C1401 Destruction
C1401 Destruction
Mo Ying and the other high-ranking members of the Devil Cloud Sect were all closely monitoring Lin Xuan and the Head Elder, Mo Yuhe. Lin Xuan appeared to be disinterested in the situation. Meanwhile, Mo Yuhe was fully engaged in stabilizing the spatial rift, preparing to dive in. The other senior members watched intently, their expressions grave. They knew that if Mo Yuhe could escape in this manner, they would need to follow suit immediately.
Escaping through torn space is unpredictable; the exit point is uncertain, and there's a real risk of encountering a spatial storm. Such a storm spells certain death, shredding the victim to pieces, leaving no trace of their existence. However, in the face of a life-and-death crisis, these concerns were secondary.
Mo Yuhe then plunged into the spatial rift before him. In theory, this action should have taken but a moment. Yet, to an Emperor Level Martial Cultivator, a moment is ample time to accomplish a great deal. Just as Mo Ying and the other leaders began to feel a surge of relief, thinking Mo Yuhe was about to make it through, the unexpected happened.
The spatial crack undulated like a ripple on water, quivered, and then split into several smaller fissures. The upper half of Mo Yuhe, who had entered the rift, vanished without a trace. The lower half, cut as cleanly as if by a mirror, fell to the ground and twitched reflexively a couple of times before going still.
For a martial cultivator, the physical body is of utmost importance, at least until one reaches the advanced stages where the soul can leave the body and the golden core can exist independently. Neither the Emperor Level nor the Emperor Level cultivators have attained such a realm.
Crucially, the portion of Mo Yuhe's Dantian that contained the golden core remained intact.
The outcome was clear without saying.
With Mo Yuhe's upper body consumed by the spatial rift and the golden core gone, survival was impossible; his death was certain.
Mo Ying and the other senior members were completely taken aback by this turn of events.
At a distance of ten miles, it was impossible for the leaders of the five powers to intervene.
And here, no one would undertake an action that would cut off their own retreat.
That left only Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan was several kilometers away.
Under normal circumstances, even for a peak Emperor Level Martial Cultivator, it would be extremely difficult to influence spatial fluctuations from such a distance.
However, for Emperor Level Martial Cultivators, using a spatial rift to escape in the heat of battle was virtually out of the question.
Yet Lin Xuan had not moved from his spot from the start. He remained standing in place.
Was this the might of a Half-level Emperor?
In every aspect, it was incomparable to the capabilities of a peak Emperor Level.
But in reality, that was not the case.
Lin Xuan's advantage was not his own strength, but his innate spatial talent.
Without it, silently manipulating space would have been impossible.
Lacking this spatial talent as a catalyst, one would have to rely on brute force to create a disturbance in space, which would cause a much larger uproar.
Lin Xuan had long since detected the subtle maneuvers of Mo Ying and the other high-ranking members.
He purposefully utilized his spatial talent to induce spatial tremors, aiming to thwart the plans of these individuals.
He had no intention of sparing anyone from the Devil Cloud Sect, especially not the senior members.
They all had to leave their lives behind.
Otherwise, if even one were to escape and stealthily cross the Heavenly Elemental Sea to the Central Essence Continent, they could seek redress from the Demon Aura Hall.
This could potentially lead to significant complications.
Although Lin Xuan surmised that the Demon Aura Hall might not be inclined to wage a major conflict with someone nearly at the level of a Half-level Emperor over a branch that couldn't even ascend to Half-Emperor status, caution was still necessary.
He needed to buy as much time as possible.
Given his talent and the pace of his cultivation progress, it was the prudent course of action.
Before long, the Demon Aura Hall might be able to stand against him, perhaps even eliminate him.
The ten-thousand-foot black sword light that had sliced through the Devil Cloud Sect's protective barrier, landing in a remote area before dissipating, was his doing as well.
He had launched that previous attack not only to breach the Devil Cloud Sect's defenses but also to test the might of the Terminator Sword, now a fully unsealed Emperor Level Spirit Weapon.
Lin Xuan's strike was fueled solely by Pill Essence, a mere slash.
He didn't employ martial arts or invoke any profound mysteries.
The power unleashed was purely from the Terminator Sword's innate capabilities.
It effortlessly ripped and tore apart the Devil Cloud Sect's barrier.
The strength of the attack was such that it matched the force of a typical Half-level Emperor assault.
Lin Xuan was quite pleased.
His downward slash was meant to yield a more precise assessment, not to obliterate the Devil Cloud Sect.
Had it struck where the sect's upper echelons were located, the overwhelming suppressive force of an Emperor Level Martial Cultivator would have left them unable to even evade.
They could have been swept away in one fell swoop, the Devil Cloud Sect dealt with in one stroke.
Without its leadership, the remaining members of the sect would be inconsequential.
Yet, if Lin Xuan had resolved the matter with a single slash, what purpose would there be for Wei Zhengzhen, Elemental Spirit, and the tens of thousands of warriors from the five major forces to come?
Merely to spectate?
Not all tasks required his direct involvement.
Doing so would be too draining.
It was preferable to delegate lower-level matters to his subordinates.
Furthermore, that one slash could indeed have eradicated all the Devil Cloud Sect's high-level combatants.
The sect's core region would have been obliterated as well.
The storage rings of Mo Ying and the other leaders, along with the sect's reserves, might have been destroyed too.
This would have significantly lessened his gains, which were among his primary objectives.
There was no need to exterminate all the leaders in one go.
Better to leave that to Elemental Spirit, Wei Zhengzhen, and the countless martial artists from the five great powers.
At every level, from the peak of the Emperor Level to the late Emperor Level, and throughout the middle ranks of the Martial King Stage and the Void Martial Stage, the combined forces of the five great powers outnumbered those of the Devil Cloud Sect. Moreover, Mo Ying and the other high-ranking members of the Devil Cloud Sect had been wounded by the residual power of Lin Xuan's previous sword strike. If they still couldn't resolve the situation, it would be a sign of their utter incompetence. Lin Xuan had to decide whether to spare any of these individuals.
Down below, the senior members of the Devil Cloud Sect wore expressions of sheer misery, their eyes reflecting the depths of their despair and desolation. Their sorrow was not for the death of the Head Elder, Mo Yuhe. As Demonic Martial Artists, their own well-being was paramount, not the lives of others. Their grief was for themselves, as Lin Xuan had now sealed off their last potential escape route. It was clear that Lin Xuan intended to ensure their demise.
Despite this realization, none of them chose to end their own lives. Even without a path to survival, none had the willingness or the courage to take such a drastic step. They failed to notice that although Mo Yuhe's body had been bisected, leaving only his lower half, a severed palm was also left behind.