Nine Astra Skies
chapter-353

Chapter 353: Through Life And Death

Ye Chen was not very close with the Purple Flame Avian elder as they had only met each other once. The Purple Flame Avian elder kept a wise and kind appearance which left a good impression on him. Ye Chen was touched by the Purple Flame Avian elder’s resolution to bring down three Daemon Kings with him even in his death.

Whether it was humans, mystical beasts or Celestial Beasts, they would risk everything to protect what they loved!

It was the same for the Purple Flame Avian elder, who gave everything he had to protect his treasured Leo King’s Palace! The Leo King’s Palace may be little more than a title for other people, but it was a figure of significant importance in his life.

It was just like what the Ye Clan was to Ye Chen. Ye Chen would gladly put his life on the line to protect the Ye Clan.

At Ye Chen’s current strength, he could not hope to make a difference in the battle occurring above them. Even the Immortal Black Phoenix could only withstand a couple of hits from the Daemon Kings. There was nothing that Ye Chen could do for the Leo King’s Palace other than trying to help them preserve their bloodline.

“Master Lion, I want to save Ji Lei and the others. Lend me some space in the Heavenly Astra Seal!” Ye Chen told Master Lion.

“Feel free to do so,” Master Lion gave his approval.

Ye Chen leaped into the sky and extended his Astral Body, opening the space within the Heavenly Astra Seal.

“Get in here!” Ye Chen called after Ji Lei and Ye Qiu.

Ji Lei and Ye Qiu thought Ye Chen was letting them assist him, so they obeyed without any resistance. They swiftly entered the Heavenly Astra Seal. If Ji Lei and Ye Qiu resisted, it would take Ye Chen more effort to persuade them but they made zero resistance to the notion of entering the Heavenly Astra Seal.

“You guys come in too!” Ye Chen flew toward Qing Yu, Fei Yin, and Ming Yi.

Qing Yu quickly saw through Ye Chen’s intention. The elders were still in the middle of battle, risking their own lives. How could they just leave them behind?

“I won’t leave. Even if I have to die here, I’ll never leave!” Qing Yu’s eyes became bloodshot, he flew back toward the heart of the battle.

Suddenly, a chilling flash appeared in the Immortal Black Phoenix’s eyes and Qing Yu was instantly frozen in place. Ye Chen knocked Qing Yu out with a swift strike from the back of his palm and sent him into the Heavenly Astra Seal. He did the same to Fei Yin and Ming Yi, knocking them out and sending them into the Heavenly Astra Seal space.

Ye Chen looked above him. He saw the body of Tong Tian the Leo King being enveloped in a golden radiance like he was a Gold-armored Titan. The enormous lion materialized from his Psyche was engaged in a vicious battle with the three Celestial Beast Daemon Kings of the Wolven Kingdom. Their energies clashed viciously in the skies above.

Tong Tian the Leo King turned toward Ye Chen’s direction when he sensed Ye Chen’s gaze on him, a charming smile surfaced on his face. There was a hint of gratitude in his hesitant smile. He appeared to be asking Ye Chen to help him look after Ji Lei and the others. He was calm and stoic, having resolved to face his death.

Although it was only a brief smile, Ye Chen would forever remember the way Tong Tian the Leo King smiled at him. He felt nothing but great admiration for Tong Tian the Leo King.

“Who among us is the greatest of them all?” Ye Chen silently muttered to himself. It was none but the great Tong Tian the Leo King.

Tong Tian the Leo King could easily save himself, retreat and regather his forces but that would mean leaving the rest of them to die. Instead, Tong Tian the Leo King chose to stick with his faithful friends and stood unfazed in the face of death.

Ye Chen suddenly understood what it was like to live and die like a hero.

“Little brat Ye Chen, go!” Master Lion urged.

Ye Chen turned around one last time to look at Tong Tian the Leo King. He was enwrapped in divine ray like a transcendent being who came down from the heavens above. He could sense the soul of Tong Tian the Leo King burning ferociously, it seemed like he was preparing to cast some kind of secret technique.

‘Please don’t do this, Leo King.’ Ye Chen gritted his teeth and went on his way. The Immortal Black Phoenix above him did not trail after him. Ye Chen commanded it to go after one of the Daemon Kings of the Wolven Kingdom. It was all he could do. Ye Chen clenched his fist and his heart sank into an empty pit of helplessness.

After the dust had settled, it might truly be the end for the Leo King’s Palace but the Wolven Kingdom would have to pay a grave price for it for their victory.

“Bang, bang,” the Divine Elephant and Green-scaled Pangolin had been blasted away. After the combined assault of so many Daemon Kings, they had finally exerted the last ounce of strength within them. They were one step closer to the end of their lives. They could barely keep their eyes open as they glanced at Tong Tian the Leo King in the skies above. When they did, they smiled wholeheartedly.

They reminisced about the distant past when Tong Tian the Leo King made a pact with them. ‘From today onward, we’re brothers! In death and life, through joy and sorrow!’

‘Second brother Zi Ming is dead. Big brother Tong Tian, may we meet again in the next life. In the next life, we shall be brothers again!’

Golden rays of light illuminated from above. The entire sky was shrouded in its bright radiance.

Amid the golden skylight, Tong Tian the Leo King stood at its center like a radiant sun.

Even the Grand Supreme Stage Spirit Beasts of the seventh floor of the Soul Pagoda trembled before it. They sensed the terrific energy pouring outward and retreated as far as they could.

This was a Daemon King at his peak exerting every last bit of his life force.

“We attack together. Kill him, quick!” the Blood Wolf Daemon King called out, panicking. He lifted the Demon Wolf Manic Blade and charged at Tong Tian the Leo King.

Han Hong and the other three Daemon Kings recruited by the Blood Wolf Daemon King beheld the magnificent golden light before them as the color drained from their faces.

“Run!” Three Daemon Kings turned tail and ran. They only accepted the invitation because of the promise of a hefty reward. They could lend their strength to the Wolven Kingdom, but they were certainly not giving their lives for the cause of the Wolven Kingdom. The Ghost Bat Daemon King was already dead and they were not planning to end up like him as well.

Even though the Daemon King Rank fighters of the Wolven Kingdom were terrified, they still followed suit and charged at Tong Tian the Leo King.

“Die!!” The four Daemon Kings let loose a brazen roar.

Ye Chen turned around. The figures of the Daemon Kings could not even be seen amid the radiance of the blinding light.

Just as the golden light was on the brink of explosion, eight figures rapidly approached it.

“Leo King, Wolf King, stop!” one of the men yelled. The eight figures belonged to the fighters of the Thunder Cliff who barely made it in time. There were five Godly Venerable Rank and three Daemon King Rank masters.

After undergoing intense combustion, the golden light was on the verge of unleashing a terrific explosion. Tong Tian the Leo King stood proudly at its center. With the Leo King’s Divine Hammer in hand, he temporarily halted the secret technique with the Divine Hammer. The secret technique would unleash at his will. The resulting explosion would consume the four Daemon Kings and kill them or at the very least, maim them. Tong Tian Leo King, on the other hand, would face certain death.

“Master Lion, what happened to Tong Tian the Leo King?” Ye Chen asked anxiously. He could feel that Tong Tian the Leo King’s Psyche seemed to have stopped burning.

“That brat used the Leo King’s Divine Hammer to suspend the secret technique but it can still be unleashed any second.” Master Lion frowned. “The Thunder Cliff is here, each of the forces is hung in a great balance in the grand scheme of things. Even the Thunder Cliff doesn’t want the Leo King’s Palace and Wolven Kingdom to just face their destruction in this manner. Whether it’s the Wolven Kingdom or Leo King’s Palace, their destruction will bring consequences to the others. The Tribunal Council has been waiting for an opportunity to take out all of the Daemon King Kingdoms.”

The Blood Wolf Daemon King sensed the energy that was soon to be unleashed as well. He cautiously retreated along with the remaining Daemon Kings. He was overwhelmed with an uneasy sensation. Unleashing the secret technique may spell the demise of Tong Tian the Leo King, but the Wolven Kingdom might suffer the same fate.

“Gentlemen, why don’t we bring an end to this war today?” a Godly Venerable Rank fighter of the Thunder Cliff clad in golden armor spoke. He looked at Tong Tian the Leo King. “Tong Tian the Leo King, you have my sincerest apologies. The Thunder Cliff didn’t fulfill our part of the promise and provide our support in the battle. It’s largely due to two elders among us that have relations with the Wolven Kingdom. If the Thunder Cliff took part in this battle, we wouldn’t take pleasure in whatever comes out of this ill-fated battle.”

Tong Tian the Leo King remained silent. He kept a cool expression and made no response to the statement. No matter how you looked at it, the Thunder Cliff had failed to fulfill their part of the bargain. Chances were the two elders they spoke of were not the only contributing factor. They were also concerned about the four hundred additional reinforcements in the Wolven Kingdom.

At the end of the day, it was only natural for them to choose the situation that stood to favor them the most.

“Three Wolf Kings, would you order the retreat of your forces? The Thunder Cliff will also assist in overlooking the process. I hope you three Wolf Kings will stop pursuing Tong Tian the Leo King. Or else, the Thunder Cliff will no longer hold its silence!” the Godly Venerable Rank master of the Thunder Cliff said.

The Blood Wolf Daemon King grunted angrily. The only reason the Thunder Cliff could run their mouth in such an insolent manner was that four of the Daemon Kings of the Wolven Kingdom were slain in combat and the other Daemon Kings they recruited had fled the battle. They were wounded and completely exhausted from the battle with the Leo King’s Palace.

The Thunder Cliff stood to benefit from the current outcome of the battle wherein both the Leo King’s Palace and Wolven Kingdom’s forces suffered great casualties and had lost several Daemon Kings. It would not do well for the Thunder Cliff if both forces were completely destroyed in the battle. At the end of the day, the Leo King’s Palace was their ally and the Wolven Kingdom played a part in helping to hold off the pressure from the Tribunal Council and other factions.

“Three Wolf Kings, if this battle went on, Tong Tian the Leo King’s secret technique couldn’t bring anything but harm to the Wolven Kingdom anyway. It’s best to leave it as it is now,” the Godly Venerable Rank master of the Thunder Cliff advised.

“Fine, today’s battle will stop right here and now!” the Blood Wolf Daemon King grumbled.

“Stop now? My second brother Zi Ming didn’t die for nothing. I shall not rest until I see this battle to its end!” the violent energy within Tong Tian the Leo King began to rumble again. After Zi Ming’s death, he had decided that he was going to bring the entire Wolven Kingdom down to the grave with him. However, at the same time, he was reluctant to do so. Following his passing, the Leo King’s Palace would be reduced to a second-rate faction. The Leo King’s Palace would leave behind countless descendants and hundreds of thousands of commoners under their banner. It was a difficult decision for him to make.

“Tong Tian, you’ve lost a Daemon King. Did you think the Wolven Kingdom didn’t suffer our fair share of loss as well?” The Blood Wolf Daemon King was furious. Still, he was fearful of Tong Tian the Leo King’s secret technique. He was plotting to avert the impending disaster first and wait for Tong Tian the Leo King to suspend his secret technique. Then, there would be an opening to take out Tong Tian the Leo King!

“Tong Tian the Leo King, you have to think about your descendants as well. Ji Lei is still too young to be the successor to the throne of the Leo King’s Palace. The Leo King’s Palace has many enemies in hiding. They’ll seize the opportunity to exterminate the families of the Leo King’s Palace. If you do this, you’re sending hundreds of thousands of men under the Leo King’s Palace to their graves as well,” the master of the Thunder Cliff said.

There seemed to be some wavering thoughts in Tong Tian the Leo King’s cool eyes at last. It took a greater courage to survive and thrive than to die!

Ye Chen flew across the battlefield and landed beside the Leo King. It was a stalemate all around now.