Chapter 1302 : Victory Favors the Bold

The great army, having prepared for so long, had finally reached the day of departure.

On this day, beyond the Sea of Returning Ruins, a 1000 sails raced and a 100 vessels vied, as colossal ships spanning thousands of miles ceaselessly traversed the skies.

Eldrin stood atop the Celestial Ark of Waning Sun, quietly observing countless treasure vessels swarming like a school of carp crossing the river. Yet instead of the anticipated surge of heroic passion, an inexplicable sense of oppression weighed upon his heart.

Lyra noticed his strange expression and couldn't help but ask, "Husband, what's wrong?"

Eldrin fell into a brief contemplation before speaking after a long while, "Lately, while continuously deducing the patterns of Flowing Rivers and 100 Seas, I've inexplicably sensed an unfathomable peril lurking ahead."

"How could this be?"

Lyra (Person Name) furrowed her brow slightly and couldn't resist asking, "With our preparations, we should be more than capable of ambushing several Earth Immortal Elders. How could there be any danger?"

"This is precisely what struck me as amiss."

Eldrin nodded, his expression growing increasingly grave. "Could it be that there is something I overlooked in this battle?"

Thinking of this, Eldrin shook his head. He was absolutely certain that given the current state of 1000 Dragon Lake, it would be impossible for them to spare any significant force to deal with them.

Moreover, they had the element of surprise, striking first by design. In theory, this should have allowed them to catch 1000 Dragon Lake off guard.

"Unless..."

Eldrin suddenly murmured to himself, his expression abruptly shifting as a look of astonishment crossed his face. Noticing this, Lyra couldn't help but ask, "Husband, what have you thought of?"

Eldrin (Person Name) remained silent for a long while before finally saying, "Perhaps we have underestimated the master of the 1000 Dragon Lake."

"You mean

Lyra hesitated before speaking, her eyes trembling slightly as she said.

Eldrin nodded calmly and said, "The Flowing Rivers and 100 Seas are now engulfed in relentless warfare, plunged into utter chaos. Even the 9 Heavens Immortals would struggle to glimpse a sliver of celestial providence."

"Yet there are always those visionary sages who can survey the world from great heights, taking in the grand currents of heaven and earth, comprehending every shift across the flowing rivers and 100 seas."

"For you and me, the only way to break this deadlock is to take the initiative. Only by continuously striking at the forces of the Yaozu and Tiansha Clan can we find even the slightest chance to shift the tides in the Liuchuan Baihai region."

"And as the master of 1000 Dragon Lake, having presided over this blessed land for tens of millions of years, he must be a man whose heart holds valleys and whose mind contains cosmos—how could he possibly fail to foresee this?"

Lyra's expression changed abruptly, and she couldn't help exclaiming, "If that's the case, then 1000 Dragon Lake must have long anticipated we would target the Sky Demon Sea?"

"Indeed, they might have begun laying the groundwork for this war as early as several 1000 years ago." "Hmm."

Eldrin nodded, his face etched with profound gravity.

Seeing this, Eldrin (Person Name) could no longer remain seated. She rose at once and declared, "If that is the case, then we must abandon this battle."

"No, this battle must continue."

Eldrin spoke, his voice resolute.

Hearing this, everyone turned their gazes toward him.

Eldrin rose to his full height, standing composed upon the treasure ship as he gazed upon the boundless expanse of heaven and earth. His eyes held an unruffled depth when he calmly declared, "This battle shall be our foundation and our breakthrough. Retreat is not an option."

"I never expected them to scheme against us, but I doubt the 1000 Dragon Lake anticipated we would dare to target You Tai'ao. Now the arrow is nocked and must be loosed."

At this point, Eldrin said with a frosty gaze, "We have no other choice. This might be our only chance to break the deadlock."

"As the saying goes, when 2 foes meet, the brave 1 prevails. So long as we give it our all, we are confident we can righteously crush 1000 Dragon Lake, and in doing so, thwart the demon hordes to truly become participants in the great tribulation."

Upon hearing this, all the immortals nodded slightly.

They knew all too well that with their current strength, they were at best mere pawns in the great tribulation—insignificant even within the vast expanse of the Flowing Rivers and 100 Seas, merely slightly larger cannon fodder.

Victory in this battle would allow Eldrin to ascend as a 9-Calamity Immortal—only by achieving this realm could he barely qualify to influence the tides of the great cataclysm.

To become a chess player like the Heavenly Fiend Patriarch, yet also evolve into a force of no insignificant strength.

At this thought, all the immortals inwardly nodded in agreement. Chen Qiyuan immediately declared, "If that is the case, let us settle the fate of the cosmos in 1 decisive battle."

The group regained their confidence, now having some expectation of the demonic forces' strength, and resolved to settle the outcome in a single decisive battle.

The million-strong treasure ship continued its journey across the skies, and before long, it had arrived within the Tianyao Sea Domain. In this very sea, a great war had been raging for thousands of years.

Outside the Kongming Ancient Temple, 2 Great Heavenly Demons from the Tianyao Sea had besieged it for years. Yet, the temple had been established for over 3,000,000 years, guarded by the Kongming Ancient Buddha—a Half-Step Earth Immortal.

Though the Skyfiend Clan possessed formidable power, even after besieging it for thousands of years, they still found it nearly impossible to breach.

Today, reinforcements arrived from the Abyssal Sea. The Sky Demon Sea finally sensed the impending danger and immediately abandoned their assault on the Empty Sanctum Monastery, withdrawing to the core archipelago of the Sky Demon Sea.

Eldrin had his forces surround the Celestial Demon Archipelago. As he gazed upon the demonic formation before him, a trace of solemn contemplation furrowed his brow.

Just then, the Heavenly Mechanism blossomed with boundless Buddhist radiance as an ancient Buddha came strolling through the skies. The moment he saw the approaching figure, Eldrin immediately bowed in reverence, saying, "I pay my respects to the Ancient Buddha."

"Greetings, esteemed patron."

The Venerable Void Illumination Buddha gave a slight bow, then gazed at the formation beyond the Heavenly Demon Archipelago and said, "This is the Heavenly Demon Immortal-Entombing Grand Formation, which draws power from over half the Heavenly Demon Sea. Even an early-stage Earth Immortal would find it nearly impossible to breach."

"If you intend to deal with him, you must still proceed with caution."

At this point, he added, "Fortunately, our Void Enlightenment Temple controls 30 percent of the earth veins beneath the Celestial Demon Sea. Otherwise, if the Celestial Demon Grand Array could harness the full power of the entire sea, its potency would undergo a qualitative transformation."

Eldrin nodded slightly and said, "This formation is indeed extraordinary, but it shouldn't be difficult for us to break through with our methods."

As the words fell, Eldrin wasted no time. With a flick of his sleeve, he summoned the Sunset Sky Ark into the air, charging straight toward the Heaven-Devouring Burial Immortal Grand Array.

The Heaven-Devouring Burial Immortal Array possessed remarkable power, yet it paled in comparison to the Cosmic Star Formation. Suppressed by the Setting Sun Divine Vessel and assaulted simultaneously by 1,000,000 ancient ships, its radiance dimmed considerably within moments.

"Damn it!"

Seeing the situation turning dire, the 2 Heavenly Demons above the Heavenly Demon Sea changed their expressions.

The Demon King, seeing the formation on the verge of collapse, immediately spoke up: "Brother, this formation likely cannot hold much longer. If we don’t flee now, it will be too late."

The Heavenly Demon Emperor's expression shifted slightly, yet he replied with unwavering composure, "Fear not. Hold but a moment longer, and I shall unveil the means to shatter this deadlock."

As his voice faded, a deafening roar echoed between heaven and earth. The power of the Setting Sun Celestial Ark proved truly extraordinary—it actually made the Great Celestial Demon Formation tremble on the verge of collapse.