Chapter 1232: Lighting the Blood-Colored Lamp

Chapter 1232: Igniting the Crimson Lamp

Zhou Zhengli’s words extinguished many a thought of reverse baiting.

Though Source Essence was precious, one’s own life was clearly far more valuable.

After all, the enemy possessed True Gods—and even Peak-tier Divine Thrones. If their side drew too much attention, they would inevitably become targets.

And at that moment…

Life and death would no longer be theirs to command.

Moreover, the road ahead was arduous; maintaining their former caution and concealment remained the wisest course.

Thus, Xu Qing and his companions vanished swiftly into the void of this cosmos.

...

Meanwhile, within the left flank of the cultivator frontlines, numerous divine squads akin to the one encountered by Xu Qing’s group had emerged.

Their methods of concealment had never been seen before—seemingly bolstered by external forces, rendering them nearly undetectable to cultivators at first glance.

Nor did they manifest in any ordinary fashion; their appearances defied swift detection.

The divine essence coursing through them was new.

Furthermore, these emerging deities were no common gods—they were all wielders of formidable divine authority, making their sudden assaults devastatingly effective.

As a result, the central region of the entire left flank descended into scattered chaos.

This, in turn, forced the cultivator armies stationed there to split apart, rushing to suppress and contain the outbreaks.

For a time, disorder rippled through the central sector of the left flank.

Amidst this turmoil, deep within one of the countless star systems of the Qianyuan Cosmos—situated in the heart of the left flank’s central zone—lay an unremarkable little star system.

Therein resided a seemingly ordinary celestial body.

It glowed a dull ochre hue.

Yet in the next instant, viewed from the void of space, the planet’s surface began to churn violently, gradually splitting open into a colossal fissure.

The rift widened ever more—until suddenly, it snapped wide open!

As if an eye had blinked awake!

Or rather, to be precise—it was never a planet at all. It was a divine eye disguised as a star, and now… it opened!

Within its golden iris stood an army of deities numbering no less than ten thousand!

Whether they had lain hidden here all along or arrived via some arcane method of translocation mattered little—for in this moment, they revealed themselves.

Every single one bore the rank of Upper Divine Flame Realm; Divine Thrones abounded among them, with numerous Peak-tier entities as well. And commanding this divine host…

Were three True Gods!

One resembled mist—its form indistinct—but the divine aura radiating from it warped the very fabric of space.

Another blazed with golden flames, exuding overwhelming sanctity like a celestial sovereign.

The third stood human-sized, clad in a black robe that shrouded its head entirely, emanating boundless mystery.

And the instant this divine legion descended upon the battlefield…

Cataclysm erupted across the entire warzone!

The clash between the Fourth and Fifth Star Rings was a contest of momentum—a vast ink-wash painting of black and white. Black currents flowed while white surged, each devouring and repelling the other.

Originally, from the highest vantage point, the central region of the left flank appeared suffused with luminous white qi of the Immortals.

But now, due to maneuvers enacted by the Divine Sovereign and the Immortal Sovereign—maneuvers incomprehensible to any below the Sovereign tier—the balance of momentum shifted abruptly.

In one sizable area previously veiled in divine black miasma, the darkness thinned instantly, its alien essence dissipating as pure white Immortal Qi erupted forth like a master placing a decisive stone on the board.

Conversely, within a zone once blanketed by white Immortal Qi, a section was abruptly purged of its purity—replaced instead by thick, spontaneously manifesting black vapor born of alien essence.

That location was precisely… the central region of the left flank!

This was the cataclysm!

Its immediate consequence was the sudden, overwhelming surge of alien essence throughout the central left flank. Countless cultivator legions were thrown into disarray; weaker cultivators were swiftly corrupted.

As black vapor surged and divine auras exploded outward, every Dao Banner Altar across all universes of the central left flank trembled violently.

Cracks echoed through the void—as if the altars teetered on collapse.

Should they fall, the cultivator faction would lose control over this entire region.

The left flank would be severed, and the frontlines isolated.

Thus, the cultivators rallied immediately, throwing all their strength into defending the altars and banners, buying time however they could.

Meanwhile, those divine squads that had ambushed supply convoys abandoned stealth altogether. Revealing themselves fully, they harnessed the ambient alien essence to unleash even greater divine might, whipping up storms of divine energy.

They howled toward the nearest Dao Banner Altars.

Moreover, across multiple universes, entities resembling that ochre-hued “planet” now blinked open one by one—each revealing hidden divine legions within.

War erupted in full force.

Whether these divine hosts had lain dormant long ago or exploited earlier chaos to divert attention and slip in unnoticed remained uncertain—but judging from the ambushes on supply teams, the latter seemed far more likely.

Regardless, their timing revealed one truth: this was a meticulously planned, proactive strike by the divine side!

Otherwise, they could never have appeared so swiftly and precisely the moment the balance between the Divine Sovereign and Immortal Sovereign shifted. Clearly, they held the initiative.

Their goal? To annihilate every Dao Banner Altar across all universes of the central left flank.

To transform this land into sacred soil for the gods!

...

At that very moment—when divine blossoms burst forth across the central left flank, revealing themselves one after another in total war—

In the core universe known as Yun Guan, teeming with cultivator legions arrayed in every direction,

Where each star system formed a grand army,

And every star served as a military encampment,

A killing intent hung thick in the air.

This was the nerve center of the left flank—the very command tent of the war effort!

All battle orders for the left flank issued from here.

At its heart, suspended in the starry void, floated a colossal Immortal Platform blazing with endless radiance. Upon it sat cross-legged a being of unfathomable magnitude.

He was the Supreme Commander of the Left Flank, the famed Ji Dao Immortal Lord of the Fifth Star Ring—

Foremost disciple of Zhan Lu Immortal Sovereign!

His cultivation stood at the peak of Lower Immortal Realm—

A master of slaughter, among the absolute strongest at his tier,

And one who had nearly perfected his Dao to grand completion.

At this moment, he opened his eyes slightly, his gaze brimming with murderous intent, and spoke softly.

“Bait taken.”

This was a vast, intricate scheme—divergent yet interwoven—crafted by both gods and cultivators alike.

Not only the supply convoy served as bait, but also those Dao banners, the cultivators guarding them, even the entire central sector of the Left Flank Battlefield…

And even he himself was part of the lure!

Their aim was to transform this central region of the Left Flank into a colossal vortex of flesh and blood—

A beacon in the night, drawing the divine armies in their greatest numbers,

All to conceal the true plan…

A mysterious cultivator, whose origins none could trace, would act as an assassin, approaching the battlefield from the direction of the Fourth Star Ring to slay the supreme commander of the divine right flank—a peak True God.

“It now hinges on whether your side isolates my sector and cuts me down first… or whether our mysterious assassin succeeds!”

Ji Dao narrowed his eyes, gazing into the distance.

“Just who is this mysterious cultivator… someone worthy of Master’s trust and cooperation, possessing the power to assassinate a peak True God? Such beings are exceedingly rare…”

…

In the central sector of the Left Flank Battlefield, alien essence surged violently, permeating every corner, growing ever denser.

The supply teams caught within it were thrown into chaos; their minds reeled, and over a hundred squads met gruesome fates.

“In my judgment,” one voice declared grimly, “at least seventy percent of them… are doomed.”

“The rest likely fled toward the nearest Dao banner—but they’ll soon face the divine onslaught regardless.”

Amidst the starry void, steeped in alien essence, Xu Qing’s squad stood tense and grave. Zhou Zhengli spoke lowly:

“So now we too must make a choice.”

“Do we seek the nearest Dao banner altar… or press onward?”

Zhou Zhengli turned his eyes to Xu Qing.

So did every other Ascendant present.

Xu Qing remained silent, scanning the surroundings.

Even he had been caught off guard by the sudden shift.

In an instant, the starry sky inverted.

Celestial Qi vanished; alien essence erupted in full force.

That sensation left Xu Qing momentarily disoriented.

Now, sensing the alien essence around him—

This environment was no stranger to him. The suffocating presence of alien essence felt all too familiar.

It was just like Wanggu Continent.

He understood clearly: even if cultivators, through sheer cultivation, could resist the alien essence for a time, prolonged exposure would inevitably erode them, subtly and insidiously.

Especially when their cultivation circulated and they needed to replenish themselves—

The ambient energy they drew in would be entirely tainted by alien essence.

And at that point, corruption would begin.

Precisely because he knew this, Xu Qing recognized that seeking refuge at a Dao banner site offered no real safety—if they failed there, life and death would slip beyond their control.

As for pressing onward…

Crossing the battlefield, escaping this zone, and entering the frontlines—that path, too, was shrouded in uncertainty.

They knew nothing of what lay ahead on the route, nor whether the frontline itself had already fallen under the alien veil.

“But it is precisely because it is unknown that hope remains—and to some degree, we retain control over our fate!”

“Whereas staying here, seeking a Dao banner, merging into its defenses… if we’re locked in place, everything becomes passive.”

After a long silence, resolve hardened in Xu Qing’s eyes.

His voice rang out:

“I choose to press onward—cross the battlefield and enter the Left Flank frontlines!”

“If any of you wish otherwise… I won’t stop you.”

With those words, Xu Qing shot forward without hesitation.

Li Mengtu and Zhou Zhengli followed instantly. Xie Lingzi and Yuan Shan Su hesitated briefly—until Xing Huanzi stepped forth, joining Xu Qing without a word.

Qian Jun Biyi gritted his teeth and followed as well.

Seeing this, Yuan Shan Su swiftly moved to join them.

Xie Lingzi sighed inwardly, then chose to follow too.

As for the other Ascendants, each made rapid calculations in their minds—and while most decided to continue onward, a few reached different conclusions and departed.

Thus, for the first time since enduring so much together, the group of eighty-some fractured.

Over fifty pressed forward.

Over thirty turned away.

No one could say which choice was right or wrong.