Eight tribal leaders from the Jiuquan clans, their cultivation revealed, sprinted forward at full speed. Their powerful aura instantly drew the attention of the three powerhouses from Tai Cang.
Bo Xian's expression grew heavy as he sensed their formidable presence.
"Eight Ninth-Heaven cultivators? Though they haven't touched the Heavenly Barrier, their spiritual energy indicates they're solidly in the Ninth Heaven!"
"What's going on? Why does the Jiuquan Kingdom have so many Ninth-Heaven cultivators? Eight such powerful beings appearing at once is almost unheard of among nations of comparable strength."
"What's even stranger is that, despite their war with the Crocodile Horn Kingdom, these eight Ninth-Heaven powerhouses haven't gone to the front lines to assist. It's as if they were deliberately waiting for Tai Cang."
Ji Qianqing swept her Azure Monarch Sword, unleashing waves of sword energy that tore apart the surrounding Jiuquan warriors, carving a bloody path.
She stepped through the trail of blood to stand beside Ji Xia, watching as the eight powerhouses drew closer. "This situation feels off. I've crossed swords with some of them before; they're all tribal leaders of the Jiuquan clans!"
"The Jiuquan Kingdom has nine major clans, each with a leader. Eight of them are here now. What puzzles me even more is that these leaders—some of whom were only at the Seventh Heaven—have all broken through to the Ninth Heaven!"
"This shouldn't be possible."
As she spoke, Ji Qianqing glanced at Ji Xia's profile. She couldn't help but smile wryly, recalling that this man beside her had been a mere Third-Heaven cultivator a month ago and was now capable of tearing apart ferocious beasts with his bare hands.
"A Third-Heaven cultivator breaking through to the Ninth Heaven in a month is possible. Why wouldn't these tribal leaders achieve the same?"
She questioned herself, only to be interrupted by Ji Xia's voice: "It looks like they've sacrificed their souls to a powerful being."
Ji Qianqing turned to Ji Xia, confused by his murmurs, only to see his eyes ablaze with twin suns burning brightly, radiating an otherworldly brilliance.
Ever since the day when two powerhouses clashed and the shadow of the Grand Sovereign appeared, triggering the latent power of the Grand Sun Soul-Refining Furnace, Ji Xia's eyes had been endowed with extraordinary abilities. The furnace's power enhanced his vision, allowing him to see across vast distances and witness awe-inspiring sights.
To his delight, this ability was now at his beck and call. With a mere thought, the furnace's energy would flow into his eyes, transforming them into what he named the Grand Sun Spirit Eyes.
Though these eyes weren't as potent as when he witnessed the shadows of the great powerhouses, they offered significant utility. Ji Xia believed there were still many capabilities waiting to be unlocked.
Today, as he gazed at the eight approaching tribal leaders, two blazing suns ignited in his pupils, radiating intense heat.
Through his Spirit Eyes, Ji Xia saw each tribal leader's face obscured in darkness. Attached to their blackened visages were demonic shadows with four horns, enormous mouths, and ghastly scars. These monstrous projections exuded dense black mist.
Ji Xia showed no fear—only an intense curiosity. Watching the tribal leaders charge toward the Silver Guards, he murmured, "Those projections practically scream 'I'm evil' just from their appearance."
Ji Qianqing didn't understand his words but refrained from asking, as the tribal leaders were already engaging the Tai Cang Silver Guards head-on.
The power of Ninth-Heaven cultivators was on full display. Their broadswords and spiked maces crashed down, injuring, repelling, and even killing many Silver Guards.
Eight Ninth-Heaven warriors could easily stand against a thousand troops, let alone a scattered force like the Silver Guards, who were spread thin in their pursuit of the Jiuquan army.
Bo Xian snorted coldly, his body leaping through the air to close the gap. In an instant, he appeared before a tribal leader, who was mercilessly smashing Silver Guards with his spiked mace. Bo Xian's cyan robes fluttered as his hand gathered spiritual energy, delivering a powerful palm strike toward the leader's chest.
The tribal leader's eyes flashed with the image of the demonic Moro, and he seemed possessed. Ignoring his own safety, he swung his mace downward, aiming to crush Bo Xian's skull.
This was a fight to the death!
"True Essence Shield!"
Bo Xian's expression remained calm as waves of spiritual energy surged from his body, forming a massive shield that intercepted the mace. His palm strike continued unimpeded, slamming into the tribal leader's chest.
With a thunderous roar, the tribal leader was sent flying, crashing into the distance.
"I don't know how you've managed to reach the Ninth Heaven, but it's clear this isn't your true strength. To me, you're unworthy."
Bo Xian stepped toward the fallen leader.
Meanwhile, Ji Qianqing acted decisively. Her Azure Monarch Sword flew from her hand like a shooting star, piercing through a tribal leader's throat with lightning speed.
The technique, known as Falling Star, struck with the swiftness of a meteor, leaving no room for defense.
Ji Xia watched his generals achieve victories, feeling an itch to join the fray. However, two Jiuquan leaders abandoned their pursuit of the Silver Guards, charging straight at him instead.
They sought to claim the Tai Cang sovereign's head as a trophy to display before their kin.
"The last Tai Cang ruler was killed by General Du Sang. This one is ours to take."
The two leaders loomed like giants, their towering forms gazing down at Ji Xia.
Ji Xia sneered, spiritual energy surging from his palm like an unending tide. Each wave grew higher and stronger than the last.
This was the true ferocity of the Hundredfold Waves technique: a relentless onslaught of spiritual energy that pulverized all in its path.
The two leaders felt their expressions shift as they faced the overwhelming torrent of spiritual power.
Forcing themselves into a desperate counterattack, one leader swung his blade while the other brought down a massive hammer. The resulting gale of their combined attack stirred up a storm of sand and stone.
But Ji Xia remained unfazed. With a single palm strike, the Hundredfold Waves crashed forward, engulfing everything in its path.
The collision of energies erupted in a deafening explosion.
As the two leaders were battered by the waves, they realized that each successive surge was stronger than the last, leaving them no chance to retreat. Cornered, they chose to risk everything in a final gambit.
Biting their tongues, they spat blood, their faces filled with reverence as they chanted prayers.
From afar, the Jiuquan strategist Ji Lun raised his hand. Hundreds of Jiuquan soldiers were executed on the spot, their blood surging into the air and merging with that of the tribal leaders.
The blood coalesced into a monstrous creature bearing the likeness of the demonic Moro, its twelve hairy, spiked legs extending as countless red eyes slowly opened on its segmented body.
"Who dares summon me?"
Ji Xia raised his hand. The spiritual energy of the Great Snow Mountain surged forth like an avalanche, resonating with his own.
The blood-red monster let out a deafening roar, its body continuing to solidify as it repeated in a sinister voice, "Who dares summon me?"
"Tai Cang Seal," Ji Xia said coldly.
With a flick of his wrist, immense spiritual energy condensed into a massive hand in the air. The hand descended with crushing force.
"I am the many-eyed general under Moro the Great... Pathetic ants, how dare you—"
"Boom!"
The blood-red monster's words were cut off as the spiritual hand obliterated it in a single blow, leaving a massive crater in the earth.
Blood pooled in the depression, filling it to the brim.
The two tribal leaders, now frail from their sacrifice, stared in horror at the aftermath.
Ignoring their fear, the astonished gazes of Ji Qianqing and Bo Xian, and the awe-struck Silver Guards, Ji Xia looked at the bloody imprint with a sneer.
"Many-eyed general? How utterly pathetic."