Splas.h.!.+
The liquid in the mouth of the ghost-faced statue began to stir violently as the vortex churned. At the same time, a terrifying aura began to brew at an astonis.h.i.+ng speed.
It caused the expressions of all the students to change.
Even the strongest two, Wu Changkong and Ning Meng, had solemn gazes. They could feel immense danger coming from it.
"Prevent the fusion of the True Devil Eggs!" Wu Changkong yelled.
He was the first to take action. His mouth bulged and his chest swelled up, then he formed a fist seal that heavily struck his chest.
Duke Art: Demon Ox's Heavenly Bellow!
Roar!
An ancient divine ox's bellow rang out. Crimson sound waves visible to the naked eye propagated outwards, and within those soundwaves, one could make out the illusory form of a divine ox. Several Greater Evil Spirits attempted to block the attack, but they were sent flying.
Ning Meng similarly shouted loudly, and her tiny figure leaped across the air. A gigantic black-and-white beast manifested behind her and worldly natural energy rapidly condensed into a point on her fist.
Her hands were clenched so tightly the veins could be seen on her small, white hands. At the same time, runes started surfacing on her skin.
She slowly pulled her arm back like a bowstring acc.u.mulating power before thunderously shooting it out.
Bang!
That strike caused the void to shatter like thin gla.s.s. A fearsome power propagated outwards, transforming into a humongous beast's fist manifestation constructed out of light!
Duke Art: Radiant G.o.d's Fist!
With the two top-ranked students joining forces to attack, the two earthshaking arts roared past the surprised eyes of the watching students, directly targeting the churning vortex in the Heavenly Ghost Altar.
However, their surprise did not last for long. A moment later, the white liquid within the pool inside the Heavenly Ghost Altar began to churn and waves kicked up. The white substance quickly began to solidify and formed a pocket of pale human skin.
The human skin sack directly swallowed up both Wu Changkong and Ning Meng's combined attacks.
Bang!
The depths of the human skin sack began to rumble with energy undulations, but in the end, the disturbance died down as though it had never happened.
All of the students were left with their jaws hanging ajar. Had their attacks been mitigated that easily?
However, the strange developments did not end there. The white substance rose above the Heavenly Ghost Altar and began to condense into a tall figure several meters tall.
Shortly after, the figure fully solidified.
The sight of the figure caused everyone's scalps to turn numb.
The figure was garbed in white and its skin was a pasty white that seemed cold to the touch. It radiated a terrifying aura that gave off an immense sense of oppression to all those present.
However, the figure's face was blank without any facial features. It also had a head of long, white hair that floated behind its back.
The moment it appeared, it let out sharp, screeching laugh that echoed throughout the field. Some of the students that were struck by it were hit with momentary dizziness, and numerous negative emotions began welling up within them.
Li Luo's expression turned somber when he looked at the faceless figure. He said in a low voice, "This thing is giving off extremely strong undulations of energy. It's above the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, isn't it?"
Jiang Qing'e's brows furrowed. "Something capable of easily resolving the combined attacks of Wu Changkong and Ning Meng is likely not at that stage."
"Could it be a True Devil?!" Li Luo's expression changed into a scowl. A True Devil Other was a Duke, and although there were numerous Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier students here, the gap between them was simply too vast. It was more akin to describe it as a gigantic chasm. This was the first true bottleneck in the path of cultivation.
Once someone had surmounted that gap and entered the Duke Stage, could they truly be considered an expert. Dukes were the cornerstones of a Heavenly Emperor power's strength.
Jiang Qing'e sighed lightly. "I don't think it's quite a True Devil. This minor realm is being covered by the will of two Triple Crowned Kings. As the two tussle in the skies above, Dukes are unable to enter this s.p.a.ce. The All-Beings Devil King injected a portion of a strand of its will into each of the True Devil Eggs in order to evade the detection of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College's princ.i.p.al. And only by fusing all the True Devil Eggs within the Heavenly Ghost Altars through an elaborate plan was it able to almost create a minion with a Duke's strength. Thus, it is not easy for a Duke to appear here. If I had to hazard a guess, the faceless True Devil should only be at the Quasi Duke Stage."
"Quasi Duke Stage..."
Li Luo knew that this was the stage in the gap between the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier and the Duke Stage. Although it was not strictly a stage of its own, those who had attempted to break into the Duke Stage but exhausted all their potential would have no choice but to linger in this void.
Although being called a Quasi Duke was not a pleasant t.i.tle, it was an entire realm above the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier.
It was no surprise Wu Changkong and Ning Meng had both been blocked.
However, if that was the case, the situation had turned much more complicated.
A Quasi Duke was like a tiger amongst wolves. As Li Luo was lost in thought, the Quasi Duke True Devil walked out of the Heavenly Ghost Altar. In its hand was a human skin sack, which it lightly patted with its pasty hands.
Whoos.h.!.+
The moment the human skin sack opened up, white fumes billowed out. It was like a rampaging white dragon shrouded in cold energy, sweeping towards all of the students.
The Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier students immediately began to activate their numerous arts in an attempt to deal with the smoke. However, the moment they came in contact with it, their skin started itching.
"Argh!"
Some of the weaker students were out of luck as their resonant power was unable to prevent the white smoke from corroding them. The moment it landed on their skins, ulcers began to appear at a speed visible to the naked eye. At the same time, their skins began to swell as if they wanted to pop off their bodies entirely!
"Those below the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, retreat immediately!" Feng Lingyuan commanded.
At the same time, she glanced towards Wu Changkong, Ning Meng, and the rest. "We have to restrain it. Otherwise, it will definitely cause a disaster."
Wu Changkong nodded and said, "Those in the top ten ranks of the two colleges, let's work together to deal with the True Devil."
Ning Meng and him both stood atop a Devil Heart Pillar, and majestic amounts of resonant power poured out of their bodies without restraint. Heavenly Resonance Diagrams appeared above their heads, immediately beginning to devour worldly natural energy.
Feng Lingyuan, Duan Mu, w.a.n.g Kong, Wei Chonglou, and Yue Zhiyu similarly took positions on nearby pillars, and their own Heavenly Resonance Diagrams were summoned.
The other ranked students similarly took action.
The cream of the crop had gathered and were about to work together.
The outcome of this entire mission would be dependent on the outcome of this battle.
The students versus the Quasi Duke!
Jiang Qing'e glanced at Li Luo and said, "You have to be careful. Once the battle begins, the aftershocks will not be small."
Looking at the battle ahead, Jiang Qing'e was going to be a core member of the attack. Her dual ninth-grade light resonances had a suppressive effect on Others, so even though the opponent was a Quasi Duke True Devil, her attacks would likely be the most threatening amongst all those here.
Li Luo nodded. "You need to take care of yourself as well. Remember to keep yourself safe." He did not wish to forcefully involve himself in this higher level battle. Although he could improve his combat strength in many ways, whether it was through the True Dragon Pill or the Great Sanguine Poison Art, there were limits to how many times he could use those methods. Thus, if he could avoid it, he would.
Though if the situation devolved to a point where taking action was necessary, he would not avoid it either.
Jiang Qing'e stretched out her slim hand and lightly squeezed Li Luo's palm before quickly releasing it. A light smile surfaced on her face before she tightly gripped her heavy sword. Her beautiful figure separated from Li Luo and she soared away, landing on the top of the pillar beside Ning Meng.
Li Luo lifted his palm to his nose and gently sniffed the lingering fragrance as he looked at Jiang Qing'e's slender and imposing figure from afar. He chuckled lightly.
He then waved his hand, and the Heavenly Dragon's Sunchaser Bow appeared in his grasp.
He would prepare himself for the opportune moment to enter the battlefield too.
Right as he did this, in the shadows far away, Li Lingjing was calmly observing the situation. She would occasionally focus on the incredible amounts of corruption emanating from the Quasi Duke True Devil. An abstruse glint could be seen within the depths of her eyes.