The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

Seeing the Bronze Bell's vibrations cease, Song Changsheng finally let out a quiet breath of relief. With a slight thought, the Mystic Sun Heavenly Gang Array slowly opened.

It was not as though Song Changsheng had never considered claiming this Immortal Cave for himself, but he still had a bottom line. Before they proved faithless, he would not prove unrighteous.

"Hey, it's open—they succeeded!" Li Hu was the first to notice the great array had opened, and he immediately shouted in delight.

Smiles also appeared on Zhu Yiqun and the others' faces. They had succeeded!

As the array dispersed, Song Changsheng and Xu Yun's figures were revealed. Xu Yun's face was filled with deep shame. Not long after entering the great array, she had lost her way within it.

This Time, Song Changsheng had broken the array entirely on his own.

Originally, she had been somewhat dissatisfied that Zhu Yiqun had invited someone else after inviting her. But now, it seemed that if not for Song Changsheng, they would likely have returned empty-handed again.

"Fellow Daoist Song's attainments in the Dao of arrays are truly extraordinary. I willingly concede defeat," Xu Yun said, giving Song Changsheng a Cupped Fist Salute before everyone.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, you flatter me. I merely succeeded through luck," Song Changsheng said hurriedly, stepping forward to help Xu Yun up.

Just as he extended his hand, a warning flared in his heart. Looking up, he saw a black-red streak of blood rapidly shooting toward them from afar.

"Watch out..." Song Changsheng immediately cried out.

Xu Yun had yet to understand what Song Changsheng meant. She turned around in confusion, then her Eyes Widened in terror.

The next moment.

Pfft

Xu Yun's head exploded like a watermelon. Blood, flesh, and brain matter splattered in every direction, an utterly shocking sight.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden scene. Xu Yunhe, the Sword Cultivator, was the first to react. He drew the longsword from his back and shouted, "There's an Ambush! Watch for sneak attacks!"

Only then did everyone awaken as if from a dream. They each brought out their Magic Artifacts and warily watched the place from which the attack had come.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

More black-red rays blanketed them from afar, covering the sky and earth. But Song Changsheng and the others were prepared now, blocking most of the attacks. Only two Qi Condensation Seventh Layer Cultivators suffered minor injuries.

"These are the Blood Demon Sect's methods. This is a trap laid by the Blood Demon!" Zhuang Yuechan said in an ethereal voice, holding an antique Jade Zither in her arms.

Song Changsheng could not help glancing at her again. She had recognized the Blood Demon's methods at a glance. The inheritance behind this woman was no simple matter.

"They're here!"

Li Hu let out a roar, and the muscles across his body immediately swelled, taking on a metallic sheen. This was the defining trait of a Body Cultivator—their flesh could rival Magic Artifacts.

With his roar, more than thirty Blood Demon Cultivators wielding all manner of Demonic Artifacts surged forth from every direction.

The instant the two sides met, countless spells blossomed with their own radiance. For a Moment, the battlefield was painted in a riot of dazzling colors.

The Treasure Gourd hovered above Song Changsheng's head, while the Water Element Shield guarded his side. Thick Water Dragons roared across the battlefield, instantly devouring two mid-phase Qi Condensation Blood Demons.

At the forefront of the battlefield, Li Hu had already transformed into an iron man impervious to blades and spears. Wearing a pair of Diamond Claws, he charged and slaughtered to his heart's content, as though entering no man's land.

Zhu Yiqun also displayed his Qi Condensation Great Perfection cultivation. He gripped a large Black Pot in his hand and swung it around to smash his foes. Whoever was struck by it suffered broken bones and torn tendons.

Yet Xu Yunhe was the most dazzling of all. He strode leisurely across the battlefield with sword in hand, sharp Sword Qi coiling around him. Within a radius of thirty meters, none dared approach.

The one most out of place, however, was Zhuang Yuechan. She sat cross-legged at the edge of the battlefield, the Jade Zither laid across her knees as her fingers, delicate as tender scallion shoots, lightly plucked its strings.

Gentle qin music immediately spread across the entire battlefield. Upon first entering their ears, it felt like the tinkling of spring water and the murmuring of a stream—exquisitely pleasant and intoxicating.

But as the melody suddenly turned sharp, it became as though they stood upon a War-torn battlefield, filled with an aura that could swallow mountains and rivers.

The hot blood in Song Changsheng and the others began to boil, as if heroic spirit were growing from the bottom of their hearts. Their strength surged as though they had swallowed medicine.

Yet the Blood Demons on the battlefield only felt each note of qin music turn into a killing blade Echoing all around them, leaving them unable to guard against it.

For a Moment, the two sides fought back and forth, neither able to overcome the other.

"Hmph, a pack of useless trash!"

The Black Deacon stood atop his flying sword in midair, deeply dissatisfied as he watched the chaotic battlefield below.

He rode his sword into the battlefield and swept his sleeve. Two Qi Condensation Seventh Layer Cultivators instantly exploded into a cloud of Blood Mist.

"A Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator!" Zhu Yiqun cried out in alarm, his heart turning ice-cold.

Li Hu was charging forward through the fighting, drenched in blood. The instant he saw the Black Deacon, his Pupils contracted, and he immediately Withdrew backward.

The Black Deacon sneered. "You still want to run? Too late." With a flick of his finger, a streak of blood instantly pierced Li Hu's proud fleshly body.

A trace of unwillingness appeared on Li Hu's face. The next moment, he exploded outright, leaving neither corpse nor bones behind.

"Fellow Daoist Li!" Xu Yunhe's Eyes Bursting with Rage, he flipped his longsword and slashed out a dazzling sword light with all his strength.

"You dare raise a hand against This Seat? Seek Death." The Black Deacon waved his hand and slashed out a blood-red ray over three meters long. It devoured the sword light before cutting toward Xu Yunhe.

Xu Yunhe tried to dodge, only to discover that he was bound in place and could not move. As the blood ray approached, he exhausted all his strength to shift his body slightly.

The blood ray arrived, and blood erupted.

Xu Yunhe's right arm was severed at the shoulder.

The Black Deacon was about to finish him off when a Black Pot suddenly came crashing down over him.

He frowned and flicked his finger. The Black Pot immediately Flew Backwards, and Zhu Yiqun shuddered as if struck by lightning, throwing back his head and spitting out a cloud of Blood Mist.

At this moment, the qin music, now completely transformed into a sound of slaughter, also swept over him.

"Noisy."

The Black Deacon Roared and swept his sleeve, firing a scarlet blood light. The light arrived in an instant. A Jade Pendant at Zhuang Yuechan's waist bloomed with light, activating an eggshell-like shield that enveloped her.

The blood light was blocked for an instant. Seizing the chance, Zhuang Yuechan leaped up, lightly tapped the ground with her toes, and drifted gracefully backward.

"You want to run?" The Black Deacon smiled disdainfully and slowly extended his right hand. A massive bloody hand Appeared and reached out to envelop Zhuang Yuechan.

At this Crucial Moment, a thick Water Dragon Entwined around Zhuang Yuechan and dragged her sideways, causing the Black Deacon to grasp at empty air.

Having escaped disaster, Zhuang Yuechan looked at the bloody hand with lingering fear. Then she turned to Song Changsheng, who had saved her life, and her expression became complicated.

Song Changsheng had no mood to pay attention to the change in her Eyes. He brought out two Magic Artifacts and placed them before himself, shouting, "Everyone, retreat into the Ruins! I have a way to hold him back."

Everyone looked at him in astonishment.

But this was no time for delay. Zhu Yiqun made a prompt decision. "Listen to Changsheng. I'll hold the rear!"

As he spoke, Zhu Yiqun took out a white Jade Pendant and crushed it. A dazzling sword light immediately descended upon the Black Deacon.

"A full-force strike from a Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator?" The Black Deacon's Pupils contracted slightly, and he finally grew serious...