Chapter 1 The First Year of the Ten-Year War
Purple Cloud Mountain, ablaze with red flowers like fire. A demon army camp launched a fierce assault on the mountain, clashing with tens of thousands of Xia Dynasty heroic spirits, leaving the mountainside as if stained with blood.
The great battle raged for half a month. Finally, under the relentless, day-and-night offensive of a demon army camp, the Xia Dynasty heroic spirit legion suffered heavy losses. One by one, the ethereal spirits dissipated into the wind. As the heroic spirits dwindled, the mountain lord Zhang Xi Cheng's divine power gradually weakened, eventually making him unable to resist.
"It's about time!"
Below the mountain, the commander of the army camp, a fierce boar demon of the eleventh realm covered in fur, grinned and said, "Little ones, it's time to attack the mountain with all our might! Whoever beheads Zhang Xi Cheng will be granted three days of cultivation in the Ancestral Mountain Secret Realm!"
"Roar roar roar~~~"
A group of demon soldiers' eyes gleamed. They brandished various weapons and furiously attacked the mountain. Repeated impacts struck the mountain and water prohibition formation conjured by Zhang Xi Cheng. At this moment, the base of Purple Cloud Mountain began to crack under the prolonged assault, and the barrier of the mountain and water formation showed cracks. It could no longer hold.
"General!"
Under the moonlight, a group of heroic souls who had fought during the day under Zhang Xi Cheng's mountain and water prohibition formation slowly rose from the forest. One warrior, carrying a battle saber and astride a bone horse shrouded in deathly aura, frowned. "The demons have launched their final offensive. We are all exhausted. Please, General... lead us on one more charge?"
"Good!"
Zhang Xi Cheng held the Mountain Lord's divine sword and, with a gentle wave of his hand, conjured a magnificent, golden war horse apparition. He mounted it, raised his battle sword high, and shouted, "Sons of the Xia Dynasty, follow me for one last charge!"
"Yes, General!"
Thousands of remnant souls of the Xia Dynasty mounted their horses, quickly forming a band of spectral cavalry. They surrounded Zhang Xi Cheng, about to embark on their final charge of this life.
"Yu Rou."
Zhang Xi Cheng glanced back at Han Yu Rou, who stood atop the mountain peak. "I'm going. If there's a next life, I hope to meet you again."
Tears welled in Han Yu Rou's eyes. "Xi Cheng, go."
"Charge!"
With Zhang Xi Cheng's furious roar, thousands of ethereal, weak-spirited heroic spirits of the Xia Dynasty charged down the mountain with him, like a battle-worn sword with chipped edges, piercing straight into the demon army camp of over a hundred thousand. For a time, the sky was filled with the sounds of slaughter, demon energy surged, and various spells and techniques were unleashed.
"Puff puff puff~~~"
Under the volleys of a group of serpent archers, Xia Dynasty heroic spirits fell from their mounts one after another. Once these heroic spirits fell and were killed, their souls instantly dissipated into the world. They were already Yin spirits, having died once. If they died again, they would be completely unable to transcend and would vanish forever from heaven and earth.
"Charge left!"
Zhang Xi Cheng abruptly yanked the reins, his body flowing with the Mountain Lord's divine power. His divine sword swept out, directly slaying over a hundred serpent archers. He then spurred his horse and led his men straight forward, sweeping away countless demon forces along the way.
"Pocket formation!"
On a green peak, the eleventh-realm boar demon, holding a wine gourd, calmly surveyed the battle below and sneered. "Let them enter the trap. Give these damned souls the same Tianlu Formation as Lin Bai Yi."
Instantly, the demon soldiers, having been well-trained, parted their ranks like the opening of a pocket, drawing Zhang Xi Cheng's two to three thousand men into their embrace. Then, ten thousand arrows were loosed, and dazzling spears thrust forward. The demon army camp, with its overwhelming numbers, crushed Zhang Xi Cheng's thousands of men.
The boar demon looked up at the mountain peak. The ten-realm Peach Blossom Demon was too beautiful. If he were to kill her himself, he would be reluctant. Therefore, he would first slay her beloved, making her utterly disheartened, and then take her under his command. Whether as a companion or a cauldron, it would be up to him.
"Shen Zi Battalion!"
The boar demon frowned. "Go, and I want to see Zhang Xi Cheng dead and his dao extinguished within an incense stick's time!"
"Yes, my lord!"
From the demon army camp, a group of demon soldiers clad in fiery red armor stepped forward. They were all third, fourth, and fifth-realm demons with formidable combat power. Each wielded a three-meter-long spear, which had all been subtly refined, gleaming with a cold glint. When the Shen Zi Battalion suddenly broke from the ranks to intercept, Zhang Xi Cheng and his men were caught off guard.
"Puff puff puff~~~"
The bodies of Xia Dynasty heroic spirits were pierced by spears, directly lifted from their horses. More were impaled through their horses' forequarters, turning them into skewers. A large group of heroic spirits fell in battle, coupled with the volleys of arrows from behind and the relentless bombardment from several mid-fifth-realm demon cultivators above, the number of people following Zhang Xi Cheng dwindled rapidly.
"Xi Cheng!"
Han Yu Rou cried out from the mountaintop. In her sight, Zhang Xi Cheng's followers were reduced to a few dozen riders, and these few were falling one by one. Eventually, only Zhang Xi Cheng remained, charging back and forth among the demons with the power of a Mountain Lord.
Zhang Xi Cheng was of the tenth realm, and had attained the eleventh realm on Purple Cloud Mountain. However, he faced too many demons. The demon horde, numbering a hundred thousand, besieged Zhang Xi Cheng alone. Zhang Xi Cheng could not possibly leave Purple Cloud Mountain. Thus, the final outcome could only be death from exhaustion of his divine power.
"It's almost done."
The eleventh-realm boar demon surveyed the battlefield. Zhang Xi Cheng's divine power was almost depleted, his combat strength reduced to less than one-tenth of its peak. The boar demon then soared into the air, raising a battle saber and slashing down fiercely. He roared, "Zhang Xi Cheng, dust to dust, earth to earth!"
Zhang Xi Cheng looked back sharply. Immediately, his Mountain Lord's Dharma form dissipated amidst the saber's might.
"Xi Cheng!"
From the mountaintop, Han Yu Rou's cry was hoarse with despair.
"Hmph!"
The boar demon, carrying his battle saber, drifted up the mountain and landed in front of Han Yu Rou. He let out a sneer. "Just a mere wandering ghost. You clearly have a better choice, Han Yu Rou. If you agree to come with me, I will petition for you an eleventh-realm Incarnate's good fortune. Are you willing?"
"You are delusional!"
Han Yu Rou's pretty face turned somewhat terrifying.
"Tsk tsk, it seems you prefer the punishment to the reward!"
The boar demon laughed heartily and suddenly opened his large hand, reaching for Han Yu Rou.
However, just as he was about to touch Han Yu Rou, the trees on the mountain suddenly emitted divine light. The banyan, birch, and maple trees all transformed into peach trees, and countless peach blossoms instantly bloomed. Then, Han Yu Rou's spiritual sea exploded.
Who would have thought that this tenth-realm Peach Blossom Demon would be so resolute, preferring to self-detonate her Incarnate spiritual sea rather than submit to the grasp of the eleventh-realm demon?
"Boom!"
With a tremendous explosion, the self-detonation of a tenth-realm Peach Blossom Demon's spiritual sea was terrifying. The boar demon, caught off guard, had his entire right hand instantly reduced to ashes. Half of his body was also scorched. He immediately fell from the eleventh realm to the tenth. Angrily, he looked up to see that a small section of the mountaintop had been blown flat. The peerless Peach Blossom Demon had long since turned to dust.
"Damn it!"
The boar demon slammed his fist into the mountain, losing both his wife and his soldiers. He finally understood the meaning of this phrase.
Thus, in early July, the Peach Blossom Demon Han Yu Rou, and the Mountain Lord of Purple Cloud Mountain Zhang Xi Cheng, along with over forty thousand Xia Dynasty heroic spirits, perished on Purple Cloud Mountain!
...
Qingliang Sect.
Chang Hen, a thirteenth-realm great demon, led two army camps to fiercely attack Qingliang Sect. However, after many days, he had been unable to capture Qingliang Mountain, which was not particularly perilous. The reason was simple: Qingliang Sect was guarded by Zhao Sui Guang, a peak twelfth-realm cultivator. Although his disciples numbered only a few hundred, their combat power far surpassed that of the demon soldiers in the camps.
Furthermore, a golden figure soared through the wind, his body radiating waves of heroic fist intent. It was Xiang Ji, a Mountain Lord comparable to the Rebirth realm. Now, the martial artists at the mountaintop villa were either dead or injured. Only Xiang Ji, relying on his status as a Yin spirit, seemed to have borne much of the martial fortune of the mountaintop villa. Standing alone in the mountains, he possessed the aura of an insurmountable guardian.
"Damn it!"
Chang Hen, the great demon, wielded his battle blade, his eyes filled with anger. His body drifted upwards. "Seventh Camp to Eleventh Camp, all into the fight! Break through the mountain and water barrier to your death! If your swords and blades break, use your flesh and blood to ram it! I don't believe that this mere Qingliang Mountain can withstand the advance of our two army camps!"
Instantly, dense formations of lower-fifth-realm demon soldiers raised their weapons and fiercely slashed at the mountain and water prohibition formation. Some of the more robust demons lowered their heads and rammed the barrier with their bodies.
In the wind, streaks of golden ripples flowed. Xiang Ji, clad in armor and wielding the Mountain Lord's divine sword, gazed calmly ahead.
"Come, come!"
Chang Hen, the great demon, laughed heartily. Seeing Xiang Ji's aura and divine power weakening, he could no longer hold back. Raising his battle saber, he angrily charged forward, slashing down through the air. This strike was meant to sever Xiang Ji's head.
"With you?"
At this moment, Xiang Ji displayed a degree of arrogance. He suddenly raised his hands, his body enveloped in fist aura, and forcefully blocked Chang Hen's battle saber. As Chang Hen kicked him, Xiang Ji returned a kick. With a "dong" sound, Chang Hen, the great demon, retreated several steps, while blood trickled from Xiang Ji's lips.
Ultimately, facing a thirteenth-realm great demon as a Rebirth realm Mountain Lord was still too difficult.
Xiang Ji frowned. If only he hadn't died. Facing Chang Hen with a physical body in the Rebirth realm, he might have had a chance to rip off his head and kill him!
Zhao Sui Guang looked up at the sky. As Chang Hen attacked for the second time, his body soared upwards, and an ancient, simple cauldron appeared around him, instantly expanding to block the thirteenth-realm great demon's strike for Xiang Ji.
"Damn it!"
Chang Hen, the great demon, frowned, finding himself in a dilemma. Xiang Ji and Zhao Sui Guang united were indeed troublesome!
...
In the depths of the Ancestral Land, in the Demon Race's dominion.
"Rustle..."
In a wilderness littered with traces of battle, a figure staggered out. He wore a tattered, vine-green robe, torn into rags by the fighting. His body was covered in bloodstains and injuries, especially his chest. After taking one of Chen Ru Song's natal attacks, two ribs were broken, and his heart was nearly shattered.
Fortunately, he had ultimately won.
"Heh..."
He grinned. The entire person had reached his limit. His sword was strapped to his back, and he dragged Chen Ru Song's corpse with his left hand. The corpse was slowly transforming into a pine tree full of spiritual essence. Lin Zhu Jie smiled sadly and looked at the pine tree. "The Mountain Lord's carpentry skills were unmatched in the world. If he were still alive, it's hard to say whether you would have become a table or a screen..."
As he spoke, he looked into the sleeve of his right hand. Inside, a treasure lamp was kept, within which Dong Cang's soul was imprisoned.
"Miss Dong Cang..."
Lin Zhu Jie grinned. "I say... if the Mountain Lord were not dead, wouldn't I, the chief retainer of the Mountaintop Villa, be secure?"
Dong Cang remained silent.
Lin Zhu Jie was also silent.
The next moment, he collapsed straight down, transforming into an inconspicuous bamboo-borer beetle, burrowing into the earth to hide. He needed to recover his strength first.