Chapter 1330: Hanging Jade Crisis

"Are we finally going on the offensive?!" Jian Changsheng's eyes lit up, and he immediately began stretching and limbering up, seemingly ready for a big fight.

Jiang Xiaohua quietly sighed. Although he preferred being in the dirt to fighting, he knew this was ultimately to see Chen Ling. So, he eventually stood up, his limbs awkwardly mimicking Jian Changsheng's movements, stiffly limbering up.

"While it's an active breakout, both the timing and direction are crucial." Sun Bumian casually picked up a twig and began drawing on the ground. In just a few strokes, he sketched out the approximate layout of the battlefield ahead.

"I've roughly observed the defensive arrangements on the Xuanyu Realm's side. It's clear their commander is skilled at defense; the entire front line has almost no weaknesses. This is good news for us because it evenly disperses the attention of the calamities in every direction."

"Next, we need to determine the attack strategy from the Mount of Delusion's side. To be honest, this group of calamities has no discernible strategic deployment. I can only combine the auspicious and inauspicious trends to roughly deduce the optimal breakout route... which is here."

Sun Bumian emphasized a route by drawing it prominently on the ground.

"This direction might seem difficult to breach, but the terrain is actually flat, making it ideal for either an attack or a breakout. As long as we can find an opportunity to tear open a gap, there's a strong chance we can penetrate the Mount of Delusion's offensive deployment and reach the depths of the Gray Realm."

After all, Sun Bumian had lived for a thousand years, personally experiencing countless wars. Coupled with his innate skill at seeking fortune and avoiding disaster, judging simple battlefield situations was effortless for him.

After thoroughly analyzing his insights, he looked up at Jian Changsheng and Jiang Xiaohua.

"My assessment is roughly this... What do you two think?"

Jian Changsheng and Jiang Xiaohua squatted on the ground, staring eagerly at Sun Bumian.

Sun Bumian: "..."

"If you don't have an opinion, at least you understood which direction to go, right?"

Jian Changsheng and Jiang Xiaohua blinked innocently.

"...My mistake. I shouldn't have expected anything from two idiots who've been lost in the Gray Realm for half a year." Sun Bumian said, a little speechless. "Just follow me later. Whichever direction I point, that's where you charge."

Jian Changsheng and Jiang Xiaohua nodded vigorously.

Sun Bumian turned to Jiang Xiaohua, "Meihua, keep masking our presence. Let's go as far as we can... and only fight our way out when there's truly no other way through."

"Understood!"

*Thud—!!!*

A massive stone golem descended from the sky, crashing heavily onto a calamity as agile as a squirrel. The terrifying force unleashed a sweeping hurricane, crushing the calamity into a bloody pulp while sending all other calamities within a hundred meters flying backward!

The colossal golem dug its hands into the earth, forcibly pulling out a super stone pillar twice its own size. Roaring, it hurled the pillar towards the rear of the calamity wave!

On the shoulder of this golem, two roughly scrawled characters were conspicuously visible:

—Mountain Bearer.

The super stone pillar shattered several calamities along its path. On either side of the pillar, two equally massive afterimages shot forth.

One was entirely carved with flame patterns, while the other carried a massive longblade on its back. The two golems unleashed their power simultaneously; flames and blade light swept through large areas of surrounding calamities, clearing a vacuum zone on the battlefield and giving the previously besieged figures of the Esoteric Sect a moment to breathe.

Those figures looked up to see a man in a robe with silver cloud patterns on his cuffs, standing mid-air, with dozens of massive coffins floating in the void around him.

"It's Lord Tianhuai!!"

"Lord Tianhuai has made his move, we're saved!"

Shouts of joyful surprise erupted from the battlefield, but Tianhuai's expression showed no relaxation. His eyes, grave and focused, watched the endless tide of calamities surging like waves in the distance...

He could sense that behind this group of calamities from the Mount of Delusion, several calamities emitting terrifying Rank 8 aura were distantly coveting this spot.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine..."

"Nine Rank 8s... Is this the strength of the World-Ending Dominion?" Tianhuai murmured to himself.

One must know, currently, there were only three Rank 8 individuals in the Xuanyu Realm.

The disparity in strength between the two sides was vast, yet the Rank 8 combatants of the Mount of Delusion didn't seem eager to act. If not for that, the Xuanyu Realm wouldn't be able to defend so steadily now... This might seem like a good thing to others, but to Tianhuai and the high-ranking officials of the Xuanyu Realm, it wasn't necessarily so.

Something abnormal indicates a hidden threat. They couldn't ascertain what these calamities from the Mount of Delusion were thinking, and that, for the Xuanyu Realm, was the greatest danger.

"Brother." A figure appeared behind Tianhuai.

Hearing the voice, the gloom on Tianhuai's face finally dissipated somewhat. He turned to look at Huai Mang behind him, and seeing the haggard young face, he couldn't help but frown and say:

"Didn't I tell you to rest longer? Why are you here again??"

"Brother, I'm well-rested!"

"Well-rested, you say? Your abilities consume the most mental energy. You've been fighting on the front lines all day, and you only just went back to sleep for two hours... Look at you now, do you look well-rested at all??"

"Brother... I couldn't sleep." Huai Mang's eyes were bloodshot. "This is a matter of life and death for the Xuanyu Realm, and I'm the Young Sect Master of the Esoteric Sect... How could I let everyone fight on the front lines while I sleep in the back?"

"You..." Tianhuai wanted to say more, but seeing Huai Mang's stubborn eyes, he couldn't bring himself to be harsh.

He turned back, brushing his sleeve.

"Have it your way... The battlefield is dangerous. I can't always look after you, so... be careful yourself."

"Okay!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Huai Mang charged directly towards the direction with the greatest number of calamities!

After obtaining the Celestial Star Position, Huai Mang's strength had advanced by leaps and bounds. In just half a year, his rank had reached Level 6. His figure plummeted straight into a wave of calamities, his silver-clouded sleeves fluttering in the wind.

Sensing the appearance of a human, the surrounding calamities reacted immediately, turning their direction to pounce on Huai Mang.

Facing the multitude of surrounding calamities, Huai Mang stood still, showing no intention of acting. He merely narrowed his pupils slightly. The next moment, it was as if some invisible entity had drawn a sword and swept it across, and one by one, the heads of the calamities instantly detached from their bodies, rolling to the ground with a soft thud.

Countless calamity corpses lay fallen around Huai Mang. In his vision, an old man holding a sword and also draped in silver-clouded robes stood upon the piles of bodies.

However, neither other humans nor the calamities could perceive the old man's existence...

Because he was merely a personality created by Huai Mang's imagination.

"Grandpa, kill them all." Huai Mang said in a deep voice.

The sword-wielding old man shot forward, and sharp sword light began to sweep through the waves of calamities, instantly carving out a bloody path...

Just then, a sudden change occurred!!