Chapter 934: The Five Venerates' Setback
Chapter 934: The Five Venerates' Setback
After breaking through the Heavenly Venerates’ obstruction, the great net of Sky Patrolling Arrows instantly reverted into nearly ten thousand slender, silver-white shafts of light.
They then shot across the sky, streaking towards the various provinces of the Five Elders Association.
Although many cultivators from the Five Elders Association attempted to intercept them, the sheer number of Sky Patrolling Arrows was overwhelming. Moreover, each arrow possessed power equivalent to a strike from a Dao Integration cultivator. The attack was so sudden that even the Dao Integration masters of the Five Elders Association found it no easy task to block them all.
And so, like a brilliant burst of fireworks, the ten thousand arrows fanned out across the sky, tracing countless different trajectories as they descended upon the lands of the Five Elders Association.
RUMBLE!
Even through the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan could feel the immense tremors shaking the distant lands.
However, the great net of arrows, unleashed at the cost of all thirty-three of the immortal candidates' lives, was not designed for a simple bombardment.
After a moment of silence, thousands of silver threads erupted from every point where a Sky Patrolling Arrow had landed.
They rooted themselves deep within the earth.
From the apex of each cocoon, an incredibly fine thread shot out in unison, all aimed toward the territory of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
In an instant, they spanned an immeasurable distance.
Nearly ten thousand threads converged at a single point within the Alliance's domain!
These changes all occurred in the blink of an eye, before the five Heavenly Venerates’ avatars in the sky had even completely shattered.
Li Fan watched this scene unfold in the Tianxuan Mirror, and even with the experience of his many reincarnations, he could not fathom what the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was planning.
Yet, a spiritual sense deep within him stirred with a faint, ominous premonition.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, it was as if a colossal giant, straddling heaven and earth, gave a vicious tug from the Alliance's side.
A tremendous roar erupted once more.
The ten thousand light cocoons, deeply embedded in the lands of the Five Elders Association, acted like resilient tethers. They seemed to be pulling on something immense, warping it and guiding it toward the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
The roaring was incessant, as if some monumental change was taking place between heaven and earth.
Meanwhile, the five streams of light confronting the remnants of the Heavenly Venerates’ avatars seemed to grow more frantic.
Strangely, however, their attacks inexplicably weakened.
This allowed the avatars, which had been on the verge of complete collapse, to unexpectedly hold on for a while longer.
The unease in Li Fan's heart grew more intense.
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was not a premonition about his own fate. Rather, it felt more like a primal instinct, the same way sentient beings grow restless before a natural disaster.
"They're..."
In the Tianxuan Mirror, it seemed the Five Elders Association had finally reacted.
They dispatched a large number of cultivators to attack the massive cocoons of light.
But the light cocoons seemed almost non-existent; the vast majority of the attacks passed right through them.
Only the strikes from the leading cultivators, who appeared to be at the Dao Integration stage, managed to cause the threads shooting from the cocoons to distort ever so slightly.
But this web of light covering the entire territory of the Five Elders Association was incredibly resilient. Such minor distortions could not affect the grander scheme.
The transformation continued, inexorable and steady.
In the sky, the lights representing the five Heavenly Venerates grew dimmer and dimmer.
It was as if...
The power of these Longevity Heavenly Venerates was being restricted in some way!
A flash of insight suddenly struck Li Fan's mind.
Like a bolt of lightning parting the mist, the scene in his vision transformed!
The cocoons and threads were no longer connected to the lands of the Five Elders Association, but to another great net!
The great net that represented the Heavenly Principles!
Li Fan finally understood.
Each of the Heavenly Venerates of the Five Elders Association had their own domain.
Within these territories, the Heavenly Principles they had reversed were far more solid and stable than anywhere else.
For some of the weaker ones, their reversed principles would even cease to function outside their specific domains.
It would not be an exaggeration to call these places the very source of their ascension to power.
And now, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, through some unknown method, was using those light cocoons to twist the inherent Heavenly Principles of these domains.
It was like the supporting pillars of a bridge had been bent.
Though the bridge itself would not immediately collapse, it would begin to sway uncontrollably!
Reflected in reality, the authority of the five Heavenly Venerates was now unavoidably compromised!
"It doesn't affect the Longevity Heavenly Venerates' personal strength, but it can temporarily strip them of their absolute control over the Association's territory."
Li Fan stood up, a look of astonishment on his face.
He had never imagined that one could fight Longevity Heavenly Venerates using such a method.
"This distortion of the Heavenly Principles is temporary. The five Heavenly Venerates will surely find a way to gradually undo the effect. But until then, this is the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's golden opportunity..."
As if in response to Li Fan's speculation, portals suddenly materialized in the skies above the Five Elders Association.
Legions of black-clad cultivators flew out from the gateways.
Expressionless and radiating a chilling killing intent, they began to sweep through the regions of the Five Elders Association.
"Heaven Magisters..."
Li Fan was no stranger to these elite soldiers, trained by the era itself.
Their formidable combat strength was just as he remembered.
The attack had been too sudden. Leaderless and in disarray, the Five Elders Association had no time to organize any meaningful resistance.
Fighting as individuals, their forces were swiftly crushed by the black-clad cultivators, one by one.
The Alliance's offensive rolled forward like a heavy storm cloud, crushing everything in its path as it advanced on the Five Elders Association.
Before the Tianxuan Mirror, the cultivators who had been watching the spectacle unfold now erupted into a frenzy.
"What is this? What in the world is happening? Is this really the same Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance I know?"
"The Alliance was hiding this much power? Their military readiness is unbelievably strong!"
"I'm just saying, is it possible—just possible—that these images are all illusions fabricated by the Tianxuan Mirror? I mean, come on, they've been in a stalemate with us for thousands of years. Defeated this easily? I find it a little hard to believe."
"Fellow Daoist has a point. It seems completely unreasonable to me, too. Are there any brave souls willing to go over to the Five Elders' territory and see for themselves? Seeing is believing, after all."
"Heh, I just so happen to know a secret route into their lands. Wait right here, fellow Daoists, I'll go and confirm it myself."
"Bah! You traitors are still trying to argue? I can't wait to see your miserable faces when the Five Elders Association is completely overrun!"
...
Before the Tianxuan Mirror, the full spectrum of human nature was on display.
But the state of the war between the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association did not bend to their will.
The number of black-clad cultivators seemed endless, still pouring forth from the portals in a ceaseless stream.
They required no commands, moving with uncanny coordination.
Upon exiting the portals, each went about their duties with swift and decisive action.
They seized strategic points and constructed defensive fortifications, steadily advancing forward.
They did not slaughter everyone in their path, but instead captured the cultivators of the Five Elders Association and escorted them away through the portals.
(End of Chapter)
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