Chapter 1115: Laughing Off the Immortal Alliance
Chapter 1115: Laughing Off the Immortal Alliance
Whether one looked with their eyes or scanned with spiritual sense, these golden phantoms were utterly indistinguishable from real cultivators. It was impossible to tell which were real and which were illusions.
Within moments, the skies above the Spirit Wood Realm teemed with the figures of the golden-armored cultivators. Their mission, it seemed, wasn't merely to attack, but to gather detailed intelligence for the main army that would follow.
"What's your take on this golden armor?" Li Fan asked Fang Zaiji calmly.
Fang Zaiji squinted, studying them for a moment before replying with a touch of pride, "It's nothing more than a sophisticated illusion. For a second, I thought the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had actually managed to develop armor that could endlessly replicate itself!"
"A few probing attacks are all it will take to shatter the illusion and locate the original," Fang Zaiji declared, his voice brimming with confidence.
"It seems that with the technological support from the Tianji Realm, our art of artifact refining has already surpassed that of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance." Satisfied with the answer, Li Fan waved a hand, signaling that Fang Zaiji's test wouldn't be necessary.
A vast, arcing sphere of light materialized between the sky and earth of the Spirit Wood Realm, enveloping the entire world.
Intricate metallic patterns shifted and morphed across the sphere's surface.
"Boom!"
The muzzles locked onto the golden-armored cultivators swarming the sky. Then, with a thunderous roar, countless beams of black light erupted from them!
Before this black light, which pulsed with an aura of pure annihilation, the golden-armored cultivators stood no chance. In an instant, they were torn to shreds, utterly obliterated from existence.
A single volley annihilated more than half of the countless golden phantoms.
The terrifying spectacle caused the remaining golden-armored cultivators to freeze in mid-air for a split second.
In that brief moment of hesitation, another volley descended upon them.
Before the black rays of death, their golden armor proved as fragile as paper.
Every last golden phantom in the Spirit Wood Realm was wiped from existence.
"The Tianji Fortress, combined with the Sky Splitting Cannons modeled after those of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance," Li Fan thought. "There's no need to bother with their fancy illusions. No matter how many they create, we just have to destroy them all."
"A classic case of overwhelming force trumping elaborate tactics," he mused.
He took a moment to check the energy reserves of the Tianji Fortress.
The fortress was fused with the Spirit Wood Realm itself. The countless animated corpses in the plaza, ceaselessly circulating the Common Lives Spirit Essence Art, along with the vast number of cultivators across the various lesser worlds, were constantly feeding it Source Power. After a long period of accumulation, the reserves had reached an astonishing level.
Li Fan estimated they had enough power to sustain volleys of that magnitude for seven days and seven nights straight.
"Whatever you have left, bring it on," Li Fan thought, his gaze fixed coldly on the pulsating spatial rift.
Having lost two vanguard forces in quick succession, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance seemed to grow more cautious.
This time, after only a brief pause, they finally dispatched their true elite forces.
Even before anything appeared, a palpable, surging wave of killing intent washed over them from the rift.
The rift suddenly tore open wider. Li Fan's heart lurched, and he immediately activated the fortress's defensive systems.
Instantly, the arcing shield of light shuddered violently. Ripples, like waves on water, spread across its surface. It took several long moments for the shield to absorb the inexplicable impact.
Li Fan checked the reserves, and his eyelid began to twitch.
The fortress's energy reserves, which he had just deemed more than sufficient, had been drained by a full sixth in that single, unseen blow!
And the attacking force from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had yet to even reveal itself!
"What was that?" Li Fan's eyes narrowed.
His subordinates in the Spirit Wood Realm also sensed the unseen threat, their expressions growing tense and uneasy.
"My Lord, be careful," Liu Ruchen warned in a low, somber voice. "I fear the enemy is already here."
He had barely finished speaking when the fortress's light shield shuddered violently once more.
The impact was even more ferocious this time, and the shield dimmed noticeably as it absorbed another assault from the unknown foe.
Li Fan knew that without the fortress's protection, the Spirit Wood Realm would have been torn to pieces by now.
Yet, despite two powerful attacks, they still had no idea what kind of enemy they were facing.
"As expected of the organization that controls half the Xuanhuang Realm. They really do have trump cards I've never encountered, even after countless lifetimes." Faced with such a troublesome foe, Li Fan felt a thrill of excitement rather than alarm.
In his mind, making this discovery would be worth it, even if it cost him the entire Spirit Wood Realm.
Still, the Spirit Wood Realm now housed the combined forces of many ancient, surviving cultivation realms. It would not fall so easily.
While the others remained utterly baffled, Daoist Bai Hua, after a period of careful observation, had a breakthrough.
"This method of attack..." she began. "I believe a friend of mine spoke of it once."
"A ferocious beast that lurks in the void, feeding on the continents of cultivation worlds. It is invisible to the naked eye, and a single swipe of its claw possesses the power to shatter a world..."
"If I am not mistaken, we are facing a void behemoth known as Annihilation."
"In truth, it is not a living creature in the conventional sense," Daoist Bai Hua explained quickly. "It is the spontaneous manifestation of a certain cosmic law from the Star Sea."
"My friend's world was once attacked by such a terrifying entity while adrift in the void after the Great Calamity."
"The method for dealing with it is quite simple. Annihilation is only interested in cultivation worlds that teem with life. It pays no mind to barren, lifeless lands."
"I just never imagined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance could control such a creature, one that acts purely on principle, and weaponize it."
Any trace of contempt Daoist Bai Hua might have felt for the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance after their first two failures vanished, replaced by a grave solemnity in her eyes.
Hearing this, the eyes of the others lit up with understanding.
Their gazes turned in unison to Li Fan.
Concealing the life force of an entire world was no difficult task for him.
After a moment of thought, as the Annihilation beast continued its relentless assault on the fortress—whose energy reserves had now dropped to a third—the light shield began to emit a soft, silver glow.
Through the combined power of the Tianji Fortress and the Spirit Wood Realm's grand array, the life force of the entire world began to fade, just moments before the shield was completely overwhelmed.
Everyone held their breath, waiting.
After all, a monster like Annihilation—invisible, yet ferociously powerful—was an exceptionally difficult foe to face.
Fortunately, Daoist Bai Hua's assessment proved correct.
Having lost its ability to sense their life force, the terrifying behemoth seemed to lose its target.
The attacks ceased.
The third engagement ended in a pyrrhic victory for the Spirit Wood Realm.
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