Chapter 508 – Purification, Conclusion, Baptism

At this moment, in the Red Mountain City sub-region of the Shattered Isle Warzone.

Before the frontline leading to the Shattered Isle Region, dozens of Pioneer Lords had already gathered, standing ready for battle.

The Middle-aged Man at the forefront was a Four-Star Pioneer Lord responsible for the defense operations on this side.

Ever since the main warzone of the Shattered Isle was established, their Red Mountain City region had not faced any fierce enemy assaults. On ordinary days, they merely cleared out waves of monsters surging from the opposite side and occasionally hunted down a few legendary creatures—nothing more.

Their mental stress was considerable, yet the tasks they truly needed to undertake were few.

Until today, or rather, not long ago.

They received an assembly order from the warzone command headquarters.

“Assembly?”

“Preparing to advance?”

Such an order seemed entirely unreasonable, but after several Three-Star and Four-Star Pioneer Lords verified it, they understood it was indeed the command headquarters’ genuine directive.

They needed to assemble their legions ahead of time and, upon receiving the next command, lead their armies into the Shattered Isle Region to coordinate with the Pioneer Army on the other side and strike directly at the enemy’s core.

“The command has arrived!”

“All soldiers, heed my orders! Form battle formations, use auxiliary potions, activate first and second-tier strategic buff skills, manifest the Legion’s Soul, and prepare to enter the Shattered Isle Region.”

The Four-Star Pioneer Lord took a deep breath.

Regardless, they would first enter the Shattered Isle Region to assess the situation.

The command headquarters would not issue a mission that was clearly a suicide mission.

“Move out!”

Entering the abyssal, bottomless chasm, the sky and earth seemed to flip over.

In the blink of an eye, they set foot in the Shattered Isle Region.

A nauseating, heart-palpitating aura assaulted them. Ominous Crimson Mist drifted before their eyes, and waves of Foul power assailed the minds of the soldiers.

This was the Red Mist Region—a forbidden land that the vast majority of ordinary Pioneers feared and never set foot in throughout their lives.

The Four-Star Pioneer Lord’s nerves were taut, with various explosive skills and life-risking abilities ready to be activated at any moment.

“Boom—”

A deafening roar echoed from the horizon, yet it felt as if it exploded right beside their ears, violently ringing in their heads.

This place was indeed in the midst of a major… major…

The Four-Star Pioneer Lord gazed ahead.

In the distance, dark clouds loomed, and Crimson Mist drifted.

Yet this Foul Crimson Mist, which seemed like a backdrop, was now slowly dispersing in all directions as if swept by a divine wind.

The overcast sky cleared in an instant.

A towering black mountain, ten thousand zhang high, stood like a forbidden land of demons, dominating this realm.

However, at this moment,

“Boom—!”

At the edge of the sky, winds gathered, clouds converged, and thunder roared with lightning.

Azure winds and dazzling purple lightning illuminated the heavens.

A divine Hand of the Sky, as if extended by a deity from the Nine Heavens, struck the ten-thousand-zhang colossal mountain.

The towering mountain, which had perhaps stood for eons in this Island Domain,

Shook, fractured, and collapsed.

Massive boulders, larger than skyscrapers, cascaded down in a torrent.

The entire mountain crumbled with a thunderous roar.

“The mountain range… collapsed?”

“The monsters’ stronghold… collapsed?”

The Pioneer commanders, filled with either fear or resolve, stood frozen at the entrance for several seconds.

A moment later,

“Brothers, charge!”

A battle cry shook the heavens and earth. Fixing their eyes on the legendary monsters among the mountains, the various legions swiftly advanced into battle.

…The Black Colossus Mountain, along with several surrounding peaks reaching tens of thousands of meters high, all crumbled under the sweeping force of the Hand of the Sky.

After all, the power of the Warzone could not be sustained for long.

The enemy’s stronghold was still filled with various traps and war machines.

If they truly fought head-on, the Taixuan army, currently high in morale, could still emerge victorious. But why sacrifice lives in a reckless clash with the enemy?

Mu Yuan simply brought his palm down.

Mountains collapsed, flesh structures shattered, and war machines turned to dust under the grinding force of heaven and earth.

Among the monster legends who had fled early, well-versed in survival tactics, few may have perished outright, but many were severely wounded.

Taixuan’s elites, both at the front and rear, launched their attacks simultaneously.

At this point, even though the total number of monster legends was only slightly inferior to the Taixuan side, the battle had become a one-sided encirclement and slaughter.

Monster legends were extremely fast in their escape, scattering in all directions. Even Dolai, giving chase, could only eliminate a limited number in a short time.

But the Taixuan legends outnumbered them, and with the Army Soul Legion joining the encirclement, they overwhelmed the enemy with sheer numbers.

In just a short while, over a hundred monster legends had fallen.

Some of the powerful continued their pursuit, venting the frustration of having been hunted by monsters for so long.

Other Lords and Heroes turned their gaze into the distance.

After the main peak and several major peaks had collapsed, a slender, towering segment of the mountain, several thousand meters high, remained standing.

This mountain segment was thin and elongated, resembling a sharpened stone pillar, with rubble still tumbling down its sides.

Yet, it stood unshaken, firmly rooted in place.

Even the raging energy tides surging around it could not budge it an inch.

After all,

beneath the falling rubble of the mountain lay a dark red crystalline structure.

At first glance, it appeared crystalline, but upon closer inspection, it seemed almost alive, with thread-like tendrils extending outward, writhing aggressively.

At the top of this dark red crystalline pillar, high in the sky, stood the Filth Nexus constructed in this domain.

Above was the Nexus.

Below were its roots.

The Filth Nexus was rooted deep into the earth, impervious to any external force.

The hand Mu Yuan had summoned by wielding the authority of heaven and earth earlier had been able to crack the Filth Blood Pool, but it could not damage the Filth Nexus in the slightest.

Perhaps he could inflict minimal harm, but it would be purely superficial.

The rate of destruction likely wouldn’t even match the Nexus’s own regenerative speed.

“The monsters have scattered. We must purify the Filth Nexus quickly to avoid further complications.”

Around the Filth Nexus, the Crimson Mist remained dense and viscous, like the eye of a Scarlet Storm.

It continued to spread and diffuse filth incessantly!

“We must purify the Filth Nexus without delay.”

Azure Mountain, Yuchen, Rock Crusher, and other powerful Lords flew one by one to the side of the Filth Nexus.

Dozens of figures took their positions.

“Purify!”

“Purify!”

“Purify!”

On the back of Mu Yuan’s hand, the mysterious Lord’s Mark glowed brightly.

A pillar of purifying light, more brilliant and vast than any he had seen before, shot into the sky.

In a matter of moments, this Nexus, which had taken root in the earth, ceaselessly draining the Heaven-Earth Essence and corrupting the entire Island Domain, disintegrated and dissolved in the light of heaven and earth.

The Crimson Mist receded at a visible pace.

Strands of golden sunlight pierced through the dark clouds, spreading outward continuously.

A “ding” sound, the prompt from heaven and earth, echoed in their ears.

Only then,

did the Azure Mountain Lord and other powerful figures, who had been holding their breath fearing unexpected twists, suddenly realize:

It was over. Everything was over.

They had won.

Had they truly won?Many powerhouses still felt a sense of unreality.

They had fought fiercely all day today, from the Shattered Isle Warzone to the Monster Stronghold, experiencing numerous legendary battles.

Time and again, they exhausted their energy, consuming countless recovery potions and healing medicines.

They had indeed given their all.

But when it came to life-or-death struggles and repeatedly escaping the jaws of death, that wasn’t the case.

Of course, they didn’t wish to face near-certain death every day if they could survive, yet they had defeated a formidable enemy like Dragon’s Slumber Valley without even brushing shoulders with death. This…

Was truly too unreal.

Absurd!

They looked toward the young man in the distance.

Deeply understanding that the great victory achieved in today’s battle, the complete annihilation of Dragon’s Slumber Valley’s vanguard forces, was undoubtedly due to the merits of Commander Tianyuan.

Without Tianyuan synchronizing with all soldiers and achieving victories through meticulous command, then accumulating partial victories into overall success, they absolutely couldn’t have achieved such a great victory.

In fact, they would have long been defeated by the enemy, forced to turtle up in fortresses awaiting slow death.

Without Tianyuan Lord decisively ordering the entire army to attack and wielding the power of the warzone like a deity, they couldn’t have flattened the monster’s nest either.

Especially that divine-like power!

The present legends had never wielded warzone power before, but many veteran Pioneer Lords had witnessed warzone commanders employing it.

It was never this absurd – at best, it was just an enhanced version of territory power.

Tianyuan’s mastery of this power had already reached profound levels.

It was precisely these various conditions that allowed them to achieve this “miraculous” victory in battle.

Defeating the strong while being weak, and achieving such an overwhelming victory – wasn’t this exactly a miracle?

Before this, no one had imagined they could directly face Ice Burial Grand Duke, along with several Hunting Grand Dukes and over a thousand monster legends, and still achieve great victory.

“However, the key to this war’s great victory was still that mysterious undead powerhouse’s intervention.”

“Indeed, if not for this top-tier undead powerhouse righteously stepping in, our side wouldn’t even have had the power to restrain a single upper-tier Hunting Grand Duke.”

“Speaking of which, do you get the feeling that… well, that this undead powerhouse’s intervention was also within Commander Tianyuan’s expectations?”

“Oh?”

The speaking legends recalled and pondered – seemingly, perhaps, probably… there was such a feeling.

The undead powerhouse’s appearance timing was perfect.

Commander Tianyuan had also formulated the plan to attack and eradicate the monster stronghold well in advance.

“You mean…?”

“Exactly!” the initially speaking legend affirmed, “This mysterious undead expert must have connections with Commander Tianyuan! They have personal ties – Commander Tianyuan called in this powerful reinforcement from outside Taixuan!”

The others suddenly understood.

…

Taixuan Alliance, Capital City, Pioneer Group and Taixuan Liangyi headquarters.

Both core departments were extremely busy, with bad news arriving frequently, especially for the Pioneer Group.

“Cold Valley Mountain Warzone has fully contracted, but fourteen guard camps still couldn’t evacuate in time and suffered devastating attacks.”

“Dragon Mountain Pass Warzone’s second base has been breached. Arrow Sword Master has gone to take command but the situation remains grim.”

“Dragon Lake Warzone situation critical.”

“Sky Island Warzone situation critical.”

“Three monster True Kings have appeared at Sky Abyss, engaging with the National Pillars.”

“Pagoda Warzone in emergency… Pagoda Warzone has fallen!”

[Translation complete]Shortly after the Cataclysm of the Heavens emerged, dire news kept pouring in. Only now had the frequency of such grim reports significantly decreased, replaced by less devastating battle updates from various warzones and regions.

After all, those warzones that couldn’t hold their ground and suffered heavy losses had already reported their tragedies in the preceding hours.

The remaining ones were naturally those capable of resistance, barely maintaining their defenses.

“Compile the status of all warzones and arrange orderly withdrawals for some.”

“Though it’s hard to accept, given the current situation, we can no longer sustain all fronts. We must consolidate.”

“Indeed, some peripheral territories must be abandoned. With the emergence of the Cataclysm of the Heavens, some legendary monsters have already managed to enter our Taixuan Territory. Most ordinary territories are too fragile against Legendary Realm beings, utterly defenseless, and we lack sufficient reinforcement forces.”

“But consolidating our territory would correspondingly diminish the great power wielded by the Pillars of the Nation. This is inadvisable.”

“Yet if we don’t consolidate, once legendary creatures infiltrate, these territories will struggle to survive regardless.”

“Dammit!”

Losses across the warzones were still being tallied.

An old general spoke, “Xiao Wang, first check the situation in the Shattered Isle Warzone.”

The Shattered Isle Warzone was merely an ordinary warzone, but its importance was immense, with reinforcement priority second only to major warzones like Cold Valley Mountain and Dragon Mountain Pass.

But it seemed the Shattered Isle Warzone hadn’t requested reinforcements?

They had sent messages initially, when the situation wasn’t yet critical.

Then there had been no further news.

Could something have gone wrong?

“Xiao Wang, have you found anything?” the old general urged.

“Uh… let me verify again.”

“What’s going on?”

Old General Chen stood up.

Xiao Wang typed furiously for a moment, then swallowed hard and said, “The Shattered Isle Warzone reports a great victory. Under the leadership of Commander Tianyuan, the warzone’s forces united as one and have destroyed the Filth Nexus in Dragon’s Slumber Valley. Moreover, with the assistance of a mysterious undead powerhouse, they have slain the Ice Burial Grand Duke on the Shattered Wasteland.”

“This message has been verified by multiple sources and confirmed by the headquarters’ guardian treasure. The territorial area of the Shattered Isle Warzone has actually increased, undoubtedly indicating a major victory.”

As these words fell, the vast command center fell into complete silence.

From ordinary staff members to veteran generals with great merits, everyone was silently processing this information.

Not only was the Shattered Isle Warzone unharmed, but they had achieved a great victory? And slain Ice Burial, the upper-rank Grand Duke of Dragon’s Slumber Valley?

“Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!”

Old General Chen’s face flushed red.

This was like a shot of adrenaline. In the Pioneer Group headquarters, where the atmosphere had been gloomy and clouded with despair, a light suddenly seemed to shine through.

…

Shattered Isle Region, Black Mountain.

Deadbone was examining the colossal entity before him, now completely lifeless.

A frost dragon over a kilometer in length.

“He was once the overlord of the frost dragon race, possessing the bearing of a monarch,”

said the Death Knight, who had insisted on tagging along. “In life, this Frost Overlord’s power was even greater than that of Ice Burial. Dragon’s Slumber Valley defiled his body, yet Ice Burial couldn’t unleash the Overlord’s full strength.”

“However, compared to the Overlord in his prime, this husk has decayed significantly.”

When the Overlord fell, his body suffered its first erosion.

Ice Burial of Dragon’s Slumber Valley then seized this husk, corrupting and transforming it to make it his own, using it to step into the Law Realm. This was the second erosion.Deadbone annihilated Ice Burial, marking the third instance of erosion.

Despite severe erosion, this remnant body remained immensely majestic, still carrying faint traces of conceptual power.

Deadbone caressed the skeletal remains as the black mist symbolizing the Calamity of Undead continuously poured into it.

It was as if pouring into a bottomless abyss.

He could transform this remnant body into an undead creature.

Even without a soul, consciousness, or mastery over conceptual power, this soon-to-be-born Frost Dragon would possess combat strength surpassing the Soul Realm.

It could be called Half-Step Law Realm.

Its body inherently aligned with certain concepts.

In the future, if the Frost Dragon developed a new self-awareness, it might even step into the Law Realm once more.

The Death Knight discerned Deadbone’s actions.

How terrifying… no, how supremely magnificent this power was!

A Half-Step Law Realm expert could actually be created so effortlessly.

Was this the power of the True King?

“Too weak.”

Deadbone murmured.

Death Knight: “?”

But to Deadbone, what use was Half-Step Law Realm combat strength?

It could only bully weaklings.

He pondered how he could improve it.

At that moment,

The Celestial Baptism Light from the unseen realms descended.

Deadbone’s mind lit up: he had a plan!

(End of Chapter)