CHAPTER 297: SOUTHERN REGION ON THE BRINK

Southern Region.

The flame of war echoed across the sky as the sound of battle roared through every corner of the capital.

The once-bustling city was now a memory. The high capital wall bore cracks, stained with blood.

Yet the sound of battle showed no signs of ending.

On the wide street, guards fought against both evil cultivators and vengeful spirits.

The energy of confronting two different foes at once was like an insurmountable mountain.

Thus, people could only fight until death.

Up in the sky, three Golden Core Experts fought fiercely. The terrifying clash echoed like heaven’s wrath.

"Hahaha. Futile effort." An old man, dressed in a loose red robe, sneered.

He raised his hand and struck with a deadly palm strike. The sky darkened, smeared with a blood-red palm made from spiritual energy.

The ominous blood palm caused all the weaker warriors on the ground to tremble in fright.

"Humph!" The Frost Moon Sect master stepped forward and struck.

"Frost Moon Slash—First Cut."

The sky filled with horrifying frost that sent chills down the spines of everyone present.

Against the incoming bloody palm, the frost froze everything in its path.

Boom!

The two strikes collided, and a deafening roar split the sky. The capital trembled to its core.

The old man in the red robe skidded backward, a slight frown creasing his face.

Their plan had been progressing smoothly. With all the Golden Core experts in the central region, conquering all the regions except the central one should have been easy.

However, just as their plan neared completion, the Southern Region Golden Core expert returned.

This alone shocked all of the evil sects assigned to the Southern Region.

How was that even possible?

The distance between the Southern Region and the Central region would take days on the fastest horse.

It had barely been two days since they began their plan, and they were already back.

Although they could not fathom how such an impossible thing had happened, their plan must continue. Nothing could stop them this time around.

The Frost Moon Sect master did not concern herself with the slight frown on his face as she pressed forward with a second strike.

She closed the distance.

"Frost Moon Slash—Second Cut."

"Get lost!" the old man shouted.

"Infant Death Punch."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two wits clashed in a life-and-death battle, their strikes flashing across the sky.

One kilometer from their battle, the tall, sturdy Nine Mountain Sect Master faced another evil cultivator.

Each of his strikes was not as elegant as the Frost Moon Sect Master’s, but they were more powerful.

Every fist strike roared like a raging inferno.

"Earthshaker Fist."

Boom!

The shield his opponent raised shattered under the terrifying punch.

The bald old man attempted to retreat to retrieve another artifact, but the Nine Mountain Sect Master would not grant him a chance.

"Niine Mountain Iron Fist—First Fist."

Bang!

"Second Fist!"

Bang! Bang!

The sound of bones shattering echoed through the sky, and everyone could hear it clearly.

Yet the Nine Mountain Sect Master’s barrage did not abate for a moment.

With each fist, his momentum rose, like a mountain stacking upon itself.

The bald evil cultivator was stunned.

The Nine Mountain Sect Master was only Early Golden Core Stage 2, like him, but the Nine Mountain Iron Fist technique augmented his strength to near a stage 3 Golden Core expert.

"Third Fist."

By the third fist, a phantom of three mountains appeared behind him.

Seeing the three mountain phantoms, the evil bald man wanted nothing more than to flee at once.

But under the horrifying momentum, his reaction was slow.

Boom!

The fearsome fist slammed into his chest.

Crack!

Every bone in his body shattered as he was sent flying.

Like a loose arrow from a bowstring, the bald man crashed heavily into a building below.

For a moment, the area fell silent. Everyone turned their gaze to the imposing Nine Mountain Sect Master.

His chest rose and fell, proof that the Nine Mountain Iron Fist technique took a toll on his sturdy body.

Yet the result was evident.

Hundreds of meters from him, the Wind Spirit Sect Master wore a knowing smile and muttered, "I guess I can’t lag behind the muscle head."

Hearing his mutter, his opponent, a middle-aged woman, creased her brow and sneered.

"Curse Darkfire Seal." She performed a swift, intricate hand movement.

Suddenly, the Wind Spirit Sect Master felt his spirit energy and body sealed from the inside out.

"Silver Wind Ascension."

Whoosh!

He vanished from his spot, as if a phantom had appeared behind him.

"Skywind Slash!"

He appeared behind the woman and struck with his sword.

Bang!

Instead of killing her, her body exploded into small blood shards that scattered in various directions.

Seeing this, the Wind Spirit Sect Master furrowed his brow in a deep frown.

This was not the first time the woman had employed such an evil technique to escape.

Against such a technique, he was powerless. Shaking his head, he turned to watch the Frost Moon Sect Master’s battle.

Just as expected, the old man in the red robe had escaped using the same technique as the woman.

"Let us go and assist the Governor," the Nine Mountain Sect Master announced.

His breathing had returned to normal after taking an energy-recovery pill.

The others nodded and raced toward the Governor’s direction.

Along the way, they saw destruction and heard soul-rending screams from the ground.

However, they did not dare stop to help the people. They might have repelled the evil sect Golden Core Expert, but that was only part of their problems.

Apart from the evil sect expert, the Shadow Lurkers posed another danger that could not be ignored.

Until they killed the Shadow Lurkers, no one would be truly safe.

But killing the Shadow Lurker was easier said than done.

They could only hope their combined strength would be enough, or else their region might truly fall into the hands of the evil sects.