Before the dragon claw had fully pressed down, an unparalleled majesty originating from the very essence of life enveloped the entire sea area like a vast sky collapsing.
That is the natural awe of the apex predator over mortal creatures, an absolute crushing of life forms.
Generals like Chi Zhuiyang and Lei Lie, whose martial arts skills were quite remarkable, and whose willpower was far stronger than that of ordinary people, were also shaken by the overwhelming dragon's might. Their souls trembled, their blood surged, their vision blurred, and they staggered, almost unable to stand.
Mister Zhou the Elder, who was accompanying the army, was slightly less skilled in cultivation. He let out a muffled groan, his consciousness became sluggish, and he collapsed to the ground.
Hong Yi has now stabilized his Ghost Immortal realm, and his divine soul essence has undergone a transformation, making it far more resilient and solid than before.
Even under the pressure of the True Dragon, he still felt his soul power sluggish, as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on his mind. Golden light flashed wildly in his sea of consciousness, and chanting and stinging pain intertwined.
He quickly guarded the unwavering true meaning of " Past Amitabha " deep within his mind, and circulated his cultivation technique with all his might to firmly stabilize his restless soul.
As Ghost Immortal who had survived a tribulation of lightning, Chan Yinsha's ability to resist the pressure of heaven and earth had been significantly enhanced.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on her smooth forehead, but the clear, ethereal light that naturally flowed around her grew even brighter, barely resisting the all-pervasive dragon's might that tried to undermine her fighting spirit. Her figure remained upright, like a proud pine tree braving the snow.
The enormous dragon claw, seemingly capable of the Burn Heaven and Boil the Sea, and melting the Void, carried a destructive aura as it descended directly upon the Peacock King's avatar in the sky, intending to crush this clone along with those it protected!
" Nine Fire Flame Dragons!" The Peacock King, in his transformed form, raised his head, facing the overwhelming dragon's might without a trace of fear in his eyes. Instead, he unleashed a long, piercing roar that seemed to shatter gold and split rocks. "I must protect my daughter for now and will not entangle myself with you! Once I have settled Yuxian, I will personally go beyond the heavens and slay all nine of you mudskippers, cutting off Meng Shenji's arms and claws!"
"How arrogant! We shall wait and see!" The ancient dragon roar responded with wild laughter, its voice shaking the heavens. "We, the nine brothers, are true spirits Fortune by the Sect Master from the void of chaos. Even if our forms and souls perish in this world, the Sect Master can, with a mere thought, recreate us from the river of time! Today, I shall see for myself whether you, the self-proclaimed 'immortal' Peacock King, are truly indestructible!"
Amidst the maniacal laughter, the crimson dragon claw, without further hesitation, crashed down with even greater speed and ferocity! Before the claw even arrived, the scorching airwaves had already caused the sea below to boil, sending up vast plumes of white steam.
"Walk!"
The Peacock King, in his avatar, said no more, and let out a low shout.
The five sword pellets floating in front of him shone brightly at the same time, and then exploded with a bang!
It was not a destructive explosion, but rather transformed into five dazzling, thick, and condensed light shields of gold, cyan, blue, red, and yellow, like five giant colored light eggs nested one inside the other, completely enveloping him and Xing Yuxian beside him.
The moment the five-colored light egg was formed, it clashed violently with the crimson dragon claw that was pressing down!
There was no deafening, continuous roar, only a brief, extremely short burst of sound that seemed capable of shattering eardrums!
boom!
An unimaginable, immense force collided, annihilated, and exploded with the essence of the five elements! That space seemed to be distorted and torn apart, bursting forth with blindingly bright light.
The crimson dragon claw was abruptly halted by the violent impact that combined the power of the Peacock King's avatar with the profound mysteries of the five elements, causing its downward momentum to falter.
Taking advantage of this brief moment, the five-colored light egg suddenly shrank, then transformed into a tiny, indistinct stream of five-colored light, which vanished into the Void at a speed beyond comprehension, disappearing without a trace.
The crimson dragon claw paused briefly in mid-air, seemingly to determine its direction, but ultimately did not continue the pursuit.
It slowly shrank back into the crimson clouds that filled the sky, and then the sea of burning clouds receded like the tide, disappearing into the depths of the azure sky as if it had never existed.
In an instant, the world returned to clarity.
The overwhelming dragon's might, which had been suffocating, receded like the tide, and the churning sea quickly calmed down, leaving only wisps of lingering Five Elements essence in the air and the faint salty smell of evaporated seawater, reminding everyone that the unimaginable scene they had just witnessed was not a dream.
On the sea, the hundreds of menacing warships under Wei Taicang's command and the seven Sea-Pacifying Army warships led by Hong Yi maintained their standoff formation.
The rising sun cast its golden rays across the sea, making it shimmer and sparkle.
Most of the soldiers on both ships still had lingering shock and disbelief on their faces, looking at each other as if they had just woken up from a collective nightmare that was both absurd and incredibly real.
Hong Yi slowly inhaled and exhaled, gradually calming his turbulent soul, and the divine light in his eyes refocused.
"Is that the legendary Nine Fire Flame Dragons? Even a mere wisp of its dragon might made my Ghost Immortal body feel as if I were carrying a mountain!" His mind raced, and he understood the situation just now. The Peacock King's avatar had descended, and the killing intent was imminent. He and Chan Yinsha were not afraid of the Peacock King's avatar when they joined forces. The sudden intrusion of the Nine Fire Flame Dragons had startled the Peacock King Xing Xuan into retreating.
"All troops, listen to my command! While the enemy is still disoriented, launch a full-scale attack and annihilate their ships!" Hong Yi suddenly stood up and shouted in a voice as loud as thunder.
Chi Zhuiyang, Lei Lie, and the others also recovered from the shock of the dragon's might. Upon hearing the order, their fighting spirit soared, and they responded in unison, their killing intent filling the sea.
As Hong Yi directed the battle, his mind raced with thoughts. " Xing Yuxian is only a mortal, yet the Peacock King was able to carry her away through the air. Such methods are truly unfathomable. What appeared today was merely an avatar, yet it already possesses such power. Its true cultivation is probably far more than just having survived one tribulation? As for the Nine Fire Flame Dragons, I had only heard of it as an incarnation of flames before, but today I have witnessed it as True Dragon of flesh and blood. In this vast world, who knows how many unimaginable mysteries are still hidden?"
Today's near-dreamlike showdown deeply moved him.
The true masters of Daoist arts who stand at the pinnacle of their time possess supernatural powers and abilities that are almost divine, akin to those in myths and legends.
"Only by cultivating to this level can one transcend the shackles of the mortal world and roam freely between heaven and earth. Even the imperial power of the world cannot restrain one. If one were to cultivate to the level of that senior, one would probably live forever and watch the rise and fall of dynasties pass by like idle clouds." As Hong Yi looked at the sea and sky that had regained their tranquility, his understanding of the word "power" had been completely reshaped.
On the vast, boundless sea, the wind had ceased, the waves had stopped, and the water was calm, presenting an unusual tranquility.
Looking around, apart from the seven battered but still standing warships under Hong Yi's command, the vast array of ships stretched out in the dark were all hundreds of warships dispatched by Wei Taicang, the governor of the seven southern provinces, with the intention of encircling and pursuing them.
These ships, arrayed in a strict formation, their swords and spears gleaming in the sunlight, were an overwhelming force capable of instilling despair in any pirate or exile.
However, at this moment, what permeated this vast and imposing fleet was not a fighting spirit, but an almost stagnant deathly silence and a deep-seated panic.
As Hong Yi's seven warships adjusted their sails, broke through the aftershocks, and sped toward their own formation, a cold and desperate thought spontaneously arose in the minds of everyone who witnessed this scene.
"The tide has turned; all hope is lost!"
The many naval officers and martial arts masters under Wei Taicang's command were all ashen-faced, looking at each other with undisguised bewilderment and fear in their eyes.
They were ordered to accompany the renowned Princess Yunmeng Kingdom, Xing Yuxian, on a sea voyage to capture or annihilate Hong Yi. At the outset, their momentum was unstoppable, and they were determined to succeed.
However, the "Daoist battle" they had just witnessed, which was beyond the imagination of ordinary people, completely shattered their fighting spirit and beliefs.
The Peacock Wisdom King Xing Xuan, who rode the storm and manifested the majestic form of the Peacock King, seemingly stepping out of an ancient myth, clashed violently with the giant claw of the True Dragon that later tore through the Void.
In an instant, the Dharma image cried out in sorrow, the illusory image of the Wisdom King shattered inch by inch, and golden Buddhist light scattered like crystal.
In the end, Xing Xuan's weakened figure transformed into a streak of light and hastily fled into the Void rift, his appearance a complete mess, showing his utter disarray.
Now that their peak combat power has vanished without a trace, how can these remaining Immortal Gate and whose martial arts cultivation is far from reaching the Martial Saint realm, possibly contend with the two Ghost Immortal powerhouses on the Other Shore whose auras are as deep as the sea?
To resist? That's no different from a moth drawn to a flame!
"It's all over, completely over." A low, desperate lament spread through the cabins and on the deck.
With their leader gone and a formidable enemy at their side, the man in the blue robe, though not looking at them, was like a towering mountain hanging overhead, making it hard for everyone to breathe.
"Young master, what should we do now?" A deputy general, his face pale and his voice hoarse, looked at the temporary commander of the fleet, a nephew of Wei Taicang.
The richly dressed young man, referred to as "Young Master," was also distraught. He gazed at the two azure lotus platforms and the otherworldly figures on them on the distant sea, then looked at his own fleet, which, though seemingly large, had lost all morale. The last trace of color drained from his face.
He gave a bitter laugh, his voice hoarse. "What else can we do? Do you really think that we mere mortals can contend with such beings? Pass down the order: lower the sails, hoist the white flag, everyone, cease resistance and surrender on the spot."
When the order was issued, no one objected; instead, most people breathed a sigh of relief.
Faced with an incomprehensible and irresistible force, surrendering at least saves one's life.
Thus, a naval battle that never actually took place ended in such an absurd way.
The more than one hundred elite warships that Wei Taicang governor of the seven southern provinces, had painstakingly assembled and armed, surrendered without firing a single cannon shot or arrow.
For Hong Yi, this was undoubtedly an immeasurable windfall.
As the surrendered ships were received and inventoried one by one, the supplies and weapons they carried deeply shocked even the resolute Hong Yi.
Inside the ship's hold, piled high were finely crafted swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks, all forged from refined steel and gleaming coldly; sets of heavy and sturdy scale armor, chainmail, and gleaming armor, well-maintained, still shone with a cold, hard metallic sheen in the dim light, enough to arm thousands of elite soldiers.
Even more eye-catching is a large bow that is entirely black, strangely shaped, and heavy to the touch.
The bow is neither made of wood nor iron; it is cold to the touch and has hidden runes embedded in it, indicating that it has undergone special treatment.
And matching these black bows were equally black arrows.
The arrow shaft was thick and sturdy, and the arrowhead was not made of ordinary metal, but was covered with some kind of dark red gelatinous substance, emitting a faint, pungent smell of sulfur and saltpeter—the smell of gunpowder!
" Dharma-Breaking Fire Arrow!" a knowledgeable veteran soldier beside Hong Yi exclaimed in surprise.