The battle had entered its most brutal stage. The self-detonation of a Divine Fire Realm expert had not only claimed enemy lives, but also set the battlefield's madness fully ablaze.
The elder of the Heavenly Wing Race was ancient, his blood and vitality nearly exhausted and little of his lifespan remaining. He had tried to turn the tide by detonating himself. Though he had failed to destroy his opponent completely, he had still exacted a devastating price from the Riftwind Eagle Race's Divine Fire Realm expert.
His self-detonation shook the battlefield and made every combatant realize that there was no longer any path of retreat.
With the fall of a Divine Fire Realm expert, the fighting grew even fiercer. Whether they were Divine Fire Realm and Venerable Realm experts in the sky or Array Formation cultivators on the ground, none held anything back anymore.
Treasure Arts thundered, bodies collided, and Magic Artifacts clashed. The entire battlefield seemed to become an ocean of destruction. Space was continually torn apart, ripples of power spreading in every direction. One careless move could sweep a low-level cultivator into a spatial rift, making them vanish without a trace.
Although the Riftwind Eagle Race's Divine Fire Realm expert had survived, his injuries were grievous, robbing him of some of his fighting strength. His battered appearance also dealt a blow to his race's morale. Yet the cruelty of battle drove neither side to retreat. Instead, it kindled an even fiercer fighting spirit.
"Either the enemy falls, or we do!" This had become the shared conviction of every cultivator on the battlefield. Whether they belonged to the Heavenly Wing Race or another race, every combatant fought with all their might, striving to gain the upper hand in this contest of life and death.
As the battle continued, more and more experts fell. Divine Fire Realm and Venerable Realm experts perished one after another, while the corpses of Array Formation cultivators piled up like mountains. The entire battlefield seemed to become an enormous meat grinder, swallowing countless lives.
Yet the outcome remained uncertain. The experts on every side searched for opportunities to deal their opponents a fatal blow. Despite their devastating losses, the Heavenly Wing Race's fighting spirit remained high, while the Riftwind Eagle Race and the other races resisted desperately, striving to claim the final victory in this battle of life and death.
This battle was no longer merely a contest of strength, but a clash of wills. Whoever held out until the end would have the last laugh in this savage war.
The fighting has grown so fierce. Fortunately, it hasn't reached the Sun Flower. Every race has already lost so many cultivators, and they're all blinded by bloodlust. Even if one side wanted to stop the war, it couldn't. It's time to act, Shi Yi mused. He immediately drove the Primordial Chaos Heaven-Refining Grand Formation to its limit and unleashed the Heavenly Wing Race's Treasure Art. A pair of feathered wings identical to theirs emerged from his back. In principle, disguising himself as a member of the Heavenly Wing Race carried some risk, since they were the ones under attack. But if he were recognized as a member of the Human Race while approaching, every race would attack him. At that thought, he could not help marveling that the Zhu Yan Treasure Art truly was indispensable for murder and arson.
His feathered wings beat powerfully. Along the way, he picked up a weapon a member of the Heavenly Wing Race had used, then flew into the battlefield at tremendous speed. Dodging all the way, he pressed tirelessly toward the Sun Flower. It stood at the center of the battlefield, where the violent energies buffeted him from side to side.
"Heavenly Wing scum, die!"
A Fire Lion blocked Shi Yi's path. He was enormous, with crimson eyes whose pupils seemed to hold dancing flames. His body was powerfully built, his clearly defined muscles brimming with explosive strength.
His fur was a blazing red, like burning flames, and his huge, sharp claws resembled flaming blades that could easily tear through rock or metal. Even the surrounding air seemed to grow scorching hot at his arrival.
His breath carried the heat of flames. Proud and imposing, he walked with steady strides, as though every step could shake the earth.
"Sacred Flame."
Without another word, Shi Yi ignited flames along the longsword in his hand. This was one of the Heavenly Wing Race's commonly used skills, capable of increasing a Magic Artifact's attack power.
The Fire Lion let out a sky-shaking roar. Flames erupted from his mane, and scorching waves of heat swept outward, as though they would burn the entire space to nothing.
His eyes burned with fury as they locked onto the cultivator. His enormous claws slammed into the ground, splitting it instantly. Magma-like flames gushed from the cracks, attempting to seal off Shi Yi's routes of movement.
Yet Shi Yi moved like a phantom, slipping lightly between the flames and fissures as though gravity held no sway over him. His longsword traced blazing arcs through the air. Wherever its edge passed, the flames seemed to tear apart, leaving searing sword marks behind.
Each flash of sword light left another wound on the Fire Lion, deep enough to expose bone. His scorching blood dripped like molten lava, searing the earth.
The Fire Lion's fury grew ever wilder, his attacks ever more ferocious. Flames surged toward Shi Yi in wave after wave, seeking to drown him in a sea of fire.
Yet Shi Yi's swordsmanship was exquisitely refined. His sword light arched like a rainbow, and every swing cleaved the flames apart, as though carving a path to survival through the fiery sea.
The battle intensified. The Fire Lion's roars intertwined with the ringing of the cultivator's sword, while flames and sword light collided in the air, erupting in dazzling brilliance.
Shi Yi's figure flickered in and out of view within the sea of fire, as though he had become one with the flames. His swordsmanship grew increasingly fierce, every attack aimed straight at the Fire Lion's vital points.
Though powerful, the Fire Lion gradually began to show signs of exhaustion under Shi Yi's skillful assault. His movements slowed, and his flames weakened.
"Thunder Flood Dragon Claw!" Shi Yi seized his chance and leaped up. Silver-white runes shone as lightning gathered in his left hand. With a piercing cry, he thrust his claw forward. Lightning streaked across the sky like a meteor, striking straight at the Fire Lion's skull.
The Fire Lion let out a shrill roar. His enormous body crashed to the ground amid the sword light, his flames gradually dying until he finally turned to ash. Shi Yi landed slowly, a bloodstained Primitive Treasure Bone now in his hand. Fiery red patterns covered it, flickering with mysterious light.
The road ahead remained fraught with obstacles, and Shi Yi would not linger. A battle like this was not worth savoring. Had he not wanted a fire-path Primitive Treasure Bone, he could have slain this Array Formation Realm Fire Lion in an instant.
Shi Yi's battle with the member of the Fire Lion Race was merely a tiny corner of the battlefield. It caused no ripples and drew no attention. He continued forward, avoiding every possible fight as he headed toward the center. Along the way, one or two cultivators of other races tried to intercept him, but he killed them all and extracted their Primitive Treasure Bones. One was a water-type Primitive Treasure Bone; the other was an illusion-type Primitive Treasure Bone, something Shi Yi had long wanted.
"Heavenly Wing Race-
"An Array Formation Realm ant, dreaming of joining a battle between supreme experts! You don't know your own limits. Today, you'll sleep here forever."
A Venerable of the Earth Dragon Race had just blasted a Heavenly Wing Race Venerable Realm cultivator to death. Upon spotting Shi Yi, he attacked him.
Facing an Earth Dragon Race cultivator whose cultivation realm exceeded his own, Shi Yi showed no fear. The longsword in his hand shone with sacred flames of light, its edge slicing through the air with a piercing whistle.
Although the Earth Dragon Race cultivator was covered in hard scales and seemed utterly impregnable, Shi Yi's sword strikes remained fiercely sharp.
The longsword struck the Earth Dragon Race cultivator's scales, scattering sparks with a grating metallic clash.
The Earth Dragon Race cultivator sneered, seemingly unconcerned by Shi Yi's attack. His massive body suddenly shuddered, and a powerful recoil force drove Shi Yi back several steps.
Yet Shi Yi did not falter. Instead, a glimmer of resolve flashed in his eyes. He drew a deep breath, divine power surging wildly within him. The longsword in his hand blazed with light, as though it had become one with his will. He charged forward again, his sword light arcing like a rainbow toward the Earth Dragon Race cultivator's vital points.
Surprise flashed in the Earth Dragon Race cultivator's eyes. Clearly, he had not expected Shi Yi to unleash such formidable fighting strength despite the enormous gap between their realms. He no longer dared to be careless. A layer of dark golden light spread across his scales, and his hands transformed into sharp claws to meet Shi Yi's blade.
Their battle grew ever fiercer, filling the air with violent fluctuations of energy. Though Shi Yi's cultivation realm was lower, his physical toughness and strength were in no way inferior to his opponent's. With the effects of the Primordial Chaos Heaven-Refining Grand Formation, he could completely suppress him.
Had his opponent's defenses not been truly astonishing, and had he been free to use his own Treasure Arts, Shi Yi was confident he could have killed him within a few hundred exchanges. Every sword strike carried immense will and divine power, forcing the Earth Dragon Race cultivator to respond with all his strength.
"Rock Spike!" the Earth Dragon Race Venerable shouted. Jagged stone spikes thrust up from the ground before Shi Yi, stabbing toward him one after another. The stone pillars were hard and enormous, reshaping even the terrain of Flame Valley. These spikes contained tremendous energy; even a glancing blow would tear flesh and shatter bones.
Lightning flickered beneath his feet. In a few flashes, Shi Yi evaded the stone spikes. Lightning Step was a technique he had comprehended from a Primitive Treasure Bone of the White Ghost Race. This Treasure Art was not only extraordinarily fast, but also excelled at close-quarters maneuvering. It was truly exceptional.
The battle dragged on for a long time. Shi Yi's stamina remained abundant, while the Earth Dragon Race cultivator's strength gradually dwindled, leaving him struggling to keep up.
Just then, Shi Yi's longsword suddenly erupted with dazzling light. The sacred flames along its blade swelled in an instant, as though they would devour the entire space.
Sensing this powerful force, the Earth Dragon Race cultivator's expression changed sharply. He hurriedly retreated, but it was already too late.
With unstoppable momentum, Shi Yi thrust his longsword straight into the Earth Dragon Race cultivator's body. Its edge pierced his scales, and blood gushed out.
The Earth Dragon Race cultivator let out an agonized roar and crashed to the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief as he died.
The battle ultimately ended in Shi Yi's victory. Though the outcome had been expected, it was still rare for someone at the peak of the Array Formation Realm to slay an opponent a full major realm above them. Shi Yi dared not delay and continued forward.