The entire drill ground atop the peak was filled with a chaotic murmur, faintly tinged with an air of frantic madness.
Ling Weizi kept his eyes tightly shut, and after a long while, he barely managed to catch his breath; the loss of four hundred Cloud Dragon Iron Sword Masters had nearly choked the life out of him on the spot. Yet, he was ultimately stronger than Wu Yue; he swallowed back a mouthful of gushing blood.
“Enough! All of you, shut your mouths!”
When the first two words were uttered, the many cultivators on the peak showed no reaction. But when the words ‘shut your mouths’ were spat out, Ling Weizi had already employed his true force. It vibrated painfully against their eardrums, instantly silencing everyone present.
“Even without the Dao Soldiers, we still have the accumulated tens of thousands of cultivators from all the various Sects and Schools gathered here. What is there to fear? Could it be that without the Dao Soldiers, the elite disciples of our sects, relying on the protective mountain array of the Shangxiao Sect, cannot contend against this Blood Cloud Cavalry?”
That single sentence calmed the crowd, and Ling Weizi coldly fixed his gaze downward.
“The methods used by the Cangsheng Dao in the past were not bad; we must try them. As far as I know, the Cangsheng Dao from ten thousand years ago was already severely crippled, with fewer than six-tier Spirit Masters. They only struck when the Blood Cloud Cavalry numbered less than three hundred. A flaw is still a flaw, but when the numbers swell, it just becomes harder to crack. We now have an abundance of Spirit Masters. That Blood Cloud Cavalry under Zong Shou numbers only four thousand; breaking it is easy!”
As he spoke these words, Daoist Yuan Kong watched from below as Zong Shou once again drew his bow and nocked an arrow. The arrow was aimed directly at the two hundred Upper Purity Thunder Warriors of the Shangxiao Sect.
He could no longer suppress it, and a stream of blood oozed from the corner of his lips. He knew that these two hundred Dao Soldiers, already less than three thousand zhang from Shangxiao Mountain, had no hope of victory left.
His face ashen, Daoist Yuan Kong waved his hand and said lightly, “Pass down the order! Gather two thousand disciples and deploy the Myriad Thunder Absolute Void Grand Array!”
Han Nishui instantly started, his pupils contracting sharply: “But Master, the Myriad Thunder Absolute Void Grand Array uses one’s own essence and blood as the catalyst. After deployment—”
Yuan Kong shook his head, cutting off Han Nishui’s continuation: “This is the last resort. If we cannot destroy this Blood Cloud Cavalry today, our Shangxiao Profound Spirit Sect will have no future!”
Han Nishui fell silent, walking away in a daze. He then noticed that the entire Shangxiao Mountain was still permeated with an aura of dread, and some people had already fallen into despair when Yuan Kong spoke that sentence.
How could things have come to this?
Shouldn't the plan have been to lure Zong Shou to the foot of Shangxiao Mountain, annihilate his elites, and then, in front of Zong Shou, he would marry Xuanyuan Yiren, humiliating the boy? Afterward, the Blade Monarch Li Wuhui would strike, severing his head?
But why had it turned into this situation? Had he lost to that person again this time?
—Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Han Nishui fiercely gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with madness!
If it were truly so, then even if he died, he would drag that person down with him into the Netherworld’s depths!
※ ※ ※ ※
“Draw the bows! Volley fire!”
Another four thousand two hundred crimson meteors rose from the ground, obscuring the sky. When these blood-arrows burst, the air, just like before with the Spirit Profound Wind Warriors, was left with nothing but bloody fragments.
Following this second grand volley from the blood bows, the twelve hundred Dao Soldiers were completely annihilated.
And where the iron hooves trod, not only did the over one hundred thousand elite cavalry break and sink into the sand, but the hundreds of thousands of elites deployed by the Thousand City Alliance before Shangxiao Mountain were also swept aside.
Within a thousand zhang, all armored soldiers who failed to escape in time died horribly, their own vital blood essence flowing into the bloody mist.
The surrounding vast army of over three million troops also collapsed, scattering and fleeing.
These soldiers were indeed rare elite troops, but what made the opponent rare was that Yue Bu, commanding these few thousand blood riders, had eyes glowing red, as if blood flames were burning within them.
—The will to battle grew more surging, and the killing intent burned even fiercer!
Even Zong Shou’s own heart intent was slightly influenced by the killing mantra of the Blood Cavalry.
Slaughter! Only by massacring living beings could it be vented!
Fortunately, this thought was still firmly controlled.
Suddenly, his brow arched as he looked up into the sky. He saw hundreds of six-tier Spirit Masters, escorted by numerous six and seven-tier Martial Masters, descending from the heavens, hovering at an altitude of three hundred zhang.
Then, vast swathes of the surrounding world suddenly froze. Even the surrounding blood mist did the same. Although it could still be manipulated, it was slightly sluggish, congealed.
Then, in the next instant, waves of abnormal spiritual energy fluctuations radiated outward.
Zong Shou was first stunned, but when he felt the spiritual arrays within the armor of his Blood Cloud Cavalry beginning to vibrate, he let out a wry laugh.
“Spirit Summoning Technique? So that’s it!”
It turned out there was a reason why the Kongqi Sect had repaired those thousands of Blood Cloud Cavalry armors but couldn't sell them.
The flaw in the Invincible Iron Cavalry seemed to be well-known to everyone by now.
It was just a pity that this missing component had already been perfected in his hands.
“Tread the air, ascend!”
The six-tier Dragon Horned Winged Horse roared fiercely. Sure enough, it soared into the air, moving by treading on the wind.
The entire cavalry team followed closely, galloping through the sky. Then, following Zong Shou, a full four thousand two hundred and fifty-two great halberds slashed down.
Where the blood-light passed, all the Spirit Masters in that portion of the sky were swept away. The corpses of the remaining Martial Masters were crushed under the hooves of those Dragon Horned Winged Horses in mid-air!
In that very instant, the halls of Shangxiao Mountain fell silent once more.
Ling Weizi’s eyes nearly burst, his fists clenched tightly, his expression stunned.
—This Blood Cloud Cavalry has no flaw! It seems to have been perfectly repaired, leaving no weakness!
Suddenly thinking of something, Ling Weizi furiously glared at Long Ruo.
At that moment, Long Ruo felt a chill run through his entire body, remembering the Blood Essence Divine Iron in his Qiankun Pouch just before his death.
The refined essence light of the Blood Cloud Cavalry now soared nearly three thousand zhang into the sky. Even the Ten Absolutes Firmament Great Array seemed to be struggling immensely. The arrogance and might of the cavalry overwhelmed the entire field; there were no worthy opponents left on the battlefield, and no one dared to face the sharpness of this mounted army!
The more than four thousand riders were completely unharmed, not a single injury among them.
Yin Yang felt an immense surge of relief, a thread of intense pleasure spreading through his heart.
Lurking for years, hiding their claws, today the Blood Cloud Iron Cavalry once again reigned supreme in the world!
Zong Shou’s gaze, however, was thoughtful as he looked towards the peak of Shangxiao Mountain.
In that direction, streaks of lightning flashed, and dark clouds gathered wildly in the sky.
“Myriad Thunder Absolute Void Grand Array? Seeking mutual destruction, how interesting!”
He casually retracted the great halberd in his hand, shook his sleeve, and the Thunder Winged Dragon, along with the seven Sacred Fire Silver Ants, flew out.
“I shall go to the peak of Shangxiao Mountain first! Zong Yuan, lead the army in my stead to clear out the remaining enemies below and prepare to break the array.”
The four thousand men behind him all loudly accepted the command. Zong Shou hesitated slightly, confirming that his subsequent choice stemmed from his true intentions and was not influenced by the Blood Cavalry Killing Mantra, before speaking lightly again: “Raise the Blood Killing Twin Banners! Within one day, the blade will not be sheathed!”
As his words fell, Zong Yuan’s nascent soul surged out of his physical body, gathering nearly seventy percent of the surrounding blood mist onto the blood halberd in his hand. Coincidentally, at that moment, the disciples of the Kongqi Sect, controlling the Soul Extinguishing Divine Crossbows, fired another volley.
This caused the spiritual pattern restrictions on Shangxiao Mountain to begin collapsing again. Zong Shou followed closely behind, controlling the vast blood-light in his hand, and struck the mountain-protecting spiritual formation.
“Boom!”
With another earth-shattering roar, the mountainside section of the protective spiritual formation immediately collapsed, revealing a massive hole.
Zong Shou’s nascent soul then ‘stepped’ onto the stone steps of the mountainside, holding the Broken Autumn Sword, advancing step by unhurried step.
Just a few breaths later, a burst of wild laughter echoed from the now-silent peak of Shangxiao Mountain.
“Zong Shou, I don't know if you are insane or overly confident! Daring to come to Shangxiao Mountain alone with your nascent soul, you are seeking your own death! Fellow disciples, combine your strength and kill him! Once this person is slain, Shangxiao will surely win—”
Before the voice finished, countless spiritual artifacts and spiritual methods descended from the Shangxiao Spirit Mansion on the peak.
They blanketed the sky, seemingly capable of annihilating everything. Zong Shou showed no reaction and did not evade. He allowed these spiritual methods and artifacts to bombard his nascent soul, but a moment later, when the sky full of ice-rain, flames, wind blades, and thunder finally quieted slightly,
Zong Shou was seen standing in the exact same spot, perfectly fine, having already walked a hundred paces up the heavily damaged stone steps.
Thus, the entire expanse of land spanning several hundred li fell into a deathly silence once more. Everyone watched the scene before them in disbelief.
—Thousands of spiritual artifacts, thousands of spiritual methods; even a beginner Spirit Realm cultivator, let alone an eighth-tier one, could have been instantly annihilated!
How could this boy still be unharmed?
The people from the Qiantian side in the distance breathed a sigh of relief. The cultivators atop Shangxiao Mountain were filled with shock, uncertainty, and inexplicable terror. If even this could not kill the enemy, how were they supposed to deal with him?
“Is it an illusion technique? No! Your nascent soul is tangible!”
The sharp voice in the sky sounded again. After the surprise, it couldn't help but ask, “What secret technique is this, and what wondrous power do you possess? If you would share it, I would be infinitely grateful—”
Zong Shou merely found this person especially noisy and frowned slightly.
“Shut up! Believe it or not, tomorrow I will slaughter your Heart Demon Sect?”
The voice immediately stopped. Zong Shou resumed climbing the steps, and blood-light flickered in his eyes once more.
The technique he used was not some secret art, but something derived from the Black and White Two Caves Dharma Aspect, glimpsed during his battle with Yuan Wu in the void observing the Primeval scenery. Somehow, he had gained some comprehension of spatial laws.
He used the black hole within his nascent soul to distort the space around himself, causing these thousands of spiritual artifacts and methods to actually fail to truly strike his body, with fewer than one in a thousand succeeding.
Therefore, he remained unharmed and continued to advance. It was just a pity that this method could currently only be used on his nascent soul. Two more breaths passed, and another cold snort came from above.
“No matter what trickery you employ, I don't believe I cannot cut you down—”
A presence suddenly materialized next to Zong Shou. A sword slashed toward him, its blade energy menacing.
The corner of Zong Shou’s lips curled up, and he returned a sword strike.
“Clang!”
Both were ninth-tier sword artifacts, but the Broken Autumn Blade was incomparably sharp at this moment. It was a simple sword strike, yet it was incredibly fast, so swift as to be indescribable!
It directly shattered the ninth-tier spiritual sword and easily split open the skull of this ninth-tier Martial Cultivator!
One sword to execute a ninth-tier master!