Another Battle

"Thank goodness. Thank you for saving me, Brother Yu." Shen Luo struggled to sit up, his body swaying before another retainer beside him caught hold of him.

His mind was still swimming with waves of dizziness, but he understood that Yu Meng must have used some method to awaken him.

"Your injuries are too severe. You should not force yourself," Yu Meng said with a sigh.

Shen Luo took a deep breath, and his head cleared somewhat as he looked around.

The fierce battle at the city gate was still underway. The clashing of blades, furious cries, and sounds of combat rang out without cease.

As more and more of the city's young and able-bodied men rushed over, the black wolf pack's assault had already been checked, and the situation was beginning to favor the defenders.

Seeing this, Shen Luo breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Yu Meng.

"Brother Yu, you do not look well either. Was it because of that talisman just now?" Shen Luo asked with a frown.

"That was my Yu family's inherited Blood-Piercing Arrow Talisman. Only someone of Yu family blood can activate it, but it consumes half of one's vital energy," Yu Meng explained, still flushed and slightly out of breath.

Understanding flickered in Shen Luo's eyes. He said nothing more and looked up into the sky.

What would truly determine Fengchi City's fate was no longer the battle at the city gate, but another battlefield in the heavens.

High in the air, Yu Yan and the other immortal masters were still fighting the wolf-headed monster. Lights of every color collided fiercely, swallowing the figures overhead so that nothing could be seen clearly from the ground.

The sounds of collision came as densely as rain, stirring up gust after gust of storms, far more violent than before.

"Black Wolf King, your underlings were nothing much after all. After all that effort, you still fell short in the end!" A clear voice rang out, followed by triumphant laughter.

"Hmph! As long as I kill all of you, Fengchi City will still be mine for the taking. I will use the essence blood of an entire city's people to refine my inner core!" A rough voice came from within the black clouds, snorting coldly.

Before the words had even faded, a dark crimson gleam flashed within the swirling black clouds.

In an instant, the black clouds churned wildly and expanded severalfold. Their outer form rolled even more violently before transforming into the shape of a gigantic black wolf as large as a small mountain, nearly blotting out half the sky.

The giant wolf braced itself on all fours and raised its head in a howling posture. Its immense shadow fell below, plunging the area around the city gate into darkness so deep that one could not see one's own hand.

A fierce gale also sprang up out of nowhere near the city gate, making doors and windows rattle while dust flew everywhere.

Shen Luo's face filled with shock at the sight, and his heart grew ever more worried.

That wolf-headed monster's demonic arts were actually so formidable. He had never even read of such a sky-shrouding divine ability in books. Could Yu Yan and the others withstand it?

Just then, the giant black wolf lowered its head and drew in its belly. It kicked off through the air with all four paws and pounced fiercely at the group.

Yu Yan and the others hurriedly retreated through the air. At the same time, clusters of fireballs and bolts of lightning flew from their hands, striking the giant black wolf.

A series of booming explosions erupted. The black giant wolf's two front claws and head were blasted apart, yet its seemingly battered form did not stop and continued rumbling toward them.

An invisible force surged from the mangled wolf-shaped black clouds, sweeping forth with the force of collapsing mountains and overturning seas, sending ripples through the air ahead.

Yu Yan and the others were startled. The group that had been gathered together hurriedly scattered.

The wolf-shaped black clouds were massive and far less nimble than they were. All of them evaded the charge of the giant wolf's ruined body.

But at that very moment, a triumphant, savage laugh came from the black clouds. Three black streaks shot out in a flash, all hurtling toward one person—Yu Yan.

The three black streaks were three Black-backed Centipedes. Their bodies were pitch-black like black iron, each fully three feet long and capable of flying through the air. They were clearly rare creatures refined through demonic arts, with faint green light glimmering around their jaws and claws. One glance was enough to tell that they contained deadly poison.

These black centipedes were incredibly swift. In the blink of an eye, they had reached Yu Yan, aiming at his throat, hand, and foot as they bit down.

Yu Yan seemed not to have reacted in time. He was about to be wounded by the vicious insects.

Seeing this from below, Shen Luo's expression changed. Yu Meng beside him also trembled and was about to cry out.

But then a muffled thud came from the sky. The three Black-backed Centipedes were sent flying, leaving both Shen Luo and Yu Meng stunned.

A layer of red light had appeared around Yu Yan, condensing into an eggshell-shaped barrier that shielded his entire body.

At some point, a small crimson flag had appeared in his hand. The red glow forming the barrier bloomed from that flag.

"What kind of treasure is that little flag? Could it be a legendary Magical Artifact?" Shen Luo's eyes lit up.

He had spent two years at Spring Autumn Temple and had vaguely learned a little about cultivation through various channels. Magical Artifacts were treasures refined by highly accomplished cultivators. They contained immense power and could multiply a cultivator's strength.

While Shen Luo was still immersed in his shock that Yu Yan had activated what seemed to be a Magical Artifact and blocked the Black Wolf King's sneak attack, the situation in the sky changed rapidly again.

The immortal masters who had just fled in disarray suddenly halted, then formed a circle around the black clouds.

Aside from Yu Yan, the other five had somehow produced small crimson flags as well, each radiating flickering red light.

The six little flags seemed linked by some connection. With a simultaneous flick, the red light they emitted intertwined and connected in midair, forming a crimson barrier that instead trapped the wolf-shaped black clouds within.

"A formation!"

Enveloped by the red light, the wolf-shaped black clouds seemed to have sunk into a mire, unable to move. The Black Wolf King's furious and alarmed voice sounded from within.

Black light flowed across the clouds' surface as they churned wildly, seemingly trying to break free from the restraint of the surrounding red light, making the barrier shake without end.

"Hurry and activate the Sixfold Fire Formation! Do not let it escape!" Among the six immortal masters, an old Daoist in green robes shouted as his hands rapidly formed seals.

The other five also continuously formed seals toward the flags in their hands. The red light from the six flags brightened once more, and a crimson sphere of light appeared within the barrier, spinning ceaselessly.

"Go!"

The old Daoist in green robes waved the small flag in his hand and pointed at the crimson sphere from afar.

A ray of crimson light shot from the flag, passed through the red barrier, and merged into the sphere.

The other five performed the same action. Five rays of crimson light flew in from all directions and entered the sphere at the same time.

As though it had swallowed some miraculous tonic, the crimson sphere doubled in size and began to rumble like muffled thunder.

With a boom, the crimson sphere exploded, transforming into a jet of scarlet flame that slammed into the wolf-shaped black clouds at the location of its head before flashing into its body.

A massive explosion sounded from within the black clouds, accompanied by a shrill scream.