Chapter 1729: The Devouring Extremity of the Mountain and Sea
Just as the Saints had foreseen.
Wave after wave of assaults from Snare's web, like fire forging gold, slowly tempered a truly battle-hardened army.
Of the soldiers who had been there from the very beginning, fewer than a hundred now remained alive.
But the combat prowess they displayed when faced with the abyss of life and death was far beyond anything they could muster under normal circumstances.
Each one could fight as a hundred men, unleashing terrifying and astonishing power.
With these elite veterans as its core, the forces of the Sacred Dynasty gradually swelled into an invincible legion. The main body of this legion consisted of soldiers with slightly less innate combat talent, but their vast numbers meant their overall contribution to the war effort actually surpassed that of the battle-hardened few.
Below them were the common soldiers—the most numerous, the most expendable, and the most easily replenished after each battle.
Like successive layers of a filter, they gradually absorbed and neutralized the impact of Snare's web.
At the same time, this grueling process distilled a formidable army, one that fought and responded to every threat with increasing composure and might.
Since his arrival, the Tai Wei Saint Emperor had displayed no special divine abilities of his own.
Relying entirely on the inherent principles of this Primitive Immortal Realm to guide the situation, coupled with his countless eons of experience as an emperor, he had not only managed to survive.
He was even on the verge of carving out a kingdom for himself within the web that Snare had so painstakingly woven.
Under the existing rules of Snare's web, it seemed impossible to defeat the Tai Wei Saint Emperor, who had already gained an overwhelming advantage.
No matter how many new creations were spawned from this point on, they would merely become nourishment for the ever-growing legion of the Sacred Dynasty.
It was impossible for Snare not to understand this.
And so, the predator quickly decided to reweave its hunting net.
The murderous aura that had permeated the Primitive Immortal Realm suddenly vanished.
In the silence that fell over heaven and earth, all things ceased to move.
At the same time, it seemed that some new rule was taking shape.
With Snare's power, even changing the entire framework of reality would take but a moment.
The opportunity was fleeting, but it was the very chance the Tai Wei Saint Emperor had long awaited to break the stalemate.
Amidst the Sacred Dynasty's army, the Tai Wei Saint Emperor, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, abruptly rose to his feet.
He looked upon the tens of thousands of soldiers surrounding him, his face an impassive mask.
He asked a single question. "My soldiers, are you willing to die for your Emperor?"
Though his voice was soft, it struck the ears of the Sacred Dynasty's soldiers like rolling thunder.
There was no hesitation, no defiance.
In an instant, every soldier dropped to their knees, their voices booming in a unified roar.
"As you command!"
"As you command!"
"As you command!"
As the thunderous declarations of the soldiers still echoed across the skies of the Primitive Immortal Realm...
...their bodies had already transformed into thousands of streams of blood-red light, surging towards the Tai Wei Saint Emperor at their center.
The battle-hardened legion of the Sacred Dynasty dissolved into nothingness.
In its place, the aura of the Tai Wei Saint Emperor began to expand at an astonishing, seemingly infinite rate.
It was worth remembering that the Tai Wei Saint Emperor's power had not been significantly depleted upon his initial arrival.
Through a series of life-and-death struggles, he had, in fact, absorbed a vast amount of nourishment from this Primitive Immortal Realm.
Previously, this power had been scattered among his thousands of soldiers; now, it all converged, returning to the Tai Wei Saint Emperor alone.
A Mountain and Sea Saint had suddenly descended.
He wore a long robe of imperial black, woven with thousands upon thousands of golden dragons. A twelve-tasseled imperial crown sat upon his head, its dark jade bead curtain hanging before his forehead, yet it could not conceal the sharp glint that suddenly erupted in the Tai Wei Saint Emperor's eyes.
At this very moment, as Snare's web was caught in the interstitial gap between rules, the Tai Wei Saint Emperor swept his great sleeve.
The sun and moon stitched into the hem of his robe instantly pulsed with a frenzied, overwhelming aura.
The color of heaven and earth drained away.
It was as if the Tai Wei Saint Emperor had seized the mysterious existence hidden behind Snare's web and, with all his might, torn it asunder!
The world twisted, then shattered, piece by piece.
On the Other Shore, the image witnessed by the Saints abruptly dimmed.
Like a dying firefly, it flickered and struggled for a moment before helplessly extinguishing.
The beam of light projecting from the Tai Wei Sacred Dynasty vanished in an instant.
"What was that...?"
The Saints, startled, turned their gazes toward the Tai Wei Saint Emperor.
"Tai Wei, you have endured much," Lian Shan declared, simultaneously sending a stream of energy toward him.
Li Fan could also see that the moment Snare revealed its true form, the Tai Wei Saint Emperor's avatar was instantly devoured, and his main body also seemed to have been grievously injured.
He followed suit, smoothly transferring a cluster of accumulated True Spirit.
"Snare was notorious even at the Beginning of the Mountain and Sea. Tai Wei only sent an avatar; his instant defeat is to be expected," Lian Shan stated calmly, showing no surprise.
"Though Tai Wei nearly succeeded, his final act forced Snare, hiding behind its web, to reveal a trace of itself. This point is paramount. It is the key for us to break this impasse."
As Gui Hai spoke, another light shone from within the Armillary Ring.
It replayed the events of that final moment, just as Snare's web was torn and before the Primitive Immortal Realm fell into darkness.
Though the image restored by Gui Hai was somewhat blurry...
...one could still discern a figure, as if coiled outside the world, looking down upon the beings trapped within its net.
At the edges of the figure, thousands of shadowy, spider-leg-like tentacles drifted without pattern.
It should have been a lofty, untouchable presence, but because its devouring, concealing web had been torn, it appeared somewhat...
Flustered.
"Although Snare possesses the power to devour mountains and seas, it is fated to hide in the shadows, unable to reveal itself to others."
"Once exposed, not only are its own abilities greatly hindered, but even its unique power to devour mountains and seas is severely diminished for a short time," Gui Hai explained, revealing the reason for Snare's panic.
Seeing the looks of confusion among some of the Saints, he added, "You can consider it a drawback inherent to its devouring ability. At the Beginning of the Mountain and Sea, most powerful beings had similar weaknesses."
"The fundamental reason is the backlash from pushing one's Dao to its absolute extreme in an attempt to transcend the Mountain and Sea itself."
Gui Hai seemed reluctant to elaborate further, mentioning it only briefly.
He then refocused his attention on the captured image.
"Heh, it seems Snare isn't so decisive after all, not daring to bring its true self to the Dao Annihilation-ravaged End of the Mountain and Sea."
"This Snare before us is not its true, complete form. It is an avatar that has gathered the vast majority of its power."
"With such a massive diversion of power, the original Snare at the Beginning of the Mountain and Sea is likely incapable of doing anything but going into seclusion. For Snare, this could be considered an all-or-nothing gamble."
Having apparently made a discovery, the three Saints' words became light and jesting, their tones much more relaxed.
"The Mountain and Sea are one. Since it has been exposed here, someone at the Beginning of the Mountain and Sea must now be aware of its weakened state."
"It won't be long before it is forced to depart."
Lian Shan added, "Knowing it as I do, it must be hesitating right now, caught between returning and staying. We just need to apply a little more pressure, and the siege ahead will surely be broken."
Hearing this, the Saints breathed a collective sigh of relief.
And now, with the successive probes by Stealing Opportunity, All Knowing, Square Inch, and Tai Wei, Snare's nature and weaknesses were largely understood.
Consequently, they were no longer so averse to becoming the next "lucky" candidate.
And so, amidst the boundless starlight, the next to be captured by Qiu Tianhui's Dao of Mountain and Sea Life was...
Li Fan.
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