Each by Their Own Ability

"Wei Yuan's path to immortality is cut off; his achievements end here. In this old man's opinion, we might as well shift our resources toward Miss Yun and Young Master Xiaoyu, allowing them to advance valiantly. When they ascend to immortality a century from now, they will naturally be able to take his place." The exact same words echoed simultaneously within the elder councils of both the Bao and Xiao families. Similar voices even arose within the Xu family of Eastern Jin. However, Xu Henshui's chances of ascending were not as high as Baoyun's and Xiaoyu's, leaving the Xu elders somewhat hesitant about whether to place such a heavy wager. Meanwhile, Xu Youyi's eldest son never again brought up taking an adoptive father, and her husband ceased speaking of yielding the position of master of the harem. Wei Yuan was entirely oblivious to the subtle undercurrents rippling through the immortal realm. At this moment, the vast majority of his divine sense had already crossed into the otherworldly battlefield, gazing upon the endless vile creatures emerging from the depths of chaos. Myriads of vile creatures were divided into four great legions. Standing at the core of each legion was a figure bearing a distinct resemblance to the Xing Linye of years past. Fluctuations of divine sense continuously rippled between the four figures in conversation. Though Wei Yuan could not comprehend their tongue, he immediately ordered the Engineering Laymen to erect a listening array, intercepting every ripple of divine sense to be deciphered at a later date. "We rushed here the moment we received the mission, separated by only a few sleep cycles, so how can there be so many defenders? "A newborn world could not possibly grow so fast; they must have been hiding their strength all along. Looking at it this way, that fellow Xing Linye wasn't completely useless after all—he was merely down on his luck." "Xingsha, Wusuo, it seems the two of you will have to stay behind first. The scale of this newborn realm is not small; wiping it out will yield immense spoils. We can set aside the other surrounding worlds for now." "Fine, but we get first pick of the plunder." "Each by their own ability, then." Arrays brimming with five-colored immortal light manifested beneath the feet of all four simultaneously. In the blink of an eye, the formations expanded across a radius of a hundred li, radiating hundreds of millions of dazzling rays that illuminated the surrounding chaos. In an instant, countless vile creatures took form. At the same time, the arrays siphoned the primordial chaos, slowly coalescing into hundred-zhang black-armored giants that marched out to assault the newborn world. Numerous avatar puppets soared out from the newborn realm, flying forth to meet an army unlike any seen before. The vile creatures summoned by the immortal formations were visibly distinct from their predecessors. Thick carapaces covered some of their bodies, while long tentacles sprouted from others, propelling them vast distances through the void with a single sweep. Several Heaven Tier avatar puppets moved to intercept the black-armored giants charging at the vanguard. The foremost Heaven Tier avatar let out a roar, a thick layer of golden armor enveloping its frame as all four of its arms braced a colossal shield to meet the oncoming threat. The remaining Heaven Tier avatars scattered above, below, left, and right, searching for openings. The black-armored giant raised its arm—which had morphed into a razor-sharp battle-axe—high into the air and brought it down with savage force! An arc of light traversed a hundred li in an instant, crashing against the giant shield. As though struck by a colossal warhammer, the Heaven Tier avatar was sent hurtling backward. The massive shield shattered to pieces, and the golden armor encasing its body fractured completely, sloughing off in chunks. The avatar spun around and fled. As long as it could make it back to Expedition Square, it would be as good as saving a life. Repairing a damaged avatar was far cheaper than purchasing a new one. Yet the black-armored giant swung its axe once more. The arc of light was like lightning, closing the distance to the Heaven Tier avatar's back in a split second! Seeing that avatar cornered in dire straits, none of the surrounding Heaven Tier avatars dared to move to its rescue. Their defenses were vastly inferior to that specialized defensive avatar; even if several of them pooled their strength, they would only end up cleaved in two. Right at that moment, an utterly unremarkable avatar puppet darted out from the dark, driving a fist straight into the axe light! The arc of light shattered, and one of the avatar's arms exploded along with it. The avatar glanced at its vanished limb in a daze, then flickered in rapid bursts of flight, closing the distance to the black-armored giant in an instant. With its single remaining arm, it drove a punch squarely into the titan's ankle. The giant's ankle shattered, yet its movements were not hindered in the least. Axe blows rained down in a wild frenzy toward the avatar. Yet the avatar was startlingly agile, dodging every single cleave while scrambling upward along the giant's frame. Every part of its body could be wielded as a weapon, each strike packing immense power; wherever it smashed, large swaths of the giant fractured into pieces. The heavy stone weighing on Wei Yuan's heart lightened slightly, but only slightly. This particular avatar puppet was being piloted by Feng Tingyu, specially refined to match her unique combat style. In her hands, even though the avatar possessed only Dharma Idol cultivation, it could fully unleash Scenery Command tier combat power. The black-armored giant also possessed Scenery Command strength. Though its divine abilities were singular and comparatively straightforward to deal with, it appeared to be a summoned entity, and their numbers were legion. Looking out across the battlefield, there were already thirty to forty such giants. Seeing that the black-armored giant had failed to instantly kill the sturdiest defensive avatar, and that this oddly formidable avatar had seized the upper hand, the fear among the avatar puppets began to recede, replaced by surging battle intent. Squads of top-tier Heaven Tier avatars surged forward to encircle the black-armored giants. Feng Tingyu pressed her assault, climbing from the giant's ankle all the way to its waist, leaving a trail of ruined armor in her wake as she probed for its weak points. The giant's crotch suffered a barrage of heavy blows, battered almost into fine powder! Yet Feng Tingyu refused to give up, convinced there had to be a vulnerability there, and continued her relentless bombardment. The sight made the eyelids of the watching avatars twitch, their legs clamping shut almost by instinct. Yet although Feng Tingyu held the upper hand, the black-armored giant had no vitals whatsoever. Wherever she smashed it open, nothing lay beneath but uniform black crystal. Meanwhile, the other avatar puppets were locked in bitter struggles. The giants' battle-axes were terrifyingly potent, capable of obliterating an avatar in nearly a single blow. The avatars were forced into hit-and-run skirmishing, yet the giants swung their axes like the wind; how could the avatars outpace the cleaves? One by one, they were struck down. Every so often, a flash of bloody light gleamed across an axe blade—signifying that an avatar's true spirit had been extinguished. Seeing the battlefield deteriorate, Wei Yuan flicked his fingers repeatedly. Several specialized avatars materialized on the square. In one breath, Wei Yuan deployed Ji Liuli, Jun Weizhi, Han Li, Wang Hu, and the rest, while dispatching the three strongest Heaven Tier combat teams into the fray. With a flick of his finger, over a dozen leaves fluttered down from the Great Dao Leaves, which had by now grown into a towering tree. A pale green radiance enveloped each avatar puppet, causing their combat prowess to surge. Yet even with the blessing of the Great Dao leaves, the tide of battle improved only slightly. A few black-armored giants were tied down by the specialized avatars, but the vast majority still rampaged unchecked, meeting almost no resistance. By now, hordes of vile creatures had slipped past the defensive lines, hurtling toward the Land of Vitality. Wei Yuan's expression was grim as water. He slowly raised his hand, yet could not bring himself to lower it. He still had Zhang Sheng and Yin-Yang in reserve. A full-power strike from Zhang Sheng could eliminate one of the core enemies. Yin-Yang was hard to predict, but should be capable of gravely wounding one, and Wei Yuan himself could suppress and slay another. Yet no matter how he calculated it, one enemy would ultimately remain. If that person escaped, whoever returned next time would not be as simple as just four individuals. Right at that juncture, countless Engineering Laymen appeared on the square. Working with practiced speed, they used tools and materials to assemble metallic spheres, packing several people into each one. In the blink of an eye, iron spheres took to the sky, forming a perimeter of defense around the Land of Vitality. The iron spheres rotated constantly, unleashing furious firepower in every direction. The Engineering Laymen were all at the peak of Dao Foundation; while the intensity of their individual attacks was modest, their numbers were overwhelming. In an instant, they wove a sky-spanning net of fire. Countless vile creatures rushed into the barrage like a gray tide, dissolving layer upon layer. Only a handful broke through to crash onto the square, where they were swiftly cut down by the garrison avatars. This was an unconventional tactic developed by the Qingming Dao Foundations, transforming otherworldly combat into entrenched positional warfare. Yet there was an upper limit to the iron spheres' defenses. Besieged by hordes of vile creatures, many spheres were breached within moments, and the Engineering Laymen inside were dragged out one by one, torn apart and devoured. Wei Yuan's heart sank slightly. He immediately posted a new announcement in the Expedition Hall, rolling out a measure he had prepared long ago. The notice established a new Annual Kill Ranking, designating the current engagement as the Annual Final Decisive Battlefield. Merits earned in this battle were doubled, and exclusive immortal arts and rare artifacts were made available for exchange—items obtainable solely through the annual battlefield. Once the announcement went live, the cultivators' morale surged. Yet no amount of morale could bridge the gulf in raw strength, and the situation on the battlefield remained difficult to reverse. The dying screams of Engineering Laymen and the crimson flashes of extinguished souls caused hesitation and retreat to take root among the cultivators. Over a hundred vile creatures suddenly breached the defensive line, crashing onto the square. The guards charged forward immediately, surrounding and butchering them. Yet no sooner had those hundred been slaughtered than several thousand more plummeted onto the square! Far in the distance, Wusuo, one of the four overseeing the battle, shifted forward as if preparing to launch a raid on the square, but then paused. That subtle movement made Wei Yuan's eyes light up. If Wusuo truly stepped onto the square, Wei Yuan could use the newborn world's power to temporarily suppress him, slay one enemy first, and then turn back to finish him off. If so, his forces would be sufficient! Yet this foe was cautious and cunning. Though eager to snatch the credit, he refused to tread lightly into danger. Wei Yuan swept his gaze across the battlefield. Casualties were skyrocketing, while the four immortal arrays continued to churn out black-armored giants without pause. Based purely on strength on paper, total annihilation was the only outcome awaiting the otherworldly realm, and the enemy's power was still climbing. By now, Engineering Laymen and even Heaven Tier avatars were trickling back into the square, refusing to return to the fray. Many went so far as to log out of the Splendor of the Many Realms entirely. A cold glint flickered in Wei Yuan's eyes. He knew that if he did not steel his resolve now, total annihilation would be unavoidable. With a shift of his divine sense, the many Engineering Laymen attempting to flee suddenly discovered that their avatars were completely unresponsive to commands to retreat to the square! The surrounding vile creatures were surging forward like a tidal wave. Paralyzed by terror and left with no choice, the Engineering Laymen could only pour out firepower with frenzied desperation. They shouted and screamed, but the communication channels had also been severed; even avatars inside the same iron sphere could no longer speak to one another. Wei Yuan's heart was as unruffled as still water. He swept his gaze over the entire battlefield, coldly calculating the rate of casualties. He had not blocked every single Engineering Layman, allowing a scattered few to flee back to the square to make the scene appear far more genuine. Unless casualties reached a certain threshold, that enemy would never take the risk of stepping onto the Land of Vitality. Wei Yuan felt as though he had returned to the days of the Shaman Clan's full-scale invasion. Back then, trapped in desperate straits, he had been forced to send even common mortals onto the battlefield, trading lives for casualties bit by bit against the shamans. Throughout those endless days and nights, Wei Yuan had relied on that same extreme cold-blooded rationality, treating every life as a gambling chip, laying them impassively upon the table and pushing them to the front lines, then watching them be consumed. In those times, all agony had been buried beneath a glacier. Wei Yuan had even used Dao arts to seal those feelings away in the deepest corners of his soul, pursuing that faint, fragile glimmer of victory with absolute calm and reason.