Melee

The Tree Race was a peak race of the Second Reincarnation Era, made up of all kinds of plant life. It was somewhat like the Monster Race of the Primal Universe's Reincarnation Eras, which consisted of a vast number of different Strange Beast races.

The group that had come to Flowing Cloud Sea this time consisted of four Tree Race Universe Masters led by Lord Ghost Vine. Two were Fifth Order, and the other two were peak Fourth Order.

"This Supreme Treasure is ours!"

Lord Ghost Vine immediately transformed into his true form. Countless dark green vines covered in barbs swept toward the Black Ruyi.

"The Tree Race? You think you can take it from us?"

A charming, melodious voice rang out. A gigantic dark purple Bug Race Mother Nest appeared in midair.

It was Lord Qingxuan of the Bug Race from the Second Reincarnation Era.

More than a thousand Bug Warriors of various shapes flew out of the Mother Nest. At their head were eight Bug Warriors glowing with a green light, each radiating the aura of a Universe Master. The remaining deep blue Bug Warriors were all Top Universe Overlords.

"My children, attack!"

A peerlessly beautiful figure with transparent wings and boundless radiance appeared above the Mother Nest.

Under the control of a Fifth-Order Universe Master's consciousness, the thousand-plus Bug Warriors swiftly formed a great formation. Their sickle-like limbs swung out at once.

Whoosh!

Countless blades of light converged into one, carrying a fearsome force as they slashed toward Lord Ghost Vine.

"Eight Universe Master-level Bug Warriors?" Qing Huan, trailing behind, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when she saw them from afar.

The more powerful the Bug Warriors, the harder they were to breed, and the higher the cost. They were also much harder to control.

Even Bug Warriors at the Universe Master level with only Second Order strength, like those green ones, came at an incomprehensibly high cost to breed.

Among the Bug Race of the Primal Universe, perhaps only the Zerg Queen could produce a large number of Universe Master-level Bug Warriors. Any other Universe Master who had one or two could already be considered wealthy.

By comparison, the Universe Masters of the far more ancient Bug Race from the Second Reincarnation Era clearly possessed many more powerful Bug Warriors.

"Go!"

As Qing Huan marveled at the sight, Lord Qingxuan, above the Mother Nest, shot two streaks of purple light from her eyes. They caught up with the blade of light and merged with it, tinting it a pale purple.

The combination of a material attack and a Soul Attack wasn't yet a fused Strongest Secret Technique of a Universe Master, but it was still exceedingly difficult to deal with.

Yet Lord Ghost Vine up ahead seemed not to notice at all. He showed no reaction to Lord Qingxuan's attack; instead, more plants poured out of the Palace Supreme Treasure behind him.

There were lotus pods, fronds of green vines, and terrifying tendrils with what looked like serrated fangs.

They were the other three Universe Masters of the Tree Race.

Under the control of the three Universe Masters, countless plants instantly rose up into walls that blotted out the sky.

Screee...

A grating sound echoed through the heavens and earth.

The blade of light struck. At first, it cut through the plants like a mortal scything grass, unstoppable in its advance. But after piercing more than ten layers of plant walls, its power was completely spent.

As for the Soul Attack woven into it, the three Tree Race Universe Masters seemed entirely unaffected.

"Qingxuan, you can't stop us on your own."

A low voice came from the Universe Master whose body was made of saw-toothed vines.

Lord Qingxuan only gave a bewitching smile. "I can't, of course. But why do you think I'm alone?"

Before her words had faded, another Bug Race Mother Nest appeared on either side of Lord Qingxuan. Two figures, each different in appearance but equally beautiful, hovered above them as countless Bug Warriors poured out of the nests.

The other nearby Universe Masters weren't idle either.

"You Tree Race think you can claim this Supreme Treasure? Dream on!" Four tall Skeleton Race Universe Masters, composed entirely of bones, appeared above Gray Bone Palace.

The powerhouses of the God Eye Race, the Human Race of the Second Reincarnation Era, the Dream-Eater Race, and the Monster Race of the Primal Universe also showed themselves. Another Universe Master, acting alone and possessing a Peak Domain Supreme Treasure, likewise attacked the four Tree Race powerhouses.

"Damn it!"

More than twenty Universe Masters attacked together. The countless vines Lord Ghost Vine had extended were instantly cut apart and annihilated.

If he hadn't retreated in time and pulled his main body into the Palace Supreme Treasure beforehand, he might well have lost his life.

The other three Tree Race Universe Masters had no more courage to face the combined assault of over twenty powerhouses. They had no choice but to retreat into the Palace Supreme Treasure as well.

Boom!

A barrage of attacks struck the Palace Supreme Treasure, sending it plunging rapidly toward the ground.

"Deflect the force!"

Lord Ghost Vine did his utmost to control the Palace Supreme Treasure and steady it. With the resilience of a Peak Palace Treasure, it remained completely unharmed by the attacks.

But as a result, the Tree Race powerhouses fell far behind. Even Qing Huan and the others swiftly passed them, and catching up now would be exceedingly difficult.

With the Tree Race out of the running, the seven forces that had briefly allied immediately split apart.

The closest to the Black Ruyi now were the Bug Race, the God Eye Race, and Lord Black Rock, a Universe Master from a powerful race who was acting alone.

"Jueyun! Take the Supreme Treasure!"

Outside Spire Castle, Lord Pure Eye shouted. A mirror that looked extremely ancient appeared from the void behind him.

The mirror was Lord Pure Eye's precious Supreme Treasure for Soul Illusions. It was called the Pure Light Mirror, and was no less valuable than Master Wuhun's Mad Demon God-Extinguishing Armor.

The Pure Light Mirror merged with the phantom of the God Eye, the God Eye Race's signature image. The phantom solidified at once, looking rather like God Eye True Master's technique.

In an instant, several illusory Strange Beasts charged out of the God Eye and pounced on the three members of the Bug Race and Lord Black Rock.

"Pure Eye!"

"Lord Pure Eye!"

The four Universe Masters were furious and shocked. Lord Pure Eye had attacked all four of them at once.

But Lord Pure Eye was one of the strongest Fifth-Order Universe Masters. His overall strength was no less than that of the renowned Master Wuhun or Chaos City Master, who would one day reach the limit of Universe Masters. He was also exceptionally skilled in soul techniques. None of the four Universe Masters could afford to ignore his sudden attack.

"Argh!!"

A pained howl rang out. Lord Black Rock was less skilled in soul techniques. Although he survived Lord Pure Eye's attack, he was now in terrible agony.

Fortunately, no one was willing to split their attention to attack him. Otherwise, it would have been easy to kill Lord Black Rock while he was in this state.

By contrast, colored light shimmered around the three Bug Race Mother Nests. When Lord Pure Eye's Soul Attack struck, the numerous Bug Warriors controlled by the two later-arriving Mother Nests faltered, but immediately recovered their agility.

As for Lord Qingxuan, who had been the first to attack the Tree Race, she seemed to have been completely unaffected.

Bug Race Mother Emperors were natural masters of the soul. Once they reached the Universe Master level, their souls were even more powerful, so the three Bug Race Universe Masters had little trouble withstanding Lord Pure Eye's attack.

Even so, the three Bug Race Mother Nests were inevitably slowed for a moment and fell behind.

At the same time Lord Pure Eye launched his sudden attack, Lord Jueyun swept out his hand in perfect coordination. Thirty-six gray ribbons flew from his body.

These were Lord Jueyun's Peak Supreme Treasure weapon, the Heaven-Binding Ribbon. A long-range weapon, it suited Lord Jueyun's style perfectly.

The gray ribbons rapidly extended, seeking to snatch the Black Ruyi from midair.

"Everyone, stop them together!"

Lord Pure Eye had suddenly attacked with all his strength, temporarily holding back the Bug Race and Lord Black Rock. But the Dream-Eater Race, the Human Race, the Monster Race, and the Skeleton Race, all farther away, weren't idle.

Whoosh... whoosh...

With a thought from Devil Lord Nightmare, the raging Ghost Domain Yin Wind gathered into a towering gray divine axe. A complete, pale skull was embedded in the axe where its shaft met its head.

"Jueyun, you're not getting it!"

Devil Lord Nightmare controlled the Gray Divine Axe formed from his Domain Supreme Treasure and swung it directly at Lord Jueyun's Heaven-Binding Ribbon.

The moment Devil Lord Nightmare gathered his domain, the God Eye Race's Domain Supreme Treasure immediately began to expand, attempting to suppress the Skeleton Race.

But the Human Race's Domain Supreme Treasure filled the gap first. It didn't suppress the Skeleton Race Universe Masters. Instead, it helped them hold back the God Eye Race's domain, allowing the Skeleton Race powerhouses to fight without worry.

At this crucial moment, the Human Race and Skeleton Race joined forces to deal with the God Eye Race first.

Seeing their domain blocked by the Human Race, the God Eye Race Universe Masters were furious, but there was nothing they could do.

Now that the fighting had reached the point of open conflict, the God Eye Race's reputation no longer carried much weight.

Lord Ying'ai's short frame shot out like a cannonball, directly intercepting the Gray Divine Axe controlled by Devil Lord Nightmare.

"Nightmare, I'm your opponent!"

But Lord Ying'ai alone wasn't enough. The other three Skeleton Race powerhouses, along with many others, were also intercepting Lord Jueyun.

"!!!"

Lord Wuliang tilted his head back and let out a silent scream.

His black hair whipped wildly. Not a sound came from Lord Wuliang's throat, yet dense ripples like sound waves blasted in every direction.

At the same time, Lord Pure Eye joined forces with Lord Wuliang to launch a second round of Soul Attacks. Countless tiny white, illusory streaks of light flew from all over his body.

For a moment, Lord Pure Eye seemed to have transformed into a porcupine.

A Soul Attack with such a wide range was naturally weaker than an all-out strike, and it actually consumed far more divine power. Under normal circumstances, no one would choose to fight this way.

But to hold off so many Universe Masters and create an opening for Lord Jueyun, Lord Pure Eye and Lord Wuliang had no other choice.

Even with their power somewhat weakened, how terrifying was it for two Fifth-Order Universe Masters—one of them a Fifth Order Peak—who were masters of the soul to attack with all their strength together?

Most of the Universe Masters present weren't skilled in soul techniques and didn't possess Soul-type Supreme Treasures, so they struggled to defend against even these area attacks.

For a time, a full ten Universe Masters were forced to stop and deal with their attacks.

Yet four exceptionally powerful Universe Masters were entirely undaunted by the two's wide-ranging attacks and continued to close in on Lord Jueyun. ...