Chapter 693: Injured (I)

Roar!

Deep within the demon cave, the roars of yao rose and fell without cease. The disturbances at the space-time nodes almost always erupted simultaneously, forcing the experts guarding the demon cave to divide their attention. A vast army of yao surged through one formation defense line after another and charged out from the depths of the demon cave with overwhelming momentum.

"Kill!" Yao Lang commanded coldly from atop the city wall, his voice thick with killing intent.

His figure flickered as he charged into the yao army. Although the yao were numerous, only a small number had truly reached the six-pattern level, equivalent to the Golden Core realm.

The formation outside the city was responsible for resisting and slaughtering yao below the six-pattern level. At the same time, Golden Core realm cultivators such as Yao Lang, Shi Tianyun, and Mu Jianying specifically sought out and killed the six-pattern yao hidden among the horde.

These six-pattern yao were like sharpened blades. If they were allowed to bombard the city's defensive formation unchecked, the slightest lapse could allow them to blast open a tiny fissure. The vast yao army could then sacrifice countless lives to force that minute crack wider and wider until the entire formation was breached.

"Go!"

Mo Qingyang shouted as he lightly tapped his storage pouch with his right hand. Three lifelike barbarian cultivator puppets shot into the yao horde and began slaughtering everything in their path.

Mu Jianying, meanwhile, wore an icy expression as she controlled her longsword, sending it weaving through the yao ranks. Wherever its sword light passed, yao were sliced into chunks of flesh that fell to the ground. However, when compared with the fighting outside the city, the battle at the first defense line nearest the space-time node was even more intense.

The roars of yao and the thunderous din of battle resounded throughout the formation. Already damaged, the restrictions of the first formation defense line grew increasingly precarious beneath the renewed assault of the yao army, yet despite appearing on the verge of collapse, the formation restrictions proved astonishingly resilient. Though battered by the yao army and shaken from every direction, they remained as solid as a rock.

"The senior who laid down this grand formation was truly remarkable!" Lin Zheyu exclaimed as he sensed the changes within the formation.

The formation was so intricate, elaborate, and powerful that even with his Heavenly Eye, he had yet to comprehend half of it despite studying it for so long.

Lin Zheyu's eyes abruptly narrowed. "Not good, it's a Shadow Dragon!"

While dividing his attention between comprehending the formation restrictions and controlling the formation node to slaughter the yao, Lin Zheyu suddenly detected a familiar yao aura. The creature had slipped stealthily through the fissure in the node and concealed itself within the dark void. Thanks to its powerful natural talent, even the badly damaged formation restrictions had failed to detect the Shadow Dragon's arrival and sound a warning.

"Be careful. A Shadow Dragon is heading your way!" Lin Zheyu frowned slightly and used the connection between the two formation nodes to send Bai Lin a warning.

This particular Shadow Dragon was extremely powerful. It was the same seven-pattern yao Lin Zheyu had encountered the last time he ventured into the void beyond the node.

"A Shadow Dragon? Even a high-ranking race like that has come? Something seems amiss with this invasion from the demon realm!" Bai Lin, who had been caught up in the slaughter, paused in surprise as a trace of gravity flashed through his eyes. The Shadow Dragons were a powerful race within the demon realm and were deployed only in major campaigns.

"Be careful!" Lin Zheyu warned solemnly. "This Shadow Dragon is terrifyingly powerful. I suspect it's a seven-pattern yao."

After issuing the warning, Lin Zheyu could do no more. Even he had to exercise the utmost caution against this seven-pattern Shadow Dragon and was in no position to help Bai Lin.

"Understood!" Bai Lin nodded gravely.

***

The thunderous sound of fierce combat echoed from within the node fissure as terrifying waves of energy from the formation spilled through it. Amid the yao horde surging out of the fissure was a vaguely incorporeal creature covered from head to toe in dense, bizarre demonic patterns. Its long body resembled a western dragon. It appeared formless and insubstantial, like a black shadow that blended perfectly into the darkness of the void.

The Shadow Dragon licked its lips and revealed a savage, cruel smile. "What a rich scent of flesh and blood. It feels so familiar... It seems the humans guarding this grand formation are martial artists. I wonder if the human martial artist who escaped from me last time is still here."

It concealed itself silently within the dark void, its two enormous black pupils secretly observing every movement within the formation. The Shadow Dragons excelled in the art of assassination. They delighted in lurking unseen before dealing their enemies a fatal blow.

The Shadow Dragon suddenly turned toward the entrance of the grand formation. "Here it comes! What a powerful scent of flesh and blood. Slurp! It has been so long since I tasted such delectable prey."

At that moment, Wang Zhengtian entered from outside the grand formation. A sinister smile hung upon his lips as the momentum radiating from his body continued to soar.

"Senior, be careful! A Shadow Dragon suspected to be at the seven-pattern level is hiding nearby!" Lin Zheyu hurriedly warned Wang Zhengtian upon seeing him arrive.

He was genuinely worried that Wang Zhengtian would do as he had before, charging headlong into the yao horde and slaughtering indiscriminately before asking questions.

"A Shadow Dragon? Even the Shadow Dragon race has appeared. It seems there is a strong chance that this invasion from the demon realm is a genuine offensive." Wang Zhengtian paused in surprise, but the smile on his lips did not fade.

Even after learning that a powerful Shadow Dragon had infiltrated the formation, he showed little concern. The Shadow Dragons possessed formidable natural talents, but they were not invincible. Wang Zhengtian, at least, had the means to deal with them.

"Go, my precious little ones. It is time for you to prove your worth." Wang Zhengtian grinned softly.

At his command, countless spirit Gu too tiny to be seen poured from his body. They formed a hazy gray cloud and melted into the darkness. In truth, Wang Zhengtian had already sensed that something was amiss with this invasion from the demon realm even without Lin Zheyu's warning. He had begun taking precautions the moment he entered the first formation defense line.

Is the spirit divine ability awakened by this youngster really so powerful that he can even detect a seven-pattern Shadow Dragon? Wang Zhengtian was secretly astonished.

That was a seven-pattern Shadow Dragon. Amid such dense demonic qi and within this unique void environment, its powers of concealment could be considered unrivaled among those of the same level, yet Lin Zheyu had still detected it. Even if he could not pinpoint its exact location, merely sensing the Shadow Dragon's arrival was already astonishing.

Wang Zhengtian strode into the yao horde with astonishing and unstoppable might, pulverizing a yao with every punch. Suddenly, the corners of his lips curved upward as he sensed a peculiar aura drawing near.

"Grrrr!"

A terrifying roar suddenly sounded beside Wang Zhengtian's ears as a devastating soul attack crashed into his sea of consciousness.

A savage grin spread across Wang Zhengtian's face. "I've been waiting for you! I was prepared for this trick from the start. How dare you ambush me with such paltry means?"

The Shadow Dragon's sudden soul attack left him only slightly dizzy. His body abruptly swelled in size, and thick layers of emerald-green keratin covered his skin in the blink of an eye.

Wang Zhengtian pushed off violently with his right foot and vanished from the spot, driving his fist into the dark void. Terrifying power erupted in an instant, causing the entire void to undulate with fearsome ripples. Once the ripples faded, the void returned to calm as though nothing had happened. Wang Zhengtian's figure hovered within the void, a hint of regret on his face.

"What a cunning creature. It fled so quickly!" Wang Zhengtian shook his head regretfully.

A Shadow Dragon was still a Shadow Dragon. Its powerful natural talents made it not only an expert assassin, but also exceptionally skilled at escaping with its life. Even the methods Wang Zhengtian had cultivated by combining martial cultivation with Gu cultivation merely allowed him to sense its ambush in advance. If the Shadow Dragon devoted itself entirely to fleeing, there was nothing he could do.

"I really envy Xiao Yu's spirit divine ability. Why didn't I spend a few more years cultivating in the Divine Repository realm? Perhaps I might have awakened a powerful spirit divine ability as well. If I had one, I would never have let that creature escape," Wang Zhengtian muttered under his breath.

As one of the Martial Alliance's Three Heroes, he had opened all three great divine repositories, but unfortunately, he had failed to awaken a spirit divine ability.

Wang Zhengtian arrived outside the formation node and spoke as if nothing had happened. "Little fellow, leave this place to me. Go help Bai Lin."

He pushed his senses to their limits as his fists struck out without pause. While secretly guarding against another ambush from the Shadow Dragon, he slaughtered the surrounding yao with effortless punches. Given his strength, it did not matter even if this formation node was discovered. With Wang Zhengtian guarding it, attempting to break the formation by destroying its node would be no easier for the yao than any other method.

"Understood, Senior," Lin Zheyu replied. He carefully opened the formation node's barrier to let Wang Zhengtian inside, then transferred control of the formation node to him.

"Go without worry. I'll control the formation and cover you," Wang Zhengtian said calmly as he assumed control of the formation node.

Lin Zheyu nodded. "All right."

The moment the formation node's barrier opened, he shot out as a blur and raced toward the other formation node at astonishing speed.

A savage smile spread across the Shadow Dragon's face when it saw Lin Zheyu. "It's him! Hehe, what wonderful luck. To think I would encounter two such delectable morsels."

It did not launch another ambush. After its previous attempt had failed, the Shadow Dragon knew that this man was no ordinary opponent. With another powerful martial artist controlling the formation to protect him, it had no chance of succeeding. The creature was waiting for the perfect opportunity when the yao army launched a full-scale assault on this space-time node.

The Shadow Dragon licked its lips and could not keep itself from salivating at the thought of soon devouring two morsels with such vigorous blood qi. Nowhere in the demon realm could it find anything more delicious.