Chapter 428: Chapter 293: Throne of Blood and Flame: The Celestial Demon’s Rebellion Suppresses the Immortal Soul (Part 2)

"An accident? I’ve already held back the biggest threat—the people from the Abyss Court. What other kind of accident could there be? Did something go wrong with intercepting the other reinforcements?"

the Star Curse Master said, frowning.

"No. It’s the Donghua Martial Artists."

said the Eye of the Sun.

"Mundane Martial Artists?"

The Star Curse Master was utterly astonished when he heard this.

’The Duke of Destruction possesses a Soul, and I even equipped him with the Ring of the Dominator. How could he possibly be thwarted by some mundane Martial Artists?’

However, before he could ask any more questions, his expression changed abruptly.

「Within the Planet Array.」

A figure shrouded in a black robe stood atop a building, gazing up at the radiant, god-like body in the sky.

With so many of the Grand Array’s nodes destroyed, the power of the chaotic magnetic field that had sealed off the sky was drastically weakened. This left the Star Curse Master’s Starlight Body exposed to the Golden Pharaoh’s senses.

"I’ve finally found you."

A cold, sharp smile spread across the face hidden beneath the black robe.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

In the next moment, a volley of Golden Spears transformed into streaks of golden light, shooting up into the sky.

"Eye of the Sun! I can’t hold them any longer! Tell the others they’re on their own!"

the Star Curse Master yelled, immediately maneuvering his Starlight Body to retreat.

Without the Grand Array’s support, he stood no chance of delaying the Abyss Court’s Ancient Ones, led by the Golden Pharaoh. His Starlight Body would likely be obliterated by their Golden Power in a matter of moments.

An injury like that would be catastrophic, damaging his very core.

「In a basement somewhere in Jun City.」

A muscle in the Eye of the Sun’s cheek twitched as he heard the Star Curse Master’s words. But before he could say anything, more bad news arrived from other fronts.

"I’m about to pull back."

The Rose Knight’s voice echoed in the Eye of the Sun’s mind through the golden earrings.

After that, reports came flooding in one after another from the various interception teams positioned throughout the city.

They could no longer hold back several key targets.

The Eye of the Sun’s breathing grew heavy, and veins throbbed at his temples.

According to the original plan, they should have had more than enough time. But the interference from the Donghua Martial Artists had introduced far too many variables.

Now, the main fighting forces from all sides were converging on the primary battlefield. If the fight wasn’t over before they arrived, the situation would spiral into chaos.

’It’s a mess. Everything has gone to hell.’

"Destruction! The other factions are on their way! Finish Yi Beidou, now! Then take care of Destruction Heaven! Stop holding back! We’ll worry about the consequences later. Just deal with what’s in front of you!"

"All other interception units, fall back immediately! Reinforce the main battlefield as quickly as possible!"

the Eye of the Sun growled.

「On the main battlefield.」

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A chain of explosions rocked the city. The glass on the skyscrapers shattered, and the ground below was a scene of utter devastation.

At the epicenter of the blasts, Yi Beidou and the Duke of Destruction were locked in combat.

Right now, the two appeared to be evenly matched.

Yi Beidou was somewhat surprised. ’To think this man could fight me to this extent while I’m in the Eighth Layer of Reverse Chaos... his power is truly terrifying.’

The Duke of Destruction, on the other hand, was even more horrified.

He had initially thought Yi Beidou’s attack was just a sudden, unsustainable burst of power. He never expected that level of might to be more than just a fleeting fluke.

’I possess organs of the Immortal Gods! In theory, my body is partially that of an Immortal God!’

’How can a mere mortal perform a Reverse Immortal Slaying?’

Yet the proof was right before his eyes.

No matter how he tried to sense it, he couldn’t detect the life fluctuations of a single Earth Immortal Cell on Yi Beidou. This proved his opponent was, in fact, purely mortal.

This completely upended his understanding of the world.

As they clashed, the Eye of the Sun’s voice boomed in his mind, and the Duke of Destruction’s expression grew even fouler.

This was no longer just about the humiliation of being held up by a mere mortal. If he couldn’t finish Yi Beidou soon, the Illuminati’s entire operation and strategy could completely collapse.

Outside, the various factions had broken free from their containment and were now rushing over. This included the forces of the Abyss Court, whose strength was on par with the members of Secret Technique Heaven.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, that bastard Destruction Heaven was being incredibly shrewd. He completely avoided the fight between him and Yi Beidou, instead turning to coordinate with other Secret Technique Heaven members in their assault on the Illuminati.

He was clearly content to watch him and Yi Beidou tear each other apart. By then, he could use the opportunity to weaken the Illuminati’s forces and seize control of the entire situation.

An expert who had condensed a Soul, left unchecked by a comparable opponent, was terrifyingly destructive.

"What do you gain from this?! No matter how strong your recovery is, you’ll surely suffer immense damage when this powerful Secret Technique wears off. Even if you defeat me, all of Jun City is under our control! You’ll still be doomed!"

"If you leave now, you can still make it out alive!"

the Duke of Destruction roared.

"You don’t need to concern yourself with that. You have stronger techniques, don’t you? Let me see them."

Yi Beidou’s voice remained calm and detached.

"You lunatic! You absolute lunatic!"

"If that’s how you want it, then die!"

A vicious glint flashed in the Duke of Destruction’s eyes. He cast aside any remaining hope of an easy victory.

He had intended to save some of his techniques for dealing with the Abyss Court and cleaning up the battlefield afterward.

But now, he had no choice.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

In the next moment, the sound of the Duke of Destruction’s heartbeat boomed like thunder as an even more immense aura erupted from his body.

HUMMM!

A pillar of crimson light shot into the sky. The overcast clouds grew darker and heavier. Bathed in the crimson glow, the layered clouds reflected a scarlet light, forming a black-and-red vortex that looked like a gateway to Hell itself.

「One kilometer away, at the local Jun City military observation post.」

CLATTER! CLATTER!

Binoculars slipped from the observers’ hands, clattering to the ground one after another. For some unknown reason, their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably, their minds going blank, as if a deep-seated, instinctual fear hidden within their very DNA had been triggered.

SCREECH! SCREECH! SCREECH!

Within a ten-kilometer radius of the battlefield, birds and beasts seemed to sense the change. They screeched and took flight, ants poured from their nests in droves, rats scurried through the streets in broad daylight, cats and dogs barked incessantly, and fish leaped from ponds as if desperate to escape.

It was as if some terrifying natural disaster was imminent, with the animals being the first to sense the warning.

「Elsewhere in the city.」

The members of the Abyss Court, led by the cloaked Golden Pharaoh, were advancing swiftly when they suddenly sensed the terrifying fluctuation and saw the crimson pillar of light ahead. They couldn’t help but slow their pace.

’Full Immortal Soul Understanding... Judging by this aura, it’s the Illuminati’s Duke of Destruction. Has it really come to this? Who forced his hand? Destruction Heaven from Secret Technique Heaven?’

the Golden Pharaoh muttered to himself.

An Immortal Soul was formed from the condensation of Earth Immortal Cells, placing it on a different level of existence from the body’s other tissues. In theory, a mortal body could never bring out the full power of an Immortal Soul. It would be like installing the world’s most advanced racing engine into a low-speed mobility scooter; it could never unleash its true potential.

Thus, the power they typically wielded was only a fraction of what their Immortal Soul was capable of.

Full Immortal Soul Understanding, however, was a technique to completely unleash the Immortal Soul’s power for a short time.

The cost of entering this state was pushing the body into a terrifying state of overload. For beings like them, it was an incredibly dangerous Injury Secret Technique, one that could very well cause the Immortal Soul to go berserk and create numerous other risks.

Using this technique was, for all intents and purposes, playing one’s final trump card.

’Has the situation on the main battlefield already escalated this far? The Illuminati were the ones who set this trap, yet the Duke of Destruction was the first one forced into this state? And I don’t sense Destruction Heaven’s Immortal Soul flaring up at all.’

’This makes no sense.’

’What in the world is going on?!’

BOOM!

Golden light so dense it seemed tangible erupted from the Golden Pharaoh, forming a pair of golden wings on his back.

He appeared to gain some ability to glide, and shot toward the main battlefield at an even more terrifying speed.

He had to get there as fast as possible to find out what was going on.

「Main Battlefield.」

"You will soon learn what a terrible mistake you’ve made."

"How could you possibly imagine the power of an Immortal?"

Tangible flames erupted all over the Duke of Destruction’s body—an effect caused by his terrifying body heat igniting the water vapor in the air and the oils secreted from his skin.

He looked as if he had transformed into the Flame Monarch himself.

Full Immortal Soul Understanding.

Hellfire Monarch!