Chapter 320: Chapter 315: The Center of Attention_1
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"It's a Level Nine Void Beast!"
"In the rear of the Area Two Battlefield! Array Masters, pay attention to the defense at the back!"
"No good! We're short-handed! The Array Masters from Area Two have all gone to support the top!"
...
With the sudden arrival of a humanoid giant beast wielding a battleaxe at the rear of the battlefield in Area Two, the scene immediately became chaotic.
Even though this was the central battlefield where Eighth-order Void Beasts were rampant, the appearance of a Level Nine Void Beast, which could only be suppressed by an Anti-Void Array, was truly rare. Moreover, if one or two Level Nine Void Beasts were to appear here, they would only be at the periphery of the defensive formation because that's where the Black Snake was located.
It was expected that Level Nine Void Beasts would choose to protect the Black Snake.
Such a Void Beast that suddenly appeared behind the defensive formation, without any intention to protect the Black Snake and acting on its own, clearly possessed high intelligence and would not heed the commands of the Black Snake.
"Area Two needs reinforcement from Array Masters!"
"Quick! Something's off with this one! It's attacking the soldiers at the periphery! It's likely trying to break into the middle-level War Zone!"
"Hold it back! We absolutely can't let it get into the middle-level! Otherwise, the soldiers there are done for!"
"Where are the Array Masters? Without the Large Formation's blessing, going up there is suicide!"
...
The humanoid giant beast was covered in pitch-black spines, its head resembled that of a wild ox, its arms could stretch out to a hundred meters, and the battleaxe in its hands was so large it spanned half the battlefield!
Such a Level Nine giant beast rampaging at the edge of the central battlefield, combined with the weak defensive formations there and the lack of offensive formations to reinforce them, meant that the surrounding soldiers simply couldn't stand against it, losing ground continuously.
"We can't keep retreating! If we move back any further, it's going to get out!"
Ninth District Chief Fang Zheng immediately shifted from containing the Giant Snake to the rear, releasing thousands of wind blades from his body all at once, barring the way around the Nine-headed Void Beast.
"Soldiers and warriors of Area Two, abandon containing the Giant Snake! Everyone, come here!" Fang Zheng commanded, "Heads of Area One and Three! Please send someone to fill the gaps left by Area Two!"
"You go ahead and do what you need to do!"
Bai Jinyun led a group of soldiers to quickly fill the gaps left by the retreating Area Two warriors. Mu Tianyuan also dispatched soldiers to gather at the gap, preventing the Giant Snake from launching a sneak attack.
Meanwhile, Fang Zheng, along with countless soldiers from Area Two, immediately surrounded the Level Nine Void Beast.
However, this humanoid giant beast was a Ninth Order monster. Fang Zheng's own realm was merely in the mid-stage of the Xuanyang Realm, and although there were also several soldiers in the early-stage Xuanyang Realm under his command, the majority were still Practitioners of the Yingyue Realm.
Without the blessing of an Array Master, it was practically impossible for them to defeat this Level Nine Void Beast.
To take down this beast, they would need at least a Practitioner in the peak of the Xuanyang Realm!
Seeing this from the top of the black mist, Song Mobei couldn't help feeling somewhat pleased.
"Heaven itself seems to be working in favor of my Tiandao Sword Sect!"
Although a formidable enemy had reappeared on the battlefield, Song Mobei didn't really want it to die too quickly. After all, this Void Beast had emerged within the camp of Area Two. He even hoped that the Void Beast would kill a few more from the Fang Family, causing them to weaken after the battle.
With the emergence of this Level Nine Void Beast, the focus of Area Two's battlefield shifted. The restraint on the Black Snake had greatly reduced, causing the snake to become more violent on the sea surface and affecting the soldiers who were striving to snatch its head from underneath the sea.
"We can't stop it at all!"
"This fellow is even stronger than a regular Level Nine Void Beast! Could it be of the same rank as that Black Snake?!"
Although Array Masters from various districts had come to reinforce, the encirclement of Area Two seemed virtually non-existent against this giant beast.
The giant beast swept its battleaxe across the sky, instantly shattering the newly established defensive formation and slaughtering hundreds of Area Two's soldiers. Immediately after, it shot black spines from its body towards the approaching Practitioners, piercing them through the air.
"I refuse to believe we can't kill you!"
A General wielding a longspear rushed towards the head of the giant beast. True Qi surged throughout his body as the spear turned into a beam of light, thrusting with full force towards the neck of the beast.
Yet before his strike could land, the giant beast's head suddenly spun at high speed, opening its mouth that spanned tens of meters and swallowing the General whole.
Witnessing the soldiers on Area Two's battlefield dying in droves, Xia Mo grew increasingly frantic. If the Level Nine Void Beast escaped, the soldiers outside would likely be annihilated by it within half an hour.
But the Cultivation Technique he was currently channeling was intended for the Black Snake, leaving him with no way to assist. And while Mu Huiqing stood atop the mist, constantly waiting for the opportunity created by Practitioners with the light Attribute, even if she could temporarily come here to assist, it would be impossible to kill the Level Nine Void Beast in a short time.
Aside from the Ninth District Chief Shang Han, all the other district chiefs were in the mid-stage of the Xuanyang Realm. At the moment, Bai Chaojin was leading the vice-district chiefs from various districts, struggling to snatch the Giant Snake's head from the sea. Across the entire battlefield, aside from Xia Mo and Mu Huiqing, who else had the strength to deal with a Level Nine Void Beast?
Boom—
With a thunderous explosion, the Level Nine giant beast broke through the outer layer of the encirclement, throwing the entire battlefield into disarray.
"It's over! This thing is going to break out of the central battlefield!"
Seeing this, the district chiefs from all war zones could no longer worry about containing the Giant Snake and immediately rushed to support the encirclement in Area Two.
As the giant beast was about to break into the middle-level War Zone, the other district chiefs couldn't make it in time, and Fang Zheng immediately swallowed a Fourth Order Ascension Pill.
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The efficacy of this elixir is akin to the Slaughter Heaven Pill that Fang Ren offered to Xu Feng, capable of rapidly enhancing True Qi within a short time. However, the degree of enhancement is very minor; for a practitioner like Fang Zheng, at most it could uplift him by a minor realm, ascending from mid Xuanyang Realm to the peak of Xuanyang Realm.
Nonetheless, this elixir remains a mere Fourth Order pill, still inferior to the one Fang Ren previously gave to Xu Feng. The effects of this pill last for a very brief period, scarcely more than a dozen minutes, and yet the side effects are tremendously severe.
After using it for just over ten minutes, the user will essentially be in a state of depleted meridians, and natural recovery would take at least half a year.
But Fang Zheng could no longer worry about that; originally, he wanted to save this pill for when he was gravely injured since, once consumed, he would only be able to fight for about fifteen minutes before succumbing to the sea.
However, if he didn't use it now, it's estimated that millions of practitioners outside would die.
"Stay back from me!"
As his realm advanced, the power of the True Qi surrounding Fang Zheng intensified. He retracted the wind blades he had unleashed, and the sea of Qi in the sky poured into him like a waterfall before him.
With a sweep of his hand, a barrier of air descended from the sky and thrust into the sea, blocking the advance of the Level Nine Giant Beast.
The beast swung its battleaxe at the barrier, and a multitude of wind blades burst forth, incessantly slicing at its arm in an attempt to sever it.
But before the wind blades could inflict much damage, the beast's black spines erupted, colliding with the countless blades, severing the wind's assault on its arm.
With the wind blades no longer slicing, the Giant Beast's battleaxe tore through the air barrier, rolling down towards the unprotected Fang Zheng.
Should I retreat?
Fang Zheng knew he could completely dodge the blow, but if he did, the battleaxe would strike the Middle-level War Zone behind him, and who knows how many warriors would die. Moreover, by that time, the path for the beast to escape would be completely open.
He couldn't retreat, he had to withstand this blow and buy time for the other District Chiefs to arrive.
But could he really withstand it? At the moment, he lacked the protective bolster from an Array Master, and there wasn't an Anti-Void Array suppressing the Giant Beast's movement here; he only had his Wind Attribute True Qi armor.
An Xuanyang realm practitioner using protective True Qi to withstand a blow from a Ninth Order Void Beast—it was either injury or death.
Everyone watched as the Giant Beast's axe was about to cleave Fang Zheng, yet at this moment, they were powerless to help. The battlefield was too vast; those with the ability couldn't get there in time, and those without the ability were unable to prevent it no matter what.
"The Pinnacle of Myriad Martial Techniques! Void Lock!"
Whoosh—
Suddenly, myriad colossal transparent chains streaked through the air, flying from the Third Area's battlefield toward the Giant Beast at lightning speed, surpassing the district chiefs who were en route to support, and accurately entwined around the Giant Beast's battleaxe.
Fang Ren in Area Three, seeing the chains securely wrapped, immediately pulled with all his might, his body retreating backward.
"Xu Feng! Help me!"
"Rest assured, Brother Fang!"
Xu Feng tossed aside his longsword and instantly grabbed the chains, exerting force alongside Fang Ren.
Bang—
The chains were taut, and the Giant Beast's battleaxe paused midair.
"What... What cultivation technique is this? It hasn't broken under the force of a Level Nine Void Beast?" Powered by m_vl_em_p_yr
"Don't stand there! Go help!"
The surrounding warriors quickly reacted. They all rushed towards the chains, straining with all their might to pull.
The Giant Beast's battleaxe in hand was forcibly yanked back, and even the body of the Giant Beast began to tilt backward.
"It stopped!"
"Quick, go aid the Chief of the Second Area!"
Fang Zheng, who thought he would have to withstand the strike, looked towards the end of the chains, where a young man with a fiery-red aura blazed around him. Even from a great distance, unable to see the other person's face clearly, he still felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
The sudden reversal left everyone unable to help but look askance.
Whose chains are these? So steadfast that even a Level Nine Void Beast can't break free!
Moreover, the warriors were even more puzzled: Even if the chains wouldn't break, how could they, with their collective strength, halt the advance of a Level Nine Void Beast? It would be good enough if the Void Beast didn't fling them far away.
"The peak of Xuanyang Realm...?"
As everyone turned back, they saw two young men at the end of the chain, emanating immensely powerful True Qi.
By their looks, the two were no older than thirty, but their realms left everyone in utter shock.
Peaks of Xuanyang Realm before thirty? Their talent was comparable to Madame Xuan!
Even among the younger generation of male practitioners with the highest talent, Song Mobei was only at the mid-stage of the Xuanyang Realm. How did these two, more astonishing than Song Mobei, suddenly appear?