148: Chapter 148 Is the Southern Wilderness truly doomed?

Venerable Lingyun's expression finally changed. He could sense that the power contained within that sword light far surpassed any of the previous strikes.

It was a full-strength joint strike from three Tribulation Transcenders, powerful enough to destroy heaven and earth.

He did not take it head-on; his figure flashed within the sea of blood, attempting to dodge the sword light.

Yet the sword light was too fast—so fast that his figure had barely moved before it was already right in front of him.

Venerable Lingyun gritted his teeth, his hands frantically forming seals in front of him. Blood waves piled up layer upon layer before him, turning into one blood-red shield after another.

The first shield shattered, then the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth... Shield after shield shattered under the impact of the sword light, completely unable to stop it.

Only at the seventh shield did the momentum of the sword light finally slow down. At the eighth shield, the sword light dissipated completely.

Venerable Lingyun stood in place. Most of the shields in front of him had shattered. A trickle of black blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his chest heaved violently.

Yet a smile still hung on the corner of his mouth—a smile filled with mockery and a hint of smugness.

"Excellent swordplay."

He spoke in a low voice. His voice was hoarse and weak, yet it carried a madness that sent a shiver down one's spine.

"A pity, it was still just a bit short."

He raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, the dark red light in his eyes suddenly flaring up.

"Now, it is this seat's turn!"

Venerable Lingyun shouted sharply, slamming his palms together.

The sea of blood suddenly boiled. Countless blood-red runes emerged from the depths, weaving into a massive blood-red net in the Void Realm, enveloping Qingxuan and the other two along with the entire sea of blood.

Runes flowed across the great net, radiating a suffocating Power of Devouring.

Qingxuan could feel that the Power of Devouring was several times stronger than before. The spiritual energy within him was draining at an even faster rate, and the sluggishness in his Meridians was becoming increasingly apparent.

"Blood Sacrifice of All Beings, Wraith Soul Devouring!"

Venerable Lingyun's voice echoed in the sea of blood, hoarse and cold, carrying a frenzied excitement.

Innumerable twisted phantoms suddenly emerged from the depths of the sea of blood. Their faces were hideous, and their bodies were shrouded in intense resentment and demonic nature as they lunged toward Qingxuan and the other two, blotting out the sky.

These were the remnant souls of Cultivators devoured by Venerable Lingyun. Tempered by the sea of blood, they had long since turned into wraiths. Though devoid of intelligence, they were bloodthirsty and frenzied.

Qingxuan's eyes narrowed. He spun the longsword in his hand, sweeping out a green sword light.

Wherever the sword light passed, the wraiths turned into wisps of black smoke and dissipated.

Elder Cangwu and Cang Song struck simultaneously. Three sword lights wove into an airtight net in the sea of blood, utterly destroying all the lunging wraiths.

However, the wraiths were endless. As soon as one batch was destroyed, two more would surge forth, as if the entire sea of blood was their nest.

At the same time, the three of them could feel an invisible eroding force penetrating their Seas of Consciousness from all directions.

Though these wraiths were destroyed, a bizarre force traveled through the sword light straight to their Divine Souls, attempting to corrode their minds and drag them into an endless blood-red illusion.

Qingxuan let out a cold snort. The spiritual light in his Sea of Consciousness brightened abruptly, and a fierce Sword Intent completely severed that eroding force.

Elder Cangwu and Cang Song were similarly unmoved. The Divine Souls of the three were as solid as boulders; the erosion of the wraiths could not shake them in the slightest.

However, the wraiths were countless and seemed impossible to exterminate. The trio's movements began to slow, and their Divine Souls began to suffer injuries.

At this moment, Venerable Lingyun's laughter echoed in the sea of blood, becoming increasingly delighted and frenzied.

"Three Kunlun Elders, you are nothing more than this! Once this seat refines your essence blood as well, my cultivation will recover to the Peak of Tribulation Transcendence, or even Half-Step Immortal!"

"When that time comes, whether it is the Southern Wasteland or Kunlun, all shall be within this seat's grasp!"

Qingxuan's face darkened to the extreme. He had not expected this sea of blood's suppression on combat power to be so strong.

With only fifty percent of their combat power, coupled with the continuous loss of spiritual energy, the current strength of the three of them was probably inferior to even the Late Stage of Tribulation Transcendence.

And though Venerable Lingyun was injured, he still maintained the combat power of the Late Stage of Tribulation Transcendence. Furthermore, within this sea of blood, his power was endless, making him completely unafraid of attrition.

As one side waxed and the other waned, the situation was deteriorating bit by bit.

Just then, several more streaks of light appeared in the sky outside the sea of blood.

The streaks of light faded, revealing over a dozen figures, all of whom were powerhouses of the Southern Wasteland's Seven Great Factions.

They had rushed over immediately upon receiving the news, yet they could only stand outside the sea of blood, staring at the dark red ocean with grim faces, utterly helpless.

"We cannot enter this sea of blood!" an Elder of the Piaomiao Sect said through gritted teeth. His Divine Sense had barely probed into the sea of blood before being bounced back by an invisible force.

"Even the Old Ancestors at the Peak of Tribulation Transcendence are trapped inside; us going in would just be sending ourselves to our deaths!" another Elder of the Qingyang Sect said with a gloomy face, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

They could only stand outside the sea of blood, watching that dark red ocean and listening to the rumbles and Venerable Lingyun's wild laughter coming from within, anxious yet powerless.

Within the sea of blood, Venerable Lingyun's laughter grew louder and louder.

His aura had already reached the Peak of the Late Stage of Tribulation Transcendence, just a step away from the Peak of Tribulation Transcendence.

Meanwhile, the aura of Qingxuan and the other two grew weaker and weaker. Their combat power was suppressed, their spiritual energy was draining, and even their protective sword light was beginning to dim.

"This seat has said that today, not a single one of you shall escape!"

Venerable Lingyun spread his arms. The sea of blood surged like a tide behind him, turning into a boundless, dark red ocean.

"Today, this seat shall use your essence blood to return to my Peak!"

Before his voice could fade, his figure moved once more.

This time, his speed was fast to the extreme; even Qingxuan's Divine Sense could only capture a blurry trace.

When he reappeared, he was already in front of Elder Cangwu. He struck with a palm, the wind of his palm howling, carrying a power that could destroy heaven and earth.

Elder Cangwu's face changed drastically, and he instinctively blocked with his longsword in front of him.

"Clang—!"

Elder Cangwu was sent flying backward by the shock. Blood sprayed wildly from his mouth as he crashed heavily into the sea of blood, splashing up dark red waves.

"Cangwu!"

Qingxuan's expression changed. His figure shot out like lightning, thrusting his sword toward Venerable Lingyun's heart from behind.

Venerable Lingyun sidestepped to avoid it, striking back with a palm toward Qingxuan.

Qingxuan gritted his teeth and took the palm head-on, but he was shaken back several steps. His blood surged, and his face flushed red.

Cang Song lunged from the other side, his longsword slashing toward Venerable Lingyun's neck.

Venerable Lingyun did not even turn around. He simply waved his hand, and a spiritual light surged from his palm, forcing Cang Song back several steps.

The three of them struggled to hold on in the sea of blood, yet they were beaten back step by step.

Venerable Lingyun's aura grew stronger and stronger, while theirs grew weaker and weaker. As one waxed and the other waned, defeat and death were only a matter of time.

Outside the sea of blood, those powerhouses of the Southern Wasteland's Seven Great Factions watched this scene with hearts full of despair.

"Even the Elders of Kunlun cannot stop that Devil Head. What should we do?"

"Is the Southern Wasteland really doomed?"

No one could answer this question.

Within the sea of blood, Qingxuan and the other two had retreated to one spot, back-to-back, struggling to hold on.

Venerable Lingyun stood before them, looking down on them from above. The smile at the corner of his mouth grew deeper and colder.

"You three, do you still intend to put up a stubborn resistance?"