178 Corrupted Ascended!

A flash of light appeared, revealing a galaxy hanging upside down, stretching across the sky. Then, with a fleeting glint of light, the deep purple wall composed of broken Xer'sai, along with the Void Dreadbeast's body made up of numerous corpses, was pierced through in a single blow.

Smack!

As the spear pierced through, the surging Order Power roared and swept across the area like a raging wave. In an instant, the terrifying beast's massive body began to melt and disintegrate like ice and snow, centered on the pierced anchor point!

With the Fear Beast's continuous attacks gone, Jax quickly dodged the relentless psychic ray by stepping on the air.

Upon landing, Jax did not linger in battle. His imposing figure quickly returned to the front lines, wielding his cane with unimaginable force to swiftly rebuild a solid defensive line.

On such a battlefield, even a master can only maintain stability in one area.

Similarly, in a world where extraordinary powers exist, even in a military system where collective strength is built from small numbers, it is necessary to arrange the battle lines around a strong individual as the core.

Just like now, the entire southwestern border of Ixialia is the battle line, basically centered around Nila, Nedeli, and Jax. And in the air, the masters are usually responsible for checking for omissions and filling gaps.

Meanwhile, mages like Sem Seraph, who could manipulate defensive spells, had to enter a standby state as soon as the battlefield was initially divided and the situation was shaped in a way that favored their own side.

Not everyone has the extraordinary fortune of Jax and Nedeli, possessing immortality.

Just like Lupe in the past, most of the time, a single large-scale Spellcasting would consume a lot of the old mages' energy.

After the energy is exhausted, what is consumed is the already limited life force.

Ultimately, when faced with such an endless, seemingly boundless nest of insects constantly emerging from the ground, the role that an individual can play is negligible!

After the Fear Beast and Ek'Sharei died, the situation on the battlefield visibly improved.

As preparations for another large-scale Spellcasting session began, a light breeze carrying a drizzle covered Ixialia's long defensive line, stretching for tens of kilometers.

The light rain fell without leaving any extra water stains on the armor of the Road Protector, adding to their burden. Instead, it seeped into their bodies along the texture and seams of the armor, giving them renewed vitality and energy.

However, when these drizzles fell on the Void Beast, they were like highly corrosive liquid, instantly producing a hissing sound.

One or two drops were fine, but as the drizzle increased, some of the smaller Void cubs immediately fell to the ground, struggling and waving their claws, before losing their lives after a while.

At first, these Void Creature continued to devour the corpses of their companions, but after discovering that these corpses were highly poisonous, they quickly and hastily buried them before continuing to surge in.

Looking down at the battle line, although it had regained its stability, and in fact, under Nila's leadership, nearly two-thirds of the line had even advanced by almost a hundred meters, Yuan Chen did not feel relaxed in the slightest.

From a distance, Yuan Chen could clearly see that the insect hive messenger showed no sign of tension, but simply kept ordering the Void cubs to continue their attacks.

Yuan Chen had no intention of beheading the insect hive messenger.

According to information obtained through reconnaissance, the Hive Messenger is merely a decoy; its true nature is a special eye used to convey the will of the Watchers.

In this situation, beheading the Hive Messenger would not only be pointless, but could even lead to further ambushes.

Similarly, the advance of the front lines only further increased the pressure on the defenses.

As the front line advanced, it began to lengthen. With the number of units remaining constant, this lengthening meant that smaller units in each area were being gradually thinned out...

Squinting, Yuan Chen could clearly see that the original Void Cubs had gradually evolved into new forms... These new forms were not significantly different from the ordinary Void Cubs, except that they were a size larger, and only...

Their armor and resistance to elements!

Thinking it over, Yuan Chen quickly shouted:

"Nila! Don't advance rashly! Contract the lines!"

Upon hearing this, Nila wasn't angry, and then excitedly shouted:

"OK!"

Immediately afterwards, the whip blade in his hand was swung like a storm, covering all the Void beasts within a radius of fifty meters centered on himself.

Whether they were cubs, newly evolved beasts with increased elemental resistance, or those like rhinoceroses or giant beetles bursting out of the ground and Xer'sai towards the front lines, all were instantly pulverized into dust.

As the battle raged on, her blood began to warm. Nila took stock of her body on the churned earth, and after a few moments, she quickly returned to the front lines, leading the Road Protector had just made their advance to retreat.

As the strongest force in this war, Nila also bore the brunt of the longest defensive line.

He single-handedly completed two-thirds of the defensive and counter-offensive operations without the additional cover provided by mages.

In comparison, Nidalee had only recently completed the Dawn Bringer's legacy. Before unleashing the enhanced Death's Dawn, she was fine, but now, after completing the throw, she was exhausted and Nedeli condition had noticeably declined.

Fortunately, with Jax's intervention, the front line maintained its most basic stability.

Perched atop the highest point of the city wall, Yuan Chen's eyes darted across the battlefield, his reconnaissance skills flying off incessantly.

Although these reconnaissance spells consumed very little mana, Yuan Chen still dared not pause for a moment in order to ensure he could keep track of the Void Swarm's status at all times.

Although it seemed the scales of victory were tipping in his favor, Yuan Chen knew that this was not the case.

Because the corpses of Void Beasts cannot be used.

The moment these Void Beasts died, their Void essence was returned to that pure realm.

Having lost this essence of Void, these corpses left behind in the material world are nothing more than a pile of useless rotten flesh...

Whenever an additional corpse appeared in Ixialia's lines, the Void Beasts would devour or carry it away recklessly, even at a cost several times greater.

For the Void, the matter, knowledge, memories, and ideas within every corpse become nourishment for Void...

Just as Yuan Chen's Yuan Chen were racing, he suddenly noticed that the attacks from the Void beast horde were gradually slowing down.

Despite the large number of Void Creature arriving from the rear, and some even emerging from the ground, they did not rush to join the attack. Instead, they silently guarded the mountain range that had formed in the distance.

It's not giving up, it's waiting...

Yuan Chen was certain that they were waiting.

Finally, new movements appeared in the distant Void.

With a deafening roar, Yuan Chen witnessed a scene that horrified him.

The Golden Army of Shurima has arrived...

No, not the Golden Army of Shurima, but ancient souls corrupted by the Void, stripped of their former glory and pride, their bodies filled with ugly, rotting flesh, leaving only endless hatred for the material world.

Even though he considered himself well-informed, Yuan Chen had never seen such a terrifying army.

Unlike the insect swarm, these troops, from a time much older than classical times, lined up in formation. Even though they had lost their original meaning, the instincts etched into their muscles still made them form a massive whole.

Hundreds of thousands of troops were assembled into one, and the sculptors wielding staffs waved their arms, and with the power of blasphemy, Ixialia's solid material realm was reduced to filthy dust at an unimaginable speed by the Void and the knowledge and mystery of Ancient Shurima.

A massive mountain collapsed, sending up a cloud of dust that blanketed the sky. The impact created a rolling storm, sweeping away the realm of ordinary people and, more importantly, the courage of those Road Protector...

"They're here..."

Jax spoke calmly, but the words seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

He removed his mask, revealing a bearded face. Scars from a childhood illness still lingered on his neck. His resolute face was bound with wax and chalk, which fluttered in the wind amidst the swirling dust.

Amidst the overwhelming dust, corrupted Shurima warriors, clad in rusted armor, stepped out of their boots, only to be met with utter silence.

Bump, bump, bump.

Accompanied by the dull drumbeats, they began to advance. Wherever their iron hooves passed, rocks and Void Creature that had no time to dodge were crushed.

Spears formed a forest, and sharp blades fell like rain.

A human wall held high the long-faded sun flag, but under the pollution of the Void, the once sublime totem radiated a nauseating blasphemy in the midday sun.

This was an army that had never been defeated before its complete annihilation; in the distant past, their iron hooves had conquered the known world in an undeniable way.

With their tattered wings spread, the eagle riders shielded the legion's flanks. Chariots covered in rotting flesh and tentacles floated in the air in an unknown way, clearing the way for the army.

The heavy carriage, even just for urination and defecation, rivaled the size of a three-masted sailing ship traversing the ocean. At the center, the sun priest, still mostly flesh and blood, spread his arms and uttered an incomprehensible prayer. A rapidly spinning sphere was located at the front of the carriage, surrounded by fireballs and lightning, leaving a series of arcs of light in the space from time to time.

The corruption of the Void was utter, surrounding the legions and chariots, where countless blind slaves had their eyes gouged out.

Hordes upon hordes, thousands upon thousands, marched blindly forward under the whips of the dune guards, instinctively attacking every creature they sensed...

But even more suffocating than these were the nine enormous bodies that even the endless black sand could not conceal.

One by one, they stood like small mountains within the terrifying army formation.

They were not in human form; their appearance and bodies were a terrifying hybrid of humans and animals. The leader was a woman...

Or perhaps it was female. The tattered helmet was carved into the shape of a lion, adorned with gold and jade, and covered in expensive gemstones.

Even so, her ivory-white skin failed to convey even the slightest sense of nobility.

On the contrary, the bodies of these towering giants—whether their chests, arms, heads, or even their entire lower bodies—were occupied by the rotting flesh that sprawled across the Void.

Their bodies were not perfect; their entire bodies were filled with a tar-like substance, elongated, and a few giants even appeared extremely swollen.

"Ascended!!!"

Jax roared:

"Retreat! Retreat now!!!"

Jax's reminder came a little too late, and Yuan Chen's forehead was covered in sweat and bulging veins.

Through his reconnaissance skills, that despairing attribute filled Yuan Chen's mind almost instantly!

Among the nine towering giants, a bird-like Ascended resembling a fighting rooster lowered its body and then suddenly unfurled its wings, which were covered in ash, fungi, rotting flesh, and festering pus.

Calling it wings isn't entirely accurate, because over the long course of time, his wings have long since lost most of their feathers. But it's clear that even without feathers, it wouldn't hinder his flight!

The moment it flapped its wings, a deafening airburst rang out, accompanied by a Mach ring that instantly formed and spread outwards. Its body, shrouded in black sand and turbid air, shot into the sky like a powerful arrow.

Gaa!!

Is it a vulture, or an ascendant based on a vulture but mixed with other birds of Ascended?

One of the vulture-like Ascended' eyes had been pierced by a powerful arrow, but this did not affect Ascended vision.

Under the blessing of the Void, countless eyes grew densely all over his head. Even though he had lost his skin and flesh, the tar-like fungal carpet covering his pale skull was densely covered with eyes!

It was originally just an unconscious flight, but the moment it saw Jax, it seemed that some long-forgotten instinct surged out from its broken body.

With a hoarse creak, it swooped down from the sky towards Jax.

Beneath this surging force, accompanied by the vibration of its wings, ruin and despair began to spread toward Ixialia's lines at an unimaginable speed.

Rumble rumble rumble!!

Jax gritted his teeth as he watched the vulture swooping down on him.

He had already recognized the group.

This was the first group of Ascended Legion to set foot on Icathia soil during the independence of Icathia, and they slaughtered almost the entire Icathia!

They were also among the first Ascended to be swallowed by the Void!

As he thought this, a glint of fire rose in Jax's eyes:

"You bunch of bastards... they're as big as ever!!"

As he spoke, Jax brandished his lamp cane and leaped into the air, causing a burst of flames as he forcefully blocked the vulture's heavy blow.

But the remaining strong winds instantly tore a huge gap in the line of Road Protector!