The gazes of the cultivators in the Sea of Clouds involuntarily fell upon these two figures. Seeing them both heavily wounded, a hint of greed stirred within their hearts. After all, what cultivator could resist the temptation of becoming one with the Dao?
Just as an ominous atmosphere began to spread among the cultivators, the two figures, who were the center of attention, started their battle without preamble.
The crowd noticed that without the Heavenly Venerate Golden Sun and Immortal Lord Ziyun isolating the heavens and earth, the crimson flame, which had previously been as dim and flickering as a candle in the wind, threatening to extinguish at any moment, was visibly regaining its depth and intensity.
Zhang Zhiliang evidently noticed this immediately. A vast, profound eye suddenly appeared above his head, its cold gaze fixed on Akayan. The flickering flames around Akayan paused slightly, though they immediately returned to normal. However, all observers could tell that her recovery speed had been affected.
Not one to wait for death, Akayan’s flames suddenly retracted, instantly transforming back into a red speck of light. It became a crimson line in the sky, instantly appearing before Zhang Zhiliang. Just as it was about to pierce through him, tens of thousands of silver squares arrayed themselves in the area before him. Tiny silver lights flickered continuously.
The crimson line extended forward relentlessly, attempting to strike down Zhang Zhiliang. Yet, the short distance felt as vast as the ends of the earth, proving unreachable. This was the Two-Way Dust Array previously used to trap the Immortal Lords. Now, repeating the old trick, its effectiveness remained outstanding.
Moments later, Akayan ceased her futile efforts and reverted to her human form. As if howling at the sky, hundreds of crimson light rays instantly burst forth from her body. They shot out towards various surrounding areas.
“Boom!” “Boom!”
Over a hundred silver array coronas exploded in the firelight. But… immediately, substitute array coronas emerged from the darkness, instantly replacing the damaged ones. Akayan relentlessly launched attacks, yet the rate at which she destroyed the coronas was far outpaced by Zhang Zhiliang’s speed in replenishing them.
Zhang Zhiliang, however, did not have the habit of passively taking blows. As Akayan attempted to break free from the array, the Reverse Spirit Gathering Array was activated once more. Within the sealed airspace, the spiritual energy concentration plummeted again. Following this, countless array coronas flickered in succession, as one formation after another was deployed within the enclosed area. Streaks of destructive light shot out from the array coronas, continuously bombarding Akayan. Even if she easily dodged ninety-nine out of a hundred, and even if hit, only suffered minor injuries… the sheer number of array coronas was overwhelming. The destructive light beams poured out ceaselessly, as if without cost. Her injuries gradually accumulated, and Akayan, who hadn’t fully recovered to begin with, grew even weaker. Poor Akayan, despite her martial prowess, could only lament helplessly and await her demise in the face of this seemingly endless attrition.
Seeing Akayan's figure growing dimmer, some cultivators observing from the Sea of Clouds could no longer hold back.
“Fellow Daoists, Akayan is about to perish, and Zhang Zhiliang is at the end of his strength. This is a heaven-sent opportunity!”
“Indeed, even if he is a Soul Transformation cultivator, after such successive battles, his strength must be greatly diminished. If we attack together, we might just have a chance at victory!”
“For the sake of becoming one with the Dao, Zhang Zhiliang brazenly murdered the Myriad Immortals Island Lord and challenged the dignity of the Myriad Immortals Alliance. His crime is unforgivable!”
“To arms, fellow Daoists!”
Voices, from an unknown source, echoed above Myriad Immortals Island. What they said seemed quite reasonable. The cultivators exchanged glances, then collectively looked up at Zhang Zhiliang, whose clothes were tattered in the sky.
The silence lasted only a moment. Soon after, someone responded. A black iron claw soared from the island, reaching Zhang Zhiliang in an instant and striking fiercely. Like a rallying call, this black iron claw signaled the collective assault of the crowd against Zhang Zhiliang. In an instant, thousands of radiant lights erupted from below, flying in unison towards the sky.
Zhang Zhiliang’s expression remained unchanged as his gaze swept coldly over them. His figure vanished in an instant, and tens of thousands of array coronas also emitted beams of light, intercepting the attacks.
“Fellow Daoists, first strike that giant eye in the sky!” With a loud shout, countless more rays of light shot skyward, heading towards the giant eye.
The trapped Akayan seemed to recognize this rare opportunity and launched a counterattack. Flames continuously erupted from her body, causing array coronas to burst open one after another. Facing the combined assault of Akayan and the other cultivators, Zhang Zhiliang gradually felt strained, knowing he could not prolong the fight.
He suddenly appeared behind Akayan, and in front of her, a silver square also emerged. Then ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand… But unlike before, the array coronas did not gather together. Instead, they began to merge. Countless silver squares became ethereal in an instant. They started to superimpose themselves at the location of the first corona. It seemed as though the fusion was completed in a single moment. The myriad array coronas, glittering like stars across the sky, vanished in a blink, leaving only one.
“Infinite Law…” Li Fan’s clone exclaimed inwardly, gazing at the brilliantly shining array corona in the sky that faintly emitted golden light. A single array corona is formed by hundreds of interconnected formations superimposed upon each other. Li Fan’s current level in array formation could barely create half an array corona. For this very reason, he understood even better how terrifying it was for someone like Zhang Zhiliang to effortlessly superimpose tens of thousands of array coronas, each already containing hundreds of superimposed formations, into a single entity composed of millions of formations.
“Zhang Zhiliang’s array formation level in this life has probably reached perfection. It far surpasses his previous life.” Li Fan’s inner thoughts flashed by.
In the sky, the formed golden array corona emitted an earth-shattering white light.
“Perish!”
With Zhang Zhiliang’s furious roar, the white light engulfed everything in its path. Even from a great distance, everyone could feel the terrifying destructive power within that beam of light and involuntarily ceased their attacks.
“He exhausted all a million formations to unleash this final strike. It’s an all-or-nothing move, but judging by the might of that white light, Zhang Zhiliang should have succeeded, right?” Li Fan stared intently at the sky. Countless cultivators in the Sea of Clouds also held their breath.
The white light gradually dissipated. Akayan was nowhere to be seen. Only Zhang Zhiliang remained, standing proudly with his hands clasped behind his back. Flickering crimson flames now replaced his previously tattered clothes. The majestic aura of a Dao-Integrated Immortal Venerate emanated from the sky above, signifying that Zhang Zhiliang had successfully integrated with the Dao!
A profound silence fell over the Sea of Clouds. The gaze of every living being was now fixed upon him. Zhang Zhiliang smiled, his mouth slightly parted, about to speak.
At that very moment… his head abruptly exploded. His headless body twitched slightly, as if still trying to observe something. However, speckles of ink-like blackness spread from his wound, consuming everything.
[1 minute ago] Chapter 418: A Troubled Winter
[2 minutes ago] Chapter 374: Lu Chief Arrives
[5 minutes ago] Chapter 1332: Appearing Cosmic Pattern
[6 minutes ago] Chapter 338: Emperor
[6 minutes ago] Chapter 417: True Martial Sees Me
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