"What can I do? If I made a move, you would only die faster!"
The Demon Lord said irritably, a trace of alarm in his voice. He could sense that Li Xiaotian's current strength had at least doubled!
What had this fellow been up to lately?
The Demon Lord muttered to himself, wondering if he had slept for several years, as there was no other explanation for what he was witnessing.
"Kid, you cannot increase your strength further. The stronger you become, the more potent this grand formation will be!"
"Using my Demon Palace, a top-tier defensive heavenly weapon is wasted in your hands. You haven't even unleashed its true power!"
The Demon Lord offered advice. After all, Li Xiaotian was his disciple, and he couldn't stand by and watch him perish.
"Don't recover from your injuries. Endure it. This grand formation has limited energy; it won't maintain this state forever and will eventually calm down."
"You're quite fortunate. The world is not yet complete, and that old fellow hasn't awakened. Otherwise, you would surely die!"
The Demon Lord continued speaking, evidently recognizing the supreme expert from Manzhou who had constructed the battle domain.
Li Xiaotian followed his advice, ceasing his recovery and abstaining from absorbing the ancient god's blood to boost his strength. He merely maintained the Dragon God Hall to resist the onslaught of the lightning sea.
Meanwhile, outside the battle domain, the area for a hundred miles was deserted. Everyone had fled in all directions.
The experts from Manzhou who had emerged did not linger, rushing back to their respective tribes.
The Ancient God Tribe had been attacked by the God-Devouring race, and Gu Qiankun, along with many of the tribe's overlords, had perished within the battle domain.
Their opportunity had arrived!
With the Ancient God Tribe's strength significantly reduced, how could they possibly let such a chance slip by?
That very day, countless mysterious powerhouses descended upon the Ancient God Tribe, joining forces with the God-Slaying race to besiege the tribe's sacred mountain.
Of course, these mysterious individuals concealed their aura, masked in black.
After all, the Heaven-rank experts of the Ancient God Tribe were still present. The current weakness of the Ancient God Tribe was temporary; once those Heaven-rank experts awakened, the tribe would still be formidable.
"Gu Qiankun has fallen. Ancient God Tribe, cease your resistance!"
A strong voice bellowed, causing the tribesmen of the Ancient God Tribe to lose their composure.
The Divine Lord has fallen?
How was this possible?!!
They refused to believe it. The Divine Lord was the foremost overlord; how could he fall? Who could make him fall?
Yet, the tribe was in crisis, and the Divine Lord had not come to their aid for a long time, causing many to become anxious.
The Divine Lord might truly have fallen!
The battle raged for three days, resulting in countless casualties for the Ancient God Tribe. Finally, the Great Shaman of the Ancient God Tribe intervened, activating the tribe's profound formation, which forced the attackers to retreat.
However, the cost was the complete sealing of the Ancient God Tribe; they could neither leave nor enter.
Only when the Heaven-rank experts of the Ancient God Tribe awakened could the tribe emerge once more.
At the border between Manzhou and Yanzhou, Huo Tongzi emerged from the mountains, his face filled with excitement, transforming into a streak of fire and flying towards his sect.
Li Xiaotian was dead!
The Great Qin no longer had a protector!
The opportunity to re-divide the lands of Yanzhou had arrived! Without Li Xiaotian, the Great Qin was merely a paper tiger, easily crushed!
Time flew by, and a month passed.
By now, in Manzhou, guided by the powerful forces of various factions, the Ancient God Tribe had become a target of widespread condemnation.
Meanwhile, leaders like Xing Tianbu had gradually whitewashed their own actions.
Various factions were ruthlessly devouring the territories of the Ancient God Tribe, bolstering their own strength.
Simultaneously, the emergence of the God-Devouring race sent shockwaves through Manzhou.
However, after attacking the Ancient God Tribe, the God-Devouring race retreated to the northern part of Manzhou and did not engage in any further excessive actions. This allowed the human race of Manzhou to gradually accept their presence.
After all, although the ancient God-Devouring race was notorious, few people remembered such things now.
During this period, powerful figures from Manzhou periodically checked the situation in the battle domain. Although they were certain that Li Xiaotian and Gu Qiankun were doomed, they still had to guard against any unforeseen circumstances.
Furthermore, even if the two perished, the treasures they carried would not be damaged. Once the battle domain reopened, whoever seized these items would possess them.
Another month passed, and the battle domain remained sealed, though its fluctuations were growing weaker.
During this time, two prominent figures emerged in Manzhou.
One was known as the Green-Clad Goddess, who was actively hunting members of the Black-Clad Alliance. For every person she killed, she publicly announced their crimes, never harming the innocent.
This earned her the acclaim of countless people in Manzhou, inspiring many young powerhouses to follow her example.
The other was the legendary exotic beast, the Dragon-Horse, who proclaimed itself the Dragon Emperor and challenged powerful individuals everywhere.
With its extreme speed, it had never been defeated!
Unfortunately, being a demon beast, its influence on the human side was limited.
However, these two rising powerhouses would pause at the edge of the battle domain for a short period at regular intervals.
No one knew what they were doing, nor did they understand the reason behind their actions.
"Li Xiaotian, you can't be truly dead. If you are, I won't even have anyone to get revenge on," the Dragon-Horse whispered. By now, its aura was immensely powerful, and its skin had regained its color; it had reached the mid-stage of the overlord realm.
On the other side, Qinglin floated in the air, her expression still icy, maintaining an aloof demeanor.
Her gaze was complex; she didn't know what she was waiting for.
Her enemies were dead, and her loved ones were also gone. Now, she was alone.
Time continued to flow, and three months passed. Yanzhou was approaching the end of the year, with snowflakes blanketing the land.
Yanzhou was now engulfed in war and chaos.
The common people of Yanzhou felt their despair and sorrow mirroring the weather.
In the capital of the Great Qin, the Qin Emperor, his hair now white, stood on the city wall, his eyes filled with anguish.
Four months ago, the Desolate Hall, the Divine Sect, the Divine Fire Sect, and several other major powers had launched a joint invasion of the Great Qin's territory. Overnight, the Great Qin suffered countless casualties among its soldiers, and half of its cities were lost.
Since then, many ancient powers had publicly severed their alliances with the Great Qin and risen in rebellion, claiming territories for themselves.
The Great Qin had reverted to the state it was in during the early days of the world's upheaval.
However, this time, the situation was far more difficult and desperate.
Adding to the woes, the demon beasts from the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain had also mobilized.
The Great Qin was besieged on all sides, in grave danger!
The series of blows had turned the Qin Emperor's hair white overnight.
The Great Qin now controlled only six cities. This was not because of their strength in holding on, but because the powers such as the Desolate Hall had intentionally left them.
With these six cities remaining, the demon beasts would not advance inland, thus sparing them the need to fight.
Moreover, it was as if both sides had made an agreement; the demon beasts from the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain could have conquered a city, but they did not.
Instead, they would only slaughter some people before withdrawing.
"My Lord, please return. Take care of your health," Jiang Hai's voice came from behind the Qin Emperor.
"Is he truly dead?" the Qin Emperor asked weakly, his spirits low.
"Lord Li has heaven-defying fortune and astonishing talent. It's impossible for him to fall so easily. He's likely trapped in Manzhou," Jiang Hai said after a moment's thought, a flicker of sadness crossing his mind.
He had now become a strong expert in the late Emperor stage, but his current strength was of little use in the current situation.
Any overlord could easily kill him.
"My Lord, please return. Lord Li will return. Many people from the Dragon King Hall have gone to Manzhou, and I believe there will be news of Lord Li soon," Jiang Hai said again.
While the Great Qin was in crisis, its ability to hold on until now was partly due to the leniency of powers like the Desolate Hall and partly due to the assistance of people from the Dragon King Hall.
Long Shi, An Mei, and Kong Wenbin had all reached the overlord realm, and Li Xiaotian's wife, Ye Qingmei, had aided the Great Qin at critical moments.
Among the ancient powers, over a dozen factions, including the Dao Sect, Sword Pavilion, War Sect, and Miao Sect, had not abandoned the Great Qin and fought alongside them.
However, the enemies were too numerous!
The ongoing war in Yanzhou had also led to the demon beasts of the Eastern Sea restricted zone venturing out and causing trouble, forcing these ancient sects to divert their efforts to suppress the Eastern Sea.
"The New Year is approaching. I wonder if he can return," the Qin Emperor whispered, walking back to the palace dejectedly.
Meanwhile, within the Qin Palace, in Li Xiaotian's former residence, Ye Qingmei, clad in black, wore a sorrowful expression.
On the battlefield, she was the decisive Madam Li, but only within this palace did she reveal the vulnerability of a woman.
With Li Xiaotian in trouble, she longed to go to Manzhou and find him immediately.
However, the Great Qin was in peril, and as Li Xiaotian's wife, she could not bear to see everything her husband had painstakingly built destroyed.
"Where are you? I know you're not dead, you're just hiding. But don't hide for too long. I miss you, and Tiantian misses you too."
Ye Qingmei whispered, a hint of tenderness and expectation flashing in her eyes.