The group of Heavenly Venerable experts who appeared this time were, without a doubt, from the Wantian God Domain. There were also eight Heavenly Venerables—exactly the same number as those from the Sacred Peak God Domain, not one more or one less.
When they appeared, they exchanged glances with the Heavenly Venerables of the Sacred Peak God Domain, and shock could be seen in each other's eyes. None of them had expected their opponents to arrive here as well—and in equal numbers.
Each god domain had believed that the reinforcements they sent down were already more than sufficient. They had estimated that the other side would send, at most, five reinforcements. Who would have thought that both sides would dispatch eight each? Truly formidable.
"So it's Heavenly Venerable Jiuhong. I never thought we'd meet like this," said Heavenly Venerable Chixiang, his gaze icy, killing intent surging deep within his eyes.
There was no doubt that the two of them were enemies. In fact, their relationship had always been hostile—one only needed to look at the god domains they served to know this.
Of course, there were also cases where people were not enemies—some worked for money, others were sent down to complete missions. As for hostility between god domains, that was something extremely common.
Whether in the Inner God Domain or the Outer God Domain, it happened all the time.
"Oh? I didn't expect to see you here either," Heavenly Venerable Jiuhong snorted coldly, killing intent blazing in his eyes. However, neither side made a move immediately. They merely stared at each other.
The hostility was intense, yet neither side acted. They knew exactly what their current objective was—to annihilate the Three Realms God Domain. Once that happened, the Token Core would immediately become ownerless and could be contested again.
They could not take it for themselves; the moment they touched it, they would be punished. However, this did not prevent them from killing Yi Tianyun. Once he was dead, the competition could begin anew.
Thus, aside from them, experts from other puppet god domains also arrived. Their cultivation was only at the Lower Heavenly Venerable level—enough to hold down a second-grade god domain.
These were merely pawns meant for seizing the prize. The Sacred Peak God Domain had done the same, bringing their puppet forces along. After destroying the Three Realms God Domain, they would then fight over the prize.
"Is that so? Then let's destroy this god domain together—and fight each other afterward?" Heavenly Venerable Chixiang said, his eyes blazing with battle intent.
"No problem. Let's wipe out the Three Realms God Domain first. After that, we'll see who has the real ability!" Heavenly Venerable Jiuhong immediately reached an agreement with him. They decided to eliminate the Three Realms God Domain first, then compete with each other.
Originally, they should have fought one another first, with the victor claiming the right to compete. But their losses had been too great. Without destroying the Three Realms God Domain, they could not quell the hatred in their hearts.
Thus, the enemy of their enemy became a temporary ally—destroy the Three Realms God Domain first, then fight among themselves.
After reaching this consensus, Heavenly Venerable Jiansi and the others wore grim expressions. This was not good news. Sixteen Heavenly Venerables, all at least Mid Heavenly Venerable level—once the battle began, suppression was inevitable.
Though the three of them were powerful, the gap was still far too great. Take Heavenly Venerable Litian for example—he was extremely strong, yet the enemy had two Upper Heavenly Venerables. One against two—how could he not be suppressed?
The other two senior brothers were in the same situation. No matter how strong they were, two fists could not match four hands. Once surrounded, they simply could not endure it—they would be completely suppressed.
From their solemn expressions, it was clear how seriously they were taking this. They had already pushed their power to the limit, preparing for a great battle.
"It's been a long time since I've fought with everything I've got…" Heavenly Venerable Jiansi murmured, sword light flashing in his eyes as six longswords appeared in his hands at some point, ready for a frenzied clash.
Heavenly Venerable Longming even revealed his dragon form. Over his already thick bark-like exterior, layers of dragon scales formed, causing his defense to skyrocket to a heaven-defying level.
Heavenly Venerable Litian likewise unleashed the bloodline of the Strength God. Veins bulged on his arms, ready to erupt with his strongest power at any moment.
Yet their preparations only made the sixteen Heavenly Venerables opposite them sneer disdainfully.
"Facing all sixteen of us, and you still refuse to give up. Admirable spirit," Heavenly Venerable Chixiang said coldly. "But even if you want to run, we won't give you the chance."
After all, the three of them were accomplices who had helped wipe out so many Heavenly Venerables from two god domains. How could they possibly be allowed to escape?
"Don't worry. We never planned to run," Heavenly Venerable Jiansi sneered. "Since we decided to help our junior brother, retreat was never an option!"
Yi Tianyun was deeply moved. Under normal circumstances, this would be an absolute dead end. If they had been hired help, they would have turned and fled long ago, never lingering here.
The disparity was overwhelming—this was already a death sentence. Under such conditions, who wouldn't flee? Yet the three of them did not. Once they acknowledged Yi Tianyun as their junior brother and agreed to help him, they would never go back on their word.
"Run? I never run. If you want to fight, then come!" Heavenly Venerable Litian clenched his fists, fully prepared for a fight to the death.
"Exactly. How could we go back on a promise?" Heavenly Venerable Longming said coldly. "Especially when facing our enemies—who kills whom is still unknown!"
Their auras collided, battle intent surging between the two sides.
"Is that so? Then kill them all and flatten this place!" Heavenly Venerable Chixiang said, wasting no more words. He had paused largely to coordinate plans with Heavenly Venerable Jiuhong. Now that their objectives aligned, there was nothing left to discuss.
With a single order, everyone charged out! Not only them, but even the Heavenly Venerables of the Wantian God Domain surged forward. Sixteen Heavenly Venerables closed in from all sides—an awe-inspiring sight, leaving no path of escape.
"Senior brothers, fight with everything you've got—don't worry about anything else!" Yi Tianyun said from the side, startling them, unsure what he meant.
"We will. We must go all out. Once the battle starts, we won't be able to look after you—you must be careful!" Heavenly Venerable Litian and the others nodded quickly, immediately summoning their strongest Heavenly Venerable spirit treasures.
Those who could summon two would never summon only one. At a time like this, holding back meant courting death.
Domain Lord Liuli and the others also prepared for battle. They were no match for even a single Mid Heavenly Venerable, but they had no choice. If they could hold on for even a moment, that would be enough.
The moment they chose to participate in the god domain war, they had already prepared themselves for death.
The battle erupted instantly. Heavenly Venerable Litian alone held off two Upper Heavenly Venerables, while Heavenly Venerable Jiansi and the others clashed head-on with the remaining Mid Heavenly Venerables. Domain Lord Liuli and the rest did the same, engaging in planned hit-and-run tactics, never daring to attack head-on.
However, it didn't take long before Heavenly Venerable Litian and the others were injured. After only one or two exchanges, they were blasted backward, suffering wounds. If this continued, defeat—and even death—was inevitable!