An Old Friend

When a Yin Soldier led a dozen Blood Puppets to the walls outside the Forward Outpost Base, it fell into a daze.

"Are these city walls?"

"How can there be such a city wall here?"

The Yin Soldier raised its head and gazed at the towering, majestic walls. Its stiff skull simply could not understand why there was a city here in the depths of the mountains!

Inside its decaying head, its thoughts ran like a rusted machine, utterly incapable of functioning normally.

This was also the greatest flaw of the Yin Soldiers: they were not very bright, their thoughts muddled and chaotic—in short, they were brain-dead.

They had been buried deep in the Corpse Sea for thousands of years. Even after seeing daylight again, they were still unable to recover the thought processes of normal people.

By comparison, those who had just been transformed into Yin Soldiers retained their previous intelligence, and their thoughts were nearly indistinguishable from those of ordinary people.

On the city wall, Yang Qinhu watched the dull-witted Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets below, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Then he looked toward the densely packed figures converging through the distant forest, and the expression on his face grew even more excited.

Yang Qinhu was not a descendant of Yang Zhengshan. He came from the Yang Clan.

His luck had been both good and bad. It was bad because he had missed the best era—the time when Yang Zhengshan had led the army. Back then, Yang Family Village had produced a large number of generals, from Yang Chengze and Yang Mingwu to later figures such as Yang Mingzhen.

His luck was good because he had caught the last train of the Yang Family's rise in Dasheng. When Yang Chengye took charge of Chongshan Town, he began to emerge, becoming a Backbone Force under Yang Chengye.

He then followed Yang Chengye in conquering the world, unifying Dasheng, and establishing the Great An Dynasty.

After that, he entered the Spirit Source Land and joined the Jade Capital Guard, going from a noble of the empire to a mere Thousand-Man Commander in the Jade Capital Guard.

Of course, this fall in status did not affect him. At that time, most of the Yang Family Disciples had abandoned their Glory, Wealth, and Status to enter the Spirit Source Land. It was precisely because of the choice they had made back then that they had become who they were today.

If they had stayed in the Great An Dynasty to enjoy their Glory, Wealth, and Status, they would probably have long since turned into piles of yellow earth.

And now, most of the Yang Family Disciples who had followed them into the Spirit Source Land had become Golden Body Realm Martial Artists, while a few had already become Divine Soul Realm Martial Artists. Of course, some had already been buried on Green Mountain.

Yang Qinhu's good fortune lay in the fact that he had overtaken those who came before him, becoming a Divine Soul Realm Martial Artist ahead of many others.

At this moment, he watched the Yin Soldiers below the wall, nocked an arrow, and drew the bowstring. Hazy Spiritual Light spilled across the bow and arrow. With a whoosh, the arrow shot forth, trailing a sharp whistle as it tore through the air.

Unfortunately, just as the arrow was about to pierce the Yin Soldier's skull, a withered palm suddenly clenched around its shaft.

The Yin Soldier stared blankly at the arrow, as though it did not recognize the object at all.

But whether it recognized it or not no longer mattered, because countless arrows followed close behind.

Arrows fell like rain, and the sharp whistles of their passage continued without end.

Although the Yin Soldier was dull, its reactions were not slow. The Yin Energy spilling from its body quickly formed a barrier, blocking the arrows before it.

The Blood Puppets, however, could not withstand the arrows. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen Blood Puppets fell beneath the rain of arrows.

"Roar~~"

A beastlike howl rang out. Large numbers of Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets seemed to have received some kind of Instructions, rapidly converging toward the city wall.

What followed was a brutal battle of offense and defense.

Thousands of Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets formed masses of pitch-black mist, constantly slamming into the city walls and Formations. Countless arrows shot into the black mist, turning many Blood Puppets into sieves before they collapsed to the ground. From time to time, the corpses of a few Yin Soldiers could also be seen.

The arrows fired from these Spirit Weapons posed a great threat to the Blood Puppets, but not much of a threat to the Yin Soldiers.

Unless one was extremely lucky and struck a Yin Soldier's vital point, it was difficult to inflict much damage on them.

Yet when the arrows were fired in sufficient numbers, even a small chance could produce considerable casualties.

The battle had begun, but this was only the start. For now, only the Jade Capital Guard soldiers on the city walls were carrying out precise volleys. Neither the Puppets inside the walls nor the Flying Boats in the sky had joined the battle.

But as more and more Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets converged, the battle grew increasingly fierce.

The Yin Energy released by the Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets spread like dark clouds. In the blink of an eye, black mist shrouded the Northern Region of the Forward Outpost Base.

"Fire!"

Yang Qinhu stood atop the city wall and roared in a savage voice.

His heart was pounding, his body trembling—not from fear, but from excitement.

They had not taken part in battle for a very long time. They had not participated in such a large-scale battle for a very long time.

Stability had certainly made life easier for them, but it had also caused them to lose their passion.

Today, however, their passion had returned.

No Martial Artist did not long for battle. A Martial Artist who did not long for battle would never become a powerhouse.

If you did not even yearn for battle, what motivation did you have to cultivate?

The battle grew more and more intense. Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets continued converging from all around, and soon this Yin Soldier Army of roughly two hundred thousand had completely surrounded the Forward Outpost Base. Some Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets had even run to the gap south of the base and launched an attack there.

In only a moment, the entire Forward Outpost Base was shrouded in a vast mass of black mist, plunging the whole interior of the base into gloom.

Yang Zhengshan raised his head toward the sky. His gaze passed through the gaps between the Flying Boats as he watched the patches of black mist and the Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets clawing and thrashing within it, his eyes filled with cold severity.

At the same time, on a mountain peak in the distance from the Forward Outpost Base, two figures were gazing toward the base.

The mountain peak soared above the others, standing at the summit with the faint feeling of looking down on all the surrounding mountains.

Under the bright sunlight, the two figures both radiated a hazy, alluring color. A gentle breeze fluttered the veil around them, revealing snow-white, supple skin.

Two furry ears poked out from their smooth hair. On their palm-sized, exquisite faces, a pair of alluring eyes made countless wild imaginings arise in the hearts of those who saw them.

They were none other than Su Mei and Su Qingfu of the Qingyuan Fox Clan.

Yang Zhengshan did not know that the entrance to the Qingyuan Cave Heaven was near the Forward Outpost Base. It was merely a coincidence. When Su Mei had chosen to avoid the war brought by the Wuchang Ghost Sect, she had moved the Fox Clan's settlement. She did not want to leave the Wanhua Mountain Range, so she had chosen the Southern Region, far from the Wuchang Ghost Sect.

After learning that the Wanhua Demon Court had been destroyed, Su Mei had no choice but to move again, intending to relocate outside the Wanhua Mountain Range. It was something she had no alternative to do.

Facing the threat of the Wuchang Ghost Sect, the Fox Clan had no other option besides hiding.

Besides, Su Mei had already taken control of the Grotto-Heaven and the Sacred Tree, so relocating was easy. Thus, they did not feel much resistance toward moving again. They were merely unwilling to leave the Wanhua Mountain Range.

Just as Su Mei was preparing to relocate, she discovered a group of people nearby. She knew very clearly that no one had originally lived here. This group had simply appeared out of nowhere.

They had even built a city here, which left her extremely puzzled. She could not understand why these people had appeared here or why they had constructed a city.

"They seem to be waiting for the Yin Soldier Army!" Su Qingfu said softly.

Su Mei folded her arms across her chest, the round, gauzy fabric pulled taut against her figure.

"Did you notice anything?"

A smile touched the corners of her mouth, and her alluring eyes gleamed with crystalline radiance.

"What is the problem? Could they not be waiting for the Yin Soldier Army?" Su Qingfu asked in confusion.

Su Mei giggled. "No, they are indeed waiting for the Yin Soldier Army. I just did not expect them to be our Old Friends!"

"Old Friends?" Su Qingfu was even more puzzled. She gazed toward the battlefield in the gorge, looking at the city completely shrouded in black mist.

"Venerable, do you know their origins?"

"Did you not notice their Flying Boats just now?"

"Flying Boats?" Su Qingfu froze, then fell into thought. "They seem somewhat similar to Vermilion Bird Cloud Boats!"

Vermilion Bird Cloud Boats!

Su Qingfu's eyes brightened. "The Yunxiao Yang Family!"

Although many factions could manufacture Large Flying Boats, the Flying Boats made by each faction differed in every aspect.

The Wuchang Ghost Sect had its Bone Flying Boats, the Hengshan Sect had its Glazed Flying Boats, and the Tianxian Dao had its Floating Palaces. Wanbao Sect was a special case—their Flying Boat manufacturing industry was the strongest, and they were skilled at producing many different types. They could even make custom designs.

But no matter which faction had manufactured a Flying Boat, it bore very obvious identifying marks.

The Vermilion Bird Cloud Boat was the symbol of the Yunxiao Yang Family. There was no doubt about that.

Of course, the Spirit Source Land had sold quite a few Vermilion Bird Cloud Boats, so it could not be said that every Vermilion Bird Cloud Boat belonged to the Yang Family.

But there had just been dozens of Vermilion Bird Cloud Boats above the city before them. That meant the city had been built by the Yunxiao Yang Family.

They still did not know that White Jade Capital existed, and thought that the Yunxiao Yang Family was simply the Yang Family.

"It is actually the Yang Family. They have so many Flying Boats?" Su Qingfu said in surprise.

Su Mei's expression grew complicated. "I did not expect to encounter them here either!"

Her feelings toward Yang Zhengshan were extremely complicated.

There was gratitude, guilt, helplessness, and a hint of admiration.

She was grateful because Yang Zhengshan had helped the Hu Tribe resolve the Sacred Tree's problem back then and had helped her gain control of the Qingyuan Cave Heaven.

She felt guilty because she had not gone to provide aid during the battle at True Sun Immortal City, allowing the Tianyun Sword Sect to become cannon fodder. In the end, the Tianyun Sword Sect had fallen apart.

Although she had not devised the plan, she had been one of those who carried it out.

After the battle at True Sun Immortal City, Yang Zhengshan had never again visited the Qingyuan Cave Heaven or gone to find her. She knew that he must have been dissatisfied with her and the Qingyuan Fox Clan, and perhaps even harbored resentment toward them.

But she had been Forced to Do So. At that time, she had been unable to disobey the Demon Emperor's orders.

This was also one of the reasons she had later left the Wanhua Demon Court of her own accord.

"Should we go help them?" Su Qingfu did not have as many thoughts as Su Mei. She simply felt that the Yang Family and the Fox Clan had an old connection, and that having one more friend during this turbulent period could only be a good thing.

"Help them?" Su Mei's eyes drooped slightly, giving her a pitifully charming air.

"Perhaps they do not need our help!"

Since Yang Zhengshan had arranged for people to build a city here and wait for the Yin Soldier Army to arrive, it meant that the Yang Family had already prepared to deal with the Yin Soldier Army. Naturally, they did not need her help.

Su Qingfu glanced at her and said, "Whether they need it is not important. What matters is that we need some allies now!"

At this, Su Mei could not help smiling. "That is right. Whether they need it is not important. What matters is that I need it!"

However, what she meant by "need" was not the same as what Su Qingfu meant.

Su Qingfu was speaking from the perspective of the Qingyuan Fox Clan, while Su Mei was speaking from the perspective of her own Inner Heart.

She still wanted to repair her relationship with Yang Zhengshan, so she needed an opportunity to make up for her previous Forced to Do So.

And now was an excellent opportunity.

Whether Yang Zhengshan needed it or not, if she stepped forward to help, that alone would express her sincerity.

The battle at the Forward Outpost Base continued.

The battle appeared vast and tragic, but to the Jade Capital Guard soldiers, it instead seemed extremely easy.

It was not that the fighting itself was easy for them, but that this method of fighting made them feel completely at ease.

They merely stood on the city wall and fired arrows. With the Formations protecting them, they did not need to worry about the Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets attacking them. They could devote themselves wholeheartedly to shooting.

But they were the only ones who had it easy. The ones bearing the pressure were the logistics personnel.

Whether the Jade Capital Guard soldiers or the Puppets, all of them were huge consumers of supplies.

The energy released by the Puppets came entirely from Spirit Stones. Every attack they made represented the consumption of several Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Every attack by the Jade Capital Guard consisted of a single arrow. With more than ten thousand soldiers firing at once, that meant more than ten thousand arrows. After a dozen or so volleys, the arrows alone could be piled into a small mountain.

War was a contest of resource consumption. It was just that White Jade Capital's resources were Spirit Stones, arrows, Magic Artifacts and Treasures, various pills, and so on, while the Wuchang Ghost Sect's resources were Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets.

Aboard a Vermilion Bird Cloud Boat in the sky, Yang Jizhen watched as the battle fully erupted and nearly two hundred thousand Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets converged. He felt that the time was about right.

"Pass on my order: Whole Army Attacks! Wipe them out!"

Defense did not mean passively huddling behind the walls. They could also Launch an Attack and use offense in place of defense.

Moreover, Flying Boats were not defensive Magic Treasures. They were all-purpose Magic Treasures that could attack, defend, and fly.

Thus, when the battle plan had been drawn up, the Flying Boat Army had already prepared a plan to Take the Initiative to Attack.

With Yang Jizhen's order, dozens of Vermilion Bird Cloud Boats and hundreds of Blazing Sun Flying Boats suddenly glimmered with hazy radiance and shot out of the Formation like arrows loosed from a bow.

The charge of so many Flying Boats instantly sent the converging Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets tumbling head over heels.

One Vermilion Bird phantom after another soared into the sky, scarlet flames billowing upward. Accompanied by countless spells, they formed a raging tide of attacks. In the blink of an eye, they tore the black mist of the Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets into shreds.

"Kill!"

Just as Yang Jizhen was about to unleash the Yimu Azure Thunder Sword and slaughter in all directions,

vast stretches of multicolored auspicious clouds suddenly appeared in the east of the battlefield. The clouds surged and the rays of light wavered, while huge, furry tails wrapped in radiance swept across the battlefield.

Like a breeze sweeping fallen leaves, they sent the already scattered Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets flying.

Beneath the furry tails were sharp fangs and claws. Those razor-sharp claws, like Divine Weapons, tore one Yin Soldier and Blood Puppet after another to pieces.

"Hehehe~~ What a lively scene. You do not mind if this queen joins in, do you?"

Qingling's soft, bewitching laughter echoed across Heaven and Earth. Her voice seemed to carry invisible hooks, instantly tugging at everyone's hearts and drawing all their gazes toward her—even those of the Yin Soldiers and Blood Puppets, who stared fixedly at the figure suspended beneath the sunlight and wreathed in countless rays of light.