# Chapter 858: Brutal
The city defense formation remained intact, and Xuanyuan Wentian's expression finally turned ugly.
Three months ago, when his power had skyrocketed, he believed no one in the world could oppose him—only to be severely wounded by Xiao Yaohou, barely turning the tide with the Eternal Night Demonic Sword. And in these three months, his demon blood had awakened to nearly sixty percent. He was certain that even three Xiao Yaohous would be no match for him. But before he could even see Xiao Yaohou, he had been slapped in the face by a mere defensive barrier.
A single drop of water is insignificant, but when thousands gather, they can stir up waves that overturn the heavens!
The black clouds in the sky churned and twisted into a hideous demonic face. The dark aura around Xuanyuan Wentian reached its peak density, and a massive black vortex spun behind him, like the most primordial terrifying black hole of the chaotic void.
An indescribable pressure bore down on Yaohuang City and the entire world. Xuanyuan Wentian had actually pushed his Dark Profound Force to the absolute limit!
Before arriving, he had thought that with his current power, he could sweep through the Huan Yao Realm with a wave of his hand. He never imagined he would have to unleash his full strength just to deal with a mere barrier!
"Heh... heh... heh... Not bad, not bad at all," Xuanyuan Wentian laughed lowly, but his eyes were no longer filled with pure contempt—instead, they held a trace more anger and irritability. "But no matter how much ants struggle, they are still nothing but lowly ants!!"
Xuanyuan Wentian lunged at the barrier, surrounded by billowing black aura. The dark vortex behind him extended a massive black hand, which slammed brutally down at the barrier flickering with purple and green light.
This was power approaching the Divine Path, a terrifying force never before seen in this plane. Wherever the pitch-black claw passed, the fragile space instantly turned to dust. Even before it drew near, the city defense formation was already severely distorted.
"Brothers, stake all our lives and honor... we must hold!!"
Amidst the thunderous roar, the Yun Clan, the Tianxia Clan, and all the Huan Yao profound cultivators behind them let out earth-shaking battle cries. They withstood Xuanyuan Wentian's attacks one after another, allowing more confidence to drown out their initial fear. Hundreds of thousands of profound lights blazed simultaneously, merging into a sun-like radiance atop the city defense formation...
Boom!!!
The entire barrier and all of Yaohuang City trembled violently. The sky suddenly darkened. The enormous dark hand smashed heavily into the barrier, exploding into a thousand-foot-wide black vortex that madly corroded and devoured the barrier reinforced by the power of hundreds of thousands of cultivators.
The city defense formation resembled a balloon crushed by tremendous force, warping horrifically beneath the black vortex. Yet, sustained by the gathered power within, it stubbornly refused to shatter.
"You damn small fry!"
Seeing that his full-powered dark assault was still blocked, Xuanyuan Wentian roared. Wreathed in black aura, his palms hammered the barrier like a storm, producing thunderous booms.
Cracks spread across the city defense formation, but they either healed quickly or slowly.
"I want to see how long you small fry can hold out!" As Xuanyuan Wentian's prolonged assault continued, his inner rage and irritability grew. His Dark Profound Force crashed against the barrier like a mad thing.
The profound energy of the Huan Yao cultivators drained rapidly. But sustained by their endurance, their confidence surged, allowing their bodies—bearing the weight of darkness—to erupt with unending power, stubbornly holding back the arrogant Xuanyuan Wentian.
The Huan Yao cultivators' power was exhausting quickly. Meanwhile, Xuanyuan Wentian, who had long lost his calm and was desperate to smash through the barrier, was also rapidly depleting his own strength. The more his demon blood power awakened, the less calm he became, replaced by a contrary irritability.
The sky had completely darkened. In over a quarter of an hour, Xuanyuan Wentian launched over a thousand consecutive strikes. The overflowing force reduced the surrounding hundred-mile area to a void of nothingness, yet he still could not break through the barrier within arm's reach.
"Clan Head, our profound energy is more than half depleted. If this continues... we absolutely won't be able to hold on!" Yun Waitian said with a pained expression. "We should call for help from the other formation domains."
"That's right... Xuanyuan Wentian has been attacking only our side the whole time. There's no sign of him attacking other directions." Tianxia Xiongtu also chimed in.
"No!" Yun Qinghong shook his head decisively. "Don't forget, Xuanyuan Wentian is even more cunning and treacherous than Ming Wang! With his cultivation level, he can see through the mechanism of the city defense formation at a glance. If we mobilize power from other domains, he will very likely immediately shift his attack to that domain... Once a breach is opened, all our efforts will be wasted!"
Having said that, Yun Qinghong raised his head and roared, his voice instantly reaching every corner of Yaohuang City: "All of you, do not move! We can hold on!"
Though they had only lasted a short quarter of an hour, the expenditure of profound energy was far more intense than a life-and-death battle. Yun Qinghong's breathing had grown heavy, but at the same time, he sensed that Xuanyuan Wentian's offensive was weakening by a slight margin.
Just then, the earth-shaking dark bombardment suddenly ceased. Xuanyuan Wentian's movements stopped. Before the Huan Yao cultivators could catch their breath, a sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth. Black light flashed in his hand as he grasped the pitch-black Eternal Night Demonic Sword.
At the same time, an even more oppressive aura than before descended, making everyone's chest tighten, unable to breathe.
"It's that Heavenly Sin Divine Sword... be careful!" Xiao Yun shouted in terror. Three months ago in the Ice Extreme Snow Domain, Xuanyuan Wentian had used this sword to turn the tables on Xiao Yaohou.
"A bunch of small fry, forcing me to use the demonic sword—this is truly a disgrace!" Xuanyuan Wentian's laugh was completely different from his earlier wild cackling; it was eerily deep. "It seems I have no choice but to turn this place... into the most brutal hell!!"
Xuanyuan Wentian's body—more accurately, Fen Juechen's body—was by no means a true demonic body. It possessed only a very faint demon god bloodline. The demonic soul within the Eternal Night Demonic Sword was also but a thin wisp. Coupled with the incomplete awakening of the demon blood's power, the two could never achieve perfect synchronization.
Using the Eternal Night Demonic Sword would maximize the Dark Profound Force released by the demon blood, but it would also accelerate consumption and inflict immense pain on him for several days afterward. Thus, he would not use the sword's power unless absolutely necessary.
Today, he had come to the Huan Yao Realm—first to seize the Lunhui Jing, second to kill Xiao Yaohou. He had never imagined he would need to use the Eternal Night Demonic Sword.
For him, this was indeed a great humiliation!
"Die, all of you!!"
The Eternal Night Demonic Sword, swirling with black aura, slashed down amidst Xuanyuan Wentian's scream. An indescribably cold pressure mercilessly descended from above.
Crack!!!!!!
Under this sword strike, the city defense formation that had withstood Xuanyuan Wentian's dark profound force for so long let out a piercing wail. A crack several dozen feet long instantly spanned the barrier. Wisps of dark profound energy seeped through the fissure, abruptly stirring a chill wind that seemed to come from the depths of hell within Yaohuang City.
"Waaaaaah—"
Though only the faintest traces of dark profound energy, to the lower-level Huan Yao cultivators, it was a terrible nightmare. Thousands were instantly flung back, their bodies as if plunged into an icy abyss, writhing in pain, unable to release even a shred of power.
The crack continued to widen. More dark profound energy seeped in. If it grew any larger, the barrier would surely shatter.
"Father... w-what do we do?" Xiao Yun asked, his lips trembling. Both his hands unleashed the Purple Cloud Art with all his might. Behind him, pressed tightly against his back, was Tianxia Diqi—each giving the other support and conviction.
Under the Eternal Night Demonic Sword, the pressure on the Huan Yao cultivators sharply increased. Yun Qinghong's face was calm. He looked at the rapidly spreading crack above, quickly changed his hand seal, and lightning flashed around his body. Even his pupils turned crystal purple.
"Purple Cloud Domain!!"
A vast lightning domain expanded, spreading over the city defense formation. This move prompted all the Yun Clan elders and Yun disciples above the King Xuan Realm to follow suit in perfect unison. They released the utmost limit of their profound energy, opening thousands of Purple Cloud Domains that overlapped into a massive sea of thunderclouds, covering the city defense formation.
Tianxia Xiongtu's eyes flashed. "Elf City!!"
The boiling sea of thunderclouds also ignited the will of the Elf Clan, who had been bearing immense pressure. They, too, opened their elf domains, pouring another surge of domain power onto the barrier... Instantly, the crack on the barrier stopped spreading. Then, it began to heal at a slow pace.
But before they could rejoice, a terrifying black radiance erupted from Xuanyuan Wentian's body. A pair of ferocious eyes opened on the Eternal Night Demonic Sword, and the pitch-black blade frenziedly smashed into the city defense formation.
Boom boom boom boom boom boom...
Under the fearsome power of the Eternal Night Demonic Sword, the defenses erected by the two Guardian Clans using domain force were shattered layer by layer. Cracks exploded wildly across the barrier. In the blink of an eye, the once relatively intact barrier was covered in cracks like a spider’s web. The speed of repair was far slower than the speed of collapse.
"Da—damn it!" The faces of the Huan Yao cultivators turned deathly pale. Deep terror and despair were coldly etched on their features.
"No... can't... can't hold on!" Tianxia Xiongtu raised both hands to the sky, desperately squeezing out every ounce of power from his body, roaring in frustration.
Yun Qinghong's gaze turned icy cold. He gritted his teeth, his hands clenched into fists. When a crack suddenly extended directly in front of him on the barrier, a flash of determination lit up his pupils. He abruptly withdrew his Purple Cloud Domain and charged out of the barrier.
But just as he moved, an arm grabbed his wrist tightly. He turned back and saw Mu Yurou's face, tears mingled with a smile. She whispered softly, "Husband, would you be willing to leave me alone?... If you go, we should go together as husband and wife."
Yun Qinghong's eyes instantly blurred, then he smiled slightly, his hand firmly grasping Mu Yurou's. Together, they looked up at the sky above. Their gazes simultaneously turned icy cold, and then, side by side, they flew upward, straight toward Xuanyuan Wentian.
"Father... Mother!! You..." Xiao Yun was stunned for a moment, then instantly understood their intention. He let out a terrified scream and lunged toward them with all his might, but his speed could never catch up with Yun Qinghong and his wife.
"Clan Head, let us handle this!!"
Just as Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou were about to rush out of the barrier, an aged roar rang out. An invisible force struck from behind, flinging them back into the city. At the same time, three old figures, bathed in purple light, flew out of the city defense formation, charging straight at Xuanyuan Wentian.
"Su—Supreme Elders!!" Yun Qinghong, thrown back into the city, saw the three figures flying out. His pupils contracted violently, and he let out a blood-curdling roar.
Those three were none other than the last three Supreme Elders of the Yun Clan: Yun He, Yun Xi, and Yun Jiang.
"Clan Head, you must live well. As long as you are here, the Yun Clan will never fall!"
"Old Clan Head, we are coming to join you!!"
Their voices were deep and strong, even tinged with laughter. The three of them had pushed their profound light to the absolute limit, striking Xuanyuan Wentian like three bolts of purple thunder.
The full-force attack of the three Yun Clan Supreme Elders caught Xuanyuan Wentian off guard, staggering him. The black aura around him scattered slightly. He jerked his head up, all his pent-up murderous fury finally finding an outlet. The Eternal Night Demonic Sword traced a pitch-black arc.
They were powerful Sixth-rank Emperor Lords, revered by the world. But upon touching Xuanyuan Wentian's dark sword light, their protective profound force tore apart like bubbles. The Dark Profound Force, like countless icy claw blades, brutally invaded their bodies.
"Three old undead... DIE!!!"
Xuanyuan Wentian's demonic sword struck again, completely engulfing the three Supreme Elders in the depths of darkness. With a dull boom, they transformed into three wisps of dark powder.
Xuanyuan Wentian's attack was interrupted, allowing the precarious cracks on the city defense formation to rapidly heal. At the very moment the three elders perished, all the fissures vanished completely, and the city defense formation was restored to wholeness once more.