Just as Meng Qi tried to release Cloud from its chains, black qi surged out of the chains like vipers of death attempting to devour Meng Qi.

“Meng Qi!” Both Chu Yao and Tang Wan-er let out a startled cry. This happened out of nowhere, and Meng Qi was already enveloped by the black qi.

Divine light burst out of Meng Qi, and she flew back. However, there was a clump of black qi sticking to her forehead, trying to dig into her head.

Meng Qi rapidly formed hand seals as she forced the black qi back.

“It’s a curse!”

Startled cries rang out. Unexpectedly, the execution stand had a curse on it that would affect anyone who tried to save the Cloud Chasing Heaven Swallowing Sparrow. Seeing Meng Qi, who appeared like a heavenly fairy, be attacked by that sinister black qi, people couldn’t help feeling pity. Even some of the neutral camp’s experts felt Sha Guangyan was too despicable.

“Hahaha, you want to save the Cloud Chasing Heaven Swallowing Sparrow? Keep dreaming. None of you will be able to save it. Just watch as it’s killed!” laughed Sha Guangyan.

This move had originally been prepared for Long Chen. However, now that Hu Xiaolin, Jin Mingwei, Yan Weishan, and all these other powerful experts had come, this trap was unnecessary.

“There’s no need to fight it. This curse is something I made based on my Corrupt path’s Hell World. Its power is not inferior to the Underworld Soul Ghost Curse at all. Your death is inevitable.” Jin Mingwei sneered. He was confident in this move of his.

“Bastards, you’re all courting death!” Gu Yang roared and was about to charge out when he was held back by Yue Zifeng.

“Don’t worry. A minor curse is unable to do anything to me.” Meng Qi’s face was a bit pale, but she was still calm. The only thing in her eyes was killing intent.

Seeing Cloud being tormented by them, she felt like a blade was stabbing her heart. She bitterly hated all these people.

Now that the Dragonblood Legion had come, the air was taut with tension. Each of the Dragonblood warriors was glaring at Sha Guangyan and the others. As long as the order was given, they would charge out.

The Dragonblood warriors were just waiting for Guo Ran. Long Chen had said that when he wasn’t present, they were to listen to Guo Ran.

Guo Ran was clenching his fists, his expression dark. Although he had been prepared since Long Chen had said that Cloud had been captured, he still hadn’t expected them to be so vicious.

He had an urge to immediately give the order to slaughter them all, but Yue Zifeng had just sent him a message, and he could only temporarily suppress his fury.

“Hmph, all you are is a mob. My boss is already on the way here. You think you’re fit to make my boss fight? What a huge joke. Do you think being an Empyrean is so amazing? Today, I’m challenging you guys. Anyone who doesn’t submit can come out and fight!” Guo Ran flew out into the air and glared at the opposing experts.

Meng Qi was being supported by Chu Yao and Tang Wan-er. They and the rest of the Dragonblood warriors were retreating back to their camp. Although they were incomparably infuriated, they had no choice but to listen to Guo Ran’s orders.

Suddenly, a soft bird cry rang out from Cloud’s mouth. Although that sound was very quiet, the pain within it was clear. Everyone’s hearts shook.

“Cloud, don’t be afraid. I will definitely save you!” Meng Qi’s tears overflowed. Cloud was already hanging by a thread and unconscious. That sound was practically instinctual just from feeling her presence.

The black qi on her forehead was still attacking her. Tang Wan-er and Chu Yao both placed a hand on her back, helping Meng Qi block it with their Spiritual Strength.

“Even a minor rank nine Celestial dares to be so arrogant? Report your name!” A person with a broadsword on his back flew out. The powerful Heavenly Dao fluctuations coming from him showed he was a true Empyrean.

“Guo Ran.” This time, Guo Ran wasn’t in the mood to shout his slogan. He was overcome with hatred and a desire to kill these people.

“Since you’ve reported your name, you can die.” The Empyrean suddenly unsheathed his broadsword and hacked it toward Guo Ran. The Heavenly Dao energy in the air supported his attack while distancing itself from Guo Ran.

BOOM! A fiery-red saber met the broadsword, blocking its path.

“What?!”

Startled cries rang out. In an instant, Guo Ran had gone from an ordinary person to a metal monstrosity.

He was covered in armor. His head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and other places were covered in sharp spikes. He truly appeared to be a sinister and fierce monster.

His right hand was holding a saber that was blocking the Empyrean’s attack, and he didn’t budge at all in the face of an Empyrean’s power. It seemed like it wasn’t taxing for him to block an Empyrean’s attack.

As everyone, including the Empyrean, was filled with absolute shock, another saber appeared in Guo Ran’s left hand, and he slashed it at the Empyrean’s waist.

BANG! The Empyrean hastily blocked it with his broadsword and was sent flying. The power within Guo Ran’s saber had felt like an exploding volcano, and he wasn’t able to fully block it.

“Die!” A metallic voice came from within the armor. Guo Ran’s voice sounded strange and much more frightening with his armor on.

His saber was like a shooting star as it streaked through the air. Countless runes appeared and saber-light grew. The full power of an Ancestral item was unleashed.

The Empyrean roared, and his primal chaos manifestation exploded into existence. He slashed his broadsword into Guo Ran’s saber, and an intense explosive sound rang out. As a result, he was once more blown back by Guo Ran.

“Guo Ran’s power stems from his armor. He isn’t affected by the Heavenly Dao suppression. That Empyrean will naturally lose when he fights against him in brute power,” said Gu Yang with a cold smile.

Guo Ran’s armor had been completely reworked. It was made of multiple Ancestral items that had been forged by him and nourished by his soul. They were all extremely loyal to him, which allowed him to unleash their full power.

As for that Empyrean’s Heavenly Dao energy, it was essentially useless. When Guo Ran fought, he didn’t rely on Heavenly Dao energy but the power of his armor.

The Dragonblood warriors understood this reasoning, but the others didn’t. All they saw was Guo Ran force back an Empyrean over and over again. He had completely suppressed him.

Before this, Yue Zifeng had injured Ye Qingkuang with one attack. That had been shocking enough, but some people felt that it had been a sneak attack, and that in a real fight, Yue Zifeng wouldn’t necessarily be able to receive a full-strength attack from an Empyrean.

However, now Guo Ran was completely suppressing an Empyrean in combat. That was absolutely shocking. They had never heard of a rank nine Celestial being capable of fighting against an Empyrean on even ground. They were supposed to be unable to resist in front of that absolute Heavenly Dao suppression.

Yue Zifeng and Guo Ran had toppled that thinking. They were both incredibly powerful.

Everyone stared at the two figures fighting in the air. They completely forgot about the flow of time.

They fought for six hours. The Empyrean tried different moves and even used many secret arts, but at best, he was only able to temporarily force back Guo Ran. He was quickly suppressed by Guo Ran time and time again, making him roar angrily.

“Idiot, is being an Empyrean so amazing? Did you think being an Empyrean made you special? Are you shouting like an animal because you’re in heat? Did you think having a divine item made you impressive?”

Guo Ran’s mouth didn’t slack off as he fought. He intentionally angered the Empyrean. If the Empyrean didn’t have a divine item in his hand, his situation would be even more miserable.

After a while of fighting, Guo Ran put away his sabers and fought with his fists. After all, he hadn’t had a real fight after creating this armor. He needed to get used to it, and it just so happened he had an Empyrean opponent to train himself with.

“Do you see this? I can fight you barehanded! Beating you is like beating a child! What are you so arrogant for?”

Guo Ran blocked the Empyrean’s sword with his fist and sent him flying with a kick.

The Empyrean coughed up a mouthful of blood. It wasn’t from the kick but from anger. He felt like he was about to go crazy from fury. Guo Ran was absolutely hateful. He was clearly armed to his teeth, but he said he was fighting barehanded. That was too shameless.

Seeing the Empyrean cough up blood, everyone jumped in shock. They didn’t know it was from anger. They thought he was injured.

“This Guo Ran is so powerful! He’s actually able to injure an Empyrean as a rank nine Celestial!”

“You can’t put it that way. There’s most likely something strange with his armor. This kind of unorthodox path can’t lead to anywhere great,” countered someone else.

However, no matter how they put it, even if Guo Ran was relying on external strength, he was still a rank nine Celestial who had forced an Empyrean to this point. That was enough to be proud of.

“Bastard, if it weren’t for your damn turtle shell, I’d kill you with a single slash!” raged the Empyrean.

“Idiot, if you weren’t an Empyrean, I’d drown you with a single piss,” retorted Guo Ran as he met his attacks.

Amongst the crowd, Yue Zifeng nodded. Guo Ran’s ability to stall for time was truly amazing. Hours had passed without anyone noticing the flow of time.

However, the thing that was a bit worrisome wasn’t Guo Ran, it was Meng Qi. Even after this long, she was still busy blocking the curse. It was too difficult to deal with it. It was like it had its own life and refused to be purged.

“This is too boring. I can’t wait any longer. Let’s kill a few people for fun!” Suddenly, Peng Wansheng stood up amongst the ancient race experts and began walking over to Long Chen’s camp.