Chapter 1477: Grinding Battlefield

In a vast space engulfed in war, torrents of violent Genesis Qi shot skyward like smoke signals. Domains of Law rose from various points across the land, then crashed into each other, their thunderous roars echoing throughout every corner of the space. From time to time, Domains of Law would burst apart, resembling a grand fireworks display. These explosions marked the fall of powerful Law Domain experts. The war was utterly brutal.

Elsewhere in the void, two powerful figures, imbued with immense might, collided like stars. The ensuing impact shattered the surrounding space. Both figures were forced back, and one of them materialized, revealing Zhou Yuan. He held the Genesis Heavenly Dragon Pen, its tip continuously dripping blood. The blood shimmered with a faint golden light, exuding an incredibly potent aura of power. This was the blood of Saints, and not just from one Saint.

Over the past year or so, Zhou Yuan himself could not recall how many Saints from the Saint Race he had fought. In those life-and-death struggles, the number of One-Lotus Saints who had fallen by his hand already exceeded five. Even some Two-Lotus Saints had been wounded by him. Of course, he had not emerged unscathed. If one could see beneath his clothes, they would find his body covered in hideous, glaring wounds. These wounds, even his Sacred Dragon physique found difficult to heal quickly, and the residual power of the Saints within them constantly corroded his flesh, causing inhuman pain. Yet, Zhou Yuan had no time to resolve the Saint power that had invaded his body, for his enemies had not given him a moment's respite over the past year. In other words, Zhou Yuan's current battle had lasted for a full year!

Despite a year of high-intensity combat leaving him profoundly exhausted, Zhou Yuan's fighting spirit remained fervent. He had witnessed too many Law Domain experts from Cangxuan Heaven face death without fear, solely to delay the blood-stained advance of the Saint Race. At this critical juncture of life and death, no one could afford to retreat. Yet, no matter how desperately he fought, the tide of the battle could not be turned. Over the past year, the super barrier layer they had painstakingly constructed had shattered. Consequently, the defending forces were forced to engage the Saint Race army without the advantage of terrain. The outcome of this clash was unsurprising: the defending forces suffered continuous losses, while the Saint Race army steadily advanced.

Now, with the last defensive line continuously being breached, the space they occupied was effectively the final bastion. Any further retreat would lead them directly into Cangxuan Heaven. At that point, Cangxuan Heaven would be plunged into an ocean of blood and fire. At this moment, even Zhou Yuan felt a sense of powerlessness. He looked up, gazing beyond this space, where two extremely terrifying powers were faintly clashing. Those were Master Cang Yuan and Ancient Saint Zhang Lei. For over a year, Cang Yuan had clearly been held back by Ancient Saint Zhang Lei, rendering him unable to provide any assistance to the main battlefield. There was nothing to be done; the Saint Race's strength was overwhelming, so powerful that it suffocated all the Heavens.

Zhou Yuan turned his head to look in other directions. If one were to categorize the defending and attacking forces in this space by blue and red, they would witness a red tide, imbued with a monstrous bloody aura, encroaching step by step. Although the defending forces had exhausted all their strength, this resistance still appeared too difficult given the vast disparity in overall power.

As Zhou Yuan surveyed the battle situation, a streak of light flashed before him. From within it emerged a black-clad middle-aged man with sunken eyes, looking sinister and ruthless. The terrifying power emanating from his body revealed his peak Two-Lotus Saint Realm strength. "Lord Zhou Yuan," he said indifferently, "no need to look. According to my estimation, it won't be long before my Saint Race army sets foot on the land of Cangxuan Heaven."

This person was named Hei Xun. His strength was comparable to Yan Xu, whom Zhou Yuan had previously defeated, making him the most formidable and difficult enemy Zhou Yuan had encountered recently. Previously, Zhou Yuan had been able to defeat Yan Xu largely due to the reverse amplification from the Heavenly Net Chessboard. However, Hei Xun was much fiercer than Yan Xu; his fights with Zhou Yuan were devoid of fancy tricks, every move a killing blow. The current space was extremely close to Cangxuan Heaven, allowing Zhou Yuan to leverage the power of its world and fight Hei Xun to a standstill. However, he was completely tied down by Hei Xun, unable to provide support anywhere else.

Facing Hei Xun's sinister and chilling gaze, Zhou Yuan slowly tightened his grip on the Genesis Heavenly Dragon Pen. A vast, flood-like power surged behind him, like a cosmic tide, its churning causing the very heavens and earth to shatter.

"Lord Zhou Yuan," Hei Xun said indifferently, "cease your futile resistance. The advance of my Saint Race is something you Heavens cannot withstand. I suggest you surrender to my Saint Race; perhaps then you can even retain your status as a Heavenly Lord."

His answer, however, was thousands of snowy-white brush hairs sweeping out, surging with immense power. They resembled thousands of white dragons, crushing the void as they roared forward.

"Ungrateful," Hei Xun sneered. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes. The next moment, a stern roar echoed through the heavens and earth: "Saint Race army, accelerate your assault! Wash Cangxuan in blood soon!"

As his roar fell, violent killing intent surged skyward from every corner of the battlefield that stretched across this entire space. The Saint Race army's killing intent and morale swelled tremendously. In contrast, Cangxuan Heaven's defending forces plunged deeper into a bitter struggle. The situation was truly disadvantageous to the extreme.

The great melee raged on. As time passed, the defending forces continuously retreated. From a high vantage point, one would see their defensive line compressed into a mere corner. Outside that space, Zhou Yuan could feel Master Cang Yuan's power fluctuating with agitation. Clearly, Cang Yuan had also noticed the defensive line's disadvantage and was attempting to break free from his opponent's entanglement, but Ancient Saint Zhang Lei clearly gave him no such opportunity.

Zhou Yuan, locked in a trembling battle with Hei Xun, felt his eyes gradually turn bloodshot, a surge of grim determination rising within him. Given the current situation, he had to make some breakthrough to affect the overall situation, even if such an effect would only be temporary. Above Zhou Yuan's spiritual root, a Sacred Lotus emerged. The luminous lotus slowly bloomed, shooting forth billions of powerful light-rainbows, a sign that he was about to unleash his power to the absolute extreme. However, a brief burst of such power would inevitably leave him weakened afterward. But at this critical moment, it was clearly a desperate gamble.

Seeing this, Hei Xun let out a cold laugh. "At the end of your rope, fighting like a trapped beast? Zhou Yuan, it's useless. No matter what you do now, you can't change the outcome!"

Zhou Yuan said nothing, the Sacred Lotus dazzling to its extreme, poised to erupt. However, just as the Sacred Lotus was about to unleash its vast power, a deafening beast roar suddenly resounded through this world. The beast roar was so shocking that even the many Saints present felt a deep sense of trepidation at that moment.

And then, to their shock, a section of the void shattered, and a giant purple-gold beast stepped out, opening its colossal mouth like a black hole. From its giant mouth, mysterious black light erupted, and a terrifyingly immense devouring power immediately swept out across the heavens and earth. As that power swept past, countless Law Domain experts in the Saint Race army screamed in horror. Their bodies, the moment they were touched by the black light, suddenly shattered, transforming into countless luminous specks brimming with life force. Even several unfortunate One-Lotus Saints, unable to dodge in time, were swept away by the black light and ultimately swallowed whole by the purple-gold giant beast. With a single gulp from the purple-gold giant beast, a gaping hole was torn in the Saint Race army, an unknown number of its members completely wiped out.

This sudden turn of events utterly shocked both armies, bringing the battlefield to a momentary standstill. Countless horrified gazes stared at the suddenly appearing purple-gold giant beast. The immense power and pressure emanating from its massive body caused the expressions of Saints from both sides to change drastically. Because that level of pressure had astonishingly reached the Three-Lotus Saint Realm! Was this a Three-Lotus Saint Beast?!

Zhou Yuan also stared in utter astonishment at the Three-Lotus Saint Beast that had appeared from nowhere. But then, he noticed that the purple-gold giant beast looked somewhat familiar. A few breaths later, Zhou Yuan's pupils suddenly dilated, and a look of disbelief appeared on his face. He finally recognized it: the purple-gold giant beast was Tun Tun's battle form! How had it reached the Three-Lotus Saint Realm?! Zhou Yuan recalled that Tun Tun had previously entered a state of secluded slumber alongside Yaoyao. And now, Tun Tun had awakened. That meant... Yaoyao should have awakened too, right?

Zhou Yuan's heart trembled violently. Even when facing the Saint Race army about to breach the defensive line, he had not felt fear, but now, a sudden surge of panic made his entire body tremble. What had happened to Yaoyao?