Crippling the Lang Household and Retreating

Killing one was killing, and killing ten was killing all the same.

After slaying one Feng Household cultivator, Kong Wenxuan had no intention of sparing the few who remained. He immediately activated the Yellow Earth Divine Sword, the Azure Wood Divine Sword, and the Black Water Divine Sword, sending the three divine swords slashing out again and again.

Some he blasted to death with one sword, while others he cut down with two swords working in tandem. The Feng Household cultivators were all trapped in the illusion, unable to pull themselves free. Faced with his attacks, they had no power to dodge or defend themselves, making killing them as easy as turning over his hand.

In only a moment, Kong Wenxuan had killed every one of the "Hummingbird" Feng Household cultivators and collected the Storage Bags from their bodies.

Unfortunately, their pairs of blade-like Wind Wings were manifestations of their Bloodline Divine Ability. Once they were killed, the wings almost always fell apart with them, and few remained intact.

At least, none of the Feng Household cultivators Kong Wenxuan had killed in succession had left behind Wind Wings as trophies.

Kong Wenxuan gave them a regretful glance before swiftly pouncing on the other cultivators and wolf demons still lost in the illusion.

Third Aunt Kong Yuyin, Fifth Uncle Kong Yuluo, Fourteenth Uncle Kong Yuyan, his elder brother Kong Wenzhang, and the others could all be counted among the Lineage's capable warriors. Almost all of them had a signature skill, or the Lineage would never have sent them to serve at Demon-Suppressing Pass, much less allowed them to remain active there for years and keep their lives.

But, truth be told, the killing power of their signature skills was often no match for Kong Wenxuan's Five Elements Divine Swords.

Thus, while Kong Wenxuan had already slain several Feng Household cultivators in quick succession, Third Aunt, Fifth Uncle, and the others had often killed only one target each, and mostly through the power of talismans and Law Artifacts.

By now, the sounds of battle at the persimmon grove had spread farther and farther, drawing more and more attention. Time waited for no one.

Kong Wenxuan wasted none of it. He turned his three divine swords and charged at the gray wolf demons, who were the most numerous, and the Lang Household cultivators.

Unlike the bloodline cultivators, who still had defensive Law Artifacts such as feather garments and robes to protect them, the gray wolf demons, the most numerous in the field, could fight only with their own bodies, claws, and fangs. Although every one of them possessed the bloodline gift Bronze Head and Iron Bones, Kong Wenxuan had long since seen through their weakness: bronze heads and iron bones, but tofu waists. The waists and abdomens of these wolf demons, as well as those of the Lang Household cultivators, were their greatest weakness.

Thus, all three divine swords aimed their slashes at the waists and abdomens of the wolf demons and even the Lang Household cultivators.

Whether it was the Azure Wood Divine Sword, the Black Water Divine Sword, or the Yellow Earth Divine Sword, the wolf demons could scarcely withstand a single blow. Some had their waists and abdomens severed by the unbroken barrage of slashes from the Azure Wood Divine Sword's Sword Light Differentiation, some had their waists and abdomens pierced by the Black Water Divine Sword's tide-like surging sword force, and others had their waists and abdomens crushed outright by the Yellow Earth Divine Sword's thousand-jun force.

Only the Lang Household cultivators, who mostly wore defensive robes made from the hides and pelts of Demon Beasts such as wolves, tigers, or leopards, could offer a little resistance to a blow from the Azure Wood Divine Sword or the Black Water Divine Sword. Even they could scarcely withstand a crushing blow from the Yellow Earth Divine Sword's thousand-jun weight.

Moreover, when the Azure Wood Divine Sword and the Black Water Divine Sword attacked in concert, even the Lang Household cultivators wearing defensive robes could scarcely resist and were slain on the spot by the two swords.

Thus, after Kong Wenxuan joined the battle, more than half of the Lang Household cultivators and the dozens of wolf demons they drove were soon cut down, leaving heavy casualties.

Awoo! Awoo! Awoo...

Just as Kong Wenxuan was about to press his advantage and kill every last one of the remaining wolf demons and Lang Household cultivators, a series of piercing wolf howls suddenly rang out from the nearby mountains.

More Lang Household cultivators had come driving wolf demons to attack. But upon seeing the state of the battlefield at the persimmon grove, they dared not approach, for fear that the blue peacock above the grove would bewitch them too and trap them in the illusion. They could only linger among the nearby mountains and let out piercing howls, hoping to wake their own cultivators and wolf demons from the illusion on the battlefield.

And sure enough, whether because the howls were so piercing, because there truly was a connection between those who shared a bloodline, or because the Lang Household cultivators and wolf demons who had held out this long in the illusion were all quite strong, cultivators and wolf demons really did begin to wake from the illusion one after another.

The Lang Household cultivators who woke, however, had been frightened out of their wits. They dared not stay and fight, afraid that the Blue Peacock in the sky would drag them back into the illusion.

Thus, the Lang Household cultivators drove their wolf demons to block and entangle Kong Wenxuan and the others, hindering their pursuit and attacks, while waking their fellow clansmen from the illusion and retreating. Even those they could not wake at once were restrained and carried away as they fled for their lives.

Naturally, Kong Wenxuan and the others were unwilling to watch their prey fly out of their grasp. They gave chase with all their might, intercepting and killing the fleeing Lang Household cultivators.

In the end, the Lang Household cultivators sent their wolf demons to their deaths, blocking the pursuers with their lives, and only then did four of them manage to escape.

At the outset, more than ten Lang Household cultivators had driven twenty or thirty wolf demons to surround and attack them. In the end, Kong Wenxuan and the others killed nearly all the wolf demons and left only four of the more than ten Lang Household cultivators alive. The Lang Household had suffered a devastating blow and heavy casualties.

After such a crushing defeat, the "Gray Wolf" Lang Household cultivators were naturally unwilling to let the matter rest. Once the reinforcements had met up with the four fleeing cultivators, they drove their wolf packs to linger and howl among the nearby mountains. Though they dared not approach the persimmon grove, they were unwilling to withdraw, keeping their eyes fixed on it. They seemed to be waiting for the Blue Peacock formed by the illusion array to disperse before resuming their siege and pursuit of Kong Wenxuan and the others.

Moreover, as the howls continued to summon them, more and more Lang Household cultivators drove wolf packs to gather on the nearby mountains. Their killing intent soared into the sky, and they seemed ready to bring the strength of their entire clan to bear in the pursuit.

"Enough!"

Just as Kong Wenxuan watched the growing gathering of Lang Household cultivators and wolf demons on the nearby mountains, his expression grave, his eldest uncle's voice transmission finally came from the persimmon grove:

"The vermilion fruit tree has been dug out and secured. Prepare to withdraw to Demon-Suppressing Pass!"

"Third Sister, Fifth Brother, Fourteenth Brother, Wenzhang, Wenxuan, get ready. I'll use the illusion array to conjure an image of each of you to stand guard outside in your place and deceive the Lang Household."

"Then quickly withdraw into the persimmon grove. We'll all retreat together, hidden by the illusion technique."

Clearly, Eldest Uncle and the others also understood that withdrawing successfully would be no easy task while the Lang Household cultivators gathered in growing numbers at a distance and kept a close watch on them. But they had served and operated around Demon-Suppressing Pass for many years, so they naturally had a plan and a method ready: they would rely on the illusion techniques they were best at to cover their retreat.

Kong Wenxuan and the others agreed without betraying a sign. Then he sensed a fluctuation in front of him and saw an illusory image of himself appear. Its Qi presence, imposing might, and even the three divine swords circling it were identical to his own. Following his usual pattern of patrolling and keeping watch, it continued to pace back and forth in his place, occasionally looking up toward the gathering Lang Household cultivators, just like a real person.

At the same time, his own figure was concealed and hidden by the power of the illusion array. The same happened to Third Aunt, Fifth Uncle, his elder brother, and the others around him who were also on patrol and guard duty. In moments, they were all replaced by illusions.

Under the cover of the illusion array, they swiftly withdrew into the persimmon grove and rejoined Eldest Uncle and the others.

"Quick, go. The illusion array has already been taken down. The patriarch's illusion talismans won't last long, so we must get away as quickly as possible."

Seeing everyone reunited, Eldest Uncle Kong Yushuo immediately gave the order and led them in a swift retreat toward the other side of the persimmon grove, under the cover of the illusion technique.

Once they were out of the persimmon grove, Kong Wenxuan looked back. The Blue Peacock was still standing above the grove in the Peacock Spreads Its Tail posture, shaking its tail feathers and radiating brilliant blue light that intimidated all around. It looked as though nothing had changed.

But he knew it was no longer the true Blue Peacock formed by the illusion array. It had been conjured by an illusion talisman Eldest Uncle had left behind, one the patriarch had made using the power of his Bloodline Divine Ability. Compared with the killing power of the illusion array, it was more like an empty shell and would not last long.

They had to get as far away as possible before the Lang Household cultivators noticed something was wrong.