Chapter 87 - Armoured Hell Behemoth King
The Seven-Star Beast Binding Array boomed as its silver chains tightened around the Armoured Hell Behemoth King. Seven columns of light connected the six combat elders and Second Elder Mu Bairong into a rotating cage. The giant beast thrashed, its purple eyes locked on the central command pavilion. Its overlapping plates of dark crystalline armor ground against the spiritual links, and its enormous wings unleashed violent tempests. Where the silver light struck the beast’s hide, golden sparks rained down, but they barely left any marks on the crystalline plates.
The six Golden Core elders pulled at their chains, high in the air. They clenched their weapons, sweat freezing on their brows as the spiritual feedback of the Demon King pierce through the formation and surged back at them. In the middle, Mu Bairong’s gray robes whipped in the wind, his face pale as he poured his late-stage Nascent Soul Qi into the eye of the formation, keeping the lock steady. The battle raged below them in a cloud of dust. Senior disciples, led by Golden Core and Core Formation elders, fought desperately, their heavy swords shining with bright flashes of Qi to cleave the charging beasts.
The Behemoth King struggled around for a moment, then stopped.
A suffocating silence descended upon the pass, extinguishing the screams of the beasts and the clash of steel. The thick purple fog surrounding the Demon King did not disperse; instead, it was rapidly sucked back into the beast’s chest. The air rushed inward, creating a sudden vacuum. Xiao Ran stumbled back, gasping as the pressure dropped. Nearby, Bai Yu’s shadow panther whimpered, its form shrinking, paralyzed by instinct. Under their boots, the heavy granite blocks began to vibrate at a high-pitched grinding frequency.
Then came the roar.
The sound did not travel through the air; it was a visible shockwave of violent, space-warping force. The sky was ripped open, the dark storm clouds instantly vaporized by the sheer pressure. The wave of sound spread in ragged lines of distorted space, bending the light around it.
The shockwave hit the array, and the seven silver columns shattered like glass. The spiritual backlash hit the six Golden Core elders with all its might. Their protective Qi barriers shattered, and they coughed blood as they were flung through the air, their cultivation suffering severe damage. The great stone defense towers on the battlements groaned and crumbled. The ground beneath rolled like liquid waves, wide fissures devouring hundreds of cowering beasts.
Second Elder Mu Bairong was flung back onto the command deck. He leaned heavily against the pavilion wall, his gray robes shredded and his chest bruised. Wiping blood from his face, he looked out at the ruins of the pass. The Behemoth King moved forward, its great claws cracking the stone floor as it charged the main gate of the fortress.
If this Behemoth King had been a standard, newly awakened entity in the Demon King stage as per the Sect Intelligence, the existing forces would have contained it easily. But this beast was a mutation. The Armoured Behemoth species was known for living peaceful lives, rarely evolving past the Demon Lord stage. Yet, this creature’s power already matched a seasoned, mid-grade Demon King that had existed for more than two thousand years. Its defense was almost impenetrable, and its roar carried the space-warping law of a Saint realm powerhouse.
As Mu Bairong’s spiritual sense reached the heart of the Demon King, he became aware of its corruption. This was no natural evolution, but a state of chaotic disorder and a cold, corrupt energy from the void.
Mu Bairong’s eyes widened. "Void energy..." he muttered as the barrier fractured under another blow from the roar. If the corrupting void energy had leaked nearby, it explained the beasts’ rapid evolution. The Sect Master and the Peak Masters had to be informed immediately.
Mu Bairong did not hesitate. He rose to his feet and pushed his Late Nascent Soul cultivation to the very limit. Using his powers, he took charge of the grand defensive array at the camp. A golden barrier made of runic light burst forth from the stone foundations and settled in place as the Behemoth King’s roar slammed into the shield.
The impact sent a violent shockwave through the pavilion. Mu Bairong’s body stiffened, his bones creaking. Veins bulged along his temples, and blood began to leak from his nose and ears under the crushing load. Even with his Nascent Soul cultivation, he was anchoring the shield single-handedly against a force that actively warped the surrounding spatial laws.
He turned, his voice cracking as he bellowed to the command tower. "The defense has collapsed! Send the emergency signal to the other camps! Retreat! All forces, fall back immediately and assume defensive position!"
Miles away, the flying carriage glided through the clouds toward the pass. Inside the cabin, the runic mirror hummed, broadcasting the frantic message.
The Spirit Beast Peak elders driving the carriage pulled the reins, trying to keep the vehicle steady as a distant, muffled roar vibrated through the sky, followed by a tremor that shook the canyons below.
Then, the residual shockwave hit them.
The temperature dropped, and a violet pressure appeared, causing the nearby air to tremble. The flying beasts pulling the carriage shrieked, their feathers shedding in clumps as the pressure hit them, halting their flight mid-air as they cowered in fear. Inside the cabin, the Jade Leopard shook, and the Frost Serpent Shuang trembled violently around Lin Yao’s wrist. The carriage’s protective wards groaned, the wooden frames creaking.
Su Ming stood up. He stepped out of the cabin, his hands forming complex seals. The rings around his infant Nascent Soul began to spin, the Yin, Yang, and Chaos rings rotating as quickly as possible to generate a massive protective dome covering both the carriage and the cowering beasts. The violet pressure crashed into the dome with a grinding noise; gritting his teeth, he held on.
Su Ming ordered, "Elder Han, coordinate with the other elders and protect the disciples nearby."
Elder Han Chen, at the Golden Core realm, felt the heavy, suffocating weight of the incoming pressure, but observing Su Ming’s actions, a surge of inspiration cleared his mind. Pushing past the weight, he channeled his Core Qi to stabilize the carriage’s inner runes and shield the disciples beneath Su Ming’s dome.
The flying beasts pulling the carriage remained frozen in the air, their eyes wide with fear as they hovered rigidly, unable to proceed.
Su Ming turned his gaze toward the distance; the sky was stained with a deep purple.