Chapter 182: Defeat

Wang Changsheng lightly flicked the Mysterious Ice Flag in his hand, unleashing a large swathe of white cold air that surged towards the two black flying daggers. Upon contact with the white cold air, the black flying daggers rapidly froze, swaying precariously in the air as if they could drop at any moment.

A black light flew from a distance, flashing once before appearing directly above Wang Changsheng's head. With a muffled thud, the black light exploded, transforming into hundreds of foot-long black lightning arrows that surged towards Wang Changsheng.

Wang Changsheng quickly dodged, shaking the Mysterious Ice Flag in his hand. A large volley of white ice needles shot out, colliding with the black lightning arrows and erupting in a brilliant flash of lightning. The sheer number of black lightning arrows overwhelmed Wang Changsheng; he couldn't block them all. Some struck his protective barrier, causing it to quickly shatter.

He quickly crossed his hands in front of him to protect his head. Several black lightning arrows struck his body, transforming into a burst of black lightning. Moments later, the black lightning dispersed, revealing his tattered clothes, scorched body, and a patch of blood on his arm. Had he not been a body cultivator, that single strike would have been fatal. Fighting at high altitude offered some advantages, but it also made one an easy target.

The two black flying daggers flared brightly, shattering their icy coatings, then circled back to slash at Wang Changsheng. Wang Changsheng quickly descended to the ground and simultaneously summoned three blue flying daggers to temporarily block the two black ones.

A tall young man in a black shirt observed this, his brow furrowing slightly. "A body cultivator," he mused, "that's quite rare." He patted his spirit beast pouch, and two black centipedes, over three zhang long and bearing four wings on their backs, flew out. Their hard shells appeared to be forged from black gold, each segment gleaming and menacing. With two strange cries, the black centipedes spread their wings and lunged at Wang Changsheng.

Wang Changsheng struggled to fight two at once. He ceased holding back and again summoned three second-order puppet beasts: two flying eagle puppets and one tiger-shaped puppet. After advancing to the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, he could control nine puppet beasts simultaneously. Having previously acquired and consumed a bottle of Soul Nourishing Pills, he could now control ten.

Five flying puppet beasts swooped down from high altitude towards the woman in the green skirt. The tiger-shaped puppet moved its limbs, leaping up and swiftly pouncing on the woman in the green skirt.

A set of magical artifacts functions as a single artifact, but consumes significantly more spiritual sense than a standalone one. The two golden short swords and three blue flying daggers almost simultaneously flared brightly, circling once before slashing towards the woman in the green skirt. Wang Changsheng intended to focus his attack to kill the woman in the green skirt.

"Fu Mei, be careful!" the black-shirted youth urgently shouted a warning, then summoned a black pair of scissors and sent them flying towards Wang Changsheng. The two black flying daggers, the black pair of scissors, and the two second-order centipedes all assailed Wang Changsheng.

The woman in the green skirt's expression changed dramatically. She quickly summoned a green jade bracelet, which flew above her head and spun rapidly. She then slapped a second-order defensive spirit talisman onto her body, causing a shimmering green protective barrier to appear around her.

Before the five second-order flying puppet beasts even fully descended, they unleashed a barrage of spells upon the woman in the green skirt. Dozens of crimson fire blades and blue light swords repeatedly struck the green jade bracelet, with a few hitting the green protective barrier, creating continuous explosions. As five mid-level spells struck her, several tiny cracks appeared on the green jade bracelet's surface. Then, a thick crimson light beam shot forward, hitting the bracelet and rapidly widening the cracks.

When the two golden flying swords and three blue flying daggers struck, the green jade bracelet shattered. The five flying puppet beasts unleashed more spells, striking the green barrier and causing it to flicker violently. As the two golden flying swords and three blue flying daggers slashed through the green barrier, it instantly shattered. The woman in the green skirt felt a sudden chill at her neck, and her head rolled to the ground. Her headless body collapsed, and blood stained the ground red.

At that moment, the two black flying daggers, the black pair of scissors, and the two second-order centipedes also reached Wang Changsheng. Wang Changsheng's form blurred, splitting into seven figures—it was precisely the Nine-Origin Shadow Splitting Technique. Having cultivated the "True Scripture of Gui Shui" to the fifth level, Wang Changsheng could manifest six illusory clones. With several muffled impacts, five of the Wang Changsheng figures were struck down, dissolving into specks of spiritual light.

"Fu Mei!" The black-shirted youth was overcome with grief, his eyes burning with murderous intent as he glared at Wang Changsheng.

A red light flashed, and a thick crimson light beam shot forth. The black-shirted youth quickly summoned a black shield, which began to spin rapidly around him. With a muffled thud, the crimson light beam struck the black shield, which remained perfectly intact. With several whistling sounds, dozens of crimson fire blades and blue light swords rapidly struck the black shield, causing it to shake violently. The black-shirted youth quickly slapped two second-order defensive talismans onto himself, manifesting a green and a blue barrier that enveloped his entire body.

Five flying puppets dove down from high altitude, attacking the black-shirted youth from different directions. With a series of muffled thuds, the flying puppets' massive claws struck the green barrier, causing it to tremble violently. A fierce glint flashed in the black-shirted youth's eyes. With no other options, he could only command his magical artifacts and spirit insects to attack Wang Changsheng.

The two black centipedes each sprayed a stream of black poisonous mist towards Wang Changsheng. Simultaneously, they furiously flapped their wings, each releasing over a dozen black wind blades, while the two black flying daggers and the black pair of scissors also assailed Wang Changsheng. Wang Changsheng quickly summoned a golden shield, which rapidly expanded to several zhang high, blocking his front. He then slapped two more second-order defensive spirit talismans onto himself, creating a thick yellow and a thick blue barrier. These were among the few second-order defensive barriers he had remaining. While he had previously endured attacks from second-order talismans, that was born of desperation, not choice; he wouldn't gamble with his own life.

Now it was a test of who could first break through the other's defenses. Wang Changsheng's chances of victory remained high, with six second-order puppet beasts and two sets of magical artifacts at his disposal. With a muffled thud, the black wind blades, black flying daggers, and black scissors struck the golden shield, creating a cacophony. The black poisonous mist also hit the shield, instantly emitting a puff of green smoke and dimming its light. With another muffled impact, the golden shield shattered. Fortunately, Wang Changsheng still had two defensive barriers, which temporarily held firm.

By this time, the black-shirted youth was barely holding on, his face pale. A small black umbrella hovered above his head, and a thick black light barrier now protected his entire body. Whistling through the air, dozens of crimson fire blades and blue light swords struck the black light barrier. The black light barrier trembled violently and its light dimmed. As the two golden flying swords and three blue flying daggers slashed through it, the barrier shattered, and the black-shirted youth's head was severed by a golden flying sword.

The moment the black-shirted youth died, the two black centipedes rapidly expanded and then exploded, while the three magical artifacts fell to the ground. Wang Changsheng let out a long sigh of relief. Two flying puppets then picked up the two headless corpses and flew towards him. In this battle, Wang Changsheng's spiritual sense was severely depleted. Had his spiritual sense not significantly surpassed that of cultivators at his level, he truly wouldn't have been able to win. He quickly put away his magical artifacts and replaced the spirit stones in his puppet beasts.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed from a distance. Wang Changsheng looked towards the source of the sound, witnessing a massive mushroom cloud rising in the sky. Two breaths later, the mushroom cloud dispersed, revealing Chen Tianming. Chen Tianming was enveloped in a dim green light barrier, and his face was extremely pale. Facing him were two men and one woman. Aside from the red-shirted youth from Hundred Spirits Sect, both the man and the woman were at Foundation Establishment Level 8, and their attire indicated they were cultivators from the Shu Kingdom.

With the Shu Kingdom's alliance, the strength of Wei Kingdom cultivators significantly increased. The combined number of Foundation Establishment cultivators from Wei and Shu far exceeded those from Song, leaving other Foundation Establishment cultivators completely entangled and unable to escape. Chen Tianming struggled greatly, fighting one against three.

"Wu Zifeng, if you're so capable, fight me one-on-one. What's the point of needing help?" Chen Tianming said with a gloomy face. A hint of mockery played on the red-shirted youth's lips. With a horizontal slash of the red saber in his hand, dozens of crimson saber energies whistled through the air and surged towards Chen Tianming. As Chen Tianming was about to cast a defensive spell, the female cultivator from the Shu Kingdom turned her hand and produced a palm-sized purple bell. The bell, adorned with a centipede pattern, emitted a melodious ringing as she gently shook it, making the centipede design appear to come alive. Upon hearing the sound, Chen Tianming's eyes glazed over for a moment, but he quickly regained his clarity just as dozens of crimson saber energies reached him.

"No..." With a desperate scream, Chen Tianming was sliced into a heap of minced flesh by the dozens of crimson saber energies.

It was unclear who initiated it, but first the Foundation Establishment cultivators, then the Qi Condensation cultivators, all rushed towards Immortal Fate City. Cultivators from the Wei and Shu Kingdoms seized the opportunity to pursue, slaughtering hundreds of cultivators from the Song Kingdom. Wang Changsheng ran quickly, fleeing back to Immortal Fate City with the main group.