Weakening

The actions of the Shadow Moon Sect's two Void Shattering demon cultivators could hardly be called anything but decisive. Upon arriving at Nandu, they unleashed their strongest innate Dao arts without a moment's hesitation. Moreover, these Dao arts were clearly amplified by Dao artifacts. Most notably, not only were they Void Shattering cultivators ganging up on Yaoguang, a mere Void Refining cultivator, but they also acted together without the slightest qualm about bullying him with superior numbers. This alone revealed the two Void Shattering demon cultivators' utter determination to obliterate him. Yet... The moment he sensed that the attackers consisted of two Void Shattering demon cultivators and five Void Refining demon cultivators, Yaoguang's vigilance had already spiked to the extreme. Almost as soon as they set foot in the Southern Domain and approached the Domain Lord's Mansion, he had already fully activated the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation. "Who gave you the audacity to step into Nandu and attack me, the Lord of the Southern Domain?!" He waved his hand violently, and dazzling streams of light surged up swiftly from the earth like an inverted curtain of rain. "Was it those Jing family traitors?! Did you truly believe you could rest easy just because they were holding back the activation of the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation for you?" The speed at which these radiant lights surged was unprecedentedly swift. In the past, the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation took at least several breaths from preparation to full activation, but this time... The activation was impossibly fast. As early as four years ago, Yaoguang had contemplated wiping out the Shadow Moon Sect demon cultivators who would come seeking revenge in one fell swoop. Therefore, when reconstructing the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation, he had modeled it after the Dongyuan Technique taught to him by Dao Lord Penglai, enabling the formation to remain in a "pre-activated" state. When the moment truly called for it, the formation's full might could coalesce in an instant. And upon realizing that the demon cultivators at the border of Wuzhou might be trying to lure the snake out of its hole, he had quietly placed the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation into that "pre-activated" state. Because of this, when the Eight Desolations Demon Lord and Dark Demon Lord led their cohort into the Domain Lord's Mansion, the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation achieved full activation in less than half a breath, completely trapping all seven experts of the Shadow Moon Sect inside. "What is this?!" "How did the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation activate so quickly?!" "Have we fallen into a trap?! Is this a deadly trap set jointly by the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Jing family to deal a crushing blow to our Shadow Moon Sect?!" Exclamations of shock broke out among the Void Refining demon cultivators. The renown of Nandu's city-guarding grand formation was known throughout the world. When helmed by a Void Refining cultivator, it could even trap and kill Void Shattering cultivators, let alone Void Refining cultivators like them. Now trapped inside the formation, panic naturally gripped the five Void Refining experts. "Eight Desolations!" The Dark Demon Lord was equally shocked and furious. What happened to having already contacted the Jing family and made all the arrangements? Is this how you arranged things? "Do not panic!" The Eight Desolations Demon Lord's divine mind spread across the field, carrying a power that calmed the mind. "Although an unexpected hitch occurred, our side has two Void Shattering and five Void Refining experts! Working together, what can this brat Yaoguang do even with the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation's assistance? With our power, we can easily withstand the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation's suppression, kill Yaoguang, sweep up all his supplies and Dao artifacts, and depart at our leisure! Fortune favors the bold! How can one reap tens of billions in wealth in a single stroke without bearing any risk?!" Hearing his words, the Dark Demon Lord and the five Void Refining demon cultivators settled down slightly. Indeed. Fearsome though the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation was, with the combined might of their party of seven, they could still withstand the formation's pressure and slay Yaoguang, a lone Void Refining cultivator. "Strike with all our might! End this quickly!" The Dark Demon Lord made his decision immediately. Buzz! Right at that moment, a visible azure radiance rippled out from above the formation, crashing instantly into the seven demon cultivators who had charged into the Domain Lord's Mansion. Under the scouring of this pervasive, rippling azure light, the demonic qi swirling around the seven demon cultivators rapidly dimmed. Nearly twenty percent of the demonic qi around the two Void Shattering demon lords was washed away, while over half of the demonic qi clinging to the five Void Refining demon cultivators was scoured away. "This is the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation's weakening power..." A Void Refining demon cultivator who seemed well-versed in formations instantly paled. "How can this be?! I encountered the power of the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation back then, and at most, thirty percent of my demonic qi was shaved off. But now... more than half is gone?! How is this possible?!" The ceaselessly scouring azure streams of light were merely the beginning. Having weakened the seven demon cultivators' demonic qi, nine nearly transparent azure chains swiftly extended from the light conjured by the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation. Like massive pythons, they shot forward to bind the Void Shattering and Void Refining demon cultivators. "Void chains! If you're bound by them, the void power they hold will make every step arduous, turning us into sitting ducks! Quick, shatter them!" The Eight Desolations Demon Lord bellowed sharply. He was himself a Void Shattering cultivator who had achieved his cultivation through the Dao of the Void. His innate Dao art was the Eight Desolations Purgatory. This Dao art bore some resemblance to the sealing power of the Heaven-Sealing Stele. However, while the Heaven-Sealing Stele's power focused on suppression and containment, this Dao art trapped its target before refining and grinding them to death alive. Just as now, the Eight Desolations Purgatory he had initially directed to strike Yaoguang abruptly pivoted, sweeping up two azure chains and sealing them straight into the purgatory space. As a bracelet on his wrist continuously sent ripples of void power crashing against them, the two azure chains showed signs of snapping under the strain. On the other side, the Dark Demon Lord, who cultivated the Grand Dao of Darkness, could not trap the azure chains like the Eight Desolations Demon Lord. Yet the Grand Dao of Darkness he commanded directly blinded the perception of the azure chains—and even of the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation—allowing him to slip free from the bindings of two chains. Even though he remained trapped inside the formation, surrounded by the formation's might, it was unable to lock onto him again. The two Void Shattering experts displayed their divine abilities and resisted the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation's might, but the five Void Refining demon cultivators were not so fortunate. With half their demonic qi already stripped away, their strength had plummeted by fifty percent. Even though each faced only a single chain, three of them were bound in an instant. The instant their bodies were bound, their connection to the Grand Dao of the Void seemed to be thoroughly severed. Both their sensitivity to the void and their spatial adaptability plummeted to an unprecedented nadir. It was as though beings born with an innate talent for the void had suddenly been stripped of it, going from swimming like fish through space to struggling for every inch of movement. Right when their movements stalled and a flaw was exposed, Yaoguang materialized beside one of the Void Refining demon cultivators. A Void Sword sliced through in an instant—four Void Swords unleashed simultaneously. Under the cleaving of these four Void Swords, the Void Refining cultivator had no time to dodge; his demonic body was sliced into multiple pieces. "Demon Lord, save me!" the Void Refining demon cultivator cried out in terror. "Hold steady..." The Eight Desolations Demon Lord barked in a low voice. Aiming at the space containing Yaoguang and the demon cultivator, he cast a Dao art: Reversing Heaven and Earth! In an instant, the space occupied by Yaoguang and the space occupied by the Void Refining demon cultivator swapped places, causing Yaoguang to appear directly before the demon lord. "Ten Directions Chaos Slaying!" The moment Yaoguang's space was swapped, the Void Shattering demon lord surged with void power and jabbed forcefully toward Yaoguang, who had been shifted right in front of him. The space Yaoguang occupied was instantly ripped into ten pieces. All matter and energy within were distorted and sheared apart. The unleashing of these two Dao arts was lightning-fast, showcasing the formidable power of a Void Shattering powerhouse to the fullest. Even the Void Refining demon cultivator whose body had been shredded felt an uncontrollable surge of delight in his emotional waves. However, before he could reassemble his demonic body, and before he could see whether Yaoguang had been torn to shreds by the Eight Desolations Demon Lord's Ten Directions Chaos Slaying, streaks of Great Annihilation Sword Qi blasted violently into his severed remains. The person who attacked was... "Yaoguang?!" The Eight Desolations Demon Lord and Dark Demon Lord both looked on in horror. Especially the Eight Desolations Demon Lord—his gaze involuntarily snapped to the void shredded by Ten Directions Chaos Slaying, his eyes wide with disbelief. How did he get back there?! He had already shifted the space Yaoguang occupied. How did Yaoguang suddenly appear beside that Void Refining demon cultivator again? "It's his innate Dao art, Void Flicker! He used Void Flicker to escape the space of Ten Directions Chaos Slaying, then unleashed the Great Annihilation Sword Qi!" The Dark Demon Lord's divine mind quivered. "Not only does he have a Dao artifact suited to this Dao art, but he's also cultivated it to great mastery!" Great mastery?! A Void Refining cultivator who had reached great mastery in Void Flicker?! And possessed a matching Dao artifact to boot?! At this moment, the Eight Desolations Demon Lord felt an urge to curse out loud. With Void Flicker at such a level, if Yaoguang were bent on fleeing, who could possibly catch him? Even he, a Void Shattering cultivator adept in spatial seals and imprisonment, wouldn't dare guarantee it. And for someone like the Dark Demon Lord, who followed neither the Dao of the Void nor sealing arts... Even two or three such experts working together would be left eating his dust. "No matter what, we must eliminate him! Otherwise, once he takes another step forward and achieves Void Shattering, he will become our Shadow Moon Sect's greatest nightmare!" the Eight Desolations Demon Lord growled. In the brief instant their divine minds communicated, the Great Annihilation Sword Qi Yaoguang unleashed tore through the Void Refining demon cultivator who hadn't yet reassembled his body like a tempest. Under the might of the Grand Dao of Destruction, most of his demonic body was obliterated instantly, and the remainder was swept up and pulled directly into Yaoguang's manifested grotto-heaven. "Sixth Peak Master?!" a Void Refining cultivator cried out in alarm. "Do not fret! He cannot refine a Void Refining expert so quickly. As long as we shatter his grotto-heaven, the Sixth Peak Master will emerge unscathed!" Saying this, the Eight Desolations Demon Lord once again condensed a Dao art to seal the void. "I will pin him down! Deliver the killing blow!" As their divine minds communicated, the Dao artifact on his wrist rippled with spatial ripples once more, and a precious mirror appeared above his head. As light from the mirror shone down, Yaoguang's body stiffened slightly. Seizing this opportunity, the demon lord hurled another Eight Desolations Purgatory toward Yaoguang. "Sect Master, be careful!" A cry of alarm came from deep within the formation. In the next second, a blade of the void tore forth, its all-severing sharpness cleaving the mirror's beam of light cleanly in two. Immediately after, beneath the disbelieving gazes of the Eight Desolations Demon Lord and Dark Demon Lord, a second blade of the void struck without the slightest delay, slamming heavily into the void power surging from the Eight Desolations Purgatory and breaking the Dao art apart once more. By the time the Dark Canopy prepared by the Dark Demon Lord swept in, Yaoguang flickered, slipping free from the joint attack of the two Void Shattering powerhouses. Even faced with a siege by two Void Shattering experts, he remained completely calm and unhurried.