Chapter 33: Life and Death
The metal underground passage was breached time and again by the Abyssal Blade Demons. They launched fierce attacks again and again, blood splattering everywhere. Desri at this moment was a healer; every time Olivia, Tullei, and the others were severely wounded, Desri would immediately go to treat them.
Occasionally, Desri would also unleash spiritual attacks.
The battle was brutal!
…
"Ssshh—"
It was as if space itself was torn apart. The blood-colored long blade transformed into a streak of blood-red blade light, cutting through the sky and instantly appearing before Linley.
The Dragonblood Warrior "Linley," holding the heavy sword of Blackflame in one hand and the soft sword of Purpleblood in the other, let out a furious snort. The heavy sword of Blackflame, seeming slow yet swift, drifted lightly forward, then clashed with the blood-colored long blade. With a "clang," Linley felt as if a massive mountain had slammed heavily into his body.
"Pfft!" Unable to suppress it, fresh blood sprayed directly from his mouth.
Even the right hand gripping the heavy sword of Blackflame was shaken, causing the dragon scales to crack open, blood flowing freely. But immediately, Linley's injuries healed at an astonishing rate. Linley himself paid no heed to this wound.
"Hmm?" Linley kept his attention on the reaction of the red Abyssal Blade Demon.
That strike of his was the strongest blow of the "Earthly Mystery," the very move that had killed the Flame Sovereign.
The red Abyssal Blade Demon's body trembled slightly, like a vibrating steel wire, and then a trace of golden blood seeped from the corner of its mouth.
"You really are formidable," the red Abyssal Blade Demon said, glaring coldly at Linley.
Linley was secretly alarmed: "As expected of the Abyssal Blade Demon leader. Its body is far tougher than ordinary Abyssal Blade Demons. Taking my full-force strike without being shattered into pieces—metal creatures indeed have far superior physical constitutions compared to humans."
"Roar~~" The red Abyssal Blade Demon's eyes blazed like flames as it gripped the blood-colored long blade with both hands.
The two of them flew at extreme speed through the underground passage, locked in a standoff.
"No matter what, I have to kill him this time," Linley resolved in his heart.
The air let out a piercing shriek as Linley and the red Abyssal Blade Demon charged at each other again. This time, Linley took the offensive with the soft sword of Purpleblood. In an instant, countless eerie purple sword shadows spun into the air, like the countless tendrils of a Mother Nest shooting out.
Space froze instantly, and the red Abyssal Blade Demon felt its flying speed drastically decrease.
"Hmph." A hint of bloodshot red suddenly appeared in Linley's eyes.
His pure and refined spiritual power directly triggered the killing intent within the soft sword of Purpleblood. This was the first time Linley had activated the killing intent within the soft sword of Purpleblood since reaching the Saint-level Magus realm. The killing intent he stirred this time was even more violent and intense than before. Like a tangible mass of blood-red killing intent, it surged directly toward the red Abyssal Blade Demon.
"Ah!"
The red Abyssal Blade Demon felt as if it were suddenly facing a top-tier demon from the Abyssal Plane. A tremor originating from the depths of its soul caused its originally firm blade strike to falter.
"No." Unfortunately, this killing intent was merely residual within the soft sword of Purpleblood. It wasn't the original owner of the soft sword of Purpleblood personally descending. The red Abyssal Blade Demon snapped back to reality instantly. But when it came to its senses, it only saw a pair of blood-red eyes and a wisp of purple sword light.
"Die!"
At this moment, the countless sword shadows had condensed into a single wisp of purple sword light. The Abyssal Blade Demon, affected by the killing intent, tried to block with its long blade. But that wisp of sword light was already before its eyes.
"Pfft!"
The sword light directly sliced across the neck of the red Abyssal Blade Demon. A metal head flew up into the air, its eyes still filled with disbelief and terror. Then, the body of the red Abyssal Blade Demon fell limply.
No matter how powerful the red Abyssal Blade Demon was, it hadn't reached the God level. And it didn't have a Life Source Pearl. Once its head was off, it died within seconds.
The attacks of the surrounding Abyssal Blade Demons suddenly halted.
All the Abyssal Blade Demons stared in disbelief at this scene, while the battered Fain, Desri, and Olivia were surprised by the sudden cessation of attacks from the horde. It was then they noticed… Linley had killed the red Abyssal Blade Demon.
"Quick, let's go!" Linley's voice, like thunder, rang in everyone's minds.
Fain, Desri, and the others immediately snapped to attention and fled at top speed through the underground.
******
In the sky, countless Abyssal Blade Demons flew about. Leading them were two small, red Abyssal Blade Demons. They had already received news from their subordinates.
"Shuler is dead." The red Abyssal Blade Demon on the left found it hard to believe.
"It's that dragon-man." The red Abyssal Blade Demon on the right flashed a cold gleam in its eyes and said, "Back in the canyon, that dragon-man was the most conspicuous. He must have a Life Source Pearl inside him. He was severely wounded by our children many times, but he healed instantly."
"The main problem is they're underground, which is troublesome." The left red Abyssal Blade Demon shook its head.
"Underground, vision is completely obstructed. Our children's spiritual power can only detect a few meters. That distance is useless in such intense combat." The right Abyssal Blade Demon said, "The underground passages are only so wide. At most, a dozen or so of our children can engage them at once."
Although a large number of Abyssal Blade Demons could advance underground, vision was blocked, and Linley's group was moving at extreme speed. The number that could surround them simultaneously wasn't that many.
"Let one tribe's children harass them, so we always know their location." The left Abyssal Blade Demon said coldly, "Whether they want to take the divine spark or return to the tenth level, they must emerge above ground. Once they do…"
The right Abyssal Blade Demon's eyes also turned icy.
…
"Hurry, hurry!" Linley and the other experts were extremely anxious.
In the underground passages, sometimes the walls beside them would be breached, and a flood of Abyssal Blade Demons would rush out.
"Thank goodness we're underground. If we were above ground…"
Surrounded on all sides by countless Abyssal Blade Demons surging in—the mere thought of that terrifying scene made Linley's heart tremble. Back at the canyon entrance, when over a dozen Abyssal Blade Demons attacked together, they had sent Linley flying. Without the Life Source Pearl, he would have died long ago.
Although Linley and the others had a very limited range of spiritual perception, reaching the Saint level meant their mental simulation abilities were exceptionally strong. For instance, Linley could deduce the "Earthly Mystery." In each expert's mind, there was a clear image of the passage back to the tenth level. Based on their flight speed, they knew exactly where they were.
Thus, underground, finding the passage wasn't difficult. Even with errors, it would be within a kilometer.
"Everyone, hold on a little longer. We're almost at the passage." The voice of the Black-armored Giant Scorpion echoed in everyone's minds.
All the experts' spirits lifted. They fought desperately against the Abyssal Blade Demons that kept charging out. Everyone displayed their full strength. Whenever someone was severely injured, they would retreat and let Desri heal them, while others took their place.
Linley also noticed…
The density of Abyssal Blade Demon attacks had stabilized somewhat. Everyone had coordinated quite well.
"Pfft." The Three-headed Six-eyed Golden Lion was also forced back by the frenzied Abyssal Blade Demons. Fain, Tullei, and Bebe immediately filled the gap, while Desri hurried to treat the Six-eyed Golden Lion triplets. Fortunately, this healing magic was only ninth-tier, which Desri could cast instantly without difficulty.
"We've reached the passage to the tenth level!" Desri's delighted voice rang in everyone's minds.
The Black-armored Giant Scorpion immediately angled its tunnel upward. The attacks on Linley's group decreased significantly.
"Looks like many Abyssal Blade Demons are still intercepting along our previous path," Tullei noted, sensing only occasional attacks from two or three Abyssal Blade Demons.
"Don't let your guard down," Linley immediately cautioned.
"The three of us, along with Linley and Fain, will charge up first. The rest of you follow behind." The voice of one of the Six-eyed Golden Lions echoed in everyone's minds. Clearly, in terms of defense, the Three-headed Six-eyed Golden Lion was extremely strong. Linley and Fain both had Life Source Pearls.
No one objected.
"Swoosh." As they flew upward at top speed, Linley and the others extended their spiritual power.
"No Abyssal Blade Demons within twenty or thirty meters above." Desri's voice sounded. They were very close to the surface. Spiritual power traveled through the ground with much more difficulty than through the air, and its range was much smaller.
"Go up." This was no time for hesitation.
Linley and Fain charged up first, followed closely by the Three-headed Six-eyed Golden Lion. The other experts formed the third and fourth echelons.
"Puff," "Puff"…
As soon as Linley and the other five emerged from the surface, they assessed the surrounding terrain and immediately determined that the entrance to the tenth level was just over two hundred meters away. But although Linley, Fain, and the others pinpointed the passage's location, their hearts sank.
At the passage entrance, layer upon layer of Abyssal Blade Demons were densely packed. A single glance revealed at least several thousand, if not tens of thousands, gathered there. With over ten thousand Abyssal Blade Demons clustered together, how could Linley and the others break through such an obstacle and dash into the passage?
Worst of all…
Above them, like a swarm of locusts, countless Abyssal Blade Demons hovered in the air, covering the entire sky like a canopy.
"How many Abyssal Blade Demons? A hundred thousand? Or more?"
Whether it was Linley, Fain, or the Three-headed Six-eyed Golden Lion, their hearts all clenched violently.
"Buzz~~"
The countless Abyssal Blade Demons, upon seeing Linley's group of experts, acted like mosquitoes drawn to blood. They all madly dove downward. The sight of nearly a million Abyssal Blade Demons diving simultaneously was as if the sky itself were collapsing, even space trembling.
A distance of less than a hundred meters.
In an instant, a massive number of Abyssal Blade Demons had already reached Linley and the others.
"Down! Quick, quick, quick!!!" Fain's terrified voice echoed in the minds of the other ten experts. Even Bebe, Rosalie, Tullei, and the others, who had just emerged from the surface, were completely stunned. Almost in unison—
They dove back underground!
"Boom!"
Nearly a million Abyssal Blade Demons crashed into the earth, either diving straight down or at an angle. Almost simultaneously, they all slashed their blades at Linley's group!
"Bang!" A terrifying explosion. The surface within several miles exploded. Countless metal soil was shattered into dust. In an instant, a massive crater several miles wide and hundreds of meters deep was formed. And this metal crater was riddled with countless holes of all shapes.
…
Linley, Fain, and the Three-headed Six-eyed Golden Lion had been the first to go up, so they were the last to flee back underground. How fast could they escape underground? The countless Abyssal Blade Demons' simultaneous charge and blade strikes sent blade energy crashing down like a shockwave, peeling off a layer of the earth.
At the very rear, Linley, Fain, and the Three-headed Six-eyed Golden Lion, who were "covering the retreat," bore the brunt of the impact.
Linley barely managed to raise his heavy sword of Blackflame and soft sword of Purpleblood to block.
"Bang!"
In an instant, countless blade shadows slammed into Linley's body. The "Pulsating Defense" and the dragon scales on his surface exploded directly. Even the heavy sword of Blackflame and soft sword of Purpleblood were knocked back, slashing into Linley himself.
"Ah!"
It felt as if his entire body had been stripped of a layer. Since he was flying headfirst, his legs were ground into pieces.
"Flee, flee!" Linley only knew to flee.
The terrifying sight of countless Abyssal Blade Demons diving had shattered their will in an instant. Linley noticed that beside him, Fain's body from the chest down, including both hands, had been ground into pieces. Even his longsword was gone.
"Second brother!" A mournful cry rang out.
…
Flee!
Flee!
They frantically burrowed deeper underground. They didn't know how long they flew before they finally stopped, because no more Abyssal Blade Demons were pursuing them.
Fain's body was rapidly regenerating, but it had only reached his thighs. He writhed in pain. Linley had experienced this feeling before. But compared to the others, the two of them were fortunate.
Of the Three-headed Six-eyed Golden Lion, only two remained. Even those two were severely wounded, covered in blood.
"Second brother sacrificed himself to save us." The eldest of the Six-eyed Golden Lions, "Cleo," said in a low voice. Unlike Linley and Fain, who had Life Source Pearls for healing, at the critical moment, the second brother had enlarged his body to shield his two brothers for an instant.
The remaining ten experts looked at each other. In their eyes was pain… and also confusion.
What should they do?