"Clan Head Zhuge, I recognize that your Zhuge family is a clan of barrier specialists."
"I can overlook your earlier insolence and give you one more chance."
"All you need to do is hand over what I want, and I'll let you leave," the Darkfiend Old Devil said.
"Darkfiend, don't underestimate me."
However, the Zhuge clan head refused to back down.
With a furious roar, the power of barriers surged forth from where his severed arm had been. A formation enveloped the area, then vanished.
In that instant, not only did his severed arm reappear, but a brand-new Venerable Weapon also materialized in his hand.
With the Venerable Weapon gripped firmly, his combat power was immediately restored.
As martial energy swirled around him, the Zhuge clan head once again charged toward the Darkfiend Old Devil.
This time, he unleashed an extraordinarily fierce forbidden martial technique.
Flames blotted out sky and earth, yet from within them came the roar of a thousand armies.
Not only was the might staggering, the offensive was equally devastating.
With an almost suffocating pressure, he bore down on the Darkfiend Old Devil head-on.
However, almost at the exact moment he struck, every member of the Zhuge family moved as though they had received a command.
Led by the elders, nearly all the clan members immediately changed direction and, in full force, urged their floating war chariots and floating warships back the way they had come.
They were… trying to flee!!!
Everything had been planned in advance.
The Zhuge clan head already knew he was no match for the Darkfiend Old Devil. He had deliberately launched such a ferocious attack to obscure the Darkfiend Old Devil's vision, thereby creating an opportunity for his clan to escape.
But the Darkfiend Old Devil's sinister eyes flickered with an eerie glow — that was a special form of perception.
Even martial techniques capable of blocking sight were utterly useless before those eyes.
"Hah…"
Having seen through the ruse, the Darkfiend Old Devil remained completely unruffled. Not only did he not give chase, but he even let out a cold laugh as he continued to exchange blows with the Zhuge clan head.
And when the Darkfiend Old Devil showed no intention of intercepting them, the Zhuge family members believed their clan head had successfully pinned him down.
But soon, the situation changed.
Boom—
A thunderous detonation rang out as countless fragments rained down through the sky.
It turned out that the floating warship leading the escape had, as though striking some invisible wall, suddenly shattered into pieces.
Yet there was clearly nothing in front of it.
Still, the sharp-witted Zhuge clan members immediately halted their advance, not daring to push forward recklessly.
And almost at the same time, from the spot where the floating warship had been destroyed, a barrier shield materialized.
The barrier was initially very small, but once it appeared, it began expanding rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, it had grown into a colossal barrier shield suspended between heaven and earth.
It was enormous, spanning tens of thousands of meters across the sky.
This barrier was not only indestructible — it appeared to have existed all along, having been deliberately arranged here beforehand.
And this was undoubtedly the Darkfiend Old Devil's doing.
So from the very beginning, their retreat had already been cut off.
Seeing that his clan members could not escape, the Zhuge clan head abandoned his fearless assault. He retreated a step and fixed the Darkfiend Old Devil with eyes full of bitter resentment.
"Darkfiend, must you truly drive my Zhuge family to its doom?"
the Zhuge clan head asked in a strained voice.
"Clan Head Zhuge, did I not already say — as long as you hand over what I want, I will let you all leave."
the Darkfiend Old Devil replied.
"You expect me to believe your lies?"
"You, Darkfiend, either stay your hand or strike — but when you strike, you never leave loose ends behind."
"Today, having already moved against my Zhuge family, how could you possibly let us go?"
the Zhuge clan head said.
"Hahahaha…"
Hearing these words, the Darkfiend Old Devil burst into loud, booming laughter.
When his laughter subsided, a frigid killing intent poured forth from his body, flooding the entire sealed space.
"If you already knew, why bother asking?"
"But I will tell you one honest thing."
"Hand over what I want, and I'll leave every member of your Zhuge family with an intact corpse."
the Darkfiend Old Devil said.
Looking at the Darkfiend Old Devil like this, a glint of resolute determination appeared in the Zhuge clan head's eyes.
Then, to everyone's shock, he released his grip on the Venerable Weapon and instead unleashed his own barrier power.
Only now… his barrier power took on a peculiar form, rising and flickering around his body like flames.
"Darkfiend, for what you have done today, there will come a day you regret it."
The Zhuge clan head spoke these words through clenched teeth.
"All members of the Zhuge family — form the formation with me!!!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the flame-like barrier energy surging around his body erupted from within him like a volcanic explosion.
"Formation — activate!!!"
Immediately, nearly every member of the Zhuge family began setting up the formation, and from each of them blazed the same flame-wreathed barrier power.