Mount Chaos.
At the very moment the Assembly of All Races was underway.
Behind a primeval forest in Mount Chaos lay the dividing line between its outer and inner regions, which Su Yu had scouted earlier.
This primeval forest was exceptionally perilous, traversed by a surging river of chaos.
Right now, behind this forest atop a diminutive peak, silhouettes paced back and forth.
Near the summit, a massive cavern had been hollowed out...
Inside the cavern, several powerfully suffocating presences were conversing in rapid succession.
"The Assembly of All Races has convened!"
"Barring any unforeseen accidents, they will inevitably reach a consensus to unite against our race!"
"Major races like the Iron Eaters and the Destiny race seem to have sent representatives, so an agreement is almost certain..."
"The myriad races still haven't gauged our true strength. Even if they deploy troops, they won't act rashly. Instead, they will clear Mount Chaos bit by bit, securing the periphery first as a strategic base to confront us across the Chaos Forest..."
"..."
Several mighty figures gathered around a massive sand table, deep in discussion.
Across the sand table, ancient cities and dao arenas were meticulously marked.
The Dao Origin Land in the extreme east, Human Mountain at the center, and the territories belonging to the three major races were all flagged in red.
The Dragon and Phoenix dao arenas in the north, the Nether race's dao arenas toward the west, and the Iron-Eating race's dao arena in the south—each one was clearly depicted.
Evidently, throughout countless ages, the Prison King lineage had hardly remained idle or turned a deaf ear to the outside world.
The group exchanged thoughts quickly before turning their gazes toward a solemn-faced middle-aged man.
Here, this man held the supreme authority.
A gray-haired crone gave a light cough and spoke: "Yue Hao, the situation is clear. With the Ancestor presiding over the Sacred race, all external affairs fall under your command. What do you think we should do?"
Anyone could guess the myriad races' next move with their eyes closed.
The man named Yue Hao said softly, "No rush. There is another faction to factor in."
As he spoke, he paused in thought, conjuring several illusory figures in the air. "Presently, there is a third party—which we may temporarily dub the Fire-Passing lineage—lurking in the shadows, waiting for chaos to erupt! This faction can currently be treated as aligned with the Lower Realm, using it as their base while waiting to watch the tigers fight from the hilltop!"
The others nodded.
Yue Hao said in a mild voice, "Everyone, if you were the Fire-Passing lineage and the myriad races were about to attack Mount Chaos, would you sit back and watch, or would you intervene—perhaps even taking control of how things develop?"
The others exchanged glances. The young woman who had previously addressed Yueluo as Aunt asked softly, "Uncle Yue Hao, do you mean to say that when the myriad races march, members of the Fire-Passing lineage might infiltrate their ranks?"
"It is entirely possible."
Yue Hao nodded slightly and smiled. "Anything is possible! If we could plant pawns and informants among the myriad races, why couldn't the Fire-Passing lineage do the same? The humans... Even though our race separated from humanity, we cannot deny that humans are innately superior to the other races!"
He did not deny the strength, talent, or intellect of the human race.
In his eyes, humanity posed a far greater threat than the myriad races ever could.
Otherwise, they would never have targeted Baizhan in the past, plotting the slaughter of over a hundred human Dao Integrators.
Once humanity's hegemony was toppled, even if the myriad races sought dominance, achieving it would not be simple.
At this point, Yue Hao laughed. "I have gathered some information on this Fire-Passing lineage. Whether conducting surprise raids, striking down enemies, or slinging mud at us, their execution has been flawless. Even if the myriad races caught wind of rumors regarding us, their belief in them remains extremely low!"
"Of course, I believe that even if they keep quiet, the three major races are somewhat prepared in their hearts!"
Smiling, Yue Hao continued, "For now, we can leave the Fire-Passing lineage aside..."
His finger dropped, tapping on the Nether race's territory bordering Mount Chaos, a glint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. "Yu Xi, since the Fire-Passing lineage can frame us, let us muddy the waters completely! To make an example of someone, take our people and wipe out the Nether race. Kill them without exception—leave none alive!"
The young woman's expression shifted slightly.
Yue Hao chuckled softly. "The Fire-Passing lineage impersonates us, so we will impersonate them. Whether the myriad races believe it or not, we must let them know that aside from our Sacred race, another faction exists! That way, when they move against us, they won't dare go all out. Fearing that someone else will reap the spoils, they will hesitate three parts more!"
That was enough!
Once war erupted, if the myriad races worried about a third party taking advantage of the chaos, they wouldn't dare commit everything!
"Take Zi Shui, You Zhen, and Dou Ke with you. Lay down the Heaven-Deceiving Formation and wipe out the Nether race while that old ghost of theirs is away!"
As his words fell, a flash of excitement crossed the faces of everyone in the cavern.
Their race was finally about to unleash its might!
Exterminate the Nether race!
The young woman, Yu Xi, took a deep breath. "Uncle Yue Hao, will doing this only strengthen the myriad races' resolve to fight us to the bitter end?"
Yue Hao smiled faintly. "Yu Xi, in this tide, since we have revealed ourselves, it means... it is time for an end!"
He sighed with emotion. "It is truly time for the end! Over a hundred thousand years, our race has accumulated more than enough strength. The ceaseless friction between the myriad races and humanity has exhausted ancient foundations; antiquity... is now thoroughly a thing of the past! Fighting to the bitter end is inevitable!"
"Unifying the heavens must, after all, come at some price!"
With an emotional sigh and a smile, he looked back at Yu Xi. "Slaughter the Nether race and leave behind traces—whether deliberate or blatant—so the myriad races believe the Fire-Passing lineage did it! Whether they believe it doesn't matter. What matters is that they know this lineage still exists!"
Yu Xi nodded. "Understood."
With that, she turned to three experts in the cavern—two men and a woman. Counting herself, all four were top-tier combatants, each possessing the power of a Quasi-King.
Their strength was formidable!
In fact, every single person permitted inside this cavern was a Quasi-King!
Such was the terrifying foundation of the Sacred race!
Four Quasi-King-level experts would join forces to stage an ambush on the Nether race—a Nether race currently devoid of a Heavenly Venerable's presence.
Yu Xi glanced at the others and said quickly, "Uncle, I also request to mobilize ten Dao Integrators to seal off the Nether race's dao arenas and ensure none escape!"
"Granted!"
Yue Hao nodded and smiled. "Go, and make it quick! The myriad races could march on Mount Chaos at any moment. Do not linger in battle. Remember: strike decisively. If you fail, retreat immediately!"
A smile lingered on his face. "The myriad races assume we must hide in Mount Chaos, waiting for them to slaughter us. No, they will never understand that humans... excel most at shattering conventional rules!"
Why wait for them?
Passive defense?
That had never been humanity's way. From antiquity to the present, humans rarely resorted to passive defense. Even though the Sacred race had severed itself from mankind, they did not deny their human roots—they merely considered themselves a higher form of humanity!
Yu Xi nodded with a smile. "Then please wait here a moment, Uncle. We shall return shortly!"
With a glance toward the other three, her figure vanished.
Without a word, the three mighty figures dissolved into thin air as well.
Outside, ten Dao Integrators were reassigned. In the blink of an eye, fourteen experts, their heavenly secrets obscured, vanished from the mountain.
The Heaven-Shrouding Formation that King Daming excelled at had originally been learned from Zi Yan.
Yet Zi Yan was merely an ordinary member of the Prison King lineage, and not even one specialized in grand formations.
Among Yu Xi's group, You Zhen was the true master of formations.
Within Mount Chaos, each of them carried miniature Heaven-Deceiving Formations, effectively warding off the rejection of the Great Dao of Chaos.
These were identical to the grand formation Su Yu had discovered on Mount Daoshi, only adapted for portable personal use.
After Yu Xi and her strike force departed, several figures remained in the cavern.
The old crone asked softly, "Yue Hao, what is the situation with Baizhan?"
"Him?"
Yue Hao raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. "Yueluo is luring him deeper into Mount Chaos. There is no need to worry about Baizhan for now. Even if Yueluo cannot capture him, she can tie him down and prevent him from meddling in anything else! Once he delves too deep into Mount Chaos, escaping will... hardly be easy!"
The others nodded slightly. They had also sensed Baizhan and Yueluo venturing deep into Mount Chaos.
Thus, the threat posed by Baizhan could be shelved for the time being.
Yue Hao chuckled softly. "What intrigues me more is, if the Fire-Passing lineage planted pawns, who would they be? Planted among the myriad races to better control the board. The Iron-Eating race? The Archaic Giant race? Or did they make an unexpected choice in the Destiny race?"
Yue Hao smiled, then said briskly, "Lure the ancient beasts on the periphery together as quickly as possible and station them along the outer perimeter to meet the myriad races' assault! Deplete their forces!"
"Yue Hao, if too many ancient beasts die, will it cause an abnormal stir in the Gate of Hell?"
An elder asked with concern, but Yue Hao replied softly, "No matter. The periphery is the periphery. As for the Gate of Hell... it is no longer antiquity, and the Gate of Hell has been reinforced repeatedly by the Sacred King. We need not worry about it for now!"
Leaving that topic behind, he muttered, "I am far more concerned about where the Fire-Passing lineage's passage is! The Fire-Passing lineage must be using that passage to travel between the Upper and Lower Realms. If we can locate it and lay an ambush, we might have a chance to eradicate their powerhouses entirely!"
The others knew nothing of it either. Although the Fire-Passing lineage was once numerous, they were personally left behind by the Human Sovereign, and most had perished in battle. Those still alive were nearly impossible to infiltrate with spies.
...
While they held their discussion, Yu Xi crossed the Chaos Forest alongside the three experts and ten Dao Integrators.
Crossing the Chaos Forest filled them with suppressed excitement.
Strict clan decrees forbade crossing the Chaos Forest boundary without major business or explicit orders from high above, all to prevent the myriad races from discovering their existence.
Naturally, some slipped out in secret, but they always kept a low profile and never dared show their faces, lest their clan discover and punish them.
At this moment, the fourteen figures melted into the darkness, completely noiseless. Even though a Dao Integration-level ancient beast dwelt on a nearby mountain, it sensed nothing of their passing.
"The Nether race..."
Yu Xi murmured, a smile gracing her lips as she transmitted her voice: "Everyone, this is our Sacred race's first battle. Make it swift and decisive. Show the myriad races what we are capable of!"
"Rest assured, Milady!"
The group responded. Moving at incredible speed, they traversed Mount Chaos before long.
The outer perimeter of Mount Chaos was by no means deserted.
The various races had stationed sentries around the fringes to monitor movements within Mount Chaos.
However, among this cohort were only two or three Dao Integrators alongside several dozen in the Eternal Realm. None dared enter Mount Chaos itself, remaining strictly along the outer edges.
"Do we kill them?"
Among the four, Dou Ke was a burly man whose flesh gleamed with a dark golden luster. With savage eyes, he licked his lips and looked down at the sentries scattered below, his murderous intent brimming.
His bloodlust ran exceptionally deep from a lifetime of slaughtering ancient beasts.
Although the Prison King lineage had not clashed frequently with the formidable foes of the myriad races, their cultivation had certainly not been attained purely through peaceful seclusion—that was impossible.
These people had weathered countless slaughters.
Their top experts had even entered the Gate of Hell to battle premier ancient beasts, forging so many combatants through trial by fire.
The mortality rate had been far from low!
The venerable figures of the Prison King lineage were well aware that prolonged isolation inevitably bred demise; only relentless growth and constant infusion of fresh blood could make the Sacred race the sovereign ruler.
Away from the gaze of the myriad races, they had fought endless bloody battles where death and injury were routine. They were by no means ornamental paper tigers.
Yu Xi glanced down. Right now, they hovered directly above the sentries, yet the scouts below failed to notice them. A faint membrane rippled around the strike team—the Heaven-Deceiving Formation laid down by Zi Shui.
Seeing Dou Ke's boiling bloodlust, Yu Xi warned in a low voice, "Do not alert the enemy. They are mere small fry; don't startle them. Onward to the Nether race! Everyone, obey orders here, or neither Uncle Yue Hao nor the Ancestor will forgive insubordination!"
Dou Ke gradually reined in his murderous intent.
Displaying a hint of dread, he held his tongue.
Ignoring him, Yu Xi led the group as they slipped silently through the outer defenses.
Before long, they arrived at the Nether race's territory.
Seven colossal dao arenas formed a massive interconnected circle.
Upon reaching their destination, Yu Xi let out a soft exclamation and cast a sequence of hand seals. Moments later, a tiny portal materialized upon her forehead. Seeing this, the others looked on with a mix of awe and envy.
It was not the Heavenly Gate!
Yet it bore great resemblance to the Heavenly Gate, appearing like a miniature dark portal, or rather, resembling the Gate of Hell!
"The Eye of Hell!"
The experts exchanged glances in silence.
This was indeed the Eye of Hell!
It was a supreme Daoist technique accessible only to the clan's direct bloodline. Though inferior to the legendary Heavenly Gate, it was still extraordinarily potent, capable of seeing through falsehoods, probing destiny and karmic fortune, and reconstructing past and future.
At that moment, the miniature gateway on Yu Xi's forehead morphed into an eye, peering toward the seven grand dao arenas.
Pillars of light, some radiant and some subdued, reflected in her vision—the auras emitted by powerful experts!
"How audacious!"
Scanning the area, Yu Xi suddenly sneered. "The Nether race is bold indeed, leaving behind only four Dao Integrators—one top-tier Dao Integrator and three weaker ones—without even a single Quasi-King!"
Did they truly believe no one would dare annihilate the Nether race?
Just as she prepared to give the order, she froze slightly, suddenly turning her gaze in another direction. That area was not Nether race territory, but rather the dao arenas of a minor race known as the Youying race. This race was weak, possessing only two Dao Integrators across their entire population, who had established two dao arenas.
Yet right now, two immensely powerful pillars of light reflected in Yu Xi's eyes.
She quickly withdrew her gaze. Surprised at first, she soon laughed. "How intriguing! The Nether race's experts are actually hiding among the Youying race. Is this a precaution, or an attempt to ambush an enemy?"
Instead of remaining on their home turf, two Quasi-King-level Nether experts had concealed themselves in the neighboring Youying territory.
If undetected, any foe attacking the Nether race—assuming their defenses were hollow—would be ambushed by two Heavenly Kings cutting off their retreat. Even someone leading as many experts as Su Yu had last time could easily suffer a disastrous defeat.
The others were equally surprised, soon grinning. "The Eye of Hell is truly formidable!"
Yu Xi shook her head. "It is merely decent. Formidable... What is truly formidable is the Heavenly Gate! The Heavenly Gate can even observe Great Daos, whereas the Eye of Hell only perceives karmic fortune, vitality, and the power of rules."
Between the two, there remained a fundamental gulf.
Without dwelling on it, she returned to business: "Those two Quasi-Kings over there are formidable! We kill them first, then annihilate the Nether race!"
With that, the group flew swiftly toward the Youying race's dao arena in the distance.
With the Heaven-Deceiving Formation paired with the Eye of Hell, they were practically a mirror image of Su Yu's strike team—and their mastery of formations surpassed even King Daming's, yielding an even stronger deceptive effect.
Before long, a grand formation was cast over the Youying dao arena.
Inside the formation, two top Nether experts and a Youying Dao Integrator instantly sensed danger and soared into the air, igniting an explosive battle!
Dou Ke and his companions were terrifyingly mighty. Fourteen experts ambushing three—there was nowhere to run!
Yet the outside world perceived nothing amiss.
The formation had been laid down in person by a Heavenly King, far surpassing anything King Daming could erect.
Within the formation, chaotic power erupted from Dou Ke. His staggering physical might far outstripped that of ordinary physical dao practitioners. Wielding a massive greataxe, he swung, blasting a Nether Heavenly King backward as blood sprayed from his mouth!
The two Nether Heavenly Kings roared in fury.
They had exercised immense caution, fearing disaster if they stayed in their own domain, yet disaster had found them nonetheless!
Dammit!
...
At the exact same time.
Inside the grand hall on Human Mountain.
The various races were still haggling over troop deployments, vanguard duties, and how much resources races contributing fewer troops should pay to compensate those bearing the brunt of the burden.
Amid their deliberations, Celestial Venerable Ming suddenly frowned and stood up, looking toward the west. His expression fluctuated rapidly. Before anyone could ask, this powerhouse, wreathed in surging nether qi, said coldly, "Something... seems to have happened!"
Everyone was taken aback. There hadn't been any commotion!
Celestial Venerable Ming's face darkened unpredictably as he turned toward a colossal beast on the third tier and said in a heavy voice, "Liekong, open a teleportation channel to the Nether dao arenas for me!"
Seeing his boiling killing intent and noticing the other Heavenly Venerables looking over, the colossal Ancient Space Beast made no protest, swiftly tearing through the void to lock onto the coordinates of the Nether dao arenas.
Celestial Venerable Ming looked grim. Suddenly, gritting his teeth, he said, "Ming Le is dead!"
At these words, everyone's expression changed.
Ming Le was a Quasi-King of the Nether race!
"Yuansheng!"
Celestial Venerable Dao barked. Beside him, Marquis Yuansheng spoke not a word, swiftly producing a portal rich with Dao resonance and thrusting it into the rift opened by the Ancient Space Beast. "Locate it at once!" he ordered in a low voice.
Though the Ancient Space Beast possessed formidable power, it dared not dally in the slightest.
Willing or not, with several Heavenly Venerables radiating murderous intent, who would dare slack off?
Roughly twenty seconds passed, during which the atmosphere in the hall grew suffocatingly tense.
White vapor plumed from the Ancient Space Beast's hide as it panted, "Almost ready! The distance is great... To sustain the teleportation of Heavenly Venerables, the spatial structure must be reinforced to prevent collapse mid-transit..."
It explained itself hastily, making clear it wasn't stalling intentionally, but reinforcing the space out of sheer necessity.
Celestial Venerable Ming said nothing, but his complexion grew grimmer by the second!
A second Heavenly King had fallen!
His face turned ashen.
"Ming Tu has fallen!"
He growled, "Not a single phenomenon surfaced—it must be masked by a grand formation. The enemy knows I would sense their deaths... I do not know if we will arrive in time!"
No one spoke.
At that moment, the torn spatial channel quickly stabilized, and the portal Marquis Yuansheng had thrown opened abruptly.
Without hesitation, Celestial Venerable Ming stepped through.
The other Heavenly Venerables exchanged glances, and Celestial Venerable Huang plunged in after him.
The spatial passage shuddered slightly, showing signs of instability.
Celestial Venerable Dao swept his eyes over the crowd and commanded, "Move! We all go to the Nether dao arenas! Notify the rest to converge there!"
The portal could only sustain two Heavenly Venerables crossing over.
Yet two were enough!
At this point, remaining on Human Mountain was impossible; everyone was eager to uncover what had happened.
Had the Chaos race made their move?
Had they struck first?
Such audacity was truly extraordinary.
Furthermore, the Nether race had two Quasi-Kings guarding their home. Even if caught off guard like the raid on the Dao Origin Land, with precautions in place, how could they have been killed so swiftly? If the Chaos race was indeed responsible, just how many powerhouses had they dispatched?
They had lost three last time. To dispatch two Quasi-Kings so rapidly, the attackers must have brought at least four or five Quasi-Kings.
Just how powerful was this race?
At this moment, even the Heavenly Venerables felt a heavy weight in their hearts. Perhaps they had still underestimated their foe!
...
San Yue wore a strange expression as he transmitted his voice to Su Yu: "This..."
Su Yu said nothing.
Nothing to do with me!
My people are all staying with the Iron Eaters. That means the genuine Prison King lineage has struck.
The Nether race... Well, they were located right next to Mount Chaos. If the Prison King lineage took action, the Nether race would naturally be first in the firing line—who else would they hit? Last time, Su Yu himself had contemplated striking the Nether race, only switching to the Dragon race at the last moment.
None of the gathered experts made a sound. Celestial Venerable Mo barked, "Everyone moves together! Get on!"
He cast down a massive golden shuttle-shaped weapon. The Demon race experts leaped aboard at once. Su Yu and his companions exchanged glances; seeing the others boarding, they leaped on as well.
Once all the hall's experts were aboard, the golden shuttle pierced through the void at astonishing speed!
In almost the blink of an eye, it traversed the God race's territory and shot toward the Nether domain.
While significantly slower than spatial teleportation, it was vastly faster than the flight speed of ordinary Dao Integrators.
Carrying so many passengers while sustaining such velocity was formidable indeed.
Su Yu took mental note. Whether it was the spatial teleportation portal or this golden shuttle, he would need to watch out for them in the future.
He had not encountered these measures before simply because he had caught them off balance.
Now, the myriad races were adapting to his lightning warfare tactics.
While Su Yu was lost in thought, the white-haired Marquis Tianming strolled over from nearby.
Stepping forward, Marquis Tianming looked at San Yue and sighed. "The catastrophe of the myriad races has arrived! First the Dragon race, now the Nether race... The grievances of a hundred thousand years will likely find their resolution in this era!"
San Yue glanced at him and asked innocently, "Brother Tianming, did you see something?"
"Blood and fire!"
Marquis Tianming sighed softly. "Disaster, tribulation! The fall of countless powerhouses!"
"The Destiny race is neutral anyway... At worst, just throw in your lot with the Chaos race. Your people just side with whoever is strongest."
San Yue did not whisper this.
In his guileless manner, he spoke in a booming voice.
In the distance, Celestial Venerable Mo and the others turned their gazes toward them.
Marquis Tianming smiled wryly. "Brother San Yue jests. When tribulation falls, who can escape? The Destiny race connects to heavenly destiny above and reaches the Yellow Springs below! No matter who triumphs or falls, our Destiny race... will likely suffer calamity! We desire nothing more than peace among all races..."
San Yue chuckled foolishly. "So you mean we hit whoever is strongest? Perhaps our myriad races are stronger; surely Brother Tianming isn't planning to aid the Chaos race?"
Marquis Tianming laughed. "Fellow Daoist San Yue, this old man meant nothing of the sort. The Chaos race is inherently murderous; with the Dragons and Nethers suffering consecutive blows, how could my Destiny race be an exception? It is just that aside from myself, our race's strength is modest. The three major races have no fear of disaster, but though you and I possess substantial power, we cannot bear to see our clansmen perish in Mount Chaos... I was merely hoping we might look out for one another. The Iron-Eating race excels in defense and offense, while my race specializes in observing destiny and karmic paths... Going forward, perhaps our two races can coordinate closely."
Their conversation wasn't concealed.
Marquis Tianming laid it out plainly: the three major races formed their own clique, hard to integrate into and likely to treat others as cannon fodder. Since the Destiny race had to send experts into battle, partnering with the Iron-Eating race offered far greater security.
In the distance, Celestial Venerable Mo and the others said nothing.
It was only natural for these factions to form small alliances.
At least it proved one thing: these races were willing to take part in the war. Survival was an outcome everyone pursued.
Nearby, Lei Bao of the Archaic Giant race chimed in, lightning flickering in his eyes: "The Giant race is also open to cooperating with the Destiny race!"
The Destiny race could divine karmic fortune, offering a higher chance of survival.
Partnering with them was well worth it, even if their raw combat strength was average.
Seeing Marquis Tianming approach San Yue directly, Lei Bao couldn't help but interject.
Our Giant race can cooperate too!
Marquis Tianming chuckled and nodded slightly, then shifted his gaze to Su Yu, saying softly, "Fellow Daoist Si Yue, we may not deploy immediately. Once the rest of our Destiny race arrives, I must ask Fellow Daoist Si Yue to look after them."
Su Yu offered a foolish grin. "Senior Tianming is too polite. I merely follow orders."
Yet inside, he found it bizarre.
Why approach me?
The Destiny race was profoundly mysterious. Could he have seen through my disguise?
Surely not!
Su Yu maintained rigorous defenses around himself. Anyone attempting to probe him would be immediately detected; even for Destiny race powerhouses, seeing through him would be no easy feat unless they had truly become Rulers of Rules.
Marquis Tianming said nothing more, sighing softly, "The calamity of the myriad races has descended... I hope this campaign against Mount Chaos proceeds smoothly..."
With that, he drifted away.
The others also withdrew their gazes.
The giant golden shuttle flew with extraordinary speed, flashing directly over the dao arenas and perilous terrains below!
Soon, the Nether race's dao arenas came into view on the horizon.
Right then, over by the Nether territory, a terrifying presence shattered the void with a single blow.
Instantly, churning power of rules erupted!
Fireworks shot into the sky one after another!
That was the hallmark of a Dao Integrator's demise!
Previously sealed within the grand formation, only now that the formation had shattered could the onlookers sense the tragedy that had unfolded.
Above the Youying dao arena, three blooms of fireworks ascended, two of which were blindingly brilliant!
Those marked the demise of two top Nether experts, along with a Youying Dao Integrator.
Meanwhile, above the Nether race's dao arenas, three blooms of fireworks rose into the heavens.
A total of six powerhouses had fallen!
...
"Dammit!"
Celestial Venerable Ming was consumed by boundless fury.
Of their seven dao arenas, the Nether clansmen across four had been slaughtered down to the last soul. In the entire Nether race, only a single Dao Integrator, teetering on the verge of death, had miraculously survived, barely preserving three dao arenas.
They had arrived remarkably fast, yet the attackers had still managed to escape.
Celestial Venerable Huang unleashed the power of his Great Dao, setting the earth boiling. Without a word, he sensed the surroundings for a brief moment before roaring, "Pursue them! They entered Mount Chaos!"
Glaring coldly toward Mount Chaos with a dark face, Celestial Venerable Ming manifested a nether river, and the two tore through the void in hot pursuit!
The enemy had not gotten far!
Arriving via instant teleportation was vastly faster than the assailants had anticipated; even in flight, they couldn't have retreated too far.
In an instant, the two powerhouses ripped open the void and gave chase toward Mount Chaos!
...
"They arrived fast. We underestimated the myriad races!"
At this moment, Yu Xi and her strike team were drenched in blood—not their own, but that of the Nether experts.
Dou Ke panted, "They teleported... directly from Human Mountain! One Dao Integrator got away!"
Yu Xi didn't care about the lone survivor. Frowning, she sensed two tremendous auras rising in their wake, rapidly closing the distance.
With a trace of frustration, she murmured, "The mission wasn't completed perfectly... No matter."
"Faster!"
She urged them on, and everyone redoubled their pace.
As she felt the approaching auras drawing closer, Yu Xi dropped a jade talisman, sneered, and sped away.
Shortly after their departure, two figures streaked through the air, one high and one low, moving with terrifying velocity.
The instant they arrived—boom!
A powerful blast of energy erupted!
Celestial Venerable Ming and Celestial Venerable Huang were forced back several paces. Celestial Venerable Ming frowned. A trap?
The blast wasn't particularly powerful!
However, his brow soon furrowed as he looked upward. At the site of the explosion, a vortex suddenly spiraled into existence.
The next moment, roars of ancient beasts echoed from all around!
Just as the two prepared to resume their pursuit, three or four ancient beast auras surged up, charging toward them at blinding speed!
Celestial Venerable Ming scowled. Below, Celestial Venerable Huang cursed under his breath, "They stirred up the chaotic power here. Those bastards understand this place all too well..."
Even as he spoke, four colossal ancient beasts tore through the air.
Some charged across the barren terrain, while winged beasts blotting out the sky ripped across the firmament, all radiating the aura of Dao Integrators.
"Outsiders... die!"
These ancient beasts possessed a degree of intellect. Sensing the Great Dao of Chaos's fierce rejection of the outsiders, they attacked without hesitation, hurtling toward the two powerhouses with reckless abandon, undeterred by their formidable auras!
Ancient beasts had existed since the primordial creation of the heavens!
Boom!
Battle erupted instantly. Celestial Venerable Ming was livid.
A nether river manifested, coiling around one of the ancient beasts. The river corroded heaven and earth, cracking the void. The enveloped beast's flesh and bones shattered instantly, reducing it to powder.
Below, Celestial Venerable Huang stomped his foot. Just as a tiger-like titan was about to leap, the earth trembled. With a deafening boom, an overwhelmingly explosive force erupted from the subterranean depths.
With a resounding crash, the earth quivered, shattering the tiger beast into pieces!
Of the four colossal beasts, two were slain in the blink of an eye!
Their ferocity was breathtaking!
The remaining two beasts recoiled in shock, roaring desperately to summon reinforcements from all directions.
Celestial Venerable Huang frowned and glanced into the distance. "Celestial Venerable Ming, we must retreat. There are countless ancient beasts here. If this continues and we get surrounded... we will have no choice but to start the war right now!"
If war began now, the myriad races had not even finished reconnaissance.
With an ugly expression, Celestial Venerable Ming gnashed his teeth: "Slaughter these beasts before we leave!"
Celestial Venerable Huang nodded slightly, agreeing to the request.
Joining forces, their combined prowess was terrifying.
In less than ten seconds, all four attacking beasts lay dead.
Right then, from the depths of the primeval forest, a thunderous roar shook heaven and earth: "Outsiders, you seek death!"
A ray of black light pierced through the world, tearing across the void directly toward them.
Celestial Venerable Ming churned his nether river, instantly pulverizing the black ray. Looking coldly in that direction, he hissed, "Lineage of ancient beasts... you have interfered with us. Do not think Mount Chaos can protect you forever!"
Snorting in boundless rage, he nevertheless beat a hasty retreat alongside Celestial Venerable Huang.
The beast that had just struck possessed the combat power of a Quasi-King, yet still fell far short of their level.
Had they not wished to avoid an all-out clash right now, a Quasi-King beast would have posed no threat.
However, with over a dozen formidable ancient beast auras converging from every direction, the two chose to withdraw.
...
"Terrifyingly strong!"
Meanwhile, having retreated into the Chaos Forest, Yu Xi and her group looked back, their expressions solemn.
So strong!
Both were exceedingly powerful; four Dao Integration-level ancient beasts had been obliterated in mere seconds!
Even Dou Ke had lost his arrogance, remarking grimly, "Even in our clan, very few can match them! So this is the Heavenly Venerable level?"
Yu Xi said solemnly, "Let us return. These Heavenly Venerables are not our targets! Uncle Yue Hao and the others will handle them!"
The group beat a swift retreat.
...
At that moment, Su Yu and the others arrived.
Devastation lay before their eyes!
Corpse-strewn fields and rivers of blood.
During the surprise raid on the Dragon race last time, Jiu Yue had devoured everything, so the scene hadn't appeared gruesome.
Today, however, the Nether territory was truly strewn with corpses and drenched in blood—a scene of utter desolation.
"Fire-Passing!" someone muttered grimly.
Drifting high in the void were several enormous characters glowing in midair:
"Wherever Fire-Passing reaches, not a sliver of armor remains!"
Su Yu frowned slightly.
Shifting the blame?
Claiming the Fire-Passing lineage did this?
That was his damn routine! That was how he dealt with his enemies and framed others! Today, someone had actually dumped a black pot onto his head—even if the presence of these characters seemed glaringly deliberate!
At this moment, Lan Tian transmitted his voice: "Looks like we're taking the blame!"
San Yue also transmitted cautiously, "It really wasn't... our doing?"
Even he was somewhat uncertain.
Su Yu didn't answer. What nonsense, how could it be!
Any fool knew there was no reason to do this.
Yet... that wouldn't stop people from becoming suspicious!
With so many people around right now, Su Yu couldn't easily open the Heavenly Gate. Otherwise, he would have loved to peer into the past and see how many people the Prison King lineage had sent.
Their combat power was certainly not weak!
Dumping the blame on me... Good idea, and swift execution, but unfortunately... I'm not even the Fire-Passing lineage!
Su Yu cursed inwardly.
Of course, whether he was or not, the various powerhouses would inevitably discuss the Fire-Passing lineage now.
Even if they suspected the Prison King lineage was behind it, they would still have to consider: does the Fire-Passing lineage exist?
It was impossible to ignore!
For according to earlier rumors, the prior incidents had not been the handiwork of the Chaos race, but rather a setup. In truth, the various races had also been pondering: was there any need for the Chaos race to expose themselves so early?
Moreover, after being rescued, Baizhan had not attacked the myriad races; instead, he had gone to seek revenge against Yueluo.
Back then, Su Yu had deliberately brought up Yueluo, laying the seed for Baizhan to seek vengeance against her. If the Chaos lineage had truly carried out the rescue, why would they have insisted that Yueluo sent people to rescue Baizhan?
Meanwhile, Celestial Venerable Mo and the others were rapidly scouring the area for clues and investigating the situation.
Every face was grave.
Before the war had even formally begun, two more Quasi-Kings had perished. These assailants moved terrifyingly fast!
Their audacity was staggering!
"Chaos, Fire-Passing..."
"The human race truly conceals crouching tigers and hidden dragons!"
Several powerhouses conversed among themselves. Were it not for humanity's internal discord, they might never have been able to rival the human race.
Chapter 744