Courage is the hymn of humanity.
Not long ago, when the Sky-Slayer clan caused trouble, most humans harbored a simmering resentment.
The cultivators of the Alliance also felt stifled, but there was little they could do. They lacked a figurehead, a leader who could charge forward, inspiring them to fight with utter disregard for their own lives.
The only solace they found was in the Ice Sword Mercenary Group's powerful victory, slaying ten seventh-realm Sky-Slayer warriors. This inflicted such pain upon the Sky-Slayer clan that they could barely breathe. Although humanity felt like the losing side, the Sky-Slayer clan never felt they had gained an advantage.
These mercenaries, their magical artifacts and spells, could not compare to those of the Alliance. In the eyes of the Alliance cultivators, mercenaries were nothing but a rabble, unworthy of recognition.
Only the Ice Sword Mercenary Group possessed a semblance of order, yet they harbored an inherent sense of superiority, looking down upon all other mercenary groups with disdain.
But now, the very mercenaries they scorned had unleashed a more formidable fighting spirit than their own.
They had idols, role models, and their own beliefs.
While selfish individuals existed, those who were cowardly and feared death would not choose a profession like mercenary work, where they lived on the edge of a blade.
Regardless of their individual motivations, everyone now shared a single, common goal: to kill the Sky-Slayer clan!
With Luo Xiaowei's sword intent as their shield, they grew stronger, their morale soaring as they clashed with the densely packed Sky-Slayer army.
As for Li Qingyun and the others, they were headed to confront that terrifying eighth-realm Sky-Slayer powerhouse!
"Brother Qingyun! Xiao Long! Daoist Bai! Let's face this eighth-realm expert together. Everyone else, find your own enemies. I trust that even one-on-one, you can all defeat a seventh-realm opponent!"
Wang Teng gave a brief command, and then the Pillar of Heaven in his hand radiated golden light.
Every immortal artifact possessed its own unique dao rhyme.
The Pillar of Heaven, which had protected the Kingdom of Hope for fifty years amidst the encirclement of countless Sky-Slayer warriors, contained the dao rhyme of steadfastness!
Unbreakable solidity.
"Boom!"
A golden barrier spread outwards from Wang Teng, enveloping Babali and himself.
Upon seeing this barrier, Babali's pupils contracted slightly.
"Imperial artifact..."
With the return of the Pillar of Heaven's spirit, the imperial intent it contained was reawakened.
This barrier, let alone Babali, could not be breached even by a ninth-realm cultivator. While it might not equal the barrier that protected the Kingdom of Hope, it possessed at least a tenth of its power.
Wang Teng certainly couldn't have created it before; he didn't even know how to use it. But with the spirit's awakening, he could finally wield some of the Pillar of Heaven's inherent power.
Babali showed no signs of panic, only greed in his eyes: "I thought obtaining a few immortal artifacts was enough. I never expected such an unexpected bonus!"
"Who the hell do you think you're smiling at!"
Wang Teng directly charged at Babali and swung his staff down.
Babali raised the Six Paths Fiery Wheel in his hand, and immediately, the Six Paths True Fire flowed outwards, engulfing Wang Teng.
"A mere Golden Body realm cultivator, you think having an imperial artifact makes you invincible? Today, I'll show you the true gap in cultivation!"
A pair of fiery wings appeared behind Babali as he contemptuously met Wang Teng head-on.
"Boom!!!"
The Six Paths True Fire snaked along the Pillar of Heaven, scorching Wang Teng's physical body.
But Wang Teng revealed a ferocious grin, and invincible golden light erupted from his body, his pupils turning golden.
"Indestructible Golden Body!"
This was the immortal technique he had obtained from Chu Yang after completing the trial of "Doomsday Reemergence."
The Indestructible Golden Body bestowed upon his physical body the power of immortality. The wounds scorched by the flames began to heal at a terrifying rate.
"What? You're only in the Golden Body realm, how can you possibly use an immortal technique?"
"You're dead. I'll tell you at your grave!"
The two clashed, but Wang Teng was still at a disadvantage.
At this moment, Bai Nianchen on the other side had completed his formation.
Array flags hovered in the air, and the familiar Four Symbols Heaven-Slaying Formation reappeared.
Long ago, when Chu Yang bestowed this formation upon Bai Nianchen, he had said that when his cultivation reached a certain level, this deadly formation could slay immortals!
However, he didn't intend to self-detonate. Instead, he roared, "Young friend Wang! Can you withstand the power of the Four Symbols?"
Wang Teng laughed heartily and replied, "Bring it on! I'm tough as nails!"
"Take this!"
Then, Bai Nianchen controlled the Four Spirits – Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird – and unleashed them towards Wang Teng.
The Azure Dragon's sustained healing, the White Tiger's killing power, the Black Tortoise's defensive might, and the Vermilion Bird's rebirth power were all bestowed upon Wang Teng.
Anyone else would have likely exploded from absorbing the power of these spirit essences, but Wang Teng was a body refiner. The cultivation technique he practiced was a top-tier skill given to him by the Dragon Blood War Emperor, making his physical body incredibly robust.
Following this, Bai Nianchen also unleashed the Heaven Swallowing Bottle.
The artifact spirit, the young Daoist, stood unsteadily on the bottle's surface, hands on his hips with an air of arrogance!
Bai Nianchen slapped him directly, "Stop posing, no one's watching! Quickly go and swallow that Six Paths True Fire!"
The young Daoist stomped his foot in anger, "You damn old Daoist, I'll pull your life support when I grow up!"
But he still controlled the Heaven Swallowing Bottle and flew towards Wang Teng.
Wang Teng had bestowed upon himself buffs like the Imperial Artifact, Dragon Blood Unrivaled, Indestructible Golden Body, and Four Symbols Spirits, allowing him to barely fight Babali on equal footing.
At this moment, the swaying Heaven Swallowing Bottle hovered above Wang Teng's head, unleashing a terrifying devouring power that swallowed most of the Six Paths True Fire.
Suddenly, Wang Teng's pressure significantly decreased.
Babali sneered, "Immortal artifacts are immortal artifacts, don't mistake them for true immortals!"
Then, behind him, hideous fire demons materialized.
These fire demons possessed strength no weaker than a peak seventh-realm cultivator, and they all charged towards Wang Teng.
But just then, a massive bell descended from the sky.
The artifact spirit of the Chaos Bell was a dragon.
Just like Xiao Long's name, a golden giant dragon circled the Chaos Bell, its terrifying suppression directly subduing these fire demons.
Xiao Long gritted his teeth, the hand holding the bell trembling.
"Roar!"
He let out an angry roar, evolution power surging through him, and he transformed into a lightning dragon once more.
The swaying Chaos Bell was stabilized slightly by him.
"Brother Qingyun! It's up to you!"