novelraw Chapter 1042: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (50) Catastrophe
Chapter 1042: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (50) Catastrophe
Strange black markings appeared across their faces, and a cold glint gleamed from their purple pupils.
Each Gaia’s ornate purple gown began to shrink and shift, transforming into a strange battle suit that clung tightly to every inch of their bodies.
This change made their figures appear even more slender—legs shaped with golden proportions, slightly raised chests… and in stark contrast, massive claws that defied all proportionality.
Symmetrical light wings extended from each of their backs, and behind the wings hovered a circular ring etched with complex patterns.
They lined up in mid-air, like a military formation.
“They look like living weapons…”
No one could tell whether the voice came from a Daoist or a Demon—because by now, all attention was locked onto the Gaias.
But there was no time left for the Daoist Association or the Demon Association to think or react—because the moment the Gaias completed their transformation, they dove down in unison!
“Watch out!”
Hanyang Zhenren shouted. The Gaias were simply too fast!One Gaia slashed her twin claws at him. In the blink of an eye, Hanyang Zhenren barely managed to raise his magic artifact to block the attack. His legs sank deep into the ground from the force.
There was no time to worry about anything else.
All around him, screams rang out. He couldn’t even tell whether they were from Daoists or Demons.
How many had been torn apart by the Gaias’ dive attack, just like Gluttonous Zhenren? How many had managed to defend themselves?
Hanyang Zhenren had no time to think—because the Gaia attacking him wasn’t letting up at all.
Like a master martial artist, she resumed her assault the instant he blocked the first strike. Her body defied all physics, accelerating in a flash to an unthinkable speed.
A sharp pain burst from Hanyang Zhenren’s abdomen.
The Gaia’s blood-red claws pinned down his magic sword while her body arched backward—and then, with both feet, she stomped directly on his midsection!
Boom—!
He was sent flying backward, crashing through countless ancient trees, before slamming into a rock wall.
His bones felt as brittle as dry twigs. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his vision blurred.
Looking up, he saw a long trail through the forest he’d smashed through—yet the Gaia was nowhere in sight.
Just as he had that thought, his vision blurred again—she was already in front of him.
Expressionless, the Gaia raised her blood-red claw and struck again!
If all the Gaias had this kind of power, then what chance did the Daoists and Demons have?
With a jolt, Hanyang Zhenren instinctively slashed with his sword—clang!!
His blade struck the Gaia’s claw… but only left a shallow mark. His trusted magic sword shattered instantly.
Face paling, Hanyang quickly performed hand seals at his legs—Divine Movement Technique!
A speed-enhancing Daoist art. His body instantly became several times lighter, and he leapt backward to widen the gap between them.
His broken sword was now useless. With a heavy heart, he dropped it.
Still, he was one of the strongest cultivators in the Daoist world—one who had nearly reached the Enlightened Dao Realm, and ranked in the top twenty across the land. He had survived countless battles and regained composure quickly.
The strength of a Daoist wasn’t martial arts—it was Daoist techniques.
And this Gaia specialized in close combat…
If he could keep her at a distance, maybe he still had a chance to win. But how were Baijie Zhenren and the others faring?
At that very moment, the Gaia before him raised her blood-red claw again—this time, it began to transform!
It split, contracted, rotated, and recombined—within seconds, the massive claw had changed into a large cannon!
From the cannon’s muzzle, energy beams rapidly gathered—then fired!
Damn it!
Who said these monsters could only fight in close quarters?
A blinding white beam shot from the cannon. Acting on instinct, Hanyang Zhenren arched his body in a bridge to barely dodge the attack!
He was lucky—but the beam didn’t just shoot off into the distance and fade.
Instead, it twisted at the end of its path, arcing into the sky—then split into hundreds of beams that rained back down like a meteor shower!
A full-scale AOE attack!
Boom boom boom boom—!
In that moment, Hanyang Zhenren truly understood what hopelessness meant.
And he wasn’t the only one. Above the forest, dozens of Gaias flew into the air.
Their claws had all transformed into cannons. Hundreds and thousands of beams gathered and poured down like a torrential storm.
There was nowhere to run.
Only the endless roar of despair echoed—
RUMBLE—!
No one knew how long the bombing lasted.
When it finally ended, the entire forest had been leveled.
The treasures that had lured both Daoists and Demons, and the ancient forest itself—were all gone.
What remained was a barren, crater-ridden wasteland, scorched yellow and scarred like the surface of the moon.
Some Gaias hovered in the air. Others stood on the devastated ground below.
Their eyes flickered constantly, with countless complex symbols emerging within their pupils — they seemed to be scanning, searching for any still-living beings.
The Gaias’ gaze swept across one fallen figure after another on the ground. When one Gaia's eyes landed on a certain figure, she immediately stopped.
The person lay on the ground, not yet dead, struggling with difficulty to prop himself up... but he was so weak, his face covered in dirt, and his left arm had been severed in the last wave of bombardment.
Amid this brutal battlefield, his eyes were filled with fear. Facing these cold, emotionless "things," his spirit was on the verge of collapse. When he noticed one Gaia's gaze had locked onto him, all he could do was — scream in terror.
He screamed in panic, his eyes wide as he desperately tried to drag himself backward with his legs.
But the Gaia had already raised the cannon on her left arm. Her gaze void of emotion, she fired a beam of light — leaving a tiny hole in the center of his forehead.
He collapsed instantly to the ground, never to rise again.
The rest of the Gaias continued their search… they didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping.
Because the number of Daoist and Demon cultivators lying dead here didn’t match the initial count — meaning some had escaped despite their overwhelming attack.
Most likely, they’d fled into the forest ahead.
So, a dozen or so Gaias flew directly into the forest, while the remaining Gaias began flying toward a common point… merging continuously until they returned to a single individual.
This sole remaining Gaia glanced at the devastated surroundings, seemingly lost in thought.
[Repair]
That seemed to be the result of her calculation.
She slowly raised her right hand, and beside it, a twisted space portal opened — from it, she pulled out a peculiar container, something like a watering can.
The container had a tiny screen and a control interface.
Gaia pressed one of the controls, and the device projected a pale white beam. She held the container and began scanning the destroyed surroundings with the beam.
Not long after, Gaia flew into the air and tilted the container. Multicolored light rain sprinkled from it.
Wherever it fell, vibrant green vegetation quickly grew… life began to recover.
He could already hear his own heartbeat… so clear, so rapid.
He was hiding in an unknown patch of grass, his throat burning as if scorched by fire. At the same time, intense pain radiated from his shoulder — a wound as thick as a wrist gushed blood.
That terrifying wide-range assault!
His nearby comrades hadn’t even had time to react before the devastating beams obliterated them. He only survived because he knew an earth-escape technique, diving underground just before the attack struck — but his shoulder was still hit.
Cautiously, he peered through the dense forest canopy, glimpsing the fragmented sky. He knew that at least twenty of those "things" had entered the forest to hunt.
Maybe he wasn’t the only one who survived the annihilation.
He had to do something… had to leave this horrific place!
Even if a rare treasure was growing just half a meter outside his hiding spot, he had no desire to take it… or rather, he no longer dared to even think about it.
He feared that any trace of greed might draw “that thing” to him. If that happened, death would be the only outcome.
His breathing slowed to its lowest possible level. He needed to calm himself — even his fear-driven heartbeat.
Still prone, he crawled forward inch by inch, hiding in the tall weeds.
But then, it felt like something suddenly pulled him in — like he’d fallen into somewhere… completely dark!
The sensation didn’t last long.
When he realized the fall had ended, he saw figures walking toward him.
“Don’t come closer!! Stay away!”
He screamed in panic, his fraying sanity finally snapping. In that moment, he forgot his centuries of cultivation, forgot all his skills, and thrashed like a drowning man.
“Calm down, Daoist Araki! Look closely, it’s me!”
A faint light appeared in the dim space, and after a painful sting in his eyes, Daoist Araki finally saw familiar faces.
Daoist Baijie, Hanyang Zhenren… the Demon clan’s Ming Tushan, a member of the Daoist Association, and another Demon creature.
“President! Vice President!” Daoist Araki was overwhelmed with emotion, a mix of sorrow and joy, and couldn’t help but cry.
“Try not to make too much noise,” Ming Tushan reminded him. “Those things are still out there… I don’t know if they can detect us.”
Daoist Araki took a deep breath and began observing his surroundings.
The space was small, about twenty square meters… like a room.
“What is this place?” he asked instinctively.
Ming Tushan replied, “This is the inside of my tortoise shell… a survival tool of mine. It allows us to burrow underground while cutting off all contact with the outside. When we were tunneling, we found you, so we pulled you in.”
“Thanks to your treasure, Daoist Tushan,” Daoist Baijie said with gratitude.
“I just ran away. If you all hadn’t made it out, I couldn’t have saved anyone,” Ming Tushan shook his head. “Surviving that disaster… that’s your own strength.”
Strength?
They looked at the few remaining “companions,” and then at Ming Tushan’s tortoise shell… Strength?
The Daoist and Demon realms had sent so many elites, and they were nearly all wiped out by “that thing” in an instant. Now, perhaps only those within this shell were left.
Is that what you call strength?
(End of Chapter)