Chapter 864: A Single Battle Shocks Peerless Gods and Demons!

A dozen or so individuals, surrounded by a demonic horde that resembled a vast, black ocean, followed the surging masses of monsters and cast their gazes into the distance.

Five massive giants, armored in fiendish mail and hulking like monolithic mountains, stood towering amidst the legion of demons.

This was the lineage of the Giant Demon Gods; merely by reaching adulthood, they possessed the raw strength of an ordinary divine rank.

At their head was a vanguard demon general bearing a hideous dragon head, brandishing a pair of colossal halberds as he roared to the heavens, causing the very clouds to change color in an instant.

...

"What do they think they are doing!?" Within the internal space of the Sky-Swallowing Giant Tortoise, inside the command center, line after line of glances fell upon this scene. "A mere dozen people, what exactly do they think they can accomplish?"

The demon god seated upon the throne of bones grew cold of countenance, staring intently at these twenty-odd men who had inexplicably ventured deep into the enemy lines alone, and immediately ordered military commands to be passed down.

With a subtle cue of the eyes, one of the massive demons led a host of fiendish soldiers, fanning out as they tentatively charged toward the positions of the various human squads.

That was... the direction of the Second Squad, led by Zong Wu.

Zong Wu stood at the vanguard, with Zhang Hao, the Vice Principal of the Haotian Academy, stationed at his side.

Almost at the very instant that colossal demon charged forward, the moment the darkness wrought by ten thousand demons blotted out the sky and swallowed them whole, it was as if... an ancient divine statue, sealed away for countless years, had suddenly awakened.

His face wore an expression of serene tranquility, his mind clear as still water, as a piercing bolt of lightning erupted from Zong Wu's blade, tiny serpents of electricity coursing along the steel until the entire edge was illuminated by the lightning into the hue of white jade.

A trace of bone-chilling killing intent spread imperceptibly through the air.

His broad white robes rising with the battlefield smoke, Zhang Hao opened his arms slightly, and a massive yet invisible aura began to circulate about his person, energy transforming into golden radiance that swirled around him and slowly lifted his entire body into midair.

An aurora-like gleam, seemingly slicing through the underworld, suddenly ignited in his eyes, and an aura so vast it seemed utterly boundless devoured and absorbed the essence of heaven, earth, and all natural phenomena in a single fraction of a second.

Even the surrounding demonic beasts were drawn in, completely unable to control their own movements.

Simultaneously, Zong Wu stamped his left foot firmly upon the ground.

In the next breath, lightning rippled across the earth, shifting into an incredibly wondrous and divine formation of thunderous light.

Like a massive meat grinder, it dragged every single one of the swarming demon soldiers and generals into its vortex.

Ultimately, two massive, sinister arcs of sword-light fiercely blasted that colossal Giant Demon God backward, sending it crashing right before the feet of Nalan Hongwu and his companions.

Like a fuse touched by fire, it ignited him completely; Nalan Hongwu's entire aura instantly skyrocketed to a supreme zenith.

Just as another Giant Demon God was rushing to the fray, Nalan Hongwu's blade leaped from its scabbard, and at that very moment, the surrounding monsters, time, and space all seemed to freeze.

All that remained were countless divine swords, suspended in the empty air.

Nalan Hongwu stood like a god of blades, dominating this domain, and with a seemingly weightless strike, instantly pierced through the chest of the foremost demon soldier.

Directly after came a second strike, a third, a fourth... faster and faster, swifter and swifter. Gradually, the onlookers could see nothing but the sky and earth completely saturated by the silhouettes of swords.

After a long while, when the sword-light finally subsided, two Giant Demon Gods could be seen, their armor utterly ravaged as if hacked by countless sharp blades; there was not a single unmarred patch upon their entire bodies as they flew helplessly backward and tumbled into the dust.

Beholding such a sight, an inexplicable chill swept across the battlefield.

At this moment, as this squad of a dozen or so men took a step forward, these once-arrogant and terrifying demon gods actually... took a step back out of sheer instinct.

With disbelief in their eyes, they stared at the humans before them: "These humans... what is wrong with them!?"

"Move aside!" Right then, the dragon-faced vanguard demon general holding the dual halberds bellowed, and upon his shoulders, lumps of flesh began to writhe until five more dragon heads burst forth.

The six heads separated, transforming into six incomparably massive demonic dragons; in an instant, wind and thunder raged, the sky and earth changed color, and black dragons coiled and danced through the air.

...

The black demonic dragons seemed to carve pitch-black rifts across the heavens, moving so fast they were practically a blur, when suddenly, a dark light flashed.

Six colossal dragon heads, as if teleporting, struck simultaneously from six entirely different vectors and angles, their great maws agape, deep as black holes, appearing intent on devouring everything in existence.

Countless black lightning bolts of destruction rained down into the crowd; as the demonic thunder struck, even a few nearby demon soldiers who accidentally brushed against it were instantly turned to ash.

One did not even need to think to know what the consequences would be should a human be touched by it.

...

"After so many years, who would have thought these mortals... would have gained some skill," a demon general remarked within the internal space of the Sky-Swallowing Giant Tortoise. "The Nine Netherworld Demonic Dragon clan is not only boundlessly magical and immensely strong, but they are born with the power to control wind and thunder, traversing thousands of miles in a mere breath. I would like to see how these humans defend against this."

"Vice General Lu speaks the truth," another demon general added. "To have six dragons take flight at once requires a single primordial soul to control six bodies simultaneously. This vanguard under Vice General Lu's command possesses no small talent."

Yet there was a distinction here; if a person were to control six string puppets simultaneously, it might not be difficult, but to have a single person fly six fighter jets at the same time...

...

"Splitting into six...!" At the same time, atop the head of the Sky-Swallowing Giant Tortoise, the onlookers who witnessed this sight could not help but feel their hearts skip a beat.

These six demonic dragons were actually deploying completely distinct methods of attack, executing all manner of different spells.

Could this be the legendary... six-line micro-management?!

Right at that moment, a sword-beam as brilliant as an aurora ignited.

The flawless sword-light unfurled grandly, and countless divine blades flew out from behind Nalan Hongwu of their own accord, as if possessed of a spirit.

"That is..."

"The Ultimate Divine Sword Technique!?"

Everyone around them cried out in shock.

"Trying to play micro with this old man!? You must be living in a dream!"

In an instant, the five divine swords behind him spread out like wings, multiplying into countless divine blades as ten thousand streaks of sword-light took flight together.

Just before the enemy's spells and attacks could reach fruition, the light enveloped all six demonic dragons, and the movements of the six fiendish beasts instantly ground to a halt.

Outside the perimeter of the demonic dragons stood a ring of divine swords radiating iridescent light; within that luminescence, it felt as though they were placed inside a completely stagnant void, as if this piece of space had been entirely severed from the world—as if it were... the Domain of a God.

"Strike!"

The six demonic dragons, having only just appeared an instant ago, were completely immobilized by this incomprehensible aura of divine sword-light.

The demonic thunder dissipated, causing almost a fraction of a fraction of harm to no one around them.

In a flash between spark and flint, the strike had been incomparably precise, leaving nothing out, without letting even a single demonic dragon escape.

"This instant-hold micro...!?" The eyes of the surrounding crowd went completely wide.

"Incredible!"

"This old man can only restrain this vicious dragon for three seconds!"

"Sufficient!"

"Output! Maximum damage output!"

"This—!?" At this moment, even the demon generals who had originally been watching safely from within the Sky-Swallowing Giant Tortoise could no longer sit still, staring dumbfoundedly at the scene.

A grand commander of the demonic dragon race, blessed with innate divine strength and born to command wind and thunder, was actually... instantly immobilized by this sword-light, without even the capability to strike back!?

"This... what is this...!?"

"This is... a god-and-demon level combat technique! This is absolutely a high-level battle technique that only an existence equal to our clan could execute!" Even the demon gods from the Nine Netherworlds could not help but reveal looks of horror. "How could these mortals possibly know this!?"

Gods and demons were born of heaven and earth, naturally possessing immensely formidable power and understanding the ultimate principles of the universe, which allowed them to master such powerful combat skills—but these humans... how could they possibly do the same!?

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