Chapter 303: Gathering of Immortals to Plot Against Chi Yan

It seemed to be enraged by Zhang Zhiliang's words. The flame, intertwined with the Immortals, instantly began to burn even more fiercely, fueled by their power. It clung to them like a persistent ailment, proving difficult to remove. Even though Zhang Zhiliang continuously activated formations to relocate the Five Immortals, this only slightly slowed the crimson flame's burning speed.

"Fellow Daoists, let us attack to defend!" Immortal Lord Hongxi's voice resounded. With that, an inverted mountain pressed down directly upon Red Flame. The mountain was as fine as a needle, yet it seemed to weigh a hundred million tons. The flames around Red Flame flickered incessantly, as if swept by a strong wind. Her body involuntarily sank downwards.

A shockwave erupted from their point of contact, sweeping outwards and spreading, stirring up huge waves that radiated towards the periphery of Congyun Sea. As it grazed the Myriad Immortals Island below, it even caused the Seven-Colored Immortal-Falling Array to tremble slightly.

Beneath the inverted mountain, firelight flickered. She seemed to vanish for a fleeting moment, intending to repeat her trick and change position. However, to her surprise, the next second she was awkwardly forced to reappear in her original spot. The surrounding space faintly showed images of countless continuous mountain ranges. Red Flame was as if trapped in a cage made of mountains, unable to move!

She bowed her head slightly, seemingly deep in thought. Next, everyone saw the flames that had been constantly flickering on her body suddenly become still. They then violently contracted towards the center. Before anyone could react, Red Flame had transformed from human form into a pure crimson flame. Dazzling, scorching, and filled with destructive power. Even the mountains that imprisoned her began to melt and collapse due to this extremely high temperature.

Seeing that Red Flame was about to break free, the attacks of the other Immortals arrived abruptly. "The surging river, endless and unceasing!" A silver ribbon descended from the sky. Like a swimming dragon, it violently struck the flames. Although the river water instantly evaporated, the Lancang River seemed eternally inexhaustible, ceaselessly slowing the flame's escape by another fraction.

"Die!" A child's tender voice, yet brimming with murderous intent, rang out. Amidst the sprawling river water, a black and red figure emerged silently beside Red Flame. It had no trace of life; even with Red Flame's perception, she only suddenly discovered it when it closed in on her. "Tianyang?" Li Fan was naturally no stranger to this black and red puppet.

Unlike the colossal entity that reached the heavens before, the Tianyang puppet had now reverted to a normal human size. Even Tianyang's voice was no longer mechanical as before, but indistinguishable from a human's. Under the terrifying heat of the crimson flame, everything that approached it began to melt. Even the Nascent Soul-stage Tianyang puppet was no exception. Its outer layer seemed like snow under the sun, constantly dissolving.

Yet, the damage to its body seemed not to affect Tianyang's combat power in the slightest. Even after its solid form completely disintegrated and turned into a boiling, black and red viscous liquid, Tianyang's power was fully unleashed.

"Tianyang's entire life..."

"...is not inferior to any man!"

The viscous substance churned continuously, resembling both water and fire. It coiled around the crimson flame; no matter how fiercely she burned, it would not retreat, intent on corrupting her with its very being. The crimson flame was forced to shrink further.

As Red Flame became the focus of their attacks, the power of the flames that had been continuously burning around the Immortals also significantly diminished. Their attacks, therefore, grew even more ferocious. Under the encirclement of the Five Nascent Soul Immortals, Red Flame continuously compressed herself. Victory seemed within reach. But...

When compressed to its extreme, the flame vanished. All that remained was a dazzling, unlookable-at red particle, enveloped by the Immortals. Then, the red particle moved. At a speed beyond the perception of all cultivators present, it traced a crimson line across the vast sky, folding back on itself multiple times. It pierced through the black and red viscous body, creating a large hole in Tianyang. The substance at its center completely evaporated, and the surrounding viscous material churned, attempting to heal, but was inhibited by the residual high temperature, preventing recovery.

The Lancang River water and the inverted mountain were also instantly split in two by the crimson line. The river dried up, and the mountain body shattered. Two muffled groans sounded simultaneously. Immortal Lord Haoxuan continuously fired silver arrows, but the silver light could not match the crimson line's pulsating speed. Instead, in pursuit, they were assimilated by it, transforming into crimson fiery rays that shot out in different directions.

The crimson line crisscrossed the sky, constantly darting back and forth. Everything that stood in its way was utterly evaporated by its destructive power. Silver lights continuously flashed; these were Zhang Zhiliang helping the Immortals relocate and defend against Red Flame's attacks. Yet, despite this, the Immortals' disadvantage continued to grow.

At this very moment, Zhang Zhiliang finally made another move. One, two... thousands, tens of thousands... Densely packed, countless silver cubes suddenly appeared in the sky, completely sealing off the airspace where Red Flame and the Five Immortals were battling. They appeared chaotic and disorderly, but Li Fan could discern that these vast, star-like array crowns, both ethereal and solid, were forming a specific formation.

"Spirit Gathering!" Zhang Zhiliang said coldly. A portion of the array crowns in the sky, in response to Zhang Zhiliang's voice, simultaneously emitted silver light. A super-large Spirit Gathering Formation, composed of countless small ones, suddenly appeared. A fierce wind suddenly swept through Congyun Sea, stirring up monstrous waves. Spiritual energy surged frantically towards the area sealed by the array crowns, absorbed by the injured Immortals. Instantly, the Immortals' combat power returned to its peak.

"Freezing!" Zhang Zhiliang acted again. Another portion of the array crowns emitted light at his command. The temperature in the sky plummeted, and ice crystals solidified in the air. It was as if even the air had frozen. The crimson line's movement speed involuntarily slowed.

"Delay!" In an instant, countless silver-white threads emerged from the array crowns, coiling around the crimson line. "Creation and Destruction!" "Annihilation!" One formation after another was continuously deployed under the combined attack of the countless array crowns. Red Flame's power was suppressed, while the Immortals' power was enhanced. With one diminishing and the other growing, the battle gradually moved towards a stalemate.

The shackles formed by the great sun and starlight in the heavens sealed off Red Flame's communication with the world. However, the five Nascent Soul Immortals could unrestrictedly absorb spiritual energy from within Congyun Sea for replenishment. Although Red Flame in this current life was far stronger than her previous simple 'boiler worker' form, defeat would be inevitable if this continued.

Just when Li Fan thought the battle would continue as a war of attrition, a new change occurred on the field. Sensing that she was about to fall into an unfavorable situation, Red Flame transformed back into human form from the scorching, glowing particle. "What is she going to do?" Not just Li Fan, but all the cultivators present were puzzled by this sight. However, the Nascent Soul Immortals caught in the battle were all startled with dread.

They saw weapon phantoms, entirely constructed from flames, instantly appear around Red Flame: blades, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battle-axes, hooks, and forks... Red Flame's figure flickered. Subsequently, a Red Flame appeared strikingly beside each weapon! Heaven and earth fell into an eerie stillness for a split second. A total of eighteen Red Flames attacked the five Immortals separately.

A clamor arose on Myriad Immortals Island. "Is this a cloning technique?" "Dealing with just one Red Flame was already so difficult for the Immortals. Now eighteen have appeared... how can they fight this? Isn't this an inevitable defeat?" "I don't think so; there's still a certain difference between these clones and Red Flame's main body." "But that doesn't matter when her numbers are so overwhelming! And look, the weapons Red Flame uses aren't just for show. Every move is lethal; her offensive power seems much stronger than before."

Amidst the discussions, some cultivators already felt an uneasy premonition. They tried to leave via teleportation arrays but were horrified to find that all the arrays had ceased to function. Panic then spread on the island on a small scale; some cultivators activated their escape lights, wanting to fly out of Congyun Sea alone. But most cultivators still believed that the Immortals of the Myriad Immortals Alliance would not be defeated. They intently observed this world-shaking battle.

At first, facing the eighteen suddenly appearing Red Flame clones, the five Nascent Soul Immortals were indeed caught off guard. Each was almost severely wounded. But given their Nascent Soul cultivation, they wouldn't be instantly killed by a single strike from the cloned Red Flame. Under Zhang Zhiliang's powerful auxiliary abilities, they all slowly recovered. However, they were still suppressed by the numerous Red Flame clones.

"Everyone, now is not the time to hold back!" Immortal Lord Hongxi's voice rang out. "Unleash your full power! As for who can ultimately achieve Dao Integration, that depends on your individual fortune!"

"Just as I wished! I shall go first then!" Immortal Lord Haoxuan's hearty laughter echoed through heaven and earth. "Hit!" With a furious roar, eighteen silver arrows appeared, with no visible source of their launch. Instead, they appeared abruptly on Red Flame's body, all piercing straight through her chest!

"Lancang River water falls from the Nine Heavens!" High in the sky, river water descended from afar. As it fell to the mortal realm, it split into eighteen. Like eighteen silver dragons, they entangled themselves with the Red Flame clones.

"Creak..." Small, finger-sized peaks landed on the heads of the Red Flames. A terrifying sound, as if space itself was being crushed, reverberated. A very distinct indentation was pressed into Red Flame's head. And as the peaks continuously descended, the rest of her body was also on the verge of being crushed. The black and red viscous substance suddenly expanded, becoming fiercely aggressive, and transformed into eighteen pools of grotesque beasts, tearing at Red Flame.

The situation changed again; the battle suddenly grew more intense. The aftermath of their clashes continuously swept over Congyun Sea below, stirring up monstrous waves. Even Myriad Immortals Island shook incessantly, as if struck by an earthquake. Splitting into eighteen seemed to be a massive drain on Red Flame. The color of her body visibly dimmed slightly. With Zhang Zhiliang serving as a super supply station, the Nascent Soul Immortals' consumption was much smaller. Slowly, the tide of the battle began to turn in favor of the cultivators.

The sun rose and set; in the blink of an eye, three days had passed in this battle. Red Flame suffered immense losses, and her eighteen clones merged back into one. Flames still flickered on her body, but their might was greatly reduced compared to before.

"Die!" Tianyang's murderous voice resounded once more. It had reverted to its black and red puppet form and violently crashed into Red Flame. As if cooperating with Tianyang's attack, in an instant, the Lancang River water, silver arrows, inverted mountain, and falling Heavenly River stars all erupted simultaneously.

"Is Zhang Zhiliang still not going to act?" "And Ye Feipeng..." Seeing that this battle to slay the Spirit of Heaven and Earth was nearing its end, these two still hadn't made a move, which puzzled Li Fan. He flew up slightly, looking around, trying to find any traces of Ye Feipeng. "Hm?" Li Fan's heart skipped a beat when he saw the surrounding scene clearly. While all cultivators' attention was focused on the world-shaking battle in the sky, Li Fan noticed that the surface of Congyun Sea had, unknowingly, significantly dropped. It was as if countless volumes of seawater had vanished into thin air; everywhere Li Fan looked, even some shallower sea areas had their seabed exposed.

"So he really didn't give up." Connecting this with the Kunpeng divine ability that Ye Feipeng had comprehended, Li Fan's eyes flickered. And while Li Fan was observing the surroundings, Red Flame above, under the continuous assaults of the Five Immortals, finally showed signs of defeat. The flames on her body flickered faintly, like a candle in the wind. The Five Immortals' final blow was also imminent.

"I shall also lend a hand to all you Immortals!" Zhang Zhiliang's voice timely resounded. But to Li Fan's ears, his tone revealed a hint of coldness. The hundreds of thousands of array crowns sealing the battlefield simultaneously emitted a faint glow, and then extinguished simultaneously. The moment they vanished from the sky, they subtly shifted and changed their positions. In an instant, a formation abruptly appeared.

"Spirit Gathering!" Zhang Zhiliang's cold voice echoed once more. This voice had appeared countless times on the battlefield before, and the cultivators present, including the Immortals engaged in combat, had grown accustomed to it. However, unlike before...

A giant closed eye appeared in the sky. When the words "Spirit Gathering" were uttered, the eye suddenly opened wide. The super Spirit Gathering Formation activated; however, the area from which spiritual energy was being extracted was no longer Congyun Sea. It was the battlefield itself, covered by the eye's gaze!

The spiritual energy concentration around them plummeted at a terrifying speed, and the Five Immortals immediately sensed something was wrong. "Zhang Zhiliang, you seek death!" Immortal Lord Hongxi's voice, filled with shock and fury, echoed through the heavens. The inverted mountain changed its target, smashing towards the single eye in the sky. However, the space in front of it continuously distorted. That incredibly heavy inverted mountain, which seemed capable of crushing everything, simply could not reach the single eye in the sky. Moreover, the attacks of the other Immortals, who had recovered and were furious, also could not penetrate this sealed space. All attacks missed their mark.

"Two Energies Dust Array? You've broken through to the Nascent Soul stage?" At this moment, Immortal Lord Ziyun, who had remained silent throughout, finally spoke. Her clear voice caused Hongxi and the others to turn pale. Zhang Zhiliang remained silent.

Beside them, Red Flame, who had been heavily wounded, seized the opportunity to launch an attack on the stunned Nascent Soul Immortals. Hongxi and the others were forced to re-engage Red Flame. However, this time, not only was the spiritual energy within the Two Energies Dust Array greatly reduced, preventing their recovery, but the single eye in the sky would also occasionally cast its gaze, freezing everyone's movements. Before long, facing the pincer attack from Red Flame and Zhang Zhiliang, the Immortals became severely wounded.

"Zhang Zhiliang, you are a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator and a master of formations, how can you act so despicably?" "Are you not afraid of being ridiculed by the world?" Immortal Lord Lancang angrily rebuked him. His reply was the single eye's death gaze.

Immortal Lord Hongxi also hadn't expected that he and his companions would fall into the scheme of this former subordinate. "Senior Jinri, please help me escape!" he shouted anxiously. The great sun in the sky hesitated for a moment, then still cast down a golden ray. Just as this ray of light was about to fall upon the single eye, a patch of dark clouds suddenly appeared, blocking the golden light.

"Youngster Zhang, go ahead and do as you please! That old geezer Jinri, don't you dare think of obstructing you!" Zhang Zhiliang finally spoke at this moment: "Thank you, Senior."

"Black Crow?!" Jinri's voice, a mix of surprise and anger, echoed through the heavens. However, facing the dark clouds that obscured the golden sun, Immortal Venerable Jinri fell silent. A moment later, the sun that had enveloped Congyun Sea slowly receded.

"Senior Jinri!" While parrying Red Flame's attacks, Hongxi let out a somewhat desperate cry. But there was no response. Seeing that their patron had also chosen to give up, a river of stars suddenly appeared in the sky. Immortal Lord Ziyun transformed into starlight, instantly tearing through space and time. Without a word, she fled far away. The single eye gazed into the distance, then, moments later, retracted its gaze. Zhang Zhiliang did not choose to pursue. He merely watched the trapped beasts fight to the death within the Two Energies Dust Array.

For Red Flame, everything before her were enemies to be eliminated. So her offensive did not slacken for a moment. As for the remaining four Nascent Soul cultivators, survival was an instinct. Faced with Red Flame's attacks, they could not possibly not retaliate and simply close their eyes to await death. However, these few, already heavily wounded and now lacking the aid of Jinri and Ziyun, were no match for Red Flame. Thus, even with a thousand unwillingnesses in their hearts, they could only fall into Zhang Zhiliang's plan, using their lives to deplete Red Flame's remaining power.

Immortal Lord Lancang was the first to fall. Haoxuan and Hongxi died next. Only Tianyang, with the most tenacious life force, was still struggling to hold on. The moment of harvest was at hand; slaying the Spirit of Heaven and Earth and achieving Dao Integration Immortal Venerable seemed imminent. Even with Zhang Zhiliang's composure, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Just as he was about to make his move, he suddenly realized that a shadow covering the entire Congyun Sea had, at some unknown point, enveloped him. With a sound like the creation of heaven and earth, a terrifying beast, whose size defied description, suddenly emerged from the seabed. It swallowed both him and Red Flame, who was sealed by countless array crowns, in one gulp.