Chapter 225: Chapter 170: Human Race Masters Arrive as Reinforcements, The Bugle Call for a Counter-Attack, The Beginning of the Great War

They too had hurriedly ended their own battles, which was why they were late to arrive.

But just then, an unexpected change occurred. From the western sky came a swath of golden Emperor’s Qi, so incomparably domineering that it swallowed the azure clouds. Each wisp of Qi took the form of a Golden Dragon and let out an earth-shattering roar.

At the center of the Golden Dragon Qi was an Old Eunuch holding a Jade Seal.

The Jade Seal in his hand, engraved with the words “Great Sui,” descended from the sky. It expanded to the size of a mountain, like a fortified city, and smashed down toward two of the Demon Monarchs.

Immediately after, an old man with a white beard and hair strode through the air, a long object wrapped in old cloth on his back. With a slap, the tattered cloth burst open, revealing a bronze Ancient Sword wreathed in flowing patterns of fire.

Holding the Flying Sword, the old man’s aura surged. His white beard fluttered in the wind, making him look like a reincarnated sword god.

With a single, gentle chop, he shattered the world-sealing Grand Array that the Kongtong Deer Monarch had laid.

His gaze then turned disdainful as he charged toward one of the Demon Race’s stars.

From another direction, a man wearing tiger-head pauldrons, looking like a War God, walked out from behind the Great Sui Jade Seal that had transformed into a mountain. He shouldered a large hammer and announced in a booming voice:

“Yao Longchuan, First-Grade Tributor of the Great Wu Dynasty, is here!”

「A thousand miles away, high above the clouds」

A short old man in a bamboo hat held a fishing rod. With a light cast, a fishhook tore through the void, snagged a Flying Ship, and pulled it to the center of the battlefield.

The Fisherman, one of the Four Great Tributors of Great Yan, had also made his move, bringing a group of Human Race experts with him at great speed.

This scene sent the Human Race Cultivators into a state of ecstasy.

A purple-robed Daoist flicked his Duster, unleashing a puff of purple mist that dispersed a corner of the gloomy Demon Qi clouds. At the same time, a white-robed monk appeared seated cross-legged, a sky full of phantom Buddhas at his back. With one hand pressed together in a prayer gesture, he executed a Palm Technique that descended from the heavens, forming a sky-blotting Palm Seal that pressed down upon the Kongtong Deer Monarch’s head.

“That purple-robed Daoist is Master Purple Sun of Purple Sun Palace!”

“Which Buddhist Arhat is that white-robed monk?”

“He’s more than an Arhat! That is the White-clothed True Buddha from Great Golden Cicada Temple, Master Jiang Shan. It’s said he has already condensed a Buddha’s Golden Body ahead of his time!”

The Kongtong Deer Monarch took the hit from the Palm Seal. A bloody hole appeared on its head, and its aura weakened considerably. It was clearly injured.

In that instant, it realized how dire the situation was. Its face turned green as it backed away, shouting, “You… you humans… you’re too cunning! If you have any guts, fight me one-on-one!”

’How did so many Human Race experts suddenly appear? How did I become the one being besieged?’

A Daoist True Monarch who had rushed to the scene shot a cold, sharp glare at the demon star in the sky. “You pathetic Demon Race! You dared to plot against Great Yan and besiege us! Did you think about fighting one-on-one then? I, Qingwei Daojun, swear I will grind your throne to dust today!”

He was furious. He had suffered no small number of ambushes along the way and was now determined to teach the Demon Race a lesson.

Seeing that things were not looking good, the Kongtong Deer Monarch quickly revealed its true form: a gigantic, man-eating elk, a hundred meters tall, that roared between heaven and earth.

It tried to use its true form to break out of the encirclement but was beaten back down by the numerous Human Race experts.

Jiang Shan, Qingwei Daojun, and the Fisherman surrounded the Kongtong Deer Monarch, unleashing their Divine Techniques in a flurry of ferocious attacks.

Although the Kongtong Deer Monarch’s power was immense, it lacked any life-saving abilities. How could it possibly last for the time it takes an incense stick to burn while being besieged by so many experts?

As expected, it was quickly suppressed.

“I’ll take you all down with me!”

The Kongtong Deer Monarch was filled with resentment. It frantically circulated its Demon Qi, forcing it toward its Qi Sea, intending to self-destruct and perish together with all the Cultivators present.

“Amitabha Buddha.”

Jiang Shan swung a Zen Staff glittering with Golden Radiance, as if wielding a golden pillar, and struck the top of its head.

The golden Zen Staff was no ordinary Buddha Artifact; it was a relic of the Buddha from the Great Golden Cicada Temple. The staff contained the mysterious Power of the Holy Buddha, something that even a Demon Monarch who had awakened an ancient bloodline and was hailed as a master of the Flesh Body could not withstand.

CRACK!

A bone-shattering sound erupted from the Kongtong Deer Monarch’s skull. Three blood-red cracks spread across it. It staggered twice before its massive body collapsed to the ground.

The other Demon Monarchs saw this but were powerless to help. Each was already occupied by a Human Race expert; with the Old Eunuch, the Nanli Sword Saint, the Great Wu Tributor Yao Longchuan, and the Great Yan Tributor, the Fisherman, all engaged, they could not break away.

Only now did the Human Race truly have the advantage.

The belatedly arrived Human Race experts charged toward the center of Yingsha Ancient City, slaughtering the remaining Demon Kings and rescuing the Eighth Prince of Great Yan, Lu Yunqing.

On the ground, Lu Mingyuan watched this with a faint smile, feeling relieved.

’It’s obvious the Human Race experts finally noticed what was happening here and all rushed to provide aid.’

The tide had turned; it was time for a counter-attack.

’Today, all Human Race Cultivators must unite against a common enemy to turn defeat into victory.’

’But not all the Human Race experts could make it. Some of the weaker ones died in the Demon Race’s ambushes. For example, I haven’t seen any sign of the Piano Demon.’

It was said he was the weakest of the Four Great Tributors of Great Yan.

Lu Mingyuan saw these humanoid Great Demons and the Human Race experts and knew that the ensuing battle was not something he could handle.

Great Demons capable of cultivating a human form all had profound Dao Practice; their strength was top-tier.

’It should be left to top experts like Sui Yuqing.’

Soon, he felt the surging power within his body slowly fade away.

He returned to the Early Stage of the Ninth Realm.

The Martial Lord ability was something that temporarily boosted his strength by stacking over the duration of a battle. Once the fight ended, the effect naturally receded.

Sui Yuqing, who was standing to the side, hadn’t joined the battle. Instead, she led Lu Mingyuan to a relatively safe spot to rest and recover.

She had clearly exhausted a great deal of Taoist Qi, first by confronting the Dragon Monarch and then by setting up the Grand Array, so she couldn’t participate in such a massive battle.

Sui Yuqing gave Lu Mingyuan a slight nod. “Thank you for your assistance, Your Excellency. You can leave the rest to us.”

Lu Mingyuan didn’t speak. He simply nodded in response to Sui Yuqing, then transformed into a streak of iridescent light, heading for the Outer City and vanishing from sight.

It was as if he didn’t want to talk much and made a quick escape.

Sui Yuqing, however, remained where she was, continuously making calculations with her fingers. ’This person could slay a Demon Venerable. His strength can’t be underestimated. He should be renowned among the Major Sects, so why do I have no impression of him?’

She immediately began to perform a divination.

Taoist Sect experts often performed divinations on uncertain people or events to make deductions and ensure their safety.

Divination had different uses for different people. Some would only scratch the surface, content with figuring out cause and effect. Others would insist on prying into the past and future of a Celestial Secret, leading to a shortened lifespan and a loss of Dao Practice.

Sui Yuqing, however, usually liked to use divination to get the scoop on all the gossip—big and small—within the Taoist Sect and the scandals of the Three Religions.

It was a little hobby of hers.

But now, the expression on her cold face changed abruptly as she realized something.

’Something’s wrong. Why is this hexagram so similar to someone else’s?’

She couldn’t divine anything. The future was a chaotic blur, and the present was far too ordinary and mundane.

’The last time this hexagram appeared was at the entrance to the Cold Palace…’

’It can’t be such a coincidence. In all the world, there should only be one person with such a strange and bizarre hexagram.’

’What if I work backward? Use the hexagram to deduce the person… It’s a reasonable deduction, isn’t it?’

Although Sui Yuqing’s divination failed, she knew one thing.

Prince Huai’an’s hexagram was exceptionally simple, yet also exceptionally complex. Not only could Xu Changqing not divine it, but neither could she, nor the Elder Celestial Master. She wondered if even the Taoist Ancestor could.

It could be summarized in just two words.

Utterly unremarkable.

’Could it be that His Highness hasn’t reached this place yet?’

Sui Yuqing suddenly remembered something.

She had told Lu Mingyuan to take the Jade Token to a designated place for protection from other experts. She hadn’t known if he would follow her instructions, but in reality, she had placed a hidden Dao Seal inside the token. If he were to encounter a life-threatening situation, it would trigger, allowing her to sense it immediately and rush to his location.

Since it hadn’t triggered, it meant Prince Huai’an was not in danger.

「…」

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