Chapter 457: Battle with Hao Jiu You!
"To break the array, we need to uproot all sixty-nine Eternal Illusory Demon Flowers at the same time," Lin Dong said.
"But we can't even get close to those flowers…" Wu Zhong frowned. Their strength was decent—some could hold out for a while, but many others wouldn't be able to manage.
"Divide into groups of three, form sixty-nine teams," Lin Dong said after a moment of thought.
Xiao Diao didn't hesitate. With a wave of his hand, the elite Heavenly Marten Clan warriors around him scattered with practiced precision, swiftly organizing themselves into sixty-nine squads.
"I'll give each team a Demonbreaking Talisman. It can suppress the hallucinatory fragrance of the Eternal Illusory Demon Flowers for a short time. You must act quickly—pull out all sixty-nine flowers during that brief window to break the array."
Lin Dong raised his hand, and the Ancestral Stone floated in his palm. Sixty-nine strands of gentle light shot out, landing in the hands of the sixty-nine teams.
"But this is all the Ancestral Stone can produce. There won't be a second chance. You have to succeed the first time—failure isn't an option."
His expression was grave as he delivered the warning.
"Yes!"
The gathered warriors of the Heavenly Marten Clan nodded firmly.
"What about you?" Xiao Diao asked, suddenly remembering something. Wu Zhong and the others looked toward Lin Dong with similar concern.
"That guy won't let you pull up the flowers so easily. I'll deal with him," Lin Dong said, shrugging as he looked toward the sky—where Hao Jiu You floated, his expression sinister. Dark illusion mist swirled around him; it seemed he could now channel the power of the array.
Hearing this, Xiao Diao's face darkened. Having fought Hao Jiu You before, he knew how dangerous the man was. He was worried Lin Dong might get hurt.
"I'll take care of him," Lin Fan said with a calm smile. "You go help with uprooting the flowers."
Lin Dong hesitated. "I know you're stronger than me, Brother Lin Fan. But without the Ancestral Stone protecting you, the illusion mist could affect you too…"
"No worries. That stuff won't affect me," Lin Fan replied flatly.
Xiao Diao said, "Then why not both of you fight him together? This isn't the time to worry about single combat etiquette."
"No need. I'm more than enough," Lin Fan shook his head. "Besides, Lin Dong knows I've got a hidden trump card. That thing definitely isn't affected by illusion."
"Let's not waste time—move out!"
Seeing his unwavering confidence, neither Lin Dong nor Xiao Diao said more. They nodded, then led their squads off to uproot the Eternal Illusory Demon Flowers.
Once they were gone, Lin Fan's body flickered as he shot into the sky—appearing directly before Hao Jiu You.
"You brothers are all the same—disgustingly arrogant," Hao Jiu You said coldly, eyes gleaming with menace.
"I'm not here to trade insults. Are you ready to die?" Lin Fan's expression was calm. Without hesitation, he activated the vast sea of spiritual power in his Niwan Palace.
A torrent of brilliant silver spiritual energy surged from within him, rushing out like a vast ocean. Under Hao Jiu You's cold gaze, it formed a thousand-foot-tall silver giant behind Lin Fan.
The silver giant stood tall, its presence suffocating. Every movement it made exuded a destructive force that made the air itself tremble.
Whoooosh!
A whirlwind began to howl across the sky. In an instant, it twisted into a thousand-foot-wide tornado filled with terrifying suction force.
The silver giant reached out and grabbed the entire tornado with one hand.
Buzz! Buzz!
Silver spiritual energy poured into the tornado, and countless silver rays of light burst from within. The tornado shifted and transformed—becoming a massive hurricane sword!
The giant gripped the sword, then swung it down, unleashing a raging storm straight toward Hao Jiu You!
"Damn you!"
Caught off guard by Lin Fan's sudden and powerful move, Hao Jiu You's expression darkened. With no time for words, he activated his power—massive black bat wings burst from his back, and the surrounding yuan power surged violently.
At the same time, thick illusion mist rushed to the front of his body, condensing into the image of a massive Eternal Illusory Demon Flower that shielded him.
Boom!
The hurricane sword slammed into the flower barrier, and a thunderous explosion resounded across the sky as the force of the attack erupted in all directions like a raging storm.
Boom!
After a moment of resistance, the giant demon flower barrier shattered under the blow of the hurricane sword.
Although the sword had become faint and illusory, its power had not diminished—it continued to slash straight at Hao Jiu You!
With no time to dodge, Hao Jiu You growled, raised his right arm, and blocked the strike with it.
Screech!
The hurricane sword struck his arm. Though it didn't sever the limb, it carved a deep gash into his forearm, even as strange Eternal Illusory Demon Flower patterns surged up to block the rest of the damage.
The wound was serious.
"You bastard!"
Hao Jiu You's face twisted with fury. Though the bleeding stopped quickly and his demonic arm began to regenerate, he was clearly enraged.
He hadn't expected to be wounded in just one exchange!
"Shame I didn't kill you," Lin Fan said with a sigh, sounding genuinely regretful.
"You asked for this!"
A savage gleam flickered through Hao Jiu You's eyes. He suddenly bit down hard and began forming hand seals. His body swelled—and then exploded!
"Eternal Flower Demon Form!"
His voice echoed across the sky, even as his body burst into mist and illusion.
Buzz! Buzz!
The scattered blood mist began to converge again, merging with the swirling black illusion mist in the air. More and more of the fragrance gathered, and the clan members below stared in stunned silence as a thousand-foot-tall dark flower bloomed in the sky.
Its massive black petals unfurled slowly, streaked with eerie crimson veins.
At its center…
Was Hao Jiu You.
He had become one with the massive Eternal Illusory Demon Flower.
Countless crimson-black vines lashed and writhed like venomous serpents, while thick illusion mist coiled around the flower's enormous form. The entire scene radiated overwhelming dread.
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