Chapter 1935: Defection at the Last Moment

Day after day passed.

With the support of the Demon Sect Formation Breaking Tune, Saint Jinyang and the rest had continuously sustained their techniques for over ten days. Coupled with the Ancient Demon's intervention, the massive golden barrier was being devoured and eroded at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Saint Long spoke thoughtfully. "This is progressing much faster than we imagined. If this continues, the emperor's Sarira might be breached in another half a month."

"Then we can only fight a bloody battle." Shao Mengyuan stood in mid-air with sword in hand, quietly watching Saint Jinyang and the others who were frantically attacking from the outside.

He paused, then swept a glance at Lang Daochun and sneered. "Your Saint Demon camp sure is clever. Only you showed up this time."

"Is it not enough that I came alone?" Lang Daochun snorted. "I alone account for ninety-five percent of the immense Saint Demon camp. My arrival means the Saint Demon camp has arrived. If I die, the Sacred Demon camp will cease to exist hereafter."

That statement was actually the truth.

Shao Mengyuan did not refute him. He had merely wanted to voice a brief complaint out of sheer frustration. The current mood of the cultivators from all factions was exceptionally heavy. If not for the Demon Sect Formation Breaking Tune, the likes of the Ancient Demon and Saint Jinyang wouldn't have been able to maintain their techniques for such a long period. The day the Sarira broke would have been deferred, allowing them more time to prepare and devise countermeasures.

But now, under the leadership of the Ancient Demon, an existence vastly superior to a half-step Heavenly Dao, the offensive of Saint Jinyang and the others had already posed an immense threat to the golden light. Once the golden light shattered, it would be a scene of a pack of tigers descending upon the mountain.

"The others are easy enough to deal with, but the Ancient Demon will require a fair bit of extra effort."

Yun He frowned. "That sword of yours, can it still slash?"

Fang Zhentian sighed. "I don't know if it can cut through this thing. If it can damage his Inner Domain, that's one thing, but I'm afraid it won't even scratch a single hair."

Shao Mengyuan's expression shifted. "Senior, what if we use this sword in my hand? The origin of this sword is extraordinary. It is..."

"It was the Destiny Sword of Saint Fatian of the Asura Race from the God Realm back then." Fang Zhentian caught the conversation. "Later on, he accidentally perished, and this sword fell into your hands. Ultimately, you used this sword to establish the God Slaying Army, which is responsible for guarding the twenty-six realms."

Upon hearing that, Venerable Yufu couldn't help but laugh via voice transmission. "Saint Fatian? Fatian, the senior this elder mentions shares the same name as you, though you are a Venerable while he was a Saint."

Venerable Fatian rolled his eyes. How could that be the same?

He looked toward the God-Cleaving Sword in Shao Mengyuan's hand with a trace of curiosity.

This sword could elevate the a ninth-transformation cultivator to the level of a half-step Heavenly Dao, while simultaneously strengthening the combat power of the soldiers under its wielder. It was hard to imagine how powerful the original master of this sword must have been back then.

A faint trace of desolation suddenly flickered in Venerable Fatian's eyes.

He had also once walked the path of the sword. Only... that path had led nowhere.

Shao Mengyuan wore a strange expression. "Since you know the origin of the God Slaying Sword, then this sword—"

Fang Zhentian shook his head. "This sword is useless. If you intend to use this sword to slash the Ancient Demon's Inner Domain, I'm afraid it still falls somewhat short."

"That might not necessarily be the case..."

Shao Mengyuan seemed unconvinced. He stole a glance at the Ancient Demon. "The Inner Domain that fellow condensed probably is not stable at all. Perhaps it really can be slashed to pieces. If we can deal with him, the remaining likes of Saint Jinyang might not necessarily be able to suppress us in a short time. Lastly..."

His gaze landed upon Little Immortal Honglian. "If we can bring the Demon Sect Formation Breaking Tune to a halt, we will still have a chance to turn the tables. Though it is slim, at least it won't be a situation of certain death."

"We can only do so."

Everyone felt that their chances of victory weren't particularly high, but aside from this plan, there seemed to be no other option.

***

Day after day passed.

Every single day was a torment for them. They watched as the golden light of the Sarira was eaten away inch by inch.

Motian Dizang suddenly lifted her head to look up. "The aura of the Eighteen Heavens Prison Tower is just about to settle down completely."

The crowd cast a casual glance toward the Eighteen Heavens Prison Tower, not paying it much mind. Under normal circumstances, this item would certainly be capable of influencing the situation in the Underworld. However, as the situation became clear and every faction laid out all their trump cards, the influence the Eighteen Heavens Prison Tower could exert on the Underworld seemed utterly negligible in their eyes.

A thought stirred within Fang Chen's mind. About two more days

***

The two days quickly passed.

Without needing the Ancient Demon and his cohort to break their way in, his side could actively declare war.

Qiang!

Suddenly, a dizzying note rang out from the zither. Everyone only felt a sharp pain in their eardrums. That zither note was far too piercing, completely different from the surging and rousing Demon Sect Formation Breaking Tune from before!

Little Immortal Honglian maintained a calm and composed expression, her hands continuously plucking at the zither strings. One piercing, urgent note after the other replaced the Demon Sect Formation Breaking Tune.

At the same time, the black liquid on the bodies of the Ancient Demon, Saint Jinyang, and the others suddenly began to churn frantically, as though it wanted to overflow entirely to wrap around them in a deathly grip.

This sudden turn of events forced them to halt their actions immediately. Consequently, the pressure bearing down upon the emperor's Sarira light instantly diminished by ninety-five percent.

The Ancient Demon suddenly snapped his head toward Little Immortal Honglian, emitting a sharp, piercing shriek from his mouth. "My dear daughter!?"

The condition upon his body was the most violent. Those black liquids seemed to have gone mad, fighting with the Ancient Demon to seize control over his body. That caused his expression to continuously turn agonizingly painful, forcing him to employ his full strength to combat this sudden wave of backlash.

Saint Jinyang and the others fared even worse. They didn't even have the time to figure out what had transpired before they immediately began to contend with the black liquid on their own bodies, closing their eyes and remaining completely motionless, occasionally letting out muffled roars from their throats.

Upon hearing the Ancient Demon's shriek, Little Immortal Honglian's face turned slightly pale. Following that, she still continued to play the tune expressionlessly, completely ignoring him.

At the same time, the God Decree Ranking cultivators under Lu Fengshen's command, as well as the human cultivators under the various alliances, all began feeling physical discomfort. Their qi became obstructed, forcing them to stop what they were doing.

Taking advantage of this window, the golden Sarira light that had been eaten away was now slowly recovering.

Such a sudden twist left the cultivators within the golden light utterly dumbfounded.

"Splendid! Junior Sister Hongzhi truly lives up to being an Enlightenment Core disciple!"

The Enlightenment Core disciples felt immensely gratified.

To suddenly turn the tables at a time like this, using the zither music divine ability to deal with the Ancient Demon, Saint Jinyang, and the others. Her goal was clear—it was to buy them time! At the same time, she had placed herself in an extremely hazardous predicament.

Xie A'man cast a sidelong glance at Fang Chen. "Old Nine made the right decision when he let her leave back then."

Fang Chen's expression was incomparably grave. He also hadn't expected Little Immortal Honglian to turn her spearhead around to deal with the Ancient Demon's party at this juncture. Had he been able to foresee this beforehand, he certainly wouldn't have agreed to her plan. The Eighteen Heavens Prison Tower was just about to become operational. There was absolutely no need for her to take such a risk. It was just that everything was already too late.

The only hope now rested upon Little Immortal Honglian's methods to be able to suppress the Ancient Demon and the others for two days, stalling until the moment he could utilize the Eighteen Heavens Prison Tower. Otherwise... she would be in mortal danger!

As though sensing Fang Chen's gaze upon her, Little Immortal Honglian suddenly lifted her head, offering Fang Chen a radiant, sweet smile. This smile was like a breath of spring wind, melting away the ten thousand years of frost upon her face.