Chapter 250: This Time, Will You Die or Not

The cultivators of the Soaring Heavens Sect knew of the Flood Dragon's existence, but none had ever fought it. Therefore, no one knew what abilities this snake demon truly possessed.

Until now!

Feigning weakness, the Flood Dragon suddenly unleashed its power after luring the Soaring Heavens Sect cultivators dozens of yards out. Its previous feebleness was merely a ploy to draw the enemies beyond the protective range of the grand formation.

As several bolts of lightning struck, the attacks of the spell cultivators ceased, and the Flood Dragon finally found a moment to breathe. It opened its mouth, aimed at the dense streams of flying artifacts swirling around it, and spewed a cloud of emerald green snake mist.

A chorus of gasps erupted as the weapon cultivators and ghost cultivators, who were controlling their artifacts to attack, were horrified to discover that their connection with their spiritual artifacts had been severed.

Cultivators could control artifacts because, upon reaching the seventh realm, they could control their detached spiritual energy. They would pre-store spiritual energy within these artifacts, then release and manipulate it when needed—this was the method of artifact control. Of course, this was how Spirit Stream Realm cultivators controlled artifacts. Once cultivators became powerful enough, they would develop divine sense, eliminating the need for such complicated procedures. Grand cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm directly controlled artifacts with their divine sense, making their attacks more formidable and flexible.

Therefore, the key to artifact control for Spirit Stream Realm cultivators lay in manipulating the spiritual energy stored within the artifacts.

However, the emerald green snake mist was intensely corrosive; even the Soaring Heavens Sect's protective grand formation struggled to withstand it. What more could be expected of spiritual artifacts of varying quality? The moment they were enveloped by the snake mist, most of the spiritual energy stored within them was corroded, naturally severing the connection between the cultivators and their artifacts.

A cascade of clattering sounds filled the air as countless spiritual artifacts dropped like dumplings from the sky. In this single instance, at least a hundred artifacts lost control.

The Flood Dragon spewed a few more mouthfuls of snake mist, causing even more artifacts to plummet.

The spiritual artifacts lucky enough to escape the snake mist's corrosion were swiftly recalled by their masters, who dared not act recklessly in front of the beast any longer.

This sudden turn of events made it difficult for the Soaring Heavens Sect's spell cultivators to cast spells, and the artifact control of the weapon cultivators and ghost cultivators also lost its deterrence. In other words, the Soaring Heavens Sect's long-range offensive capabilities were directly suppressed.

Zou Qi's mind buzzed, feeling a chill surge straight to his scalp.

The Flood Dragon lowered its head, its emerald snake eyes glinting with cruelty. It gave a slight flick of its body, and its enormous tail, like a solid wall, slammed towards the body cultivators who stood at the forefront.

The body cultivators had been prepared for a long time. Their vital energy surged on their bodies, and their defensive spiritual artifacts glowed brightly. Each stood firm and steady as a mountain.

With a thunderous crash...

The spiritual artifacts' light dimmed considerably. Some defensive artifacts of insufficient quality shattered into flying fragments from this single blow. Several body cultivators were also sent flying, each spewing blood and looking utterly dejected in mid-air.

Only a handful of ninth-realm body cultivators managed to withstand this ferocious strike, but even they were forced to retreat uncontrollably, their bodies trembling violently.

The attack of a beast like the Flood Dragon was simply beyond their endurance. If not for their sheer numbers, that single blow alone would have caused those few body cultivators to perish on the spot.

This was not the end. After one strike, the Flood Dragon's long tail lifted high again and crashed down onto the crowd with a tremendous impact.

Those who reacted quickly managed to escape, while those who were slow were directly smashed into oblivion, meeting a truly miserable end.

Since the Flood Dragon's counterattack, a mere few strikes had instantly disrupted the Soaring Heavens Sect's formation. Its tail rose and fell repeatedly, with each blow resulting in another death.

As if finding it insufficient, the Flood Dragon lowered its head and bit a soaring weapon cultivator in half amidst the cultivator's terrified screams.

Blood gushed from the snake's mouth. The visual impact of this scene was too intense, causing many cultivators to break down on the spot.

Being struck by lightning or crushed by the Flood Dragon's tail was one thing, but being directly bitten to death by such a monstrous maw was simply horrifying.

"Run!" someone shrieked, unable to bear it any longer.

"Who's shouting?!" Zou Qi, eyes red with fury, roared. If not for the extreme chaos, he would have found and killed the instigator. Shaking morale at such a critical juncture was utterly detestable. "No one is to run! Spell cultivators, cast your spells quickly! Weapon and ghost cultivators, deploy your talismans! Body cultivators, hold it back with me!"

He was originally positioned at the rear, directing the battle, but at this moment, he could no longer afford such caution. He charged directly forward, knowing that if he, as the garrison commander, did not do something, their formation would completely collapse, making it impossible to withstand the Flood Dragon's rampage.

The Flood Dragon was indeed powerful, but the several hundred cultivators of the Soaring Heavens Sect were not soft persimmons to be easily crushed.

Seeing Zou Qi personally join the fray, the panicked cultivators slowly regained their composure. The spell cultivators finally broke free from the lightning's interference, their spiritual energy surging as they unleashed their spells once more.

The weapon and ghost cultivators, having lost their artifact control, began to take out spiritual talismans.

Meanwhile, the group of body cultivators led by Zou Qi stood firm in front of the Flood Dragon, silently enduring its wrath.

From a distance, in front of the massive snake's body, tiny figures like ants were scattered across an area. Multi-colored lights continuously struck from behind, causing the Flood Dragon to hiss in pain. The scene was spectacular.

It must be said that Zou Qi was indeed an extraordinary individual. In such a dire situation, he decisively charged forward, leading by example, preventing his side's morale from collapsing. And after paying a considerable price, the situation was truly stabilized by the Soaring Heavens Sect cultivators!

Being able to hold the position of garrison commander for a sect's outpost was indeed no mere coincidence.

When their spiritual talismans ran out, the weapon and ghost cultivators, among others, charged forward with their spiritual artifacts, continuously hacking at the Flood Dragon's body under the cover of the body cultivators. Even though a single casual strike from the Flood Dragon could annihilate them, they pressed on without hesitation.

The Flood Dragon's scales possessed extremely strong defensive power, hard as steel. Yet, even the most robust defense could not withstand the fearless attacks of the enraged cultivators.

The casualties among the Soaring Heavens Sect cultivators were mounting, but the Flood Dragon's injuries were also increasing. Its massive body was covered in dense wounds, and many of its scales had already fallen off.

If the situation continued to develop this way, the attacking Flood Dragon might genuinely be repelled. However, it was unrealistic for the Soaring Heavens Sect cultivators to kill it, because if it sensed something was amiss, the Flood Dragon would certainly flee.

To single-handedly confront hundreds of a sect's cultivators, many of whom were at the eighth or ninth realm, the Flood Dragon truly deserved its reputation as the strongest demonic beast in the Spirit Stream battlefield.

Even if Little Ash were here, it couldn't perform better.

But the situation would certainly not continue this way.

Just as the Soaring Heavens Sect's morale soared, the silhouette of a large ship suddenly entered their vision. The ship flew in mid-air, dozens of yards above the ground, its speed neither too fast nor too slow.

At the bow of the large ship, an emblem familiar to the Soaring Heavens Sect cultivators was carved.

That emblem represented Silverlight Island!

On the deck, Luo Fu's figure was clearly visible.

The people from Silverlight Island had arrived!

Standing on the deck, Luo Fu channeled spiritual energy into his eyes, observing the battle outside the Soaring Heavens Sect's outpost from afar. He discovered that it was indeed exactly as Hao Ren had reported in real-time. Overjoyed, he couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Heaven truly helps me! Soaring Heavens Sect... this time, you're doomed!"

Behind him stood a group of Silverlight Island cultivators, all eager for action.

Zou Qi, who had been leading the charge, turned ashen.

Their outpost was under attack by the Flood Dragon, and their cultivators were suffering heavy casualties. At this critical juncture, their mortal enemy, Silverlight Island, suddenly appeared with their entire sect. There was no worse news in the world than this.

Last night, when their sect's ore vein was attacked, he suspected Silverlight Island was behind it. He had planned to send people to investigate after dawn, but before they could act, the Flood Dragon launched its assault. Zou Qi was unable to attend to other matters and could only deal with the immediate crisis.

Now, it seemed that Silverlight Island had indeed been responsible for last night's events. They must have been lying in ambush, waiting for an opportunity, and finally could no longer hold back.

Was the Flood Dragon's attack related to Silverlight Island?

Zou Qi didn't know. If there was a connection, it would be terrifying. But if there wasn't, then the Soaring Heavens Sect's luck was simply abysmal!

"Retreat to the outpost!" Zou Qi roared, simultaneously dodging a fierce blow from the Flood Dragon. However, the powerful impact still sent him flying, causing him to fall heavily to the ground and spit out a mouthful of blood.

Facing the Flood Dragon alone, the Soaring Heavens Sect might still have had a fighting chance, but with Silverlight Island joining the fray, they could no longer push their luck.

Almost the instant he gave the order, the protective grand formation opened another breach. The spell cultivators at the rear quickly retreated, followed by the ghost and weapon cultivators, and finally the body cultivators.

The Flood Dragon, already enraged due to its injuries, would not allow the Soaring Heavens Sect members to retreat safely. As the cultivators withdrew, lightning surged from its fleshy horn again, striking down repeatedly and causing rivers of blood to flow in front of the sect's protective grand formation.

In less than an incense stick's time of engagement, the Soaring Heavens Sect suffered nearly a hundred casualties, showcasing the terrifying might of the Flood Dragon.

After unleashing these few lightning bolts, the Flood Dragon's aura noticeably weakened, indicating significant exhaustion. This lightning power could not be used recklessly.

The grand formation closed again, and the pursuing Flood Dragon was once more blocked outside the barrier of light. It slammed against it frantically, its wounds tearing open and bleeding profusely.

On the other side, the approaching large ship from Silverlight Island, under Luo Fu's command, brazenly bypassed the Flood Dragon and the Soaring Heavens Sect's outpost. Under the despairing gaze of the Soaring Heavens Sect cultivators, it descended from the other side.

Figures descended from the large ship, quickly forming a contingent of several hundred people.

The expressions of the Soaring Heavens Sect members grew even more desperate.

The Flood Dragon continued to ram the grand formation, occasionally spewing snake mist, driven by an almost insurmountable obsession for the scales.

The Soaring Heavens Sect could barely withstand the Flood Dragon alone, let alone with Silverlight Island's arrival. Once they also launched an attack, flanking them with the Flood Dragon, the Soaring Heavens Sect's grand formation would collapse even faster.

"Luo Fu, did you lure the Flood Dragon here?"

Inside the grand formation, Zou Qi, with blood at the corner of his mouth and looking utterly disheveled, glared at Luo Fu through the barrier of light, his eyes blazing as he questioned him.

Luo Fu chuckled and replied, "How could my Silverlight Island possess such formidable power? It's merely a coincidence, a fortuitous encounter."