"As expected, they attacked Huoqi and the others first, just as I predicted." Black light instantly wrapped around Sean as he charged toward Patrick and the other midgod at top speed.
As the ones who had controlled the Magic Array that had once held Patrick at bay, the six of them working together posed an enormous threat to any midgod—an even greater threat than Sean, who could withstand a midgod head-on.
That was because no matter how strong Sean was, he couldn't match a midgod's speed. Even if the other Lowgods had more than enough helpers, a midgod could simply run away or resort to guerilla tactics.
As long as the midgod was careful, not only would there be no risk of dying, he might even be able to pick off the others one by one with his speed and soul attacks.
But the Magic Array was different. Once it ensnared a midgod and the other Lowgods joined the attack, even a powerful midgod would fall on the spot.
The six of them knew this, of course. They were always on their guard, and they had other tricks up their sleeves, too. Even if Patrick caught them by surprise, they could still protect themselves.
But they hadn't expected two midgods to come this time. The other one's attacks were even stronger than Patrick's.
"Everyone, close in together, then attack Patrick's soul," Mi Piaozheng sent to them.
The two midgods acting together had been beyond their expectations. Now that they had lost the Magic Array that could trap a midgod, the danger facing all of them had grown even greater.
Their only option was to take one of them out first. Once one was dead, the other would face attacks from more than twenty Lowgods and would have no choice but to flee.
"Ha ha! Let's have a good fight!" Jialuoke laughed.
He wasn't the least bit afraid as he watched the others close in. Before they made their move, they had thoroughly mapped out the positions of every god-level expert in Qingyue City. They knew that if they attacked, they would soon be surrounded.
But now that they had dealt with the Radiant Magic Array that had given him a headache, he wouldn't fear twenty-odd Lowgods even if he were alone, let alone with another midgod at his side. Most of them were merely ordinary Lowgods who had refined Divine Sparks.
White mist billowed out from around Jialuoke and quickly spread for several miles, enveloping all the approaching Lowgods.
"Cold!" That was what everyone felt as they entered the white mist. Their bodies grew slightly numb, and even their souls seemed to slow down, as if frozen.
"Is this the Profundity of Ice Sharpness?" It was the first time Sean had seen a Water Laws expert use this move.
The Water Laws Lowgod he had encountered before had only comprehended the most ordinary Profundity of Water Elements. Even though she had become a god independently, she had been no match for Sean.
With his damaged Soul-Protecting Sovereign Artifact and his own semi-fused Profound Mysteries, the mist around him had almost no effect.
Of course, that might also have been because this was a group attack covering a wide area. Even if a midgod who had fused Profound Mysteries had used it, it couldn't have had a severe effect on so many Lowgods.
Though the mist slowed them somewhat, the Radiant Church's god-level experts still reached Patrick and his companion at such close range. Without a word, they unleashed their strongest soul attacks at Patrick. Their more than twenty Divine Domains also enveloped him.
"Hmph." No matter how arrogant Patrick was, he wouldn't dare take the soul attacks of more than twenty Lowgods alone, even if they had refined Divine Sparks.
His figure flickered, and several afterimages appeared in the air. His aura filled the entire space. Beside him, Jialuoke's brow flashed, sending out more than a dozen blue-green rays of light—his soul attacks.
Whoosh! The soul attacks from both sides collided in midair. Neither side had an absolute advantage. Even the attacks that made it through had lost so much power and speed that they posed no threat to either side.
Of the other ten soul attacks, Patrick easily dodged seven. His own soul attacks canceled out two more, and the final one struck him—but had no effect at all.
A midgod who had become one independently by cultivating the Laws of Death had nothing to fear from a Lowgod's soul attack. He could withstand it with ease.
"Ha ha ha! You may outnumber us, but you don't dare get close. Otherwise, I really might have trouble dodging!" Patrick laughed wildly.
Mi Piaozheng, who was right in front of him, looked livid. Their numbers gave them an overwhelming advantage, but no one dared get too close.
Anyone who got nearest could be killed with a single move. Their opponent could do that with either soul attacks or physical attacks.
That left no one willing to approach. From farther away, the Divine Domains were weaker, and soul attacks took longer to reach their target, losing power along the way.
But there was nothing they could do. Everyone valued their life. Even Mi Piaozheng himself didn't dare get too close, so how could he demand that the others do it?
Theory was one thing, but in reality, a dozen or more Lowgods would still be crushed by a midgod. They would have to be utterly fearless to stand a chance, and people like that were rarer than one in ten thousand unless they had a deep-seated grudge.
"What a powerful soul attack." Sean watched Jialuoke, standing beside Patrick, with great wariness.
A midgod was more than ten times stronger than a Lowgod—that was just a comparison, not a claim that their souls, speed, offense, and defense were all ten times greater. In reality, even five or six powerful Lowgods landing soul attacks on a midgod could cause serious trouble.
Yet this man had split his soul attack into more than a dozen parts, each one as powerful as a Lowgod's attack, even if some of them came from people who had refined Divine Sparks.
"You're Sean?" Jialuoke looked at him. "I'm Jialuoke, from the South Sea. I heard you're only a little over a hundred years old. A genius like you deserves to know my name."
"Jialuoke?" Mi Piaozheng and the others were shocked. Though they lived on Zhongyuan Continent, they knew of the experts from the South Sea.
Jialuoke was one of the South Sea's most powerful midgods. Not only was his cultivation extremely high, but his true form was also a Water Laws divine beast. Even Jinhuo, the Plane Overseer, had to show him some respect.
"I've heard of you," Sean said with a nod. During his decades with the Radiant Church, he hadn't spent all his time cultivating. He knew about many of the experts in the Zhongyuan Plane.
"Good. I've been wanting to see what you can do, too." Jialuoke suddenly flashed into the air above Sean, then slammed a fist down at him.
The space buckled into rippling waves wherever the punch's wind passed, surging toward Sean ahead of the fist itself.
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