Chapter 1910: Human-Demon Battle (4)

Volume Ten: War in the Demon Realm

Han Li, who was flying back to his residence, suddenly stopped in mid-air as the light around his body converged. He looked up into the sky with a look of surprise and doubt.

Above Tianyuan City, the vast, azure sky, which had been clear of clouds, suddenly revealed seven enormous crimson stars at some unknown point, turning the entire sky fiery red.

Even though Tianyuan City was shrouded by layers of restrictions, one could still feel faint traces of heat.

Whether they were busy guards or ordinary cultivators meditating in their residences, they all flew out from their dwellings, similarly astonished, surveying the unusual phenomenon in the sky.

As a Body Integration cultivator, Han Li's divine sense naturally perceived things far beyond what other cultivators could. A rare hint of solemnity flickered in his gaze as he stared at the sky.

He could vaguely sense the immense power of law formed by these seven crimson stars, which seemed to possess a terrifying might capable of severely injuring or even destroying him.

This naturally filled his heart with great dread.

Just then, the surfaces of the seven crimson stars in the sky suddenly pulsed with red light. Then, centered around the seven stars, an immensely profound and vast formation diagram appeared out of thin air high above.

This formation diagram glowed fiery red, seemingly enveloping a good portion of Tianyuan City below. Following a violent fluctuation of the power of heaven and earth, the seven stars within the entire formation diagram suddenly blurred, transforming into the massive spectral image of a firebird. With a clear cry, it swooped down from high in the sky.

"Boom!" An earth-shattering roar!

The entire Tianyuan City trembled. Then, from the direction of the city wall, a mushroom-shaped crimson fire cloud surged skyward, reaching a height of ten thousand zhang.

Even from such a distance, Han Li could still clearly see the monstrous appearance of the churning fire cloud, and his heart tightened.

Almost simultaneously, the Demon Race's siege area, enveloped by the fire cloud, was utterly divided into two worlds by the golden light barrier: one inside and one outside.

One world remained exactly as before, showing no abnormalities whatsoever, while the other was completely transformed into an ocean of flames.

Beneath the mushroom cloud, crimson fire waves stretched for almost a thousand li.

The numerous demon beasts enveloped by the fire waves were instantly reduced to ashes in the blaze the moment the attack erupted, utterly unable to withstand even the slightest degree of such an assault.

As for the demonized cultivators, although their protective magic tools and treasures could offer a slight defense for a moment or two, they had no time to escape such a wide-ranging attack. They too let out miserable screams as they turned into fireballs and perished.

Only the five Super Demon Beasts each instantly manifested a layer of dense spiritual light on their bodies, appearing temporarily unharmed. However, these five demon beasts clearly could not endure such terrifying high temperatures for long.

Immediately, the black gigantic bird soared into the sky. With just a flap of its wings, it transformed into a ball of black light and reached a hundred li away. With a few more flashes, it flew out of the entire sea of flames at an incredibly astonishing speed.

The crimson gigantic ape, however, stomped its feet on the ground without hesitation. Its massive body immediately leaped up like a meteor, transforming into a hurricane that swept away furiously. Wherever it passed, it forcibly split a large portion of the flames apart.

Although this beast's speed was slightly inferior to that of the gigantic bird, it did not fall too far behind. Close on the bird's heels, it also rushed out of the perilous zone.

The two white snails and the three-headed purple python, however, were much more cumbersome in their movements and could not be as fortunate as the first two beasts.

Although they desperately charged through the fire waves, they only managed to travel a few hundred li before their protective spiritual light dispersed, unable to hold on any longer. With several shrill screams, they too were engulfed by the rolling flames.

Shortly after the three Super Demon Beasts perished, with a "whoosh," two figures, one purple and one green, burst out from the fire cloud. Without the slightest hesitation, they transformed into two streaks of dazzling light and shot away, reaching a distance of over ten thousand li in one breath before their spiritual lights converged and their flight stopped.

These were the purple-armored robust man and the green-robed elder, two high-ranking Demon Race members.

These two, worthy of being high-ranking Demon Race members in the Body Integration stage, could even escape with their lives from such a terrifying attack.

However, judging by their ragged clothes and the burnt smell emanating from them, it was clear they had been in a dire situation just now, narrowly escaping with their lives.

As for their expressions as they looked back at the sea of flames, they were indeed ashen and extremely grim.

"I never thought the Human Race would use such an attack against us; they certainly hold us in high regard!" the purple-armored robust man said through gritted teeth, his face full of unwillingness.

"Indeed, it's quite unexpected. Logically speaking, for mere demon beasts, the Human Race shouldn't have used such a trump card. This kind of attack consumes an immense amount of spiritual power. Is it possible this city has such vast reserves of spirit stones, or is the Human Race cultivator responsible for this city's defense someone completely unreasonable?" the green-robed elder murmured, his face pale.

"Hmph, who cares if the fellow in charge of this city's defense has a screw loose? What's important now is that all the personnel and demon beasts we brought out were lost here, with only two giant demon beasts escaping. If we go back, a severe punishment is definitely unavoidable for the two of us," the purple-armored Demon Race member said with great helplessness.

"Not necessarily. Our original task this time was to test this city's defensive capabilities and try our best to draw out all its attacks. Drawing out such a terrifying counterattack in one go can be considered a significant achievement. If we weigh the two, even if there are some penalties, they won't be too severe," the green-robed elder said with unusual composure.

"I hope so. Fortunately, this time we didn't bring out the clan's elite forces; otherwise, this loss would have been truly immense," the purple-armored Demon Race member said with a bitter laugh.

"Venerable Shi, there's no need to be disheartened. We were caught off guard this time, which led to our complete defeat. Next time we lead a team, we will certainly not fall for this trick again," the green-robed elder said comfortingly.

"Indeed. If given the chance, I will surely avenge this. I, Shi, have never suffered such a great loss since achieving great success in cultivation! Elder Lu, let's head back and report first." The purple-armored Demon Race member said resentfully, and without waiting for the elder's reply, he burst into a streak of light and shot away once more.

The green-robed elder cast a grim glance at Tianyuan City, which was completely obscured by the sea of flames. After a cold chuckle, he too transformed into a green rainbow and departed into the distance.

As for the two gigantic demon beasts that had fortunately escaped with their lives, they were greatly frightened just now. The moment they escaped the sea of flames, they left without the slightest delay.

In the blink of an eye, the nearby void became utterly silent.

However, no one noticed that on a high peak only a few hundred li away, a crystalline orb quietly floated high in the air, its surface intermittently dimming and brightening, constantly flickering with faint spiritual light.

Simultaneously, in a triangular colossal tower within a Demon Race city, an unknown distance from Tianyuan City, over twenty high-ranking Demon Race members stood in two rows on either side of a large hall.

At the far end of the hall, on a jet-black chair, sat a middle-aged man in blood-red robes.

The man had an elegant appearance, with a face as refined as jade, seemingly no different from an ordinary human.

In the center of the hall, another crystalline orb, roughly the size of a human head, hovered at a low altitude. Its appearance and size were remarkably similar to the one near Tianyuan City, but its surface displayed a fiery red image: the astonishing sight of the raging sea of flames before Tianyuan City.

Everyone present watched the scene in the crystalline orb. The blood-robed man remained expressionless, his thoughts unreadable, but the other high-ranking Demon Race members, of various forms, couldn't help but show different expressions.

"Lord Saint Ancestor, Venerable Shi and Fellow Daoist Lu are truly useless! They lost all their personnel there to a mere restrictive attack. When they return, they must be severely punished!" a distinguished-looking man with a single spiral short horn on his head suddenly spoke coldly.

"Brother Ban, your words are a bit excessive. Fellow Daoist Shi and Elder Lu's previous command was flawless. Even if you or I had led the team, the outcome would have been the same. It's just that we didn't expect the Human Race's counterattack in this city to be so fierce. Furthermore, being able to uncover this kind of trump card from the Human Race, what do some casualties among low-level demon beasts amount to? I say they are not at fault; in fact, they have contributed!" another Demon Race man, whose face seemed almost transparent, retorted unceremoniously.

"Venerable Xuan, those words are truly harsh. Even if those low-level demon beasts are just cannon fodder, losing such a large number at once is still a considerable loss for us. What's more, three rare gigantic demons were also among them. They were inexplicably lost without having played any role. If such a mistake goes unpunished, wouldn't it mean that next time others lead a team, they would only be rewarded without penalty?" the short-horned man said with a slight sneer, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

"Hmph, so you're saying, Brother Ban, that you believe you could have done better than Venerable Shi and the other? You and Fellow Daoist Shi are mortal enemies; who knows if you're not using this as an excuse because of other thoughts in your heart?" the transparent-faced Demon Race man retorted with a cold sneer.

In just a few words, the tension between the two instantly became palpable.

Other high-ranking Demon Race members witnessed this scene, but their reactions varied. Some remained expressionless, as if they hadn't seen anything; some sighed softly, their brows furrowed; others folded their arms, a faint smile on their faces.

Of course, a few high-ranking Demon Race members also spoke up, siding with one party or the other, causing a degree of chaos in the hall for a time.

"Enough! All of you, stop!" the blood-robed man sitting on the chair suddenly uttered in a low, expressionless voice.

The clamor in the entire hall abruptly ceased. The several Demon Race members who had been arguing immediately bowed to the blood-robed man, their expressions turning stern, and carefully fell silent.

"When those two return, I will handle their matter. I have summoned all of you here now to assess Tianyuan City's defenses and determine how we can breach it as quickly as possible. The other major armies should have already begun their movements. I, the Saint Ancestor, do not wish to fall behind others," the blood-robed man said grimly.