A resounding bell rang, echoing through mountains and rivers, startling rare birds and exotic beasts. The bell sound traveled far, reverberating between heaven and earth.
As the first sacred land in the Ancient Desolation Realm,
the bell of the Grand Luo Immortal Palace would ring punctually at sunrise every day.
With the ringing of the bells, the world, which had been silent, suddenly came alive. The sun rose from the south, and the stars receded from the firmament.
Azure light spilled over the land, covering it with a faint blue veil.
Even the protective array of the Grand Luo Immortal Palace was covered with a faint azure glow.
Dense spiritual energy, almost tangible, condensed into vast mists, shrouding the peaks and palaces, reflecting brilliant light and forming rainbows.
Numerous disciples emerged from their respective resting palaces, hurrying to their morning lessons and cultivation spots. The buildings throughout the Grand Luo Immortal Palace exuded an air of immortal grandeur.
Floating islands shimmered with light, enveloped by clouds and mists condensed from spiritual energy.
Immortal cranes and divine birds spread their wings, soaring within them.
Living water flowed down from the floating islands, forming curtains of waterfalls. The sound of water echoed through the mountains and forests, creating a profound charm.
Palaces stretched endlessly, exquisitely decorated, with wisps of green smoke swirling around them, and the melodious sound of string and wind instruments wafted from within.
Immortal birds and spiritual beasts were active amidst the cloud-shrouded mountains and misty seas, occasionally revealing the fleeting glimpse of ancient divine beasts.
Many immortal disciples, clad in Daoist robes shimmering with celestial light and with their waists cinched by belts radiating spiritual glow, sat cross-legged, cultivating the techniques of the Grand Luo Immortal Palace, seeking only to attain immortality one day. The Grand Luo Immortal Palace was exceptionally lively today.
As the bell rang, the grand array also activated.
Disciples and elders from other sects arrived, piloting flying boats or swords. This was because today was the day the Heavenly Gate would open.
Cracks appeared in the sky, and strange sounds emanated from within them.
With such terrifying anomalies appearing, coupled with the warnings from the Immortal Realm,
many forces already knew about the impending invasion of the extraterrestrial daemons. They all wanted to send their own prodigies to the Immortal Realm, hoping that their lineage would not wither and perish.
Due to limited quotas, not many prodigies could leave.
Only the most outstanding and top-tier ones could depart.
It could be said to be one in a million. Today was the day of departure for those prodigies. The Immortal Realm's mighty beings and the Grand Luo Immortal Palace would simultaneously strike the realm barrier from both sides, opening a passage between the two realms to send those prodigies to the Immortal Realm.
In this matter, the major sacred lands and sects acted swiftly.
No one knew when the extraterrestrial daemons would invade; the sooner they were sent away, the more at ease they would be.
With the invasion of the extraterrestrial daemons, the most terrifying era would also arrive.
At that time, the world would fall into chaos, blood would flow like rivers, and the land would be covered with corpses.
Despair and death would shroud every corner of this world.
No force dared to claim they were unafraid of the extraterrestrial daemons.
Every strong individual who could access the Spirit Realm knew the terrifying nature of those fiends.
Wherever the golden two-headed eagle went, there was only death and despair. They turned the world into hell and a land of suffering.
Even the ancestors of the Immortal Realm had stated in their conversations that the arrival of the extraterrestrial daemons would be the darkest turmoil in history.
It was very likely to be an apocalypse.
In the Immortal Realm, even Emperor-level powerhouses had emerged from seclusion, commanding strong individuals from various races to gather and prepare for a great war.
And in the Ancient Desolation Realm, many powerhouses who had been in deathly seclusion had emerged, preparing to confront those terrifying fiends.
Regardless, they would fight until the last moment.
At the appointed time, the Grand Luo Immortal Palace's Sect Master, holding an immortal artifact, along with nine other powerhouses of the same rank, ascended into the sky. They activated the immortal artifact, erupting with immeasurable radiance, as the Great Dao roared, manifesting their respective Daos and techniques, and collectively struck the void. These Sect Masters were all half-step Immortal-level supreme mighty beings, possessing boundless power.
In fact, they could have already gone to the Immortal Realm, but for some reasons, they had to remain in this realm to protect the interests of their lineage, and thus had not ascended.
Now, with the aid of immortal artifacts, the combined power they unleashed was truly terrifying.
Rumbling sounds were incessant, and various laws intertwined, capable of crushing any strong individual.
On the other side, the mighty beings of the Immortal Realm also began to act. Their combined efforts forcibly tore open a rift, opening a passage between the two realms.
For a time, immortal light shone brilliantly, shaking the ten heavens and nine earths, astonishing countless strong individuals who were observing the ceremony.
A few hours later, a path appeared.
A majestic pass appeared before the numerous cultivators.
Beyond this border pass lay the Immortal Realm. The realm barrier of the Immortal Realm was self-contained and incredibly sturdy; only through the pass could one enter. Those chosen prodigies also stepped onto the Immortal Path. This practice went against the original intention of the ancient sages. To enter the Immortal Realm from the lower realm, one must meet the ascension standards. This was also to ensure the stability of the Immortal Realm.
Now, sending these prodigies up was undoubtedly a challenge to the rules set by the ancient sages.
Heavenly thunder, earthly fire, and fierce gales surged forth, attempting to obliterate these unqualified ascenders.
However, they were jointly blocked by the Sect Masters of various major forces and the mighty beings of the Immortal Realm, allowing those prodigies to safely enter the Immortal Realm.
Only after the last prodigy entered the pass did the numerous powerhouses cease maintaining the Immortal Realm passage. The two-realm passage, interwoven with chains of order, slowly closed.
"Facing such a great catastrophe, we cannot fight the enemy; we can only leave our homes," a prodigy sighed, gazing at their homeland with a sorrowful expression. The enemy came too suddenly. They hadn't even risen to prominence when this happened.
Other prodigies also showed a sense of powerlessness.
Regretting being born at the wrong time.
"Don't worry, there will be a time for you to act," said the Grand Luo Immortal Palace's Sect Master. "The extraterrestrial daemons are coming fiercely and will surely cause wars across all realms. The geniuses from all realms will be sent to the Immortal Realm, given enough time to grow. You must also grow quickly, as the extraterrestrial daemons will never spare the Immortal Realm. Your future battlefield will be in the Immortal Realm."
The Grand Luo Immortal Palace's Sect Master comforted those prodigies, allowing them to depart with peace of mind. The two-realm passage closed. The terrifying phenomena that had just occurred also vanished. The Grand Luo Immortal Palace's Sect Master sighed, then turned to look at the Sect Masters of the other forces, just about to speak. The warning bells began to ring urgently, ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH."
A terrifying roar emanated from the crack in the sky.
It formed a terrifying sonic boom, reverberating across the entire world.
Crossing vast continents, swirling oceans, flying dust, fallen plants, and destroyed forests.
Countless living beings screamed in agony. That terrifying sound made their internal organs and diaphragms tremble.
It vibrated their internal organs, causing widespread tinnitus and bleeding.
Even the cultivators' qi was disrupted, and many who were circulating their qi suffered backlash, continuously spitting blood. The crack erupted with a blinding light.
A mottled, huge, black object struggled out of it, like a lamb breaking free from its mother.
After a brief, intense flash, the sky immediately turned dark again. The sunlight was blocked. That object was so massive, and so close to their world.
As if it was about to collide at any moment.
Even ordinary beings who couldn't cultivate could look up and see the surface of that object.
It was covered with huge, dissolving wreckage and interconnected metal plates, overlapping and intertwined, looking like a gigantic, rusty music box.
Some areas emitted a dark red glow, while others emitted a green glow.
Lights of various colors dotted the surface of the massive celestial body, appearing chaotic.
Countless lights flew out from within that object; compared to the behemoth, they appeared tiny. They looked like swarms of fireflies, their tails emitting light. Those tiny lights numbered in the thousands, countless. They filled the entire sky.
Falling at high speed like meteors. The massive celestial body flickered, as if suns suddenly erupted on its surface and then extinguished.
In an instant, winding, lightning-infused beams of light descended from the sky, bombarding the entire earth, turning vast swathes of rock into glass. The Grand Luo Immortal Palace's protective array also faced a storm-like assault. The yin and yang energies rotated, completely deflecting the destructive power carried by those light beams.
Countless Shells fell, and tower-like flames shot up in all directions on the horizon.
Even without the sun, the sky was illuminated by continuous explosions and light beams. Terrifying shockwaves shook the entire world. The sky collapsed, the earth shattered, mountains and rivers broke apart—the apocalypse had arrived. The sky became dazzling due to the scattered light.
"Those daemons have arrived," said the Grand Luo Immortal Palace's Sect Master. "All disciples, heed my command: defend the Grand Luo Immortal Palace! Do not let any daemon enter this place!"
"We swear to defend the Grand Luo Immortal Palace to the death!"
"We swear to defend the Grand Luo Immortal Palace to the death!"
"We swear to defend the Grand Luo Immortal Palace to the death!"
Numerous disciples roared.
Countless disciples flew out on their flying swords, heading to the command of various elders, obeying their orders to defend the various crucial passes of the Grand Luo Immortal Palace.
"The Pure Yang Sacred Land bids farewell first." The Pure Yang Sacred Land's Sect Master's face was pale; he needed to return to the Pure Yang Sacred Land as quickly as possible to manage the situation.
"Isn't that too dangerous?" asked the Grand Luo Immortal Palace's Sect Master. "Presumably, other elders can also manage the grand array. It's better to stay here. Those daemons have already acted, and we don't know what methods they possess. If you go out and encounter trouble, wouldn't that be a pity?"
The words of the Grand Luo Immortal Palace's Sect Master made the Sect Masters who had originally intended to rush back to their sects show expressions of uncertainty and surprise. The terror of the extraterrestrial daemons was something even the mighty beings of the Immortal Realm greatly feared.
"Let's stay for now," one Sect Master sighed. "I only hope the Grand Elder can manage the situation well."
Considering the strength of the daemons, the other Sect Masters could only agree to this suggestion.
As the drop pods landed, they caused a series of explosions due to their immense impact force on the ground.
Within a hundred meters of the landing zone, creatures were either flung away by the massive explosion's shockwave or had their bones broken directly.
"WAAAAGH."
"WAAAAGH."
"WAAAAGH."
The orks continuously roared. They bellowed loudly, brandishing their weapons and charging in all directions. They attacked every living creature and building within sight.
Screams and cries erupted.
"Chop 'em all to bits! These four-armed monkeys all deserve to die! All the scrap is ours!" Scarface Tuska roared through the communicator.
In every ork unit, there was a grot carrying a megaphone.
Scarface Tuska's voice echoed across the battlefield through these megaphones.
Scarface Tuska quickly noticed the Grand Luo Sacred Land, which glowed and could not be breached even by orbital bombardment.
"See that glowing shield? Hit it, you speed freaks, charge! Throw those bomb-carrying runts in there, let them know what's what!"
Scarface Tusk roared loudly,
ordering his Ork Boyz to head towards the glowing shield.
Based on his experience,
places protected by strange shields often contained valuable scrap.
Scrap, shiny and powerful.
With a little modification, it could become a good weapon. The cultivators defending various parts of the Great Luo Holy Land turned pale as the overwhelming green tide surged towards them. There were too many of them, a sea of green stretching as far as the eye could see.
Each daemon had red eyes and terrifying tusks, with bulging muscles, making them look incredibly fearsome. The Great Luo Holy Land's formation was incredibly powerful, capable of both offense and defense.
But even the strongest formations had their limits. The Green-skinned orks utilized the WAAAGH! field created by their Weirdboyz, clashing with the Great Luo Holy Land's formation.
A fierce battle ensued between the two sides. The disciples of the Great Luo Immortal Palace waved their four arms, simultaneously forming hand seals and wielding flying swords. They engaged in a brutal struggle with the surging green-skins.
One disciple charged forward, controlling four flying swords with two hands while forming hand seals with the other two, causing illusory sun and moon images to appear behind him. The Sun and Moon Hand Seals glowed, creating a protective barrier around his body. The charging orks were pierced by his flying swords, their heads flying off one by one.
He cut them down like chopping melons and vegetables, slaying over a dozen orks in quick succession.
"These extraterrestrial daemons are nothing special," the disciple of the Great Luo Immortal Palace said with a smile.
If this was all they had, conquering the Great Luo Immortal Palace would be a fool's dream.
But soon, his smile vanished. The daemons seemed endless; one fell, ten appeared; ten fell, a hundred appeared. They also carried a variety of weapons.
Brilliant beams of light and iron bullets continuously struck his body, depleting the light of his shield. The spiritual energy in the air gradually became viscous and difficult to absorb, making it impossible to replenish his internal consumption, and his mind slowly began to tire.
Roars and howls assaulted his senses. The longer he fought, the weaker his strength became. These green-skinned daemons had polluted the spiritual energy, making it difficult for him to sustain himself.
After slaying another green-skinned daemon, the disciple had very little spiritual energy left in his body.
He was forced to free up one hand to hold a spirit crystal, absorbing it while fighting.
His remaining three hands each held a weapon, slaying the green-skinned daemons that tried to approach him.
He knew very well that he should retreat from the battlefield, return to replenish his spiritual energy with the spirit crystals, and then continue fighting. The pollution of spiritual energy, making it difficult to absorb, often occurred during magical duels.
Every cultivator carried some spirit crystals for emergencies.
However, spirit crystals required time to absorb.
Fighting while absorbing was certainly feasible.
But it was extremely draining on one's spirit.
After absorbing two spirit crystals and repelling several green-skinned daemons, he felt a bit dizzy. The consequences of forcibly absorbing spirit crystals without meditating to convert them into his own spiritual energy had appeared.
His mental energy was over-consumed.
He should rest immediately.
But the enemies showed no signs of decreasing.
He simply couldn't find an opportunity to retreat.
After barely managing to raise his sword to block a powerful blow, the disciple fell to the ground.
His previous smile had completely vanished, replaced only by fear.
He watched as a green-skinned daemon charged at him, swinging the cleaver in its hand towards his head.
His neck stung, and he saw a headless corpse wearing his clothes.
Four furry arms holding flying swords, spears, and other weapons, one of which held a faintly glowing spirit crystal.
Crimson blood spurted from the cut in his neck like a fountain. The disciples of the Great Luo Immortal Palace held out for a while, but soon began to retreat. The green-skinned daemons polluted the spiritual energy on the battlefield, making it difficult for them to sustain themselves. Those jumping, staff-wielding green-skinned daemons always muttered incomprehensible words.
Green light also shimmered around them.
As long as those green lights spread, the spiritual energy in that area would become incredibly viscous, impossible to absorb into the body. They could only consume their own reserves of spiritual energy, and once depleted, they couldn't find an opportunity to replenish it, quickly falling into a disadvantage.
Fortunately, the grand formation was still operating, preventing them from suffering attacks from the sky. The elders of the Great Luo Immortal Palace quickly found a solution. That was the three-stage combat method.
Once one group of disciples ran out of spiritual energy, the next group would take their place, allowing the depleted disciples to replenish their spiritual energy.
By continuously rotating three groups of disciples in this manner, they could sustain the fight indefinitely.
Just as they resolved the spiritual energy issue, the Great Luo Immortal Palace soon discovered a new problem. Their initial advantage was gone.
At first contact, a single disciple could easily kill dozens, even hundreds, of green-skinned daemons.
Now, they could withstand more damage. Those disciples had to pay a greater price to kill them.
More importantly, they were also using various strange magical artifacts. Those artifacts were extremely ugly and barbaric. They melted flying swords together and welded various parts onto pagodas.
But the power of these artifacts was incredibly strong. They easily pierced through the protective shields of the Great Luo Immortal Palace disciples, penetrating their bodies.
As time passed, the number of fallen Great Luo Immortal Palace disciples increased.
Maintaining the original defensive line became increasingly difficult. The killing formations on the floating islands were also activated and thrown onto the battlefield to slaughter the green-skinned daemons.
But against the endless green-skinned daemons, even the strongest killing formation struggled to repel the enemy.
After the outer region was declared lost, the nodes used to maintain the grand formation were also destroyed. The formations in some areas flickered a few times and then disappeared.
Without the protection of the formations, the already precarious defensive line instantly collapsed.
Light beams and cannon fire continuously appeared in the sky, causing heavy casualties among the Great Luo Immortal Palace disciples.
Large numbers of disciples were forced to retreat to the inner sanctum area. Those floating islands could not retreat and were besieged by the green-skinned daemons. They rode strange flying magical treasures and launched attacks on the floating islands.
One floating island was breached, and the disciples on it were massacred. The island also slowly tilted. The Immortal Palace disciples who had lost control of the formation, coupled with the destruction wrought by the orks,
The operation of the floating island's formation soon became chaotic. The formation exploded, and the entire floating island disintegrated.
Countless debris splattered outwards, raising huge clouds of dust when they hit the ground.
Some also fell onto the battlefield, causing numerous casualties. The floating islands were trapped in a predicament of fighting alone. The Immortal Palace disciples on them simply couldn't hold on. There were too many enemies, they filled the entire sky.
Flying on swords was a foolish decision; one never knew what they might crash into.
A few individuals tried to fly on their swords to kill the daemons operating strange flying machines.
But a group of green-skins, with fire and smoke spewing from their backsides, directly crashed into them. Then, with a bang, a huge explosion occurred.
Both were annihilated without a trace. The enemies didn't care at all about their sacrificed kin. They were simply for war, for slaughter.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!"
"Quick, boyz, get 'em! See that glowing shield? Smash it!" Scarface Tusk roared from the orbital platform, urging the Ork Boyz to launch an even more frenzied assault. The remaining few floating islands also rumbled and collapsed, the enormous crashing sounds incessant. The Sect Master of the Great Luo Immortal Palace was filled with grief and indignation.
All four of his arms held a powerful magical treasure.
Seeing the green-skinned daemons slaughtering the Immortal Palace disciples, he wished he could charge out and let them know that the Great Luo Immortal Palace was not to be trifled with. The other Sect Masters also looked astonished and fearful. If they had left earlier, they would undoubtedly have been worn down to death by these endless green-skinned daemons.
"Open the treasure vault and awaken the sect's puppets." Looking at the fierce green-skinned daemons bombarding the inner sanctum's protective formation, the Sect Master of the Great Luo Immortal Palace made a painful decision.
The treasure vault contained all the Great Luo Immortal Palace's precious collections: various rare innate spiritual blood, divine weapons, and supreme cultivation techniques. The sect's puppets were refined by the Immortal Realm ancestors before their ascension, possessing immense power and serving as a trump card to be played at critical moments.
If these were not brought out now, there might be no opportunity to use them later.
A protective formation even stronger than that of the outer region guarded the inner sanctum. The outer region was primarily for raising various divine-blooded birds and beasts. The inner sanctum, however, was the foundation of the Great Luo Immortal Palace, and could not afford to be lost.
Alchemy, artifact refining, medicinal gardens, libraries, and other things essential for a sect's inheritance were all located in the inner sanctum.
Once the inner sanctum fell, the Great Luo Immortal Palace could truly be said to be annihilated. The number of green-skinned daemons was endless. The Immortal Palace disciples who failed to retreat to the inner sanctum in time were mostly killed by those creatures. The Great Luo Immortal Palace, once like a paradise on earth, now resembled hell. The mountains had crumbled, and the rivers floated with countless corpses. The pungent smell of blood carried far on the air.
"At all costs, protect the inner sanctum! Kill all enemies! We can definitely do it!"
Watching the green-skinned daemons futilely bombard the inner sanctum's protective formation once more, leaving behind numerous corpses killed by the Immortal Palace puppets, the Sect Master of the Great Luo Immortal Palace encouraged the surviving disciples.
"We swear to defend the Great Luo Immortal Palace to the death!"
"We swear to defend the Great Luo Immortal Palace to the death!"
Each of the disciples was impassioned, ready to fight to the last drop of blood, determined not to let the green-skinned daemons advance another step.
Soon, they stopped shouting.
After the green-skinned daemons retreated, they did not launch another attack.
Instead, they adopted other methods to try and break through the turtle-shell-like defensive formation of the Great Luo Holy Land.
Under the gaze of the Great Luo Immortal Palace disciples, hundreds of colossal figures emerged from the horizon.
Each figure resembled a moving metal junk pile.
Exhaust pipes spewing black smoke were installed on their backs.
Every step they took made the ground tremble, emitting a rumbling sound.
Seeing these behemoths, the WAAAGH! cries of the orks drowned out all other sounds on the battlefield.
"Smash 'em, boyz!" Scarface Tusk roared, "All the scrap belongs to us!"