Bab 784: Pertarungan Terakhir!
Ketika pertarungan di perbatasan keenam berhenti, perang di Wilayah Selatan akhirnya menjadi tenang dan sunyi. Namun, semua orang tahu bahwa ini hanyalah ketenangan sebelum badai sebenarnya.
Badai sudah hampir tiba!
Pertempuran keputusan yang menentukan sudah akan datang!
Banyak pendapat muncul mengenai lokasi akhir pertempuran itu. Para kultivator Wilayah Selatan memberikan berbagai pendapat. Beberapa mengusulkan Sekte Iblis Darah. Dengan formasi mantra yang sudah ada, banyak waktu dapat dihemat. Di samping itu, kebanyakan kultivator siap bertempur di Wilayah Selatan sudah berkumpul di sana.
Banyak lagi yang merasa lokasi terbaik adalah titik masuk para kultivator Wilayah Utara ke Wilayah Selatan. Dengan demikian, para kultivator Wilayah Utara tidak dapat menghancurkan dan membajak Wilayah Selatan yang tersisa.
Akhirnya, Pill Demon, Patriark Song, dan Patriark Golden Frost semua setuju bahwa waktu adalah komoditas yang paling berharga!
Dengan demikian, Sekte Iblis Darah dipilih. Sekte ini berada jauh dari Laut Bima Sakti, namun relatif dekat dengan Tanah Hitam, dan dapat dianggap berada di perbatasan Wilayah Selatan. Meskipun hal ini berarti melepaskan banyak wilayah, setiap hari yang mereka bertahan adalah hari lain ketika Wilayah Utara belum dapat menguasai seluruh Wilayah Selatan.
Di samping itu, para kultivator Wilayah Utara harus berjalan jauh ke Sekte Iblis Darah, yang berarti para kultivator Wilayah Selatan akan memiliki lebih banyak waktu untuk persiapan.
Setelah keputusan dibuat oleh Pill Demon, Patriark Song, dan Patriark Golden Frost, semua para kultivator prajurit Wilayah Selatan dikumpulkan. Ada sekitar 200.000 orang, yang dibagi menjadi beberapa garis depan pertahanan, dengan Sekte Iblis Darah di pusatnya.
Di samping itu, Pill Demon dan orang lainnya secara pribadi berkelana ke sekt-sekt dan klan-klan tersisa di Wilayah Selatan untuk mengumpulkan sejumlah besar persediaan dan harta karun. Mereka juga menyiapkan sepuluh formasi mantra besar, yang menimbulkan tekanan terukur di sekitar mereka.
Suasana sangat tegang. Semua para kultivator Wilayah Selatan tertuju pada pemulihan energi dan mengisi kembali kekuatan mereka. Setiap area di medan perang akhir dipenuhi ketenangan.
Pertempuran terakhir akan menentukan kemenangan atau kekalahan. Jika Wilayah Selatan menang, mereka bisa menyambut suatu era baru yang damai. Setelah jeda waktu untuk istirahat dan reorganisasi, mereka bisa mekar kembali seperti bunga yang indah, bahkan lebih gemilang dari sebelumnya.
Namun, jika mereka kalah....
Seluruh Wilayah Selatan pada dasarnya akan menjadi bagian dari Wilayah Utara. Ajaran dan doktrin Daoist mereka yang inti akan dicabut. Para kultivator mereka akan disapu bersih dan fondasi Wilayah Selatan akan hilang. Mereka akan dikuasai oleh Wilayah Utara, dan beberapa tahun kemudian... mungkin tak seorang pun akan ingat Wilayah Selatan yang dahulu bergenggaman.
Ini adalah pertempuran untuk segalanya!
Mereka akan hidup atau mati. Tidak ada pilihan untuk menyerah.
Beberapa hari yang lalu, Meng Hao telah kembali ke Sekte Iblis Darah, tempat akhir pertempuran akan segera berlangsung. Ia kembali ke lokasi yang sama di mana ia pernah memeluk Xu Qing dan menyaksikan matahari terbit dan terbenam. Kecuali kini, tidak ada dua bayangan yang jatuh di tanah. Hanya bayangannya sendiri.
Rambut putihnya bergoyang di angin, dan jubah merah darahnya bergulung.
Wajahnya putih pucat, tampak seperti mati dan kehampaan akan darah. Ini kontras mencolok dengan kemerah-merahan jubahnya. Namun, matanya memancarkan kegelapan.
Siapa pun yang melihatnya bisa merasakan sensasi berdenyut-denyut, seolah tubuhnya mengandung qi dan kekuatan darah yang menakutkan. Di sekitarnya, masih terlihat lebih dari 100.000 jiwamu yang mendesah dan bersorak. Mereka sepertinya menyebar tanpa batas, dan teriakan mereka yang menggila itu benar-benar mengerikan.
Sepertinya, ini adalah orang-orang yang dimakan dan dimusnahkan oleh Meng Hao. Mereka terikat padanya selamanya, tidak bisa masuk dalam siklus reinkarnasi.
"Qing'er," bisiknya, "apakah kamu baik-baik saja... ?" Matanya dingin, mengandung sedikit kesepian yang membuat auranya terasa semakin sunyi.
Siapa pun yang melihat Lembah Pangeran Darah (Blood Prince Gorge) akan merasa bahwa tempat ini penuh dengan darah dan misteri. Kabar telah tersebar bahwa Meng Hao telah menelan qi, darah, dasar kultivasi, dan jiwa para kultivator musuh. Hampir semua kultivator di seluruh Wilayah Selatan tahu hal ini, dan kebanyakan dari mereka yang menyaksikannya.
Di dalam hati, rasa syukur yang mereka rasakan terhadap Meng Hao kini bercampur dengan ketakutan.
Wilayah Selatan akhirnya teristirahatkan, dan formasi mantranya sudah siap. Lima hari berlalu....
Di perbatasan Wilayah Selatan, dekat dengan Laut Bima Sakti, air laut menggelora. Gelombang raksasa menyergam di permukaan air. Hampir seperti Wilayah Selatan akan tenggelam. Di langit di atas, cahaya terang memancar kuat dari Jembatan Bunga Bakung Kebangkitan; portal teleportasi digunakan terus-menerus.
Perlahan-lahan, orang-orang mulai muncul. Sebelum lama, mereka menghabiskan jembatan, sepertinya tak pernah habis.
Jembatan Bunga Bakung Kebangkitan bergetar ketika dua raksasa sebesar gunung muncul. Raksasa ini berbeda dengan raksasa dari gelombang kedua. Mereka lebih kuat, dan mengenakan zirah emas mencemerlang. Tekanan yang mereka palingkan sungguh mengerikan.
Mengerikan! Raksasa ini tidak tertandingi dengan tahap Pemotongan Roh, melainkan tahap Pencarian Dao!
Ini masih tahap awal Pencarian Dao, namun dengan tubuh yang begitu besar, jelas mereka bisa menghancurkan kultivator apa pun dalam tahap yang sama. Di samping itu, mereka mengenakan zirah dan memiliki pedang raksasa yang tergantung di punggung, membuat mereka semakin menakutkan.
Di belakang kedua raksasa itu, ada kabut keharamatan yang menakutkan berwarna hijau zaitun. Di wilayah dekat kabut itu, banyak binatang laut mati terapung di permukaan air.
Di dalam kabut itu, ada tiga wraith berusia 10.000 tahun!
Ketiganya memancarkan aura mirip Pencarian Dao sambil berputar di dalam kabut, meraung dan meraung.
Di samping itu, ada ratusan ribu kultivator Wilayah Utara yang membentuk pasukan utama milik mereka. Mereka berbaris rapat di atas Jembatan Bunga Bakung Kebangkitan, dan siapa pun yang melihat mereka pasti akan kagum.
Namun, yang paling menonjolkan adalah apa yang bisa dilihat pada posisi paling belakang dari pasukan itu.
Di situlah terdapat sangkar besi raksasa yang tingginya tiga ratus meter. Didorong maju oleh banyak benang besi, dan di dalamnya duduk sebuah kera yang memiliki mata merah terang. Tubuhnya dikelilingi oleh banyak simbol magis, dan duduk dengan tidak bergerak, sesekali menghela napas.
Di posisi vanguard pasukan ada tiga orang yang memancarkan aura mengerikan. Mereka mengapung di udara, melihat sejuk ke arah Wilayah Selatan.
Di posisi tengah ketiganya, ada seorang tua dengan rambut merah dan kulit tersengkol.
Ia mengenakan jubah putih, dan tekanan misterius memancar darinya. Di sekelilingnya, ada banyak petir yang berkumpul untuk membentuk apa yang tampak seperti... naga sejati!
Jika Anda terus menatap, Anda akan melihat naga sejati ini bersatu membentuk sesuatu yang berbeda... kuali mini!
Jika Meng Hao berada di sini... ia akan langsung bisa memberi tahu bahwa kuali ini sangat mirip Kuali Petir miliknya. Namun, pada kuali ini adaukir... seekor naga dengan petir bergelinding!
Tua itu mengapung di udara, jelas memancarkan kekuatan puncak Pencarian Dao. Dan namun, sensasi aurnya agak mirip dengan boneka Immortal palsu milik Meng Hao.
Namun, yang lebih jauh lagi dari itu, terlihat bahwa auranya jauh lebih kuno dan arkhaik.
Sepertinya memiliki aura yang berada di antara Immortal sejati dan Immortal palsu.
Orang tua ini adalah orang paling kuat di seluruh Wilayah Utara, Kepala Suku dari Klan Garis Darah Kekaisaran.
Di kedua sisi, ada seorang pria dan seorang wanita. Pria itu lembut dan feminin, dengan mata seperti phoenix dan rupa tubuh lincah seperti angin. Namun, di dalam matanya terlihat bayangan seseorang yang duduk dengan santai, dua Dewi Divinitas, sedang membaca kitab suci. Sekali saja melihat pria itu, jelas orang di luar biasa.
Ia juga berada di puncak Pencarian Dao, dengan aura yang aneh dan serupa namun berbeda dengan Immortal palsu.
Sedangkan wanita itu, tidaklah tampan sama sekali. Ia memiliki bintik hitam di wajah yang berwajah kasar dan tidak sopan. Di samping itu, tubuhnya tidak anggun atau menarik dan ia sangat gemuk.
Di lehermuknya, ada ular merah yang sesekali menampilkam lidahnya yang membelah. Matanya garang, dan jika Anda melihat dengan cermat, ular itu sebenarnya tidak memiliki tubuh fisik; mengerikan, ia sebenarnya terbuat dari ribuan jiwamu yang tak berwujud.
Ini adalah pasukan gelombang ketiga dari Wilayah Utara, perangkap akhir, dan juga yang paling kuat!
Ketika pasukan ini tiba di perbatasan Wilayah Selatan, tiga berkas cahaya Pencarian Dao puncak melesat ke arah mereka. Itu adalah tiga Kepala Suku Wilayah Utara yang baru saja ditakuti oleh Meng Hao.
Ketika mereka bergabung dengan pasukan, jumlah ahli Pencarian Dao puncak di gelombang ketiga menjadi enam!
Di samping itu, ada dua raksasa dan tiga wraith. Pasukan kultivator Wilayah Utara ini sungguh sangat kuat.
Tiga orang baru ini tidak berkata apa-apa. Mereka mengeluarkan keping giok dan melemparkannya kepada Kepala Suku Klan Garis Darah Kekaisaran dan orang lain, yang memperhatikan dengan cermat. Meskipun ekspresi wajah mereka tidak berubah, tatapan serius terlihat di mata mereka.
Enam orang kultivator bertukar pandangan, lalu mulai mengirimkan percakapan.
"Meng Hao...."
"Saya sudah menerima laporan Anda sebelumnya tentang dia. Sepertinya, Meng Hao ini... adalah penghalang terbesar bagi invasi Wilayah Utara ke Wilayah Selatan!"
"Dia memiliki klone Pencarian Dao puncak, dan jiwanya sejati bisa menyerap energi kehidupan, qi, darah, dasar kultivasi, dan jiwa...."
"Kita harus mengalahkan dia. Tanpa dia, Wilayah Selatan siap untuk dibungker!"
Setelah sejenak, pandangan redup mereka kembali ke arah Kepala Suku Klan Garis Darah Kekaisaran.
Petir bergulung di sekelilingnya, dan mata tertutupnya tiba-tiba terbuka. Untuk pertama kalinya, ia berbicara dengan suara serak yang penuh dengan kekuatan aneh.
"Untuk mengalahkan dia, saya menyetujui penggunaan patung nenek moyang!"
Lima orang lainnya memberikan kopsyak sebagai jaw
Chapter 784: The Final Battle!
When the fighting stopped on the sixth front, the war of the Southern Domain finally became peaceful and quiet. However, everyone knew that this was only the calm before the true storm.
The storm was nigh!
The final, decisive battle was coming!
As to where the location of the final battle would be, many opinions were voiced by various Southern Domain cultivators. Some people had their minds set on the Blood Demon Sect. With the spell formations that were already in place, much time could be saved. Furthermore, the majority of the battle-ready cultivators in the Southern Domain were already congregated in the area.
Many others felt that the best location was the point where the Northern Reaches cultivators actually entered the Southern Domain. Doing so would prevent the Northern Reaches cultivators from razing and pillaging the rest of the Southern Domain.
In the end, Pill Demon, Patriarch Song, and Patriarch Golden Frost all agreed that time was the most valuable commodity!
Thus, the Blood Demon Sect was selected. It was far from the Milky Way Sea, but relatively close to the Black Lands, and could be considered to be on the border of the Southern Domain. Although this would cede a large amount of territory, every day that they continued to survive was another day that the Northern Reaches would not be able to completely conquer the Southern Domain.
Furthermore, the Northern Reaches cultivators would have to travel all the way to the Blood Demon Sect, which meant that the Southern Domain cultivators would have more time to prepare.
After the decision was made by Pill Demon, Patriarch Song, and Patriarch Golden Frost, all the battle-ready cultivators of the Southern Domain were marshaled. There were approximately 200,000 of them, and they were divided into multiple defensive fronts, with the Blood Demon Sect at the center.
Meanwhile, Pill Demon and the others personally went around the Southern Domain to the remaining sects and clans to collect vast quantities of supplies and treasures. They also set up enormous spell formations, ten in total, which caused shocking pressure to weigh down around them.
The atmosphere was tense. All of the Southern Domain cultivators were focused on healing and recovering their energy. Every area on the final battleground was filled with silence.
The final battle would determine victory or defeat. If the Southern Domain was victorious, they would be able to welcome in a new era of peace. After a period of rest and reorganization, they would be able to once again bloom like a beautiful flower, even more resplendent than before.
However, if they were defeated....
The Southern Domain would essentially become part of the Northern Reaches. Their core Daoist teachings and doctrines would be wrenched away. Their cultivators would be exterminated and the foundation of the Southern Domain would be lost. They would be ruled by the Northern Reaches, and years later... perhaps no one would even remember the formerly glorious Southern Domain.
This was the battle for everything!
They would live or die. There was no option for surrender.
A few days earlier, Meng Hao had returned to the Blood Demon Sect, where the final battle would soon take place. He went back to the same location where he had held Xu Qing and watched the sunrises and sunsets. Except now, there weren’t two shadows falling on the ground. There was only his own.
His white hair fluttered in the wind, and his blood-red robe swayed.
His face was pale white, morbid and seemingly devoid of blood. It was a sharp contrast to the redness of his robe. However, his eyes radiated darkness.
Anyone who looked at him could sense a pulsing feeling, as if his body contained a terrifying qi and blood power. Also barely visible were over 100,000 shrieking souls that swirled around him. They seemed to spread out endlessly, and their howls were astonishing.
Apparently, these were the people Meng Hao had consumed and destroyed. They were shackled to him for all eternity, unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation.
“Qing’er,” he murmured, “are you doing well...?” His eyes were cold, and contained a trace of loneliness that made his aura seem even more desolate.
Anyone who looked at Blood Prince Gorge would feel that it was filled with blood and mysteries. The news had long since spread that Meng Hao had consumed the qi, blood, cultivation bases and souls of the enemy cultivators. Virtually all of the cultivators in the entire Southern Domain knew about it, and in fact, most had witnessed it.
Deep in their hearts, the veneration they felt toward Meng Hao was now coupled with dread.
The Southern Domain was finally rested, and their spell formations were prepared. Five days passed....
Near the border of the Southern Domain, where it touched the Milky Way Sea, the sea water roared. Massive waves surged across the surface of the water. It almost seemed as if the Southern Domain would be drowned. Up above, shockingly bright lights could be seen on the Resurrection Lily bridge; apparently, teleportation portals were in continuous use.
Slowly, people began to appear. Soon they packed the bridge, seemingly without end.
The Resurrection Lily bridge trembled as two mountain-like giants appeared. These giants were different than the ones from the second wave. They were more powerful, and wore suits of golden armor. The pressure they exuded was astonishing.
Shockingly, these giants were not comparable to the Spirit Severing stage, but rather, Dao Seeking!
It was only early Dao Seeking, but considering their enormous frames, they could clearly crush any cultivator within the same stage. Furthermore, they wore armor, and had enormous greatswords strapped to their backs, making them even more fearsome.
Behind the two giants was a monstrous, sinister death aura that took the form of an emerald-colored mist. In the region near the mist, numerous dead sea creatures could be seen floating on the surface of the water.
Inside of the mist were three 10,000-year-old wraiths!
The wraiths all emanated an air similar to Dao Seeking as they swirled about within the mist, shrieking and howling.
In addition to these, there were hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators that composed the main military force. They were packed in tight formation atop the Resurrection Lily bridge, and anyone who saw them would surely gasp in shock.
However, what was most eye-catching was what could be seen in the very rear position of the army.
It was a gigantic iron cage, fully three hundred meters tall. It was being pulled forward by countless iron chains, and sitting inside was a monkey that had bright red eyes. It was covered with numerous magical symbols, and sat motionless in the cage, breathing heavily.
In the vanguard position of the army were three people that emanated shocking auras. They hovered in midair, looking coldly out at the Southern Domain.
In the center position among the three was an old man with red hair and a ruddy face. He wore a white robe, and a mysterious pressure emanated off of him. He was surrounded by countless bolts of lightning that formed together to make what appeared to be... true dragons!
If you continued to watch, you would see the true dragons swirl together to form something entirely different... a miniature cauldron!
Were Meng Hao here... he would instantly be able to tell that this cauldron closely resembled his own Lightning Cauldron. However, on this cauldron was engraved... a dragon with lightning bolts curling around it!
The old man hovered there, clearly emanating the power of peak Dao Seeking. And yet, the feeling of his aura was somewhat similar to that of Meng Hao’s false Immortal puppet.
Yet again, further examination would reveal that his aura was even more ancient and archaic.
He seemed to possess an aura that was somewhere between a true Immortal and a false Immortal.
This old man was the most powerful person in the entire Northern Reaches, the Clan Chief of the Imperial Bloodline Clan.
On either side of him stood a man and a woman. The man was gentle and effeminate, with phoenix-like eyes and a frame as lithe as the wind. However, within his eyes could be seen what appeared to be the cross-legged image of two Immortal Divinities, reciting scriptures. A mere glance at the man would show that he was completely beyond the ordinary.
He was also at the peak of Dao Seeking, with a strange air similar and yet different to that of a false Immortal.
The woman, on the other hand, was by no means beautiful. She had a black birthmark on a face that was twisted and uncouth. Furthermore, her body was neither elegant nor appealing and she was extremely obese.
Wrapped around her neck was a crimson snake that occasionally flicked its forked tongue out. Its eyes were grim, and if you looked closely, you would see that the snake did not actually have a physical body; shockingly, it was actually composed of countless discarnate souls.
This was the third wave army of cultivators from the Northern Reaches, the final wave, and also the most powerful!
As soon as they arrived at the border of the Southern Domain, three beams of light emanating the power of peak Dao Seeking shot toward them. They were the three Northern Reaches Patriarchs that had been frightened off by Meng Hao.
When they joined the force, it increased the number of peak Dao Seeking experts in the third wave to six!
In addition, there were the two giants and three wraiths. This army of Northern Reaches cultivators was incredibly powerful.
The three newcomers did not say anything. They produced jade slips which they tossed out to the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief and the others, who examined them closely for a few moments. Although their expressions did not change, serious looks could be seen in their eyes.
The six cultivators exchanged glances and then began to transmit a conversation.
“Meng Hao....”
“I’ve already received your earlier reports about him. It seems this Meng Hao... is the greatest hindrance to our Northern Reaches’ invasion of the Southern Domain!”
“He has a peak Dao Seeking clone, and his true self can absorb life force, qi, blood, cultivation bases and souls....”
“We must eliminate him. Without him, the Southern Domain is ripe for the picking!”
After a moment, their flickering gazes came to rest on the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief.
Lightning danced around him, and his closed eyes suddenly snapped open. He spoke for the first time, and his hoarse voice was filled with strange power.
“To deal with him, I approve the use of the ancestral statuary!”
The other five nodded in response. There was no further discussion. Moments later, the third wave army marched off of the Resurrection Lily bridge and into the Southern Domain!
In that instant, the killing intent of the Northern Reaches cultivators exploded out. The sky darkened as they shot through the air like a black cloud.
The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief looked off into the distance. Lightning danced around him as he snorted coldly and then stretched his hand out and pointed upward. Immediately, a bolt of lightning shot up into the sky.
The air distorted, and then a fist-sized, translucent eyeball appeared up above. The lightning smashed into it, blasting it to pieces.
“The Southern Domain knows we’ve arrived,” said the old man. “Push forward at top speed. We will finish this war in one swift blow!” In response, the Northern Reaches cultivators roared and surged forward at incredible speed.
Colors flashed in the sky, and the wind screamed. Down below, the earth quaked under their killing intent!
Outside the Blood Demon Sect, Patriarch Song’s face flickered as he opened his eyes.
“They’ve arrived!” he said. “There is an old man with lightning surrounding him, most likely the most powerful person in the Northern Reaches, the Clan Chief of the Imperial Bloodline Clan. His cultivation base is astonishing. He noticed my Arcane Scrying Eye.
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