Chapter 993 (1/2)

The remaining World Imprinters of the Sixth Mainland were all enraged, but since they were still worried about the cosmic phenomenon, none of them dared to use their full strength.

The Judicial Commissioner known as the Shadow of Death had a power level of more than 800,000, and although his power level did not reach 1,000,000, with the blood-red bell, he was invincible and unafraid of death. The cosmic phenomenon had just erased two Empyrean Imprinters and four other powerhouses whose power levels exceeded 1,000,000, but this Judicial Commissioner still dared to attack.

There was a clear look of admiration on Lu Yin’s face, though he quickly thought of something—was this Judicial Commissioner aware of some special information that allowed him to act without any restraint? For example, had he heard from the people of Gods’ Origin that the cosmic phenomenon had already vanished? But that did not seem quite right, as the phenomena had already covered this area again, and nobody could be certain if it would start erasing people again. This Judicial Commissioner was actually unafraid of death!

This time, the Sixth Mainland had prepared adequately for its assault. Two Empyrean Imprinters, two Cosmic Imprinters, three World Imprinters, and five Imprinters had been sent out. This power should have been enough to sweep through the Innerverse and break into the Neoverse. Even the Hall of Honor’s full strength might not be comparable to that of this army. However, the cosmic phenomenon’s sudden surge had instantly made the Sixth Mainland pay a heavy price.

To add insult to injury, the arrival of the vague shadow that was the Judicial Commissioner caused their situation to worsen even further. The final two World Imprinters immediately attacked the Shadow of Death, and their attacks shook the entire region. However, they had restricted the range of their attacks. The Fifth Mainland had more than just one expert whose power level exceeded 800,000 like this Shadow of Death. They were already quite close to the Neoverse, and nobody knew if more powerful experts would arrive.

The presence of the cosmic phenomenon meant that the Sixth Mainland had not dared to send any additional experts to reinforce their invasion forces. The other Empyrean Imprinters absolutely did not dare to appear, and neither did the Cosmic Imprinters. In other words, the Sixth Mainland had already lost this battle.

Well, that was assuming that the cosmic phenomenon would not vanish entirely. Otherwise, the recent events would become an eternal nightmare for the Sixth Mainland whenever.

At this time, the Cosmic Sea was like a boat that could capsize at any moment. The sky shattered while Lu Yin and the others were all heavily pressured by the fight between the members of the older generation. All of the youths had to retreat to the region that was still under the cosmic phenomenon’s suppression. Otherwise, any random aftershock would instantly eliminate them.

Lu Yin still had his universal armor, but at this time, there were almost ten powerhouses whose power levels exceeded 500,000 who were participating on this battlefield, and to such monsters, his universal armor would not be much different from paper.

Lu Yin was not the only one who did so; Starsibyl, Xing Kai, Liu Tianmu, and the other experts from the Fifth Mainland, as well as Bu Kong, Zhi Yi, and Little Arrow Saint from the Sixth Mainland, fled into the region suppressed by the cosmic phenomenon.

The Cosmic Sea was thus divided into two battlefields: one outside the phenomena, which was the site for the extreme battles whose participants included the likes of the Shadow of Death, and the other was within the suppressed region, and that was the battlefield for those whose power levels were under 200,000.

Lu Yin had hoped to use this opportunity to steal back the Champions' Stage with his Yu Secret Art, but the stage was simply too large. His Yu Secret Art was only able to make it twitch, which simply caused Bu Kong and the others to launch some attacks at Lu YIn.

Liu Tianmu’s sword qi streaked by and slashed at Bu Kong.

Bu Kong’s eyes went wide. “How perfect, you’ve come.”

He then raised a hand and actually dissolved the sword qi. At the same time, he took out multiple sourceboxes and started arranging a sourcebox array that would trap anyone who approached the Champions' Stage.

The youths had assumed that a vicious battle would unfold between the older generation of the two mainlands, but instead, the final two World Imprinters from the Sixth Mainland had turned to flee. The two of them were no match for the Fifth Mainland powerhouses who could receive reinforcements from the Neoverse at any moment. The World Imprinters did not want to die.

Staying behind would mean certain death, so if they wanted to survive, they had to travel back through the region covered by the cosmic phenomenon. That was their only hope of survival.

The Sixth Mainland’s forces began to withdraw in one massive wave, and the various experts from the Fifth Mainland’s older generation did not give chase. The older powerhouses from the Sixth Mainland had to risk quite a lot to travel through the regions suppressed by the cosmic phenomenon, and the people from the Fifth Mainland did not want to risk their necks either. After all, the phenomena did not differentiate between friend and foe—it only cared about power level, and nobody wanted to die meaninglessly.

Lu Yin and the others hurriedly retreated, as the World Imprinters were not a force that they could contend against even with the suppression.

The Sixth Mainland withdrew, but they also brought away the Champions' Stage with them.

Without the older generation’s reinforcement, even those who were terribly ambitious like Liu Tianmu did not dare to give chase.

Lu Yin stood high in the sky and stared to the north. Before long, the Sixth Mainland cultivators had disappeared from sight. To the south, the older people from the Innerverse and Neoverse were also staring to the north, but not even the Shadow of Death pursued the fleeing enemy. Not one of them was willing to enter the region suppressed by the cosmic phenomenon.

Xia Tian was somewhat close to Lu Yin, and the man sighed as he watched the Sixth Mainland withdraw. “The Champions' Stage was the symbol that motivated the younger generation. Now that it’s been taken away, even though we were able to force them back, it means that we still lost this fight.”

Lu Yin was rather moved; the stage represented honor, and it held a special meaning. It was very similar to a military flag of the ancient battlefields. Once the flag was taken away by the enemy, how could anybody consider the result a victory? Also, how would they account for such a loss to others?

From a standpoint of pure logic, losing the stage might not seem like much of a loss, but this loss had struck a heavy blow to the Fifth Mainland’s confidence. If another battle between the two mainlands broke out later, the Sixth Mainland could bring out the Champions’ Stage, and that would deal an incomparable blow to the Fifth Mainland’s confidence.

Beheading enemy generals and seizing their war flags was the most effective method of destroying the enemy’s morale. And now, the Fifth Mainland’s flag had been stolen by the Sixth Mainland.

The Fifth Mainland had tried to use the Champions' Stage to bolster the younger generation’s morale and confidence, but now that it had been stolen, that just made the negative effect even stronger.

Lu Yin had unified half of the Outerverse, and he had a deep understanding that such a power blow to a group’s morale could be fatal. He wanted to seize the stage back, but it was impossible for him to do so, even if he teamed up with Xia Tian, Liu Tianmu, and the others.

“The Champions' Stage was still taken away. We did our best.” Gu Xiao'er came over, also crestfallen.

“The Champions' Stage should not be taken away,” Lu Yin stated firmly. He looked to the north as he clenched his fists.

Some distance away, Xing Kai also clenched his fists. “Who has the courage to follow me and take back the Champions' Stage?”

“Me!” Serati Phoenix declared.

Shu Jing confidently said, “We have to conduct ourselves properly, and we must stand and fight even if it’s to the death. I want to die on the Champions' Stage.”

His tone was cold, but that was because the elder from the Hall of Honor who had been erased by the cosmic phenomenon had been his master.