Chapter 1533 - The Fatal Blow
His own people would bleed if the celestial orderians resorted to brute force, which was something the sun emperor was originally unwilling to do. But now there were fifty million casualties, proving that his original methods had been meaningless. By the coincidence of cause and effect, Li Wushuang was the reason he had lost. He hadn’t been defeated by the Ninedragon Army, but by the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect’s entire a.r.s.enal, including the Ninedragon Emperor and a hundred thousand Dragon Imperials.
His announcement was followed by an attack from the Divine Sun Palace. At that moment, Tianming could almost feel the end of the world. For an instant, he seemed to have lost his hearing; all he could see was the expansion of a dazzling sun above his head as it came cras.h.i.+ng down. Its power was extremely violent, yet there was nothing he could do except channel his strength into the formation spirit threads along with everyone else and resist the force of the Divine Sun Palace.
When he had started killing, the amalgamation of their divine will had triggered a dramatic surge in his own. If he had the time, he would definitely be able to break through to the next cultivation level and surpa.s.s Lingfeng. Unfortunately, this level of increase in strength was meaningless against a sovereign.
In terms of cultivation, he was a thousand years behind the sun emperor. The sun was the sun emperor’s territory; everything was under his control. Even the Sky Palace was intimidated by his power. If the number of rulers on a star was finite, Tianming wouldn’t have a way to rise if he continued staying in this place. What the dreamless celestial emperor had said was right. They were all suffocating. The sun emperor was like the master of this world.
At that moment, the attack from the Divine Sun Palace engulfed him as a beam of fiery light descended from the sky, an experience similar to what he felt when the Divine Moon Realm fell toward the Flameyellow Continent. The tremendous force was devastating.
"Hold on!"
"If you don"t want to die, hold on!"
The muddled voices had long been drowned out by the terrifying power of the Divine Sun Palace. They were struggling in a muted world, trying their best to survive by grasping at the only thing that would keep them alive: the formation spirit threads.
The turbulence had Tianming unsteadily swaying. Xian Xian’s branches were the only thing that secured them in place. After countless parts of Yin Chen had been destroyed, it hid back in Tianming’s lifebound s.p.a.ce. This was the first time Tianming was seriously doubting life.
"Only true G.o.ds of the cosmos possess power beyond the limits of the human body...."
He could discern the strength of the Saintdragon Emperor and other experts. Perhaps the sun emperor wasn’t stronger by a great degree, but his divine astrals.h.i.+p didn’t seem as if it had been created by human hands. Its fusion and astralguard formations were the crystallization of millions of years, while the sun emperor had lived for two thousand. He didn"t know how long the Aeonic Infinidragon Formation could even hold up.
Amidst the dazzling light, he saw the army of dragons formed by the Myriaddragon Mountains standing in the way of the Divine Sun Palace. The falling rocks destroyed many outer grade-seven formations.
"I"m alive?"
"We did it."
"Grade-eight divine formations are so powerful."
"It’s because we have numbers."
The elation of having survived quickly spread among the people, filling their hearts with hope. However, key members—such as the Saintdragon Emperor—knew how dangerous it was. If such an attack was repeated, the Aeonic Infinidragon Formation wouldn’t be able to hold up.
"Tianming!" the Saintdragon Emperor yelled as he handed him the dragonsprings. "See if you can summon the Imperial Ninedragon Tomb and escape Orderia with the dragonsprings. We’ll try our best to hold him back. When the dragonsprings leave Orderia, he won’t be able to enter the Primodragon Cave!" His gaze was solemn, his voice a little hoa.r.s.e, and his grip extraordinarily strong. He didn’t have to look up to know that the Divine Sun Palace was building up power for the next attack.
"We won’t be able to resist much longer?" Tianming asked with a frown.
"That’s to be expected. The Divine Sun Palace is his ultimate weapon. When you’re in complete control of the Imperial Ninedragon Tomb and possess a miniaturized nova source, perhaps you’ll have a chance to fight the celestial orderians. I’ll try to protect our foundation. We’ve slaughtered fifty million of them, so there’s no way they’ll take it lying down. However, we, too, have benefited...."
Hands trembling, Tianming placed the dragonsprings into his spatial ring. Those were their last hope! Although fifty million celestial orderians had been killed, the chaos of war would soon sweep across Orderia due to the sun emperor’s wrath. If the Myriad Solar Sects remained the same, the road ahead would be bleak. The Saintdragon Emperor wasn’t being pessimistic, all of their hopes had been dashed by a single attack.
"If I were to leave, the Myriad Solar Sects would be in dire straits," Tianming said, his voice hoa.r.s.e.
"The outcome would be the same even if you don"t leave. Go!" The Saintdragon Emperor grit his teeth.
Brilliant rays radiated from the Divine Sun Palace, signifying that the second wave of attacks was imminent.
"Take them with you!" The Saintdragon Emperor was referring to Feiling, Lingfeng, Qingyu, and Xiaoxiao.
Tianming wasn’t one to hesitate. The Saintdragon Emperor and the rest wouldn"t allow the sun emperor into the Primodragon Cave even if it meant sacrificing their lives. This was the last thing they would fight for. As long as the dragonsprings remained on Orderia, they would eventually fall into the hands of the sun emperor. After all, he was also in possession of a dragonspring, so sealing the other nine in the Primodragon Cave was pointless. The dragonsprings were also required to control the formation. The former Dragon Imperials and the Imperial Ninedragon Tomb were both unforeseen circ.u.mstances; only with such unexpected things would they stand a chance of defeating him.
In the face of this deadly threat, Tianming chose to nod his head, his heart filled with reluctance as he prepared to call up the Imperial Ninedragon Tomb. There was an important question left unanswered—was his G.o.dfather, Li Wudi, really in the Divine Sun Palace? For the sake of the Primodragon Cave and Qingyu’s freedom, Tianming was being forced to leave. It was for the big picture. Taking a deep breath, he beat the wardrum formation and summoned the Imperial Ninedragon Tomb. In that instant, the earth in the Voidsky Realm rumbled.
At that moment, a change occurred on the battlefield, one that shocked Tianming. The power the Divine Sun Palace had gathered with great difficulty suddenly dissipated, easing the pressure on all of them. Everyone suspiciously looked up. Those with good eyesight looked through the clouds and fog, only to catch the gold-haired sun emperor’s deep frown turning into an expression of fury. He turned and looked at the gates of the Divine Sun Palace as a tall, st.u.r.dy, red-haired man walked out of them like a zombie.