Chapter 2362: Heavy Losses
The Ten Thousand Curse Bead detached itself from Wu Jiang's palm and floated dozens of feet away.
"Whoosh!"
Hundreds of Great Saints from the Underworld Clan stood behind Wu Jiang at various positions, like divine beings in the heavens, mobilizing their Nether Qi with full force. They struck out from their hands, sending beams of light pouring into the Ten Thousand Curse Bead.
Instantly.
The Ten Thousand Curse Bead erupted with a blinding radiance, illuminating a space of ten thousand miles.
At the same time, led by Wu Jiang, the Great Saints of the Underworld Clan chanted the incantation of the "Blood Devouring Curse" in low unison.
The Blood Devouring Curse was one of the six most fearsome curse techniques of the Underworld Clan, capable of silently draining the blood from living beings, turning them into dried-up corpses.
On the Seventh Dark Star, the vast majority of the Great Saint Heavenly Slaves were blood-qi beings.
At this moment, they discovered in terror and shock that their bodies were rapidly shriveling, growing weaker and weaker. The blood within them was out of control, draining away wildly. Yet they had no idea where it was flowing.
"The Blood Devouring Curse! It's the Blood Devouring Curse..."
"There's no way to resist, only to wait for death. This kind of curse is simply the bane of blood-qi beings... Ah... Unwilling... To die like this, truly unwilling..."
All the Great Saint Heavenly Slaves fell into panic.
The Great Saints of the Stone Clan and Death Clan, witnessing this scene, all revealed expressions of shock.
Yuan Fei Great Saint let out a long sigh: "The Blood Devouring Curse is the perfect tool for killing Heavenly Slaves. It seems the points here will all be taken by the Underworld Clan."
"Wu Jiang's return this time shows his cultivation has surpassed before. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to control the Ten Thousand Curse Bead with the support of hundreds of Great Saints," said another Death Clan Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection Great Saint.
Yuan Fei Great Saint nodded: "Wu Jiang's cultivation has reached its peak. This time, he comes with overwhelming momentum, and no one can stop him."
Wu Jiang's current cultivation and realm were the levels Yuan Fei Great Saint had always dreamed of reaching.
Unfortunately, there were always gaps between people.
Just Wu Jiang's physique of ten thousand hands and ten thousand eyes was two or three levels beyond Yuan Fei Great Saint. Moreover, Wu Jiang's master was an extremely great existence in the Nether Hall, something Yuan Fei Great Saint could only gaze at from afar.
Thinking of this, Yuan Fei Great Saint sighed again.
"Whoosh!"
On the Dark Star, a five-colored radiance emerged, forming a circle that spread outward in all directions.
One by one, the Great Saint Heavenly Slaves acted, pouring their power into the five-colored circle.
The five-colored circle grew brighter and brighter, releasing a formidable Supreme Power. The entire space began to boil.
"How can there be fluctuations of Supreme Power?"
"Could it be that the Heavenly Slaves control a Supreme Sacred Artifact?"
The cultivators of the Upper Three Clans all changed color.
"Shwoosh!"
A five-colored sacred sword flew out from the circle, carrying a shower of brilliant light, and slashed toward the Ten Thousand Curse Bead.
The sword's edge clashed with the bead.
"Boom!"
The hundreds of Great Saints of the Underworld Clan all trembled simultaneously, flying backward en masse.
Among them, Wu Jiang, who was controlling the Ten Thousand Curse Bead, let out a muffled groan, his face turning three shades paler as he was thrown back over ten miles.
The violent waves of Supreme Power swept across hundreds of miles, forcing the Great Saints of the Death Clan and Stone Clan to fend for themselves.
"It's the Five-Colored Stone Sword!"
"The Five-Colored Stone Sword of the Stone Clan's number one powerhouse—how did the Heavenly Slaves get their hands on it?"
"The Five-Colored Stone Sword was in the hands of Lei Di... How... how could it have changed hands? Impossible, absolutely impossible."
...
Just as the cultivators of the Upper Three Clans were stunned and thrown into chaos, dozens of Heavenly Slaves flew out from the Dark Star, charging straight at them.
These dozens of Heavenly Slaves had twisted faces, their eyes filled with murderous intent. They were all burning their life essence, unleashing their ultimate speed.
Bore, who had just returned, stood on the Styx River and witnessed this scene. She immediately shouted: "Retreat! Retreat quickly, put distance between you and them. They are going to self-destruct their Sacred Sources and take you all down with them."
The Great Saints of the Upper Three Clans all turned pale as death.
Some fled in panic, disregarding everything.
Others released their Spiritual Power, trying to suppress the spiritual will of those dozens of Heavenly Slaves and prevent their self-destruction. But the Spiritual Power they released was shattered by the sword qi emanating from the Five-Colored Stone Sword.
"It's too late! Today, you all must die... Haha..."
"Die together, all of us."
"If you of the Hell Realm insist on wiping us out, we have no choice but to burn everything."
The dozens of Heavenly Slaves laughed madly, charging into the most densely packed area of the Upper Three Clans' Great Saints.
"Boom, boom, boom."
Earth-shattering sounds rang out.
Their Sacred Sources and undying sacred bodies simultaneously exploded, releasing dozens of destructive forces.
From afar, it looked like clusters of fireworks in the night sky, illuminating the pitch-black world as bright as day—dazzling and beautiful.
The terrifying energy spread all the way to ten thousand miles away.
Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha, standing three thousand miles away, were still shaken by the layers of shockwaves, their bodies swaying and unsteady. One could imagine how concentrated the energy was at the epicenter of the explosions.
"Wu Jiang was too reckless. Attacking the Seventh Dark Star so aggressively, pushing the Heavenly Slaves into a corner with no way out, was bound to backfire. Boiling a frog slowly might have been a better approach."
Luo Sha let out a soft sigh, feeling it was unjust for those Hell Realm Great Saints who had died tragically.
It was Wu Jiang's wrong decision that had cost them their lives.
The destructive force from the simultaneous self-destruction of dozens of Great Saints was too powerful. At this moment, the central area was still in chaos, with various forces interwoven and electric sparks and flames spreading everywhere.
Zhang Ruochen said: "Wu Jiang underestimated the strength and resolve of the Heavenly Slaves, and he also took the annihilation of over seven hundred Great Saints too lightly. Moreover..."
He paused for a moment, then said: "How did the Five-Colored Stone Sword fall into Chi Di's hands?"
The one controlling the Five-Colored Stone Sword just now was undoubtedly Chi Di.
No other Heavenly Slave could wield such immense power.
Luo Sha's two eyebrows furrowed deeply: "If even the Five-Colored Stone Sword has been lost, Lei Di is likely in grave danger. This is a huge problem."
Yes.
A huge problem.
Chi Di was already a powerhouse at the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm, practically unbeatable on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield.
With an additional Supreme Sacred Artifact, it was like adding wings to a tiger.
Who would dare to provoke him now?
In the dark space not far from the Seventh Dark Star, a tragic scene unfolded. Over two hundred Great Saints of the Upper Three Clans floated in the void with broken bodies.
Among them, the Underworld Clan's Great Saints, being closest to the Dark Star, suffered the heaviest losses.
Some Stone Clan Great Saints had their bodies shattered into pieces of stone; some Underworld Clan Great Saints had their undying sacred bodies explode into black Nether Qi; some Death Clan Great Saints were left with only one arm and one head.
"The Scroll of Reality and Illusion!"
Without a moment's delay, Yuan Fei Great Saint unfolded the Death Clan's Supreme Sacred Artifact, turning it into a thousand-mile-long scroll that wrapped around all the Hell Realm Great Saints, preventing the Heavenly Slaves from launching a second wave of suicidal attacks.
The other Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection Great Saints were highly alert, having escaped the death range of the Heavenly Slaves' self-destruction in time, and were almost all uninjured.
Now, they all propped up their Monarch Sacred Artifacts, forming layers of defensive power.
Great Saints had strong vitality, especially Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saints. Even if their undying sacred bodies were shattered, they would not die, nor would their cultivation drop to the Saint King Realm.
Only thirty-four Upper Three Clans Great Saints were killed by the Heavenly Slaves' self-destruction.
The scattered stones floating in the void slowly gathered together, reforming stone bodies.
Clusters of black Nether Qi, driven by Sacred Sources, gradually converged, forming human silhouettes.
A Death Clan Great Saint's head grew tentacles, forming a neck, chest, hands, and legs, gradually becoming a complete body.
Of course, having suffered such a heavy blow, they were all severely injured and would not recover fully in a short time.
Wu Jiang looked at the shocking scene before him, his eyes slightly dazed. Then, his face once again showed a fury that blazed like fire: "A bunch of prey, how despicable! I will annihilate every last one of you."
His defeat by Zhang Ruochen had already created a huge flaw in Wu Jiang's state of mind, preventing him from calming down.
This time, with his cultivation greatly improved, he had thought he could sweep the Heaven Hunting Battlefield. But his first battle had resulted in such a heavy loss, making his emotions even more volatile.
"Rustle."
The waters of the Styx surged over, blocking Wu Jiang, who was about to charge alone into the Dark Star.
Wu Jiang turned his head, his gaze falling on Bore: "Let me go. I want to avenge the fallen cultivators."
"Calm down first. Chi Di now wields a Supreme Sacred Artifact, and with hundreds of Great Saint Heavenly Slaves gathered on the Dark Star, if you go now, what difference is there from seeking death?"
Bore's tone was cold as she mobilized the power of fate to help Wu Jiang control his emotions.
Yuan Fei Great Saint and Que Fei rushed over, both with dissatisfaction in their eyes.
The fact that the Heavenly Slaves had inflicted such heavy losses on the Upper Three Clans was primarily due to Wu Jiang's recklessness.
Yuan Fei Great Saint advised: "What we should do now is stabilize our position and avoid another round of attacks from the Heavenly Slaves."
"Not good!"
The four of them sensed danger almost simultaneously, their gazes snapping to the rear.
They saw a meteor shower tearing through the dark space, flying toward the over two hundred Upper Three Clans Great Saints who had just reformed their sacred bodies.
Looking closely, the meteor shower turned out to be over a million stone swords.
Each stone sword was covered in a layer of sacred light.
If this wave of attacks hit, those over two hundred Great Saints, already severely injured and extremely weak, would likely be completely wiped out. It would be an unbearable pain for the entire Upper Three Clans.
The defensive measures of Yuan Fei Great Saint and the others were mainly deployed on the side facing the Dark Star. Who would have expected such a powerful attack to suddenly erupt from the rear?
Everyone's faces turned deathly pale.
Wu Jiang, as a powerhouse with sixty-sixth-level Spiritual Power, was the first to detect the rain of stone swords. Demonstrating the reaction speed of a top-tier expert, he charged forward immediately.
"Nether Realm Nation."
"Nether God Ancestor."
Wu Jiang's Nether Qi spread out, extending hundreds of miles, manifesting the scene of a Nether Realm Nation—black palaces, bloodstone walls, bone-white divine mountains... It was like an ancient Netherland appearing beneath his feet.
At the same time, the phantom of the Nether God Ancestor rose up, clashing with the million stone swords.
Everyone was stunned, forgetting to rush over and help immediately.
Three thousand miles away, Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha were also momentarily dazed.
"Where did these stone swords come from? Which faction launched this attack?"
Zhang Ruochen's pupils filled with dense Truth Rules as he looked toward the direction from which the stone swords had flown.
Luo Sha said: "Is Wu Jiang insane? Confronting a million stone swords alone—they'll chop him to ashes."
"Bang, bang."
The million stone swords, with irresistible force, shattered Wu Jiang's Nether Realm Nation. Then, they blasted the Nether God's phantom apart.
Wu Jiang's body transformed into a black hole three zhang in diameter.
Whenever a stone sword struck the black hole, it vanished instantly.
But more of the rain of stone swords, bypassing the black hole, continued flying toward the over two hundred Hell Realm Great Saints who had just reformed their sacred bodies.
Fortunately, Wu Jiang had bought time. Bore manipulated the Styx River to flow rapidly, sweeping away all two hundred-plus Great Saints and taking them out of danger.
After the rain of stone swords passed, the black hole finally could not withstand the pressure and exploded, scattering ten thousand stone swords.
"Pfft!"
Wu Jiang stood at the center of the chaotic dark power, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His body was covered in bloodstains, and he gasped heavily: "The mistakes I made, I will do my best to make up for."
...
Luo Sha shook her head: "Impossible. How could Wu Jiang have withstood that wave of attacks? Something's wrong, definitely wrong."
"His Nether Realm Nation is more than twice as strong as before, especially in terms of defense."
Zhang Ruochen had fought Wu Jiang before and understood him better than Luo Sha, seeing some of the clues.
Just now, when Wu Jiang manifested his Nether Realm Nation, Zhang Ruochen felt a completely different sensation from their previous battle.
Last time, Wu Jiang's Nether Realm Nation was merely a semblance of form.
This time, it was as if a true Netherland had appeared.
That feeling was like a Truth Realm Form evolving from "Starry Sea Without Shore" to "Universe Without Bound."
The Nether Realm Nation was a phenomenon formed by Wu Jiang's cultivation of one of the eight volumes of the "Nether Book"—the "Nether Realm Volume." During this period, it must have undergone a qualitative transformation, amplifying Wu Jiang's combat power and defense even further.
"Wu Jiang's opportunity on the Underworld Clan's home star must be related to this, allowing his understanding of the 'Nether Book' to reach a new level. I wonder what exactly has been added to his Nether Realm Nation."
Luo Sha showed a thoughtful expression, her red lips slightly pursed, as if she was plotting something.
"The Upper Three Clans have stabilized their formation. The Heavenly Slaves will have no further opportunities. Next, it will likely be a prolonged battle," Zhang Ruochen said.
"With Bore's intelligence, she will definitely adopt a strategy of encirclement first, then long-range harassment. That way, they can wear down the Heavenly Slaves on the Dark Star to death. After all, the Dark Star has neither heavenly sacred qi nor sacred stones or divine stones."
Clearly, among the Upper Three Clans, Luo Sha only respected Bore, seeing her as her greatest rival of the era. As for Wu Jiang and Yuan Fei Great Saint, she considered them mere power-type cultivators, opponents her imperial brother should deal with.
"Do you think Chi Di won't have considered this? Will he be so easily trapped and starved to death on the Dark Star?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Sha immediately caught on, visibly moved: "You mean..."
Zhang Ruochen pointed in the direction from which the million stone swords had flown just now.