The Name of Eternals

Chapter 177: Formation Shattered, Ten Demon Kings, and Dire Straits!

Li Tiangang commanded an additional 40,000 soldiers from the 200,000-strong army, integrating them with the existing 10,000 to provide the formation with a continuous supply of energy.

As the formation's demonic spirits activated, a series of roars erupted from within. The demon spirit that had previously merged with Li Tiangang had already returned to the formation. Now, replenished with energy, it charged out again, joined by four other unbroken-state demons.

They clashed with the advancing demon tide, targeting the three immortal-stage great demons. Empowered by the formation, these demon spirits were at their peak, attacking ferociously and fearlessly. Quickly, several three-immortal-stage great demons were severely injured and had to retreat behind the demon tide, leaving the heavenly-stage demons to lead the charge.

These demons charged forward relentlessly, but under the ferocious onslaught of the five great demon spirits, they suffered heavy casualties. More three-immortal-stage demons formed groups to hunt down the individual demon spirits.

Apart from these five unbroken-state demon spirits, the formation also housed a demon king's spirit. This spirit roared and charged towards a distant demon king attacking the defense line.

This demon king was none other than the Dragon Lord, acting as the vanguard for the Dragon Gate. He was under a wanted order, making this his moment to showcase his strength for the Dragon Gate. He continuously attacked, weakening the formation. Once its energy was depleted, the formation would naturally collapse.

As the demon king's spirit entangled with the Dragon Lord, the true form of the dragon emerged with a resounding roar, engaging in fierce combat.

The vast eastern defense line was engulfed in a full-scale war. The immense demon tide, countless demons, and innumerable border soldiers fought desperately, swearing to resist till death.

Arrows rained down into the demon tide, turning the sky into a battlefield of mythical proportions. Signal fires soared into the sky, relaying military intelligence from various points.

Suspended in the air, Li Tiangang's expression was grim and resolute. He commanded the battlefield from within the formation, issuing orders to mobilize troops and reinforce critical points.

Years of battling in Yanbei had honed his military strategies and his understanding of formations. Utilizing the Yuanzi Battalion's soldiers to supplement the formation with energy, he skillfully maneuvered the demon spirits, leveraging the formation's power to free them from encirclements and launch surprise attacks across the battlefield.

The demons near the defense line were decimated by the sudden assaults of the demon spirits, resulting in massive casualties.

"Do you think a mere Six-Phase Star Formation can stop us?!"

"Li Tiangang, let's see how long you can hold out!"

Outside the formation, in front of Li Tiangang, stood four demon kings—two from the Void Realm and two from the Dragon Gate. Along the defense line, two more demon kings were attacking the formation, totaling six demon kings!

Boom!!

The four demon kings launched simultaneous attacks, sending terrifying shockwaves that caused the formation to tremble. The golden light of the formation wavered, its divine runes flashing rapidly, absorbing and dissipating the attacks.

Inside the formation, the impact of each attack from the demon kings caused the five thousand soldiers of the Yuanzi Battalion to tremble, their faces flushing with exertion. They were enveloped in a radiant glow, their energy continuously siphoned by the formation to bolster its defenses.

The Six-Phase Star Formation converted their energy into a conduit, channeling the power of the heavens and stars to fortify the formation's might. Without this celestial assistance, the soldiers' strength alone would not sustain the formation for more than an incense stick's time.

"Focus on one point!"

The elderly demon king from the Void Realm, a ten-thousand-year-old vine demon, directed. His limbs withered, and a new shoot emerged from his cheekbones.

At his command, the other three demon kings concentrated their attacks on a single point. Li Tiangang's face tightened as he stepped forward, wielding his divine blade, and unleashed his ultimate martial technique.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With each step, his aura surged. He slashed out a brilliant blade light, which cut through the formation and collided with the demon kings' attacks. The violent impact sent uncontrolled energy waves crashing against the formation, causing significant damage.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Inside the Yuanzi Battalion, soldiers spat blood, some collapsing from exhaustion. Even higher-ranking officers were pale, their strength nearly drained, yet their eyes remained fierce and unyielding. This was the most elite force of the Li family, where even the lowest-ranked soldier was a seasoned warrior.

Li Tiangang's face darkened as he surveyed the battlefield. The demon tide outside the defense line seemed endless. Such an overwhelming assault had only been seen a few times in Yanbei, where demons usually launched smaller, probing attacks.

"The Palace Master of the Sacred Palace clearly values his resources more," Li Tiangang thought. "But the Void Realm and Dragon Gate seem much more reckless."

"Order the formation to open small gaps at critical points to let some demons in. Let the Guards of the Word Formation kill them to relieve the pressure on the formation!"

Li Tiangang quickly issued the command. Li Fu nodded and relayed the orders. Meanwhile, the four demon kings outside resumed their attacks.

Though the formation's fierce flames hindered the demons, they were no match for the demon kings, who continued their relentless assault. Li Tiangang occasionally counterattacked, but with four demon kings pressing the attack, his efforts had limited effect.

As he watched the defense line, Li Tiangang's concern grew. At this rate, the formation would collapse within half a day.

If it were just the demon tide, the formation and his strategic adjustments could mitigate the impact, prolonging the battle like in Yanbei. But the demon kings' concentrated attacks inflicted severe damage on the formation, requiring more energy to repair.

Seeing the relentless attacks from the demon kings, Li Tiangang's eyes hardened. He knew he had to stop their concentrated assaults to prevent the formation from collapsing.

"Since you insist on attacking, then you will die!"

A fierce resolve surged within him. He stared at the demon kings and roared, charging out of the formation with his divine blade.

The demon kings smirked, anticipating this moment. Once the formation was breached, their demon tide would flood through unimpeded.

"Coming out to die!"

The demon kings attacked, converging their power on Li Tiangang. He stepped forward, his divine blade slashing with unyielding force. The four demon kings blocked his blade, astonished by his power. This was the strength that had slain Feng Shanjun.

"Li family dragon, your reputation is well-deserved. I'll make your death quick," the vine demon king from the Void Realm sneered.

"You think you can kill me?!" Li Tiangang roared, attacking ferociously. The vine demon king revealed his true form, extending countless razor-sharp vines to ensnare Li Tiangang.

Li Tiangang's divine spirit emerged, unleashing a series of flaming palm strikes that burned the vines. His "Great Flame Luo Hand" technique was relentless, forcing the demon kings back.

The four demon kings were shocked by Li Tiangang's power. Even against their combined might, he held his ground. His reputation for single-handedly battling over ten three-immortal-stage demons in Yanbei was not exaggerated. Now in the Dao Heart stage, he was nearly invincible.

But they noticed he had activated his "Unbroken Power," a state that couldn't last long. Once it waned, he would be vulnerable.

"Kill him! Don't let him return to the formation!" the vine demon king shouted, enveloping Li Tiangang in a gray fog.

Two demon kings circled behind Li Tiangang, cutting off his retreat. Li Tiangang roared like a caged lion, attacking furiously. But as his "Unbroken Power" faded, he grew weaker.

A Dragon Gate elder, revealing his true form with a pair of curved horns, charged at Li Tiangang through the fog. A parasitic seed from the vine demon king allowed him to see clearly within the fog.

Li Tiangang, sensing the attack, slashed his blade through the fog, breaking free and fleeing towards the formation.

"You're not getting away!"

The demon kings attacked, the young demon king aiming to intercept. But Li Tiangang didn't dodge, colliding with him and forcing him through the formation's barrier. The demon king found himself inside the formation, the black array token clinging to his chest.

Li Tiangang had two tokens, using one to trap the demon king inside the formation.

The young demon king realized his peril too late, transforming into his true form. Li Tiangang reclaimed the token, eyes blazing with divine light, and roared:

"Die!!"

With a powerful strike of his "Great Flame Luo Hand" technique, Li Tiangang's blade severed the demon king, incinerating him in a blazing inferno. The demon king's soul fled, only to be cut down by Li Tiangang's divine blade.

"Li Tiangang!!"

The remaining demon kings outside the formation were enraged. Li Tiangang ignored them, focusing on blocking the demon king's final attack—a rain of deadly droplets that killed many soldiers.

Despite the heavy casualties, Li Tiangang's fierce resolve only intensified. He quickly consumed precious elixirs to restore his strength.

"Li Tiangang, you're courting death!"

The vine elder's eyes burned with rage as he glared at Li Tiangang, his face twisted with fury. "Do you really think you can hold Liangzhou? Who do you think you are? Do you know that the Grand Elder of Dragon Gate is also here? But he's not in the East. Can you guess where he went?"

Hearing this, Li Tiangang's pupils constricted. The Grand Elder of Dragon Gate? That's an absolute expert!

The gap between the life-death stage and the Dao Heart stage was significant, but with various techniques and martial arts, one could still contend with and fight against them.

However, the difference between the absolute stage and the life-death stage was as vast as that between the Four Establishments stage and the Three Immortals stage!

Any absolute stage expert was close to the pinnacle of power in the Great Yu Dynasty! Li Tiangang's heart pounded. He looked at the two Dragon Gate elders beside him, realizing they might not be bluffing.

Nonetheless, he maintained a cold expression, not letting them see his thoughts or disturb the morale of his troops.

"What about the Grand Elder? He'll die all the same!" he declared.

The vine elder laughed angrily. "Do you even deserve to say that? If it weren't for you hiding your cultivation, making us think you were just some Three Immortals trash, the Grand Elder wouldn't have bothered with the East! If you had revealed your true strength earlier, you'd be dead by now! Do you think this formation can withstand the Grand Elder's attacks?"

"But rest assured, the Grand Elder is elsewhere, probably at the Southern Gate. Hahaha, soon you'll be reunited with your son inside his stomach!"

Li Tiangang's pupils contracted, and his eyes grew colder.

"Trying to shake my resolve? The Li family doesn't fear death. Do you think I'll rush to the South because of your words?"

"Whether you go or not, the outcome will be the same."

The vine elder's eyes gleamed maliciously. "We didn't take you seriously at first, thinking you were just trash we could easily sweep away. But since you're so stubborn, let me show you the true power of the Void Realm!"

As he spoke, shadows rushed in from the horizon.

Li Tiangang's eyes widened.

One, two, three... Seven!

All of them were demon kings!!

The Void Realm was said to have five demon king elders when they went into seclusion. Now, after a thousand years, their numbers had swelled!

Over the years, the Great Yu Dynasty's shadow guards had been monitoring the Void Realm's movements, but they only found seven demon kings. Including the vine elder and the young demon king he just killed, there were actually nine!

And now, all of them had arrived!

"It seems the world has forgotten the might of the Void Realm."

The seven figures approached, each with a distinct aura—some dark, some radiant like the sun, others like shifting shadows.

A lady in a long dress with a pink flower on her forehead looked at the formation and quickly noticed the missing figure beside the vine elder. She sniffed the air, her face changing. She looked at the formation and saw the giant corpse of the young demon king.

"Yinkui!"

The lady's scream was piercing, echoing across the battlefield. Her once pristine and beautiful face twisted with rage.

"You dare kill my son!!"

The young demon king was her child!

A demon king had given birth to another demon king. This spoke volumes about the terrifying power of the lady before them, who had cultivated for countless years.

Li Tiangang's face turned pale. He recognized her as one of the oldest elders of the Void Realm, known as Yin Madam. She possessed the bloodline of the ancient demon king Taiyin Youying, and possibly a direct descendant, making her extremely formidable.

Even more frightening, she was likely an absolute stage demon king!

"Ying Teng, is this how you watched over my child?!"

Yin Madam's fury turned on the vine elder.

The vine elder trembled, "This old servant is guilty. It's that brat's cunning that lured the young master into the formation."

"Shut up!"

Yin Madam slapped him hard, sending him flying and breaking his neck. But as a vine demon, he quickly twisted back, trembling before her, "This old servant accepts punishment. Please calm your anger."

"I'll deal with you later!"

Yin Madam's gaze fixed on Li Tiangang inside the formation. Her beautiful face contorted with malice. "You must die! Your entire Li family must die!!"

Li Tiangang's heart sank. He urgently shouted, "Change the formation, retract the Nine Abyss Fiery Formation!"

The formation's runes rapidly reversed. The Nine Abyss Fiery Formation was retracted, and the formation's offensive power ceased, switching to full defense.

"A mere Six-Phase Star Formation dares to stop me?!"

Yin Madam shrieked, her nails extending. A black moon-like shadow appeared behind her. She swung her hand, sending the black moon crashing into the formation.

Pfft, pfft, pfft!

Inside the formation, the five thousand soldiers of the Yuanzi Battalion almost simultaneously spat blood. A third of them fell unconscious, eyes white and bleeding from their orifices, on the brink of death.

The formation shook violently, its runes flickering and unleashing endless divine light, barely holding.

"Break it!!"

Yin Madam roared, attacking repeatedly.

Each strike of the black moon caused more soldiers to collapse, and the remaining ones coughed up blood.

Li Tiangang's pupils contracted. The Void Realm had gone all out, far beyond his expectations.

Wouldn't they fear the Dao Palace's real people slaughtering them all?

"Hurry, notify the Dao Palace! Alert other general families! Summon reinforcements with my True Dragon Order!"

Li Tiangang urgently commanded.

Under his watch, the formation wavered, its light dimming rapidly.

With the combined assault of the six remaining Void Realm elders, the formation finally shattered with a resounding crash!