Life span plundered, I became a detective and achieved immortality

Chapter 1021: Suppressing the First-Rank True Immortal

Qianyahai, in the east.

The middle-aged man in the yellow robe stood with his hands behind his back, the earthy yellow aura around him growing ever more intense, like a rising sun from the earth's veins, illuminating the surrounding void in a golden hue, even tinging the distant nebulae with a thick layer of warm color. He slowly swept his gaze over the six seventh-grade True Immortals whose expressions had drastically changed, a cold smile curving his lips. That smile, filled with piercing mockery, was like an icy needle, stabbing deeply into the hearts of the six, making them feel as if they had fallen into an icy abyss.

"What? Could it be that this guy also has..."

Upon hearing this, the six seventh-grade True Immortals' expressions changed drastically once again. Their pupils suddenly contracted to needle size, and the unease in their hearts grew wildly like vines, instantly entangling their souls and making it almost impossible for them to breathe.

The combined power of three early-stage seventh-rank True Immortals is roughly equivalent to that of a mid-stage seventh-rank True Immortal; the combined strength of ten early-stage seventh-rank True Immortals is enough to contend with a late-stage seventh-rank True Immortal; and the combined power of these thirty-one early-stage seventh-rank True Immortals, if they were to activate a battle formation together, would be no less than that of the six of them combined.

If there really is something hidden... The six men exchanged glances, each seeing a hint of fear in the other's eyes, cold sweat beading on their backs. Today, one of them might very well lose their life here, becoming dust in this void.

As if to confirm their conjecture, the middle-aged man in the yellow robe trembled again, and the earth-yellow aura around him suddenly exploded, like a nuclear bomb detonating. Another series of dazzling immortal lights flashed past his body, like pebbles thrown into a lake, stirring up layers of light waves, even causing ripples in space.

As the light dissipated, figures radiating the aura of early-stage seventh-rank True Immortals appeared. Some glared angrily, exuding a murderous aura; others were expressionless, their eyes as cold as ice. The terrifying pressure of the seventh-rank True Immortals surged outwards like a tide, pressing down on the void and causing it to creak.

"Another... another thirty early-stage seventh-rank True Immortals!" The True Immortal in the dark gold divine armor exclaimed in a low voice, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "Damn it... what kind of force have we offended?"

Almost simultaneously, the other five seventh-grade True Immortals shuddered. An indescribable fear, like an icy tide, quickly swept over their entire bodies, making even their bone marrow feel numb and their limbs and bones feel cold.

I think I've really messed up today.

Sixty-one early-stage seventh-rank True Immortals! This number weighed heavily on their hearts like a mountain. They had to understand that even if they combined all the seventh-rank True Immortals in the entire Thousand Cliffs Sea, both openly and secretly, including those True Immortal avatars whose strength was diminished, they might not be able to muster this many.

The faction that could produce so many early-stage seventh-rank True Immortals at once must have an even stronger force behind it—eighth-rank True Immortals are probably just the tip of the iceberg, and there may even be ninth-rank True Immortals hidden among them, or even half-step Golden Immortals who have stepped into the Immortal Realm and transcended the shackles of True Immortals!

"Tick...tick..."

Large beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads, hitting the void and instantly being pulverized by the violent energy, but they couldn't alleviate their anxiety in the slightest. The young man in blue robes holding a folding fan had already closed it, his knuckles white from the force; the old man in black robes clenched his fists tightly beneath his robes, even his ghostly figure trembled; even the most composed being within the seven-colored glow swayed slightly, clearly his mind was in turmoil.

At this moment, sixty-one figures spread out in a ring, surrounding the six people in the center. Their auras intertwined to form a thick curtain of sky, pressing down on the void and causing it to slowly sink.

The middle-aged man in the yellow robe stood in the center of the circle, his gaze as deep as an ancient well, unmoved by any ripples. He spoke calmly, his voice carrying a mocking tone, like a cat toying with a mouse: "Weren't you quite arrogant just now? Didn't you say that this day next year would be the anniversary of my death? Why aren't you saying that now?"

As soon as the words fell, the sixty-one seventh-grade True Immortals simultaneously took half a step forward, and sixty-one powerful auras surged forth, like sixty-one galloping dragons, crashing fiercely towards the six people. The six True Immortals paled and subconsciously circulated their immortal power to resist, but they only felt a violent tremor in their chests and their blood surging.

"Cough cough cough..." While resisting the pressure from the seventh-grade True Immortals, the Dark Gold Immortal Armor True Immortal coughed a few times awkwardly, as if trying to ease the atmosphere. Then, with a stiff, ingratiating expression, he said, "Fellow Daoists, it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding! We were just joking with this fellow Daoist, we didn't really want to snatch the Flower of the Ages from his hands."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings fell into a deathly silence. All sixty-one early-stage seventh-rank True Immortals turned to look at him, their eyes filled with no anger, no mockery, only a kind of indifference as if they were looking at a fool—that gaze was like an invisible slap in his face, making his cheeks burn, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

The embarrassment on the face of the Dark Gold Divine Armor True Immortal was almost overflowing, but he could only grit his teeth, cup his hands again, and lower his posture even further: "Ahem... Fellow Daoists, it was indeed our fault just now. We were blind and offended you. We apologize to you all here. We are willing to each offer a seventh-grade True Immortal artifact as an apology. We hope you will forgive us this time."

As he spoke, he glanced discreetly at the five people beside him. Seeing that although they looked unwilling and their brows were furrowed, they did not refute him, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

A seventh-grade True Immortal artifact is a considerable fortune for these mid-to-late seventh-grade True Immortals. Each of the six of them only has two or three seventh-grade True Immortal artifacts.

At this point, if someone were to oppose or undermine him, things would become very difficult. Fortunately, everyone was sensible, and the worst outcome did not occur.

Although seventh-grade True Immortal artifacts are precious, they are nothing compared to their old lives.

"Take you down, and all your True Immortal Artifacts will be ours." The middle-aged man in the yellow robe sneered. They wanted to use their True Immortal Artifacts to redeem their lives. These guys weren't good-looking, but they had pretty good ideas.

The Dark Gold Armored True Immortal's expression changed drastically, his tone taking on a ruthless edge as if he had been forced into a corner: "Fellow Daoists, are you truly going to go this far?" He abruptly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the sixty-one figures around him. Despite his fear, he still forced himself to utter those harsh words, "Although we are no match for you, if you want to capture us, you will have to leave at least half of yourselves behind! Fellow Daoists, have you thought this through? Is it worth paying such a high price for such a small grudge?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the golden lightning around him danced wildly again. Although it had weakened somewhat due to the previous oppressive aura, it still exuded a frenzied madness of fighting to the death. The old man in the black robe also suddenly looked up, and the ghostly phantom beneath his robe instantly expanded several times its original size, emitting a shrill scream with a resolute determination to perish together with his opponent. The burly man with bluish-black skin clenched his fists tightly, and the rock-like texture around his body lit up, clearly indicating that he had pushed his immortal power to its limit.

The six men's auras suddenly became violent, like trapped beasts driven to the brink of defeat. Even though they knew they were no match, they still bared their fangs and fought to the death.

The middle-aged man in the yellow robe stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the six Rank 7 True Immortals before him who were all bluster and no substance. The curve of his lips grew colder, and the contempt in his smile almost solidified: "Make us pay the price? With your strength?"

As he spoke, he slightly raised his hand, and the sixty early-stage seventh-rank True Immortals moved as if receiving a silent command. They quickly formed teams of fifteen, arranging themselves in four directions: the eastern team wore blue armor, the southern team was wrapped in crimson flames, the western team wore silver armor as white as snow, and the northern team was shrouded in dark light. Their positions subtly matched the rhythm of the four directions of heaven and earth, firmly locking the six True Immortals in the center of the formation.

"The Azure Dragon Flag of the East emerges!"

With a deep shout, the fifteen people from the East simultaneously raised their hands, and a large cyan banner suddenly rose into the air. On the banner, a phantom of a cyan dragon coiled and roared, surrounded by countless wood-attribute true immortal rules, carrying an inexhaustible and powerful aura.

"The Vermilion Bird Flag flies high in the south!"

The fifteen from the south followed closely behind, and a crimson banner rose from the ground. The Vermilion Bird on the banner flapped its wings, and flames soared into the sky. Every wisp of fire contained the power to burn mountains and boil seas, and even the void was scorched and distorted.

"The White Tiger Flag of the West is raised!"

In the Western camp, a silver banner roared into the sky, and a white tiger phantom emerged from the air, its fangs bared, its body shimmering with golden light, exuding an invincible sharpness that seemed capable of tearing apart all defenses in the world.

"Imperial Edict for the Northern Black Tortoise Banner!"

The Northern Black Banner rose in response, and the phantom of a tortoise and snake intertwined slowly emerged, carrying the earth and water elements as heavy as mountains. As the banner unfurled, countless black light patterns spread out, rendering the entire void as an impregnable fortress.

"Ah...this...this is four near-eighth-grade True Immortal artifacts! This is bad!" The Dark Gold Divine Armor True Immortal's pupils constricted, and he exclaimed in shock, his voice trembling. Four near-eighth-grade True Immortal artifact array flags! Such treasures were the most prized possessions even among the top forces of the Thousand Cliffs Sea. Combined, the power they could unleash was no less than that of a single eighth-grade True Immortal artifact! Coupled with the grand array set up by sixty early-stage seventh-grade True Immortals, let alone the six of them, even an eighth-grade True Immortal could likely fight them. This was something they were absolutely unable to contend with!

As if to confirm their fear, a vast and ancient voice of the Great Dao resounded from the void, like an ancient divine oracle, echoing throughout the heavens:

"The Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Formation, activate—"

"The Azure Dragon of the East emerges!"

"The Vermilion Bird of the South descends!"

"The White Tiger of the West is approaching!"

"The Black Tortoise of the North has appeared!"

......

In an instant, the dragon's roar resounded throughout the universe. The illusory dragon on the blue banner suddenly broke free from the banner and transformed into a giant blue dragon that was tens of thousands of feet long. Its scales shone brightly and its whiskers fluttered. With a breath of dragon breath, hundreds of millions of blue light blades swept through the void.

The tiger's roar splits rocks and pierces gold. The phantom of the white tiger from the west shatters the clouds. The stripes on its silvery-white body are as sharp as if cut by a knife and axe. With a leap, it rushes towards the center of the formation with the power to shatter stars.

The phoenix's cry resounded through the nine heavens, and the illusory image of the Vermilion Bird in the south spread its wings and soared high. Wherever its crimson wings swept, raging heavenly fire ignited in the void. That fire was no ordinary fire, but a Nirvana fire that could scorch the soul and even distort the rules of a true immortal.

The tortoise roared steadily like a bell, and the phantom of the Northern Black Tortoise lay prostrate on the ground. The patterns on its shell lit up, transforming into a dark barrier that spanned the heavens and earth, completely sealing off the retreat of the six True Immortals. Its serpent head was raised high, exhaling a chilling aura that could corrode even the bones of immortals.

The phantoms of the four sacred beasts—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—appeared one after another. Each of them was tens of thousands of feet tall, blotting out the sky and the sun. Terrifying pressure comparable to that of an eighth-grade True Immortal erupted from them, vast and mighty, like four surging celestial rivers, crushing towards the six seventh-grade True Immortals in the center of the great formation.

"It's over!"

The two words flashed through the minds of the six True Immortals simultaneously. Endless despair, like a dark abyss, instantly devoured their limbs and bones. They had no chance against even one Rank 8 True Immortal, let alone four! The overwhelming pressure was like a tangible mountain, pressing down on them. The True Immortal power within their bodies seemed to be frozen into a stagnant pool. Let alone activating immortal techniques, even mobilizing a fraction of it was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

The electric snakes on the dark gold divine armor had long since died out, the ghostly phantom of the old man in black robes huddled together and trembled, the folding fan in the green-robed young master's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," the figure in the seven-colored glow shook violently, the rock texture of the dark-skinned strong man broke inch by inch, and the dark vortex under his feet also lost its devouring power—under the pressure of the Four Symbols Sacred Beasts, the power they were so proud of was as fragile as paper.

"Four Divine Beasts, suppress!"

"Do not......"