A Crushing Defeat!

"Whoosh."

"Having absorbed the power of the Shuizhi Saint Clan, the water-attribute Dou Core within my body has nearly reached saturation. My mastery and application of the water attribute have also reached a completely new level. Yet, sensed through soul power, something seemingly remains missing in the dark, making it perpetually difficult for the water-attribute Dou Core to take that most crucial step."

Within the void of the Reincarnation Graveyard, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes. A layer of energy ripples resembling water waves lay dormant beside him, his eyes filled with absolute doubt and puzzlement.

The Dou Qi Sea and Dou Core were the foundation of cultivation. It was just that now, the water-attribute Dou Core flashed with a vast brilliance throughout its entirety. Could there still be some sort of obscurity hidden within this?

Inside Xiao Yan's body currently, among the four-attribute Dou Cores, the fire, lightning, and water Dou Cores were already brimming, making his strength increasingly terrifying. Yet, no matter how Xiao Yan continued to pour power into them, he still could not advance any further. Wanting to take that vital step felt as though something was missing.

Xiao Yan also understood that if any of these three Dou Cores could advance further, his own power would probably reach a completely new level. However, the obscurity within it was known to none.

"Rumble!"

Just as doubts filled Xiao Yan's heart, countless Reincarnation Graveyards throughout the entire Reincarnation Sea stirred simultaneously in unison. Evil light waves that blotted out the sky descended from above, thoroughly agitating the entire Reincarnation.

Through the fluctuations of these evil powers, one could faintly sense a true battle emerging in the depths of the Reincarnation Sea!

"Solely relying on the Undying Saint Lord, a Peak Eighth-Reincarnation Stage expert, and some subpar Eighth-Reincarnation Stage powerhouses, they probably won't be able to handle the remaining two Saint Clans."

Xiao Yan's expression sank, and he immediately left a portion of the Holy Flame's power lingering on the Flame God Cauldron to protect the three Reincarnation Tombs. After that, his speed soared as he streaked toward the core combat circle.

If there was no need to buy reincarnation time for the three women, Xiao Yan would never have asked about the life or death of these fellows. Now that everyone was in the same boat, Xiao Yan naturally would not stand by with folded arms.

"Speak!"

"What on earth happened!"

Within the void, Xiao Yan moved at high speed, looking at the powerhouses fleeing like stray dogs from the core battle circle, and questioned them.

Quite a few powerhouses fleeing from the depths of the Reincarnation Sea bore injuries of various sizes upon their bodies, and their expressions were extremely complex, looking as miserable as though they had just experienced an epic battle.

"Xiao... Domain Lord Xiao?"

The bustling crowd wore panicked expressions. Looking at Xiao Yan's figure as if they had grasped at the last straw of hope, they actually said with tearful eyes.

"What on earth is going on?"

Xiao Yan looked at those extremely evil shackles on these fellows' bodies, his brow immediately wrinkling. With such terrifying evil power, the latter's strength was probably not a simple Peak Eighth-Reincarnation Stage, but rather an even more troublesome existence.

"Domain Lord Xiao, you wouldn't know... The Human Realm Center appointed the Master of the Desolate Ancient Heavenly Palace as the commander of the coalition army, gathering the Great Thousand Coalition Army to jointly attack the Outer Realm Evil Clan within the Reincarnation Sea. However, facing the Saint Origin Lord Clan among the three major Saint Clans, our coalition army was almost completely annihilated. The Master of the Desolate Ancient Heavenly Palace, the Undying Saint Lord, and others were also played around in the palm of his hand, and now the entire Reincarnation Sea is abruptly controlled by the Outer Realm."

Among the crowd, the speaking voice became choked with sobs; clearly, the battle just now was one they would never forget in this lifetime!

The joint forces of about five Eighth-Reincarnation Stage powerhouses plus several hundred experts were as weak and powerless as infants in the hands of this Saint Origin Lord. To them, that was a humiliation that could never be washed away.

Listening to these words, Xiao Yan also shook his head helplessly. It seemed matters were far more troublesome than he had imagined.

If this coalition army completely suffered defeat, then relying on his own single strength, he probably wouldn't be able to protect the Reincarnation Sea until the three women successfully completed their reincarnation... Time was measured in split seconds!

"No."

"This place is fundamentally a true conspiracy."

"The goal of the three major Outer Realm Saint Clans is not just to wipe out the numerous experts slumbering within the Reincarnation Sea, but even more so, to wipe out all of us who came to reinforce them in one fell swoop!"

"This is the retaliation of the Outer Realm, and it is also the true declaration of war by the Outer Realm against the Great Thousand World!"

Fierce voices carrying despairing expressions quietly permeated their faces. Clearly, only after witnessing the heaven-shaking and earth-sapping might of the Saint Origin Lord did they truly understand what a supreme ruler was.

"Take me there... Even if there is only a sliver of hope, I must try my utmost."

Xiao Yan suppressed the shock in his heart and heaved a heavy sigh.

"That person is a terrifying existence surpassing the Peak Eighth-Reincarnation Stage, capable of slaughtering everything with a flick of his hand... We... fundamentally do not have a shred of hope."

"Domain Lord Xiao, please kill me. Even if I die, I am unwilling to become an Outer Realm puppet, manipulated by others at will."

A moment later, looking at the sacred and scorching flames surrounding Xiao Yan's body, some figures simply could not bear the torment of those evil shackles and actually actively requested to quit.

Although they had escaped the core battle circle, they had long since had the evil shackles planted upon their bodies by the Saint Origin Lord. Those powers were nibbling away at their lives bit by bit and eroding their minds and souls. If there was no powerhouse to purge these for them, no matter the ends of the earth they fled to, they would all inevitably degenerate into walking corpses of the Outer Realm, manipulated at will.

This Saint Origin Lord's methods were extremely ruthless, striking at the heart and mind, and were quite horrifying!

"Rip!"

"I have already used the power of the Holy Flame to temporarily protect your minds and souls. Although the eroding power of the evil shackles is terrifying, protected by the power of the Holy Flame, you will be fine for a short time."

With a wave of Xiao Yan's hand, patches of nine-colored Holy Flame poured toward the bodies of these fellows.

"Ah, ah, ah."

As the Holy Flame entered their bodies, those evil shackles resembling fatal poison were forcefully halted.

"Where are they currently located? Take me there."

Xiao Yan's head felt slightly heavy. Looking at those absent-minded human powerhouses behind him, he smiled helplessly.

Now the entire Reincarnation Sea was imprisoned. If he didn't fight for time for the three women's reincarnation, probably everyone would be buried right here.

"At... at the end of the Reincarnation Sea."

"Domain Lord Xiao, this way!"

After speaking, the robust man leading them-whose strength was merely at the seventh-stage Reincarnation Stage level-saw his speed soar, the silver lightning power around his body continuously obliterating and purging the evil aura in the void, guiding the forward direction for Xiao Yan.

Watching Xiao Yan and his companion charge into the core battle circle without a second thought, the crowd of figures who had just escaped hesitated for a moment, their eye pupils unexpectedly suffused with a resolute aura as they followed along together!

They were powerhouses of the Great Thousand World; even if they died, they would die fighting on the battlefield. How could there be cowards who shrank back in the face of battle?

If every single person in the Great Thousand World were this cowardly, then who else would protect this heaven and earth?

"Rumble!"

At this very moment, on the outermost periphery of the Reincarnation Sea, layers of pitch-black dark clouds densely gathered here. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled amidst them, and a slightly dim figure was entrenched within. Drops of ink-black rain were rapidly brewing within the cloud layer, and a genuine bloody storm was about to unfold.