Chapter 2594: Supreme Treasure Azure Mirror

From a distance, the two blood-red hands appeared to be merely condensed from fresh blood, yet they were incredibly solid.

Shouzhu, employing the Saint Slaying Heavenly Array, wielded unparalleled power, yet he couldn't break through the two blood-red hands instantly. This was because the hands were constantly repairing themselves at an incredibly fast rate.

Moreover, during this time, the massive rift was slowly widening as the two blood-red hands pulled it from both sides.

Seeing this, Shouzhu intensified his offensive. He knew that if he failed to achieve his goal, severe trouble would follow, so he spared no effort.

The power of his six Dao artifacts was unleashed to their utmost. Amplified by the Universe-grade Unity Orb and supported by the Saint Slaying Heavenly Array, Shouzhu's current strength within the realm was almost unrivaled, save for the Ten Great City Lords.

The repair speed of the blood-red hands clearly couldn't keep up with the rate of destruction.

The rift that had been pulled open also showed signs of slowly closing.

Within a radius of hundreds of thousands of miles in the void, a rain of blood fell, and thick, crimson hues filled the air.

Lu Ye watched in awe, feeling that if things continued this way, Shouzhu could indeed, by himself, nip this crisis in the bud.

However, he then thought: Lian had just said that since Xuejiu had already subtly made a move, it was impossible he hadn't considered Shouzhu City's hidden strength.

What kind of subsequent countermeasures would this Ten Great City Lord, hidden behind the wormhole, have?

As Lu Ye was thinking this, Shouzhu unleashed his might, severing one of the blood-red hands with a single strike. He quickly redirected his focus and attacked the other blood-red hand with all his might.

His previous attacks were not directed at just one blood-red hand, but simultaneously targeted both. He knew that in this situation, severing only one hand was useless; as long as Xuejiu lived, the blood-red hands would have infinite power to regenerate.

Therefore, to resolve the crisis, both blood-red hands had to be severed within an extremely short time. Only then could this spatial area have a chance to self-repair.

He had already achieved half his goal!

The other blood-red hand was also shattered by his previous attacks. Only one final blow was needed!

At this moment, his six Dao artifacts simultaneously shone brightly, striking the last blood-red hand almost at the same time. Six surges of violent power erupted at a single point.

Shouzhu roared even louder, "Break!"

Yet, in that very instant, the blood-red hand that was almost severed suddenly flipped its palm, and a gleaming mirror abruptly appeared.

Shouzhu's colossal figure was reflected in the mirror.

"Damn it, it's the Firmament Mirror!" Yuan Xi's expression changed.

Lu Ye didn't know what the Firmament Mirror was. He only knew that Shouzhu was probably in trouble now. When this inexplicable mirror appeared, he understood that Xuejiu's trump card had arrived.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, the reflection of Shouzhu in the mirror replicated his previous furious assault, just a split second slower than the real Shouzhu.

But that very instant rendered Shouzhu's colossal reflection utterly powerless to resist, because this was precisely his brief moment of weakness after unleashing his power.

All his attacks were returned almost exactly as they were.

From within the rift, a sneer could be heard, as if disdainful of Shouzhu's efforts.

The colossal figure of Shouzhu suddenly disintegrated, turning into shimmering specks of light that vanished. Simultaneously, within Shouzhu City, amidst the Saint Slaying Heavenly Array, Shouzhu himself seemed to be struck by lightning. Countless wounds appeared on his body in that instant, blood gushing out like arrows. Not only him, but the entire Saint Slaying Heavenly Array also suffered immense damage, and the numerous cultivators assisting in activating the array were also impacted, sent sprawling.

Shouzhu's aura was significantly weaker than before. He stared at the void ahead with dim eyes, uttering, "The Firmament Mirror!"

When this supreme treasure first appeared years ago, it caused quite a stir in the inner realm. But it vanished not long after.

No one knew where it went. Some speculated it had re-hidden itself, others that it had been subdued by someone, but the truth remained unknown.

Only today did Shouzhu realize that this supreme treasure had fallen into Xuejiu's hands!

He secretly sighed that his loss this time was not unwarranted. With a Ten Great City Lord making a move in secret and even leveraging the power of a supreme treasure, how could he, a Universe-grade City Lord, possibly contend? Saving his life was already a fortunate outcome.

But... there was something strange about this matter.

Xuejiu secretly acting to open a wormhole had a justifiable reason: in the current war in the Snow Plains, Blood Drink City was generally at a disadvantage. Xuejiu, being petty by nature, might well have decided to step in and help.

But to expose his control over the Firmament Mirror just to deal with Shouzhu City was somewhat inconceivable.

Xuejiu had no need to pay such a high price. A supreme treasure unknown to others could play a crucial role at certain times. Xuejiu had kept this secret for over a hundred thousand years, so why expose it now?

Unable to delve deeper, Shouzhu only knew that his city was in great peril this time.

He secretly regretted that he had been too impetuous. In fact, before activating the Saint Slaying Heavenly Array, he had a bad premonition. But he ultimately used it anyway, because using it offered a chance to nip the danger in the bud, whereas not using it would only mean waiting for the situation to worsen.

Now that the outcome was clear, regret was useless.

"Call for reinforcements!" he slowly spoke, issuing the command.

At this moment, Yuan Xi City had moved far away from Shouzhu City, reaching the maximum distance it could escape.

The amplification range that a Deluge-grade city could provide to its City Lord was indeed considerable, but it also had limitations. If they exceeded this limit, Yuan Xi would not receive the amplification from her city's Unity Orb. If, during a major battle, she suddenly moved beyond this range, her strength would plummet, which would be extremely dangerous.

Cracking sounds continued to emanate.

At the massive rift, without Shouzhu's interference, the two blood-red hands reformed and pulled from both sides, continuously widening the rift.

Until it reached a limit, turning into a deep, dark wormhole.

A colossal entity slowly emerged from it, like an ancient beast stepping out of its lair. It was indeed a Unity City, and judging by its size, it was clearly not much smaller than Shouzhu City.

But this Unity City was permeated with a thick, crimson hue. One could tell without even looking that this was a Blood Race Unity City.

"Which city is this?" Yuan Xi asked.

Although her knowledge was extensive, she had mostly remained in Scarlet Smelt City in the past, thus her understanding of Unity Cities wasn't truly comprehensive.

"If I'm not mistaken, it should be the Blood Race's Blackblood City," Lian said, her brows furrowing. "This is also a veteran Universe-grade Unity City."

"'Veteran' implied it housed numerous powerful individuals, and not only the City Lord but also figures like the First Vice City Lord, Second Vice City Lord, and potentially more Vice City Lords could receive amplification from the Unity Orb, allowing them to unleash greater strength."

After Blackblood City emerged from the colossal wormhole, it came to a halt, remotely confronting Shouzhu City across the void. The silent sense of oppression filled all cultivators witnessing this scene with trepidation.

It was rare for two Universe-grade cities to confront each other like this, especially at such close range.

Yet, this wasn't the end. Right behind Blackblood City, another slightly smaller colossal entity slowly emerged.

That was not a city, but a massive insectoid hive!

Insects and Blood races were inseparable. This was true not only in the starry void, but also in both the outer and inner realms. Although Blood Drink City was ruled by Xuejiu, it also housed a large number of insectoid creatures. One could say that this one of the Ten Great Cities belonged to both the Insect and Blood races.

The Blood Race had brought Blackblood City; the Insect Race naturally wouldn't be outdone.

Although this hive was slightly smaller than Shouzhu City and Blackblood City, it was undoubtedly equivalent to a Universe-grade Unity City!

Lian was currently holding a jade slip, quickly examining it. A moment later, she spoke in a solemn voice, "It should be the Blight Cricket Hive!"

Lu Ye's expression grew grim.

Their side currently had only one Universe-grade city, but the enemy had directly brought two. This was only the beginning; even with his vision, he could faintly discern the shadowy outlines of numerous Unity Cities of various sizes behind the wormhole.

No one knew how many enemy Unity Cities would come through the wormhole this time. Moreover, the enemy had planned this for a long time, while their side was caught off guard and unprepared. Shouzhu City this time might truly be doomed, especially after the Saint Slaying Heavenly Array was breached.

Although Lu Ye didn't know Shouzhu's current condition, he surmised that he was likely not unharmed.

In that case, in today's battle, their city's objective was no longer to help Shouzhu City resolve the crisis.

"Fish in troubled waters. If things go south, we leave!" Yuan Xi said, clearly thinking along the same lines as Lu Ye.

Everyone nodded.

It was rare to encounter such a grand spectacle; fleeing immediately was unrealistic. They had to gain some benefits first.

As for Shouzhu City... the situation here was probably already known throughout the Snow Plains. Shouzhu would naturally seek reinforcements, and Eternal City wouldn't stand idly by. They would most likely have a countermeasure.

Beside the wormhole, more and more Unity Cities successively appeared, of various sizes, with many insectoid hives interspersed among them.

In just a short while, the attacking enemy Unity Cities already exceeded three hundred, including several Deluge-grade cities. And as time passed, even more Unity Cities appeared.

It was unknown when Blood Drink City had planned today's battle, but these Unity Cities had clearly been gathered in advance and then advanced through the wormhole.

Considering only the current number of Unity Cities, their side could contend with Shouzhu City's. But in terms of quality, their side was incomparable.

The Unity Cities that had come to Shouzhu City were mostly there to recuperate, all below Deluge-grade, many of them Earth-grade or Heaven-grade, which was a stark contrast to the enemy's much stronger lineup.

In fact, if not for the two enemy Universe-grade cities spearheading the attack, their side could have fully mobilized their collective strength to block the wormhole entrance. In that case, any enemy who dared to emerge would have to face a concentrated assault and would most likely be unable to withstand it.

There might even have been a chance to resolve the crisis.

But with two Universe-grade cities leading the charge, who on their side dared to confront them directly? Even Shouzhu City, their only one, dared not act rashly and could only watch as the enemy forces gathered little by little.

A moment later, the number of enemy Unity Cities that had gathered already exceeded five hundred.

Lu Ye keenly noticed that the wormhole forcefully opened by Xuejiu was beginning to become somewhat unstable. This was a sign that the space in that area was self-repairing.