Boom! The battle commenced, transforming the sky into a dazzling display of fireworks. Beasts and humans alike tumbled from the heavens, their presence adding to the chaos. Unbeknownst to them, the battlefield in the sky had naturally divided into three zones based on strength. Li Tian found himself facing his original adversaries, two formidable core realm opponents, but he refused to be overwhelmed.
The clash raged on for nearly half a day, reaching a stalemate. Both cultivators and demonic beasts had suffered heavy casualties in all three zones, yet they fought on with unwavering determination.
Suddenly, a commanding voice resonated throughout the surroundings, causing the entire battlefield to be shrouded in an oppressive aura. Every single participant froze in place, unable to move. All eyes turned skyward, where a figure had materialized. It was as if this individual had been present from the beginning, draped in simple traditional Chinese robes, with flowing grey hair billowing in the wind.
The emitted aura pricked at the skin like thorns, leaving everyone on edge.
"Inferno Kong, how many lives must be sacrificed for such a trivial matter?" the voice boomed, its words echoing through the air. The figure addressed the gorilla with a tone of disapproval.
To everyone's surprise, a gorilla standing at a mere height of 1.5 meters appeared, facing off against the figure known as Gen. Silverthorn.
"Ah, so you couldn't hold back any longer, Old Man Silverthorn? It has been quite some time. Did you know that I had a grandson during these past years?" the gorilla responded, treating the situation with a hint of jest.
"Oh, really? I had no idea. Congratulations"
The two individuals engaged in a conversation that seemed friendly and warm. However, if one were to ignore the pool of blood seeping into the ground, it would be easy to be fooled by their seemingly kind words.
"Well, I must admit, that poor child had quite an unfortunate fate... He's no longer with us," he said with a sigh. "But I'm sure you're already aware of that... The real concern lies not in the fact that he died, but rather in the circumstances and location of his demise. Do you grasp the gravity of the situation?"
Silently, Silverthorn thought to himself, "Exactly as I thought. How could so many rank 4 demonic beasts willingly sacrifice their lives to avenge the death of this ape's grandson? It must be connected to that matter."
Silverthorn fell into a brooding silence, his face growing darker by the moment.
The old man broke the silence, his voice tinged with curiosity. "So, what is it that you want?"
"We simply came here to remind you all of the agreement," replied the gorilla, a hint of arrogance in his tone. "It seems that over the past few decades, you've conveniently ignored it. Well, let me make it clear: either you honor the treaty, or we shall engage in all-out war. And, you must hand over those two humans."
As the conversation unfolded, the core realm cultivators listened intently, able to clearly hear every word. However, Li Tian found himself utterly perplexed. What treaty were they referring to?
Curiosity piqued within Li Tian, but he knew now was not the time to be distracted by doubts. He had to remain focused on the battle at hand. The answers to his questions could wait.
The gorilla's tone seemed to irk Silverthorn, who grew increasingly angry. "Inferno Kong, you seem to believe that we humans fear demonic beasts. Let me assure you, we do not. Our avoidance of war does not equate to fear," Silverthorn's voice resonated with anger.
Regarding the treaty, Silverthorn continued, "We acknowledge that there have been reckless individuals among us, and we will address that issue. However, those two cultivators you speak of are human, regardless of their foolishness and impulsiveness. We will not hand them over." With each word, Silverthorn's resolve solidified, his expression unwavering.
The gorilla, no longer wearing a mocking expression, locked eyes with Silverthorn. "Is this truly your decision?" it asked, devoid of jest.
Silverthorn remained silent, but from his sleeve, he produced a small device and pressed a button.
Meanwhile, in the conference room of the military headquarters in Prime City, a meeting of high-ranking generals was in progress. The topic of discussion revolved around the ongoing beast tide. Suddenly, a red light blinked twice above their heads. Of the ten seats in the room, only eight were occupied. The generals gazed at the blinking red light, their curiosity piqued. "A summons for two generals at this moment? But from whom?" one of them inquired. The reply came swiftly: "It's Silverthorn." Upon hearing this, the room fell into a momentary silence before two of the generals vanished, responding to the summons.
Li Tian observed the two figures in the sky, unable to fathom their power levels. They stood two realms above him, and that was all he could discern.
With each passing minute, the air grew heavier, and it felt as though space itself quivered between Inferno Kong and Silverthorn.
Boom! A resounding explosion rocked the area, sending Li Tian and other core cultivators hurtling in different directions.
The sky split in two, one side ablaze with crimson and scorching heat, as if even the clouds were set aflame. On the other side, a radiant silver light pierced through the atmosphere.
As the flames intensified, the silverback titanoape steadily grew, reaching a towering height of 50 meters. It had returned to its original size, its body engulfed in flames. With a staff in hand, the ape manipulated the power of the flames, increasing their intensity and range. Soon, an entire section of the sky became a blazing inferno, obliterating everything and forcing combatants of all cultivation levels to flee to a safer distance.
Silverthorn found himself surrounded by vines covered in shimmering silver thorns. These vines possessed an extraordinary peculiarity—they prevented the flames from consuming anything in their vicinity.
The two domains clashed, causing violent vibrations as theycollided. The shockwaves rippled through the battlefield, shaking the ground and disorienting those who were still able to stand.
Inferno Kong swung his staff with a mighty force, causing the clouds to part and revealing a power that could decimate most of the core realm cultivators present. It was a sight to behold, as he unleashed his devastating attack.
Silverthorn swiftly responded, brandishing a spike and thrusting it forward, aiming to clash with Inferno Kong's staff. The impact was tremendous, creating a thunderous boom that echoed through the battlefield.
The battle had begun, and the speed of their movements surpassed the comprehension of all but a few core realm cultivators. Li Tian, fortunate to possess the yin-yang heavenly eyes, was among the few who could witness the intensity of the fight. The combatants moved with incredible speed, but Li Tian could discern that Gen. Silverthorn was even faster than the gorilla.
However, as Li Tian watched in awe, he couldn't help but wonder how a creature of such immense size could possess such lightning-like agility. The others who lacked Li Tian's abilities could only hear the clashes and tremors in the air, a testament to the sheer power unleashed by the two adversaries.
The ground beneath them cracked and trembled, the battlefield becoming a danger zone as their battle raged. No place was safe, from the earth beneath their feet to the expanse of the sky above.
Realizing that the battle was far beyond his level, Li Tian wisely chose to retreat to a safer distance, following the example of many others. The immense power displayed by Inferno Kong and Silverthorn was overwhelming, and it was clear that engaging them directly would be a perilous endeavor.
Just as the battle reached its peak, two more auras suddenly emerged from the nearby forest, spreading terror among those who sensed them. The arrival of these new forces added another layer of complexity to an already chaotic situation, leaving everyone on edge and bracing for the unknown.