"AKELUS!!!", three voices thundered.
[Edge of Guluan Forest]
There were two figures hovering high in the sky. Demonic Cult's Arch Demon Dongfang Kongbu and the leader of the Five Great families of Jianghu, the patriarch of The Mighty Tang Family Tang Jieshu.
Sect Leader Zhang roared at Akelus, who was flying away.
"STOP HIM!!!".
The warriors of Murim rushed forth. Rushed forward with keen battle intent. Determination burning in their eyes. They unsheathed their swords, assimilated their aura. Charging towards Akelus. They leapt to the sky like a human wave of swords and aura, engulfing Akelus.
[Pathfinder]
Several arrows appeared around Akelus. Most of them were grey. There was a single red arrow. The Golden mark etched below fizzled out.
Akelus charged [Fudan] with golden Qi, and clasped his hands together.
[Fudan]
[Wraith of Dawn]
Ten golden beams of light formed thoroughly clasped by Akelus, as he spun around. any murim soldier who was exposed to this light just disintegrated.
That wave of human warriors was getting immensely reduced, with multitudes of experts just dusting away, devoured by the light.
Patriarch Jeishu shot a purplish-green beam. It left a trail of pungent air, shooting straight at Akelus. Akelus formed a Qi construct mid air and jumped aside, while activating the golden Qi shield. The green beam grazed the shield, as Akelus barely avoided the attack.
[Pathfinder]
Akelus' eyes shone brightly. Several arrows formed around him, most of the grey arrows were rapidly turning red. There were no golden arrows, nor a golden mark.
"Tch...", grimaced Akelus, as he became extremely tense. He started getting anxious.
Patriarch Jieshu glided along the wind, surfing it. He constantly shot purplish-green beams of poison at Akelus, and each beam left a trail of pungent air.
Akelus kept avoiding the vicious beams of poison, while slaughtering the orthodox hoard.
Intensity of Tang Jieshu's attack kept increasing along with his speed, as he spiraled around Akelus.
Sect Leader Zhang shot forward, leaving a trail of blossom petals. These petals dispersed into the surroundings forming a pink dome around Dongfang Zhang.
[Cherry Garden]
There was a turbulent flow of blossoms around Dongfang Zhang with an extremely dense reddish pink Qi wrapped blade. He charged at Akelus, roaring.
Arch Demon Dongfang Kongbu quickly lunged forward. Carrying a long sword, shrouded in dark red Qi. Holding the blade high he crashed down. Blocking Dongfang Zhang, putting him in a deadlock.
"What!?!", Sect Leader Zhang was furious, while Patriarch Jieshu continued with his onslaught.
Blood red liquid flowed out of Demons Kongbu's pores, immensely spreading around him. A river of blood trailed behind him. It started squirming, spiraling around the Arch Demon Kongbu.
[Bloody Gallows]
The trail of squirming blood clashed with the turbulent cherry blossoms. The blossoms cutting down everything in it's path, while the blood containing everything.
"What are you doing?", said The Arch Demon Kongbu, in a calm, resolute tone. "Are you trying to kill him? He is better captured alive than dead."
"Do you think I don't know that?!", thundered Sect Leader Zhang. "Get out of my way!!!"
Aura of [Cherry Garden] intensified, Sect Leader Zhang's gaze became very vicious. Aura around him started getting more and more heavy and dangerous. The blossoms started moving even more wildly, cutting the very air itself.
Dongfang Kongbu winced a bit, pressured by Sect Leader Zhang's onslaught. [Bloody Gallows] was slowly getting devoured by [Cherry Garden]. Arch Demon Kongbu grimaced, assimilating and concentrating more Qi, stabilizing the situation.
"You are doing this despite knowing that. Come to your senses Zhang.", reprimanded Kongbu. "If you kill him, all of us will be losing a decade worth of research. Without him, we might not be able to enter the [Ruins of Sheng He] ever again!!!"
"That does not matter.", said Dongfang Zhang coldly, as he swung his Qi condensed blade.
Twang!!!
The collision resonated throughout the battlefield. An immense battle had started. Experts of both Murim alliance and the Demonic cult clashed while their leaders fought above.
The human wave around Akelus dispersed, now attacking the Demonic Cult.
"Charge!!!", yelled Patriarch Jieshu, looking at the receding wave of Murim warriors. "Don't let him escape!!!"
Soldiers of the five great families got into formation, and targeted Akelus. They threw various attacks at him. Draconian Canons were fired, arrows were launched, poison was deployed. These soldiers constantly changed their formation, moving in an unpredictable manner. Their attacks well coordinated. Trying to effectively cut off all paths of escape for Akelus.
"Not good... not good...", huffed Akelus, as he frantically tried dodging the relentless barrage. His eyes shined brightly.
[Pathfinder]
Several arrows appeared around him, some were red, while most of them were grey.
Akelus charged himself with golden Qi, as he rose higher and higher into the sky. He formed an Ethereal Qi fist and launched it at Tang Jieshu's forces.
[Heaven Defying Fist]
BOOM!!!
Soldiers quickly broke ranks and dispersed, nearly dodging the [Heaven Defying Fist]. Though there were some casualties. But that didn't hinder them and they rejoined for a pincer strike.
Akelus was now surrounded on both sides, with Patriarch Jieshu constantly restraining his movement using the poison beam barrage. The area was now covered by a tinge of purplish green mist. Jieshu's army barraging Akelus with canon fire, arrows and poison. Most of them were blocked by Akelus' Qi shield, while some got through. Cannon fire burned and charred him, arrows impaled him, while the poison festered on his open wounds.
"Cough", Akelus coughed up some blood, it had a dark tinge of green.
Tang Jieshu stopped, blankly staring at Akelus. His face betrayed no emotions. He raised his hand as a signal for his army to stop. The soldiers stopped in unison, even dispersing their ongoing attacks.
"Damn, Tang clan's Patriarch is as sharp as ever.", sighed Akelus, while popping a healing pill. His wounds got healed superficially, while the poison inside him got temporarily suppressed. "It seems he really is in a bad mood. Didn't expect him to let me off after the [Excavation Hall] scam.", he thought. His eyes shone brightly.
[Pathfinder]
Several arrows formed around him. Most of the grey arrows in front of him started turning red.
A bead of sweat trickled down his neck. Tang Jieshu slowly gliding towards him, his hands forming a gaseous orb of grayish-blue poison.
Akelus instinctively backed up. Jieshu's army below prepared for any unpredictable event. Cannon's ready, arrows knocked to their bows and of course there was poison as well.
[Pathfinder]
Grey arrows were rapidly turning red. There were no golden arrows, nor a golden mark.
[Pathfinder]
Same results.
[Pathfinder]
[Pathfinder]
[Pathfinder]
...
Akelus got extremely tense and anxious. He instinctively ran back to the [Forest of Guluan] in order to reduce the pressure on him. To get Tang Jieshu and his army off his back.
Tang Jeishu glided after Akelus, who shot multiple rays of Golden Qi at him. Akelus assimilated Golden Qi onto his palm and clasped his hands together. Ten beams of Golden Light formed.
[Wraith of Dawn], Akelus held the beams above his head, while flying towards the forest. He arched his hands sidewards, and the ten beams started spinning rapidly.
[Wraith of Dawn], form two, [Dawn Chakra].
Akelus flung [Dawn Chakra] at Patriarch Jieshu, who nearly dodged it. Still, Tang Jieshu, faced someone impact form the attack, which temporarily threw him off. [Dawn Chakra] turned and twisted targeting Jieshu's army, who quickly set up their defenses.
Akelus flew even faster towards the forest.
Patriarch Jieshu tried to balance himself. While his army had their frontlines decimated. Most of the cannons were destroyed by [Dawn Chakra], there were some casualties among the archers, while the poison users were mostly safe, with few minorly injured here and there.
The Patriarch frowned, glaring at Akelus.
Akelus was still bolting towards the forest, when-
[Pathfinder]
A pitch black mark formed over his head. Akelus felt a chill down his spine. The intense scent of death.
A pure ethereal white blade shot at him from below, pouring intense heat and dazzling white flames. A dark red eel of blood flew at him from the right, while a flurry of bright pink blossom pincered him from the left.
Akelus formed a Qi construct to jump forward, trying to evade this deathly pincer.
BOOM!!!
The scorching blade charred him, his flesh burning. The eel's body grazed his legs draining it of it's blood. While the flurry of cherry blossoms immensely cut through his flesh, leaving an open gushing wound. He was flung into the sky.
"Aauurgh!", groaned Akelus, as his mind got muddled by the pain. He was alive, but barely.
He quickly stabilized his Qi, he was breathing roughly. Still rising high up the sky, flailing around randomly.
He formed a Qi construct below him stabilizing his footing. He slid across the construct, His left arm hanging loose by his side, bleeding extensively. Blood with dark green tinge oozing out of his body, dripping on the bright gold Qi construct. But still he kept retreating, he kept running backwards to the forest.
Patriarch Tang Jieshu was the first one to charge after him, followed by Demon Dongfang Kongbu, Sect Leader Dongfang Zhang, Sect Leader Feng Ren.
Akelus started sweating profusely. The situation was extremely dire. He popped another pill, though it had meagre effect, forming clot around some major wounds temporarily closing them. His breathing steadily stabilized as he flipped backwards, diving into the forest.
"Damn!!!", yelled Sect Leader Ren.
"There is no other choice, our forces shall pursue him through the forest. While we survey from the skies.", said Patriarch Jieshu, calmly.
Four of them shot forward in the direction that Akelus ran, while their forces charged from below.
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