Chapter 2069: The Forbidden Array Destroyed
The golden-haired man surveyed the surroundings, exuding an immensely powerful aura. Golden blood energy rolled outward, surging from his body like a vast golden divine sea, majestic and boundless.
Xuese Lianyi narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on the golden-haired man. For a moment, he dared not act rashly.
"Ao Xukong."
Xuese Lianyi slowly uttered three words.
Who was Ao Xukong? He was the number one figure below the Great Saint realm in the Heavenly Dragon Realm. His true form was a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon from the Divine Dragon Clan, possessing the strongest bloodline and physical body, flawless in every aspect.
Thus, even the infamous Seven Absolute God of Slaughter dared not show the slightest disregard for Ao Xukong.
Xuanming Wushang’s gaze swept across the five massive warships, and he said calmly, "Ao Xukong, Golden Sun Twin Kings, you four ancient civilizations and the Heavenly Dragon Realm came well-prepared. What, do you intend to start a battle now?"
As these words were spoken, the temperature around them plummeted, and both sides subtly revealed a tense, sword-drawn stance.
"Without gaining anything, what meaning is there in fighting? Without a blood sacrifice target, Xuanming Wushang, you’d better think about how to break through the forbidden array of True Dragon Island." Ao Xukong said with a light laugh.
With that, Ao Xukong moved, appearing on the warship of the Thousand Star Civilization.
"Big Brother, you always arrive so late." Linglong Xianzi shook her head helplessly.
Ao Xukong said, "Not late, the timing is just right. Let’s not dwell on this. Have the warships retreat, far away from True Dragon Island."
"Why?"
Da Zun asked curiously.
Yanyang Tianzi frowned slightly, saying, "With us four ancient civilizations and your Heavenly Dragon Realm, we have a multitude of experts. Why should we fear the Hell Realm army?"
He had just been locked in a standoff with the Seven Absolute God of Slaughter of the Nether Hall. If he retreated now, where would his dignity go?
"You all underestimate True Dragon Island too much. Once the forbidden array here erupts, even Great Saint realm experts can be easily torn apart. This time, the Hell Realm is determined to obtain the World Gate Key. Even if they cannot perform a blood sacrifice with the dragons, they will inevitably launch a fierce assault. The outcome is unpredictable." Ao Xukong said very seriously.
Clearly, Ao Xukong understood the situation on True Dragon Island better than others. His retreat now was merely to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Yanyang Tianzi said, "If the Hell Realm cannot break the forbidden array of True Dragon Island, are we to abandon this operation as well?"
"If even the Hell Realm fails, then there is indeed no reason for us to stay here any longer." Ao Xukong said.
Yanyang Tianzi spoke with some agitation, "But the Dragon God Hall contains countless treasures amassed by the Kunlun Realm’s Divine Dragon Clan over eons: the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring, Dragon Transformation Grass, the Dragon God Enlightenment Chamber. Legend has it that the Dragon God Hall even holds King-grade and Emperor-grade divine pills. Don’t you all want them?"
Hearing this, many present showed signs of temptation. The items Yanyang Tianzi mentioned were all extremely precious, coveted even by Great Saint realm experts.
Of course, no one lost their reason over it. The treasures of the Dragon God Hall were indeed countless, but one needed to live to claim them.
"Retreat first. We’ll discuss everything else later."
Ao Xukong said in a deep voice.
As he spoke, Ao Xukong directly issued orders to the Heavenly Dragon Realm’s warships.
Seeing the Heavenly Dragon Realm’s warships activate and quickly retreat into the thick black mist, the four ancient civilizations hesitated no longer. At such a time, they naturally needed to advance or retreat together, not giving the Hell Realm a chance to defeat them one by one.
As the four ancient civilizations and the Heavenly Dragon Realm’s warships withdrew, the Hell Realm did not intercept them. Their goal was to break into True Dragon Island and seize all the treasures in the Dragon God Hall, including the World Gate Key. There was no need to create unnecessary trouble.
As for whether the four ancient civilizations and the Heavenly Dragon Realm would try to take advantage after they broke through the forbidden array, that depended on whether they had the ability to do so.
"The time of day-and-night alternation has arrived. Attack immediately and break through True Dragon Island."
The Dark Son’s deep voice sounded.
At the same time, an intensely thick dark force emanated from one of the warships.
Compared to the dark force emitted by other Hell Realm experts, this dark force was far more terrifying in essence, highly devouring. Any light that approached would be instantly swallowed.
The dark force vibrated, and a slightly gaunt figure slowly emerged.
It was only now that the Dark Son revealed his true form. From his appearance alone, he was no different from a human, looking less than twenty years old, with an extremely handsome face.
What was most striking were the Dark Son’s black eyes, deep and profound, like two black holes, ready to devour everything.
"Dark Son, the unparalleled genius of the Darkness Temple that appears once in ten thousand years. Truly, reputation lives up to reality." Locking his gaze on the Dark Son, Zhang Ruochen’s eyes narrowed.
In his eyes, the Dark Son was almost one with the darkness, the very embodiment of darkness itself.
Zhang Ruochen had only one assessment for the Dark Son: unfathomable.
As a master of an Eternal Dao, Zhang Ruochen could see that the Dark Son had cultivated the Way of Darkness to an astonishing height.
In terms of the height reached in the Eternal Dao, Zhang Ruochen had never seen anyone stronger than the Dark Son, including himself.
"Roar."
Accompanied by a earth-shaking dragon roar, a bone dragon thousands of miles long flew out from one of the Hell Realm’s warships.
Unlike other Bone Clan experts, this bone dragon emitted no yin energy or dark aura. Instead, it appeared extremely sacred, every bone crystal-clear, like jade.
Its identity was shocking: it was Lieyuan Di, one of the Three Emperors of the Bone Clan.
"Lieyuan Di’s bone body was left behind after a top-tier Great Saint level divine dragon fell. That’s why it’s so massive. The strength of each bone rivals a powerful Monarch-level war artifact. Its power is immense. Without using any sacred art, relying solely on its bone body, it can dominate all foes."
"Legend has it that Lieyuan Di once received a great opportunity, baptized by the Diamond Sacred Liquid, washing away all yin energy. His bone body thus became like jade. More importantly, he mastered the Diamond Force, comparable to the Eternal Dao, making him a true anomaly among the Bone Clan."
"In fact, not only Lieyuan Di, but also Shiling Di and Mieyuan Di were baptized by the Diamond Sacred Liquid, mastering the Diamond Force. That is why they became the Three Emperors of the Bone Clan."
Ao Xinyan’s tone was deep, with a hint of caution in her eyes.
Having dealt with the Hell Realm often, Ao Xinyan was well-informed about the intelligence on Hell Realm experts.
After all, if one didn’t even know the opponent’s information, fighting would certainly put them at a great disadvantage.
Zhang Ruochen’s mind was shaken. Being able to master a power comparable to the Nine Great Eternal Daos, it was no wonder the Three Emperors of the Bone Clan were so formidable.
There were myriad daos, with the Nine Great Eternal Daos reigning supreme, considered invincible.
But nothing was absolute. Throughout the long ages, in certain eras, powers comparable to the Nine Great Eternal Daos had emerged. However, mastering them was extremely difficult, and most had been lost, unknown to ordinary people.
If one thought that mastering the Nine Great Eternal Daos made them unrivaled under heaven, looking down on others, they would be gravely mistaken.
"Those who stand at the pinnacle below the Great Saint realm are indeed no simple characters." Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
On the sea surface, Lieyuan Di opened his mouth and spat out nine brilliant divine lights, suspended in midair.
Within each divine light was a bone, a divine bone covered with divine patterns.
These divine bones all exuded a strong ancient charm, extremely sacred. On their surfaces, faint dragon shadows coiled, emitting high-pitched dragon roars, as if ancient divine dragons had awakened, their sound almost spreading across the entire Yin-Yang Sea.
"Nine divine dragon bones, from nine different divine dragons. The Hell Realm has prepared so thoroughly." Ao Xinyan’s expression changed instantly.
Ao Xinyan herself had fused with a divine dragon bone, so she was very familiar with them.
She could see that the divine dragon bones spat out by Lieyuan Di were the most important among the 999 bones of a divine dragon. The divine patterns on them were naturally formed, possessing incredible power.
Bringing out the most important bone from nine divine dragons at once—what a grand gesture.
Seeing these divine dragon bones, Ao Xinyan had a very bad premonition.
Under Lieyuan Di’s control, the nine divine dragon bones instantly formed a special formation, slowly releasing the divine dragon power within them.
At this moment, the Dark Son took out a pitch-black demon bottle.
Nine dark lights flew out from it, each rushing toward one of the nine divine dragon bones.
"Buzz."
All nine divine dragon bones vibrated, the divine patterns on their surfaces clearly emerging.
Then, one by one, dragon shadows flew out from the divine dragon bones, becoming very solid. However, their sacred aura faded, replaced by dark aura.
In the blink of an eye, nine black divine dragons, hundreds of miles long, appeared on the sea surface, emitting mournful howls, their expressions extremely ferocious.
At the same time, a large number of ancient divine patterns quickly emerged on the sea surface, tightly interwoven, covering a vast area of the sea.
Behind the forbidden array formed by these divine patterns lay True Dragon Island.
At this moment, the warships of the four ancient civilizations and the Heavenly Dragon Realm were anchored in the sea area ten thousand miles away.
Seeing the nine black divine dragons hundreds of miles long, Ao Xukong’s expression turned very dark. "Nine divine dragon bones, nine top-tier Great Saint level dragon souls. So, the multiple attacks on our Heavenly Dragon Realm’s top Great Saints were all the work of the Darkness Temple. Everything was to break the forbidden array of True Dragon Island."
Ao Xukong clenched his fist, wanting to strike immediately and reclaim all those dragon souls.
Linglong Xianzi’s expression was also very unpleasant. The Hell Realm had schemed against their Heavenly Dragon Realm’s dragon experts to seize the treasures of True Dragon Island—truly despicable.
"The Hell Realm indeed has another trump card. Those dragons of the Ancestral Dragon Mountain probably weren’t their main concern. It seems the forbidden array of True Dragon Island truly cannot withstand the Hell Realm army." Qianxing Tiannü murmured, her eyes narrowing.
Da Zun said, "The Hell Realm has sent so many experts this time, determined to succeed. They won’t allow any accidents."
Yanyang Tianzi, however, laughed lightly, "Isn’t this a good thing? Once the Hell Realm breaks the forbidden array of True Dragon Island, we can follow them onto the island. With our strength, we can compete for many treasures in the Dragon God Hall. I hope the Dark Son and the others are quick. This Heavenly Son can’t wait."
Hearing this, Ao Xukong frowned slightly, giving Yanyang Tianzi a deep look, a trace of disgust flashing in his eyes.
...
"Roar."
Painful dragon roars shook the heavens and earth. The nine black divine dragons’ bodies grew continuously.
In a short time, they had become over a thousand miles long, absorbing a vast amount of heaven and earth energy.
At this point, the nine divine dragon bones had merged into the bodies of the nine black divine dragons, perfectly fitting together.
The nine black divine dragons intertwined, forming a powerful array. Vast dark power emanated from their bodies, converging together.
Under the array’s effect, this dark power evolved into a pitch-black flame. Initially just a small cluster, it quickly spread like wildfire.
The pitch-black flame was extremely terrifying, burning large areas of space into nothingness, massively evaporating seawater.
Although the forbidden array divine patterns guarding True Dragon Island were powerful, under the pitch-black flame’s burning, they showed signs of melting.
"Such a mere forbidden array wants to stop the Hell Realm army’s advance? The people of the Kunlun Realm are still as naive as they were a hundred thousand years ago." Si Buxiu sneered.
Xuese Lianyi said, "Consuming nine divine dragon bones, nine top-tier Great Saint level dragon souls, and the divine essence blood of nine Dark Gods—the cost is not small."
"Compared to the treasures in the Dragon God Hall, this cost is nothing. As long as we obtain the World Gate Key, the Kunlun Realm will be completely finished, and we can plunder countless resources." Si Buxiu’s eyes showed a look of eager anticipation.
Xuanming Wushang’s gaze fixed on the slowly melting divine patterns, and he said calmly, "No need to rush. Everything is under control."
At this moment, all the Hell Realm experts were ready, prepared to attack True Dragon Island at any moment.
The treasures they failed to seize a hundred thousand years ago would not be missed this time.
In the hidden space passage, Zhang Ruochen and the others’ expressions all turned grave.
Ao Xinyan couldn’t help but sigh, "I didn’t expect that even relying on True Dragon Island’s powerful forbidden array, we still couldn’t stop the Hell Realm army. We underestimated their determination to break through True Dragon Island."
Undoubtedly, the situation they had hoped to avoid had finally appeared.
"Leader, as I said at the beginning, once the forbidden array of True Dragon Island is broken, you will send the seniors into True Dragon Island. The Dragon God Hall ruins are vast. We still have hope of guarding the World Gate Key." Ao Xinyan said to Zhang Ruochen with utmost seriousness.
Zhang Ruochen nodded, "Rest assured, leave this to me."
"Even if I have to risk this life, this Emperor will never let the Hell Realm’s scheme succeed. They want to destroy the Kunlun Realm—this Emperor won’t allow it." Xiao Hei said fiercely.
Although the awakened ones said nothing, their eyes showed resolute determination, ready to guard the World Gate Key at all costs.
"Sizzle."
The pitch-black flame grew stronger. Many divine patterns became incomplete, their interconnections unstable.
Correspondingly, the divine dragon bones merged into the nine black divine dragons shrank in size, the divine dragon power within them continuously consumed.
"Boom."
At a certain moment, after a large number of divine patterns were completely annihilated, the forbidden array guarding True Dragon Island finally began to collapse.
At the moment of the array’s collapse, a surge of divine power was released, sweeping violently in all directions.
Instantly, the sea surface raised waves ten thousand feet high, and the aura of destruction spread.
"Such a strong attack remains." The Dark Son’s eyes sharpened.
Immediately, the Dark Son controlled the nine black divine dragons, changing the formation, and condensed a dark barrier, covering all seven warships.