txolops Chapter 431 News about Xuanjing
Chapter 431 News about Xuanjing
Chapter 431 News about Xuanjing
The sounds of battle cries, the roars of monsters, the whistling of magical weapons cutting through the air, and the explosions of spells mingled together, creating a deafening cacophony.
Hundreds of monsters of various kinds, like a swarm of sharks attracted by the smell of blood, are frantically attacking a hemispherical shield with a pale blue sheen that has been erected in the center area from the sea and the air.
The protective shield shimmered with spiritual light, clearly under immense pressure. Violent ripples appeared on its surface from time to time, and even tiny cracks appeared, which were barely repaired by the cultivators inside desperately channeling their magic power into it.
Inside the protective barrier, there were about twenty or thirty figures, with cultivation levels ranging from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation. Among them, the leaders were five Core Formation cultivators, three men and two women.
At this moment, everyone's face was solemn as they used their respective methods to activate their magical treasures and release spells to defend against the attacks of the demonic beasts coming from all directions.
Water arrows, ice spikes, venom, wind blades, and even thick tentacles and claws bombarded the shield, exploding into bursts of blinding light.
"Damn it! How did these beasts find this place?" A yellow-robed cultivator, dressed in an apricot-yellow Daoist robe, with a refined appearance and a cultivation level at the mid-stage of Core Formation, roared with a livid face as he directed a flying sword to kill several "ghost-faced leeches" that were trying to squeeze in through the underwater crevices.
"Our Five Elements Reversal Illusion Array is set up in an extremely secretive manner, and is further concealed by a natural reef maze. Even a demon cultivator in human form passing by would find it extremely difficult to detect without careful investigation!"
"Hmph, how else could they find out?" A burly, dark-skinned man with a face full of scars, also at the mid-stage of the Core Formation realm, sneered. "It must be some blind fool who didn't clean his tail properly while hunting or trading, and these beasts have smeared it on him! I've seen this kind of thing plenty of times in the open sea!"
"It's pointless to say these things now!" The white-haired elder, the one with the highest cultivation among the five and at the peak of the mid-stage Core Formation realm, said in a deep voice, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority.
He kept making hand seals to maintain the stability of the core array plate of the protective shield, while simultaneously manipulating an ancient bronze shield to withstand the repeated attacks of the two sea-splitting crocodiles.
"The number of demonic beasts is increasing. If this stalemate continues, the protective barrier will surely break! Everyone, stop holding back and use your most powerful techniques to eliminate a batch of them, intimidate them, and then look for an opportunity to break through!"
Upon hearing this, the others' expressions turned solemn. Knowing that they were at a critical juncture and could no longer hold back, they nodded in agreement, ready to activate more powerful magical artifacts or use secret techniques that consumed more energy.
However, just then, a "Huh?"
"What's going on outside?"
"Those monsters—they seem to be in disarray?"
Several Core Formation cultivators simultaneously noticed the anomaly. Outside the protective barrier, the previously orderly and fearless horde of demonic beasts suddenly erupted into chaos! Many beasts ceased their attacks on the barrier, instead appearing to face a deadly threat, panicking and scattering in all directions towards the outer perimeter!
"Something's up!" A glint flashed in the white-haired old man's eyes. He immediately sent out a wisp of his divine sense, carefully passing through the protective barrier and probing towards the direction where the commotion was most intense.
The others followed suit.
The next moment, an incredulous look of horror appeared on the faces of the group!
Outside the protective barrier, in the sea and air area near the rear of the monster horde, a huge, churning "golden cloud" had appeared out of nowhere!
This "golden cloud" moved at an astonishing speed. Wherever it passed, any ferocious monsters, whether they were thick-skinned sea beasts or swift-moving demonic birds, would let out a shrill scream if they were caught in it.
Then, to everyone's horror, it vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye, or rather, was completely swallowed up by the "golden cloud"! Not even a bone fragment remained!
They witnessed a "Silver Lightning Eel" that was twenty feet long, crackling with silver lightning, and exuding the aura of a peak level six, attempting to dispel the approaching "Golden Cloud" with its lightning power.
However, the thick arc of electricity, powerful enough to easily kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator and severely injure a Core Formation cultivator, struck the "Golden Cloud" but was like a mud ox entering the sea, only stirring up a few weak golden sparks. The "Golden Cloud" only paused slightly before rushing forward at an even faster speed, enveloping the entire thunder eel.
In just a short while, the thunder eel's enormous body, the blinding lightning, and its unwilling hiss disappeared completely into the surging gold, leaving only a few wisps of smoke and a burnt smell on the sea surface.
Immediately, "Golden Cloud" did not stop, like a killing machine with life and intelligence, it immediately pounced on its next target, a level 6 "Azure Winged Manta Ray" that was flapping its wings and trying to fly high.
"Insects—a swarm of insects? They're demonic insects!" The dark-faced, burly man's pupils contracted, and sweat beaded on his palms as he gripped his giant axe.
"What terrifying devouring power! The protective lightning of the silver electric eel couldn't block it at all!" A man dressed in blue...
The beautiful female cultivator gasped in surprise, her face turning pale.
The slight relief that came from the retreat of the demonic beasts was instantly replaced by a renewed tension, even more so than before! This sudden appearance of a terrifying swarm of insects, whose allegiance was unclear, was likely a far greater threat than the chaotic demonic beasts outside!
If this swarm of insects were to kill the demon beast and then turn around to attack their protective shield—the group simply couldn't bear to imagine what that would be like.
Just then, a calm and composed young man's voice clearly entered the protective barrier, reaching the ears of every cultivator, carrying a strange soothing power: "Fellow Daoists inside the barrier, the demonic beasts are in chaos. Why not take this opportunity to come out and join me in completely eliminating these beasts to prevent future troubles?"
As the sound rang out, a figure in black robes appeared silently, like a ghost, dozens of feet above the protective barrier. He stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering slightly in the sea breeze. It was Luo Ming, who had just arrived and released the swarm of gold-devouring insects.
He did not deliberately display his Nascent Soul aura at this moment, but kept his cultivation at the late Core Formation stage. However, his calm demeanor and the terrifying golden swarm of insects below that were frantically slaughtering the demonic beasts shocked the human cultivators inside the protective shield.
The five Core Formation cultivators inside the protective shield, along with the Foundation Establishment cultivators, looked up upon hearing the sound. They saw the black-robed figure in the air and sensed the spiritual energy fluctuations of the "late Core Formation" cultivator on his body. They were slightly taken aback at first, but then their faces lit up with joy!
The newcomer was not a demon, but a human cultivator! Moreover, it seemed that the terrifying swarm of insects was under his control! He was a friend, not an enemy!
"Thank you for your righteous help, fellow Daoist!" The white-haired elder reacted the fastest, immediately cupping his hands in gratitude towards Luo Ming in the air. He then turned to the group inside the protective barrier and shouted, "What are you all standing there for? This fellow Daoist is right! Take this opportunity to break out, coordinate with the insect swarm, and wipe out these beasts! Activate the Overturning Sea Killing Formation, and attack from both inside and outside!"
"Yes!" The crowd cheered and responded in unison.
"Buzz—!"
The pale blue shield shimmered with spiritual light and rapidly changed, transforming from a purely defensive form into a hybrid offensive and defensive one.
Sharp water arrows, ice spears, and lightning bolts condensed from the surface of the protective shield and shot out towards the panicked and fleeing monsters.
At the same time, several gaps appeared in the protective barrier, and five Core Formation cultivators rushed out first, each displaying their unique abilities to intercept and kill high-level demonic beasts attempting to escape through the gaps in the swarm. Foundation Establishment cultivators formed battle formations, moving around the gaps to finish off any remaining enemies.
With Luo Ming's Gold-Eating Insect swarm as the main force, and the cultivators within the stronghold providing support and encirclement, the battle situation presented a one-sided and overwhelming situation.
The hundreds of demonic beasts, which had originally been so imposing, were routed and suffered heavy casualties under the combined attack of the golden sea of insects and human cultivators from both inside and outside the region. Only a few clever or extremely lucky ones managed to escape by diving into the deep sea or fleeing into the sky.
About half an hour later.
The sea had returned to calm, leaving only a lingering stench of blood and a faint demonic aura. The majority of the demonic beast corpses had been devoured by the Gold-Eating Insects, with only a few fragments of limbs and armor floating on the surface. The golden swarm of insects had already been retrieved into Luo Ming's spirit beast pouch.
The twenty or thirty human cultivators had now regrouped on several larger rocks, quickly cleaning up the battlefield while occasionally casting awe-inspiring, grateful, and deeply fearful glances at the black-robed figure on a solitary rock not far away.
Although Luo Ming only revealed his "late stage of Core Formation" cultivation, the overwhelming, all-consuming golden swarm of insects had left a deep psychological scar on them.
The white-haired old man whispered a few words to the other four Core Formation cultivators, then walked together to the reef where Luo Ming was, stopping several feet away.
The white-haired elder once again solemnly cupped his hands, his tone even more respectful than before: "I am Baiyan, representing all my fellow cultivators at the Reef Island stronghold, and I once again express my deepest gratitude to Fellow Daoist Luo for saving our lives! If it weren't for your timely assistance, we would likely not have escaped this calamity today."
Luo Ming slowly opened his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping over the five people. He nodded slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist Bai, you are too kind. As fellow human beings, it is our duty to help each other. I, Luo, simply happened to be there."
He paused, then cut to the chase and stated his purpose directly: "I came to this area to collect a type of refining material. I heard that there might be fellow human cultivators gathered in the nearby waters, so I came to try my luck. But I didn't expect to witness your attack."
"I see. May I ask what kind of materials Fellow Daoist Luo needs? If we have them or know any clues, we will certainly do our best to help to repay your life-saving grace." Bai Yan asked hurriedly, and the other four nodded in agreement. It would be best to repay this kindness with materials.
Luo Ming's eyes flashed, and he slowly uttered four words: "Sinking Sea Mystic Crystal".
"Sinking Sea Mystic Crystal?" Upon hearing this, the five people's expressions all changed. They naturally knew about this item; it was a high-grade water-attribute refining material unique to the deep sea, and quite rare.
The burly, dark-faced man couldn't help but speak, his voice filled with surprise: "Fellow Daoist Luo needs this? And—how much do you need?"
He had some doubts. Although the Submerged Sea Crystal was precious, its use was relatively specific, mainly for refining special heavy water-attribute magic weapons. Could this Fellow Daoist Luo's control of such a terrifying swarm of insects be related to its main cultivation technique or magic weapon?