Chapter 476 – Heaven and Earth Sealed, Battle of the Flesh

After Asun rescued a certain Pioneer Lord, the mountain-like Filth lifeform was swiftly slain.

“It isn’t actually a living being.”

“Influenced by the Filth, inanimate objects can transform into living entities. These Filth creations have completely merged their aura with the surrounding Crimson Mist environment. Before they truly activate, none of us can distinguish them.”

Even if this isn’t the true Land of Red Mist, it still possesses some characteristics of that place.

Mountains, rivers, and the earth itself being eroded and transforming into indescribable monsters is one such trait.

The Red Mist Region is more dangerous than imagined.

“My mistake,” said Azure Mountain Lord. “I underestimated the dangers of the Red Mist Region.”

Among the many powerful figures present, Azure Mountain Lord indeed had relatively more experience, having entered the Land of Red Mist multiple times.

Rain Dust Lord, Celestial River Sword Saint, Overturning Tide Lord, and other powerful individuals had also ventured into the Red Mist Region for battles, though only on rare occasions.

Mu Yuan, like Dragon Heaven Lord and others, were complete newcomers.

This was, strictly speaking, his first time setting foot in the Red Mist Region.

Sophia had already been in the Shattered Isle Region for several days, conducting investigations everywhere, though she hadn’t ventured to the southern part of the island domain—the largest island in the region.

That place served as the enemy’s stronghold.

She had surveyed considerable territory but hadn’t encountered situations like today’s.

“My reconnaissance was flawed,” Sophia communicated through their mental link.

Mu Yuan could almost picture her hanging her head in utter dejection.

“This isn’t your fault.”

He said, “This indicates that as long as our concealment is sufficient, we won’t attract the attention of these strange monsters.”

However, their defensive formation group consisted of several dozen people, making complete concealment of their auras impossible.

They could only proceed with greater caution and vigilance.

Mu Yuan surveyed their surroundings. The distant mountain ranges stretched in bizarre shapes, like monsters baring their claws, with striking brownish-red patterns resembling trails of blood flowing down from the peaks.

Naturally, only a very small portion of these mountains, rivers, and land masses had undergone transformation, becoming Filth creations.

Mu Yuan kept Asun in a ready state and had Sophia maintain constant vigilance of their surroundings. Xie Yi, with his long-range artillery capabilities, also watched the distance, prepared to fire crucial shots at any moment to assist their allies.

However, every Legendary in the defensive formation group had been carefully selected and weren’t so incompetent.

After becoming more cautious, the weaker Pioneer Lords quickly adapted to the Red Mist Region’s environment. While they truly couldn’t detect the corrupted mountains and land, they employed their own methods—setting up decoys, preparing escape skills, or predicting changes through subtle signs.

There were indeed a few instances of excessive caution where they battled against thin air, suddenly veering thousands of meters away mid-flight. But no one found this ridiculous—being overly cautious was always preferable to carelessly losing one’s life.

The defensive formation group soon reached the first location.

A place selected by Sophia where the Crimson Mist was relatively sparse.

But they still needed to survey the local ley lines and certain natural factors of heaven and earth that even he couldn’t clearly explain.

Mu Yuan retrieved a branch shimmering with faint golden light and inserted it into the earth.Azure Mountain and Yuchen, the two deputy commanders, each took out a similar branch and walked to a distance to perform similar actions.

Threads of crimson lines climbed up the branches, colliding and intertwining with the golden radiance above.

The golden light showed a faint tendency to retreat.

Yuchen said, “It’s still a bit short.”

Mu Yuan spoke up, “We’ll head to the second area immediately.”

Sophia led the way.

Within the vast region shrouded by the Crimson Mist, filth seemed to pervade all directions. Even though they had explored it once before, traversing it again could still lead to disorientation.

This posed no challenge for Sophia, who possessed the Black Crow’s positioning ability.

She had long ago left three Nether Crows at each of the Crimson Mist’s sparse locations, serving as anchor points for positioning.

The formation team soon arrived at the second area. This time…

The golden light was not pushed back by the crimson lines but instead showed a faint suppressive tendency.

“This area meets the conditions! I never thought we’d find a suitable area so quickly!”

Azure Mountain clenched his fist tightly.

This meant the first step of their strategy had been achieved.

However…

Yuchen stared at the golden branch and suddenly spoke, “Thanks to Tianyuan Lord’s meticulous preliminary exploration, our progress is many times faster than anticipated. This means we still have time. We might be able to find a location more suitable for establishing the formation.”

They looked at Tianyuan and Azure Mountain.

Azure Mountain Lord’s expression was conflicted.

Mu Yuan pulled out the golden branch, “That’s exactly what I was thinking. If a location has a stronger connection with the will of the Eternal World’s heaven and earth, the greater the benefits we’ll gain after establishing the formation.”

“Establishing the formation is only the first step. We still need to defend it within the Crimson Mist region, intercept reinforcements from Dragon’s Slumber Valley, and even repel and crush the enemy. This is our ultimate strategic objective. To achieve this, we need to perfect every single step.”

Within the predetermined timeframe.

Azure Mountain Lord sighed, “Alright, if both of you say so.”

He didn’t strongly oppose.

This was exactly why he didn’t want to be the main commander.

A single decision could affect countless comrades, an entire warzone, a great domain… Making such decisions was too difficult, he couldn’t be decisive.

Mu Yuan was currently communicating with Sophia.

In his mind, dozens of alternative locations provided by Sophia appeared.

These were all areas where the Crimson Mist was sparse.

However, sparser Crimson Mist didn’t necessarily mean the area was more suitable.

Sophia couldn’t determine which specific area was more suitable for establishing an advanced formation.

This choice had to be made by him.

Choose correctly, and future battles would be half as difficult.

Choose wrong, and they might waste considerable time, even missing crucial opportunities.

It was time to decide.

“We’ll cross the sea. We’re heading to another shattered island domain.”

The Shattered Isle Region was composed of large and small islands, one after another.

As if a continent had been shattered, broken into countless fragments scattered in all directions.

Mu Yuan rode on Sario and soon flew out of the island.

Within sight were continuously churning black tides, and above them, thick Crimson Mist that clung like clusters of clouds.

“Be careful.”

Everyone maintained high altitude, far from the sea surface, guarding against these turbulent waves.

Proceeding with caution throughout the journey, they encountered no major incidents and didn’t run into any Legendary Realm monsters.Yet the journey remained fraught with bumps and jolts, with the spirits of the assembled powerhouses stretched taut. They feared even more encountering the elites of Dragon’s Slumber Valley—though statistically speaking, the probability of randomly running into top-tier vanguards from Dragon’s Slumber Valley across this vast Island Domain was nearly zero.

Finally, the Pioneer Group arrived at another large Island Domain—their target location.

By now, half an hour had passed since they entered the Shattered Isle Region.

Time was running short.

Rain Dust Lord planted the golden branch, observed for a moment, and said, “This area is slightly more suitable than the previous one. Shall we settle here?”

Mu Yuan gazed into the distance. “No, we still have other options.”

The reason he had chosen this target location on another large island was precisely because several other surveyable regions surrounded it.

He would not gamble.

Even if he did, he would choose the option with the highest probability—or one whose risks he felt confident bearing.

This situation qualified as both.

With multiple surveyable regions to choose from, even in the worst-case scenario where their luck proved abysmal, at least one among them would meet the minimum standard. They wouldn’t need to retreat all the way back to the previous second candidate zone.

Mu Yuan made a swift decision and split the group into three teams to proceed.

Soon,

Mu Yuan looked at the branch rooted in the earth, shimmering with golden radiance while crimson threads struggled to spread, and smiled.

“This is the place. As long as we establish our stronghold here, we can directly cut off the Crimson Mist’s erosion and expansion.”

The Pioneer Group reassembled.

Green Mountain, Yuchen, and Overturning Tide Lord—these powerhouses—began patrolling the surroundings, surveying the terrain, eliminating any potential hidden dangers one by one, and setting up simple defensive lines.

Lu Liu measured the land.

Sario and Asun glared at each other.

Mu Yuan slowly raised his hand.

In his palm, a ‘Lord’s Heart’ materialized as a medium.

This strategic treasure was provided by the Pioneer Group.

Mu Yuan actually possessed one of his own as well.

He activated the Warzone authority.

In an instant, he felt as if he had merged with a vast expanse of heaven and earth.

Ding!

Prompt: Establish a Warzone in this region? Upon confirmation, the primary authority of the Shattered Isle Warzone will transfer here.

Prompt: Establishing a Warzone requires time…

A pillar of pure white light, reminiscent of a purification beam, descended from the heavens.

New sprouts emerged from the earth.

Mu Yuan slowly spread his hands apart. The Crimson Mist that had enveloped the surroundings like an inerasable background layer gradually receded in all directions.

Sunlight streamed down.

…

Simultaneously, elsewhere in the Shattered Isle Region.

“Boom—!”

The battle had escalated to a fever pitch. One military soul projection after another manifested, towering between heaven and earth, breaking free from the pervasive Crimson Mist.

“Annihilate!”

Tyrant Dragon’s muscles bulged inch by inch, his bones cracking audibly, while the shadow of a colossal Dragon roared above him.

At this moment, he unleashed a fist strike that represented his ultimate sublimation—channeling the combined power of his entire legion into a single point.

Boom—

The Dragon’s shadow pierced through.

A Gnoll Legend crossed their claws, yet their entire body was still plowed backward, carving a trench hundreds of meters long across the ground. Around the Gnoll Legend, ordinary and high-tier monsters burst apart one after another, dying on the spot.

Tyrant Dragon panted heavily, “Hah… Hah… Damn it…”

Despite fighting fervently until now, he still hadn’t managed to slay a single Legend.They had been at a disadvantage from the very beginning. Even by forcibly unleashing Hero skills, strategic skills, and legion skills, it was difficult to find a breakthrough point.

Could they truly break through the blockade of Dragon’s Slumber Valley and secure a foothold in this Island Domain?

Tyrant Dragon had no time to ponder this question.

He simply threw punches, again and again, repelling the enemy with each strike.

He was merely an inconspicuous pivot within the assault team.

And high above in the sky—

Here, the Crimson Mist drifted, and atop the towering black peak that pierced the clouds, a terrifying, icy behemoth lay coiled.

His pupils resembled two icy moons, his body as if reclining upon the clouds.

His breath transformed into a fearsome black storm; wherever his gaze fell, the world manifested frost and sorrow.

Outside the black peak, the crimson dragons suspended in the air appeared as mere insignificant grasshoppers before the immense figure of the Ice Burial Grand Duke.

Beside the Ice Burial Grand Duke stood two other super dragons, their bodies scarcely smaller, though slightly less tangible.

The Gluttony Grand Duke.

The Three-Headed Prison Venerable.

The former appeared more ferocious, his massive, savage maw seemingly crammed with corpses as he chewed, his gaze brutal.

The latter raised three enormous dragon heads high, three pairs of vast crimson flesh wings spread wide against the wind.

Yet these three top-tier powerhouses of Dragon’s Slumber Valley, with their three pairs of eyes, were fixed upon a distant figure—one so minuscule to them as to resemble an ant.

The figure wore a mandarin jacket, held a sword in one hand, and was drenched in blood.

Blood of the crimson dragons, and his own.

The Arrow Sword Master was injured, even gravely so, yet an expression of obsession and madness gradually surfaced on his face.

Why did he always fight alone?

When he went mad, friend and foe became indistinguishable.

Because of this, even the high-ranking, brutal, and bloodthirsty beings of Dragon’s Slumber Valley regarded him with wariness.

In this realm above the Crimson Mist, the Arrow Sword Master was the one who represented the ‘crimson’ hue.

The three powerhouses—Ice Burial Grand Duke, Gluttony Grand Duke, and Three-Headed Prison Venerable—symbolized the colors ‘black,’ ‘yellow,’ and ‘tricolor,’ respectively.

The dense crimson repeatedly tore through the sky.

The black, yellow, and tricolor—three distinct concepts and laws—were also frequently shattered.

The Ice Burial Grand Duke looked down upon the distant land. “You humans are already at a disadvantage. What use is it to keep us tied down here? Why not submit to the eternal life of flesh?”

The Arrow Sword Master paid no heed, continuing to swing his sword relentlessly.

Scales on the Ice Burial Grand Duke’s forehead shattered and regrew.

“I have studied the military strategies of your Taixuan. One tactic is called ‘feint to the east, attack to the west.’ Your main assault isn’t aimed here, is it?”

The Arrow Sword Master remained unresponsive, still attacking on his own.

The Ice Burial Grand Duke didn’t seem to care, continuing calmly, “You’re stalling us here, trying to disrupt the surrounding world. But I have long since woven a vast net for you all.”

He wasn’t entirely certain.

Their forces were indeed pinned here, and there weren’t many strong fighters available outside the main base.

However, the reason the Ice Burial Grand Duke enjoyed the Twilight King’s trust was his thoroughness in all matters.

He excelled at preparing for multiple scenarios.

“Indeed, Taixuan has other legends who have set foot in the Shattered Isle Region.”

…

“Indeed, the enemy has arrived, and faster than expected.”

Mu Yuan was not surprised.

He was accustomed to making hundreds of contingency plans.

Even if the Arrow Sword Master proved unreliable and the assault team collapsed early, he had prepared countermeasures. However, this was the least favorable option.The base had not yet been established when they were ambushed by enemies, but this was just one of many common unexpected events.

He understood clearly that no matter what strategies or plans were devised, they ultimately had to be realized through strength.

He said, “The warzone will be fully established in three hours. Once the rules manifest and the heavens and earth change hands… we only need to repel this wave of enemies to succeed.”

He glanced behind him.

The purification pillar stood like a crystal column rooted in the earth.

Their task was to protect this crystal pillar from destruction.

As for the enemies…

A black tide surged with roaring waves, while crimson clouds billowed in from the distance.

Legendary Realm monsters stood atop the crimson clouds, growing larger in their field of vision.

Elephant-men, giants, trolls, steel behemoths…

And the direct descendants of Dragon’s Slumber Valley—the crimson dragons.

These cloud-riding legendary monsters shared one characteristic: enormous size and bulging muscles.

After all, they were monsters from the Flesh Eternal faction, worshipers of flesh accumulation who believed bigger meant stronger.

“Don’t panic. If these are just legendary monsters, we can hold them off.”

Azure Mountain Lord spoke to the others, but also to himself.

“This situation is actually better than the crisis we anticipated…”

Before he could finish the word “better,”

Vast expanses of crimson mist came eroding from the distance.

Everyone fortified their Willpower Light.

After the crimson mist storm passed, experts like Green Mountain and Yuchen realized the corrosive power wasn’t as strong as expected.

“Wait, something’s wrong…”

Azure Mountain Lord’s Domain suddenly contracted.

His pupils constricted…

“The heavens and earth—the power of heaven and earth…!”

「Notification: Affected by special factors, the current heaven and earth have been sealed, entering ‘Dustless State.’」

「Notification: Remaining time in ‘Dustless State’—00:59:59.」

This meant all elemental particles in this entire region had been stripped away.

The world entered a state resembling vacuum.

Under these conditions, the heaven and earth power that Legendary Realm experts could harness became useless.

Experts could only rely on their own energy reserves and… physical strength.

But,

The enemies… monsters from the Flesh Eternal faction excelled at forging physical bodies.

This was their advantage zone!

Experts like Green Mountain, Yuchen, and Celestial River Sword Saint understood this clearly.

Mu Yuan also had some understanding.

He rolled up his sleeves, revealing streamlined, taut muscle fibers beneath, radiating intense power.

After all, he was a man who had trained for most of the day using the ‘Heaven Rewards Diligence’ talent.

Moreover…

“I’ve long noticed this obvious weakness of Legendary Realm experts being dependent on heaven and earth power.”

And this is supposed to be called an unexpected event?

(End of chapter)