Chu Tian was immensely surprised to see Dao Tian there.
"Could this be depicting... the great battle in the Void God Realm?" Although he had suspected this before, it was only now that Chu Tian truly confirmed it.
After Dao Tian appeared, a group of people followed closely behind him.
This group was much stronger than the resistance fighters, but significantly weaker than the individual powerhouses who had appeared earlier. However, their numbers were vast.
That was only in relative terms. Compared to the purple-black armored figures, they were still no match.
Yet, with these hundreds of people gathered together, they formed a steel knife, cutting through the enemy ranks. Wherever they went, they were invincible.
Dao Tian himself charged at the very front of the entire formation.
Behind him, a seemingly ordinary person unleashed talismans like a machine gun, and these were just common yellow paper talismans. Yet, their power was astonishing. Each talisman instantly killed an enemy it struck. The opposing figures would turn into dust like captured prisoners.
Dao Tian's attacks were unremarkable, relying solely on his fists. Like a reckless brute, he charged headfirst, leading the vanguard.
Seeing this, Chu Tian felt something was amiss. He remembered that when his clone had transformed into a rogue, Dao Tian had been extremely reluctant. He had wanted to be a mage. But now, Dao Tian appeared to be acting like a warrior.
At this point, Chu Tian expected the opposing side to send a contingent to intercept them. However, this time, it exceeded his expectations.
The group led by Dao Tian charged forward, rushing to wherever the situation was dire, and gradually managed to turn the tide. The previous resistance fighters, who had been steadily retreating, now followed in Dao Tian's team's wake. They continuously charged, carving a bloody path. Instead of engaging in defensive combat, they began to make a rapid retreat. With Dao Tian leading them, their speed was remarkable.
The purple-black armored troop formation was soon breached. The resistance fighters, freed from the enemy encirclement, appeared exhilarated. Even Dao Tian's expression seemed to relax.
Their rear guard became the vanguard. The more than a hundred people led by Dao Tian turned back to intercept the pursuers. The resistance fighters who had been surrounded began to retreat rapidly in one direction. Dao Tian and his group fought and retreated, deliberately slowing down to buy time for the others to escape.
Everything seemed normal, even easy. However, Chu Tian, as an observer, did not feel that way. With his expansive perspective, he noticed that while the black-armored soldiers continued to press towards Dao Tian's group, their formation was constantly shifting in the rear. Dao Tian's group, however, did not seem to notice, appearing as if they were being herded, gradually deviating from their intended retreat path.
The resistance fighters who had been surrounded had already vanished without a trace. Just as they were preparing to accelerate their escape, they realized something was wrong. The ordinary-looking person who had been using talismans' face changed drastically. He shouted something to Dao Tian. Dao Tian, who had been complacent moments before, was now filled with panic. The more than a hundred people behind him were similarly affected.
Chu Tian couldn't hear what they were saying, although he could hear the sounds of battle and clashing weapons on the battlefield. He just couldn't hear voices. However, Chu Tian saw that wherever his group retreated, they were moving towards a barren, grey world. This grey world seemed separated from their current location by a pane of glass.
Finally, Chu Tian observed them decide to regroup and attempt to fight their way back the way they came. However, at that moment, the black-armored legion in front of them parted to the sides. A different contingent emerged.
Indeed, Chu Tian's prior assumption was correct. This new group was vastly outnumbered by Dao Tian's team. Upon seeing these people appear, Dao Tian and his companions' expressions turned even more grim. Yet, Dao Tian gritted his teeth and charged towards them. At this moment, Dao Tian was not at the forefront. He produced a staff from somewhere. The staff glowed, and a jade-colored aura enveloped everyone around him. Each person was covered in a thin film, and all their auras doubled in strength at that moment. However, after this burst, Dao Tian's own aura weakened considerably.
The next moment, the two groups collided. The moment they clashed, Dao Tian's group was significantly stronger, as Dao Tian seemed to have activated another support skill. Everyone's strength had doubled. The opposing formation was instantly torn apart. However, their charge was continuously impeded, like an arrow loosed from a bow gradually losing its momentum. The enemy outnumbered them several times over, with each individual possessing strength comparable to their own. Even though they had been enhanced, their initial momentum was quickly swallowed by the sheer numbers. Finally, they completely slowed down, coming to a halt before the enemy, and were subsequently surrounded.
Although they fought fiercely, the enemy seemed to be fighting recklessly. Casualties began to appear in Dao Tian's group, and the jade-colored aura on them gradually dimmed. Dao Tian once again used that skill, this time striking his wine gourd. Numerous streams of wine erupted, transforming into droplets that shot towards everyone. Those individuals promptly opened their mouths, drinking the wine. Their auras surged once more, carrying a sense of activation similar to entering a berserk state. Everyone's faces flushed, and their strength increased severalfold.
The battle continued, but the enemy ranks seemed to grow larger. They appeared to have an endless supply of reinforcements, as if every fallen enemy spawned two more. Eventually, they could no longer hold on. Dao Tian's repeated use of support skills proved to be a temporary solution, like drinking wine to quench thirst. He himself was so weakened he needed support. The person who had been using talismans had run out of yellow talismans, but he could now draw them in the air, though their power was diminished. His fingers traced patterns in the air, and more projectiles flew out. He also kept shouting something at Dao Tian, whose expression kept changing.
Finally, Dao Tian exhaled, seemingly issuing an order. Many of his companions had already perished, leaving only about two-thirds remaining. Upon hearing whatever Dao Tian had said, everyone's expressions darkened. However, no one voiced any objection. Instead, they turned their bodies, ceasing their forward charge and retreating the way they came, heading towards the grey zone. This direction was the only one without enemies. As they retreated, the pursuers intensified their attack. Soon, they returned to their starting point. Ahead lay the grey zone, and behind them, the pursuers.
At this point, everyone's speed slowed. Dao Tian seemed to make a final decision. With a wave of his hand, he broke free from the person supporting him and was the first to step into the grey world. As he entered, his entire body trembled. Countless grey spots appeared all over his skin. Dao Tian's face contorted in pain, as if enduring immense suffering. However, he did not stop, instead glancing back and nodding firmly.
At the same time, Chu Tian noticed a peculiar phenomenon. Dao Tian's body was not moving forward, yet it seemed to be on a conveyor belt, continuously moving further away. The direction of movement was towards the depths of the grey zone. The group behind him exchanged uncertain glances. However, they had little time to deliberate. The pursuing enemy was already upon them. Staying put meant certain death. Thus, they had only the path before them.
The next to enter was the person who had been following Dao Tian, the one who used talismans. The others, gritting their teeth, also charged in. As they all entered, it was as if they had boarded a transport, constantly being moved towards the depths. The pursuers, who had been chasing them, stopped at the edge of the zone. However, a few unlucky individuals, unable to stop in time, blundered straight in. In that instant, these unfortunate souls' bodies instantly began to rot. First, their hair, then their skin, peeled off layer by layer, followed by their flesh, and finally, they became grey skeletons. Even from their skeletal forms, one could see their still-beating internal organs. This horrifying sight lasted only moments. Almost in the blink of an eye, their internal organs also decayed, turning into powder. Finally, their skeletal limbs, unable to support their bodies, crumbled and fell. In a short while, only pools of dissimilar ash remained on the ground, marking the final postures of their struggles and attempts to escape.
Seeing this, Chu Tian finally understood what the grey zone entailed. The entire grey zone was permeated with a corrosive aura, perhaps even a law. If it were not a law, how could it turn a powerhouse into dust and bone in such a short time? It was as if their very essence was being pulverized. Thus, he understood the immense pain Dao Tian and his companions were enduring, and how powerful they truly were. Despite being relatively evenly matched in terms of strength, their bodies' resistance to decay was countless times greater than that of the purple-black aura-emitting powerhouses. The weakest among Dao Tian's group merely showed more grey spots on their bodies.
To escape pursuit, they had entered such a desperate situation. Now they were in a predicament where they could neither advance nor retreat. Unless the people outside retreated, they could not leave. And the outsiders, naturally, would not let such an opportunity pass. Their original plan was to drive Dao Tian and his group into this place. Since the plan had succeeded, they would naturally maintain their watch, intending to wear Dao Tian and his group down. The grey zone stretched for tens of thousands of miles, so Dao Tian and his group still had hope of finding a way around to a place not surrounded or blocked.
However, what Chu Tian thought of, the people inside could also conceive of. Yet, in Chu Tian's eyes, after entering, this group did not move further. Instead, they allowed the powerful suction force to slowly transport them inward. Almost everyone sat cross-legged, their bodies radiating light, as if resisting the corrupting force. This confused Chu Tian immensely. It was because Chu Tian did not understand the nature of the grey zone. Once one entered, there was no leaving. The current suction force was best not resisted. If they resisted, they would face even greater pressure.
Time passed. The person using talismans was busy with something. Eventually, some people began to corrupt. However, this substance seemed to corrupt the body but not the soul. Yet, those souls did not escape. Instead, they were drawn into arrays meticulously drawn by the talisman user. Dao Tian watched these scenes, appearing incredibly sorrowful but making no move to stop them.
After an unknown amount of time, Dao Tian's body was almost entirely covered in black spots. The number of people beside him had also dwindled. The person using talismans finally finished with his creations. With a series of hand seals, a milky white halo spread out, blocking the grey aura from entering. The remaining thirty to forty people all entered this protective barrier. Excitement appeared on each of their faces.
Following this, the person threw out a few more array tokens, and a gate-like structure opened, presumably a form of teleportation. However, the appearance of this gate caused them to begin arguing. Dao Tian appeared extremely enraged, yet this group turned on him. Chu Tian initially thought they were fighting over the chance to teleport out and felt indignant on Dao Tian's behalf.
By the time this group subdued him, Dao Tian was clearly shouting curses, visible from his lip movements. The others, however, stared at him with smiles, each taking out various items. The person using talismans also produced a book. They all pressed these items into Dao Tian's embrace. At this moment, Dao Tian's eyes were filled with a dazed look, even glistening with tears.
The next second, to Chu Tian's surprise, this group collectively threw Dao Tian into the glowing portal.