The waves, engulfed in black flames, were utterly terrifying.
Not only were mortal islands easily destroyed, but even the large islands fortified with protective formations and guarded by cultivators were as fragile as paper. Under the horrifying destructive force, they turned to ashes in an instant.
The island-guarding cultivators had no chance to resist—they vanished completely into the sky.
The anomalies caused by their deaths lasted only for a brief moment before being engulfed by the dense black aura in the heavens.
The massive waves continued to sweep across the sea, while the colossal black fireball at the center of it all shattered into tens of thousands of black streaks of light in an earth-shaking explosion.
From the point of impact, these streaks of light shot out in all directions, scattering across the Congyun Sea.
Faced with this apocalyptic scene, the cultivators in Congyun City were momentarily stunned. Then, unable to suppress their fear, they let out terrified cries.
“By the Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Ancestor! Is this the end of the world?”
“A great catastrophe! A terrifying calamity is upon us!”
Some cultivators were terrified. Some went mad. Others were furious. But there were still those who held faith in the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
They believed it was merely a natural disaster—an asteroid calamity. Even though the monstrous tsunami could wipe out all the islands in the Congyun Sea, the city floating high in the sky should remain safe.
Yet, there were always cultivators who prioritized survival above all else.
“Run!”
This was the first thought that flashed through their minds.
However, when they rushed to the Dharma Transmission Plaza, they discovered something that filled them with horror.
“Damn it! Why have all the teleportation formation stopped working?!”
“It’s over! There’s no escape! We’re doomed!”
“A conspiracy! This must be the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance’s doing!”
Panic spread like wildfire through the plaza, and their cries of alarm quickly reached every corner of Congyun Sea City.
Within moments, all cultivators in the city knew that the teleportation formation had failed.
As they saw the approaching tsunami, fear and chaos took hold.
Yet, amidst the turmoil, He Zhenghao remained unnaturally calm. Though he felt a flicker of fear, he forcibly suppressed it through sheer willpower.
“Such an overwhelming force… This must be the Spirit of Heaven and Earth. When will it take form? According to legend, Spirits of Heaven and Earth always manifest in humanoid forms…”
A trace of unease crept into He Zhenghao’s heart.
“It should be fine… If the Lord Envoy could predict the descent of the Spirit of Heaven and Earth, He must have prepared for this.”
He reassured himself.
Sure enough, just as he had this thought, a voice suddenly resonated throughout Congyun Sea City— Li Fan’s voice.
“Cultivators, do not panic! With Immortal Lord Hongxi here, nothing will go wrong!”
“All of you need only remain within the city!”
“Formation Hall, activate the grand defensive array formation at full power to withstand the disaster! Martial Hall squads, assemble and maintain order!”
The steady voice echoed through the city. Like a stabilizing anchor, it momentarily restored calm among the cultivators.
Soon after, a glowing barrier enveloped Congyun Immortal City, while cultivators rushed to reinforce various formation nodes.
For a brief moment, order returned to the city.
Meanwhile, Li Fan gazed at the endless black streaks of light in the sky and the ever-expanding tsunami. Then, his eyes drifted toward Immortal Lord Hongxi, dressed in white not far away.
Li Fan saw that his face was filled with solemnity.
“Black flames? Has Crimson Flame been enhanced, or is this the power of another Spirit of Heaven and Earth?”
“Ink Flame?”
Faced with this unexpected change in the world, Li Fan was somewhat surprised, but overall, this outcome was still within his expectations.
In previous lifetimes, the Crimson Flame had descended as a heavenly mandate, carrying out acts of burning the seas and annihilating the world.
However, after the Crimson Flame was sacrificed and refined by cultivators, it would trigger a violent counterattack from the will of heaven and earth.
The catastrophic Ink Death would descend, completely reducing Congyun Sea to nothingness.
But in this world, due to the battle between the Heavenly Doctor, the Sage, and the Fisherman, the predetermined timeline for the world’s destruction was drastically moved forward.
“The Crimson Flame burning the seas… there is still room for maneuver.”
“If the will of heaven and earth had intended complete destruction from the start, then what would have descended wouldn’t have been that feeble boiler worker, Crimson Flame.”
“Instead, it would have sent a much stronger spirit of heaven and earth.”
“Heaven’s mandate, change, fate…”
As Li Fan’s thoughts turned, he vaguely came to an understanding.
“The will of heaven and earth is not immutable, but dynamically adjusts based on actual circumstances.”
“Yet its ultimate objective remains the same…
“Congyun Sea must perish!”
“The reason behind this is perhaps not only because cultivators plunder the heavens and seize the land, making them the scourge of heaven and earth, but also due to the involvement of that group from the Heavenly Doctor!”
Li Fan’s eyes gleamed with sharp insight.
While he pondered, a massive wave was already approaching beneath Congyun City.
Even though Congyun Immortal City stood high above the clouds, a mere few hundred-meter-tall wave seemed incapable of posing a threat. However, for some unknown reason, an ominous premonition surged in the hearts of all the cultivators within the city.
And as it turned out, their instincts were correct.
The colossal wave, flickering with black flames, arrived beneath Congyun City—and then, as if it had come alive, its movement trajectory abruptly changed.
It surged upward, ferociously crashing toward the sky.
Cries of alarm rang out in succession.
At that moment, the silent Immortal Lord Hongxi finally made his move.
Beneath Congyun Immortal City, a vast mountain range suddenly rose from the ground.
Like a great wall, it forcibly blocked the oncoming wave.
The wave, obstructed, fell back onto the sea.
Yet Li Fan, who had witnessed Immortal Lord Hongxi’s full strength before, could tell that this seemingly casual move had actually cost Hongxi nearly half of his power.
“That strong?”
Feeling the faint tremor beneath his feet, Li Fan narrowed his eyes.
Although this was only one of his clone, it contained three divine abilities passed down from his true body, each executed with full force.
At a critical moment, he could make it seem real enough to deceive everyone.
The reason for such an elaborate act was to solidify the illusion that Li Fan, the cultivator from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, had perished.
Li Fan was certain that even amidst this apocalyptic calamity of burning seas, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance would find a way to uncover the final moments before Congyun Sea was obliterated.
Thus, his act had to be flawless—he could not afford to reveal a single flaw.
“It’s still not time to make a move.”
“The Crimson Flame… no, where is the true body of the Ink Flame now?”
Li Fan kept his gaze locked onto the surface of Congyun Sea, trying to discern any clues.
Meanwhile, the temporarily blocked wave, as if retreating into dormancy, fell silent upon returning to the sea.
But what followed next was a rain of thousands of black fire meteors.
Almost as if they possessed intelligence, these meteors altered their original trajectory upon seeing the wave’s assault had been thwarted.
They all collectively hurtled toward Congyun City instead.
The sight was so overwhelming that it left the gathered cultivators speechless.
Boom!
The moment the first meteor collided with the protective barrier, the entire Congyun City trembled violently.
What horrified the cultivators even more was that—after just a single impact—fine cracks had already begun to spread across the protective shield.