Chapter 861: Terrible Battle

The city-protecting formation remained intact, and Xuanyuan Wentian's expression finally darkened.

Three months ago, his power surged, making him believe no one in the world could stand against him. Yet, he was severely wounded by the Little Demon Empress, only managing to turn the tide with the help of the Eternal Night Devil Sword. In the past three months, his devil blood had awakened to nearly sixty percent, leading him to believe that even three Little Demon Empresses combined would be no match for him. However, before even seeing the Little Demon Empress, he was affronted by a mere city-protecting barrier.

A single drop of water is insignificant, but when countless drops gather, they can unleash a world-engulfing tsunami!

Dark clouds churned in the sky, twisting into a grotesque demonic face. The black aura around Xuanyuan Wentian intensified to its extreme, and a colossal black vortex spun behind him, resembling the most primordial and terrifying black hole in the Primordial Chaos.

An indescribable pressure enveloped Demon Imperial City, covering the entire land. Xuanyuan Wentian had evidently pushed his dark profound energy to its limit!

Before arriving, he had expected to sweep through the Illusory Demon Realm with a mere wave of his hand, never imagining he would have to unleash his full power against a mere barrier!

"Heh… heh… heh… quite well done," Xuanyuan Wentian chuckled deeply, his eyes no longer solely contemptuous, but now showing hints of anger and irritability. "But no matter how much ants struggle, they are still just a group of lowly ants!!"

Xuanyuan Wentian, wreathed in dark energy, lunged towards the barrier. From the black vortex behind him, a colossal dark hand extended, violently smashing down towards the barrier shimmering with purple and green light.

This was a power close to that of the Divine Way, a terrifying force never before seen on this plane. Wherever the colossal dark claw passed, the fragile space directly turned to dust. Even before it arrived, the city-protecting barrier had already severely warped.

"Brothers, let's stake all our lives and honor... We must hold the line!!"

Amidst thunderous roars, the Yun family, the Heaven's Might family, and all the Illusory Demon profound practitioners from behind let out deafening shouts. They successively parried Xuanyuan Wentian's attacks, their growing confidence overshadowing their initial fear. Hundreds of thousands of profound lights simultaneously shone, merging above the city-protecting barrier into a solar-like radiance…

BOOM————

The entire barrier and Demon Imperial City trembled violently. The sky abruptly darkened as the colossal dark hand heavily struck the barrier, erupting into a thousand-zhang-wide dark vortex that relentlessly impacted and devoured the barrier, which was infused with the power of hundreds of thousands of profound practitioners.

The city-protecting barrier, like a balloon under immense pressure, displayed a terrifying distortion beneath the black vortex. Yet, powered by the collective strength within, it stubbornly refused to shatter.

"You despicable wretches!"

Enraged that his full-power dark assault was still being blocked, Xuanyuan Wentian roared. Enveloped in black energy, his palms struck the barrier like a torrential storm, unleashing terrifying roars.

Cracks spread across the city-protecting barrier, but they would immediately heal, some swiftly, others with difficulty.

"Let's see how long you wretches can last!!" After a prolonged assault, Xuanyuan Wentian grew increasingly infuriated and agitated, unleashing his dark profound energy like a madman.

The profound energy of the Illusory Demon profound practitioners was rapidly depleting, but their prolonged resilience continuously boosted their confidence, enabling their bodies, under immense dark pressure, to erupt with an endless surge of power, firmly holding back the formidable Xuanyuan Wentian.

As the Illusory Demon profound practitioners' power rapidly diminished, so too did Xuanyuan Wentian's, who had long since lost his composure and was desperate to break through the barrier. The more his devil blood awakened, the less calm he became, transforming into increasing irritability.

The sky had completely darkened. In over fifteen minutes, Xuanyuan Wentian launched thousands of consecutive attacks, his overflowing power turning the surrounding hundred-mile radius into a void. Yet, he still could not breach the barrier just before him.

"Patriarch, most of our profound energy is depleted. If this continues… we won't be able to hold on!" Yun Waitian said, his face contorted in pain. "We should call for help from other formation areas."

"Yes… Xuanyuan Wentian has only been attacking our side, with no signs of attacking other directions," Tianxia Xiongtu added.

"No!!" Yun Qinghong emphatically shook his head. "Don't forget, Xuanyuan Wentian is even more cunning and deceitful than King Ming! With his cultivation level, he can instantly discern the profound mysteries of the city-protecting formation. If we shift power from other areas, he'll likely move to that area immediately… Once a breach is made, all our efforts will be in vain!"

With that, Yun Qinghong threw his head back and roared, his voice instantly reaching every corner of Demon Imperial City: "None of you move! We can hold on!"

Although they had only held out for a mere fifteen minutes, the depletion of their profound energy was far more severe than in a life-or-death battle. Yun Qinghong's breathing had grown heavy, but at the same time, he sensed that Xuanyuan Wentian's offensive was subtly weakening.

Just then, the earth-shattering dark bombardment abruptly ceased. Xuanyuan Wentian's movements stopped. Before the Illusory Demon profound practitioners could catch their breath, a sinister grin suddenly spread across his lips. A dark glow flashed in his hand as he seized the Eternal Night Devil Sword.

Simultaneously, an even more oppressive aura descended, causing everyone's chests to tighten, making it difficult to breathe.

"It's the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword… watch out!!" Xiao Yun cried out in terror. Three months ago, in the Frozen Cloud Asgard, Xuanyuan Wentian had used this very sword to turn the tide against the Little Demon Empress.

"A group of wretches actually forced me to use my devil sword; what an utter disgrace!" Xuanyuan Wentian's laughter was now utterly different from his previous maniacal cackle, becoming grim instead. "It seems I will have to turn this place… into the cruelest hell!!"

Xuanyuan Wentian's body—or more accurately, Fen Juechen's body—was by no means a true demonic physique. It possessed only an extremely faint devil god bloodline, and the devil soul within the Eternal Night Devil Sword was likewise but a faint wisp. Furthermore, with his devil blood power not yet fully awakened, a perfect synergy between the two was utterly impossible.

While wielding the Eternal Night Devil Sword maximized the dark profound energy unleashed by his devil blood, it also intensified its consumption and would cause him immense pain for several days afterward. Thus, he would not use the devil sword's power unless absolutely necessary.

He had come to the Illusory Demon Realm today primarily to seize the Wheel of Myriad Tribulations and secondarily to kill the Little Demon Empress, never anticipating the need to employ the Eternal Night Devil Sword.

For him, this was indeed a tremendous humiliation!

"All of you, die!!"

Amidst Xuanyuan Wentian's roar, the Eternal Night Devil Sword, wreathed in black energy, slashed down. An indescribably chilling pressure mercilessly poured down from above.

CRACK!!!!!

The city-protecting barrier, which had long endured Xuanyuan Wentian's dark profound energy, let out an ear-piercing shriek under this single sword strike. A crack several tens of zhang long instantly appeared across the barrier, and wisps of dark profound energy seeped through, abruptly bringing with them an eerie, hellish wind into Illusory Demon City.

"Waaahhhhhhhh—"

Though it was only an extremely faint wisp of dark profound energy, for the lower-cultivation Illusory Demon profound practitioners, it was undoubtedly a terrifying nightmare force. Thousands of practitioners were instantly knocked to the ground, their bodies feeling as if plunged into an ice cave, shivering in agony and utterly unable to release even a shred of power.

The crack on the barrier continued to expand, with more dark profound energy seeping through. If it continued to widen, the barrier was bound to shatter.

"Father, wha… what do we do?" Xiao Yun asked, his lips trembling. He was pouring all his strength into unleashing his Purple Cloud Art, while behind him, pressed against his back, was Tianxia Qiqi, offering mutual support and conviction.

Under the might of the Eternal Night Devil Sword, the pressure on the Illusory Demon profound practitioners sharply increased. Yun Qinghong's face remained serene. He watched the rapidly spreading crack above, then swiftly changed his hand seals. Lightning flashed around him, and even his pupils turned crystalline purple.

"Purple Cloud Domain!!"

A vast lightning domain unfurled, spreading over the city-protecting barrier. His action prompted all Yun family elders and disciples above the King Profound Realm to uniformly follow suit. They unleashed their ultimate profound energy, opening thousands of Purple Cloud Domains that layered into an immense sea of thunderclouds, pouring over the city-protecting barrier.

Tianxia Xiongtu's eyes flashed, and he roared, "City of Elves!!"

The boiling sea of thunderclouds ignited the will of the Elf clan, who were enduring immense pressure. They, too, activated their Elf Domains, pouring another massive wave of domain power onto the barrier… Instantly, the cracks on the barrier stopped spreading, then slowly began to heal.

However, before they could cheer, an incomparably terrifying black light erupted from Xuanyuan Wentian. A pair of sinister eyes opened on the Eternal Night Devil Sword, and its dark blade wildly smashed into the city-protecting barrier.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!…

Under the terrifying might of the Eternal Night Devil Sword, the defenses erected by the two guardian families using domain power were shattered layer by layer. Cracks erupted wildly across the barrier, and in the blink of an eye, the previously intact barrier was covered in spiderweb-like fissures. The rate of repair was far outpaced by the rate of collapse.

"No… no good!" The Illusory Demon profound practitioners' faces turned deathly pale, deep fear and despair chillingly evident.

"I… I can't… I can't hold on!" Tianxia Xiongtu roared unwillingly, his hands raised skyward, desperately squeezing every last bit of power from his body.

Yun Qinghong's gaze turned incomparably cold. He gritted his teeth slightly, clenching his fists. When a crack suddenly extended directly in front of him on the barrier, the light in his eyes instantly became resolute. He abruptly retracted his Purple Cloud Domain and lunged towards the outside of the barrier.

But as soon as he moved, his arm was firmly gripped by a hand. He turned back and saw Mu Yurou's face, smiling through her tears. She softly said, "My husband, would you really abandon me here alone? If we must go, then we shall go together, as husband and wife."

Yun Qinghong's eyes instantly misted over, then he smiled faintly, tightly grasping Mu Yurou's hand. Together, they looked up at the sky, their gazes simultaneously turning bone-chilling. Then, side by side, they flew directly towards Xuanyuan Wentian.

"Father… Mother!! You…" Xiao Yun paused in momentary shock, then instantly understood their intention. He let out a horrified cry and desperately lunged towards them, but his speed could not possibly catch up to Yun Qinghong and his wife.

"Patriarch, let us handle this!!"

Just as Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou were about to burst through the barrier, an aged roar echoed, and an invisible, immense force struck them from behind, flinging them back. Simultaneously, three elderly figures, enveloped in purple light, flew out of the city-protecting barrier and charged directly at Xuanyuan Wentian.

"Grand… Grand Elders!!" Yun Qinghong, flung back into the city, saw the three figures soaring out. His pupils violently contracted, and he let out a blood-curdling roar.

Those three were none other than the Yun family's last three Grand Elders: Yun He, Yun Xi, and Yun Jiang.

"Patriarch, you must live well! As long as you are here, the Yun family will never fall!"

"Old Patriarch, we're coming to join you!!"

Their voices were deep, even carrying a hint of a smile. The profound light around them intensified to its limit, and like three bolts of purple lightning, they struck Xuanyuan Wentian.

The full-force assault from the three Yun family Grand Elders caused the caught-off-guard Xuanyuan Wentian to stumble violently, and some of his black energy dissipated. He abruptly raised his eyes, the murderous rage he had suppressed finally finding an outlet. The Eternal Night Devil Sword drew a dark arc.

They were mighty Level Six Monarchs, revered by the world, but upon contact with Xuanyuan Wentian's dark sword light, their protective profound energy instantly tore apart like bubbles. Dark profound energy, like countless cold claw blades, brutally surged into their bodies.

"Three old geezers… die!!!"

Xuanyuan Wentian's devil sword struck again, completely engulfing the three Grand Elders in profound darkness. Then, with a dull roar, they dissolved into three streaks of dark dust.

Xuanyuan Wentian's attack paused, allowing the precarious cracks on the city-protecting barrier to rapidly mend. The moment the three Grand Elders perished, all cracks vanished completely, and the city-protecting barrier was once again whole.