There was no need for words. Because they had seen everything clearly, the four guardians immediately initiated their most powerful attack. The earth bird coalesced meteors in the sky and dropped them on the fleet, the water bird sent liquid blades hurtling toward the ships, and the fire bird sent mini-phoenixes one after another. The strongest one, the Rank 3 wind bird, empowered all his allies' attacks close to the Rank 3 standard before sending out a sweeping tornado too. Should the attacks land, it would result in far greater destructive power than the previous opening attack! It had the potential to slaughter the entire army!
However, the ten vice-commanders of the Crimson Army did not delay. Activating their armaments, their auras soared, and they flashed to the various battlefields. Six of them headed to help defend against the three half-Rank 3 attacks, while the remainder stayed near the commander to fend off the tornado. Flashes of light rose magnificently across the world as they summoned their unique and bizarre powers. One threw out a hundred beads which transformed into golems that attacked. Another slashed the air and summoned lightning to his spear. Someone wore winged boots and accelerated to nearly imperceptible speeds. Another formed illusions that shrouded the fleet in an one-directional fog… If a human were present, then the current scene could truly be described as unbelievable! They were using abilities that were far beyond the norm in the human world. Not even the Sword King or Protector Avin would have believed that such a battle of epic proportions was possible!
When the two sides finally collided, several world-shaking explosions erupted everywhere, transforming the land in a sea of fire. The earth was ripped apart and blasted into smithereens while enormous craters scarred the world. The attacks were so intense that their residual heat melted rocks into lava, sand into glass, and anything else into liquid! It could be seen the equivalent of four to five provinces away! It was actually so potent that the ground visibly sunk under the tremendous pressure. Although it was far from flattening a mountain range, it peeled off a few layers from a nearby mountain. Had their defensive measures been lacking, such an exaggerated show of strength had the potential to kill everyone present! Despite that, weaker individuals still instantly died, even with the barrier letting less than one percent of the shockwave's force through. Their insides were reduced to pulp and their bodes exploded! A clash of more than a dozen individuals had completely altered the landscape… And they even killed several hundred people by sheer collateral damage!
The four guardians had ugly expressions while their bodies were tainted in their own blood. They had retreated to defend the sect's barrier since it was regenerating. Therefore, they had no choice but to let their enemies take the initiative. Not only that, but their opponents were not pushovers either. They were wearing priceless magic treasures and tools that elevated their combat power to another level. The vice-commanders wore bright smiles and their auras continuously grew stronger. As the leader of the four guardians glanced at Infernal Witch King, he was particularly gloomy. Four half-Rank 3 vice-commanders with the commander's help had fended off his Rank 3 attack, letting her to continue focusing on the Underworld Rose. His attack was completely ineffective!
"Please move out of the way, guardians!" the acting Sect Master weakly shouted.
At this time, everyone had their attention drawn over. The nine elder birds were hovering around the Featherwind Pearl along with another hundred peak Rank 2 experts. They were all channeling their Martial and Magic Energy into the pearl. Although none of them had the prerequisite strength to wield this powerful treasure, the cumulative energy of more than a hundred individuals was barely able to satisfy it! The blue pearl shone with a mysterious luster and ravenously absorbed all the energy before projecting out a Magic Circle. The four guardians grinned and moved, while the commander became unprecedentedly cautious. A treasure was essentially a very specialized tool, allowing it to perform exceptionally well in one area, while lacking in all others. Depending on who used it, the tool could exhibit wildly different results! Like the Underworld Rose, it could tilt the odds of battle!
As the energy took shape into a million myriad of butterflies, everyone's attention was instantly captivated. Butterflies of every possible color blended to create a breath-taking, heart-stopping, and soul-stirring show. One instant, it depicted a marvelous landscape with rolling mountains and serene rivers. The other, it depicted a galloping horse as it trotted through the heavens. The next, it depicted a homely scene where a child greeted their parents after a long day of work. From happiness to sadness, from fear to disgust, from anger to surprise, from lust to jealousy… It stirred everyone's emotions at the most fundamental level, forcing them to forget about everything else. Even Infernal Witch King, a Rank 3 expert, lost herself for an instant, much less to say about her vice-commanders or the three thousand strong army.
She recovered a split-second later, but it was too late! In battle, time was equivalent to life or death! And the four guardians capitalized on this rare opportunity well as they overflowed with a murderous aura. They flashed across the sky at blur and prepared to run wild in the flock of sheep! If the skies were not filled with blood today, even after being given such a chance, then they might as well kill themselves!
That was the plan when suddenly, the leader of the four guardians had a change in expression and stopped. Similarly, the commander of the Crimson Army gave a slight smile. Two of the four guardians were frozen with fear as they glanced at their chests. They were attacked precisely at that time! It happened too quickly, and the attacks came from beyond their perception. That meant a third party had arrived! Their thoughts ceased when one of them exploded from inside, painting the world in blood! In its place was a massive metallic orange sphere which seemed to be the origin of this internal explosion. The other guardian was not better off either, as the trident embedded in his chest carried a frighteningly potent poison. His skin began decaying at a visible rate, like the crumbling of ash, and he turned to dust. In a matter of seconds, these two half-Rank 3 individuals died!
"My brothers!" the leader of the four guardians howled in grief.
"Guardians!" many disciples shouted with teary faces as the whole sect was shrouded in melancholy. Just as their morale was supported by the four guardians' presence, it was quickly crushed with their absence!
"This… This is…!" the acting Sect Master trembled. He recognized those two iconic attacks. After all, the only way it could kill a half-Rank 3 so easily was if it originated from a Rank 3 existence! Moreover, the ones who attacked them were famous!
"Commander Infernal Witch King, you didn't need to rush here to quickly, did you? You left us to clean up the perimeter," a voice joked, echoing across the battlefield. With a light wave, the golden trident shot back into his hand.
"We can complain about her actions afterwards," a woman said sharply. Similarly, the orange sphere which detonated inside one of the guardians shrunk down to a marble and returned to her.
The acting Sect Master's eyes narrowed. Commander Chaotic Hex King of the Golden Army! Commander Ice Rupture King of the Amber Army! These two commanded the 'yellow' and 'orange' armies of the Luminous Central Origin respectively. Because they were part of the upper half of colors, they were led by Rank 3 existences! Although their enemy did not go as far as sending their trump card armies, the Night or Light Army, the cumulative force of the Crimson, Amber, and Golden armies was enough to level the Featherwind Sect! From this, it was obvious what their goal was. It was not subjugation, but extermination! They wanted to kill the entire sect! As if answering his thoughts, at the edge of his sight, the two armies approached from the horizon, chasing after their commanders. In an instant, the Featherwind Sect was flanked from three sides!
At this time, Commander Infernal Witch King of the Crimson Army finally activated her spell. The Underworld Rose released a horrific surge of Magic Energy which transmitted to the illusory rose above the sect's barrier. Everyone glanced into the sky to see the flower bloom and then shower the barrier in sparkling lights. It almost looked like the morning rain, strangely comforting and beautiful, but… when it touched the barrier, the seemingly innocuous spell revealed itself! It began devouring its way inside! Like a million parasites, the more the spell consumed the barrier's Magic Energy, its devouring speed became faster and faster. No matter how strong the barrier was, the Underworld Rose had the power to swallow it whole! It was truly a terrifying magic! Within seconds, one of the core defenses of the Featherwind Sect was destroyed and the sect was left naked to attack!