Ancestor, now bereft of his treasured book cover, watched anxiously through the haze.

Suddenly, the Thousand-Poison Hand of Luoyuan Star scattered a mass of toxins, seizing the chance to poison the area.

The shapeshifter from Luoguang Star also vanished, blending away.

These were the scavengers, hoping to snatch whatever they could while others fought to the death.

The heavily wounded Turtle and Serpent Daoist stood behind the Seven-Colored Strange Beast, shivering in human form, lamenting their tremendous losses.

In the stillness, Nantian sent a telepathic message toward the direction of Old Bear Three and the fleeing others: "Why run? The teleportation array is almost repaired!"

The smoke cleared, revealing first the illusory formation bubble—still intact, tightly trapping the Seven Kings of Qi. But as for them and their twelve generals...

A soul flashed by—the not-yet-dead Seven Kings and the slain twelve generals' spirits emerged, drifting out of the illusion.

Once all the trapped souls floated away, the bubble extinguished itself, vanishing without a trace.

Nantian was ecstatic as the thirteen spirits drifted toward him, as if seeking his aid!

"Excellent, the Seven Kings dynasty owes me a great favor; their descendants need not worry!" No sooner had Nantian finished, than at the very epicenter of the explosion, a small figure appeared—the shapeshifter from Luoguang Star, darting about, seemingly astounded by something.

Wuyun alone shook his head and said to Old Bear Three, "Quick, follow my method to break the formation and leave, or we’ll all meet our end here!"

The Battle King, puzzled, replied, "That Tiger-Faced Immortal’s power in the lower realm is but a fraction of its true strength. If we combine forces, we could severely wound or destroy him!"

"Go ahead, then. He has a shadow above the teleportation array; once it’s repaired and you all transmit, he’ll trigger it and easily defeat you!" Wuyun finished, and Old Bear Three stared at the array for a long time, finding nothing suspicious.

Yet, Old Bear Three still followed Wuyun’s advice and left, the Seven-Colored Strange Beast bringing Turtle and Serpent Daoist along in pursuit.

Everyone’s gaze lingered on the empty explosion center, unable to believe the Tiger-Faced Immortal could leave no remains! Such a demon emperor, with bones so hard, even a spatial rift would not erase him so quickly.

"Don’t run!"

Suddenly, the Seven-Colored Strange Beast’s seven heads were filled with terror and caught off guard. Turtle and Serpent Daoist following behind vanished without warning.

Instantly, the Tiger-Faced Immortal appeared from nowhere, calmly chewing and swallowing the Serpent Daoist bit by bit, while Turtle Daoist, stripped of his true shell, was left bloodied to one side, both their souls sucked into the purple crystal gem on the Tiger-Faced Immortal’s forehead.

In that moment, the gravely injured Turtle and Serpent Daoist died, their souls perished, condemned to eternal oblivion!

The Seven Kings dynasty was utterly annihilated, fulfilling the prime minister’s prophecy.