"Slash"
A razor-sharp sword aura cut mercilessly across Silvermoon's back. Blood sprayed, leaving a deep wound that bared bone.
But the massive wolf only faltered for an instant before baring its fangs and lunging again. By now, it was already covered in wounds, its once-snow-white fur soaked scarlet with blood.
Song Xianming wasn't faring much better. Even with the power of the clan's great formation bolstering him, his strength was a limiting factor. Prolonged battle had taken a heavy toll, and he could feel his reserves dwindling fast.
At most, he had three sword strikes left in him.
Three strikes are far too few.
He had no confidence that he could kill this ferocious wolf in that many blows.
While Song Xianming hesitated, a graceful young woman appeared behind him, pushing a wheelchair. In the chair sat a middle-aged woman with a cold, determined expression and legs long since lost. She looked at Song Xianming and sent a voice transmission:
"Clan Leader, strike with everything you have. Your niece will create the opening you need."
Song Xianming's heart trembled, as if he realized what she meant.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Song Luoyao cut him off sharply:
"The clan's destruction is only moments away. This plan is the best choice, with the least loss. Clan Leader, you must not hesitate now!"
His sword hand trembled. He opened his mouth several times, only to close it in silence.
Yes… This truly was the best option left.
At that moment, the half-moon mark on Silvermoon's forehead flared with dazzling light, an aura of dread swirling within. It was about to forcibly unleash its innate divine ability again.
"No time to be ready!" Song Luoyao roared.
A brilliant light beam surged from the wolf's mouth, carrying a suffocating aura, straight toward Song Xianming.
A red glow flared across Song Luoyao's body. Her once-full flesh rapidly shriveled, and in the next breath, she shot skyward, directly into the beam's path.
"Fwoosh"
A talisman tucked at her chest ignited without flame, transforming in midair into a colossal blade of half-moon-shaped energy. Song Luoyao's body dissolved into a burst of blood-light, fusing with the blade.
"Luoyao!"
"Third Elder!"
"Ninth Aunt!"
The entire clan cried out in grief. They could only watch, tears soaking their collars, as the blade struck the light beam head-on.
Boom!
A violent shockwave swept in all directions, ripping trees from the earth within several miles.
By sacrificing her life, Song Luoyao had unleashed the clan's final trump card: a mid-tier third-grade offensive talisman, the Heavenly Blade Spirit-Slaying Talisman. She had successfully blocked Silvermoon's killing move.
Song Xianming's tiger eyes brimmed with tears. His white hair whipped wildly in the wind as he raised his sword high and slashed with all his might.
"Shhh"
Having just forced its innate ability, Silvermoon was greatly weakened and could no longer resist such a strike.
At the critical moment, the half-moon mark on its forehead spat forth a cracked, crystalline white bone, which floated before it as a shield.
Crack… crack…
The sword qi struck the bone. Already covered in fractures, the bone groaned under the pressure, more hairline cracks spreading rapidly.
In an instant, the bone's limit was reached, and it shattered into countless fragments.
Even so, much of the sword qi's power had been absorbed. Yet when the strike landed on Silvermoon's massive body, it still sheared away a huge chunk of flesh, exposing the beast's pulsing internal organs.
"Awooo!"
Silvermoon howled in agony. Never had I imagined that a group of humans, none of them even at the third tier, could drive it to such a state.
If not for the wolf king's bone it carried, that sword just now would have cleaved it clean in half.
Rage raw and unprecedented boiled up within it.
"Humans! I have changed my mind. I will tear you to pieces!" Silvermoon roared, and from its maw spat a flawless, snow-white pearl.
The inner core symbol of a third-tier great demon was something it would never lightly use. If damaged, the result would be disastrous: at best, its cultivation would regress; at worst, it would perish entirely. To a demon, it was even more precious than its own life.
When they brought out their inner core, it usually meant they were ready to fight to the death.
Seeing that demon core, Song Luhuai sighed softly, patted Song Chang'an's shoulder, and said with fatherly affection, "From here on, the clan's future will be in your hands."
Song Chang'an's heart jolted. "Father?" he blurted.
"You're already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, still crying like a child? Aren't you ashamed? Your Ninth Sister has already gone ahead; I'd best hurry after her, so she's not lonely on the road to the Yellow Springs." Song Luhuai smiled, gently wiped the tears from the corners of his son's eyes, and then soared decisively into the sky.
His flesh quickly withered, and a talisman at his chest ignited without flame.
Shhh
By sacrificing his own life, Song Luhuai activated a Xun Wind Soul-Slaying Talisman. Originally only a low-tier third-grade talisman, at that moment it erupted with the power of a mid-tier third-grade strike, slashing toward the demon core in the air.
This was their plan: a life for a life.
They knew that talismans alone could not kill Silvermoon, who had awakened the bloodline of the Howling Moon Sky Wolf. So they wagered their lives to amplify the talisman's power.
Boom
Silvermoon's eyes widened in shock. It had not expected these human "ants" to be so madly fearless using the same tactic twice!
The blade of energy descended in an instant, striking the smooth demon core.
The core's radiance dimmed, and it was knocked flying backward.
Pff
The moment its core was hit, Silvermoon felt as if lightning had struck it. It coughed great mouthfuls of blood, its aura weakening rapidly, and nearly fell from the sky.
Retrieving its core, it saw a glaring crack along its surface. Rage boiled up, and it coughed up another three mouthfuls of blood. Damage to a demon core was nearly irreversible, akin to a human cultivator's damaged origin.
At that moment, Silvermoon felt the breath of death.
But Song Xianming, consumed by grief and fury, would never give it a chance to escape. All his rage and killing intent were condensed into one sword strike.
Shhh
The sword qi flashed forward in an instant.
Silvermoon's fur bristled. It dodged desperately to the side, but the sword light was faster; there was a flash of blood, and one of its forelegs was severed.
The wolf could no longer keep aloft and crashed to the ground, its massive body flattening a small hill.
Song Xianming staggered; the previous two strikes had nearly drained him dry.
Staring at the half-dead demon wolf, he gritted his teeth and raised his sword again, but didn't strike.
He knew his limits. With the strength left to him, he could only unleash one more sword blow. If the wolf died, so be it. But if it survived?
No matter how bad its physical injuries looked, they were only flesh wounds. As a great demon equal to a Purple Mansion cultivator, Silvermoon's spiritual power was formidable.
Even if it lost its body, in the current state of Cangmang Peak, they could never withstand its soul.
The only solution was to destroy both body and soul in one go.
"It seems I'll have to use that move," Song Xianming's eyes went cold.
He was only a step away from the Purple Mansion realm. By burning his life essence, he could cross that step for a short while and gain even greater power.
He had once used this to defeat He Tai, the Supreme Elder of the Lieyang Sect, but had also ended his cultivation path.
With the meager lifespan left to him now, using it again would be suicide.
He did not hesitate. Having already lost two younger kin, it was time for an elder to follow.
But at that critical instant, a massive black warship emerged from the leaden clouds.
At Song Changsheng's order, a black cannon muzzle extended from the prow and fired a thick beam of light, his fury concentrated into that blast straight at the demon wolf.
Boom
Fueled by all the spirit stones the three of them had, the shot obliterated Silvermoon's lower body into scraps.
The sudden aid stunned Song Xianming. Seeing Song Changsheng on the warship, his heart instantly felt lighter, and he poured all his remaining strength into one last sword strike.
The sword light descended, and the great demon was beheaded.
Having spent everything, Song Xianming collapsed into unconsciousness, falling like a bird with broken wings.
From Silvermoon's enormous head, a crystal-white radiance emerged, vaguely forming the shape of a wolf soul.
Its eyes burned with hatred and malice. Never had I imagined it would fall to a group of ants.
"Damn you, I'll see you dead!" Silvermoon's soul roared and charged straight at Song Changsheng.
Expressionless, Song Changsheng pulled out a crimson talisman and tore it in half.
It was a low-tier third-grade Blazing Flame Heaven-Scorching Talisman he had taken from the clan treasury before leaving home, never expecting it would find its use here.
In an instant, Silvermoon's soul was engulfed in a sea of fire. The flames clung like maggots to bone, searing its soul, drawing out a piercing, anguished howl.
Song Changsheng felt no pity. Instead, he raised the gourd in his hand
The Soul-Slaying Gourd, made to cut souls.
"Gourd, slay the soul!"
An invisible blade swept through the void, slicing raindrops in half before cleaving into the wolf's soul.
Silvermoon's soul could hold no longer. It shattered into fragments, which the blazing flames consumed entirely.
Thus, the third-tier great demon was annihilated body and soul.
...
Twenty miles from Cangmang Peak stood a barren, nameless mountain less than a thousand feet high. The Song clan juniors called it the "back mountain." With no spiritual vein and sparse vegetation, it was usually devoid of life.
Inside the mountain's hollow belly, hidden by a concealing formation, Song Luzhou sat cross-legged with Song Qinghong, Song Qingxia, and a dozen other juniors. Every face was clouded with gloom. Song Luzhou's hands were clenched so tightly that his nails had pierced his palms and drawn blood, though he hadn't noticed.
The cave was utterly silent, and even their breathing was faint.
They were waiting for their fate to be decided.
If the clan was defeated, they would open the door behind them and use the one-way spatial teleportation array within to leave Lingzhou, perhaps even the Great Qi altogether.
Their kin were still fighting desperately at the front, while they could only sit here in hiding to preserve their lives. For these young people, it was a bitter truth to accept.
Suddenly, Song Changxue stood up, sword in hand, and headed toward the exit.
Song Luzhou's brows furrowed. "What are you doing?" he barked.
Still pale from her failed Foundation Establishment breakthrough, Song Changxue's eyes were red. "I'm going to fight alongside our clan!" she said, voice trembling.
"Absurd! What difference can you make alone? Your task now is to stay here. If the clan falls, you are the last embers of our line. That is your duty!" Song Luzhou's roar was fierce and unyielding.
"But, Uncle," she began.
Smack!
The sharp crack of the slap stunned not only Song Changxue but everyone present.
All eyes turned to Song Luzhou in disbelief.
Everyone knew he doted on this niece, especially after she failed to build her foundation. Never had he laid a hand on her until now.
Clutching her swelling cheek, Song Changxue stared at him in shock. Since childhood, this was the first time he had struck her, and suddenly she felt on the verge of tears.
But when her gaze met his, she froze.
His usually plump face was twisted with anguish, his tiger-like eyes bloodshot, glistening with unshed tears.
His voice was low, hoarse, almost a growl: "You think I don't want to go? You think I'm afraid of death? You think your uncle's a coward?
My elders are killing on the frontlines. My brothers are fighting, drenched in blood. My nephews and nieces are giving their lives. You think I don't want to stand beside them?
I do, but I can't!
You, me, all of you, bear the clan's legacy and its survival. This is an order, and it is a responsibility. There is no room for doubt!
If you must blame something, blame our weakness. One beast has driven us to the edge of ruin.
Children train hard. The clan's future rests on you."
When he finished, Song Luzhou seemed to age decades in an instant, slumping slowly against the cold stone wall.
The cave fell silent, though in each young person's eyes a quiet fire burned.
Song Qingxia kept wiping her sword, her gaze ice-cold. Yes, it was because she was too weak. If she were stronger, would they be cowering in this cave now?
Song Changxue crouched in a corner, hugging her knees, silently crying. She blamed herself for wasting the Foundation Establishment Pill that the clan had fought so hard to obtain. If she hadn't failed, would their odds be better now?
"Clan heir… I've failed your expectations," murmured the chubby boy, staring at the jade slip in his hands. It was Song Changsheng's notes on array formations, a gift from years ago. Though useless to him now, he always carried it to remind himself to train.
He felt unworthy of meeting Song Changsheng again after all these years; he was still this weak…
In each heart, anger, guilt, and determination.
And in that moment, Song Luzhou nodded inwardly. The clan had chosen well. As long as they held onto this conviction, even if they lost today, the Song clan could still rise again one day.
"It's gone quiet," Song Qingshi, usually silent, suddenly remarked.
Song Luzhou noticed it too; the sounds of battle outside had ceased.
Unease crept into his heart. What was the outcome?
Dong…
The deep, solemn toll of a bell echoed. At once, the group's eyes lit up with excitement.
They had won! This was the bell of victory!
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