Chapter 413: The Final Battle of the Blood War (3)

High in the sky, the White Dragon Lord was coordinating with his team to slaughter demons when his heart suddenly skipped a beat. Guided by a sudden premonition, he looked toward the Viper Temple and spotted a vibrant, chaotic tide surging from its depths, rushing toward the battlefield.

He focused his gaze. The vibrant tide was entirely composed of snakes—large and small; red, orange, yellow, and green. He could spot nearly every color in the multiverse among the swarm. The dense, writhing mass of venomous serpents was enough to make anyone's skin crawl.

While most of the serpents flooded toward the ground army, a fraction took to the sky. Most of these flying variants sported wings, but a small handful were Transcendent Beasts at the Legendary Rank Level.

The White Dragon Lord's gaze grew heavy. These serpents, reared within the Viper Temple and unleashed just as the battle had turned against the demons, were clearly the Blade Sovereign's trump card.

For an Abomination Rank powerhouse to rely on them as a trump card, this swarm had to hide something even more dangerous than lethal venom and terrifying numbers. The White Dragon Lord raised his guard to the absolute limit. Empowering his dragon eyes with Soul Sight, he observed the Viper Temple. His intuition screamed that danger was closing in.

He caught sight of a figure flashing through the air as fast as lightning, crossing dozens of meters in the blink of an eye. It was a serpent, no longer than a human adult's arm, yet its Soul Energy was highly condensed. A thick, bloody crimson marred its brilliant soul radiance. This was a corrupted Transcendent Beast, a High-Tier Legend.

His gaze remained heavy. He realized the hidden viper was stealthily darting right toward him. A wondrous resonance of the soul echoed out. Unwilling to take any chances against an Abomination Rank powerhouse's trump card, the White Dragon Lord immediately unleashed his killer move.

At the same time, Mage Alan received the White Dragon Lord's message. The mage rapidly chanted a spell. Though he couldn't see the concealed serpent himself, the White Dragon Lord shared its intel through their Soul-Linking Chain.

Soon, the lightning-fast attacker entered optimal casting range, and Mage Alan unleashed his prepared spell.

Spatial Cage!

A square, semi-transparent cage of spatial energy trapped the lightning-fast, unidentified serpent. Yet, the tiny creature possessed terrifying physical strength. It slammed into the Spatial Cage, leaving the barrier trembling violently. Even through these fierce collisions, the snake's figure failed to reveal itself. There were only two explanations for this: either it was extremely skilled at stealth, meaning not even attacking broke its concealment, or the snake was a permanently invisible creature.

But neither possibility mattered. The White Dragon Lord's killer move was already prepared.

Soul-Perishing Needle!

The formless, traceless Soul-Perishing Needle shot toward the trapped little snake. Perhaps sensing the impending crisis, the snake thrashed with even greater ferocity, actually managing to smash a crack into the Spatial Cage.

Under the White Dragon Lord's expectant gaze, the Soul-Perishing Needle arrived in the blink of an eye.

A split second before the needle struck its soul body, a small, semi-transparent round shield erupted from the serpent. Like a drop of water falling into a still pond, a ripple spread across the shield's surface.

A defensive magic against soul attacks?!

The White Dragon Lord's expression shifted. Meanwhile, within the Viper Temple, the Blade Sovereign jerked her head up in shock. Her gaze pierced through layers of palaces, locking onto the little snake's location. She sensed that the soul defense she had placed on her beloved pet had been triggered.

The moment the soul defense magic was triggered, the little snake finally revealed its figure. It was entirely green save for a few black and red patterns, and a single spiraled horn grew from the top of its head.

The little snake coiled its body like a compressed spring, then launched itself forward as fast as lightning, driving its horn into the crack on the Spatial Cage.

Crack!

The Spatial Cage shattered. With a flick of its tail, the little snake vanished without a trace. Mage Alan watched the scene unfold with a look of shock on his face. "It actually shattered a Spatial Cage with pure physical strength! What kind of snake is this?!"

Despite the fleeting glimpse, the White Dragon Lord had clearly seen the little snake's physical traits. He cross-referenced them with the ancient creatures recorded in the Dragon Inheritance, and his expression instantly darkened.

Beside him, the Light of the Firmament looked equally grim. Evidently, this ancient serpent was also recorded in the inheritance of legendary dragon species. "Green body, spiral horn, a tiny frame, blistering speed, and terrifying physical strength. Despite those few corrupted markings, that was definitely a Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake."

The Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake was an ancient Transcendent Beast. Much like the Dragon Race, they naturally reached the Legendary Rank upon becoming an Adult. With their tiny frames, blistering speed, and horrifying physical might, these little snakes were the nightmare of many massive creatures. They would sneak into a sleeping prey's nostrils, and by the time the victim jolted awake from their dreams, it would already be too late.

By then, the Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake would have already used its horn to pierce through the respiratory tract and crack open the skull, feasting on its favorite food—brain marrow. Their diet even included other legendary creatures, and the Dragon Race was no exception.

Because they drew the enmity and fear of so many races, the Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snakes were hunted by a coalition of numerous species in the ancient era. The multiverse had not seen any news of this species for a very long time. No one expected to find one within the Viper Temple, let alone one at the High-Tier Legendary Level.

The White Dragon Lord watched as the little snake's soul body darted into the demon horde. Its Soul Energy mixed with the High-Tier Legendary Demons, vanishing from sight.

"This is a huge problem!"

This Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake was actually equipped with a triggered shield against Soul Magic. It was clear just how much effort the Blade Sovereign had poured into it. Nurtured by the Blade Sovereign, it possessed supreme stealth capabilities. Coupled with its phantom-like speed and terrifying physical strength, unless one constantly used legendary detection magic to Scan the area, an ordinary High-Tier Legend powerhouse would find it hard to resist its ambush.

Sure enough, in the chaotic battlefield far away from the White Dragon Lord's five-man squad, a spellcaster was suddenly ambushed mid-incantation. The channeled magic was interrupted, triggering a magical backlash. But the nightmare wasn't over. The caster's life-saving magic activated, erecting several triggered magical shields around him, yet they shattered one after another. If not for his nearby teammates reacting in time, this spellcaster would have met his end.

The White Dragon Lord's squad hurriedly flew toward the scene, but by the time they arrived, the culprit was nowhere to be found. Looking at the spellcaster bleeding from his nose and mouth, the White Dragon Lord's expression turned grim. If the Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake was allowed to keep harassing them like this, every spellcaster would feel their lives were in danger, making the outcome of this battle hard to predict.

The Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake ambushed yet another spellcaster, and this victim instantly perished under the sneak attack. To restrict the demons' Greater Teleportation, the Allied Forces had locked down space at the start of the battle. However, this also disabled the spellcasters' own triggered Teleportation magic. Stripped of their rapid displacement abilities, as long as the Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake could instantly shatter their magical defenses, it could easily take their lives.

Magical marks, Curses, and negative spells were all completely ineffective. The White Dragon Lord suspected that the Blade Sovereign had even invested Divinity into the Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake. For an Abomination Rank powerhouse, Divinity was undeniably precious, but it was not impossibly difficult to obtain.

Under the Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake's harassment, the demons leveled out the advantage the White Dragon Lord's five-man squad had created.

Perhaps the lesson of its earlier near-death experience taught the Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake that the White Dragon Lord's squad was not to be provoked, or perhaps the Blade Sovereign had issued a command. Regardless, the serpent never attempted to ambush the White Dragon Lord and his team again, and it did its best to keep far away from him when attacking other targets.

No matter how powerful his Soul Magic was, if his opponent actively avoided him, the White Dragon Lord had no way to deal with it.

"I'm out of options!"

The White Dragon Lord transmitted a message to Osiris at the Allied Forces Command Center, urging the command center to quickly find a solution. At the same time, he forwarded the Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake's information: blistering speed, skilled at hiding, and powerful attack strength.

Soon, a strange fluctuation of mana erupted from the rear of the Alliance army. The White Dragon Lord was very familiar with this mana fluctuation; it was similar to summoning an Ice Elemental, but with a subtle distinction. When summoning an Ice Elemental, the energy felt like biting cold, while this energy gave the feeling of a Berserk turmoil.

Fierce winds howled between heaven and earth. A massive green Portal appeared in the sky, and a majestic voice rang out with a buzzing echo.

"Following the ancient pact, the Windrager—Aslanya—answers the call of his allies!"

A colossal storm elemental stepped across realms. Its lower half was an inverted whirlwind where arcs of lightning danced, and its upper half was a humanoid torso condensed from wind elements. In its hand, it gripped an Azure Crystal Greatsword wreathed in thunder. This was a storm elemental lord standing right on the precipice of the Abomination Rank!

The storm elemental lord looked down at the demons clashing with the Allied Forces. "Die! You filthy maggots of the Abyss!"

The newly arrived storm elemental lord swung the Azure Crystal Greatsword in its hand. Dark clouds densely blanketed the sky, and several tornadoes materialized out of thin air within the Demon Army's camp. The demons and serpents that failed to dodge in time were swept into the wind, the demons spinning endlessly as their limbs flailed helplessly in the gales.

A bolt of lightning shot from the Azure Crystal Greatsword, piercing into the pitch-black clouds. Silver serpents of electricity danced wildly across the cloud surface, and a violent barrage of thunder rained down from the sky, detonating within the Demon Army's camp.

The summoner flew up and communicated with the storm elemental lord for a moment. The storm elemental lord abandoned its slaughter of ordinary demons and flew upward toward the High-Tier Legendary battlefield. Seeing this, the White Dragon Lord split off a Soul-Linking Chain to connect with the storm elemental lord.

"Lord Aslanya, a Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake is causing us a great deal of trouble."

"Understood. The omnipresent wind will tell me the enemy's direction. Leave it to me."

The storm elemental lord suddenly fired a bolt of lightning forward, striking an empty stretch of air. Jolted by the lightning shock, the shielded Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake's figure surfaced for a moment before instantly vanishing once again.

The Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake's most troublesome traits were its lightning speed and phantom-like stealth, but the storm elemental lord naturally countered it. Wind elementals were equally renowned for their speed, and they could sense the most minute shifts in air currents. Supplemented by the intel shared through the White Dragon Lord's Soul Sight, the storm elemental lord was always able to stop the ambushing Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake at the critical moment.

Although it could not kill the Marrow-Eating Green Climbing Snake, the beast was rendered completely useless. Morale within the Allied Forces surged, and the scales of victory once again tilted toward the Allied Forces.

While the Allied Forces occupied the advantage in both the High-Tier Legendary and standard Legendary battlefields, the situation on the ordinary battlefield was dire. Massive pythons bulldozed through shield-bearing soldiers, while tiny venomous serpents slithered around the soldiers' boots, searching for gaps in their armor to inject lethal venom.

These serpents tied down a massive portion of their magical forces, leaving the frontline starved of magical support. As a result, soldier casualties were sharply rising.

The White Dragon Lord received a message transmitted from the command center: "Lord Amos, are you capable of creating a wide-scale low-temperature environment? Preferably around minus ten degrees."

Because the command center specifically requested minus ten degrees, the White Dragon Lord instantly understood their plan.

Because the climate of the Abyss trended toward the sweltering, demons mostly preferred hot environments. Furthermore, snakes would become stiff and immobile in low temperatures. Although Transcendent Beast serpents had a degree of resistance to the cold, the general trend remained the same. In contrast, the various races' soldiers had a much higher tolerance for low temperatures.

If the goal was simply to create widespread low temperatures, then an ordinary Legendary Mage could also accomplish the task. However, the soldiers and enemies were currently locked in a mixed melee. To minimize friendly fire, it required a powerhouse with extreme mastery over mana control and ice magic to step in. Among everyone present, no one was more suited for this task than the White Dragon Lord.

The White Dragon Lord observed the distances between the three tiers of the battlefield, estimating the magical power and the rate of its propagation decay, before giving an affirmative response to the command center's inquiry.

"No problem, but I will need assistance to secure a safe casting environment."

"Understood."

The White Dragon Lord flew higher into the sky. His four teammates followed closely, protecting the White Dragon Lord in the center. The dragon's mouth rapidly chanted a spell, and violent energy fluctuations propagated in all directions.

On a chaotic battlefield, spellcasters would try to use large-scale powerful magic as little as possible. For one, the magic could not distinguish between allies and enemies. For another, the incantations for large-scale powerful magic were often much longer than those of single-target spells of the same Tier. A longer incantation meant a longer chanting time, and spellcasters were at their most vulnerable while chanting.

But with all the High-Tier Legendary powerhouses providing cover and his four teammates giving close-quarters protection, the White Dragon Lord was able to successfully complete a magic spell with a chanting duration of a full minute.

Legendary Magic—Bane of Ice and Snow!

The Bane of Ice and Snow was a simplified version of the Forbidden Spell—Winter Cataclysm. Their principles both involved connecting to the Elemental Plane of Ice to usher in massive amounts of cold air. The only difference was that the Winter Cataclysm's elemental conduit was permanent, while the Bane of Ice and Snow was a temporary elemental conduit constructed by mana. Yet, even a temporary conduit was enough for the biting cold winds of the Elemental Plane of Ice to blow into the Abyss, causing a massive drop in temperature.

The White Dragon Lord set the opening to face from top to bottom. The first to experience the cold wind from the Elemental Plane of Ice were the fiercely fighting High-Tier Legendary powerhouses. Even with their early preparations, the High-Tier Legendary powerhouses were still frozen to the point of shivering. The demons fared far worse; the flames on their bodies were suppressed by the cold wind, forced flat against their skin.

The power of the Bane of Ice and Snow naturally decayed as distance increased. By the time the cold wind blew into the Legendary battlefield, the Legendary powerhouses felt the chill, but they could still withstand it by activating their magical defenses.

Finally, the cold wind from the Elemental Plane of Ice blew onto the ground. One second it was forty or fifty degrees in high heat, and the next it was freezing weather several degrees below zero. The soldiers felt uncomfortable, but the demons and serpents were utterly crippled.

Once the temperature had dropped enough, the White Dragon Lord voluntarily closed the elemental conduit. At this point, the Allied Forces occupied an absolute advantage.