In truth, when Xia Yi rushed out, he had already discovered that the node in this area was filled with energy.
Huge light shields had already been raised, and all the soul guidance cannon turrets were fully charged and ready.
Undoubtedly, that "woo-woo" sound was the best alarm signal.
With a flap of his wings, Xia Yi let out a breath of relief.
Seeing the massive platinum wings on his back, many soldiers of the Blood God Legion present showed envy on their faces.
Although everyone here was an elite, few had reached the level of two-word battle armor masters.
Many were mecha masters instead.
A huge light shield stood in front of them, and the previous sense of danger instantly disappeared. Just then, an immensely powerful grey-black energy stream surged out from the passage.
All the light shields simultaneously lit up, merging into a massive barrier that blocked the impact of that grey-black light.
Within the grey-black glow, there seemed to be something writhing and clawing.
From the current shield dome formed by these energy barriers, although they had blocked it for now, the energy tide's fluctuations were extremely intense. It didn't seem like the shield could hold out for long.
Sure enough, after just a short while, a piercing alarm began to sound.
"Abyssal tide strength has reached at least level five. The shield can only last three more minutes at most. Immediate retreat to the third and fourth lines of defense. Also report to the operations command and request reinforcements. Make sure the order is sent to mobilize all garrison troops from the Fiery Basin — the abyssal creatures are likely launching a full-scale attack. This could become another bloody battle."
Leng Yaozhu appeared before everyone, her expression growing increasingly grim.
"Yes!"
With Leng Yaozhu giving the command, the soldiers guarding this area of the Blood God Legion immediately began to retreat.
This level of abyssal tide — just a few of them couldn't possibly hold it back.
"We're leaving too." Leng Yaozhu led Xia Yi, following closely behind.
"What does level five strength mean?" Xia Yi asked as he followed her.
Leng Yaozhu's expression darkened.
"Normally, abyssal tides range from level one to two. At that level, the shield we just had plus two regiments of guards are enough to withstand them. That's the usual state. About every few decades, the abyssal creatures launch a full-scale war — that's when the tide reaches level three.
Level three requires large-scale defensive equipment, and it also means powerful abyssal entities appear and attack our defenses. Those are always our hardest times.
Level four and five mean the Abyss Plane is paying a price and going all out to assault the sealed passages.
To put it bluntly, the last time the abyssal passage's seal was broken and the abyss exploded, causing devastating losses to the Blood God Legion — that was only level five.
Tides like this are rare even over thousands of years. I didn't expect the Abyss Plane to launch two of them in such a short time.
I recently tried to delve into the Abyss Plane and found many abyssal kings gathering. You just arrived, and this happens. Be very careful later — if multiple emperors from the upper ten levels of the Abyss appear, I might not have time to protect you."
"I'll be careful." Xia Yi nodded solemnly.
Upon retreating to the second line of defense, Xia Yi finally saw the large-scale defense equipment — these soul guidance devices had been prepared in advance. Rows of defense arrays quickly formed, with all personnel orderly and composed, not panicking despite the sudden level-five tide.
Many soul guidance devices unfamiliar to Xia Yi rapidly converged, and energy fluctuations surged dramatically.
From the abyssal cave in the rear, a massive metal sphere had landed without his notice — over 300 meters in diameter. Hundreds of beams of light shot from beneath it to support its weight, while the sphere itself emitted tremendous energy. It extended large metal arms, which burrowed into surrounding abyssal caves and connected with the soul guidance devices inside.
Once activated, this machine could run automatically. After activation, the soldiers retreated again. With the tide's strength being so high, the two stationed regiments couldn't possibly hold out. Before reinforcements arrived, staying here would be suicide. The best course was to preserve strength and fall back to the third line of defense.
When everyone reached the third line, reinforcements had arrived and begun setting up all types of soul-guided weapons, large and small.
All nine Blood Gods descended — a level-five abyssal tide. Last time, the Blood God Legion suffered heavy casualties. Now, the Tang Sect members had just escaped, and the Sun-Moon Federation hadn't even dispatched the soldiers for resupply yet.
It wasn't that the Federation didn't want to resupply them on time, but the past year had been chaos. Every legion had suffered losses, and they simply couldn't spare enough elite soldiers at the moment.
Suddenly, a series of deep, resonant sounds echoed from the depths of the abyssal passage:
"Moo! Moo! Moo!"
In an instant, every soldier below the Spirit Abyss Realm stood frozen in place.
"Guardian Sky Bulls — all of them adult forms above the Title Douluo level. How is this possible? How did they pass through the abyssal passage?"
The Blood God Legion high command and all nine Blood Gods rose to their feet simultaneously.
The appearance of Guardian Sky Bulls wasn't necessarily terrifying — as long as their Emperor didn't show up, things were manageable.
But for them to appear at the very start of the tide carried a completely different meaning.
That could only mean that many upper-ten-layer Abyss Emperors were on their way.
Before the high command could even process this—
BOOM. BOOM.
A deafening roar came from deep within the abyssal passage, shaking the entire Endless Mountain Range.
"Sister Leng! This is bad! Come quickly — the sealed abyssal passages are cracking fast!"
Zhang Huanyun's face turned pale with fright.
"We're in big trouble. The Abyss Plane is going for broke — life or death. Send an emergency plea to the Federation. Mobilize the army.
Not just the army — summon top experts from every organization. Tell them plainly:How long the Blood God Legion can hold out, I don't know.If the abyssal creatures break out of the Endless Mountains, it will mean the end of humanity.No organization will be spared."
Leng Yaozhu understood clearly now: with two layers of the Abyss Plane destroyed, it could no longer afford a war of attrition. They were going all in for a decisive battle.
This battle could be even larger than the one six thousand years ago.
If things went poorly, even the Abyssal Sage King might appear.
Without hesitation, Leng Yaozhu soared into the air and shouted to all the Blood Gods of the camp:
"All members of the Blood God Camp — prepare the Blood God Grand Array. We must stop the Abyss Plane from destroying the passage seals, no matter the cost!"
As she spoke, the Phoenix wings behind her unfurled. Six black and three red — nine soul rings circled her body.
As one of the strongest individuals of this era, even in this endless snowy mountain range, the moment she released her full aura, it felt as if the very heavens and earth had grown scorching.
Like a massive blazing sun about to plummet from the sky.
Leng Yaozhu raised her hand. The Emperor Sword in her grasp pointed diagonally toward the sky. A dragon and phoenix entwined, soaring upward, then dived with her toward the abyss.
The dense abyssal energy just emerging from the cracks was instantly shattered under the golden-radiant Emperor Pressure, clearing the entire passage.
Zhang Huanyun dared not delay. He knew Leng Yaozhu was right — if they didn't stabilize the seal now, and it truly broke, it would spell catastrophe.
He raised both hands, and nine beams of golden light flew toward the walls around the passage's exit.
When the nine golden lights stabilized on the walls, they revealed their true forms — nine shields in the shape of emblems, each with a unique insignia representing its original owner.
Yes, while the nine Blood Gods formed the Blood God Grand Array, the one who truly controlled it was the commander of the Blood God Legion.
(End of Chapter)