With the Demon Clan and the foreign cultivators burning their bridges, their attacks grew even more ferocious. In an instant, the dazzling light of cultivators self-detonating erupted in dozens of locations across the battlefield.
Among them were heavily injured or outmatched demonic and foreign cultivators, but the other half were South Sea cultivators whose restrictions had been triggered. The Demon Clan no longer showed any restraint toward them.
In just that moment's delay, with no powerful external aid, Wei Zhongran was overtaken by the giant palm.
The colossal hand descended like a world-destroying demon god, closing in to grasp him.
The grip of the giant palm was world-shaking. Like an old man slowly closing his hand, the wind from its five fingers swept past the shattered peaks and colossal stones pouring into the abyss from above.
Amidst a series of "bang, bang, bang" sounds, they were reduced to so much dust in the sky.
Wei Zhongran's figure, swift as lightning, weaved through the rubble. This was him exerting his full strength, erupting with unprecedented speed in a desperate struggle for his life.
But no matter how fast he was, he still couldn't escape the range of those slowly closing fingers. The five fingers were like an ever-expanding cage of heaven and earth, firmly locking onto Wei Zhongran's form, which had already become a mere afterimage.
The immense force from below caused Wei Zhongran's long robes to shred apart inch by inch, from the hem upwards, turning into clouds of flying ash.
He clenched his lips, his entire body erupting in a brilliant spirit light. The Spirit Power in his two Dantians surged like a raging tide, emitting thunderous roars within his body as it coursed rapidly through his meridians.
This was Wei Zhongran's greatest secret. Unlike ordinary people, he possessed two Dantian seas within his Purple Mansion. His magical power far surpassed that of cultivators at the same level, by two to three times.
He could even barely manage to execute certain cultivation manuals that were typically only usable by initial-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.
...
Li Yan sent a demonic cultivator flying with a kick that broke his bones and snapped his tendons. But before his vision could clear, two more demonic cultivators charged at him.
A sliver of his Divine Sense was constantly sweeping over the Devil's Cliff Crevice, never leaving it for a moment. Wei Zhongran's profound sentiment and righteousness had moved Li Yan, who had become somewhat cold and unfeeling, to deeply respect this master of his.
On the other side, Gong Chenying's group of three was likewise being swarmed by wave after wave of demonic cultivators who fought with no regard for their own lives.
This was because very few Foundation Establishment cultivators were still charging toward the cliff's edge, and even most Golden Core cultivators were extremely hesitant.
Just moments ago, there had been quite a few Demon Lords in the abyss, yet cultivators of their level had been sucked away without a trace in an instant. The Foundation Establishment cultivators no longer dared to approach. They were content to just stay nearby, killing demonic cultivators.
Gong Chenying and her group, however, were desperately trying to get closer to the cliff's edge, fighting with reckless abandon.
Under the demonic cultivators' frenzied assault, Lin Daqiao suffered two more grievous injuries. Li Yan and the other two had no choice but to protect him, reducing the number of attacks he faced.
Further away, another figure charged madly toward the Devil's Cliff Crevice, heedless of all else. It was Li Wuyi. At this moment, he had lost every trace of his usual scholarly grace and composure.
But the more he acted this way, the more he drew waves of obstruction from the demonic cultivators, each stronger than the last. They could all see that Li Wuyi's cultivation was not trivial, and that such a person might be hiding a powerful trump card.
If he was allowed to get close, he might very well help the stout cultivator below the cliff break free.
Li Wuyi and Li Yan's group had flown up from the Devil's Cliff Crevice to begin with, and had intentionally lagged behind, so they were not too far from the cliff.
Although Li Yan was helping Gong Chenying's group push toward the cliff's edge, he was actually contemplating whether he should use his full strength to rush over.
He was worried about Wei Zhongran, but the giant palm in the depths of the Devil's Cliff Crevice and the powerful suction from below formed a natural barrier.
Li Yan felt that if he went, he would only be a burden and wouldn't be able to help at all. The same went for Li Wuyi; he too would be of no help to Wei Zhongran right now.
Li Yan was already well aware of Wei Zhongran's strength. He was a mighty existence capable of fighting a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Under these circumstances, Wei Zhongran himself had been reduced to such a pathetic state, dodging and hiding with barely any strength to fight back. Although Li Wuyi's cultivation was now much stronger than that of an ordinary initial-stage Golden Core cultivator, he was still too weak.
At the same time, amid the clamorous cries of battle, Li Yan faintly heard his Martial Mother's anxious voice. Following the sound and spreading his Divine Sense, he quickly located the figure of his Martial Mother, Zhao Zhi, in the far distance.
Zhao Zhi's slender figure was currently at least twenty li away from the Devil's Cliff Crevice.
Li Yan didn't know where his Martial Mother had been ordered to stand guard before, but now it would be difficult for her to get over. Just crossing the large and small battle groups in between would take an unknown amount of time.
Normally, a distance of twenty li was but an instant for a Golden Core cultivator.
But now, although Zhao Zhi and the dozen or so Malevolent Spirit Sect cultivators by her side were fighting their way over, every zhang of progress came at a great cost. There was no way they could break through in a short time.
The efforts of all the cultivators on Li Yan's side were all for naught in that fleeting moment. Within the closing fingers below the Devil's Cliff Crevice, Wei Zhongran was about to be caught.
Watching the five fingers continuously closing in, Wei Zhongran found himself unable to break free and escape, no matter how he tried to ascend. It was as if he were trapped deep within.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the five massive fingers draw nearer. The immense pressure from all around was already making it impossible for him to breathe.
The spirit light around his body was dissolving into specks of light with a rapid "ding, ding, ding" sound, like a dense rainfall, and quickly dissipating.
Waves of intense pain shot through his body, piercing his very soul. His bones emitted loud "kaka-kaka" sounds, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans appeared in dense layers on his forehead, yet he didn't even let out a single grunt.
Suddenly, he let out a low cry.
"Now is the time!"
An object flew out from his waist. In an instant, the aroma of fine wine filled the air beneath the Devil's Cliff Crevice. A single drop of amber-colored liquid spun around and enveloped Wei Zhongran.
Wei Zhongran immediately ceased all movement, like a human-shaped piece of amber formed over millions of years, sealed within.
At that moment, the five fingers happened to close completely. With a crisp "crack," like someone crushing a piece of porcelain, the seemingly fragile liquid instantly became as hard as ancient refined steel.
Under the force of that powerful grip, the five massive fingers, which seemed capable of crushing the heavens and the earth, actually began to shatter inch by inch. Following that, a pained grunt echoed from the bottom of the abyss below the Devil's Cliff Crevice.
A faint, fierce shout reached everyone's ears.
"You brat, you will die..."
The five fingers, which had been on the verge of dissipating, suddenly re-formed into a single index finger in an instant. However, this finger had become incredibly faint, as if a single breath could blow it away.
But in reality, the rubble and giant peaks around the finger were swept away like mounds of flour.
Then, the finger swiftly pointed toward Wei Zhongran. At the same time it pressed down, strands of inky smoke at its edges were rapidly dissipating. The finger continued to fade as it moved, already approaching a state of nothingness. This was the final attack, condensed with the last of the entity's strength.
It was determined to kill Wei Zhongran on the spot to slightly appease the overwhelming fury in its heart.
Meanwhile, the amber liquid around Wei Zhongran, having been squeezed by the five fingers, had also turned into wisps of amber-colored mist that were rapidly dissipating.
In the blink of an eye, only a thin layer of amber color remained, covering his entire body.
Seeing the colossal, pillar-like finger pressing down on him, a fierce glint flashed in Wei Zhongran's eyes. He could feel the deadly killing intent coming from the faint, almost-disappeared finger.
With a shake of his hands, a pair of Ebony Gold Great Hammers appeared in his grasp. This was his Natal Magical Treasure, which had accompanied him through a hundred years of battle.
By now, eight breaths had passed since he began his escape from below. The suction from the abyss was growing stronger, and Wei Zhongran could barely keep his footing.
With the twin hammers in hand, a tide of ruthless aura surged from Wei Zhongran. The two Dantians in his body held nothing back this time. All his Spirit Power poured out, and without the slightest hesitation, he smashed the hammers down on the approaching finger.
"Boom!"
A sky-shaking roar echoed through the heavens and the earth. Even amidst the deafening sounds of the collapsing surroundings of the Devil's Cliff Crevice, it was like a sudden peal of thunder born between heaven and earth, erupting from the deep abyss.
The moment Wei Zhongran smashed the finger, his entire body was sent flying.
The finger exploded into specks of black smoke, but the disparity in their power was simply too great.
The twin hammers in Wei Zhongran's hands abruptly transformed into two balls of almost transparent ebony light and drilled back into his body. He himself was thrown further upward.
At the same time, an enraged roar came from the endless abyss below, which was then completely drowned out by the rumbling sound of collapsing rock and mountains.
Wei Zhongran's body was only thrown up to the vicinity of the cliff's edge before it began to fall rapidly back down again. He had failed to escape the abyss.
At this moment, the people on the cliff finally noticed that something was wrong. Wei Zhongran seemed to have fallen unconscious. How could he possibly resist the powerful suction from the abyss now?
Just as his body was about to reach the cliff's edge, it began to plummet downward again at an even faster speed, falling more than ten zhang in an instant.
From the moment the giant hand's fingers closed, to their re-formation into a single finger, and then to Wei Zhongran's counterattack, everything had happened in a flash, unbelievably fast.
It wasn't until Wei Zhongran's body began to fall again that many people finally reacted.
Many demonic cultivators immediately threw their heads back and roared, their cries filled with triumphant glee.
And just then, a streak of white silk descended as if from the heavens, instantly passing through the gaps in the dense crowds in front and shooting toward Wei Zhongran below.
Li Yan, Gong Chenying, Wei Chituo, and Lin Daqiao had also just reacted. At this moment, having fought their way back from high above, they were still not particularly close to the cliff's edge.
But in just these few breaths, as the surrounding area collapsed, the Devil's Cliff Crevice had widened to their very feet. Li Yan and the others were now near the edge of the precipice.
Now, only Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators dared to even think of charging down, with the exception, of course, of Gong Chenying and her few death-defying disciples.
This streak of white silk arrived swiftly. It shot out from a spot to Li Yan's diagonal side. It was Zhao Min, dressed in white.
Her white clothes were no longer purer than snow; they were dotted with patches of red, like plum blossoms blooming in winter.
It was unknown whether she had been circling near the cliff all along or had just rushed back. Zhao Min was now surrounded by several thousand Gu-insects of various colors.
Her face, already as fair as jade, was now deathly pale. Controlling so many Gu-insects at once had long since exceeded the limits of her cultivation. But she said nothing, desperately trying to maintain the cultivation manual in her hands.
With every breath, her Sea of Consciousness felt like it was being bombarded by a heavy hammer, but she merely bit her crimson lip, not making a sound.
These Gu-insects were large and small, of all shapes and sizes, ferocious and fierce. It was clear that Zhao Min had recklessly released every Gu-insect she could.
A small, clear area had formed around her. Seven or eight demonic cultivators were covered in a dense swarm of Gu-insects. Amidst their blood-curdling screams, they constantly slapped at their bodies.
Or, the demonic qi on their bodies would surge madly as they tried to shake off the large swarms of Gu-insects.
Nearby, even more demonic cultivators, despite seeing Zhao Min's vicious and cruel methods, still charged at her without a care. The more the enemy acted this way, the more it proved that she had a significant relationship with the cultivator below.
Therefore, they had to kill this white-robed young woman to vent the anger in their hearts.
Zhao Min, however, ignored them all. Driving the sky full of Gu-insects, she pushed her way toward the cliff step by step, completely disregarding the demonic cultivators pouncing on her from all sides. But breaking through was not so easy.