Author Note: Massive cliffhanger! I'm warning you dears, so be careful~.
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Tatyana's face was ferocious a few moments ago as she sped toward where the aura originated.
Her figure blurred like a black smokey shadow as she weaved between the trees and ran at her top speed.
Mirrory and Valeria followed closely behind.
Tatyana asked with an icy voice. "What the hell are these abominations doing here? I was doubtful when I heard that child, Tengliu, speaking about it. But to think they can come to the lower realms."
Valeria was even angrier than Tatyana, and her usual gentle features showed wrath like never before, as if Mother Nature was about to unleash disasters on the mortal world. Her tone was deep and disdainful. "Who cares? These things should be purged from all existence."
Mirrory's voice was as cold as a thousand years old ice. "Just slaughter them. However, the auras are quite thick for our current strength. Tatyana, we must be careful if they have six marks or less."
Tatyana nodded seriously. "Let's first see, and if they have five marks, we must return to our children and evacuate."
Valeria frowned for a second. "But…" Then, she sighed. "Well, the children are our priority. However, we must come later to exterminate them if they are five marks or above."
Tatyana and Mirrory nodded. "We just need to call Tengliu and Coraline. With those two, we should be able to fight a five-mark depending on its cultivation… Sigh, if I had finished that formation, this would be much easier."
Mirrory snorted. "To think that you miscalculated."
Tatyana rolled her eyes. "I didn't expect it to be so far. Either way, we are arriving, focus."
Moments later, they arrived at the central area of the mountain basin.
With purple as the dominant color, everything in this area seemed to come from a different dimension.
There was a well-like giant structure that poured a sickening miasma. The transparent, blackish fog sunk into the earth, making everything it touched twist and transform.
Looking from the valley's entrance leading into the basin, it was impossible to spot this area because tall, regular trees surrounded it.
However, the trees affected by the miasma were very different. They were corrupted and warped in strange silhouettes, the soil was undulating and squirming in some places, and the air was nauseous for an average cultivator because of the chaotic energies.
Tatyana, Valeria, and Mirrory stopped on the edge and hid their breath, overlooking the situation.
Tatyana commented. "Thankfully, we've arrived early, a thousand years later, and this world would be doomed."
Mirrory commented. "No wonder this place was unexplored terrain on the map. All explorers that reached this area were probably killed or became crazy after entering into contact with [The Abyss]'s energies."
Valeria looked around and saw two humanoid but deformed figures channeling their energy into a strange purple crystal pillar.
One of them had a very thick arm and three standard arms on the other side, with a face that split right down the middle and opened in a terrifying maw with many teeth.
The other was not much better appearance-wise, with three arms and a torso that had a giant eyeball looking around.
The color of their skin was grey, with irises that appeared to have an engulfing darkness as a color with flashes of different lights. On their bodies, seven white runes glowed with twisted energies.
Tatyana asked. "What do you think?"
Valeria muttered. "Definitively seven marked."
Tatyana frowned. "They are in the beginning of the fifth realm, right?"
Mirrory nodded and praised. "You actually know how to measure their rank. As you've said, they are equivalent to a first-level Dantian Spiritualization Realm cultivation-wise."
Tatyana's eyes became murderous. "A seven-marked [Abyssal Horror] in the Dantian Spiritualization realm? Then we can kill them."
They saw a few incorporeal things flying around the crystal pillar and fusing with each other as a strange bubbling black liquid, like tar, appeared.
Valeria looked at that with disgust, and Tatyana's eyes burned with infinite murder. "Soul Corruption."
Without any delay, Tatyana went all out for her current body. "[Slaughter Intent Level Nine], [Battle Intent Level Nine], [Death Intent Level Nine], [Empress Intent Level Nine], and [Destiny Intent Level Nine]."
A titanic pressure wave engulfed the whole area as if a goddess had descended. The pressure was enough to sink the floor below her a few meters as her body floated and her black dress waved with the wind.
The Death aura accumulated and formed an intricate long sword with rings on the handle and a thick center, with an inlaid green gem near the hilt.
Valeria and Mirrory didn't fall behind, activating five level nine intents each.
Valeria's were [Life Intent], [Spirit Intent], [Growth Intent], [Propagation Intent], and [Rejuvenation Intent].
Mirrory's were [Harmony Intent], [Oracle Intent], [Eternal Intent], [Soul Intent], and [Truth Intent].
When the other two seniors deployed their monstrously strong intents, the world around them twisted under their tyrannical power.
Naturally, the two grey-colored [Abyssal Horrors] did not miss such a commotion.
Pushing the tip of her toes, Tatyana's body created an enormous boom as her body accelerated and appeared right before the one with the giant arm.
Tatyana's Death energy rushed madly toward the [Death Sword] as she slashed without mercy "[ABYSSAL RENDER]."
A tens of meters long black aura extended from Tatyana's sword as her sword tore the air and smashed onto the creature.
However, with unbelievably quick reflexes, the Abyssal horror's long arm flashed and collided with Tatyana's sword in an enormous collision of energies.
BOOM
The air imploded because of the collision, creating an upward tornado of energies. The result was stunning, not in a good way.
The creature's feet didn't leave the ground, and Tatyana's sword only sunk a few inches into its twisted and muscular arm.
A purple aura wrapped the long, deformed arm, making Tatyana's face become solemn.
She warned aloud. "They know [Abyss Chaos Intent]! The level is also not low, at least seventh level!"
The other three arms extended and three sword-like weapons landed on the creature's three arms. Then, it began swinging at Tatyana like crazy.
Tatyana quickly reacted, thanks to the extended senses because of her Battle and Destiny Intents.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Her sword and the creature's sword began clashing at ridiculous speeds for cultivators at their level.
Valeria's cold and murderous voice spread around. "It doesn't matter. Today, they shall disappear from my sight! [Divine Nature Empress: Nature's Queen Parade]."
Valeria's ethereal voice echoed around, and the world aroused to life. The Spirit Queen's green eyes blazed with life energy as her growth, propagation, rejuvenation, and life intents flooded everything, including Tatyana, increasing her strength a few notches.
"Kill those abominations, my children."
All trees, plants, and any flora around Valeria in a kilometer moved and followed the commands of the wrathful Nature Spirit Queen, intending to raze all her enemies to the ground.
The second grey humanoid sneak attacked Tatyana while she exchanged moves with the other Abyssal Horror.
Tatyana didn't even give it a side glance, and when its weapons arrived before Tatyana, a wave of vines, thorns, and razor-sharp wooden projectiles fell onto it with force enough to level a small city.
Its massive eye in its chest moved around quickly, changing the offense into a defensive maneuver. However, a vine managed to latch around its leg and dragged it, throwing it toward the forest that was uprooting itself and gaining monstrous combat powers under Valeria's influence.
Mirrory sped toward Tatyana as Valeria assaulted the other creature with endless waves of plant life.
The ancient Mirror appeared behind the Abyssal Horror fighting Tatyana and punched with an amalgamation of intents and energies that made even space twist around her fist.
Her voice was cold as she spat a single word.
"Die."
BOOOOOOM!
CRRAAAAAHHHH!
An unholy screech escaped the creature's mouth as Mirrory's punch sank into the back of the Abyssal Horror and made its back burst with a gory shower of flesh, creating a massive hole and sending the creature flying in a shower of black blood rain.
Tatyana knew that this was far from over and gathered energy while Mirrory rushed toward the half-regenerated creature and entered a brutal melee, each punch making the creature scream in pain.
Tatyana's energies surged as she used one of her trump cards and strongest skills.
"[Fate Calling Song]!"
Her Death Energy Sword changed to the shape of a guitar, and the color changed from pure black to white with black strings.
Then, she began to sing. "I summoned you, please come to me..."
As soon as the skill was deployed, the surrounding area was shrouded by her presence, and the world appeared to have fallen under her control.
Cracks in space opened as tens of Undead in the Unification Realm poured like rain.
Four Banshees sang with their Death Empress, five Wraiths played for her Death Empress, and hundreds of Undead skeletons and zombies rushed toward the creature being besieged by Valeria's plant army fearlessly, ready to give their unlife for their Death Empress.
With her manyfold strengthened power, Tatyana resummoned her sword, her voice permeating every corner of the area under her control, and she rushed and joined Mirrory in fight.
Valeria was not idle after the summoning. Her skills bloomed and enhanced everything in the area.
As a Spirit born from Heaven and Earth, her control over life was peerless. However, even when she controlled life, her attainments were so high that her strengthening could strengthen undead.
She herself rushed toward the creature fighting Tatyana and Mirrory, using the plant and undead army to delay one as the three seniors pummeled the other one.
Naturally, the creature was not a match when the three seniors went all out.
A sword appeared on its right, and it barely managed to block when Valeria's staff smashed its head.
The giant arm hastily punched toward Valeria, but Mirrory appeared beside its maw-like head with a spinning kick, sending it flying.
At the place it landed, Tatyana was already waiting, her sword gleaming with concentrated Death energy.
The creature screeched in defiance as his body burst with energy, and it used Mirrory's punch momentum to attack Tatyana.
BANG!
However, Tatyana's objective was to attract its attention.
Eyes glowing murderously, Valeria was above it, swinging her staff down with the weight of a small mountain.
BOOOM!
The Abyssal Horror felt the energies almost bursting its body as Valeria's attack smashed it into the Earth with a giant explosion.
Extreme pain as muscles, bones, and organs broke assaulted the horror.
Yet, it wouldn't be able to rest.
Mirrory's cold voice reached its hearing sense. "Come here and die already, Angel's energy is running low."
An irresistible force ripped it from the crater and threw it upward. It looked miserable, with cuts, bruises, and blood smearing it completely. Meat chunks were missing.
However, its vitality was holding strong as it screeched.
After being dug out, Tatyana and Valeria led the assault.
Tatyana chanted. "[Divine Lich Empress Battle Dance]."
Valeria was quick to follow. "[Thousand Petals Blooming Divine Lotus]."
Their figures blurred and smashed the creature around with continuous booms, leaving a green and black serpentine trail as the Abyssal Horror was smashed around.
The other humanoid was close to freeing itself from the assaults of the two armies, and it was at this moment that its giant eyes moved and locked onto something in the distance. With a monstrous screech, it burst with extreme power and rushed toward it.
Tatyana, Mirrory, and Valeria turned their heads at the same time, and their faces fell, Tatyana's becoming pale. "YASENIA, RUN!"