Chapter 761: The Battle That Shook the East (IV)
The one minute that Qu Shen promised He Zicheng passed by slowly. In the realm of Spirit Kings, each second was equivalent to an entire battle for mortals. In the short span of time of one second, Qu Shen was able to launch ten sword strikes while Sundew was able to completely heal her body from almost fatal wounds. Both sides were struggling but one more so than the other. One was continuously retreating, the other continuously pressing his advantage.
Qu Shen felt that victory was within his grasp. If he could cut down this oversized mantis one more time, just one more time, it would have to give up. Without spiritual energy to recover, the beast couldn't possibly risk its life to block his way. He would then have a clear path back to Beast God Province and could finally escape this trap. He just needed one more second. He was so close.
However, the spontaneous will and desire of man often go awry in the face of well-laid plans. Neither Qu Shen nor He Zicheng could have expected that they were already deeply mired in Chen Wentian's plan against them. They were doomed the moment they chose to linger and investigate Jasmine's blood trail. They didn't know it but they were a pair of fat fish caught in the net. It was just that the net had yet to be drawn in.
Chen Wentian observed the ongoing battle around him, the duel between Qu Shen and Sundew as well as the endless bombardment against He Zicheng. The timing was just right so he chose to spring the final trap. He sent a message through his soul realm which instantaneously crossed hundreds of kilometers.
Sundew was the first to sense the change. Multiple spiritual auras arose on the western horizon and rapidly approached her. She smiled in a way only a mantis could, opening her mandibles wide and revealing her sharp fangs.
Qu Shen sensed this also a split second later. He couldn't help but pause his attacks. There were so many immortal auras, he could hardly believe it.
Nine figures appeared in the western sky. Each one was a Spirit Lord. Arrayed in a horizontal line, they each displayed their spiritual might. There were mantises, toads, a gorilla, and even two humans. It was a mighty force that nobody could have imagined. Humans and beasts working together, it was like the sun rising from the west.
The blade mantis named Little Gray waved its sharp sword-like forelimbs. His sword intent was even more oppressive than human immortals who cultivated the sword. The towering green mantis named Green Giant had no special abilities except for its strength and size. It could lift a small mountain if it wanted to and destroy one with ease. The spiky yellow mantis' specialty was defense. Spike Head was a living shield and even weapons at the Spirit Lord Realm would have trouble penetrating his hard carapace. The last mantis named White Deng was much smaller in comparison, only a little taller than the two humans. Its body was clear like glass and almost transparent.
"The mantis lords... they are still alive?" Qu Shen muttered in disbelief.
The Glittering Forest had suffered such a heavy attack. Both he and He Zicheng had witnessed it. The core area around the ancient forest was utterly devastated, with countless insect armies destroyed. Yet these four were perfectly fine, what did that mean?There were also Huo Ping and Huo Yan from the Great Smoky Mountains and General Kong from Treasure Mountain. Why were these beasts working together? The three beast factions rarely saw eye to eye. The toads were somewhat expected but without the presence of the monkey king, there was no reason for the gorilla to be here.
As for the last two Spirit Lords, the two humans...
"Mei Qiaofeng! Tie Buqun!" He Zicheng shouted furiously, "Have you abandoned your humanity for the sake of revenge? How dare you conspire against Beast God Sanctum with these beasts!"
They were indeed Immortal Embracing Python Mei Qiaofeng and Immortal Dust Scorpion Tie Buqun. They had disappeared after the insect siege. Beast God Sanctum had been unable to find their trace afterward. Having teamed up with the notorious Immortal Sword Bandit Lin Huzhong to harm Beast God Sanctum, they were considered the very worst criminals of the subcontinent.
"He Zicheng!" Mei Qiaofeng shouted back, not backing down in the slightest, "You betrayed your sworn brother and destroyed his whole clan. Are you still human? How dare you question me?"
"You!" He Zicheng nearly threw up blood.
He glared at Mei Qiaofeng and then at Tie Buqun as if he wished his eyes could kill.
"Hahaha!" Tie Buqun's laugh was like thunder, "He Zicheng, I bet you could have never imagined that your punishment would come like this. But what of it? Jasmine has already promised us that she will resurrect the snake lord's faction. She will become the ruler of the east, of beasts and humans alike, and finally bring peace to this land after five hundred years of bloodshed."
"Ruler of the east? Nonsense! I am still here. Qu Shen is still here! I..."
He Zicheng still had more to say but he was cut off by a ray of moonlight that forced him to raise his shield.
"Enough." Jasmine's stern voice made the others quiet down, "There is no need to waste our breaths when we can talk with our fists. He Zicheng, Qu Shen, you both should have realized this by now. There is nowhere left to run. If you surrender, I can consider sparing your lives. As my adopted father's sworn brothers, I can show you this amount of courtesy."
"You..." He Zicheng's face turned red with anger.
He wanted to retort but was cut off once again, this time but Qu Shen's voice in his ear, "What do we do? If our four subordinates were here, we still might have a chance. But now, the situation is not good."
He Zicheng snorted, "Do you want to give up? No chance! Even if we have to fight to the death, I will not give these beasts an easy life. That swindler surnamed Chen, he won't have a good outcome either. All of them won't be able to live comfortably after today. What is a divine beast? Are they worth a fart in the eyes of powerful human immortals? They are just piles of cultivation resources waiting to be killed!"
"But..."
"Enough!" He Zicheng snapped at him, "Since things are already like this, there is no point thinking about it. We just have to keep fighting. It's just a few Spirit Lords, don't tell the great eagle lord of Beast God Sanctum is afraid of these upstarts?"
"Fine!" Qu Shen gritted his teeth and raised his massive weapon. "Brother He, this may be our last battle together. I wish you good fortune!"
He waved his sword and charged at the formation of nine Spirit Lords and Sundew. In the same instance, He Zicheng chased after him, activating Bulwark of Fortitude once again.
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