Desolate Devouring Art-Chapter 966 - A Chaotic Battle

Aside from Jiang Nan, countless others had turned their eyes to the mysterious sea region.

"There seems to be a change to the Thunder Saint Pearl," Ruan Ying exclaimed.

The Thunder Saint Pearl had suddenly grown in size, absorbing all the surrounding lightning and creating a vacuum in the surrounding space.

"The Thunder Saint Pearl is evolving. Once its evolution is completed, it will mature into a treasure of heaven and earth. No one will be able to obtain it after that," Liu Wuxie muttered, his brows furrowed.

The Thunder Saint Pearl had been nurtured for tens of thousands of years and had long possessed spirituality. Now that it had sensed danger, it was accelerating its evolution.

The surrounding cultivators quickly took notice of the Thunder Saint Pearl's transformation.

Meanwhile, the lightning in the sea region began to weaken after being absorbed by the Thunder Saint Pearl. Some bolder individuals charged into the sea region, attempting to seize it for themselves.

"Someone went in!" Rang a yell.

In the blink of an eye, several people braved the lightning storm as they raced toward the heart of the storm.

"That's the Heavenly Saint Armor! It has high resistance to lightning energy!" Ruan Ying exclaimed, pointing at the golden figure striding through the chaos.

"You know him?" Liu Wuxie asked.

He didn't move as he knew more people would charge over, and a chaotic battle was inevitable. Now wasn't the right time to charge into the sea region.

"Yeah," Ruan Ying replied. "He's a disciple of the Heavenly Monarch Court, Jiao An!"

She had joined the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy a decade ago and was well-versed in the information of the talented disciples.

Liu Wuxie nodded. He knew the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy was full of hidden talents.

More cultivators made their move, pushing through the lightning and allowing themselves to be struck.

Several weaker cultivators turned to ashes in an instant, pulverized and swallowed by the thunderbolts.

"What terrifying lightning! That man who got struck was at the pinnacle of the Spirit Profound Realm!"

They could only reach the core region by avoiding all the thunderbolts, and even someone at the pinnacle of the Spirit Profound Realm couldn't resist the destructive power.

"Master, should we get moving?" Jiang Nan asked, itching to charge over.

"By all means, go ahead and die," Liu Wuxie said, shooting them a glare.

Though he had little regard for their lives, he couldn't afford for them to die meaninglessly, not when he still had use for them. Their deaths here would only unravel his plans.

Within minutes, hundreds of cultivators converged upon the Thunder Saint Pearl, their auras blazing with the power of the higher levels of the Spirit Profound Realm. Yet, the path was unforgiving. More than a dozen had already fallen, struck down by relentless thunderbolts.

However, near the core, the lightning had weakened considerably—its energy siphoned away by the Thunder Saint Pearl.

"Nobody takes a step! The Thunder Saint Pearl is mine!" bellowed a cultivator who had first entered the core region.

"What a joke! Since when did the Thunder Saint Pearl have your name on it?" one cultivator sneered, ignoring the man's warning as he strode confidently toward the pearl. Tension crackled in the air, a fight seemingly inevitable.

Right at that moment, the Thunder Saint Pearl erupted, releasing all the lightning energy it had absorbed. The lightning energy was more than ten times stronger than before, amplified by the pearl.

Screams echoed from the hundreds of cultivators, who were instantly obliterated. They were pulverized before they could react, and only a few survived, relying on their treasures.

Everyone nearby felt a chill running down their spines, stunned by the death of so many cultivators.

Jiao An had a clear advantage with the Heavenly Saint Armor and was unharmed by the outburst of lightning energy as he continued to approach the Thunder Saint Pearl.

After the outburst, the pearl's power quickly subsided, making it far easier to approach. The surrounding lightning had gradually calmed, and the lingering lightning energy could no longer pose a threat.

"Out of the way!" A streak flew across the sky, blasting through the lightning, and reached the core region, sending Jiao An flying with a wave of his hand.

"An expert at the Earth Profound Realm!" the crowd exclaimed, shocked by the appearance of someone at the Earth Profound Realm.

"Those are cultivators who stayed behind since the last opening. They've been cultivating here for five years... and have reached the Earth Profound Realm."

Most who returned to the True Martial Continent struggled for years just to break through to the Earth Profound Realm. But for those who endured the solitude, the odds were far greater. If they could withstand five years of isolation, the path to power lay wide open.

Jiao An was surprised to be blasted away when the Thunder Saint Pearl was right before his eyes. He felt uncomfortable from the aura released by the newcomer.

He was flung back hundreds of meters, and before he could stabilize himself, a thunderbolt crackled through the sky, striking him midair. If not for the Heavenly Saint Armor absorbing part of the impact, he would have been reduced to ashes.

After striking Jiao An aside, the earth profound realm cultivator reached straight for the Thunder Saint Pearl.

Another figure appeared, standing on the other side of the Thunder Saint Pearl. "Liang Yi, do you think I consented you to take the Thunder Saint Pearl?"

The cultivator who had blasted Jiao An away was called Liang Yi. Many didn't recognize him as he had been gone for five years.

"Liang Yi? Didn't he die in the sacred ground five years ago?" the crowd exclaimed after recognizing Liang Yi. There were rumors that he had died during the last opening of the sacred ground.

"He probably faked his death to conceal himself," commented another.

Many people would fake their deaths to cultivate in the sacred ground secretly.

"Liang Yi was a prodigy of our Blazing Sun Gate. He was at the pinnacle of the Spirit Profound Realm five years ago. Who knows how powerful he has become now," murmured a Blazing Sun Gate's disciple who recognized Liang Yi.

The appearance of cultivators from the previous generation was grim news for many. This meant they had little to no chance of obtaining the Thunder Saint Pearl. After all, it was unrealistic to seize the treasure from cultivators at the Earth Profound Realm.

"Luan Tianzhi, you dare stand in my way!" Liang Yi roared, his voice forming a shockwave that swept toward Luan Tianzhi.

Both stood at the Earth Profound Realm, their terrifying auras colliding. The aura they released caused the surrounding lightning to bounce away as the Thunder Saint Pearl bobbed between them, seeming that it would sink into the sea at any moment.

"It's Senior Brother Luan Tianzhi!" Cheers erupted from the disciples of the Scarlet Dragon Cult.

With an expert at the Earth Profound Realm on their side, their safety in the sacred ground was guaranteed.

Liang Yi and Luan Tianzhi had exchanged dozens of blows in just a few breaths. Their clashes exploded into shockwaves that swept across the sea.

Jiao An refused to give up and tried to approach the core region again, only to be blasted away by a single shockwave.

As for those lurking at the shore, they quietly moved into position, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

"We'll split up," Liu Wuxie said. "Follow my command when the time comes."

The time to move was near, and Liu Wuxie planned to act. Through the tempering of the Thunder God Hammer, Liu Wuxie could easily withstand the lightning energy.

Ruan Ying and Jiang Nan nodded, awaiting the right opportunity to help their master seize the Thunder Saint Pearl.

The fight grew increasingly intense, making it impossible for ordinary people to get close as the Thunder Saint Pearl could fly away at any moment.

As Luan Tianzhi and Liang Yi fought, a figure suddenly slipped between them, reaching the Thunder Saint Pearl.

"You're courting death!" Liang Yi and Luan Tianzhi snarled. That someone would dare snatch the treasure right under their noses was a blatant provocation. Without hesitation, they launched their attacks.

The newcomer could only give up for the time being, as he would have to take the two attacks head-on if he continued. Even if he managed to seize the Thunder Saint Pearl, he would be killed.

Left with no choice, he turned around and joined the battle. The newcomer's aura revealed he, too, was at the Earth Profound Realm, and the three had become familiar with each other over the past five years.

"Mu Yuanyi, still playing sneaky games?!" Luan Tianzhi recognized the newcomer.

The three cultivators at the Earth Profound Realm stood in a triangular formation around the Thunder Saint Pearl, forming an impassable barrier for others. Anyone who dared to seize it would have to face their attacks.

With that, the fight fell into a stalemate, and no one dared to act.

"Senior Brother Mu Yuanyi, defeat them and seize the Thunder Saint Pearl!" Cheers erupted from the Profound Cloud Sect's disciples.

This proved that Mu Yuanyi was a disciple of the Profound Cloud Sect who had stayed behind five years ago. The Profound Cloud Sect's upper echelons knew about his stay in the sacred ground, unlike Liang Yi, who was proclaimed dead to the outside world.

"We all want the Thunder Saint Pearl, but there's only one," Mu Yuanyi said. "Why don't we draw lots, and whoever wins keeps it? No stealing after that."

Under the stalemate, Mu Yuanyi's proposal seemed almost reasonable. A clash between three Earth Profound Realm cultivators could drag on for days, perhaps even weeks, without a clear victor.

"That's ridiculous! I was the first to reach the Thunder Saint Pearl, and it should belong to me," Liang Yi scoffed in rejection. There was no reason for him to give it away.

"I won't agree to it either," Luan Tianzhi added. "The Scarlet Dragon Cult's disciples outnumber you both by far. If it comes to brute force, we'll crush you."

He wasn't bluffing. Dozens of Scarlet Dragon Cult members were scattered around the battlefield, far outnumbering the Blazing Sun Gate and Profound Cloud Sect.

He planned to use his fellow disciples to pin down the other two while he seized the Thunder Saint Pearl himself. After that, he could award ordinary treasures to the disciples, keeping the real prize for himself.

Mu Yuanyi's proposal to draw lots had been a calculated gamble. He knew the Profound Cloud Sect was outnumbered, and he himself was the weakest of the three. If the odds had been in his favor, he would have never suggested such a compromise, or tried to seize the Thunder Saint Pearl in secret.

But with negotiations failing, there was only one path forward: battle.

"Disciples of the Scarlet Dragon Cult, listen up!" Luan Tianzhi roared. "Help me hold them back, and I will reward everyone with fifty supreme-grade spirit stones."

Luan Tianzhi's offer was generous; fifty supreme-grade spirit stones each was no small reward.