Chapter 33 The Second Great Clash 1
A heavy silence fell before the storm.
The valley had transformed into a warfront. Thousands of demonic beasts approached like a tidal wave, and the atmosphere trembled with anticipation. The front lines stood ready. Gold Tier 2 Elders from the four great sects each took command of their forces. Behind them, lines of disciples, battle-worn and weary, stood resolute. Among them were Elton, Christy, Zoro, Cedric, and a mix of rogue cultivators and minor sect survivors who had all gathered in preparation for the decisive moment.
The Gold Tier 1 Elders stood at their sides, bolstering the morale of their people, while the demonic beasts in the distance began to spread out like a well-coordinated army. The formations were activated.
Brilliant sigils and glowing patterns lit up beneath the feet of the sect disciples. Energy surged in unison, forming powerful magical arrays. As the commands were issued, a massive barrage of elemental attacks shot forward—fiery pillars, lightning javelins, earth-shattering spikes, and searing rays of holy and chaotic energies. The front line of demonic beasts was torn apart, dozens falling instantly, yet the horde did not slow.
From the center of the formation, the Gold Tier 2 Elder of the Bright Brilliant Blade Sect stepped forward. His long robes fluttered behind him as he drew the massive blade strapped to his back. The aura that followed silenced even the roar of magic and war. A moment later, wind element gathered fiercely around him. With a deep breath, he invoked one of the legendary stances of the Bright Brilliant Blade technique.
"First Sword Stance – Windshear Path!" he bellowed.
A howling gale burst from his blade as he swung it down. A sharp, slicing wave of compressed air and magical force erupted forward, carving through the battlefield like a divine judgment. The wind-sword wave shredded beast after beast, leaving behind a smoldering trail of destruction that tore halfway into the enemy formation.
Just as it neared the Gold Tier Demonic Beasts, one of them—the largest among them, cloaked in dark, smoky flames—breathed out a massive, toxic cloud. The Windshear Path met the black breath midair, resulting in a powerful explosion that sent shockwaves across the valley, destroying the remnants of the elder's attack and darkening the sky with ash and mist.
The beast horde, though wounded, continued to push forward. Explosive traps, earth collapses, elemental barriers, and clever magic delays were deployed from all sides, slowing them further, but the inevitable was clear. The true battle had only just begun.
"Keep the formations tight!" the Iron Fang Sect Elder roared. "Focus fire! Burn down the elites!"
"The vanguard will fall back in thirty seconds," said the Night's Light Devouring Church Elder. "Prepare the second line!"
On the front lines, Elton and his team stood side by side with other disciples, their faces worn but eyes sharp.
Christy held her hands together, drawing arcane lines from the gem embedded within, her perception sharp enough to notice subtle movements. Elton's sword shimmered faintly with starlight, his aura pulsing stronger than ever. Zoro flexed his grip on his twin blades, his new scarf fluttering like a living entity. Cedric twirled his gold-star dagger, the edge already glowing with infernal energy.
Behind the frontlines, rogue cultivators began setting up their own haphazard but desperate formations. Others readied single-use talismans, traps, and enchanted relics passed down or bartered from mysterious places. Everyone knew the next phase was life or death.
As the demonic beast army crossed the final threshold, the Elders shouted in unison:
"PREPARE THE TRUMPCARDS!"
A deeper silence fell.
The battlefield was about to erupt into chaos once more but this time both sides were ready to go all in.
As the final preparations end, the sects' ultimate trump cards begin to activate. Glowing arrays of spell circles, sacred artifacts, and devastating techniques light up the battlefield, each trump card promising ruin to the demonic tide.
But the Demonic Beasts aren't waiting.
All nine remaining Gold Tier 1 Demonic Beasts let loose ferocious roars before charging forward in a coordinated assault. The air shakes from their combined momentum as destruction barrels toward the formations. Simultaneously, the Peak Gold Tier 2 Demonic Beast standing a half-step into Gold Tier 3 takes a thunderous step forward, triggering an overwhelming pressure that rolls across the battlefield like a tidal wave.
The four Gold Tier 2 Elders of the major sects move into motion, intercepting the monstrous leader with terrifying speed and precision. Each elder showcases mastery over their respective arts: divine swordsmanship, abyssal light, raw physical might, and feral elementalism.
Elsewhere, the 11 Gold Tier 1 cultivators from the sects and rogue factions charge into battle, each taking on one of the Gold Tier 1 Demonic Beasts. Explosions of light, Ki Essence, and elemental fury ripple across the land, shaking the heavens. Though demonic beasts are naturally stronger physically and have overwhelming vitality, cultivators fight with strategy, magical prowess, and advanced techniques creating an explosive stalemate.
At the center of it all, the battlefield descends into absolute chaos.
Trump cards are unleashed. Formation-linked arrays, explosive talismans, and divine relics release heaven-rending force. Hundreds of demonic beasts fall with each volley, reducing the once colossal tide of beasts by over half. The Silver Tier experts of all sects hold their lines, their formations glowing with synchronized brilliance, fending off wave after wave.
Elton, Christy, Zoro, and Cedric though battered and weary stay side-by-side with other sect disciples and rogue fighters, cutting down beast after beast. Their exhaustion burns like fire in their limbs, but retreat isn't an option.
Then—
From the center of the battlefield, something changes.
One of the Gold Tier 1 beasts thought to be fatally injured days ago reemerges. Disguised in the chaos as a Silver Tier 3 Demonic Beast, it unleashes a sneak attack on a Gold Tier 1 rogue cultivator. Caught off guard, the cultivator suffers grievous wounds.
In an instant, the beast he was originally fighting joins the ambush.
Together, the two Gold Tier 1 Demonic Beasts overwhelm and kill the rogue expert. The second beast just so happens to be the very one that had previously been enraged upon seeing Elton, Christy, Zoro, and Cedric after seeing its treasures on them. In it's rage it swiftly locks on to them.
It's fury is unmistakable.
While the disguised, dying Gold Tier 1 beast prepares to unleash a massacre, the enraged one begins marching directly toward Elton and his group.