CHAPTER 292: CHAPTER 289: DIAMOND BATTLE (PART 1)_1

"General, as soon as the hour of Zi arrives, you must pass through the Pan Domain Formation within ten breaths. That’s the loophole in the formation!" Yuan Tiangang earnestly reminded. With a wave of his right hand, he drew a map with Spiritual Energy, indicating an army camp with red marks.

Everyone looked at the map and let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, this camp was near the west side, making it highly probable for infiltration. If it were in the very center, they might as well give up.

"I have committed Lord Yuan’s words to memory. Please rest assured, Generals. Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders will accomplish our mission!" After saying this, the chief of Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders cupped his fists, then turned and left the Beacon Tower to prepare.

As time passed and the hour of Zi drew near, Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders slipped out through a side gate, concealed themselves in the Void, and waited silently.

"Send the command! Sound the war drums! Assume an offensive posture!" Zhao Yun commanded in a deep voice. Of course, he wasn’t actually attacking but rather creating a diversion to cover Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders’ movements.

Instantly, along the Great Wall, the sound of war drums thundered across the sky. One by one, demon crystal cannons were hauled onto the Great Wall, their muzzles aimed directly at the Diamond Domain.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...

A series of thunderous blasts echoed as tens of thousands of artillery shells tore through the air, slamming into the Pan Domain Formation and exploding violently.

For a moment, the battlefield was engulfed in soaring flames and thick smoke!

"Order the demon crystal cannons to return fire!" Liu Jimin commanded, his hands clasped behind his back. He watched the shells rain down from the Great Wall without a shred of concern, even ordering a counterattack.

Tens of thousands of shells launched from the various camps, striking the Great Wall with a force no less than that of the Qin Dynasty Divine Court’s barrage.

Thus, both sides exchanged fire, the battle raging fiercely!

The dark night was lit up by the continuous artillery blasts!

No one noticed the hidden Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders moving swiftly. Not even the Qin Dynasty’s own experts in Divine Skills sensed them.

Soon, Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders arrived above the camp, holding their breath and waiting in silence.

After a short wait, the hour of Zi arrived. Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders didn’t hesitate, passing through the Pan Domain Formation and smoothly penetrating deep into the Azure Sea Ancient Court’s army.

"Keep up the barrage for a few more minutes, then cease fire!" Zhao Yun ordered immediately, having kept track of the time, once the hour of Zi had passed.

「Three minutes later,」

The Qin Dynasty Divine Court was the first to cease fire. Aside from the troops remaining on guard, everyone else withdrew to rest.

Liu Jimin was somewhat puzzled. Strange, what are they up to? Did the Qin Dynasty Divine Court launch a bombardment in the middle of the night just for the sound of it?

His keen intuition told him this matter was not simple; there had to be something he was missing. However, despite thinking it over repeatedly, he couldn’t find any problem.

After letting his artillery bombard for a while longer, Liu Jimin also ordered a ceasefire.

This cannon battle, which had erupted so inexplicably, also fizzled out with baffling abruptness.

「In the following days,」

Neither side dispatched troops, nor did any major battles break out. But everyone knew this was merely the calm before the storm.

Zhao Yun was waiting. He was waiting for Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders to sabotage the Pan Domain Formation!

Meanwhile, Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders, having successfully infiltrated, relentlessly searched for the core array nexus. In just three days, they had traversed tens of thousands of miles and inspected over a thousand military camps.

But the formation inscriptions in all these camps were identical; clearly, none of them housed the core array nexus.

The core array nexus had to be different from ordinary ones, the most significant distinction being its unique formation inscriptions.

As long as they could find that specific camp among the ten thousand, their mission would be accomplished!

Where on earth is it? In a patch of forest, the leader of Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders frowned. Being within the Azure Sea Ancient Court’s formation was like dancing on a tightrope; they risked discovery at any moment.

He couldn’t afford to search aimlessly like a headless fly, inspecting every single camp. A target must be determined!

"Leader, should we check the very center?" one of the members suggested.

The leader of Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders was momentarily tempted but quickly shook his head. It’s too obvious. As one of the strongest formations on the continent, the Pan Domain Formation would definitely not have its core array nexus placed in the center.

So where could it be?

The leader of Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders surveyed his surroundings. Suddenly, his gaze locked onto the hovering command platform. His line of sight then shifted horizontally downwards, directly to a military camp situated below it.

Could it be...

A daring idea surfaced in the leader’s mind: perhaps the military camp beneath the command platform was the location of the core array nexus.

The most crucial things are often hidden in plain sight! the leader of Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders muttered to himself, his eyes shining with increasing brightness. He commanded decisively, "Follow me! I’ve found the core array nexus!"

With that, he led his members towards the military camp beneath the command platform.

Moving with extreme caution and stealth, it took them a full day to reach the perimeter of the target camp. Peering through the tight security, they observed the inscription patterns on the array nexus.

"The formation inscriptions are twice as numerous! That’s right, this is the core array nexus! We’ve found it!" the leader of Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders said in a low voice, though his expression remained serious. They still faced a daunting challenge: how to destroy the camp and demolish the core array nexus?

After all, Liu Jimin was right above the camp!

The moment they made a move, they would face the overwhelming suppression of a Semi-Emperor powerhouse.

"Leader, with our strength, we are not inferior to a Semi-Emperor Martial Artist. Should we launch a direct assault?" a member proposed confidently, his voice thick with battle intent.

Over the past two years, while their strength hadn’t matched Zhao Yun’s, they weren’t significantly weaker. All of them possessed the power of a Third-Revolution Saint King or higher, with their leader being a Sixth-Revolution Saint King.

Augmented by their military formation, they could barely contend with the weakest of Semi-Emperor powerhouses!

"We can’t force it!" The leader of Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders shook his head. After a moment’s thought, he gritted his teeth and stepped out, revealing himself.

"Leader, what are you doing?" The other seventeen members were aghast. Isn’t he courting death?

"Listen to me!" The leader offered no explanation, merely looking at the seventeen members with a resolute gaze. Without hesitation, they too revealed themselves.

The group walked openly towards the camp. Patrolling powerhouses from the Azure Sea Ancient Court glanced at Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders but, not recognizing them, simply flew off in other directions.

They all believed that there were no enemies within the Pan Domain Formation. We haven’t seen these individuals before, but they might be a hidden unit. If they were enemies, would they dare to be so blatant?

It wasn’t until they reached the camp gate that a guard stopped them. "Halt! Who are you?"

"His Majesty’s Special Envoy! We have urgent matters to report to the Great General!" the leader of Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders stated coldly, walking straight into the camp as if it were his own home.

The guard’s mouth fell open; perhaps intimidated by the title "Emperor’s Special Envoy," he didn’t dare to stop them.

Just like that, Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders successfully entered the camp and headed towards the array nexus.

From the command platform, Liu Jimin saw Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders in the camp and was puzzled. Who are they? Why have I never seen these people before?

However, when he saw Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders heading directly for the array nexus, he immediately grew vigilant. He had issued a strict order forbidding anyone from approaching it.

"Set the formation!"

The instant Liu Jimin’s guard went up, the leader of Yan Yun’s Eighteen Riders roared, and a terrifying aura erupted skyward.