Chapter 1305: The Unfortunate Souls

A few minutes before the four gods met with Aldrian, the battles had already begun as the two sides finally clashed.

Across the outer region of the desert, battles had already erupted throughout the territory controlled by Tarius' followers. Although Tarius' followers were obviously outnumbered and outmatched, they still relied on their usual hit-and-run strategy.

However, because of the overwhelming number of the attacking forces, their usual strategy was no longer very effective.

In fact, their strategy was failing because many powerful cultivators from the attacking forces could catch them before they even had the chance to retreat.

That was why the situation was truly grim for Tarius' side. Moreover, Tarius' followers could not escape to another territory because every path leading out had already been blocked by Avergis' forces.

With the situation they were currently in, it was only a matter of time before Tarius' side was completely slaughtered, and that moment would come sooner rather than later.

Rumble! Rumble!

"Agghh!"

"Uwaarghh!"

In one part of the territory, a fierce battle broke out as tens of Tarius' followers found themselves trapped, fighting against millions of invading forces. Countless cruisers kept pushing forward even as Tarius' followers desperately tried to hinder their enemies' advance.

However, Tarius' followers were quickly overwhelmed. They could neither escape nor regroup, and were instead slaughtered by the combined attacks of countless cultivators.

But even then, it was not an easy battle for Avergis' side. There had already been many casualties among their ranks. With Tarius' followers fighting desperately, they attacked with no regard for their own lives.

Their fanaticism was clear for everyone to see at this moment. They were willing to do anything to bring down as many of Avergis' followers as possible along with them.

Every single one of them chose to sacrifice themselves after fighting desperately, burning their own life essence to greatly enhance the power of their attacks.

"For our god! Kill as many of them as possible! Don't tarnish the glorious name of God Tarius!"

"Don't give them any chance to counterattack! Keep overwhelming them! Don't let them commit suicide!"

"Uwooh!"

The two sides fought fiercely without caring about anything else. Tarius' side was almost completely decimated, with only a little more than ten of them remaining in this area.

But then, suddenly, countless people saw a mountain rising on the horizon, instantly attracting everyone's attention. The sudden appearance of the mountain was far too conspicuous for anyone to simply ignore, so they unconsciously turned to look at it.

However, not even two seconds later, a red sword energy flashed past the mountain, instantly destroying it. A massive spatial rift could also be clearly seen, showing just how terrifyingly powerful that strike was.

Whoosh! Rumble! Rumble!

A powerful aura burst forth from the mountain's direction and swept across the battlefield as a violent earthquake shook the land when the mountain collapsed. Although they were far away, they could still sense just how terrifying that strike had been.

The strike obviously belonged to Tarius' follower, as the aura was unmistakable to everyone who sensed it.

They wondered what had happened in the distance. The shocking scene disrupted the battle between the two sides, causing both armies to stop fighting for a brief moment.

But not long after the mountain crumbled—

Swooosh!

"Uwahh!"

"Aaghh!"

A violent gust of wind, followed by crimson sword energy, swept across their position. The energy was filled with an overwhelming sword will capable of killing even Immortal Saint cultivators. The terrifying force behind the attack sent every cultivator flying.

Their bodies were torn to shreds at the same time, instantly killing many of them. The countless cruisers were also swept away, with many being destroyed on the spot. Their defenses could not withstand the overwhelming sword will.

The situation truly descended into chaos, sparing neither side. Anyone caught within the range of the attack, whether they were from Tarius' side or Avergis' side, would still die beneath the overwhelming force of the sword will.

The dust and debris from the devastated terrain followed not long after the violent gust of wind. The dust and rubble came from the desert and the highlands that had been swept away by the sword will.

The visibility quickly worsened as thick clouds of dust covered a vast area.

At this moment, fifteen percent of Tarius' followers' territory had already been swept by the overwhelming surge of energy and sword will. The terrain itself had been completely altered, leaving behind countless casualties.

Those who survived suffered injuries of varying degrees. Some had lost their limbs. Others were covered with deep incision wounds. The lightest injuries were suffered by those who had been thrown from the sky by the violent energy before crashing into the ground, leaving their bodies covered in bruises or minor fractures.

One of the commanders from Avergis' side, his body and face covered in blood, slowly stood up. He pushed aside the wreckage of a destroyed cruiser that had buried half of his body.

After standing up, he looked around him, and his eyes widened in shock.

The countless cruisers that had once filled the sky... the millions of cultivators who had come with him... the overwhelming force that could have made any power tremble... the army that was supposed to bring them victory...

All of it was gone.

What he saw was nothing but utter destruction. The once rugged terrain had become a vast stretch of flattened land. Wreckage of cruisers, shattered rocks, and torn earth were scattered everywhere.

Corpses lay strewn across the battlefield, filling his vision. Screams of agony and desperate cries for help echoed from every direction.

The sight truly induced despair.

The commander's eyes trembled as he dropped to his knees.

'What the hell is going on?' he thought in horror.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

He then heard rumbling sounds in the distance, causing him to look toward its source. In the direction of the crumbling mountain, he could see clashes of various-colored energies, and their powerful auras.

Pillars of ice rose into the sky. Flames and wind clashed against lightning. Even dark clouds filled with crackling lightning began to appear as a result of the battle.

Even from where he stood, he could sense just how terrifying the battle was. Then he saw another wave of crimson energy sweep toward the distance. The commander's heart trembled. He could sense another overwhelming sword will unleashed together with that crimson energy.

He knew that the attack had most likely destroyed another area, just like the place where he was standing.

By now, all of the invading forces could sense that a battle had erupted in the direction where the mountain had appeared, and it was a battle far beyond their league.

They knew this was a battle between cultivators from the Higher Heavens, but they were still shocked by how intense it was.

This was completely different from any battle they had witnessed in the past.

Unfortunately, not all of them were fortunate enough to avoid being caught in the aftermath.

The clash between Aldrian and the other gods had already devastated half of Tarius' followers' territory. The casualties caused by their battle, especially by Aldrian's devastating attacks, had already reached the millions.

Those who had not been affected by Aldrian's attacks quickly learned of the destruction across many parts of the territory and how it had claimed countless lives. They decided to pull back to prevent any more casualties from being caught in the battle.

Tarius' followers did not pursue them and instead maintained their positions. They looked toward the battle in the distance and saw that the sky was already filled with spatial rifts. The violent clashes had even created a spatial storm, yet it showed no signs of slowing the battle.

They wondered whether the Northern Emperor was fighting, but the aura they sensed was completely different.

The battles across the territory already ceased, as everyone turned their attention toward the battle on the horizon.

The clash continued for more than thirty seconds before they suddenly saw a giant golden sword descending from the firmament.

The sword was enormous, large enough to cover an entire city. The aura it exuded was truly terrifying, causing the hearts of everyone who saw it to tremble. Even from their position, they could already feel the overwhelming pressure.

The power contained within it might as well have been enough to obliterate the entire region.

The giant sword continued descending, but then something even more astonishing happened.

A gigantic crimson sword energy swept across the sky, and the moment it collided with the giant golden sword, it instantly split it in half.

The giant sword shattered into countless fragments, while the crimson sword energy continued soaring into the heavens until it tore through space itself, creating another enormous spatial rift that made the sky appear to have an eye.

The dark eye of the void.

After that, everything suddenly fell silent. There were no more signs of fighting. The spatial rifts in the sky slowly closed one after another before the sky finally returned to its normal state. The dark clouds had already disappeared.

Countless people waited for the next few seconds.

After seeing no further signs of battle, they assumed that the fight had come to an end.

However, none of them moved from their positions because they were uncertain about what had happened in the depths of the territory.

Who was the winner of that battle?

---------------------------

At the place where Aldrian and the four gods had fought, the scene could only be described as one of total destruction. There was no desert left anymore, only shattered earth that had formed a gigantic crater, as though a meteor had fallen from the sky.

Various remnants of energy lingered throughout the region.

Burning flames, towering black pillars of ice, and scorched patches of land where lightning had struck were only part of the devastated landscape.

On one side of the crater, a lone man stood there without a single injury.

In front of him knelt another man.

However, the kneeling man's condition was terrible, his body covered in blood and wounds. The standing man was gripping his head firmly to keep him from collapsing.

In the end, Aldrian was the last one standing.