Chapter 1476: Netherworld King’s Clone
“Uh?”
Mo Lingqiu and company halted. The group exchanged looks, at a loss at what was to be done. The Earth Emanations Sovereign was already in such a state; it was clear that he had already been significantly demonized. If the group did not go and save him, how much longer would he be able to withstand it? If he could not hold on any longer, the entire Earth Emanations Domain would be in a state of calamity.
“We will be demonized if we get too close?”
The group used their divine senses to scan the area, but there were no high-level, living creatures of the Netherworld Realm around. There was no Netherworld King either. There were only a couple of Netherworld Envoys, who themselves did not dare to get too close to the Earth Emanations Sovereign. It was almost as if they were afraid of the array.
“Could there be something wrong with this array?”
The group studied the array one by one as well. This array did not look too different from the ones that humans made. The only difference was that this array was continuously emitting Netherworld Aura. Everything else was exactly the same as the huge arrays that humans made.
“Ah—”
The Earth Emanations Sovereign kept crying out in pain as the Netherworld Aura inside the array kept seeping into his body. The black gas engulfing his body was thickening, and he was struggling more and more. The expression on his face was one of intense pain. His features were all twisted, and his eyes flickered between red and black. Even the teeth in his mouth were becoming longer by the second.
“I’ll go and try!”
As Mo Lingqiu looked at the Sovereign, he finally could not withstand it any longer. A long, green, battle saber appeared in his hands. He released a surge of heavenly powers and struck down towards the cold, metal chains harshly. As long as he could break those metal chains, the Earth Emanations Sovereign would not be restrained. That meant he would be able to leave this place, and Jiang Yi would be able to purify the Netherworld Aura inside him.
The other people decided to join the cause. One by one, they readied their attacks, intending to help. Mo Lingqiu was probably using his strongest attack. Cracks began to appear in the s.p.a.ce around them. Even the Heaven Camel Mountain could probably break into half at the rate he was going.
However—
The moment he landed—even before he could touch the cold, metal chains; the array flashed. Four more chains suddenly appeared, gripping Mo Lingqiu’s limbs at once. Mo Lingqiu did not even have time to react. All his limbs were caught. What’s more, his heavenly powers were in a mess from the moment the chains touched him. He lost his grip on his own battle saber and fell under the array with a crisp crack.
Tsk! Tsk!
The black gas emanated from the array, entering Mo Lingqiu’s body. Mo Lingqiu was struggling with all his might one second, and then completely still the next.
As expected!
Di Ming and company’s gazes turned cold. The Earth Emanations Sovereign was right. If they tried to rescue him, they would also be caught by the cold, metal chains and ultimately demonized.
“What should I do? What should I do?”
Qin Lianshan and company exchanged glances, all of them at a loss as to what to do next. If they could not go near the chains, they could not break them. Yet, if they went close to the chains, the chains would grip them too quickly. Even Mo Lingqiu could not escape the chains; they surely would not be able to as well.
“Attack the array!”
Jiutian Wu’s eyes lit up suddenly as he shouted in a low voice, “The root is the array itself. If we can destroy the array, the chains will break automatically.”
“That’s right!”
All of their eyes immediately lit up as well as they parted ways and tried to destroy the array from all directions. Di Ming led Jiang Yi towards the left, his long spear emitting bursts of energy towards the bottom.
Swis.h.!.+ Swis.h.!.+ Swis.h.!.+
One by one, their heavenly powers attacked. However, even before they could reach the array, black smoke suddenly emerged, engulfing the entire array. The groups’ attacks became significantly weaker after pa.s.sing through the black smoke.
After three rounds of attacks, all of them finally stopped. There was a very low sound coming from inside the array. It sounded like the chains were being knocked against a giant rock, but they were not breaking apart.
“Ah, Ah—”
The Earth Emanations Sovereign was struggling more and more now, and even Mo Lingqiu was beginning to cry out in pain. The group exchanged looks once again, completely helpless.
Could they back away now? Were they supposed to wait for the King-Ranked formidable martial artists to come and rescue them? The Earth Emanations Sovereign had already sent cries for help to the Green Eagle King and Phantom King ever since he got caught, but would those formidable martial artists make it in time? It would take quite a long time for them to teleport between the domains. From Earth Emanations City alone, it would take several hours for them to arrive.
Di Ming mumbled to himself for several seconds, and a look of determination suddenly appeared on his face. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Why don’t we act together? We can look out for one another and see if we can break those cold, metal chains. As long as we can get the Sovereign out of trouble—even if some of us get trapped, we will be alright. After Jiang Yi purifies the Sovereign, they will be able to find a way to rescue us.”
“Uh—”
Jiutian Wu and company looked at one another, all of them hesitant. What if all of them were destroyed upon being caught by the array?
One would rather see a friend die than die themselves. Even if the Earth Emanations Sovereign gets demonized, the Phantom King and the others would be able to join forces and rescue him once they arrived. Although a new chief brings in new aids, and all the family clans will be affected once the Earth Emanations Domain changes its Sovereign, it would still be better than dying, right?
A formidable martial artist from the Mo Clan looked around at the group and saw that many of them were hesitant. In a cold tone, he said, “Everyone, has the Sovereign not been kind to all of you? The Runaway King and the Blood-Thirsty King have always had their sights on the Earth Emanations Domain. The moment the Earth Emanations Sovereign falls, Earth Emanations Domain will be taken over by one of those kings for sure. Think about their characters, and decide what is best for us all.”
“En?”
Jiutian Wu and company’s expressions changed. These two kings were infamous throughout the Earth Domain. They had always been hostile towards the ten great domains as well. Jiutian Wu was from Battle G.o.d Pavilion, but if either one of those kings really took over Earth Emanations Domain, he would not benefit at all. At the very least… the He Clan would not be allowed to continue their Black Market Castle. The Earth Emanations Sovereign was known for being a good man. He had always been generous and forgiving towards the great family clans. Would other sovereigns allow them to lead such good lives?
“Risk it!”
Jiutian Wu gritted his teeth and shouted. If the Earth Emanations Sovereign died, their clan’s interests would be greatly affected. If so many people attacked at the same time and watched out for one another, they would probably be able to get the Earth Emanations Sovereign out at top speed. Then, so what if they would be trapped? With Jiang Yi around, the Netherworld Aura could be purified. The Earth Emanations Sovereign would then be able to think of a way to save them all.
“Jiang Yi, stay here; do not move. If we manage to rescue the Sovereign, immediately purify the Netherworld Aura in his body. If we all get trapped, don’t bother about anything else. Go out and ask them to help you return to the city. Understand?”
Di Ming sent a voice transmission to Jiang Yi to leave these instructions. So much time had already pa.s.sed, but the Netherworld Envoys still dared not get close to them. This meant that it was probably safe for Jiang Yi to remain around the array. There were five skeletal giants above, which were going to be destroyed soon. Even if all of them got stuck, Jiang Yi would be able to go up to look for the remaining formidable martial artists. This was the reason why Di Ming did not feel too worried.
“Get ready!”
Di Ming shouted to the rest of the group. Everyone readied their weapons, which were glinting against the light of the array. Ten of them were all ready to attack. Jiang Yi’s entire body tensed up as he floated in the middle of the sea, not daring to move. His skills were too low-level. He had no place in a high-level battle such as this one.
Swish, swish, swish, swis.h.!.+
The ten figures burst towards the array at once. At that moment, the Earth Emanations Sovereign seemed to sober up slightly. When he saw the ten of them rus.h.i.+ng towards him, he shouted out in pain, “Fools! Get lost! My body has the Netherworld…”
Before he could finish speaking, his eyes turned red. He screamed in pain and writhed around again, causing the metal chains on his body to clank. At that moment, Jiang Yi felt extremely uncomfortable. From his gut, he screamed, “Move back!”
Di Ming and company felt that something was amiss too, but it was too late for them to retreat. From within the Earth Emanations Sovereign’s body came an extremely thick and intense Netherworld Aura, which engulfed the rest of the group in a second. Countless cold, metal chains emerged from the ground. There was an excited laugh. “Jek-jek. You want to escape after entering the Netherworld Divine Formation? I’ve paid such a huge cost to send a clone down to the Lower Domain. If you ants are still able to escape, my reputation would be destroyed…”
“Netherworld King!”
Jiang Yi’s entire body stiffened. At that moment, he finally understood why the Earth Emanations Sovereign asked all of them to escape at once, and why none of the Netherworld Envoys dared to come close to them. The worst outcome was before their very eyes. Indeed, the Netherworld King had sent a clone down to the Lower Domain. It had been hiding inside the Earth Emanations Sovereign’s body, but none of them noticed it.
“Flee!”
Jiang Yi did not hesitate at all. He activated the Power of Heaven and Earth to strengthen his body by a hundred times, allowing him to rush to the surface of the sea as fast as he could. Yet, he heard the Netherworld King’s mocking voice in his ear once again. “Little Ant, are you still trying to run? You belittle me!”