"Hmph, aren't you afraid of turning that person against you?" Bao Hua asked in a cold voice.
"Why ask a question you already know the answer to, Fellow Daoist Bao Hua? That person is already an enemy of mine, so what does it matter if our relationship deteriorates even further?" Han Li replied with a nonchalant smile.
Bao Hua was silent for a long while before finally conceding, "That's true, but I definitely can't promise you that I'll cancel the sacred sacrifice during the merging of our two realms. All I can guarantee is that for as long as I live, none of my brethren will encroach upon the territory of your human race during future sacred sacrifices."
"You'll have to include the demon race as well. Our human race has always shared close ties with the demon race; if the demon race were to be attacked, our human race can't just stand by and watch," Han Li said.
"Alright, I can agree to this condition if it's only limited to the human and demon races," Bao Hua agreed.
"Good. I'll be taking this pill; let's swear our inner demon vows, then discuss the specific details of the plan," Han Li said with a smile.
Bao Hua naturally had no objections to this.
Around two hours later, Han Li's trio departed, then landed on a sand dune on the edge of the desert around half a day later.
......
10 days later, tens of thousands of high-grade devilish beings had gathered above the earthen city, all of whom were at the Spatial Tempering Stage or above.
Han Li and all of the other Grand Ascension Stage beings were also among these devilish beings, as well as hundreds of giant devilish arks that were hovering in mid-air..
A short while later, a command was issued, and the tens of thousands of devilish beings surged toward a certain direction with the flying arks.
......
Three months later, countless armored devilish warriors had filled an entire barren valley, and the sound of rumbling war drums erupted into the heavens.
Millions of devilish warriors had gathered here, and they were either standing on flying treasures or atop clouds of devilish Qi.
At the center of this devilish army was a giant devilish ark that resembled a small island, and Han Li and the other Grand Ascension Stage beings were gathered in a hall on the ark, listening to an address from Bao Hua.
"I'll split the armored warriors outside into several groups to attack the area around the original sealed site, attracting as much of the insect swarms as possible. After that, we'll make a direct charge for the original sealed site under the protection of these tens of thousands of elite warriors. Once we enter the original sealed site, we'll be able to make use of the restrictions in there to temporarily keep out the stemborers, and after that, we'll be able to enact our plan."
Chapter 2226: Fierce Battle Against the Insect Swarms (1)
Prior to setting off, the plan had already been confirmed, so none of the Grand Ascension Stage beings had any objections.
Moments later, the devilish army split up into several groups that charged toward the same direction, leaving only the tens of thousands of elite devilish guards and the Grand Ascension Stage beings behind.
A few hours later, the remaining elite devilish warriors also departed from the valley on a giant ark.
Seven days later, an army comprised of over 100,000 devilish warriors was locked in a fierce battle against a swarm of stemborers above a barren plateau.
The devilish army was very organized, and was arranged in a profound circular formation with the several hundred giant arks positioned at strategic locations.
Furthermore, multiple layers of protective light barriers had been set up, and thick pillars of light were being blasted out of the light barriers in a frenzy, felling large swathes of stemborers.
However, there were simply far too many stemborers in this swarm!
No matter how many were killed, more would immediately take their place to continue to attack the formation.
The devilish army had been slowly advancing in the past, but it had been forced to a standstill.
Fortunately, the attacks being unleashed by the formation were becoming more and more powerful, killing countless stemborers and alleviating some of the pressure on the army.
However, the three Body Integration Stage devilish beings standing on the giant ark at the center of the formation weren't pleased at all to see this.
"It's not a wise decision to use our backup power so soon; we won't be able to stall the stemborer swarm for long now," a crimson-armored devilish man said.
"Hmph, if we hadn't used that power, the entire formation could've crumbled just now. If our formation gets overwhelmed, then we won't be able to stall the stemborer swarm at all," a thin elderly devilish man harrumphed coldly in response.
"But the Sacred Ancestors ordered us to hold our own for at least half a day, yet only a few hours have passed. If we want to ensure our survival, we'll have to work out a plan. Otherwise, once everyone's exhausted, the three of us alone won't be able to fight our way out of this swarm," the crimson-armored man countered.
"Don't make me repeat myself; if we hadn't used this power, we would've already been overwhelmed. If worse comes to worst, we'll just have to unleash secret techniques to tap into our latent potential, and there's still a decent chance that we'll be able to escape," the elderly man replied in a nonchalant manner.
"You sure make it sound simple! If anything goes even slightly wrong, all of us could be devoured by these stemborers!" the crimson-armored man said in a cold voice.
"I don't think that's a valid concern as long as we work out a good plan and take the right opportunities," the elderly man countered with a roll of his eyes.
The crimson-armored man immediately flared up with rage, and he was just about to say something when the final devilish lord, a middle-aged woman, interjected, "I can't believe you two are still bickering at a time like this. If you want to argue, you can save it for after we escape from this place. Prior to that, we have to combine our efforts and help one another. Now that we've already sent out our backup forces, it's too late to regret our decision; let's think about whether there are any available courses of action other than burning through our latent potential."
The crimson-armored man forcibly repressed his displeasure and put on a smile as he said, "You're right, Mistress, Tian Miao; we should work together to devise a strategy first."
The elderly man's expression also eased slightly as he said, "I didn't think that these stemborers would be so much more powerful than other devilish insects; it's indeed imperative for us to work together now."
Thus, the three devilish lords began to devise a plan for escape.
Meanwhile, the other devilish armies were also trapped within stemborer swarms elsewhere, and they could only attack the stemborers with all their might as they held on for dear life.
Due to the fact that most of the stemborers around the original sealed site had been diverted away by the devilish armies, all of the Grand Ascension Stage beings and the tens of thousands of elite devilish warriors were able to quickly tear through around a dozen insect swarms, and they were now quite close to the original sealed site.
However, at this point, the other stemborers had realized what was happening, and they were finally surrounded by a boundless sea of stemborers, just like the other devilish armies.
None of the Grand Ascension Stage beings had stepped in yet, but the tens of thousands of elite devilish warriors and all of the disciples of the Grand Ascension Stage beings were more than equipped to deal with the stemborer swarm.
Countless streaks of light surged through the air, felling large swathes of stemborers with ease, the entire group continued onward at an astonishing speed.
Only the more powerful stemborers could stand in their way, and even they were instantly shredded by the ferocious barrage of attacks.
No more than seven minutes later, the group had advanced hundreds of thousands of kilometers, killing countless stemborers in the
process.
All of a sudden, a burst of strange hissing rang out up ahead, and the stemborers parted to reveal a group of giant green insects.
These giant insects were each over 100 feet in size with sharp pincers and menacing fangs, presenting a very intimidating sight to behold.
A high-grade devilish being immediately issued a warning at the sight of these insects. "Look out! Those are high-grade stemborers, and their breaths are equal in power to a full-force attack from a Body Integration Stage being."
Right at this moment, all of the giant insects opened their mouths to let loose pillars of green light.
Thousands of elite devilish warriors were caught off guard, and their defenses were penetrated by the pillars of light, which instantly vaporized them amid howls of anguish.
These pillars of light were so powerful that the devilish warriors were completely powerless to withstand them.
"Haha, it looks like the stemborers finally understand that we're the main forces they have to deal with. Otherwise, they wouldn't have deployed so many high-grade stemborers at once. Let's not sit around any longer!" a black-armored Sacred Ancestor standing at the front of the giant ark chortled as he raised a hand to release a plume of black threads, which transformed into a net that was several kilometers in area before descending toward the massive stemborers.
The other Grand Ascension Stage beings nearby also sprang into action upon seeing this.
One of them made a hand seal, and fierce winds were instantly swept up, forming around a dozen massive tornados that surged forth with devastating might.
Meanwhile, someone else pointed a finger forward, and the world's origin Qi in the air was immediately churned up, following which countless thick bolts of lightning came crashing down with ferocious power.
At the same time, the remaining Grand Ascension Stage beings were all unleashing attacks of their own, and one of them even materialized a small translucent sword that was slashed directly through the air, unleashing countless translucent sword projections...
Despite how powerful the giant stemborers were, there was no way they could withstand the attacks of so many Grand Ascension Stage beings, and all of them were instantly eradicated, much to the elation of the devilish army.
"Don't stop! Keep advancing!" the black-armored Sacred Ancestor ordered in a thunderous voice.
All of the devilish troops immediately picked up the pace and continued onward.
All of the stemborers that had parted earlier immediately converged again in waves of suicidal attacks, but were still unable to delay the group at all.
Han Li was situated in the hall of the giant ark, but he was able "see" everything using his spiritual sense.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he witnessed all of the giant stemborers being easily eradicated by the Grand Ascension Stage beings.
The breaths of these giant insects were comparable in power to Body Integration Stage attacks, but their defensive prowess was nowhere near the Body Integration Stage.
Otherwise, even with those Grand Ascension Stage beings attacking in unison, they wouldn't have been able to eradicate so many Body Integration Stage beings so easily.
It seemed that these stemborers still weren't the most powerful ones in the swarm.
At this moment, most of the Grand Ascension Stage beings were gathered in the hall, with only several of them standing outside on the giant ark in case any unexpected incidents arose.
Bao Hua was currently seated on a chair at the center of the hall, appraising the Faux Illusion Sky Mirror that she was holding in her hand.
As for the other Grand Ascension Stage beings, they were either gathered together in discussion, or meditating in their chairs.
Han Li cast his gaze toward Sacred Ancestor Xie Lian, who was sitting near a window, and discovered that she was appraising the battle raging outside through the window in a completely expressionless manner, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
Not far away from her, Old Man Copper Crow and the Heavenly Crow Realm Grand Ascension Stage beings were meditating on the ground with faint yellow light glowing from their bodies, seemingly practicing some kind of cultivation art.
After a short while, Han Li also closed his eyes to meditate.
Daoist Xie was standing beside him in a wooden manner, but Silvermoon was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing as this could potentially be quite a dangerous trip, Han Li had left Silvermoon behind at the temporary cave abode he had created in the desert.
Even though Silvermoon would be affected by the Art of Indifference after parting with him, it wouldn't be an issue as long as they weren't separated for too long.
Chapter 2227: Fierce Battle Against the Insect Swarms (2)
Just as Han Li was getting absorbed in his own thoughts, Bao Hua suddenly raised an eyebrow, and said, "They're here, everyone."
She didn't mention exactly what "they" were, but all of the Grand Ascension Stage beings immediately understood what she was referring to, and some of them, including Han Li, immediately cast their spiritual sense out of the giant ark.
After a disturbance in the surrounding swarm of stemborers, a series of crimson stemborers appeared.
These stemborers were only around a foot in size each, but there were faint golden spirit patterns all over their bodies, and five-colored light swirling within their green eyes.
As soon as these stemborers appeared, the expressions of the Grand Ascension Stage beings on the ark changed drastically, and they immediately withdrew their treasures.
All of the nearby stemborers were instantly eradicated by the returning treasures, but the crimson stemborers suddenly vanished with a flap of their wings.
In the next instant, all of the crimson stemborers appeared near the Grand Ascension Stage beings before flying directly toward them.
The Grand Ascension Stage beings were naturally very alarmed, and they immediately attacked the stemborers or released their protective treasures.
There was even one who let loose a loud cry as he reached out to grab one of the stemborers.
However, all of their attacks and defensive measures were bypassed by these stemborers as if they didn't even exist. As soon as they reached the Grand Ascension Stage beings, the stemborers began to give off scintillating crimson light.
The Grand Ascension Stage beings' expressions changed drastically upon seeing this, yet just as they were preparing to withstand the force of the imminent stemborer explosions with their bodies, Bao Hua's voice suddenly rang out in the air.
"Rest assured, leave these things to me."
As soon as her voice trailed off, a pillar of white light erupted out of the hall in the giant ark.
The pillar of light then split up into several thin beams of light that struck the crimson stemborers, sending them flying for over 100 feet.
A string of resounding booms rang out as several scorching crimson suns appeared, and a series of spatial rifts also emerged as if the entire space were about to be torn apart.
The power of these stemborer explosions was truly formidable!
All of the Grand Ascension Stage beings were stunned to see this.
The explosions wouldn't have been enough to kill them, but severe injuries were definitely unavoidable.
Right at this moment, a giant pink flower projection appeared up above amid a burst of spatial fluctuations, and Bao Hua emerged overhead.
Before the Grand Ascension Stage beings even had a chance to express their gratitude toward Bao Hua, around a dozen more crimson stemborers appeared.
They immediately teleported over to Bao Hua, surrounding her in a watertight barrier, then prepared to self-detonate again, seemingly planning to kill her in one fell swoop.
In response, Bao Hua merely chuckled coldly as countless silver stars suddenly erupted out of her body, forming a boundless galaxy that swept up all of the surrounding stemborers.
A string of explosions rang out, but all of them were snuffed
out by the galaxy of stars, unable to leave any impact at all.
All of the stars then converged to form a flag that was around 10 feet in length with shimmering silver stars etched all over its surface; it was none other than the Starfall Flag!
Around a dozen more Grand Ascension Stage beings had flown out of the hall in the ark in case their powers were required, and Han Li was one of them.
He had his arms crossed and was appraising Bao Hua in an intrigued manner, planning to see how she was going to use those two treasures to deal with the stemborers.
The failure of the crimson stemborers' self-detonation had clearly enraged the entire swarm, and after a string of disturbances, close to 1,000 crimson balls of light emerged. Even Bao Hua's expression turned slightly grim at the sight of so many self-detonating stemborers, and she waved her flag through the air to create another galactic projection that encompassed the entire giant ark.
At the same time, she pointed up at the small mirror overhead, and it immediately transformed into a full moon.
Golden light surged through the moon, following which hundreds of beams of light shot forth at once, puncturing the bodies of the crimson stemborers with unerring accuracy.
All of the crimson stemborers that were struck immediately exploded on the spot, sending scorching red flames surging in all directions and incinerating large hordes of surrounding stemborers into ashes.
However, the remaining crimson stemborers all flapped their wings and instantly vanished on the spot.
Bao Hua immediately retaliated as the galaxy of stars suddenly began to surge violently at her behest.
Countless stars changed positions as bursts of spatial fluctuations erupted forth, forcing all of the crimson stemborers to reveal themselves again.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1276