The battle on the frontlines escalated, and three Golden Core elders from Xuanshao Sect and Tianque Sect finally joined the fray, unleashing overwhelming waves of spiritual energy that pressed down on the southeastern resource point with a stifling intensity. The two Yunxiao Sect elders guarding the resource point, Elder Feng Ren and Elder Shao An, exchanged a somber look, their expressions more serious than ever.
"Their strength is formidable. Disciples, hold the line; we must not allow them to breach the resource point!" Elder Shao An ordered sternly before he and Elder Feng Ren rose to face the three opposing Golden Core elders head-on.
Xuanshao Sect's elder, cloaked in black, exuded an ominous aura of poison. He held a serpent-shaped staff, around which coiled a shadowy, venomous snake spirit with cold, blade-like eyes. Wordlessly, he aimed his staff at Feng Ren, summoning the venomous serpent forward to attack.
Meanwhile, the two Tianque Sect elders wielded a pair of blazing crimson blades and a fierce flaming spear. Their weapons radiated intense fire energy, heating the air and turning the sky above into a blaze of red as they launched a relentless barrage of flames toward Shao An and Feng Ren. One of the Tianque elders, his expression cold, swung his flaming blades with such force that the sky seemed to rain fire.
Elder Feng Ren snorted, his figure flickering as he raised a long blade gleaming with an earthy glow, merging with the spiritual energy of the land itself. With a powerful sweep of his blade, he met the fiery onslaught with the weight and stability of a mountain.
"The Xuanshao and Tianque Sects have truly spared no expense, even sending their Golden Core elders. Today's battle will be anything but easy," Feng Ren thought to himself as he watched the incoming attacks with a sharp gaze.
Elder Shao An, meanwhile, faced the ferocious assault of the Tianque elder wielding the fire blades. His hands moved swiftly in an intricate spell, summoning gray-black mist that surged around him to form a thick barrier, successfully deflecting the enemy's fiery attacks.
"Fire power? Is that all Tianque Sect can muster?" Shao An sneered, his hands forming a complex series of seals as he intoned, "Devouring Clouds, Binding Shadows!"
From within the mist, a giant shadow emerged, lunging at the Tianque elder. The fire elder responded with a scoff, crossing his twin fire blades in front of him to conjure a blazing dragon, which roared forward to collide with Shao An's shadowy cloud beast.
A thunderous explosion ensued as fire and mist clashed, shaking the sky with an intense surge of spiritual energy that made the air itself tremble.
As the Golden Core cultivators clashed high above, the Foundation Establishment disciples below were caught in their own battle, fighting tooth and nail along the resource point's defensive perimeter. Standing at the front lines, Wang Quan's gaze was fixed, his expression somber.
"Reinforcements are arriving from the enemy's side as well. More Foundation Establishment cultivators are advancing; we have to hold!" Xiao Yan said quietly, his eyes sharp and his stance ready.
Wang Quan nodded, gripping his sword tightly as his spiritual energy surged, gathering the power of his Five Elements Technique along the blade's edge. With the Golden Core cultivators in combat above, the sky above the resource point was thick with oppressive energy, but none of the Foundation Establishment disciples retreated, standing firm to defend their ground.
Above, the poison elder of Xuanshao Sect laughed coldly, sweeping his staff to unleash the serpent spirit, which split into dozens of smaller, poisonous snake shadows that darted toward Feng Ren, each one brimming with deadly energy.
Elder Feng Ren's expression sharpened as his blade's blue-green light flared, wielding it with both hands to cut through the snake shadows. The light of his blade dissipated most of the shadows, but several managed to slip past, lunging at him from all sides.
Feng Ren's eyes narrowed, and he released a burst of spiritual energy, forming a protective barrier that blocked the remaining snakes. However, the venomous aura seeped into his shield, causing faint cracks to appear as it eroded his defenses.
"Your poisons are hardly impressive!" Feng Ren retorted with a sneer as he formed seals with his hands, strengthening his sword's radiance. With a swift turn, he unleashed a crescent-shaped wave of energy that sliced toward the poison elder.
At the same time, Elder Shao An clashed furiously with the fire blade elder from Tianque Sect, dark clouds and red flames intermingling and crackling across the sky. The fire elder let out a fierce shout as he swung his blades, launching an unrelenting surge of fire that rolled toward Shao An.
Shao An's gaze remained steady, his hands forming a series of seals as he expanded his Cloud Devouring Technique. Dark clouds surged, swallowing up the fire energy and transforming into multiple black shadow forms, all converging on the fire elder.
Seeing this, the fire elder's expression darkened. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his spiritual energy, and the flames on his blades blazed even more fiercely. With a grin, he unleashed a powerful attack: "Inferno Devastation!"
Crossing his blades, he released a ferocious wave of flame, transforming into a dragon of fire that surged toward Shao An, carrying a terrifying surge of spiritual energy.
With narrowed eyes, Shao An summoned his mist in front of him, forming a thick wall of clouds. The fiery dragon collided with the cloud wall, exploding in a violent burst of flames and shadows that formed a dangerous storm of spiritual energy.
Below, the Foundation Establishment disciples watched the intense battle with bated breath, their hearts weighed down by the oppressive aura. Still, Xuanshao Sect and Tianque Sect disciples seized this moment to launch their assault, pushing toward the resource point's defenses.
At the front, Wang Quan wielded his azure sword, channeling the Five Elements Technique into a brilliant sword aura. He swung forward, sending a wave of sword energy that forced several Xuanshao Sect disciples back.
"We can't let them breach the defenses and disrupt the formation!" Wang Quan shouted, enhancing his sword with fire energy. His strikes blazed like flames, repelling the advancing Xuanshao disciples.
Xiao Yan and Xiao Fei joined in, their hands forming seals as flames and sword energy erupted from them, creating a steadfast line of defense. Xiao Yan summoned a wall of fire to block the Xuanshao disciples, while Xiao Fei's sword slashed through the gaps, forcing the attackers to retreat.
Yet, the Xuanshao and Tianque disciples were relentless, their numbers overwhelming. Wang Quan and his team were feeling the strain as their spiritual energy dwindled with each attack.
Meanwhile, in the skies, the Golden Core cultivators' battle intensified. Frustrated by Feng Ren's resilience, the poison elder of Xuanshao Sect swept his staff, unleashing a murky green mist that engulfed Feng Ren.
Feng Ren struck forward, his blade shining brilliantly as it split the poisonous mist. Yet the mist persisted, surrounding him with each swing. Feng Ren's barrier flickered, gradually dimming under the relentless toxic assault.
Realizing the urgency, Elder Shao An released a roar, weaving complex seals with his hands to summon a massive surge of dark clouds. His Cloud Devouring Technique intensified, forming an enormous black wall that blocked the enemy's combined attacks.