Proving Immortality Starting with Hextech Runes

At Lin Miaoyin's command, dozens of Huanyin Sect disciples quickly dispersed and took up specific positions.

They held different musical instruments—jade flutes, zithers, pipa, and chimes—yet at this moment they played a harmonious and unified melody.

The sound waves intertwined in the air, transforming into a pale blue, semi-transparent light curtain that slowly advanced towards the inner city wall.

Wherever the light barrier passed, the blood-fiend spells cast by the Blood Sea Sect disciples melted away as quickly as ice and snow meeting the sun.

The sea beasts whose minds had been corrupted by the bloodlust regained a sliver of clarity in their scarlet eyes after the sound waves swept over them, and their attacks slowed down.

"The Heavenly Sound Purification Array... one of the sect's most powerful arrays!" an experienced old cultivator exclaimed excitedly.

"This formation is specifically designed to counteract evil spirits and defilement, purify bloodlust, and soothe raging beasts!"

Xue Fen, who was engaged in fierce combat with Ling Yu, frowned and shouted sharply, "Xue Jiu! Lead your men and break that sonic array!"

The heavily injured Granny Blood Dove glanced at Su Qingxian with resentment and swallowed a Blood Pill.

The flesh at the severed arm writhed, and a new dark red arm was temporarily condensed from the blood and evil energy.

Although her skull staff was destroyed, she pulled out a palm-sized blood-red soul banner from her bosom.

"All souls heed my command, devour the sound and break the formation!" Granny Blood Dove bit her tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood essence onto the soul banner.

The soul banner grew longer in the wind, instantly transforming into a size of three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

Thick black smoke billowed from the banner, within which countless twisted, vengeful spirits howled and struggled.

They have an instinctive aversion to pure sound waves, rushing towards the light screen of the Heavenly Sound Purification Array like moths to a flame.

"Hiss hiss hiss..."

The vengeful spirits collided with the sonic light barrier and were instantly purified, turning into wisps of smoke and dissipating.

But the vengeful spirits within the soul banner seemed endless, one after another.

Even more terrifying is that each time a vengeful spirit is purified, it bursts forth with a cloud of filthy, bloody, and malevolent energy, corroding the purity of the sound wave barrier.

The light curtain's advance slowed significantly, and its colors began to dim.

"Master, the Blood Dove's Myriad Soul Banner is too tainted; the array cannot purify it!"

Lin Miaoyin said urgently, turning the tone of her jade flute into a high pitch in an attempt to enhance the power of the formation.

Su Qingxian remained expressionless, her ten fingers brushing across the strings, and the music suddenly became ethereal and otherworldly, like celestial music from the heavens.

"Purify the mind and spread kindness, cleanse evil spirits."

The sound of the zither transformed into countless tiny blue light spots, sprinkling onto the sound wave light screen like spring rain.

The light curtain suddenly shone brightly with a blue light, and the area contaminated by the vengeful spirits quickly returned to its pure state.

Moreover, when those cyan light spots landed on the city-guarding cultivators, they were invigorated, and their spiritual energy recovered at a rate 30% faster.

"It's Sect Master Su's 'Pure Heart and Universal Benevolence Mantra'!" a cultivator exclaimed in delight.

"This music can purify evil and restore spiritual power; it is a closely guarded secret of the Illusionary Sound Sect!"

The battlefield situation eased somewhat due to the arrival of the Illusory Sound Gate.

However, the Blood Sea Cult's three bone ships had already completed their formation assembly.

On the largest bone ship in the center, Xue Fen, while locked in combat with Ling Yu, issued a stern order:

"Bloodthirsty Sky-Splitting Cannon, prepare!"

"Oh no!" Ling Yu's pupils shrank suddenly.

The Blood Fiend Sky-Splitting Cannon is a war weapon crafted by the Blood Sea Cult at the cost of countless resources.

Using the essence and blood of Nascent Soul cultivators as a guide, and condensing the bloodthirsty energy of the battlefield, a single strike is enough to shatter the full defense of an early Nascent Soul cultivator.

If it hits the core of the inner city's array, the city's protective array will completely collapse!

Ling Yu's swordplay suddenly turned frenzied as he tried to break free from Xue Fen and Xue Zun's entanglement to stop the Bone Boat.

But would Blood Burn and Blood Sovereign let him have his way?

The two men grinned and intensified their attack, with a sea of ​​blood-red fire and ghostly claws following closely behind, holding Ling Yu back tightly.

"It's too late..." Ling Yu felt a chill in her heart.

At this critical moment, an aged voice soared from the depths of the inner city:

"The Blood Fiend Path, how dare you invade my Meteor City!"

Before the words were finished, a streak of azure sword light tore through the sky, freezing and shattering the bloodthirsty aura wherever it passed.

The sword light pointed directly at the bone ship that was condensing the Blood Fiend Sky-Splitting Cannon.

"Mysterious Ice Sword Qi... It's Elder Gu from the Mysterious Water Palace!" a cultivator exclaimed excitedly.

An old man in a gray robe arrived, his hair and beard were all white, but his eyes were incredibly sharp.

The longsword in his hand, its entire body a deep blue, hummed and vibrated, the chill emanating from its blade causing the surrounding air to condense into tiny ice crystals.

Although Elder Gu's cultivation level was only at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage, he had been practicing ice-type swordsmanship for hundreds of years, and the power of his sword was enough to freeze rivers.

Xue Fen's expression changed slightly, and he shouted sharply, "Xue Jiu, stop him!"

Granny Blood Dove let out a strange laugh, and the blood-red soul banner danced.

Countless vengeful spirits coalesced into a ten-zhang-tall bloodthirsty giant, facing the mysterious icy sword energy.

The two collided with a deafening roar, freezing half of the blood giant's body before it exploded.

However, the sword energy was deflected by three points, grazing the edge of the bone boat.

Several Core Formation demon cultivators on the side of the boat were frozen into ice sculptures and thrown into the sea.

"What a pity..." Elder Gu sighed softly, but his figure did not stop.

The sword light rose again, transforming into a rain of icy sword fragments that enveloped the three bone ships, attempting to disrupt the charging power of the Sky-Breaking Cannon.

A flicker of anxiety flashed in Xue Fen's eyes as he transmitted his voice to Xue Zun: "Quickly finish this! The Sky-Splitting Cannon still needs ten breaths!"

Blood Lord grinned and agreed, his Blood Fiend True Body expanding once more.

A flicker of anxiety flashed in Xue Fen's eyes as he transmitted his voice to Xue Zun: "Quickly finish this! The Sky-Splitting Cannon still needs ten breaths!"

Blood Lord grinned and agreed, his Blood Fiend True Body expanding once more.

Its claws blazed with crimson light, and it even sacrificed its own life force to unleash the forbidden blood sea technique, "Blood Prison Imprisoning Heaven."

Countless crimson chains emerged from the void, wrapping around Ling Yu's body.

The filthy runes attached to the chains were frantically eroding his protective aura.

Ling Yu's sword momentum faltered, and he suddenly felt his spiritual energy flow become sluggish. He had no choice but to switch from offense to defense, and his golden and blue sword energy transformed into layers of water curtains to resist with difficulty.

Seeing this from afar, Su Qingxian's playing suddenly became more urgent, her ten fingers leaving afterimages on the Jiaowei zither.

"Fellow practitioners, join me in playing the 'Breaking the Formation' melody!"

Lin Miaoyin and other elders of the Huanyin Sect responded in unison, their voices mingling with the sounds of flutes, bells, and the tearing of silk from pipa.

It transformed into a giant, visible cyan sonic blade, slashing through the air towards Granny Blood Dove's Ten Thousand Soul Banner.

Granny Blood Dove roared repeatedly, hastily urging the Soul Banner to defend herself.

However, it was slashed by the sound blade, causing blood to splatter everywhere, and a small crack appeared on the soul banner.

On the other side of the battlefield, Chen Xu, despite his injuries, leaned on his spear and gazed at the three bone boats in the distance.

Although he was only at the Core Formation stage and insignificant in such a chaotic battle of Nascent Soul cultivators, his divine sense swept across the battlefield and keenly detected a trace of abnormality.

The array cores of the three bone boats were not evenly distributed, but were concentrated in a hideous blood-red skull statue at the bow of each boat.

The statue's eye sockets flickered with eerie green soul fire, clearly fueled by the life force of the Sky-Splitting Cannon.

If all three statues can be destroyed at the same time, the shelling may be temporarily halted.

However, the bone boat was protected by dozens of Core Formation demon cultivators and shrouded in a layer of viscous blood mist, making it difficult for ordinary attacks to penetrate.

Chen Xu's mind raced, and his gaze suddenly fell on a certain spot on the inner city wall.

That was one of the backup energy nodes for the Meteor City's defensive array.

Because the previous damage has not been fully repaired, there are still residual spiritual energy fluctuations.

"Perhaps it's worth a try..." Chen Xu gritted his teeth and took out the three remaining "Mysterious Yin Thunder Pearls" from his storage bag.

This item is a secret treasure he crafted with his icy spiritual power, and its power is comparable to a full-force attack from a late-stage Core Formation cultivator.

However, it requires precise guidance with one's divine sense, and detonation is extremely mentally taxing.

Given his current state, forcibly urging him to activate it would only make matters worse, but he has no time to worry about that now.

He took a deep breath and poured the last of his spiritual power into the Thunder Pearl. At the same time, his divine sense spread out like threads, quietly wrapping around the spiritual power of the array at the node of the city wall.

Within moments, the surface of the three thunder orbs glowed with a cold, blue light, faintly resonating with the distant nodes.

"Go!" Chen Xu shouted, and the Thunder Pearl left his hand, but instead of shooting towards the bone boat, it fell in a triangular shape towards the edge of the blood mist surrounding the bone boat.

Just as the lightning orb was about to touch the blood mist, Chen Xu's divine sense suddenly drew upon the remaining spiritual power of the city wall node.

hum...

A barely perceptible ripple of the array spread out, and the three thunder pearls, stimulated by this, suddenly exploded.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The icy cold energy mixed with the spiritual power of the formation, tearing three temporary gaps in the surface of the blood mist.

Although the gap was small, it precisely revealed the location of the three blood-red skull statues.

"Now!" Chen Xu shouted hoarsely, his gaze sweeping rapidly toward Elder Gu and Su Qingxian.

Elder Gu was locked in combat with Blood Dove when he saw this, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes. He immediately understood.

His swordplay suddenly changed; he abandoned the blood dove and his azure longsword drew a circle in the air.

A condensed, ice-blue sword beam shot towards the nearest skull statue like a meteor streaking across the moon!

Almost simultaneously, Su Qingxian's zither playing changed again, her five fingers plucking and strumming the strings.

A sharp sonic wave, arriving first, struck the second statue.

In front of the third statue, Ling Yu, though trapped by the Blood Prison Imprisonment, gritted her teeth and activated her natal sword energy.

A thin, hair-like golden-blue blade of energy shot out from the battle, heading straight for the final target.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

By the time Blood Burn and Blood Sovereign realized something was wrong, three attacks had already reached the statue!

"How dare you!" Bloodfire roared, its blood fire transforming into a giant palm to intercept, but it only managed to disperse the aftershocks of Ling Yu's sword energy.

Snap! Snap! Plop!

The first two skull statues shattered instantly, and their soul flames went out.

Although the third statue was not directly destroyed, its eye socket was pierced by the blade energy, causing its soul fire to flicker violently and disrupting the charging of the Sky-Splitting Cannon.

Blood-red light flashed wildly on the bone boat, and the energy of the Sky-Splitting Cannon went out of control due to the backlash from the damaged statue, emitting a piercing shriek.

"Not good! Retreat quickly!" The demonic cultivators on the boat scattered in panic.

However, it was too late.

Rumble!!!

A series of muffled explosions simultaneously emanated from inside the three bone boats.

Crimson energy erupted from the cannon muzzle like a volcanic eruption, blasting the ship to pieces.

The wreckage, mixed with the screams of the demonic cultivators, fell into the sea. The Blood Fiend Sky-Splitting Cannon self-destructed before it could even fire, taking hundreds of Blood Sea Sect elites with it with them to their deaths in the sea of ​​fire.

"Ah!!!" Bloodburn's eyes were bloodshot, and his body was enraged and boiling with blood and fire.

"I will have you all buried with me!"

He ignored Ling Yu and turned to pounce on Chen Xu, who was already exhausted and falling.

A furious strike from a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator is enough to turn a ten-mile stretch of land into scorched earth.

Su Qingxian and Elder Gu also made their moves at the same time, their zither music transforming into a giant cyan net and their sword energy condensing into an ice wall, both blocking Xue Fen.

However, the blood-burning speed was too fast, and the crimson sea of ​​fire had already spread to ten feet above Chen Xu's head.

The scorching, fishy wind made Chen Xu almost suffocate. He struggled to raise his gun, but couldn't even muster a trace of spiritual power.

Just then, "Buzz..."

A long, resonant bell suddenly rang out between heaven and earth.

The bell tolled not from either side of the battlefield, but from the deepest part of the inner city of Meteor City, in the forbidden area of ​​the Xuan Shui Palace.

As the bell tolled, the boiling blood and fire seemed to be doused with invisible water, and suddenly ceased.

The blood-red aura receded like the tide, revealing a hazy gray sky.

A gentle yet boundless will descended quietly with the tolling of the bell.

The will did not directly attack, but it caused Xue Fen, Xue Zun, and Xue Jiu to tremble violently, as if struck by lightning.

The demonic energy within his body unexpectedly backfired and reversed.

Xue Fen spat out a mouthful of black blood, looking up in horror: "This is... the will of a Nascent Soul cultivator?! Old Monster Li Ming has successfully broken through?!"

The bells rang again, spreading like ripples.

The three men, Xue Fen and his companions, turned pale and dared not linger any longer. They transformed into three streaks of blood-red rainbows and fled hastily overseas.

The remaining Blood Sea Cult disciples and sea beasts scattered like the receding tide.

The battlefield fell silent.

Ling Yu let out a long sigh, sheathed her sword, and stood facing the direction of the forbidden area, her eyes filled with sincere awe.

Su Qingxian landed gracefully, the music gradually stopped, her gaze swept over the devastation on the ground, and she sighed softly.

Chen Xu braced himself on the ground with his gun, coughing violently, blood spilling from the corner of his lips, and his vision blurred.

When the last lingering sound of the bell brushed against his body, most of the bloodthirsty energy that had invaded his meridians was cleansed. Although his injuries were severe, he was no longer in danger of losing his life.

"We won...we held on..." On the city wall, the survivors were stunned for a moment, then burst into cries and cheers of relief.

Ling Yu arrived through the air, first bowing towards the forbidden area, then looking at Chen Xu with a complex expression:

"Young friend, your skill in drawing the formation and breaking the image just now was truly remarkable. You deserve credit for this battle."

Chen Xu reluctantly cupped his hands in greeting: "Elder, you flatter me. I was just lucky."

Su Qingxian also approached and handed over a fragrant pill: "Take this, it will stabilize your injuries."

At this moment, Elder Gu sheathed his sword and returned, his brows furrowed as he gazed in the direction the Blood Sea Sect had fled: "The Blood Sea Sect's all-out attack this time is definitely not just for the purpose of attacking the city."

"If that Sky-Splitting Cannon truly breaks through the great formation, their next target will probably be..."

"The forbidden area of ​​Xuan Shui Palace," Ling Yu replied in a deep voice, a cold glint in his eyes.

"Their real intention is to test the Palace Master's condition, and even to disrupt the Palace Master's seclusion."

Everyone fell silent. Although they had repelled a powerful enemy today, the Blood Sea Sect had not suffered any fundamental damage.

Xuan Shui Palace's greatest asset, Palace Master Li Ming, has been in seclusion for nearly three hundred years.

Although the bell tolling earlier deterred the demons, the palace master did not appear, which is enough to show that the palace master is still in a critical period and cannot easily leave seclusion.

"The Meteor Sea is probably going to be in chaos," Su Qingxian said softly.

The setting sun, like blood, reflected the shattered city and the corpses floating on the sea.

The joy of victory was quickly overshadowed by the gloom of the future.

Chen Xu swallowed the pill, sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing, but felt no relief whatsoever.

He knew that this catastrophe might only be the beginning.

The Blood Sea Sect mobilized a large force this time, with three Nascent Soul cultivators appearing together, and even bringing out war weapons such as the "Blood Fiend Sky-Splitting Cannon".

Their goal is far more than simply conquering Meteor City and plundering resources.

The conversation between Elder Lingyu and Elder Gu confirmed his worst suspicions.

With his meager Core Formation cultivation, what could he possibly do in the coming chaos?