Lan Jue and the others felt the pressure on them increase. The aliens' attacks became even more ferocious.
"Hmph!"
The Pontiff grunted. Cracks appeared on his scepter, and the holy light around him dimmed.
A trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
Satan was dead. He had always felt a little sad for the death of a rabbit. Light always needed to be contrasted by darkness.
He had given it his all in this battle, especially when he saw Eurostar in such a state. His heart was filled with pain.
The Pontiff's Citadel had a long history, and now it had been destroyed in his generation. One could imagine how much it hurt.
The Pontiff's holy light was a deadly weapon against the aliens, especially when amplified by the Queen of Heaven's Domain.
But the enemy was too strong.
He'd spent too much of his energy, and was half a beat too slow. One of the behemoths had sent him flying. His insides were on fire, and his protogenia was thrown into chaos.
If not for the stabilizing effect of the Queen of Heaven's Domain, he'd be in serious trouble.
The Paragons were already having a hard time keeping the aliens at bay. Now that one of them had failed, it caused a chain reaction.
Roxanne unleashed her most powerful attacks, sending several of the beasts far away so they couldn't return.
Even so, the Paragons found it hard to hold on.
This wasn't the Paragons' first battle. They'd already been exhausted when they fought the Violet Prince and the others.
Now that they were here, they'd had to endure the onslaught.
After the Pontiff, the Keeper and Bookworm were also exhausted. They were sent flying by the enemy's Domain, and spat out blood.
The battle was on the brink of collapse.
A long howl rang through the air, and a blinding light burst forth.
It was a layer of resplendent and crystalline purple light.
As soon as it lit up, an incomparably powerful aura erupted.
Purple. A purple that blotted out the sky.
At this moment, the entire battlefield was bathed in a noble purple color.
Even the experts of the Infinite Realm who were fighting couldn't help but be captivated by it.
Lan Jue's face was solemn. His dharmic image of the Middle Heaven Great Emperor of Purple Subtlety grew clearer. Far off in the distance, the stars around Europa began to dim. Even the alien home worlds grew dimmer.
His own aura swelled and rose at an astonishing speed. It was as if there was an additional will in outer space, a will that made all the stars submit to it.
As soon as it appeared, Lan Jue's aura swelled exponentially. The golden runes on Captus' blade flared to life.
At his side, the Queen of Heaven, Zhou Qianlin, did the same. On her forehead, a golden rune in the shape of a small arrow lit up. Her white dharmic image turned a pale gold. From the distant planets, countless specks of golden light converged on them. Not only did Zhou Qianlin's dharmic image become more distinct, but countless afterimages flickered behind her.
The power of the Queen of Heaven's Domain surged. All the Paragons felt their cultivation increase by ten percent. The injured Paragons felt their protogenia heal at an alarming rate.
This is …
They've broken through?
The aliens were shocked, and so were the human Paragons. Their eyes were wide with astonishment.
Lan Jue's face was gone. In its place was a face that looked eighty percent like his own, but much more dignified.
On the Immortal Trapping Sword, the golden runes shone brightly. In this space, a purple halo circulated. In an instant, a bright world of stars appeared in outer space.
It was as if the entire universe had been compressed into this tiny space.
Each star represented one of the Paragons present. Humans and aliens alike.
Boom--!
A deafening roar shook the souls of all present. The Middle Heaven Great Emperor of the North Pole Star of Purple Subtlety suddenly grew a hundred times larger. Even Poseidon's Bastion seemed to shrink in front of him.
Captus swung through the air, and a terrifying beam of light descended from the heavens.
It was like a curtain of crimson that blanketed the world.
The alien powerhouses felt their vitality draining away at an alarming rate.
A door of light appeared in the void. Engraved upon it were the words Captus' Gate.
A crimson light flickered from within, like a vortex that swallowed up the souls of every alien present.
There was no need to greet them. The first to react were the three Infinite-level avatars. Their bodies vanished, and the power of their Domains erupted.
Before the door of light had fully formed, they were already a thousand kilometers away.
The others tried to flee as well, but the power of the portal was too great.
One of the behemoths was sucked in. It didn't even have time to scream before it was gone.
The first was quickly followed by the second. Two of the more sluggish avatars were swallowed up as well.
Just like that, three Nirvana-level aliens perished in an instant.
Suddenly, the distant home worlds lit up once more. A brilliant purple light bloomed across the surface of the planet like a thick fog.
The same mist appeared over the bodies of the attacking aliens. When the mist dissipated, they were gone.
The words Captus' Gate faded away, and the majestic image of the Middle Heaven Great Emperor of the North Pole Star of Purple Subtlety faded away. He shrank back to his true form.
But the will of the North Pole Star of Purple Subtlety remained.
When Lan Jue reappeared she was sitting cross-legged in space, her hands facing Zhou Qianlin's.
Their eyes were closed, and their faces were flushed with an unnatural color.
Jueti's brows furrowed. He waved the Ruyi Jingu Bang in his hand, and a dark golden light wrapped around the Paragons. They vanished in a stream of light.
The violet light around the alien home worlds faded, and everything seemed to return to normal.
But the planets were still filled with a profound aura. Who was to say they didn't have the power to fight while they were evolving?
Within the space of a few breaths, the aliens who had been teleported away reappeared. They weren't the only ones. The Violet Prince, Princess, and other elite aliens who had attacked Angel were also present. They flew toward the front lines of battle.
Poseidon and Middle Heaven went all out. Poseidon and Tyrannosaurus battleships were also fully charged and ready to join the fray. Slowly but surely, the alien army began to crumble.
Poseidon and Middle Heaven were too powerful. Without the support of top aliens, ordinary aliens wouldn't stand a chance against them.
Especially Poseidon's trident. Wherever it went, it was unstoppable.
They inflicted heavy losses on the aliens.
Bzzz!
A low hum could be heard in the distance. The unyielding alien army finally retreated like the receding tide. Far off in the distance, the Violet Prince rode his great beast forward. Many of the aliens spread out, watching the humans from afar.
They didn't continue their assault.
On the human side, Middle Heaven and Neptune held their positions, ready for battle.
The humans had suffered heavy losses in this battle, but the aliens had suffered even more.
Judging by the numbers of casualties, it was clear that the humans had won.
However, it was hard to say who would emerge victorious if the battle continued.
In the end, humanity's Paragons were no match for the alien race.
The alien army retreated behind the Violet Prince and the other top aliens. Once more they fell back into formation. Both sides maintained a certain distance from each other.
The Black Star Combat Jets returned to recharge.
Once again the two sides were locked in a stalemate.
This battle could be said to have lasted for a long time. Both sides needed time to catch their breaths.
With the help of the Photographer, Lan Jue and Zhou Qianlin were teleported back to Middle Heaven. Their conditions were the same as before, and the protogenia around them was unstable.
Zhou Qianlin's Queen of Heaven Domain was faintly discernible. Her face was contorted with pain.
The situation had been dire, and Lan Jue had chosen to break through in order to save her allies.
Lan Jue had long ago reached the brink of becoming a Reflection of Heaven and Earth, and so had Zhou Qianlin. The two of them had worked hard to suppress their ascension.
In the past, however, it would have been nearly impossible to shake off the Marauders without some special means.
So many of them had sealed off the space around them, and there was no way to teleport away.
If these Paragons fell, then humanity would have no chance at all.
So Lan Jue made the decision to break through.
Breaking through to the next level would trigger a change in her protogenia, and the Middle Heaven Great Emperor of Purple Subtlety's spirit was drawn to her again.
Just as Lan Jue had predicted, the Middle Heaven Great Emperor of Purple Subtlety's spirit was drawn to her again. His Boundless Starlight Domain was strengthened, and he even used the mysteries of Captus to summon the Door of Captus to devour the three aliens.
However, this breakthrough was different from the last. This time it was a breakthrough to Paragon. Last time it was a breakthrough from Adept to Paragon.
The nature of the leap was different, and so was the impact.
Last time he had been well prepared, but this time he was forcing his way through.
Therefore, the Middle Heaven Great Emperor of Purple Subtlety's spirit wasn't as strong.
It wasn't nearly as strong as last time.