"Frost!" Zhang Zhiliang struck again.
Another portion of the Array Crowns, heeding his call, shone with light. The temperature in the sky plummeted. Flakes of ice crystals condensed in the air, as if even the atmosphere itself was freezing.
The speed of the crimson particle’s movement inevitably slowed.
"Impedance!"
In an instant, countless silvery-white threads shot forth from the Array Crowns, entangling the crimson particle.
"Life and Death!"
"Annihilation!"
One array after another was unleashed with the combined power of the countless Array Crowns.
Crimson Flame’s power was suppressed, while the Immortal Eminences’ strength was enhanced.
As one waned and the other waxed, the battle between the two sides gradually shifted toward equilibrium.
The shackles formed by the great sun and the river of stars in the heavens severed Crimson Flame’s connection to heaven and earth. Yet the five Spirit Transformation cultivators could recklessly draw upon and replenish themselves from the spiritual qi of the Congyun Sea.
Though Crimson Flame was far stronger in this life than the simple boilerman of before, defeat was only a matter of time if things continued like this.
Just as Li Fan thought the battle would continue as a war of attrition, the situation on the field changed once more.
Sensing It was about to fall into an unfavorable position, Crimson Flame shifted from a searing, luminous particle back into human form.
"What is It doing?"
Not only Li Fan, but all the cultivators present were somewhat baffled by this sight.
The Spirit Transformation Immortal Eminences embroiled in the battle, however, all felt a sudden chill of dread in their hearts.
In the space of a breath, phantom images of weapons constructed entirely of flame manifested around Crimson Flame. There were sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battle-axes, hooks, forks...
Crimson Flame’s figure blurred. Then, beside each weapon, a Crimson Flame abruptly appeared!
Heaven and earth fell into an eerie, unnatural stillness in that instant.
Eighteen Crimson Flames in total launched an assault on the five Immortal Eminences.
A wave of astonishment swept through Myriad Immortals Island.
"Is that a clone technique?"
"Dealing with one Crimson Flame was already so difficult for the Immortal Eminences. Now there are eighteen at once... how are they going to fight them? Isn't this a guaranteed defeat?"
"I'm not so sure. These clones still have a noticeable gap in power compared to Crimson Flame's true body."
"But there are just so many of them! And look, the weapons Crimson Flame is wielding aren't just for show. Every strike is lethal. Its offensive seems much fiercer than before."
Amidst the chatter, some cultivators began to feel a creeping sense of unease.
They tried to leave via the teleportation arrays, only to discover to their horror that all the arrays had ceased to function.
Panic began to spread in small pockets across the island. Some cultivators activated their escape measures, attempting to leave the Congyun Sea.
But more cultivators still believed that the Myriad Immortals Alliance's Immortal Eminences would not be defeated. They focused intently, observing this world-shaking battle.
At first, facing the sudden appearance of eighteen Crimson Flame clones, the five Spirit Transformation cultivators were indeed caught off guard, and each was dealt a grievous wound.
But they were, after all, at the Spirit Transformation realm. They wouldn't be instantly eliminated by a single strike from Crimson Flame's clones.
With Zhang Zhiliang's formidable support, they all slowly recovered their footing. Still, they were suppressed and beaten back by the numerous clones.
"Fellow Daoists, now is not the time to hold back!" The voice of Immortal Eminence Hong Xi rang out. "Strike with your full power! As for who ultimately achieves Dao Unity, let it be decided by fate!"
"Suits me perfectly! I shall make the first humble offering then!" Immortal Eminence Hao Xuan's bold laughter shook heaven and earth.
"Strike!" With a furious shout, eighteen silver arrows abruptly pierced through Crimson Flame's clones’ chests with no sign of being loosed.
"The Lan Cang River falls from the Ninth Heaven!"
High in the sky, river water cascaded down. As it fell to the mortal realm, it split into eighteen streams. Like eighteen silver dragons, they tangled and fought with Crimson Flame’s clones.
Creeeak...
Tiny mountain peaks, each only the size of an ordinary person's finger, descended upon the clones.
A terrifying sound rang out, as though space itself were being crushed.
The heads of the clones were pressed inward into obvious dents. And as the mountains continued their inexorable descent, the rest of their bodies threatened to be crushed to powder.
The black-red viscous substance violently expanded, transforming into eighteen bizarrely-shaped exotic beasts that tore at Crimson Flame.
The situation shifted once more, and the battle abruptly grew even more desperate.
The shockwaves from the clash continuously swept over the Congyun Sea below, churning up mountainous waves.
Even Myriad Immortals Island shook without end, as though struck by an earthquake.
Summoning eighteen clones appeared to be an immense drain on Crimson Flame’s energy as well. The color of Its form visibly dimmed by a noticeable degree.
Meanwhile, with Zhang Zhiliang acting as a super supply station, the energy consumption of the Spirit Transformation Immortal Eminences was far lower.
Slowly, the tide of battle began to turn in favor of the cultivators.
The sun rose and the moon set; in the blink of an eye, three days had passed since the conflict started.