Battle Grows Fierce, Strength Revealed

The soil on the northern slope suddenly exploded, and packs of black-scaled ferocious beasts leaped out, moving so fast they left only afterimages. I gripped Flowing Abyss tightly. The blade shuddered as my spiritual sense swept across the battlefield in an instant.

"Wood Spirit, strangle the front line!"

Vines burst from beneath the ground, wrapping around the legs of three ferocious beasts and yanking them down hard. They crashed to the ground and were sent flying several yards by a sweeping blade light before they could rise.

Three knocks came from the eastern cliff. The Rock Lizard was sending word from beneath the earth: the enemy numbers far exceeded estimates and were closing in from above. I looked up to see the feathered bird already taking flight, its wings beating up rapid currents that disrupted the air's spiritual flow.

"Mist Cicada, relay the order to everyone—shrink the defensive line!"

The sound of fluttering wings sliced through the air like fine threads, and the message reached every position instantly. The Stream Demon immediately froze the water it controlled, coating the valley entrance in a thin layer of ice. Several beasts charging too fiercely slipped and tumbled, only to be whipped away by the Wood Spirit's branches.

The first wave had been stopped, but I knew it was not over.

Sure enough, a shadow flashed overhead. Five wing-clawed beasts dove from high above, their talons aimed directly at the water source area. The fragment of the Spirit-Gathering Array diagram was buried there, the core of the entire defense.

"Spirit Beast, guard the array core!"

It let out a low growl, drove off with all four limbs, and slammed into a burrowing beast that was digging into the ground. Dust flew as they collided. The earth-walking beast's movements were interrupted, forcing it to retreat.

I had no time to watch further. With a tap of my toes, I leaped into the air. The Nine Luminaries True Understanding surged to its limit, spiritual power rushing through my body like a galaxy and gathering in the Flowing Abyss in my palm.

The blade lit up with crimson-gold radiance. Gripping it with both hands, I swung downward in a sweeping arc.

"Mountain Severing Slash!"

Blade energy ripped through the air with a piercing blast. The five wing-clawed beasts had no time to dodge and were all cut down, their bodies hitting the ground with dull thuds. The moment I landed, I channeled my remaining spiritual power into the earth. A shockwave spread outward, driving back the enemies closing in around me.

The battlefield fell silent for a moment.

But then, a roar came from deep within the northern slope. A gigantic pitch-black beast strode forward, its eyes blood-red and black mist coiling around its body. The ground trembled with every step it took.

This was the leader.

More than a dozen surviving beasts followed behind it, their eyes dull and vacant, clearly under someone's control. They no longer charged in disarray. Instead, they advanced slowly with it at their center.

"Everyone, listen up. Draw the enemy in," I said. "Leave the southern forest open."

The Wood Spirit immediately withdrew some of its vines from the northern slope, revealing a passage. At the same time, the Mist Cicada released false sound sources, imitating the noises of people gathering. The Stream Demon quietly redirected the water, creating the illusion of a retreat.

The Black Armored Leader fell for it as expected. With a low roar, it led its subordinates into the open ground at the edge of the southern forest.

Now.

I took out the Mystic Light Mirror, a high-grade magic treasure obtained from the secret realm that I had never had a chance to use. Forming a hand seal, I activated its restriction.

A beam of pure white light shot from the mirror's surface, illuminating the entire battlefield.

The black mist vanished upon contact with the light. The controlled beasts gradually regained clarity in their eyes. Some stood frozen where they were, while others turned and fled. Only the leader remained in place. Though its black mist had weakened, it had not dispersed, clearly showing that the one controlling it had not given up.

It roared furiously and charged at me.

I raised my blade to meet it, my spiritual sense locking onto its movements. Every swipe of its claws carried violent power, but I was no longer the novice who relied on brute strength to fight.

On the third exchange, its right shoulder twitched and its muscles tensed. I immediately sidestepped, and Flowing Abyss skimmed past its arm, cutting into the site of an old wound. It cried out in pain, its movements slowing.

The Spirit Beast seized the chance and rammed into its knee from the side. It dropped to one knee, and before it could stand again, I had already leaped above its head.

First layer: the force of the Seventh Revolution of the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Art erupted, and the blade came crashing down.

Second layer: Spiritual Sense Attachment guided the blade energy into its neural nodes.

Third layer: borrowing the power of the Nine Luminaries True Understanding's stellar paths, I condensed a point of spiritual pressure on its chest and detonated it.

Boom!

It threw back its head and howled. Its chest was scorched black as it staggered back ten steps, finally unable to support itself any longer before dropping heavily to its knees.

I did not pursue it.

It struggled to raise its head and looked at me. For an instant, clarity appeared in its eyes, as though it wanted to say something, but in the end, it only gave a low growl and turned to flee into the deep mountains.

The remaining beasts scattered completely.

I stood where I was, taking two breaths before slowly sheathing my blade. My left hand trembled slightly. That series of moves had drained more than half my spiritual power.

Looking around, I saw the battlefield was in ruins. More than half the vines on the northern slope had snapped. The Wood Spirit's main body leaned crookedly, its branches and leaves badly damaged, yet it still stood firm. The Rock Lizard emerged from the soil and reported that there were no more tremors underground. The Mist Cicada rested on a broken branch, its wings trembling faintly, their frequency much slower than usual.

The Stream Demon slumped beside the shallow water, its translucent body glowing with a weak white light. It had clearly overdrawn its strength. The feathered bird landed on a broken rock, blood dripping from a wound on its left wing, but it still raised its head to look at me and chirped softly.

The Spirit Beast walked over and rubbed against my leg.

I reached out and stroked its head, then walked step by step toward the central ruins. My feet crunched over shattered stones. In the distance, the horizon began to pale as dawn slowly spread in.

A system notification suddenly appeared:

[Composite Defense Completion: 87%. Reward will be issued after settlement.]

I did not open it. This was not the time.

I planted Flowing Abyss in the ground and sat down against it. My gaze passed over every companion's position. They were all still here. They were all still standing.

Wind blew in through the valley entrance, carrying the smell of burning and a trace of chill. I closed my eyes and spread out my spiritual sense once more. Within ten miles, no large-scale auras were approaching.

For the moment, we were safe.

But I could not let my guard down. There had been something wrong with the leader's expression before it fled. Unlike the other beasts, it had not been completely controlled. Instead, it seemed as if it had been... forced to carry out orders.

And that black mist was not an ordinary evil technique mark. I could sense a familiar fluctuation from it, almost identical to the aura left behind by Ancestor Kunpeng.

As I was thinking, another system notification appeared:

[Abnormal energy residue detected. Source highly matches events related to "Northern Desolation Secrets." Begin quiz?]

I opened my eyes. Before I could respond, I suddenly heard the Rock Lizard knock twice against the ground beneath the eastern cliff.

Short, urgent.

It was not a warning rhythm.

I sprang to my feet and looked toward the northern ridge.

A figure stood on the high ground, silhouetted against the rising sun, his face impossible to make out. At his feet lay a dead ferocious beast—the very leader that had just escaped.

He raised a hand, pinching a black talisman token between his fingertips, and rubbed it lightly.

The talisman token turned to ashes and scattered in the wind.