Chapter 528 – World-Class Powerhouses

Within the bowl-like depression formed by surrounding mountain peaks, several human Legends with crimson-glowing eyes and bloodthirsty grins suddenly froze in place.

What just happened?

They only saw their companion conjure a series of phantoms – the advanced skill Phantom Dance Steps. But the dance had barely begun when their companion immediately collapsed face-first.

Too much drugs?

The others frowned.

No! That’s not it!

The leader codenamed ‘Red Eye’ focused their gaze on the Bewitching Woman. This companion suddenly toppled forward, their body sliding dozens of meters from momentum. But the next moment, a bloody handprint appeared on her body, followed by a second, third, and dozens more.

The bloody handprints densely covered the Bewitching Woman until she was drenched in blood. Then, as if being devoured by something, large chunks of her body directly vanished.

It was as if, in that brief moment, the Bewitching Woman had experienced prolonged battle and torture.

“I’ve got the information,” Red Robe said. “Though these guys aren’t monsters themselves, they’re actually collaborating with monster factions. They’re definitely human traitors.”

She had just used ‘Eyes of Reincarnation’, having battled this female Legend in a space between existence and non-existence. Or rather, it was one-sided torture.

Dealing with such small fry was quite simple with her abilities.

Well, it only looked simple. Inside the Reincarnation space, she had actually tortured the Bewitching Woman for several hundred seconds. She was utterly exhausted.

The consumption was enormous.

Such a killing technique could only be used a few more times in the short term.

Red Eye’s pupils constricted sharply. “Don’t look directly into her eyes! This ability must also have enormous consumption!”

While speaking, their entire body expanded.

Another Legend, the fatty, shook the earth, raising dust clouds in the blink of an eye.

The final Legend shook their cloak, spreading it like a black curtain that enveloped the surroundings, plunging the entire area into utter darkness.

In the darkness, three Domains abruptly expanded, filling the surrounding space, seemingly trying to create multiple barriers to avoid those extremely sinister eyes.

Red Robe curled her lip.

The Eyes of Reincarnation weren’t such an inconvenient technique. She didn’t need direct eye contact – she had already locked onto enemies within her field of vision. Even though the three had now blocked her vision, they remained temporarily locked, and she could drag any single target into the Reincarnation space at will.

But it wasn’t very necessary.

Tree Spirit Grandma, shrouded in her large robe, had already stepped forward, clapping her tree-bark-covered hands together.

No thunderous roar, no tremors.

It was just that, unnoticed, lush trees had grown everywhere around them. As if they had always been in this thriving forest.

“What’s happening?”

“What’s happening!”

Red Eye grew increasingly alarmed.

They originally hadn’t feared experts from Taixuan – even if Peak Heaven-Earth Realm experts came pursuing, they still had confidence to resist.

But these two suddenly appearing Legends whom they didn’t recognize at all were too bizarre, too terrifying!

“Fatty, Cloak, follow my instructions from now on, we…”

Before they could finish speaking, their pupils constricted sharply as cold sweat poured down.Just moments ago, two accomplices who had been standing hundreds of meters away, ready to lend a hand, now had their entire bodies twisted and broken. Ancient spiral tree roots burst from the ground, piercing through their bodies and blooming with eerie, blood-red fruits.

Their deployed Domains seemed like mere illusions, utterly useless as the tree roots rampaged freely within them.

No, it was even more than that…

“The Domains are like soil, being drained by these roots!”

“How is this possible! I thought only a Domain could destroy another Domain?!”

In just a few seconds, by the time he realized it, his own Domain had already shrunk by half.

Eerie, blood-red ancient trees rapidly grew around them.

Red Eye roared in fury, but the surroundings seemed to have turned into a dustless void—he couldn’t gather even a trace of the world’s elements.

No, it wasn’t a dustless void; rather, these world elements were all clenched in the grasp of that mysterious expert controlling the tree realm. Despite being a seasoned Legend, he felt like a helpless child, unable to budge anything no matter how hard he struggled.

The roots swarmed in, enveloping him.

Red Eye strained with all his might, managing to sever only a few roots before being swiftly impaled by the rest.

His life force rapidly drained away, becoming nourishment for the tree realm.

The gap in power was despairingly vast.

Who… who are they?

He had never faced a powerhouse of this caliber before!

“Such a powerhouse…”

“Such a powerhouse…”

Suddenly, a term came to his mind.

Those who are active on the world stage, renowned and illustrious;

Fallen God attendants with followers spread across the Wilderness, their totems erected in tribe after tribe;

The Blood Feast Grand Duke, the Shadow Grand Duke, the Hive Queen…

All these beings share a common title:

World-Class Powerhouses.

Those qualified to dance upon the world stage!

“To be devoured by such a powerhouse… I die without grievance.”

Thud, thud, thud, thud—

Dozens of wooden spikes pierced through his body, splattering blood.

……

Time passed slowly, and the situation in the Twilight Great Domain gradually stabilized.

After all, the number of legendary monsters within the territory was limited.

As the Sky Patrol Squads eliminated one after another, the remaining ones either went into complete hiding or fled the Taixuan Territory.

Everything was slowly improving.

“It seems the most dangerous phase is about to pass.”

“The rapid stabilization of the Twilight Great Domain and the Great Azure Domain is largely thanks to the Tianyuan Squad.”

General Chen praised.

Under pressure, the massive machinery of Taixuan squeezed out considerable potential, forming eight Sky Patrol Warzones in a short time, with several more still in the process of being established.

Due to their freedom and benefits, the Sky Patrol Warzones were considered desirable assignments for powerhouses.

At first glance, the commanders of Sky Patrol Warzones don’t wield as much authority as those of ordinary warzones—they can’t command large armies or direct numerous Lords.

However, no matter how much power ordinary warzone commanders have, it’s confined within their warzones. Beyond satisfying a bit of vanity, lust for power, and making it easier to accumulate military merits, such authority is of little real use.

The Sky Patrol Warzones are different.

The Sky Patrol Banner and Sky Patrol Robe are tangible benefits that can be obtained, significantly enhancing the combat strength of one’s own General.

The Lords had long recognized this, which is why the Sky Patrol Warzones were established so rapidly.From the very beginning, many Lords—including some from the Pioneer Group with modest merits—applied to serve as Warzone commanders.

The Group filtered out those with insufficient strength, then eliminated those seeking personal gain through power.

The Pioneer Group didn’t mind Sky Patrol Squads wearing combat attire for personal matters, but at the very least, public duties had to be completed first.

What General Chen didn’t mention was that by the time he approached Tianyuan to inquire about his thoughts, many had already volunteered to form the Warzone.

He still strongly recommended Tianyuan and prioritized the establishment sequence of the Tianyuan Warzone.

Looking back now, his judgment was precise.

This was the most correct decision he ever made.

“Even if several Law Realm experts were deployed, their efficiency in eliminating crisis sources would likely pale in comparison to a single Tianyuan Warzone.”

“Moreover, these Tianyuan Squads not only eradicate threats rapidly but also rarely—no, almost never—encounter unexpected incidents.”

Other Sky Patrol Squads naturally faced surprises.

Sometimes they failed to intercept fleeing Legendary monsters, other times they fell into ambushes by Legendary foes, or enemies suddenly unleashed unimaginable power.

This was normal.

Upon reaching the Legendary Realm, monsters also possessed extraordinary means. No one could predict what terrifying abilities might lie hidden beneath seemingly ordinary Legendary creatures.

Precisely because of this, the Tianyuan Squads’ “zero incident” record was astonishing.

“It appears Tianyuan Squads not only employ unique methods but also possess considerable and balanced combat prowess themselves.”

After all, not a single Tianyuan Squad had ever encountered unexpected situations.

They all possessed the capability to crush any surprises.

“That Tianyuan General is undoubtedly a world-class powerhouse, capable of single-handedly defeating three Hunting Grand Dukes.”

“But perhaps the world-class experts within Tianyuan Squads aren’t limited to just him?”

“Some members might not quite reach that threshold yet, but they’re not far off.”

For most Legends, the Legendary Realm is divided into stages: New Legends, Ordinary Legends, Veteran Legends, Peak Legends, Ten-Thousand-Meter Legends, and the Divine Soul Realm.

However, from the perspective of major nations, the Legendary Realm only has three categories:

Conventional Legends, World-Class Powerhouses, and Top-Tier Law Realm experts.

The fact that Tianyuan Squads’ combat power approaches this level is indeed reassuring.

Of course, while this is true, this world is full of surprises, and even genuine world-class experts cannot afford carelessness.

General Chen always tirelessly reminded them to remain vigilant.

“I heard Old Wang wants our assistance—they still have numerous malignant threats left uncleared.”

“Hmph, Old Wang’s team really isn’t up to par.”

…

Twilight Great Domain, outskirts of Taixuan Territory.

A dark cyan giant bird glided slowly at low altitude.

With a wingspan of sixty meters, this bird wasn’t a living creature but a precious transport treasure.

Inside the bird, several Legendary Realm experts and dozens of Second to Fourth Order operators piloted this aerial weapon as it cruised steadily.

They witnessed the scarred land, destroyed villages, and ruined cities.

“Taixuan’s situation doesn’t seem promising either. Can we even secure aid from them?”

A Legend’s voice was somber.

They were elites from the ‘Gemstone Nation,’ a member state of the Taixuan Alliance.

Of course, since the Sky-Splitting Calamity emerged and hordes of powerful monsters emerged from the Land of Red Mist, the Gemstone Nation now teetered on the brink of collapse.Helpless, they could only head to their former ally state Taixuan, hoping to receive some assistance.

“At any rate, we’ve finally entered Taixuan Territory and can breathe a little easier.”

A young man with a dazzling cyan gem embedded in his forehead and strikingly handsome features sighed in relief.

After all, the wilderness had become infinitely more dangerous than before in these times. Even though their squad was exceptionally elite—boasting several Legendary Realm experts and piloting the epic treasure “Dark Cyan Winged Bird”—they couldn’t guarantee a safe crossing through the vast wilderness.

At least now, the greatest dangers were behind them.

Another Legendary Realm expert with a gem embedded in his forehead agreed, “Indeed. Now that we’re within Taixuan Territory, even if we encounter some powerful monster by chance, it likely won’t exceed our ability to handle.”

“No.”

The young man with a magnificent ruby embedded between his brows spoke up.

He appeared to be the youngest among the Legendary Realm experts, yet he was the leader of this team.

The other Legendary experts held great respect for this young man. The reason was simple: Hong Shi Jing had already reached the Peak of the Legendary Realm at just over twenty years old. He hadn’t yet reached his limit, and his Domain could continue to expand.

Within the Gemstone Nation, many said he had the potential to become a world-class powerhouse.

Moreover, Hong Shi Jing was the direct grandson of the nation’s only Law Realm expert ‘Crimson Star Forge’, fully representing the Gemstone Nation.

Hong Shi Jing stated, “These ruined towns we passed along the way show signs of Legendary Realm monsters running rampant. I believe that after the Heavenly Cataclysm, many Legendary monsters took the opportunity to flood into Taixuan. Now, countless monsters lurk within Taixuan Territory—it may not necessarily be safer than the wilderness.”

“Until we reach truly secure territory, everyone must remain vigilant.”

His tone was grave.

The other Legendary experts didn’t respond perfunctorily, each becoming serious.

This wasn’t just because of Hong Shi Jing’s status. Multiple times during their journey, it was his decisive judgment that had helped them avoid major crises.

This young man had long since earned their admiration.

He was the future hope of the Gemstone Nation.

The dark cyan great bird began flying more cautiously.

Yet despite their extreme care, they remained unaware that their movements had been detected by several figures dozens of kilometers away.

Dragon horns, fangs, fleshy wings.

They were unmistakably Flesh Dragons from Dragon’s Slumber Valley.

“Lord Dark Fang, shall we make our move?”

These Flesh Dragons weren’t particularly massive in size, but each had distinctive features.

—Intelligence about Dragon’s Slumber Valley contained this warning: Beware the massive Flesh Dragons, but be even warier of Flesh Dragons with abnormal forms!

Distinctive features equated to power.

The three dragons respectfully sought instructions from the central figure—a relatively small, dark gray-scaled dragon whose most prominent features were its exceptionally noticeable fangs.

Dark Fang, the Hunting Grand Duke.

The title ‘Hunting Grand Duke’ alone represented his status, influence, and power.

Dark Fang narrowed his eyes, “Stay put and don’t forget our objective.”

They had come under orders from Firewing Grand Duke, with the mission to eliminate Tianyuan’s General.

After waiting for some time and failing to lure the Tianyuan Lord out of his territory, Firewing Grand Duke had to implement his ‘secondary plan’.

Namely, to hunt down Tianyuan Territory’s generals and sever his right-hand men.”Our target is the Giant Spirit God, the Tianyuan General who once erected an endless barrier and thwarted the Ice Burial Grand Duke’s plans.”

“As long as we eliminate this one, I believe the Tianyuan City Lord will no longer be able to sit still.”

Dark Fang Grand Duke declared.

In truth, the primary target on the hunting list given by Firewing Grand Duke wasn’t this Giant Spirit God, but rather that blue-haired, blue-robed Tianyuan General who appeared harmless – ‘Sky-Devouring Whale Dolai’.

His informants had repeatedly detected traces of this General Dolai.

However,

Dark Fang Grand Duke was no fool.

This General Dolai had slain three Hunting Grand Dukes – Gold Blade, Jade Sand, and Dragon Flame – proving it was no easy opponent.

Though he possessed a powerful weapon bestowed by Firewing Grand Duke that might potentially kill General Dolai…

Why should he take such a risk?

He was already a distinguished Hunting Grand Duke. Even an upper-tier Grand Duke like Firewing couldn’t force him to undertake dangerous missions.

This was the privilege of being a Hunting Grand Duke.

Within their Foul Forces, those below the Legendary Realm were mere cannon fodder. Even Fourth Order Peak intelligent minions could perish in droves without anyone caring.

In the eyes of Hunting Grand Dukes like them, ordinary legends were disposable.

Only Hunting Grand Dukes were different – they not only possessed combat power surpassing ordinary Soul Realm beings, but were also candidates for the Law Realm.

“They’re here!”

Through a certain treasure, Dark Fang Grand Duke locked onto figures over a hundred kilometers away.

Simultaneously, he immediately activated the powerful weapon bestowed by Firewing Grand Duke.

A wisp of eerie light flashed and vanished.

…

Over a hundred kilometers away, a majestic, awe-inspiring azure divine bird was riding the winds across heaven and earth.

“Just moments ago, with a single Wind God’s Sigh, I dismembered that monster on the spot. Truly worthy of me, the Falcon Lord.”

“At the wilderness’s peak, proud throughout the world, the Falcon Lord soars to the Ninth Heaven.”

Before it could finish boasting, all its feathers suddenly bristled.

A lethal crisis was approaching.

“Screech—!”

Asun soared through the nine heavens, instantly darting dozens of miles away.

Yet at the same moment, it let out a piercing cry of agony.

An eerie light had pierced through its wing.

Decay spread across the azure feathers, and Asun plummeted from the sky.

“Boom—!”

“Crash—!”

Two consecutive impacts shook the ground.

One was Asun crashing to earth;

The other was Lu Liu smashing into the ground.

“It carries the concept of inevitable strike, along with spatial teleportation and decay properties.”

As a legendary being, he could perceive conceptual forces.

However, the combination of inevitable strike and teleportation left him no time to intercept.

Not only was the attack sudden, but the conceptual power within that eerie light was immensely potent.

Lu Liu’s expression turned grave.

A barrier burning with faint purple flames suddenly rose around them.

Then, one, two, three…

Three overwhelming Soul Realm auras surged forth, sweeping across heaven and earth like collapsing mountains and raging seas.

These were three flesh dragons of varying forms, their crimson vertical pupils firmly locked on the two.

The enemy… had come prepared.

Lu Liu understood perfectly why they had targeted Asun first. Had Asun’s wings remained intact, it could have soared thousands of miles in mere breaths with its Soaring Nine Heavens technique, leaving even the strongest monsters of Dragon’s Slumber Valley far behind.

But now, with Asun’s wing broken and the barrier raised,

They were like turtles in a jar.

The three flesh dragons roared as they charged forward.The next moment—

“Hum—!”

The world seemed to freeze as an immense terror began to rise.

At the far end of the sky, a giant nail shrouded in ghostly light unleashed conceptual power like tidal waves, corrupting the heavens and earth!

For a moment, the entire world seemed to be dying.

A hundred kilometers away, the powerful experts of the Gemstone Nation, riding their ‘Dark Cyan Purple-Winged Birds’, felt as if their breath had been choked off—as though they had suddenly died once.

The concepts of “Inevitable Hit” and “Inevitable Death”!

Lu Liu witnessed these concepts, the latter overwhelmingly vast, as if the entire world had been completely stained black.

The three Soul Realm Dragons were merely decoys; this giant nail, imbued with the terrifying concept of inevitable death, was the true killing move.

The pointed tip of the giant nail was aimed directly at Lu Liu from afar.

A chilling sensation of death surged straight to the crown of his head, as if he had already experienced death.

This was inevitable.

He was destined to embrace death.

The next moment, the giant nail vanished, crossing dozens of miles to appear right before Lu Liu.

“Clang—!”

A resounding clang echoed through the heavens and earth.

A dazzling golden radiance, like the dawn dispelling darkness, purified death and decay.

The Grand Duke Dark Fang, who had just been about to raise his claws in celebration, froze mid-motion.

In his vision, there was only a figure glowing brilliantly like a golden statue.

The giant nail was sent flying into the air, cracking and shattering.

Yet, on this radiant golden statue, it left only…

A black scratch the length of a small saber.

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(End of Chapter)