"Haha... I've arrived! Yue Yu, you old hag, I'm still faster than you!" A boisterous laugh rang out, startling the entire allied force stationed outside Azure Cloud Star.
"Hmph! What's the use of being fast? The Heavenly Phoenix Physique isn't something you can monopolize, Hong Yun!" a cold, clear voice retorted.
Immediately after, more than ten figures materialized, descending outside Azure Cloud Star with terrifying speed. Every single one of them was a God Venerate—supreme, powerhouse experts!
"Is this Azure Cloud Star of the Blazing God Starfield?" one of them asked. He casually reached out, grabbed a nearby God Realm cultivator, and dragged him over for questioning.
"R-reporting to Senior! This is indeed Azure Cloud Star!" The cultivator trembled with fear, not daring to lift his head as he spoke.
"Oh? So it is. Then what are you all doing gathered here? Is the Heavenly Phoenix Physique truly on Azure Cloud Star?" God Venerate Yue Yu asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. He appeared to be only in his thirties, possessing an indescribable, breathtaking beauty that was truly stunning.
"Reporting to Senior! We are here to surround the Wu family and prevent them from escaping with the Heavenly Phoenix Physique while we await the arrival of esteemed seniors like yourself." The man was far from foolish; he knew that if he claimed they were here to besiege the Wu family to seize the physique themselves, these newcomers might wipe out the entire allied force before the battle even began.
"Oh? Then it seems we owe you our thanks," God Venerate Yue Yu said with a playful, coquettish smile.
"It... it is only right for us juniors to do so," the man stammered, shaking like a leaf. He truly did not dare to offend them; a single slap from any of these figures could end his life, and not even his clan's Ancestor would dare to speak up for him.
"Hmph, you may leave," Yue Yu dismissed him. Turning to the dozen or so God Venerates, he said, "Now, let us compete for it. May the most capable win!"
"Agreed! May the best man win." No one objected to the proposal.
At that moment, the God Lord experts from the Duan family, the Yuan family, the Chen family, and the Heavenly Cloud Sect gazed at the dozen or so God Venerates, their faces filled with awe and dread. World power! Though they had formed their own small worlds, their world power was still incredibly fragile, and they dared not unleash it under normal circumstances, as doing so was practically suicidal. Although they were powerful God Lords, they were still a vast distance away from the God Venerate realm, with no end to their journey in sight.
"Oh? A Half-step God Venerate? To think he actually allowed those fellows to surround him without fleeing," one of the God Venerates remarked in surprise. Under normal circumstances, a Half-step God Venerate would never allow a mere handful of God Lords to trap them.
"Haha! With the merger of the starfields and the Saint God Lord taking action, even we wouldn't dare to leave this starfield lightly. He is likely staying behind to protect his clan," another added.
Upon hearing the God Venerates' conversation, the members of the allied forces were struck with sheer terror. Wu Xingchen had actually stepped into the Half-step God Venerate realm—and he was barely over ten thousand years old! If he truly wished to leave, no one present could have stopped him. Yet, a wave of confusion washed over them: why hadn't he made a move against the allied forces? It was understandable that he couldn't leave the Blazing God Starfield, but why did he allow them to surround his family while he remained passive? It seemed there was a deeper, hidden secret at play.
"May I ask, seniors, why have you descended upon my Wu family?" At this moment, four second-generation members of the Wu family flew up from Qingyun Planet. And they were all Divine Lords! This startled the allied forces beyond measure. The Wu family must be destroyed, the allied forces secretly thought.
"Oh? Where is your family head? Why hasn't he come out to speak? You are not qualified yet!" a Divine Venerable said disdainfully.
"To answer you, senior, my father is unwell and cannot come out to greet you. We hope you will forgive us! I am here to apologize and atone for our offense." Wu Shenkong and the other three respectfully bowed their heads to the dozen or so Divine Venerables.
"Hmph! Enough chatter! Hand over the Heavenly Phoenix Body, and we will spare your Wu family from annihilation!" a Divine Venerable declared.
"Come on! We only came to take the Heavenly Phoenix Body this time; we won't make things difficult for your family," another Divine Venerable said, his ancient body showing that his lifespan was running out.
"Esteemed seniors, you come to my Wu family demanding to take a junior to their death! My Wu family cannot do this!" Wu Shenkong said firmly. This was not just about face, but also the core principle of the Wu family. Moreover, he did not believe these powerful Divine Venerables would not act against his Wu family. Once the Wu family had the chance, they would certainly not let this matter pass so easily.
"Haha, very straightforward! I, Hong Yun, cannot help but admire you! If I weren't forced, I wouldn't act. If the Heavenly Phoenix Body falls into my hands, I guarantee to spare their life," Divine Venerable Hong Yun said.
"Heh heh, Old Ghost Hong Yun, you don't need to shed crocodile tears here..." another Divine Venerable's scornful voice rang out.
"Hmph! If you refuse to be sensible, then die!" Immediately, a Divine Venerable made a move.
"Haha, you are only a few hundred thousand years older than me! Give me ten thousand years, and I will surely destroy you! Today, my Wu family is weak, but if by chance someone survives, they will surely execute everyone who participated in besieging and killing my Wu family today!" Wu Shenba said furiously. Like a madman, he blocked a Divine Venerable's attack, only to be struck down onto Qingyun Planet like a rocket.
"Even if my Wu family is no match for you, we must still fight to the death!" Wu Shenkong cried out sorrowfully. "All Wu family descendants, heed my command! Flee Qingyun Planet with all your might! If one day you grow strong, return and exact your revenge!" His words echoed across Qingyun Planet. Then, he ignited his minor world, using its world power, determined to die but also to heavily injure a Divine Venerable.
Almost simultaneously, all three Wu family Divine Lords ignited their minor worlds, determined to die to allow the family's seeds to escape. They had just received a message: the Wu family still had a monstrously talented genius, Wu Tianjun. He and Wu Tianyuan were much stronger than Wu Tianfeng in all aspects; they were the true hope of the Wu family. They just didn't know that at this moment, Wu Tianjun was undertaking an action that their father, Wu Xingchen, was desperately trying to keep contained.
At this moment, Wu Tianjun sat cross-legged, using his Heaven-Piercing Eyes to destroy a restriction. His face was pale, yet he persevered. He had used nearly a thousand drops of Tribulation Lightning Fluid, but it was still not enough to compensate for the consumption. Furthermore, his previous use of the Myriad-Use Heaven-Piercing Eyes to gaze at the starry sky had caused no small injury to his Primordial Soul and spirit.
*Boom!* The restriction shattered, and the array’s core revealed cracks. His primordial soul left his body to communicate with the figure beneath Demon God Mountain. He didn’t know that at this very moment, in the inner hall of the Wu family ancestral temple, the Wu family Old Ancestor spat out a mouthful of blood!
“Waaah!!! How can this be? How was the restriction destroyed? Does that one want to escape? Huh? And now they’re attacking… Divine Venerables… As expected.” Wu Xingchen muttered, then laughed. “Haha, I, Wu Xingchen, sacrificed my entire life to suppress the Demon, only for my clan to be annihilated by a joint effort in a single day! You all wait to be slaughtered! Heh heh! It’s good that it broke!” He wiped away the black blood that flew from the corner of his mouth.
Qingyun Star was in utter chaos. The mighty God-Venerables had made their move. The four, including Wu Shenkong, were all burning their world power, yet they were being suppressed and beaten by four God-Venerables, on the verge of death at any moment. The remaining God-Venerables attacked Qingyun Star, hoping to find the Heavenly Phoenix Physique. Wu Xingchen watched Wu Shenkong and the other three, his eyes splitting with rage. They were his sons!
“No! You vile, wicked villains, what has my Wu family ever done to deserve such cruelty from you! Ahhh… Stop it at once!” Wu Xingchen, driven mad, charged towards Wu Shenkong and the others, hoping to rescue them. Just then, a massive hand struck out at him.
“Hand over the Heavenly Phoenix Physique…” A God-Venerable attacked Wu Xingchen.
“Dream on!” Wu Xingchen angrily resisted. Although he wasn't a true God-Venerable yet, he was confident that his combat power was no less than a God-Venerable's at this moment.
“BOOM…” They had engaged in battle.
The vicinity of Demon God Mountain was now in chaos. The allied forces, following the God-Venerables' assault on Qingyun Star, had reached Demon God Mountain and were met with fierce resistance from the Wu family and its affiliated powers. Only now did they realize how terrifying the Wu family was: nearly thirty powerful God-Realm experts! In a single strike, they caught the allied forces off guard, annihilating an entire division of the allied army!
“Yun’er! Quickly take Lian’er and retreat. I’ll hold them back.” Wu Shishen swung his blade, carving a path, and spoke to those behind him. “Everyone, try your best to hold them off so the women and children can leave. Now is the only chance to get away!” They planned to escape amidst the chaos.
"Shishen, take the clansmen and leave quickly as well! Let us old fellows hold the rear!" Wu Zhuyun roared, casually swatting away and killing a large group of allied soldiers. The Wu family's numbers were pitifully small. If it were an ordinary family, after five thousand years of multiplying, they would likely have several thousand to ten thousand members. Yet at this moment, even including the women and children, they probably did not even number three hundred! Furthermore, in terms of age, a super expert of the Sixth Layer of the God Realm like him, who was over a thousand years old, might still be considered a youth!
"Haha, all of you go quickly! We have been in seclusion all these years, but now we must let those thieves know the consequences of offending our Wu family! You of the fourth generation, protect the women and children and retreat. You are the hope of our Wu family," another third-generation member said.
"Haha, where do you think you're running? This time, not a single member of your Wu family will escape! Everyone, block them quickly; I'll deal with Wu Zhuyun! The Heavenly Phoenix Physique is likely among that group of women and children!" a voice rang out. It was unexpectedly a super expert of the Sixth Layer of the God Realm, though it was unknown which faction he belonged to.
"Haha, Chen Wannian, you dare say you'll deal with me? Only Chen Wanxuan has that qualification," Wu Zhuyun sneered. Although they were both experts of the Sixth Layer of the God Realm, he was confident he could utterly suppress Chen Wannian.
"And me, Duan Qingsong..."