Chapter 1181: Two People Die in Battle

In the chaotic, desolate wilderness, enormous pits and abyss-like fissures bore witness to the intense battle that had previously raged there.

Within one of these massive pits, a dark yellow dragon lay prostrate. Its colossal body was covered in shattered scales, and dragon blood seeped out, staining the ground a faint, shimmering golden hue. The dragon's body was motionless. Its eyes, though wide open, were devoid of any life.

In front of the dragon, a blood-soaked figure, smiling, produced a cauldron. He added ingredients and ignited a fierce fire within it. As the flames roared, the intense heat subtly warped the air. With a flick of his sleeve, the figure opened the cauldron's lid. He then snapped his finger, and a streak of blood-red light flashed, cleanly severing all of the dragon's claws, which then dropped into the cauldron.

"Heh, blood-source pills refined from the flesh and blood of a Profound Dragon are truly enticing," he chuckled. As he carved the dragon meat from its body, he leaned closer, gazing into the lifeless dragon eyes that still seemed to hold a hint of disbelief and terror. "You were actually quite capable," he chuckled, "to wound me so badly. But alas, you're dead now."

"And I will thoroughly enjoy eating every bit of your dragon meat."

The figure's eyes were blood-red, like swirling vortices, exuding an unsettling aura. When he smiled, that chilling sensation intensified, sending shivers down one's spine. This individual was none other than the Saint Heavenly Pride from Saint Ancestor Heaven. The lifeless dragon corpse before him was clearly his opponent: Jiang Jinlin, from the Profound Dragon Clan of Myriad Beasts Heaven.

Clang! Clang!

Amidst the mountains, a figure hammered away at a massive stone, slowly shaping it into a coffin lid. Dressed in black, the person resembled a young boy, smiling brightly. He surveyed the coffin lid and nodded in satisfaction. Behind him stood an exquisitely carved stone coffin, inside which lay a figure whose limbs appeared almost twisted off. The body was cold, clearly a corpse. The deceased was none other than Li Fu, the commander-in-chief from Five Elements Heaven.

The black-clad youth lifted the coffin lid and turned to face the corpse inside the stone coffin. Suddenly, his own clothes tore open, revealing a body covered in grotesque scars — marks of lightning, fire, and water.

"You really gave me a beating," the black-clad youth grinned, then chuckled. "But I'm magnanimous; I won't hold it against you. In fact, I even made you such a beautiful coffin."

"So, rest in peace."

The black-clad youth dug a deep pit, buried the stone coffin, then lit three incense sticks and bowed deeply, a sorrowful expression on his face. When he looked up again, the smile on his face began to turn somewhat sinister.

"I've buried you... Now, may I refine and consume you?"

"Jiang Jinlin... Li Fu..."

Zhou Yuan gazed at the luminous screen before him, already sensing which two individuals the vanishing light points represented. He remained silent for a long moment, calming his emotions before bowing his head slightly in mourning for the two fallen warriors. Although his relationship with Jiang Jinlin hadn't been particularly close, they were nonetheless comrades fighting on the same side. If even a fox grieves for a fallen rabbit, how much more so should a human grieve for another?

"Heh, it seems two of you have fallen..." At that moment, Xu Lei, floating in the void, chuckled aloud, evidently having learned of the outcome through some means. He then fixed a mocking gaze on Zhou Yuan. "Are you beginning to feel despair?" he sneered. "The gate to the final core is right before you, and you've pushed yourself to your limits, yet... you still can't enter."

"Give up. This is the difference between you lowly ants and my Saint Race. Even if a world-shaking prodigy like you occasionally appears, it changes nothing. Against the grand tide, you are as minuscule and powerless as dust."

Zhou Yuan raised his head, his gaze towards Xu Lei utterly devoid of emotion. The sheer indifference and murderous intent in his eyes even made Xu Lei's heart slightly tremble. He said no more to Xu Lei, instead gripping the purple-gold jade slip tightly. After a brief silence, a voice message was transmitted through it.

"This is Zhou Yuan. I have two pieces of news for you."

"The first is that I have defeated the Saint Heavenly Pride who blocked my path and am now just outside the spatial portal leading to the final core."

"The second is... Jiang Jinlin and Li Fu have both fallen in battle."

"If most of the other crucial nodes are not destroyed, our gamble this time will likely end in failure..."

"We have no retreat."

"Therefore, I hope that here..."

"Everyone, fight to the death, no matter the cost!"

On a seemingly endless plaza, countless stone statues suddenly shattered. Two figures were sent flying backward, their feet carving deep furrows into the ground.

Bai Xiaolu's long black hair cascaded behind her. Her body had become slender and elongated, her waist as delicate as a willow branch, giving her a fragile appearance. Yet, the power contained within her was enough to shatter a mountain with a single punch.

However, Bai Xiaolu was not in good condition. Her glass-like skin bore several rapidly healing blood marks. Her right arm was twisted, seemingly broken by immense force. Bai Xiaolu grasped her slender arm and, with an expressionless twist, a sickening crunch, snapped it back into place. Her eyes, filled with icy resolve, fixed on the figure ahead.

There, a colossal, roughly thirty-foot-tall figure stood like an iron tower. Its body was a mass of writhing flesh, from which ferocious beasts protruded. Half-embedded within its form, these creatures snarled and thrashed their free halves. From a distance, it appeared as a monstrous amalgamation of countless savage beasts. This was Di Moyue, the Saint Heavenly Pride who had blocked Bai Xiaolu's path.

The two had just concluded an extremely fierce and brutal battle. Overall, Di Moyue held a slight advantage.

Bai Xiaolu's eyes remained icy. Just as she was about to resume her assault, her body suddenly stiffened. A voice had reached her ears. It was Zhou Yuan's voice, transmitted via the jade slip.

"Jiang Jinlin and Li Fu have both fallen in battle?"

Bai Xiaolu's expression shifted slightly. She listened intently to every word Zhou Yuan spoke, and then finally exhaled deeply.

"Has the situation truly become this dire...?"

She understood that if they failed to destroy most of the nodes, Zhou Yuan would be unable to enter and dismantle the barrier's core. Yet, as Zhou Yuan had stated, they had no retreat; even if they chose to surrender now, death would still be their ultimate fate. Moreover, it would mean the complete annihilation of this generation's Heavenly Sun Realm elites from the Five Great Heavens. This would undoubtedly inflict immense losses upon the Five Great Heavens. While these Heavenly Sun Realm cultivators might not be considered paramount, they represented a vital new generation. The Five Great Heavens had poured immeasurable effort and resources into their cultivation.

"It seems..."

"Only a fight to the death remains," Bai Xiaolu murmured.

She formed hand seals. The next instant, a glass-like rune manifested on her smooth forehead, and streaks of light rapidly emanated from it, eventually enveloping her entire body. A terrifying power surged from within her.

In the distance, Di Moyue's pupils contracted slightly at the sight.

"Burning her own flesh and blood... she's truly insane."