Stand Back, Let This Old Man Handle It

Seeing how formidable the Human Race cultivators' formation was, the Purple Mansion Demon Wolf on the mountaintop could no longer sit still. The Purple-Spotted Wolf King let out an angry howl and charged over with two Purple Mansion demon beasts.

Close behind it, more than a hundred Tier 2 demon wolves leaped through the air, attacking the formation around the group.

"Stop the Tier 2 demon wolves!"

Jiang Linglong left them with that command, then transformed into a streak of sword light and shot into the sky. She faced the three Purple Mansion Demon Wolves alone and actually gained the upper hand.

Below, everyone activated their formation flags and began fighting the Foundation Establishment demon wolves. Although the demon beasts greatly outnumbered them, the group relied on the power of their formation and held a clear advantage for the moment.

"Clang!"

Chen Nianzhi activated his formation flag. Western Extreme True Fire sent one Tier 2 demon wolf retreating in defeat, vomiting blood. Then he summoned the Mingxu Sword and soared into the air, slashing toward it.

The sword light was formidable. With a clang, it slew that Tier 2 Low-grade demon wolf.

"Not bad."

At last, he had slain a Tier 2 demon wolf, and Chen Nianzhi wore a faint smile. This was a real contribution to the battle.

Not far away, the Old Clan Leader summoned the Blazing Fire Soul-Burning Formation Flags, trapping one of the Tier 2 Mid-grade demon wolves inside. Once the wolf's magic power was exhausted, he summoned the Scarlet Flame Spirit Blade with a clang and cut off its head.

Chen Changxuan recalled his Life-bound Magical Treasure and let out a slight sigh of relief. "Looks like this battle won't be too difficult."

"Who would've thought Patriarch Jiang was this powerful?"

The battle in the sky continued. Jiang Linglong was still gaining the upper hand against three Purple Mansion Demon Wolves, and had even destroyed one of their Tier 3 magic instruments.

Just then, thunder rumbled through the distant sky, and seventy or eighty Cyan Great Rocs came flying over.

"Oh no, they're Thunder Rocs from Thunderclap Valley!"

"How could this be?"

Someone cried out in alarm, and everyone's expressions changed abruptly.

The Thunder Roc was an extremely powerful branch of the Demon Race. Its numbers were few, but the bloodline within its body was exceptionally strong, and it could reach the Foundation Establishment Realm upon reaching adulthood.

This branch of Thunder Rocs from Thunderclap Valley had nearly a hundred Tier 2 Thunder Rocs, as well as three great demons in the Purple Mansion realm.

Now, more than a hundred Thunder Rocs had arrived. It could be said that the entire branch had come out in force.

"There's a traitor."

Chen Nianzhi's pupils contracted sharply as the thought flashed through his mind.

Thunderclap Valley was fifty thousand li away. Even if they had received word, there was no way they could have arrived to provide support so quickly.

There was only one possibility: someone had taken advantage of the preparations for the war at Heavenly Ruins Mountain to send word in advance, passing the news to the Demon Race.

"Damn it!"

Lin Qianshu's gaze turned icy, and a killing intent surged from her. Clearly, she had reached the same conclusion.

But there was no time to dwell on it. She immediately summoned a Golden Bracelet magic instrument and sent it flying at the Early Purple Mansion realm demon wolf.

She had originally come only to bolster their forces. Unless something unexpected happened, she had planned to remain hidden as a reserve, ready to catch the demon beasts off guard later.

But now that the Demon Race had ambushed them, she had no choice but to reveal herself early. Before the Demon Roc Clan could join the battle, she had to seize the advantage.

Her sudden attack truly caught the enemy off guard. The Golden Bracelet was a Tier 3 Mid-grade magic instrument forged by Jiang Linglong from Heavenly Water Essence Gold, and its power was formidable.

The demon wolf had no time to dodge. It could only spit out its Demon Core to block the bracelet. But since Lin Qianshu had made her move, she had naturally prepared for every eventuality.

She raised her hand and summoned the Divine Ability, Ice Jade Radiant Light Spell. This was a special ice-type Divine Ability that only cultivators with an Ice Spirit Root could perform.

Once the spell was cast, white light blazed through the air and pinned the demon wolf's inner core in place.

Seizing the opportunity, she drove the Golden Bracelet down, locking the Tier 3 inner core firmly in place before snatching it into her Storage Bag.

Having scored a victory with her first strike, Lin Qianshu breathed a sigh of relief, summoned her Life-Bound Immortal Sword, the Ice-Soul Cold Light Sword, and swept through the air with a slash.

She had broken through to the Purple Mansion realm nearly sixty years ago and was now a cultivator at the Third Layer of the Purple Mansion realm, a little stronger than the Purple Mansion Demon Wolf. Her treasures and magic instruments were also superior.

In a one-on-one fight, the Purple Mansion Demon Wolf had never been her match. Now that it had lost its inner core and its magic power had fallen by more than half, it was naturally beaten back at every turn.

In fewer than ten breaths, the Purple Mansion Demon Wolf had already suffered serious injuries. It had clearly taken a heavy blow.

But those ten breaths were all it took. In the blink of an eye, the Thunder Roc Clan had reached them.

Two Purple Mansion mid-stage Great Rocs immediately rushed to attack Jiang Linglong. By then, Jiang Linglong had already displayed astonishing might and badly wounded the Purple Mansion mid-stage demon wolf.

Purple Mansion demon beasts had intelligence approaching that of ordinary people. They knew that if they did not intervene, Jiang Linglong would soon kill the wolf and break the stalemate.

The remaining Early Purple Mansion realm Demon Roc led the Tier 2 Thunder Rocs straight toward Lin Qianshu. Clearly, it wanted to kill this unexpected Purple Mansion cultivator first, then join the others in attacking Jiang Linglong.

"Oh no!"

Faced with two demon beasts of the same realm and nearly a hundred Tier 2 Demon Rocs, even a Purple Mansion cultivator could not possibly hold out.

Lin Qianshu's expression changed abruptly, and she hurriedly shouted, "Stop those Tier 2 demon beasts!"

With only the strength of Heavenly Ruins Mountain and the formation to face Demon Wolf Mountain, they could still gain the upper hand. But with the Thunder Roc Clan from Thunderclap Valley added to the battle, things had become difficult.

Even so, everyone knew that if they could not help the two Purple Mansion patriarchs stabilize the situation, the patriarchs might still be able to escape, but the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators like them would have little chance of getting away from the Purple Mansion demon beasts.

With no other choice, everyone desperately activated the formation to stop the nearly hundred Demon Rocs, fighting them to the death.

But under the combined assault of the Demon Wolf Clan and the Demon Roc Clan, everyone was clearly beginning to feel the pressure. One formation after another was breached, and the cultivators within were slaughtered by the Demon Race. Their losses were devastating.

At this critical moment, the Old Clan Leader and several other Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivators stepped forward. Each of them fought several Foundation Establishment demon beasts, barely holding back the enemy's advance.

Even so, it was not enough. There were simply too many Tier 2 demon beasts—nearly two hundred Foundation Establishment demon beasts.

On top of that, tens of thousands of Tier 1 demon beasts charged at them in a frenzy. Even with the power of their formation, the group was driven back step by step.

"Die!"

The Old Clan Leader used the Scarlet Flame Spirit Blade to kill the Tier 2 Demon Roc before him, then looked around.

Seeing the situation steadily spiral out of control, his hair and beard whipped wildly as he leaped into the sky and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Stand back! Let this old man handle it!"

He unfurled the Blazing Fire Soul-Burning Formation Flags, and towering Lihuo engulfed the sky, trapping more than thirty Foundation Establishment demon beasts inside.

Within the Blazing Fire Soul-Burning Grand Formation, he held the Ancient Bronze Treasure Pagoda, a Defensive Magic Instrument, above his head and fought thirty Foundation Establishment demon beasts alone, yet for a time, they could not break through the formation.