The wind from the open sea carries a salty, briny, and rusty smell.
That was the smell of residual energy mixed with blood foam, scorched by the blazing sun.
The sea was no longer calm. The deathly silence left behind after the distant tribulation of lightning was being replaced by another kind of restlessness—a net woven from countless obscure divine consciousnesses, pressing down on everyone's heart.
The five-colored cocoon of light hovered above the broken sea surface, more than ten feet high, and slowly rotated.
The Five-Colored Divine Light— red, blue, yellow, white, and black—alternated and flowed, each flash and disappearance as rhythmic as breathing.
The naturally formed patterns on the surface of the cocoon are like living things, meandering and moving as it rotates.
Centered on the cocoon of light, various strange phenomena appeared in the sky and on the ground.
This scene lasted for three whole days.
For three days, none of the onlookers on the edge of the outer sea left.
We can't wait any longer.
A hoarse wave of divine thought traveled through a hidden Void interlayer.
There were seven figures shrouded in black robes, their faces obscured by a chaotic mist, only the occasional flash of cold light in their eyes proving that they were alive.
All seven individuals possessed the aura of the peak of the Immortal Two Mighty Figure figures who would be considered ancestral figures in any faction.
"The aura of the cocoon grows stronger day by day. Once it breaks free, Li Qingshan will likely reach the mid-stage of the Immortal Three King, or even higher."
The second person on the left spoke, his voice like a knife scraping against iron.
"He'll kill us then."
" Jade Pool,"
The third person hesitated slightly.
They won't move.
The leader sneered.
" The Eastern Exalt intends to use this tribulation as an opportunity to lure enemies from all directions for a swift and decisive victory. This is precisely our chance. When we emerge from our cocoons, will we still have even the slightest chance?"
silence.
The sea breeze rustled through the black robe, the fabric making a soft, rustling sound.
The distant cocoon of light, emitting a low, resonant hum that seemed to pulsate with starlight, struck the hearts of everyone like a war drum.
"Let's get started."
The fourth man licked his chapped lips, his eyes turning bloodshot.
"If we could consume even a single strand of the life essence contained within that cocoon of light, it would be enough to extend our lives by a hundred years."
Not to mention the secrets Li Qingshan possessed: the Wushi Scripture, the Nine Secrets, and the Xuanhuang Mother Qi.
Greed grows wildly in the darkness like a poisonous weed.
The seven people exchanged glances and simultaneously crushed a bone talisman in their hands.
In an instant, from five other directions, subtle auras erupted simultaneously, and five more groups of people, totaling thirty-two Mighty Figure figures, stepped out from the Void.
They were dressed in various styles; some wore ancient dynasty armor, some were shrouded in demonic clouds, and some were surrounded by Buddhist light but harbored murderous intent. But at this moment, all their eyes were locked on the same target.
No one spoke.
Thirty-two Dao Body tacitly dispersed, forming a ring that surrounded the hundred-mile-long sea area where the cocoon of light was located.
They kept their distance from each other, their eyes wary, yet they formed a fragile alliance due to their shared goal.
The first of the seven leaders to speak slowly raised his right hand.
A bronze spear appeared in his palm, its blade mottled and stained with dark red stains—holy blood that had dried up over countless millennia.
The moment the spear appeared, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and a thin layer of ice formed on the sea surface.
As soon as the words were spoken, all thirty-two people simultaneously unleashed their magical weapons.
The bronze spear was the first to pierce the air.
It has no dazzling light and shadow, but simply pierces straight out. Wherever the spear tip passes, space collapses layer by layer, leaving a dark trail.
Following closely behind was a torrent of magical treasures: a crimson wheel spun and sliced through the air, a nine-story demon tower pressed down, Buddhist bone prayer beads emitted a golden light of annihilation, and blood-red banners fluttered amidst the wailing of ten thousand ghosts.
How terrifying would the combined Mighty Figure be?
The sky instantly darkened.
All the light was swallowed and distorted by those magical artifacts.
The seawater below was compressed by an invisible pressure, forming a hemispherical vacuum, and the seabed reefs shattered with a crack.
Before the attack even reached them, the sheer pressure alone caused some hidden spectators a hundred miles away to bleed from all seven orifices and retreat in agony.
All attacks had only one target: the quietly floating five-colored cocoon of light.
Just as the bronze spear was less than a hundred feet away from the cocoon of light,
"Buzz."
A soft sound, as if the strings of a musical instrument had been plucked.
It did not originate from the cocoon of light, but rather resounded simultaneously from all directions, from the depths of the Void, and from among the stars.
Immediately following, eighteen points of light simultaneously illuminated in six directions—up, down, left, right, front, and back—centered on the light cocoon.
The spot of light rapidly expanded, transforming into eighteen large flags.
The flagpole is neither gold nor wood; it is dark silver in color, and its surface is naturally engraved with patterns resembling the trajectory of stars.
The flags fluttered in the wind, each embroidered with a different constellation pattern:
The seven constellations of the Azure Dragon in the east, the seven constellations of the Black Tortoise in the north, the seven constellations of the White Tiger in the west, and the seven constellations of the Vermilion Bird in the south, along with the three palaces of Ziwei, Supreme Palace Enclosure, and Tianshi, guard the center.
The moment the eighteen star flags appeared, the celestial energy of the heavens surged!
What was originally just falling starlight now seems like the entire Milky Way has burst its banks.
Visible to the naked eye, silvery stellar energy surged forth from the depths of the universe, a truly vast and boundless river of stellar energy.
Guided by eighteen star flags, the long river rapidly rotated around the cocoon of light, transforming into a dazzling waterfall of stars.
The bronze spear pierced the Star River Waterfall.
The spearhead rubbed violently against the starlight, scattering billions of Mars, each one Mars enough to incinerate mountains and rivers.
The spear slowed down at a visible speed, and the dark red stains on the spear began to peel off and dissipate under the wash of star power.
"What!" The seven leaders' pupils constricted sharply.
His spear was a fragmented royal weapon unearthed from ancient ruins. Although it no longer possessed the power of King, the material remained intact, and Mighty Figure figure wielding it could kill someone of the same level.
How could it be that it was actually blocked by the power of stars?
Before he could react, a torrent of magical artifacts had already arrived.
The crimson wheel pierced into the galaxy, its blades colliding with the stellar energy, emitting a piercing shriek, and its rotational speed rapidly decreased;
The nine-story demon tower descended, releasing a black light from its base that devoured everything, but it was instead countered by the stellar energy, causing the tower to tremble violently.
The Buddha bone rosary exploded, and the 108 bone beads transformed into golden meteors that crashed down, but they disappeared into the starlight like mud oxen sinking into the sea, their light quickly dimming.
The Star River Waterfall slowly rotated, swallowing up all thirty-two attacks.
None of them could penetrate the star curtain and reach the cocoon of light.
A hundred miles away, in a Void shrouded in celestial mist.
The Jade Pool Saint stood quietly, her moon-white skirt fluttering gently in the wind.
She gazed at the dazzling Milky Way, her clear eyes reflecting the starlight, yet showing neither joy nor sorrow.
Beside him, Gu Tianshu stood like a stone statue, only his sharp eyes fixed on the battlefield.
After a long while, the Jade Pool Saint sighed softly.
The sigh was soft, yet it seemed to carry a thousand pounds of weight.
"The period of Dark Turmoil lasted only a little over two hundred years."
Her voice was ethereal, yet carried a barely perceptible hint of weariness.
"These people, for their own selfish gain, continue to fight amongst themselves, crushing the pride of the human race."
Gu Tianshu remained silent.
Greed has clouded his mind.
Gu Tianshu finally spoke, his voice deep and cold, like a chilling abyss:
"This is the moment they've been waiting for. The tribulation has just subsided, and the Nirvana is not yet secure. It is precisely when the physical body and soul are at their weakest and most vulnerable. This 'weakness' is the biggest flaw in their eyes."
The Jade Pool Saint narrowed his gaze slightly, casting it upon the figures appearing and disappearing outside the formation, his tone calm and knowing:
"That's human nature. People always think disaster is far away, and that immediate gains are the most real. Besides, these people are just pawns, here to test the waters. Big Dipper has been silent for too long, which is why these people have become unaware of fear."
"The tribulation lightning dissipated, and the cocoon of light floated and sank, appearing to them no different from a treasure vault with its doors wide open. Whether severely injured or exhausted, it was all the best 'invitation'."
She paused slightly, then looked again at the cocoon of light that emitted starlight, a faint trace of melancholy flashing in her eyes:
" Qingshan, using this seemingly most 'weak' state as bait, hangs in full view of everyone, waiting for the sharks to come smelling the blood. Such courage and scheming are indeed somewhat similar to the aura of the Great Emperor in his prime."
"However, this situation is far too risky. Leaving aside these insignificant ants, it's likely that the unknown Emperor Weapon from before hasn't truly retreated, and the person wielding it is still lurking nearby, waiting for a world-shaking strike."
Gu Tianshu's gaze swept across the edge of the starlight-filled array.
"Although the Zhoutian Star Array is ingenious, its use of stellar power can be slowed down. Those lurking outside the formation are waiting for a genuine sign of weakness, or a fleeting moment when the formation shifts. If they spot this, they will launch a thunderous and relentless attack."
As he finished speaking, several unusually sinister auras subtly intensified on the distant horizon, like old wolves that had caught the last whiff of their prey's blood, their claws already sheathed, waiting for the "weakness" to materialize before they could launch their attack.
The Jade Pool Saint did not answer.
She just watched quietly.
If that moment truly comes, she will make her move.
The battlefield entered a brief stalemate.
The thirty-two Mighty Figure figures stood in mid-air, their expressions grim.
Their combined attack failed to even break through the outer perimeter of the formation, a slap in the face to everyone.
" The Zhoutian Star Formation,"
A middle-aged man clad in crimson armor and wielding a halberd said in a deep voice:
"This formation draws upon the power of the stars, creating a magnificent spectacle. Although its exact origins are unknown, it is certainly not something that could be set up by ordinary means."
"No matter how grand the formation, it still needs someone to command it."
The seven leaders' gazes, hidden behind their masks, were icy.
" Li Qingshan is Nirvana within his cocoon, both his soul and body are at a critical juncture of transformation. How could he possibly be distracted by controlling the array? This array must have pre-set rules and operate on its own. Every pre-set array has a pattern to follow and a point that can be broken."
"Find it."
Another figure shrouded in gray mist spoke hoarsely, a white bone dagger slowly turning in his hand.
"Destroy the formation and seize him before he emerges from seclusion. Otherwise, wait until he has achieved his goal and emerged from seclusion."
The second half of the sentence was left unsaid, but everyone understood the implication: at that point, it would be uncertain who would kill whom.
Thirty-two divine senses, like venomous snakes sniffing out, densely pierced towards that dazzling galaxy.
Time slipped away in repression.
The pulsation of the cocoon grew deeper and deeper, each expansion and contraction like the heartbeat of a primordial beast.
The resounding sound came from the depths of the sea, gradually rising until it transformed into a war drum that echoed through the heavens and earth, each beat striking the tense nerves of everyone present.
The power of the Zhou Tian Star Force became increasingly violent, and the almost liquid silver light poured out wildly. However, the Five-Colored Divine Light on the surface of the cocoon of light unusually subsided and became as warm and smooth as unpolished jade.
The calmer it is, the more unsettling it becomes.
"I can't wait any longer!"
The giant, who was three zhang tall and whose muscles were like blocks of iron, finally couldn't hold back any longer. He spat out a mouthful of saliva, which was tinged with blood. It was from the backlash of star power that had injured him when he probed with his divine sense earlier.
"If we wait any longer, the cocoon will hatch! Laozi smash a hole first and see!"
Before he finished speaking, he shattered the Void with his feet, his arm muscles suddenly bulged like dragons, and he swung two bronze hammers the size of door panels in a wide arc, creating a piercing sonic boom, and smashed them fiercely towards the Star River Waterfall!
This time, it's not a test.
"Open it, you Laozi!"
The giant roared, and a blurry phantom of a savage god appeared behind him, moving in unison with him.
The moment the hammers struck, all the runes on the hammers lit up, briefly resisting the erosion of star power.
A blinding flash of light erupted from the point where the hammer met the starry sky, followed by a deafening explosion!
"Boom! Crack!"
The star curtain caved in violently, creating a deep crater.
The star power launched a furious counterattack, like a barrage of millions of silver needles.
The giant's leather armor on both arms shattered, leaving them a bloody mess, but his eyes were bloodshot, and he stubbornly withstood the onslaught of star power, advancing another half foot!
The next second, he was violently thrown away by the raging torrent of star power, his hammers slipped from his hands, and he coughed up blood repeatedly in mid-air.
But that brief "dent" was like a shot of adrenaline, piercing everyone's eyes.
"Formations have no offensive capabilities; their primary function is to confine and defend!"
The seven leaders spoke rapidly, their eyes gleaming with a sharp light.
"By brute force, we can create an opening by injuring ourselves! If one person isn't enough, then ten! If ten aren't enough, then everyone attack together! Once we tear open a gap, their formation will crumble!"
cost?
Seeing the giant's miserable state, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
But turning to look at the cocoon of light whose aura was steadily rising, greed ultimately crushed his hesitation.
Being seriously injured now is better than being dealt with later.
Let's face this together.
The old woman holding the snake-headed staff spoke in a sinister tone.
"Each uses their own methods, each relies on their own luck. Whoever touches the array flag or the cocoon first, the opportunity belongs to them. As for those who perish,"
Her withered lips twitched slightly.
"Consider it paving the way for those who come after."
No one objected; only increasingly heavy breathing could be heard.
The next moment, thirty-two Dao Body erupted simultaneously!
The man in red armor thrust his halberd forward, transforming it into a hundred-foot-long fire dragon that roared and charged ahead.
The gray mist figure vanished, merging into the Void, like a shadow sliding into the starry sky;
The old woman pointed her snake-headed staff, and thousands of emerald green venomous snake phantoms hissed as they devoured the starlight;
Some even brought out ancient bells, pagodas, and divine images, their radiance illuminating the heavens and their divine power resounding.
Thirty-two "meteorites" collided with the same "galaxy".
"Buzz, boom!!!"
The entire open sea seemed to tremble. The starry sky was violently deformed by the impact, and countless starlight points flickered and shattered.
The turbulent energy tore open spatial rifts, revealing the pitch-black void behind them.
The sea surface was pressed into a huge crater, which could not be closed for a long time.
Screams, the sound of magical artifacts shattering, and the sound of protective divine light breaking were all mixed together.
Dao Body pierced through first; it was the man in red armor. His armor was mostly shattered, his left arm was gone at the shoulder, and starlight swirled around the wound, preventing it from healing.
But he did manage to break in.
Then came the second and third rounds.
The cost was staggering.
The two were instantly shredded into a bloody mist by the star power, their primordial spirits barely escaping, dim as a candle flickering in the wind;
One person was swept away by a spatial rift and cut in half; several others had their magical treasures destroyed, their foundations damaged, and their auras plummeted.
Ultimately, four Mighty Figure figures perished during the attempt to break through the formation, while twenty-eight others successfully entered the star curtain.