Chapter 861: This Is Actually...!!

...

At that moment, within the Magical Artifact Research Association of the Cultivator Alliance.

A divine-level demon, a threat capable of reaching such a terrifying echelon, had plunged nearly the entirety of Half-City, its surrounding locales, and indeed every single sect into a state of sheer panic.

This was by no means an adversary to be easily vanquished; for the ordinary cultivator, it heralded a cataclysm beyond all resistance.

"Its aura... it is still intensifying! It actually continues to grow stronger!"

"How far away is it now?!"

"We absolutely cannot allow it to approach the city!" inside the Magical Artifact Research Association of the Cultivator Alliance, Chief Artifact Artisan Duan Yue—the very cultivator who had led the refinement of the replicated Haotian Mirror—roared, "No... we must not let it draw within a hundred miles of the city!"

"Notify the chiefs of every sect to mobilize the Magneto-Atheric Wind and Thunder Dreadnoughts!" the Magneto-Atheric Wind and Thunder Dreadnoughts referred to war vessels equipped with replicated electromagnetic cannons designed specifically to unleash magneto-atheric lightning, which had once overturned the enemy's destruction-grade magoid cannon in a single salvo during the war against the Judgment Shrine.

And now, this manner of weaponry had undergone further refinements, distributed across the various cultivator sects.

"The Half-City Magneto-Atheric Wind and Thunder Dreadnoughts are currently being deployed, but the other sects still require some time!"

"How long?!" Duan Yue demanded.

"A few hours at the absolute earliest, three days at the latest."

"Could we not utilize the teleportation arrays..." Duan Yue spoke halfway before instantly smothering the foolish notion, for the sheer volume of the Magneto-Atheric Wind and Thunder Dreadnoughts was something current teleportation technology simply could not transport.

"This aura is still expanding; it is highly probable it will threaten Half-City and the neighboring regions within a single day!"

"There is no time!" Duan Yue grit his teeth and barked, "Go... go elsewhere to request reinforcements!"

...

At this very hour, Ning Bi was inside the Half-City establishment; it was a new day, and with the dungeon resetting three times a week, she naturally could not absent herself as the main support for the second team of the pioneering Anton raid.

Furthermore, she had a Sword Demon account and a Female Mage account that had yet to complete their runs.

Having just finished with one account, she removed the virtual visor and leaned back against her computer chair, indulging in a brief, indolent rest.

"Mistress... this is bad!" just then, a female manager from Ning Bi’s estate hurried to her side, whispering urgently into her ear, "My Lady, a demon has been discovered in the Underworld Sea. According to our monitors, it appears to be... divine-level! It is highly likely to threaten Half-City."

"What?!" Ning Bi’s countenance instantly darkened; a crisis of this magnitude was not something that could be easily resolved, and while an ordinary monster might be manageable, a demon from the Underworld Sea...

Everyone knew precisely how ferocious they could be.

"I might not be able to participate in the raid for the time being," Ning Bi posted grimly within the group chat.

"What is going on?!"

"I still have three accounts left to play!"

"I have seven!" Gabriel shouted aloud.

"Over on their side..." Gu Tingyun replied at that moment, "it seems trouble has arisen. A divine-level demon is closing in on Half-City."

"What?!" everyone was struck with shock; how could such a thing happen out of nowhere...

"How could a demon like that appear?!"

"Has its origin been ascertained?"

"Not yet," Ning Bi said.

In that instant, everyone felt the weight of a solemn atmosphere settling upon them.

"This old man intends to go and take a look," Gu Tingyun said. "What do the rest of you plan to do?"

"How could this old man absent himself from such a monumental affair," Nalan Hongwu added. "Let us go see exactly what manner of demon this is!"

...

Half-City.

Surging waves crashed violently against the towering cliffs of Half-City as a dozen or so magical vessels, resembling a fleet suspended in mid-air, slowly sailed forth.

The sea surrounding Half-City today possessed a rare clarity, with a few clouds drifting across the azure sky in peaceful serenity.

It bore absolutely no semblance of a precursor to an impending crisis.

The speed of these vessels was exceedingly swift; the dark blue waters before them gradually transitioned into a turbid, murky yellow, the sunlight filtering through the ripples where occasional patches of floating algae drifted past, presenting an illusion of tranquility.

Yet only the cultivators of Half-City who had resided here long knew that this sea was a perilous wasteland where almost no cultivator willingly set foot.

Right at that moment, they noticed something...

"These waters... they seem to be flowing...?"

The entirety of the sea appeared to darken inexplicably, a shadow enveloping the whole ocean floor until even the reflections of the war vessels became indistinguishable.

It was as though an incomprehensibly colossal entity was looming directly overhead.

Yet when they looked up, they saw nothing at all; though they knew in their hearts that the shadow emerged from the depths of the sea, this inexplicable, eerie sensation nonetheless made their skin crawl.

"Be careful! There is something beneath the waves!" even Nalan Hongwu revealed a grave expression.

...

At that very moment... at the bottom of the Underworld Sea.

Within that profound, bottomless darkness, a voice seemed to echo: "Finally... I have arrived!"

"Is this the aura of the Human Realm...?!"

"There are actually humans?" It seemed to perceive that a dozen or so magical vessels had unexpectedly surrounded it from all directions.

"Oh—?!"

"Let us ascend!" a voice rang out, sounding as though it emanated from the deepest depths of the nine netherworlds.

...

Instantly, the shadow beneath the sea grew deeper and heavier, and amidst a chorus of startled cries, it looked as though a colossal submerged mountain was revealing itself from the turbid yellow waters!

Following closely, this "colossal mountain" grew larger and vaster, gradually spreading across the entire sea region as if a monumental continent was slowly rising from the ocean depths, transforming sea into land!

Virtually everyone who witnessed such an appallingly massive monster gaped in horror, retreating in sheer panic.

Almost no one had ever beheld a demon so gargantuan and terrifying.

Its head reared up from the ocean waters, resembling the ascent of a colossal peak piercing the clouds!

"Roar—!" a world-shattering shriek tore through the air, nearly ripping human eardrums apart, and as that cavernous, pitch-black maw opened wide, the spiritual qi of the entire sea region’s heaven and earth was sucked inward like a whale drawing water.

It resembled an unimaginably vast black hole, intent on devouring everything existing between heaven and earth!

"Everyone, be careful!"

"Fire! Fire the cannons!"

Panic-stricken screams and barked commands converged into a chaotic din.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Beams of spiritual qi illumination ignited one after another, yet they inflicted virtually no damage upon that horrific monstrosity.

Right at that moment, the incomprehensibly massive beast ceased its absorption of spiritual qi.

A figure flew out from the maw of the colossal tortoise.

Beholding these humans who grossly overestimated their own strength, and looking upon those vessels that were as miniscule as pebbles upon the ground, the figure burst into a great laughter, as though mocking their utter futility.

Such a level of assault amounted to nothing more than a phantom tickle.

"Is this the caliber of a god-level fiendish beast...?!" Duan Yue’s countenance darkened as he swept a harried warning to those around him. "Brace yourselves!"

The abomination loomed as colossal as a drifting island, its obsidian spine bristling with a forest of grotesque, jagged barbs. It exuded an aura as vast and unfathomable as the deep ocean, a terrifying majesty that no mortal flesh could ever hope to oppose.

"This... this is?!" Led by Nalan Hongwu, the gathered warriors exchanged glances, only to find a mirrored, paralyzing shock frozen in each other's eyes. "Could this truly be—?!"

"Yes, it is exactly that." The expressions of Duan Yue and the various sect masters grew increasingly grim. "You must tread with absolute caution, this—"

"Jie-jie-jie-jie—! I am the Herald under the command of the Nine Abysses Fiend General. To pass through the mortal realm this day is your supreme honor. Are you worms prepared to offer yourselves as sacrifices?!"

.