Chapter 2248: The Ancient God's Desperate Struggle

Mi Tian roared in fury. It was impossible to reason with this stubborn foe, and Dragon God was still incredibly powerful, just as in ancient times. Seeing that defeat was inevitable if things continued, Mi Tian's body suddenly contracted, shrinking from a divine eagle into a millstone-sized sphere of intensely glowing red light.

But Dragon God's combat experience was immense. The moment Mi Tian's body began to contract, Dragon God's form instantly dispersed into a black mist, enveloping the light sphere. From within the mist, thousands of chains shot out, binding Mi Tian tightly.

The resounding clang of metal chains filling the sky sounded like a chilling, vast prison.

Dragon God had been preparing for this plan for many years, so it had naturally made comprehensive preparations for Mi Tian's defeat, and had contingency plans in reserve.

Before fully enveloping Mi Tian, it also shook off all the golden light.

It did not intend for General Hong to participate in the subsequent battle.

In less than half a breath, a tremendous roar erupted from the black mist, startling everything in the vicinity. The booming sound carried for unknown miles.

Not only was the entire sea of clouds shaken by the shockwave, even Xu Shichu, who was observing, was dizzied by the blast and instinctively covered his ears.

The cocoon of black mist suddenly expanded outwards, with a faint red glow seeping through.

Xu Shichu murmured, "So, even a Great Sky Demon can self-detonate its divine soul?"

However, the black mist had anticipated this. It stubbornly contained the earth-shattering explosion, preventing further damage to General Hong's Sea of Consciousness.

He Lingchuan watched intently: "Mi Tian wants to fight to the death and kill General Hong!"

In terms of raw power, Mi Tian knew it couldn't defeat Dragon God. Dragon God had already set traps and gained a significant starting advantage, and after being meticulously plotted against for decades by such a formidable opponent, its most powerful divine aspect had no room to be utilized. What chance of victory could it possibly have?

But don't forget, the battle was taking place in General Hong's Sea of Consciousness!

Destroying General Hong's Sea of Consciousness would surely be easier than defeating Dragon God, wouldn't it? Although the laws of heaven and earth had changed, reducing the wide-area destructive power of a self-detonating divine soul, that applied to the external reality.

Given the immense power of Mi Tian's divine soul, obliterating this Sea of Consciousness should have been effortless.

Once General Hong died, Dragon God would no longer be able to trap it.

Mi Tian had painstakingly prepared for its true form's descent today. Once this physical vessel was damaged, its return to the mortal realm would be indefinitely delayed, subsequent plans would be impossible to execute, and the Spirit Void Venerable in the heavens would still be seeking it.

But nothing was more important than escaping right now.

Unfortunately, Dragon God was always one step ahead.

Inside the black mist cocoon, lightning flashed and thunder roared, like a raging thunderstorm. Both men could see red light crackling and flickering within the tempest.

Clearly, Mi Tian's self-detonation was extraordinarily powerful. General Hong alone could not have contained it.

Yet, even so, the black mist did not disperse, stubbornly maintaining its hold on Mi Tian.

Xu Shichu remarked again, "It seems Mi Tian can hardly escape..."

Before he finished speaking, the black mist cocoon suddenly contracted again.

Something in the center seemed to erupt with powerful suction, drawing all the clouds and mist in the entire Sea of Consciousness towards it.

The golden light was no exception.

Xu Shichu was greatly alarmed, his heart leaping into his throat: "Oh, this!"

"First an explosion, then an absorption—Mi Tian truly had another move up its sleeve." Such a powerful entity would, of course, not simply surrender to death. Seeing that the previous explosion's power had been blocked by the black mist, it immediately switched to a different form of counterattack.

Dragon God, daring to fully absorb all of Mi Tian's attacks, must have been severely wounded by the explosion. Caught off guard by Mi Tian's additional move, the black mist was pulled inwards, and the mist cocoon almost failed to hold together.

After Mi Tian's self-detonation, a massive black hole was left in its place, frantically sucking everything inwards!

The next second, the entire Sea of Consciousness surged with clouds. Rolling black mist soared skyward, rushing unflinchingly towards the battlefield.

Large swathes of black mist were sucked in, and large swathes more rushed in to replenish it.

Clearly, Dragon God had also mobilized its entire strength, holding nothing back.

"What's going on?!" Xu Shichu broke into a cold sweat. "Mi Tian still possesses such immense divine power after self-detonating! What can be done?"

After an immortal self-detonates, usually nothing is left. An existence that once surpassed even Great Sky Demons truly transcended common sense.

If not for Dragon God holding the line, even a true immortal would likely despair against such an opponent.

He Lingchuan, however, murmured, "The Ancient God of Death must have some extraordinary qualities."

In the distance, the sky was deep blue, yet over the lake, winds raged and clouds surged. This magnificent and bizarre sight made his heart tremble, unforgettable in this lifetime.

Unfortunately, only two people could witness this scene.

This great battle had reached a do-or-die point.

If the black mist defeated Mi Tian, the latter would perish on the spot, and there would be no more Ancient God of Death in either realm.

If Mi Tian absorbed all the black mist, General Hong's Sea of Consciousness would also be destroyed, and Zhong Shengguang and Dragon God's painstaking efforts would be ruined.

Both sides were in a predicament with no retreat, fighting to the death!

At such a moment, it was a battle of who had the deeper foundation, the more profound cultivation, and the more thorough understanding of the laws!

He Lingchuan simultaneously watched the battle in the Sea of Consciousness, conjured by the Great Evolving Heavenly Orb, and directed the Panlong Army in their final fierce assault against the Beijia forces—a perfect example of multitasking.

No matter how much he cared about General Hong and Dragon God, or the outcome of the battle between gods and demons, he could not neglect the real-world battle.

The three divine descents had been shattered, the Golden Horn family was almost completely wiped out, and the Beijia army's morale was in chaos.

Prophet Wu Xian's momentum was gone. He decisively ordered a retreat, signaling the withdrawal from Spirit Lake.

Without waiting for Mi Tian's order, He Lingchuan dispatched several deputy generals to pursue them.

With the ambush battle at Spirit Lake won and Prophet Wu Xian's relief forces forced to withdraw, the Beijia armies in west-central Xiluo would temporarily receive no further support.

The armies retreated like a tide, leaving behind only corpses strewn across the ground.

Hong Qixing, a Xiluo native, led his people in surrender to the Panlong Army, kneeling without hesitation.

At this moment, however, He Lingchuan was looking up at the sky.

The thick clouds gradually dispersed, revealing a dark red sky that was faintly undulating. This confirmed He Lingchuan's conjecture—

It was the red ocean of the Grand Square Gourd.

The Gourd was likely overloaded once again.

But fortunately, the battle within General Hong's Sea of Consciousness was still ongoing and undisturbed.

Soon after, the Thin Man shouted, "General, we've found the Golden Horn demon general!"

"Coming." He Lingchuan heard him and rode his horse over.

General Golden Horn lay collapsed beneath a large tree, bleeding from all seven orifices, its belly still faintly rising and falling.

He Lingchuan saw at a glance that it was beyond healing.

If it were human, Prophet Wu Xian would have long since ordered it carried back. But General Golden Horn was astonishingly heavy, and Prophet Wu Xian hadn't brought any heavy-duty combat constructs like the Golden-Armored Bronze Generals, so there was no way to carry it away.

He Lingchuan squatted beside it and asked softly, "Do you have any last words?"

General Golden Horn was also a proud and fierce Great Demon, having achieved countless glorious military exploits on the battlefield. He Lingchuan's question was a sign of respect.

"Mi Tian's true form has descended, and you, you people, will also..."