Although the Celestial warriors endured constant oppression and pain brought on by divine punishment, they would never retreat in the face of their enemies. Ever since they learned of the existence of the Protoss, this day had been inevitable, only the time and place would differ.
The gods had not dispatched their Protoss warriors directly to the chasm to utterly annihilate the Celestials, but had chosen this action at this moment.
The Celestial warriors took up their weapons. This was not a battle to determine victory or defeat, but a fight to the death, a fight to the death.
Standing at the forefront of the formation were the two Martial Gods, Heavenly Sword and Earthly Sword. They were the pillars of the entire army, the stabilizing force. As long as they remained, the morale and fighting spirit of the entire army would remain unshaken.
Standing next to the two Martial Gods, Heavenly Blade and Earthly Sword, were Wei Xingbai and Wei Wuming. As a prominent clan within the Celestial Clan, the Wei family naturally feared no enemy. Then came the army's experts and formidable warriors, all standing in the foreground, forming a seemingly impenetrable wall of steel.
In the center of the army, four black-robed high priests and Saint Liuli stood silently. Though not skilled in combat, they had no need to retreat. If they won, they would be safe standing here. If they lost, even if they tried to evade, they would be unable to escape.
"Drop your weapons! Surrender!"
The leader of the Celestial Clan warriors shouted again, his sword hovering at his side, gleaming coldly.
This was the second time, but there was no response from the Celestial Clan's ranks. Surrendering meant tantamount to suicide, a fact everyone understood. Therefore, no matter how he shouted, he received no response.
After shouting twice with no response, the warrior leader seemed to lose patience. He extended his right hand and made a grabbing motion. The long-handled slashing sword, which had been hovering at his side, swung and flew into his hand with a buzzing sound.
With a flick of the slashing sword, he pointed at the Celestial Clan battle formation below: "Kill without mercy!"
At the warrior leader's command, thousands of Protoss warriors flapped their wings and charged, brandishing their massive slashing swords as they charged into the Celestial Clan's ranks.
Without a word, the two Martial Gods, Heaven Sword and Earth Sword, instantly boosted their combat power to peak levels. Each armed with their own weapon, they charged forward, severing several Protoss guards in half with a single wave of their hand. The disparity in realm was stark. These Protoss warriors, whose strength ranged from Martial Saint to Martial Emperor, were completely vulnerable against the mighty Martial Gods.
However, the Celestial Clan only had two Martial Gods, and even fewer reached the Martial Emperor or Martial King realms. Most warriors possessed only the strength of the Innate or Martial King realms, with only a handful reaching the Martial Saint or Martial Emperor realms. Even within this realm, Celestial Clan members endured immense divine punishment, exerting only 50% to 60% of their original strength. Consequently, the battle immediately descended into chaos.
A single Celestial Clan warrior could easily kill a Celestial Clan warrior, but to severely injure a single Celestial Clan warrior required at least a dozen or more Celestial Clan warriors.
Thus, on the battlefield, a single Celestial Clan warrior was often surrounded and attacked by dozens or even dozens of Celestial Clan warriors. For every Celestial Clan warrior killed, dozens of others died. This was a sheer pile of lives!
"Come on, let me see you, the new generation of lackeys!"
After slaying a dozen Celestial Clan warriors, the Heavenly Sword Martial God turned his gaze to the towering Warrior Commander.
The Warrior Commander also possessed the strength of a Martial God. With a casual swing of his long-handled slashing sword, a powerful blade flashed, sending Celestial Clan warriors falling in droves. Within just a few minutes of the battle, hundreds of Celestial Clan warriors had already fallen at his hands.
"Humble Fallen, prepare to die!"
The Warrior Commander sneered at this. The Celestial Clan had been abandoned, branded the Fallen, and constantly oppressed by divine punishment. Even if the opponent was also a Martial God, he was no match for him!
The Warrior Commander soared through the air, rapidly approaching the Heavenly Sword Martial God.
Seeing the Warrior Commander's shift in attack, the Heavenly Sword Martial God immediately wielded his hands in the air, revealing a long sword, its blade a crimson purple, radiating a domineering aura.
The Warrior Commander displayed no flamboyant magical powers, but simply charged forward with his slashing sword. The Heavenly Sword Martial God blocked the sword with his own, and the two engaged in a fierce confrontation, one on the ground and the other on the air.
At this point, both sides felt the immense momentum. A direct clash of weapons, a test of strength, was the ultimate test. Whoever possessed greater strength, whoever possessed greater divine power, would ultimately be the victor.
The power of a powerful Martial God's clash was immense. The moment their weapons touched, the nearby warriors were instantly knocked out of the circle by the overwhelming force. Within seconds, a vacuum zone encompassing a thousand meters formed around them!
However, this clash didn't last long. The Heavenly Sword Martial God quickly withdrew.
Regardless, the divine punishment still held, and he could only exert 60% to 70% of his strength, making him no match for the Warrior Commander.
"I'll help you!"
Just as the Heavenly Sword Martial God rapidly retreated, a loud shout echoed from the side, and the Earth Sword Martial God flew over, heavy sword in hand.
The Heavenly Sword and Earth Sword had long collaborated, and if they could combine their efforts now, even if they couldn't kill the Warrior Commander, they would certainly be able to repel him together.
"No! Protect the Saint, and I'll take care of this man!"
The Heavenly Sword Martial God said this, then he pulled out a small silver vial and downed the contents.
Seeing the Heavenly Sword Martial God's actions, the Earth Sword Martial God was shocked: "How could you do that! Once the Divine Rebellion Curse is activated, even if you win this battle, you'll be dead!"
He also possessed the substance the Heavenly Sword Martial God drank. It was called the Divine Rebellion Curse, a device developed by the clan's high priest over a long period of time to temporarily suppress divine punishment. However, this heaven-defying curse required the initiation of one's own essence, blood, and spirit, and must never be used unless one's life depended on it. Once the Divine Rebellion Curse was used, even if one killed the enemy, their spirit and soul would eventually dissipate, leaving them as a hollow shell.
Using the Divine Rebellion Curse was a sure death!
"Protect the Saintess! Even if we become abandoned, we must survive!"
The Heavenly Sword Martial God, still under the spell of the God-Defying Curse, was doomed to die, so he no longer held back. He had already anticipated the outcome Liuli had anticipated. The Elders' Council's reluctance to initiate the God-Slaying Plan must have other ulterior motives. Regardless, they were already abandoned by the clan, useless in the future God Wars, and there was no need to consider a way out for them!
"Ah!"
The Earth Sword Martial God groaned, his joints cracking. But since the Heavenly Sword Martial God had already inflicted the God-Defying Curse, there was no turning back. He turned and charged into the battle, slaughtering the God Clan warriors while protecting Liuli.
Once the divine punishment was lifted, the Heavenly Sword Martial God's momentum surged, and he instantly threatened to overwhelm the warrior leader.
"Hooties, come on, let's fight again!"
The Heavenly Blade God pointed his long sword, wings suddenly spread from behind him, and rushed towards the warrior leader.