C953 Powerful
Outside the forbidden area, the floating palace abruptly halted its assault, and the sword lights imbued with laws swiftly retracted.
In the void, colossal shadows resembling Thunder Gods, under the mental command of the Thunder Sect's Lord, abandoned their intention to leap down and unleash their thunderous divine might upon the wall.
Atop the Mountain of Flames that had emerged within the Crimson Sun Empire, Feng Pu and Mo Baichuan were profoundly shaken.
The Lord of Churchsor Hill had pushed the Solar Flame Mantra to its peak, and the resulting surge of flames had effortlessly breached the Soulforge Matrix, penetrating the forbidden area.
"Mr. Tang is formidable!"
"Mr. Tang has successfully breached the formation!"
Among the members of the Ethereal Void Sect, Thunder Sect, and Abyssal Dawn, there were cultivators who, unaware of the truth, jubilantly cheered as they witnessed the fiery deluge shatter the wall and step into the forbidden area.
"Silence!"
Their seniors sharply reprimanded them, demanding immediate quiet.
Simultaneously, Van Heqing, Ji Ningshuang, and three Unbound cultivators within the palaces manifested from the Ebon Star's Mark of the Celestials cast astonished glances toward the Mountain of Flames.
"Lords Feng and Mo!"
The Churchsor Hill cultivators, who had followed Tang Zheng, now looked toward Feng Pu and Mo Baichuan with desperate eyes, seeking help.
In that instant, even the least perceptive among them grasped the reality of the situation. It wasn't that Tang Zheng's Solar Flame Mantra was overwhelmingly powerful enough to shatter the Soulforge Matrix; rather, someone within the forbidden area had deliberately opened a gateway for him, allowing the impetuous Tang Zheng to rush headlong into danger!
Following the death of his grandson, Tang Cen, Tang Zheng's temperament had drastically altered. His approach was excessively radical, not employing artifacts or sophisticated spells to bombard the green and black wall, but instead invoking a potent technique of the Solar Flame Mantra to ignite the myriad divine fires he had collected, merging them within himself into a torrential blaze.
He had willingly ventured into peril and was now truly ensnared in a precarious situation.
"There are several ninth-level Otherkin powerhouses inside the forbidden area," intoned Van Heqing of the Sword Sect, his demeanor grave. "Mr. Tang alone will not last long in there."
"I understand," Feng Pu replied, his expression equally somber. "We cannot afford to delay. We must exert our utmost effort to break through the formation! I will immediately inform Lord Golden Elephant to unleash their full strength without reservation, to shatter the great formation with all haste! I ask that everyone here lend their support to our endeavor!"
Cao Jiaze declared with gravity, "It should be so!"
Ji Ningshuang nodded in agreement, "We've been prepared for some time now!"
...
Within the wall:
Tang Zheng, the Lord of Churchsor Hill, was engulfed in intense flames. Eight pillars of fire shot up behind him, one after another.
Tang Zheng, still without his Divine Visage, appeared somewhat short in stature, yet his face glowed with a ruddy vitality, his spirit fierce and alert.
Clad in a short jacket, his bare forearms were streaked with red veins, resembling dormant anacondas.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
It was as if a magma pool was churning within the little world of his chest, threatening to erupt with infinite fiery energy.
"Young Yu Yuan greets Lord Tang Zheng!"
Upon hearing this call, Tang Zheng, the mountain's Lord, recognized Yu Yuan's strategy. Due to his own excessively aggressive assault, Yu Yuan, who had won the favor of the Soulforge Matrix, had cunningly drawn him into the forbidden area.
But Tang Zheng, quickly coming to grips with his predicament, exhibited no fear.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Flames ignited in both his eyes as his short, robust frame expanded with each breath.
Within mere seconds, Tang Zheng manifested his Divine Visage, resembling a Flame Deity from legend, towering atop the eight tumultuous pillars of fire.
This Divine Visage stood as tall as a mountain, its crown nearly brushing the dark heavens.
"Churchsor Hill, Tang Zheng!"
His voice boomed like a great bell, commanding the attention of all intelligent life within the forbidden area. They found it nearly impossible to divert their gaze from him.
Without giving Yu Yuan, who sat in the Soulforge Pool, a second glance, he first surveyed the various leaders of the Otherkin scattered at the Domain Channel, some familiar, others strangers.
Then, he fixed his gaze directly ahead, into the depths of the roiling Demon Clouds, where three Demon Gods of the Sky Fiend loomed.
"Mr. Tang's valor is unmatched, being the first to breach the wall and set foot here. His name will surely be revered by countless in the days to come," Yu Yuan said with a radiant smile, unfazed by Tang Zheng's deliberate display of disregard. "Should Mr. Tang survive, the admiration for him will only grow whenever his name is spoken."
"You traitor, conspiring with the extraterrestrial demons to assassinate a prominent cultivator of the Everlands! Your infamy will echo throughout the Everlands and the Star River! Once this formation is broken, you'll be the first to fall! Keep laughing, for I'm curious to see how long your amusement will last!" Tang Zheng bellowed in rage.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Eight pillars of blazing fire, entwined with scarlet lightning, soared towards Yu Yuan's Soulforge Pool as if cradled by the Thunder God himself.
The fiery columns were adorned with flame patterns that blossomed like flowers, each containing the profound mysteries of fire.
Any cultivator adept in fire spells could decipher the ultimate truth of the Way of Heaven from these patterns, refining their Lunar Spirit and seeking the path to ascend to a Solar Spirit.
The Sunlit Order, a dominant force in the world, held a slight edge over the Ruby Hand.
As a Lord, Tang Zheng had access to all the Sunlit Order's secret books and spells, mastering the arcane and the Way of Heaven as they pertained to fire.
His every thought, word, gesture, and glance could effortlessly manifest the marvels of flame.
Take, for instance, this moment...
The soulfire, meant to infiltrate Yu Yuan's Mindscape and obliterate his Lunar Spirit, heaven soul, and dominant soul, was intercepted by the dark Soul Power at the brink of the Soulforge Pool. The fist-sized dark Soul Power, like a malevolent shadow, morphed into numerous smaller fists, each extinguishing the concealed soulfire.
Yu Yuan chuckled lowly, "Mr. Tang, spare me your petty tricks on my turf. Now that you've come, don't expect to leave with your life."
Realizing his ambush had failed, Tang Zheng no longer squandered time. He prepared to command the eight pillars of flame to obliterate both Yu Yuan and the Soulforge Pool.
"Take down Tang Zheng first," Yu Yuan commanded, his tone brooking no argument, as he addressed Tian Zang.
Tian Zang reflected briefly, then, looking up at the tumultuous demon clouds and the three emerging Demon Gods within, he declared, "The battle begins."
"By your command, my Lord!"
Sidla, in his nine-headed snake form, each head crowned regally, unleashed a myriad of powers. They shone like stars, casting spells that ensnared the mind, summoned inner demons, spread malevolent plagues, assaulted the psyche, and sapped the will, all converging in an assault on Tang Zheng.
"Mr. Tang, it's been a while."
Mitts, a member of the inner demon clan, materialized from the swirling Demon Clouds, stepping on a pile of thick, ornate books. Adorned with fluttering colorful ribbons, she resembled a celestial fairy poised to ascend to the heavens, her smile radiant and charming.
With a flick of her sleeves, a myriad of witches sprang forth within Tang Zheng's Mindscape, weaving a tapestry of infinite illusions.
"I've long admired you, Mr. Tang, and a fair fight would have been ideal, but the timing is unfortunate. I hope you'll accept my apologies."
Adler, of the Primal Demon clan, loomed like a mountain, his form composed of countless pieces of vibrant armor. Brandishing his golden halberd with a casual swing, it seemed as though he had torn a Star River from the extraterrestrial realms, revealing swarms of little devils that emitted a chilling demonic wail.
Mitts assailed Tang Zheng's Mindscape, with Sidla reinforcing the attack, weakening and disassembling Tang Zheng's various powers, tearing apart his Divine Visage. Adler, the most fierce and battle-ready, wielding his golden halberd, had already smashed through a column of flame and was locked in direct combat with Tang Zheng's Divine Visage.
With the combined might of the three Demon Gods, Tang Zheng's fate was sealed if he failed to escape the forbidden area!
