"The sky has changed again. It seems that the Otherworldly Sky Demons attacking this time will be even more terrifying. I don't know if we can stop them."
"We can only pray for a miracle."
In the centre of Profound Sword World was a splendid and tall pavilion, where many incomparably powerful figures stood. These figures were surrounded by altars made of multicoloured Wondrous Stones flowing with divine light intertwined with a divine glow. There were also many faded stone carvings on the stone wall at the side. Despite the blurriness, the carvings were clearly from the time the ancient ancestors fought against the Otherworldly Sky Demons.
With there being barely any records of the event, especially since millions of years had passed, there was no way for the people to imagine the exact tragedy that happened back then. Of course, that also meant that it was impossible for them to find a solution to dealing with the Otherworldly Sky Demons.
"So, are we just going to sit and wait for the day when the world falls apart?" Someone among these figures spoke. Their eyes were emotionless, but they held willpower seemingly as terrifying as lightning.
"Who can say for sure when we are not at the final moment?" Another person with a graceful figure spoke in a soft voice. However, she had a mask on that only revealed her pair of clear eyes.
A weary old man with his white hair tied into a bun spoke up then. "What the Snow Sword Immortal said makes sense. No one can tell before the last moment. After all, the hexagram reading this time shows that there is still a glimmer of light for us." With a simple Daoist robe on and a wooden sword in his hand, the man looked like he could be blown away by a gust of wind. Despite that, no one here dared to underestimate him.
There was a saying in Profound Sword World—all Sword Immortals were born from the Shu Sect. It just so happened that this white-haired old man was an old Sword Immortal of the Shu Sect. In the depths of the boundless ocean, he once slayed a ferocious beast in the Earth Sword Immortal Realm with just one swing of his sword. News of his kill had shocked all Thirteen States. His strength and vitality might have weakened throughout the years, but he still held a fearsome and unpredictable strength.
Another person also chipped in. "The few disciples who went to wipe out the source of the disaster never came back, and neither is there any news from them. Something bad must have happened to them. We still need to be prepared to go all out against the next group of Otherworldly Sky Demons." He was a rugged man with a noticeable scar on his face, and in his eyes were wisps of swirling sword-like beam which no one dared to directly look at.
There was no doubt that this group of people were the only remaining Earth Sword Immortals who stood at the top in Profound Sword World. Even though some Earth Sword Immortals were too secluded and had never shown up in public, there were only a handful of them. In other words, these remaining Earth Sword Immortals were the last hope and the strongest fighters in the Profound Sword World. There might be many other sword cultivators, but they were not the key to determining the outcome of the battle. The people had to place their hopes for a favourable result of the final decisive battle on these remaining Earth Sword Immortals.
"According to the hexagram, there will be someone who will step forward and stop the crisis. I wonder who it will be…" the old Sword Immortal from the Shu Sect murmured as his gaze fell to an altar. This was the altar left behind by their ancient ancestors. It contained the undying will of their heroic spirits which could be used at critical times. They came to this altar to do divination, to get a glimpse of their way ahead. Even though the result was bleak, it atl least stil had a faint glow.
This weak glow had become their conviction to persevere.
"Gather the troops to the battlefield before anything else. I can feel that the world's suppression of the group of Otherworldly Sky Demons is gradually weakening. Their supreme expert may come from beyond the sky…" The old Sword Immortal sighed before his body turned into a breeze that flowed out of this place. The rest of the experts also grew dead silent while they left the place one after another. Only a few of them had a flicker in their eyes as they had other thoughts.
A monstrous and terrifying Space Rift had suddenly appeared in the sky more than half a year ago. That was also where an endless stream of Otherworldly Sky Demons descended, bringing great disasters to the Profound Sword World. The one fortunate thing was that the World's Will resisted the group of Otherworldly Sky Demons, making it difficult for the experts among them to come to this land. Because of that, those Otherworldly Sky Demons could only lurk at the Outer Territory and coldly observe the people inside.
If they abruptly released their full strength, they would be immediately suppressed by the World Principles here.
In fear of an accident happening, the supreme experts were cautious, and they had not appeared using their true form.
*Rumble!*
At this exact moment, the living beings in the entire Profound Sword World felt an incomparably terrifying energy descending from beyond the sky. It was as if the ancient blue sky was about to collapse, and the World's Will was falling. They felt an eerie feeling wash over them as their bodies threatened to burst apart.
Feeling a chill all over their bodies, they turned to look at the sky with fearful eyes.
An expert rose into the sky. As two terrifying divine glows shot out of his eyes, piercing through the clouds and looking at the Outer Territory, he solemnly warned, "The Otherworldly Sky Demon Army has descended from the Outer Territory again, and they seem more fearsome than before."
Immeasurable bursts of Sword Qi gushed towards the sky from every corner of the Thirteen State, turning into human figures that looked at the scene beyond the sky as their expressions turned glum.
"Those are the Otherworldly Sky Demons' battleships! It is full of people onboard, and there are even more of them at the back. I can't imagine how many have come this time…" An expert endured the pain all over his body that felt like he was about to crumble as he growled in a voice filled with despair.
…
"Those who submit will be spared."
When everyone was shaking, a divine sense as vast as an abyss swept over from beyond the sky, sending over those indifferent words. The fluctuation washed across tens of thousands of kilometres without stopping, and it was so frightening everyone felt like their skin was about to burst. The ordinary cultivators even bled from their seven apertures as their souls collapsed.
"Don't worry. The world can still resist them. They can't fully descend yet. Don't be intimidated by them!" An expert roared. His eyes were red, and when he shouted those words, he revived many who almost lost consciousness.
Incomparably huge ancient battleships began to appear, releasing cold and gory fluctuations. A figure resembling a scarlet Celestial Phoenix soon emerged, bathed in monstrous Divine Flames.
An unparalleled powerful energy rolled across the place as the figure opened its mouth and mocked, "Heh, you insignificant ants. You could live if you would just obediently surrender."
However, when it was about to rush down to the ground below, a sudden red glow intertwined between the sky and the earth, and the World Principles turned into Heavenly Swords that slashed toward the figure.
The figure let out a sneer when it saw that. Knowing that the World was protecting the living beings on its land. Thus, the figure had no choice but to give up.
Many experts from Profound Sword World breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. They were drenched in a cold sweat when they saw the many ancient battleships descending just now. This was a discouraging scene, but fortunately, the Otherworldly Sky Demon supreme experts were afraid of the World's Will and they dared not continue to attack.
Immediately after that, a large number of soldiers rushed out of the ancient battleships, either riding fierce beasts or artifacts as they rushed to the ground below. "Kill them!"
The huge battlefield had turned red.
There were space fluctuations spreading above the sky. As ripples spread, a big group of cultivators from the Upper Realm rushed to the ground. However, since there was a terrifying restriction in this world, capable of resisting the power of the supreme experts that appeared, the leaders of the various Forces were cautious so as to not appear in this world with their true bodies.
…
The war that went on was ferocious.
An endless stream of beasts and soldiers charged ahead. When their sharp spears penetrated their opponent's bodies, spilling streams of blood, they continued to carry the corpses forward through a long distance. Even further than that, machetes that gleamed like lightning were used to slash at their victims as angry roars sounded.
Sword Qi soared to the sky, screams filled the air, blood flowed like rivers, and there were dead bodies everywhere… The people of the two worlds were engaged in a deadly battle.
An ancient city stood majestically not far away. However, it was already damaged with gore all over the place. Blood-stained city walls were already broken. There were powerful cultivators in the sky who used ancient treasures that kept rumbling. Although the city was shining, it couldn't stop the outside forces. In fact, the barrier of the city had already cracked, and was about to be completely shattered when—
*Boom!*
At the most critical moment, a beam of Sword Qi descended from the sky, turning hundreds of cultivators into piles of minced meat. Several young sword cultivators with divine swords in their hands came down from above and appeared on the top of the city wall. Each swing of their arm released powerful bursts of Sword Qi, sweeping away enemies from all directions.
…
"Are you going home now?"
Gu Changge was not far from the city wall when he saw how quiet Ah Qing had gotten as she put on a conflicted expression. He let out a small smile and casually asked her the question when he strolled through the battlefield.
Ah Da was following right behind him. Despite the three of them nonchalantly walking on this land cluttered with corpses, with blood splattered on both sides of the path they were on and roars filled the air, everyone around them seemed to turn a blind eye to them. Even those from the Upper Realm hadn't noticed them.
Ah Qing finally came back to her senses and broke her silence by first giving a nod. "Mhm. I want to see my mother. She must have been worried about my leaving home."
The scene in front of her made her feel disconnected from reality. Her compatriots were fighting with those from the Upper Realm, but she felt like she wasn't involved in any of this.
The battle hadn't been so fierce back when she left Profound Sword World. Even she didn't think she would step on this familiar piece of land under such circumstances.