Chapter 1273 : Breaking the Formation

Upon hearing this, the expressions of all the immortals shifted subtly. Many revealed looks of hesitation.

Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Daoist Huoyang let out a cold sneer, "The great tribulation has erupted. We are all fated to face this calamity—how can there still be distinctions between clans?"

"Today we come bearing the tide of destiny. Should we eradicate all you immortals of the Returning Abyss Sea, every seated immortal present shall transcend a great tribulation, making future ascension to Earth Immortal realm not beyond possibility."

"Is that so." Lyra let out a cold laugh and immediately retorted, "From my perspective, those destined to attain the Dao are likely none other than your own Setting Sun Immortal Sect disciples."

"The rest are nothing but pawns in your game, mere cannon fodder to exhaust the strength of our Return-to-Void Sea Region."

At this point, Lyra gazed at the assembled immortals and said, "Honored ones, you must tread carefully. Do not become pawns in another's game, lest you unwittingly meet your tribulation."

"Hah, you vile enchantress, cease your glib tongue!"

Daoist Huoyang's expression shifted slightly. With a flick of his sleeve, he immediately unleashed his divine ability—the Huoyang Divine Thunder. Yet even such a Mahayana-level supernatural power failed to breach the Zhou Heavenly Star Formation.

Lyra soared into the air, initiating the Cosmic Star Formation to gather myriad beams of radiance. With an icy demeanor, she warned, "All present are enlightened cultivators. You must discern the truth in my words for yourselves." Having spoken, Lyra fell silent. The Cosmic Star Formation erupted in dazzling immortal light as an endless river of stellar sword Qi surged across heaven and earth.

Beneath this mighty river of sword qi, hundreds of millions of cultivators nurtured over countless years in the Crimson Sunset Blessed Land were utterly annihilated in the blink of an eye, while over 10 1000 treasured ships shattered into oblivion instantaneously.

It must be said that the Sunset Blessed Land truly lived up to its reputation as an Earth Immortal's sanctuary, its foundation and heritage far surpassing those of Suwei and the sea territories.

The number of immortals participating in this battle alone already surpassed those in the Suwei Sea by severalfold, with over a 100 combatants taking part.

This was still within the Scorching Sun Sea. Many immortal sects and clans, upon hearing that the target of the assault was the human-controlled Abyssal Return Sea, chose not to follow the Scorching Sun Blessed Land into battle. Had the full power of the Scorching Sun Sea been mobilized, they could likely have gathered over 2 100 immortals.

Even so, with over a 100 immortals gathered together, the combined power they amassed was still astonishingly formidable.

If not for the fact that many among these immortals were unwilling to stake their lives for the Setting Sun Sect and held sympathy for the Abyssal Sea, holding back during their attacks, this battle would have been far more arduous.

Of course, there were also those willing to gamble their lives, seeking to seize this opportunity to earn merits and obtain greater tribulation opportunities for their advancement.

Faced with such individuals, Lyra and her companions showed no mercy. They slew 7 experts at the late Ascension stage in succession, including 1 supreme immortal at the ninth level of Ascension. This single act of killing the chicken to warn the monkeys finally instilled fear among the assembled immortals.

After such fierce battles had raged for hundreds of years, the cannon fodder affiliated with the Crimson Sun Immortal Sect had been depleted by 70 or 80 percent, and the remaining immortals began to feign effort without truly committing.

"Ancestral Master, should we deploy that object..."

Seeing this, Daoist Huoyang returned to Old Ancestor Can Yang’s side and said.

The Setting Sun Patriarch, however, shook his head and spoke with an indifferent expression, "Let the disciples go up." "This..."

Elder Flameyang's expression shifted slightly. Sending his disciples to charge the Cosmic Star Formation was like trying to move heaven and earth with mortal strength—utterly incapable of breaking through it. The only purpose was to drain the formation's power.

These disciples were all members of the Setting Sun Blessed Realm, many of them descendants of their own lineage. Watching them march to their deaths weighed heavily on his heart.

Setting Sun Ancestor seemed to perceive his inner thoughts and gently shook his head. "The sect has nurtured these disciples for tens of thousands of years. Now it is time for them to give back."

“To die for our Setting Sun Immortal Sect is the greatest glory of their lives.” Hearing this, Elder Flame Yang knew the 2 Ancestors’ resolve was unshakable.

A flicker of regret stirred within him. Given his status, he was naturally privy to certain secrets.

Hidden within the Setting Sun Sect was a supreme treasure, capable of countering the Cosmic Star Formation Array—more effective than the combined efforts of several 100 immortals.

Unfortunately, that treasure was incomplete and, even after being repaired, still possessed a fatal flaw. The 2 Ancestors could not tolerate the slightest damage to it and were unwilling to bring it out until the very last moment.

At this thought,

He sighed inwardly, then rose to his feet and gazed upon the army of the Setting Sun Blessed Land before giving a slight wave of his hand.

The immortals of the Setting Sun Sect exchanged glances, their expressions shifting almost imperceptibly before they began to advance in unison.

In an instant, the 70-6 Immortals of the Setting Sun joined forces, while millions of treasure ships carrying tens of millions of Dao Soldiers and hundreds of millions of Setting Sun disciples surged into the Abyssal Return Sea.

The great battle erupted then and there. Countless disciples of the Crimson Sunset Sanctuary swarmed in, their spirit talismans, numinous treasures, divine abilities, and secret arts bombarding the Cosmic Star Formation without cease. Each assault relentlessly drained the formation's power.

Naturally, the Voidsea Abyss would not remain passive in the face of assault. In an instant, countless cultivators clashed against it across the defensive formations, while the Cosmic Star Formation summoned celestial flames from the highest heavens, incinerating untold millions of leagues of ocean.

Amidst such a brutal war, another 3 100 years slipped by in the blink of an eye.

With the augmentation of the Starry Cosmos Ancient Bell, the power, defensive capabilities, and ability to gather astral radiance of the Zhou Heavenly Star Formation had increased by no less than 50 percent.

These 50 percent marked a qualitative transformation. Even if a blessed land continuously assaulted the Cosmic Star Formation, it remained nearly impossible to breach its defenses. At most, it could only deplete the reserves of spirit stones and immortal sources stored within the Cosmic Star Formation.

As 10 sexagenary cycles passed and the Zhou Heaven Star Formation remained as steadfast as Mount Tai, Patriarch Setting Sun finally lost his patience.

He gazed at the Setting Sun Ancestor and gave a slight bow. "The Suwei Sea Region has besieged this place for 1 1000 years, and our Setting Sun Blessed Land has assaulted it for another 6 100. By this reckoning, the spiritual energy reserves of the Setting Sun Sea should be more than half depleted by now."

"At present, the Zhou Celestial Star Formation lacks sufficient spiritual energy, so its power must be greatly diminished. This is the perfect moment for us to break through the formation in 1 decisive strike."

The Elder of the Waning Sun gave a slight nod, knowing full well they could not afford to delay any longer.

Now that the power of the Crimson Sun Blessed Land had been reduced by nearly half, it was impossible to gather their strongest offensive force. If they continued to deplete their resources like this, even if they fought for tens of thousands of years, they likely still wouldn’t be able to breach the Zhou Heavenly Star Formation.

Though prolonging the engagement would gradually weaken the Cosmic Star Formation of the Abyssal Sea, calculations showed the Abyssal Daoist should have nearly finished refining his recent gains. He would likely emerge from seclusion within mere centuries, making further delay unwise.

Thinking of this, the Setting Sun Patriarch said, "In that case, let us summon It." "Hummm—"

As the words faded, a horn sounded from the distant boundless sea.

Everyone looked up and saw an ancient ship of immense desolation, its hull covered in scars from blades and axes, sailing forth from the distance.

It was an ancient ship, its entire body pitch-black. Standing between the heavens and the sea, it sailed in utter silence, yet it seemed as though it had cleaved through boundless chaos to arrive, exuding an aura of the most desolate and primordial antiquity.