Chapter 1475: The Crisis of Cangxuan Heaven

The Sacred Race's offensive against Cangxuan Heaven required strategic adjustments after Cang Yuan's sudden intervention. As Cang Yuan had predicted, the conflict in Cangxuan Heaven grew unusually quiet over the next six months.

However, this abnormal calm made Cang Yuan, Zhou Yuan, and the other Saints feel even more on edge, as if confronting a formidable enemy. It suggested that the Sacred Race's mobilization was extensive, necessitating this half-year period of quiet.

Once the Sacred Race's mobilization was complete, Cangxuan Heaven would undoubtedly face an overwhelming and suffocating assault, like a sudden tempest.

Despite knowing the Sacred Race was mobilizing a vast army, Zhou Yuan and his allies were powerless, as their forces were inferior. They were forced into a passive defensive posture.

Their only course of action was to dedicate all their efforts to constructing multiple layers of Genesis Rune barriers, making this final defensive line impenetrable and impregnable.

Simultaneously, Cang Yuan requested further aid from the Omega Shrine. Understanding that Cangxuan Heaven could not be lost, the Omega Shrine dispatched their final wave of mobile support forces.

Among these reinforcements were three familiar faces.

They were Su Youwei, Wu Yao, and Zhao Mu Shen, who had previously ventured into Omega Mountain.

The three had successfully navigated the mountain and achieved breakthroughs amid life-and-death trials, advancing to the Saint stage.

Zhou Yuan was not surprised by their breakthroughs. Their talent and potential were no less than Chu Qing's or Li Chunjun's; in fact, their foundational strength even surpassed them.

After all, if Zhou Yuan hadn't used the Genesis Pagoda to compensate for Chu Qing and Li Chunjun's deficiencies, even with the current surge of universal power, the difficulty of entering the Saint stage would have increased immensely for them. Su Youwei and the other two, who spent most of their time in Hunyuan Heaven and had access to more cultivation resources, did not face this inherent disadvantage or concern.

Approximately six months after the final wave of reinforcements arrived from the Omega Shrine, the border defenses declared an emergency. The Sacred Race's army finally surged forth like a tide.

The brutal war, without warning, suddenly erupted once more.

Blood and fire erupted simultaneously.

The commander of this Sacred Race army was still the Ancient Saint of Thunder Command, but the ferocity and brutality of this assault far surpassed the previous one.

The Sacred Race's elite troops poured like a relentless tide into the final defensive line outside Cangxuan Heaven. At that moment, the super barrier, meticulously constructed by Zhou Yuan and his forces over the past six months, faced an immense assault.

Leveraging the strategic advantage of the super barrier, Cangxuan Heaven's guardian forces immediately dealt a severe blow to the Sacred Race's troops.

However, the Sacred Race quickly stabilized their position and began a steady, methodical advance, layer by layer. Consequently, the layers of super barriers transformed into a bloody, visceral meat grinder.

Every inch of ground was stained with blood.

Elite combatants from both sides fought with bloodshot eyes, and the stench of gore permeated the air.

Relying on the strategic advantage of the super barriers, Cangxuan Heaven's defending forces maintained some tactical advantages during combat, at minimum allowing them free movement. Consequently, the Sacred Race's casualty ratio was undoubtedly higher.

Yet, the Sacred Race remained entirely indifferent to these losses. Their superior overall strength allowed them to fully accept such casualty rates.

Because at this rate, Cangxuan Heaven's defending forces would inevitably be depleted first!

This was precisely the Sacred Race's advantage: they required no elaborate planning. With absolute superiority, their strategy was simply to mass their forces and relentlessly push forward.

It was for the other heavens to rack their brains contemplating how to minimize losses, not the Sacred Race.

Indeed, just as the Sacred Race anticipated, Zhou Yuan, who had temporarily assumed overall command while Cang Yuan continued to engage the Ancient Saint of Thunder Command, was constantly overwhelmed by the Sacred Race's relentless, life-for-life advance.

Although the Sacred Race's advance was arduous, Cangxuan Heaven's defending forces incurred heavy casualties. Beyond the losses among Law Domain experts, even Saints began to fall.

While the fall of a Saint invariably meant similar losses for the Sacred Race, they could continuously receive reinforcements, whereas Cangxuan Heaven had no further Saint reinforcements available.

This was because Cangxuan Heaven was not the sole target; the other four Heavens were also embroiled in conflict.

Zhou Yuan understood this was the Sacred Race's tactic: trading lives until all the Heavens utterly collapsed...

This was an overt, undeniable strategy.

No strategy could impede it, and it was a tactic that instilled the most helplessness and despair.

Thus, even Zhou Yuan had to forcibly suppress the urge to calculate their own casualties, instead leading by example, fighting valiantly and bathed in blood on the front lines.

Under these brutal circumstances, the war continued for a year.

Throughout that year, Zhou Yuan did not suppress war news. Instead, he continuously provided updates to Cangxuan Heaven, ensuring countless beings knew the front-line situation.

Thus, all beings in Cangxuan Heaven understood the direness of the front lines, knowing that Law Domain experts and Saints from all the Heavens were fighting bloody battles there, striving to repel the Sacred Race's invasion beyond Cangxuan Heaven's borders.

Yet, the Sacred Race's advance was relentlessly firm and heavy.

They advanced inch by inch, treading upon blood-stained ground, drawing ever closer to Cangxuan Heaven.

Countless beings, unable to join the fight, could only pray day and night, hoping to alleviate their fear.

Amidst this great upheaval, Law Domain experts continuously emerged from the Genesis Pagoda. As soon as they broke through, they would ascend with bloodshot eyes, heading straight for the war's front lines.

They understood perfectly well that Law Domain experts were little more than cannon fodder in a war of this magnitude. However, they understood even more profoundly that while Cangxuan Heaven was vast, they had no path of retreat.

They had benefited from Cangxuan Heaven's full support within the Genesis Pagoda; having now achieved breakthroughs, it was only natural that they must pay the price.

For this, they were willing.

For their sects and families still lived within this realm.

They did not wish for the Sacred Race to invade this realm and treat their sects and families like mere livestock, slaughtering and enslaving them at will.

Yet, even with all of Cangxuan Heaven united in repelling the Sacred Race, this had little significant impact on the overall situation.

A year later, with countless elite Sacred Race powerhouses relentlessly pressing forward, the layers of super barriers, on which Cangxuan Heaven's defending forces relied for strategic advantage, were finally and completely breached by the Sacred Race.

From that moment on, Cangxuan Heaven's defending forces utterly lost their strategic advantage.

Within the defensive perimeter.

Zhou Yuan, covered in blood, gazed at the collapsed super barrier and the Sacred Race army pouring out like a tide. He wearily rubbed his face, then turned to look at the many figures behind him.

Before him were familiar faces: Grand Elder Wanzu, Grand Elder Zixiao, and also Su Youwei, Wu Yao, Zhao Mu Shen, Li Chunjun, and Chu Qing.

After over a year of bloody combat, they were fortunate not to have fallen, but their bodies were riddled with wounds, and even a Saint's physique was difficult to heal immediately.

Zhou Yuan looked at the group, forced a smile, then took a deep breath and roared like thunder.

"May all the Heavens know peace."

"May you all return safely."

"May we wipe out the Sacred Race!"

As the roar faded, Zhou Yuan's figure transformed into a streak of light, launching a powerful offensive to meet the Sacred Race army.

"Wipe out the Sacred Race!"

Countless roars echoed from behind as a mighty torrent surged forward, erupting in this final defensive line.

The bloodshed was immense.

It was precisely as the bloodshed stained the final defensive line crimson.

Great Zhou City, Royal Palace.

Deep within the Royal Palace, shrouded by a barrier.

The palace halls still bore some red lanterns, though they were tattered, stripped of any festive cheer, and now appeared desolate.

A central hall had remained tightly shut for many years.

In the flower garden before the hall, all the blossoms had withered, leaving it eerie and dim.

That large door, tightly shut for many years and adorned with red auspicious characters, suddenly trembled slightly. Dust shook free and danced in the sunlight.

A creak.

As dust danced, the door slowly began to open.

On the door, the large red auspicious characters, which had faded considerably, seemed to be quietly wiped away by an invisible force, vanishing instantly as if they had never existed in this world.

From within the room, a slender figure stepped out.