"All who approach, halt—or face execution without mercy!"
Lian Hua Luo bore down with menacing force, and on the tower ship, Ling Chunqiu clearly recognized the hostile intent of the newcomers. He immediately bellowed the warning.
But who would heed him? Lian Hua Luo not only maintained its speed but actually surged forward with even greater momentum after closing the distance.
The crowd of disciples on the Senluo Altar's tower ship turned pale with fright, stumbling backward. Some scrambled directly into the ship's cabins.
Ling Chunqiu's face was iron-blue with rage. He exchanged a glance with the other two Open Heaven Realm cultivators, and the three of them began rapidly forming hand seals. Along the gunwales of the tower ship, several cannon-like protrusions suddenly extended outward, terrifying energy surging within them. The void trembled as blinding light erupted, all of it trained on Lian Hua Luo's position.
"This is my final warning! If you persist in your foolishness, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
Seeing that Lian Hua Luo showed absolutely no signs of slowing down, Ling Chunqiu gritted his teeth and snarled, "You push too far!"
His hand seals shifted. The tower ship shuddered with a deafening boom, and as light blazed outward, a beam of Profound Light as thick as a barrel fired from the vessel, hurtling toward Lian Hua Luo at terrifying speed.
The Profound Light's might was absolutely devastating. Wherever it passed, the void itself seemed unable to endure its force, leaving behind pitch-black scars in its wake.
Senluo Altar was a second-rate power, and this tower ship Artifact was naturally a priceless possession—it had always been their premier siege weapon, capable of a single thunderous strike equivalent to a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivator's full-power attack.
Inside Lian Hua Luo, everyone's vision was flooded white, engulfed by the Profound Light.
Just as the beam closed in on Lian Hua Luo, an earthy-yellow barrier of light suddenly shimmered into existence on its surface. The next instant, the Profound Light slammed into the barrier.
Visibly, the barrier buckled deep inward from the sheer impact. The tremendous force sent Lian Hua Luo's speed plummeting, and inside, Yang Kai and the others swayed on their feet.
But only for a heartbeat—then everything stabilized. The Profound Light's power was terrifying, yes, but Lian Hua Luo's quality was no less impressive. This was an Artifact that the Flying Flower Pavilion had spent a fortune crafting, and the entire Flying Flower Pavilion possessed only this single piece.
The enormous lotus rotated, plowing straight through the Profound Light and pressing forward.
On the tower ship, Ling Chunqiu and the others had all changed color, utterly bewildered by who could possibly be inside this lotus. The enemies bore Senluo Altar a grudge seemingly worth dying for, yet they fought with such savage ferocity.
Ling Chunqiu gritted his teeth and shifted his hand seals again. Several more beams of Profound Light roared from the tower ship, hurtling toward Lian Hua Luo.
Blazing light completely swallowed the lotus.
Petals scattered outward, breaking apart.
On the tower ship's deck, many Senluo Altar disciples stared in momentary shock before erupting into excited cheers, secretly mocking whoever was inside that lotus for having a death wish—facing such an attack without even bothering to dodge, their minds must have snapped.
Ling Chunqiu was secretly exhaling in relief when suddenly another Open Heaven Realm cultivator's face changed drastically. He roared, "Defensive formation—activate the defensive formation now!"
Ling Chunqiu looked up and saw that the lotus, which should have been blasted to smithereens, was still charging toward them. The scattered petals spiraled through the air like impossibly sharp blades, slicing through the void.
The cheers on the tower ship died in their throats. Ling Chunqiu's face contorted with shock and he immediately shifted his hand seals, activating the tower ship's defensive formation array.
The formation had only just begun to glow when the petals struck. Sparks flew as the defensive array's light flickered and dimmed at an alarming rate.
Caught off guard, the formation hadn't even reached full power before it shattered apart with a thunderous crash.
The surrounding petals rapidly converged, coalescing into a boundless killing domain that engulfed the tower ship.
Crack... crack... crack...
The tower ship's deck splintered apart. Gaping gashes were carved into the hull one after another, and screams rose in a chorus of agony. Many Senluo Altar disciples were instantly decapitated or torn apart, their bodies destroyed beyond recognition.
The three Senluo Altar Open Heaven Realm cultivators watched this scene unfold, their hearts bleeding.
For the Blood Demon's Cave Heaven, which faction hadn't sent their very best disciples? Every warrior who had come to this Blood Demon Domain had been selected through rounds upon rounds of competition, defeating countless fellow sect members just to earn the right. They represented the future hope of their entire sects and powers—once they matured, they would undoubtedly become the backbone of their respective factions.
But now, before the Blood Demon's Cave Heaven had even opened, Senluo Altar had already suffered devastating losses. Not only was their tower ship battered beyond repair, but nearly half their elite disciples were dead or wounded.
Ling Chunqiu and the others felt as though knives were twisting in their hearts!
What infuriated him most was that he still had no idea who had attacked them.
But he would find out soon enough. Three figures emerged from within the lotus—two women and one man, each radiating an overwhelming aura that pierced the heavens.
Two Sixth-Order, and one Fifth-Order!
The fury in the hearts of Senluo Altar's three Open Heaven Realm cultivators turned to ice water. Their bodies went cold all over.
They also had three Open Heaven Realm cultivators, matching the enemy in number, but the difference in grade was incomparable. Besides Ling Chunqiu at Fifth-Order, the other two were both only Fourth-Order.
What made Ling Chunqiu's blood run even colder was that he recognized every single person who had appeared.
"Lan Youruo!" Ling Chunqiu's voice came out dry and hoarse, his eyes filled with dread.