Clang!
Steady the Rivers and Mountains soared into the sky like a white dragon, its dazzling sword light illuminating the heavens as if it were broad daylight.
"Insignificant human, ignorant and fearless, your head will be my tribute to the King!"
Silvermoon's voice rumbled like thunder. Vast demonic qi surged out, and the phantom of the Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf appeared once more. But this time it was far more solid, each strand of fur visible.
The crescent mark on its forehead blazed with a brilliant light, resonating with the phantom wolf behind it.
Song Xianming's heart trembled. From the eyes of that colossal Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf, he saw nothing but contempt and disdain as though, in this moment, it had truly come alive.
Awooooo!
A mournful, sky-shaking howl rolled through the clouds. The thousand-zhang phantom wolf began to stride forward, each step sending ripples through the air itself.
With a look of supreme arrogance, it opened its massive jaws and spat out a crescent moon.
Boom…
Rumble rumble rumble…
Thunder exploded overhead. Torrential rain poured down, and that crescent moon shone even more brilliantly beneath the storm clouds, mirroring the real moon hidden above the leaden sky.
Silvermoon's eyes were wild. It had spent days absorbing moonlight and refining the essence of hundreds of thousands of slain humans and beasts, all for this single strike!
Awooooo!
Awoo!
Wolves howled one after another. The moment they saw that crescent moon, their green eyes turned blood-red, and their attacks became utterly frenzied.
Some even charged into self-detonation.
"These beasts have gone mad!" Song Luhuai's face darkened in shock.
"The more incomprehensible their actions, the greater their scheme. The final battle will be decided today," Song Xianming said calmly, the formation flag snapping in the wind. He had already done all that could be done; what remained was only to do his duty and leave the rest to fate.
Silvermoon watched coldly as one wolf after another burst into blood and mist.
To it, its kin were nothing more than tools to climb higher. Even if they all perished, it would not bat an eye so long as it lived; the Silvermoon Wolf Clan would be reborn from the ashes.
Boom boom boom…
Wave after wave of self-detonating wolves turned blood and rain into a scarlet stream flowing at the foot of Cangmang Peak.
Buzz buzz buzz
Ripples began to spread across the barrier of the formation.
Even with a third-rank spiritual vein feeding it at full power, the Phantom Mist Veil barrier began to loosen under such relentless, no-cost assault.
Silvermoon finally saw the opening it had been waiting for.
Awooooo!
Throwing back its head, it let out a long, piercing howl. The towering phantom wolf above burned fiercely, then transformed into a beam of light that hurtled toward the barrier.
BOOOOM!
The massive explosion made Cangmang Peak shudder. The flash was blinding, and every Song clansman's heart leapt into their throat.
Crack… crack…
For a moment, they thought they heard the sound of glazed porcelain shattering.
"The barrier… It's broken…" someone gasped, quickly realizing the sound came from the clan's protective formation itself.
Those with weaker resolve turned pale as death. How could the Song Clan's proudest defense be shattered?
Whoosh!
The barrier shattered completely, leaving Cangmang Peak exposed to the fangs of the demon wolves.
Song Xianming rose to his full height and bellowed, "Sons of the Song Clan fight to the death!"
"Fight to the death!"
"Fight to the death! Fight to the death!"
At first, the shouts were scattered and uneven, but soon they joined together in a single roar that pierced the heavens.
Silvermoon's fur had lost some of its luster, and unleashing that innate divine ability had taken a toll, but it was worth it.
Once the Song Clan was destroyed, the other powers in Lingzhou would be like lambs awaiting slaughter. Silvermoon could then complete the mission given by the Thundercry Demon King and soar to glory.
"Charge, leave none alive!"
Awoooo!
Though their numbers had already been greatly reduced by the earlier suicidal assault, the demon wolves regrouped and launched their final charge on Cangmang Peak, greeted by a storm of spells and a deadly dance of magical weapons.
Silvermoon descended from the skies, its overwhelming aura making even a glance toward it unsettling.
The Song Clan's protective grand formation had three cores: the Phantom Mist Veil for defense, Steady the Rivers and Mountains for offense, and its master Song Xianming.
Now that the Phantom Mist Veil had been broken, the formation lost both its defensive shield and its concealment. It could no longer suppress the demon king's strength.
Song Xianming was about to face Silvermoon in its full, unrestrained power. The pressure was unimaginable.
Awroo!
Silvermoon roared, unleashing volleys of wind blades from its jaws, denser than the pounding rain.
Clang!
Steady the Rivers and Mountains appeared in Song Xianming's grip. He slashed swiftly, a fierce wave of sword qi sweeping away the incoming wind blades.
Shhhhhh!
Next came a massive beam of destructive light from Silvermoon's mouth, surging forward with devastating force.
Chi-la!
Song Xianming's expression grew solemn. He raised his sword high, drawing in an endless torrent of spiritual energy until the blade blazed with dazzling light.
Behind him, the phantom of a colossal sword manifested, colliding head-on with the oncoming beam.
BOOM!
The explosion swept the clouds from dozens of miles around, revealing a patch of clear sky and blazing sun.
A heartbeat later, the dark clouds rolled back in like a collapsing mountain, plunging the heavens into deeper gloom. Thunder snakes writhed through the sky, their low growls like the wrath of heaven, ready to deliver divine punishment.
Awoooo!
Emboldened, Silvermoon lunged again. No matter how powerful the weapon, if its wielder was lacking, defeat was only a matter of time!
The weather was as heavy and oppressive as Song Changsheng's mood.
He had sent three message swords to the clan, but all had vanished without a trace. No reply. An ominous premonition gnawed at him.
"Grandfather… Mother… Fifth Uncle… you must hold on," he shouted inwardly, desperate for more speed, faster, faster!
BOOM!
A sudden thunderclap exploded beside his ear.
Song Changsheng's entire body jolted, the red haze in his eyes instantly fading.
Only then did he realize, with a wave of cold dread, that he had nearly succumbed to his heart demon.
As the dark side of the "immortal," heart demons were omnipresent, penetrating through any weakness.
Since learning of the demon king's siege of the mountain, and with no contact from his clan, his constant anxiety had frayed his reason. He had been on the brink of losing himself entirely to the demon within.
Thankfully, he had snapped back to awareness in time, or the consequences would have been disastrous.
Realizing the danger, Song Changsheng quickly brought out his Taiji Diagram, sat cross-legged upon it, and recited the Clear Mind Mantra several times, forcing the invasive demonic qi from his body.
Once finished, clarity returned to his mind. Worry was useless now; better to calm down and think through his next steps.
"With the clan's protective formation and Grandfather at the core, they shouldn't fall so quickly. The lack of contact may be due to battlefield interference by the demon wolves.
I need to find a way to reach them first, learn the situation before making a move."
After straightening his thoughts, Song Changsheng adjusted his course toward the clan's holdings in the mortal realm. It was closer to him, and it would tell him much about the current situation.
The mortal domain was the clan's rear stronghold and a tempting prize.
If Cangmang Peak fell, the demon beasts would never pass up the chance to claim hundreds of thousands of living captives. If he could reach the mortal realm, he could confirm whether the clan had fallen.
Moreover, as the clan's foundation, the mortal realm would surely be heavily guarded. If it were safe, he might find reinforcements there and rally them to aid the clan.
A few Foundation Establishment cultivators alone might not turn the tide, but they shouldn't forget that beneath them was a weapon of mass destruction.
The Black Star Warship, though only a second-grade top-tier artifact, had firepower comparable to a Heaven-class warship. If used well, it could tip the battle.
The only problem was that he couldn't operate it alone.
Compared to a flying boat, a quasi-Heaven warship was vastly larger. To take part in a battle at the Purple Mansion level, at least three Foundation Establishment cultivators were required. This was the main reason he was heading to the mortal realm for reinforcements.
Before long, the outlines of several cities came into view.
From a distance, he saw devastation everywhere. The mortal realm's defensive formations were running at full power.
Song Changsheng's heart sank. Had the fighting already reached here?
Piloting the Black Star Warship closer, he soon spotted a chaotic battle raging outside the city walls.
On one side, nearly a hundred cultivators in white robes, most of them at the Foundation Establishment stage, were locked in a fierce battle in the rain with a group of cultivators dressed in tight black combat garb. Many bodies already lay strewn about the battlefield, and the fighting was brutal.
With a single glance, Song Changsheng recognized the black-clad fighters; they were disciples of the clan's Enforcement Hall. Though their numbers had dwindled to fewer than forty, far outnumbered by the white-robed group, their morale was high, and they were suppressing an enemy force twice their size.
His gaze shifted to the skies, where figures clashed high above. He couldn't see them clearly, but he sensed familiar auras among them.
"Uncle Lu Tong… and Mother? Three unfamiliar auras as well. This isn't the demon wolf invasion; these are human cultivators. Are they here to loot us while we're under siege?"
His eyes went cold as he looked at the white-robed men below.
With a single step, his figure flickered several times, and he appeared amid the battlefield.
One white-robed cultivator stared blankly at the stranger who had suddenly materialized before him, his eyes widening in shock. A heartbeat later, he turned to flee.
But Song Changsheng, seething with rage, had no intention of letting him escape. With a flick of his finger, a razor-sharp strand of sword qi pierced the man's heart, dropping him lifeless to the ground.
Then, striking left and right, Song Changsheng carved through the enemy ranks as though strolling through an empty courtyard. In less than a quarter of an hour, nearly a hundred white-robed cultivators had all been slain to the last.
The Enforcement Hall disciples were stunned. Where had this terrifying figure come from?
"It's the Young Clan Leader!" someone suddenly cried.
"Thank the heavens the Young Clan Leader has returned!" More and more people recognized Song Changsheng, joy lighting their faces.
He gave them a brief nod before shooting skyward, plunging directly into the aerial battle.
At that moment, Xia Yunxue and Song Lu Tong were struggling against three white-robed cultivators. The enemy's techniques were strange, and with their numerical advantage, the two found themselves hard-pressed to defend.
Then a voice rang in their ears: "Mountain-Flipping Seal suppress and kill!"
Boom!
Looking up, they saw a massive seal covered in carved rivers and mountains plummeting from above, radiating terrifying pressure.
One white-robed cultivator, caught completely off guard, was struck head-on and instantly blasted into a mist of blood.
"A minor divine ability, a Purple Mansion cultivator?!" one of the remaining white-robed men exclaimed. Exchanging a glance with his companion, both turned to flee, wishing they'd been born with extra legs.
"Hold them!"
Though Xia Yunxue was equally startled by the sudden turn of events, she acted decisively. Following the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, she and Song Lu Tong immediately moved to block the fleeing enemies.
Song Changsheng seized the opening and charged in.
When the combatants caught sight of him, both sides froze momentarily, only to break into grins as if switching masks in a Sichuan opera.
Xia Yunxue's joy came from seeing her long-absent son return to her side, and stronger than before.
The white-robed men's relief came from realizing he wasn't a Purple Mansion cultivator; though they were losing, they figured that at least they could run.
"Mother, let's finish them off first!"
With a shout, Song Changsheng lunged at a mid-stage Foundation Establishment white-robed cultivator.
The battle raged for nearly half an hour before one enemy lay dead and the other gravely wounded.
There was no time for interrogations or reunions. Song Changsheng asked urgently, "Mother, how is the clan holding up?"
Xia Yunxue's expression darkened as she shook her head. "We lost contact as soon as the battle began, but they shouldn't have fallen yet; if they had, it wouldn't be these people showing up here."
"Who are they?" Song Changsheng asked, frowning. Their strange methods didn't seem like those of righteous cultivators.
"I don't know. I think they were targeting the mortals inside the city. They first created chaos within the city to draw our attention, then they tried to plant something outside the walls.
I feared they were trying to sabotage the formation, so I took the initiative to meet them here, leaving only Chang Xuan to guard the city." A flash of killing intent passed through Xia Yunxue's eyes. This chaos had already claimed the lives of hundreds of mortals.
"Mother, there's no time to waste. Let's return and aid the clan immediately!" Song Changsheng had no interest in lingering; the fate of Cangmang Peak was all that mattered.
"But what if they come back while we're gone?" Xia Yunxue hesitated. This was, after all, the clan's foundation.
"Mother, Uncle, look over there." Song Changsheng pointed into the distance.
Following his gesture, the two saw a colossal vessel half-hidden among the leaden clouds.
"What a huge flying ship," Song Lu Tong exclaimed. It was his first time seeing such a thing.
"Uncle, that's a quasi-Heaven warship. The story of how I came by it is long, but with its support, the clan's chances of survival will rise by at least thirty percent. The problem is, I can't control it alone. I need your help."
Both were shaken. They knew well the reputation of a quasi-Heaven warship.
"Sister-in-law?" Song Lu Tong rubbed his hands together, looking hopefully at Xia Yunxue. Truth be told, he'd been eager to leave this place anyway.
"In that case, let's hand the prisoner over to Chang Xuan. The three of us will go aid the clan," Xia Yunxue decided without hesitation, agreeing to Song Changsheng's plan.
The prisoner was left with Song Chang Xuan. Song Qingxi, her younger brother, and little Lingyun were also left behind. But everyone's attention was fixed elsewhere, so it wasn't until after the Black Star Warship had flown away that someone noticed Song Qingxi still cradling a child in her arms…
-support me in Patreon for more chapter, 260+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader