A sacred radiance emanated outward from Haiting's body as its center. Lin Lei's Purple Blood Soft Sword instantly felt as though it had plunged into a bog, its speed dropping sharply. At the same time, the source of that sacred light—the Holy Bible—flew out from within Haiting's body and hovered above his head.
"Die." Lin Lei's expression was cold. Though the Purple Blood Soft Sword's speed had been reduced by the radiance, it was still far too fast for Haiting to evade.
"No!" Haiting desperately tried to dodge.
"Psst—"
The Purple Blood Soft Sword sliced diagonally downward from Haiting's shoulder. Half his body, including both legs, was severed clean through. That half—along with his right arm and the staff gripped in his right hand—came apart, and the staff tumbled downward as well.
"Ahhh—" A strangled scream escaped Haiting's lips.
Immediately, Haiting's remaining upper body retreated at extreme speed. The sacred white light radiating from the Holy Bible above his head rapidly healed his wounds, and his body regrew at a visible pace. Haiting himself had always been skilled in Light healing magic, but with the divine artifact—the Holy Bible—the recovery was even faster.
"Haiting, I didn't expect you to survive even this. Very well… then watch with your own eyes as the Church of Light is truly destroyed." Lin Lei spoke with absolute confidence.
Having survived the battle in the Divine Necropolis, possessing the Life Source Pearl, and comprehending the "Speed Profundity," Lin Lei's strength had increased beyond measure compared to before he had entered the necropolis. He didn't take the Church of Light's Saint-level experts in the slightest.
"Lin Lei, prepare to die." Lei Ming's deep, thundering voice rang out.
Spread out in the distance, thirty-six Saint-level experts—including Lei Ming and Lord Fallen Leaf—moved to encircle Lin Lei and his companions.
"How laughable. You didn't even try to scatter." Lei Ming, hovering in midair, sneered.
Lin Lei, Tuli Lei, and De Si Li all broke into laughter. They had seen through the Church of Light's experts spreading out to encircle them—perhaps to form some unusual battle formation. But they all understood one principle.
"A battle formation may be formidable, but it all depends on who's wielding it!"
Tuli Lei smiled coldly. "Most of these Saint-levels have barely entered the realm. More importantly… your battle formation is meant to encircle one person, but you're facing us—twenty-five Saint-level warriors. If we attack together, I wonder whether your grand formation can hold!"
"Whoosh…"
Haiting had by now retreated to the gates of the Church of Light's main hall. He looked up at the distant sky and saw that Lin Lei and the others had been drawn into the Great Hexagonal Battle Formation. Ecstatic, he shouted wildly, "Lin Lei, you brought this on yourselves! Lei Ming, kill them now!"
Moments ago he had nearly lost his life. Now Haiting's heart seethed with killing intent—though he simply lacked the strength himself.
"Yes, Your Holiness." Lei Ming was brimming with confidence.
Haiting took a deep breath and watched the scene with a measure of tension. Though he had every faith in the "Great Hexagonal Battle Formation," the enemy he faced was Lin Lei—a man who had created miracles time and again!
Lin Lei studied the so-called "Great Hexagonal Battle Formation" carefully. At a glance he could tell that this formation was an advanced evolution of the "Angel Battle Formation." The Angel Battle Formation required six warriors to function.
The "Great Hexagonal Battle Formation," however, used thirty-six Saint-level experts divided into six groups.
Each group of six Saints formed one integrated unit according to the Angel Battle Formation.
Thus, thirty-six fighters formed six units, and those six "Angel Battle Formations" were then coordinated together to create the so-called "Great Hexagonal Battle Formation."
"Did they really think I wouldn't care about the Angel Battle Formation? That by stacking them, I would?" Lin Lei was supremely confident.
Some had four angelic wings sprouting from their backs; others were frenzied Saint-level zealots or cold-blooded Saint-level high-ranking deacons… The thirty-six Saint-level warriors now moved as one. A terrifying "Holy Force" surged between them, and among them all, the formation's linchpin—Lei Ming—clearly wielded the most potent concentration.
"Haaa—!" Two and a half meters tall and as powerfully built as a magic beast, Lei Ming let out a furious roar and swung the long staff wrapped in Holy Force.
"Boom!" The staff lashed out from a distance.
A column of Holy Force as thick as a barrel and dozens of meters long came crashing down, aimed squarely at Lin Lei. Lin Lei shifted his body, and when the column was still a meter away, he had already dodged clear.
Lin Lei's speed was simply too fast!
"Don't touch that pillar directly!" Lin Lei's voice echoed through the minds of Dilia, De Si Li, Tuli Lei, and the others.
Although he hadn't made contact, the gap of a mere meter was enough for Lin Lei to feel his body's "Pulse Defense" tremble slightly. Amplified and stacked through the thirty-six Saints' combined formation, this single strike carried the power of over a hundred Saints attacking in unison.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" …
Pillar after pillar lashed down. And when each pillar dissipated, the Holy Force flowed back into the formation.
"If this keeps up, their power is virtually inexhaustible," Lin Lei thought inwardly.
"Ha ha, let's attack together!" Tuli Lei bellowed, and a blood-red blade arc soared into the sky.
"Roooar—!" The Tyrannosaurus Dragon, Thunder Dragon, and Golden Dragon swept their tails and hammered them down with tremendous force.
"Die!" The Bak brothers, hearts heavy with grief and rage, transformed into "Saint-level Undying Warriors" and roared. The five brothers swung their terrifying great axes, carrying the mountain-splitting power of their might, and brought them crashing down upon the "Great Hexagonal Battle Formation!"
Sesser had summoned a full eight Saint-level undead! His eyes blazed with emerald-green light.
Lin Lei, Wotton, Bei Bei, Miller, Linston, Fuman, Higginson, and the other Saint-level experts all struck simultaneously at the formation beside them.
Including the Saint-level undead, more than thirty peak Saint-level fighters attacked at once!
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" …
Spatial rifts resembling electric serpents flickered into existence and vanished in rapid succession. Yet that white radiance held firm through it all!
The frenzied assault made the entire formation shudder violently, but ultimately it stabilized. A few of the thirty-six Saints turned pale, but the sacred light enveloping their bodies restored them almost at once.
"Whew, it held!" Haiting's heart swelled with joy from afar.
"It held—they really held!" His greatest fear had been that the Great Hexagonal Battle Formation would fail to withstand the combined assault of so many powerhouses.
"Lin Lei, you will die." Haiting had finally allowed himself to relax.