"Mo Ran, do not be afraid. Share your vision with me. Let me see."
Jian Dan calmed Mo Ran through their contract as her pupils shifted from black to red. Through Mo Ran's eyes, she saw a completely different scene.
Snowflakes danced in the air. The Ming beasts huddled together for warmth. The insects, though slightly stiffened, still pushed forward, inching toward the barrier. The Ming beasts fought desperately, slaughtering wave after wave of insects, yet some still managed to cross the boundary line.
The moment they crossed, the snow on their bodies instantly melted, and their movements accelerated. Their charge resumed with renewed vigor.
Mo Ran turned again. Jian Dan saw a pitch-black sky where a clawed insect limb pierced through the starlit curtain. It was clawing at a spatial rift, struggling to tear it wider.
The Ming beasts surged forward fearlessly, using their bodies to plug the rift. As they were torn apart by spatial forces, their remains solidified into black magic stones, temporarily sealing the breach. However, more insects squeezed through the remaining gaps, some frozen upon landing, others writhing toward the outside.
Jian Dan clenched her jaw and gave Mo Ran one order. "Return, immediately."
In the blink of an eye, Jian Dan's eyes returned to black.
"Mó Yuè Zhǎn!"
The weapon spirit of Mó Yuè Zhǎn sensed her fury. Since recognizing her as its master, it had never seen her this enraged. In an instant, it flew to her side, merged with its battlefield clones, and released a blinding arc of light, slaying the remaining insects in one sweep.
The moment of the slaughter, Mó Yuè Zhǎn emitted a weapon cry for the first time. A deep hum resonated through all of Ming Valley, a sound filled with bloodlust, half a warning, half a declaration of war.
Palace One and the others halted mid-march. The five Zhēnzūn at Ming Valley's entrance heard it too. So did every ming beast and insect deep in the valley.
The Ming beasts on the battlefield slowly knelt, heads bowed in respect to Jian Dan and her group. Their cries echoed out, signaling their kin to hold the line just a bit longer.
Mó Yuè Zhǎn returned to Jian Dan's body. Knowing the battle ahead would be brutal, she began nurturing her energy through the Yin-Yang Taiji Disk, channeling magic into the blade without pause.
The other sect cultivators quickly gathered in formation. No one dared utter a word or transmit divine sense. They were all too shaken by the might of Mo Yue Zhūnzhǔ.
"Mo Yue, why are you this furious?" Mo Qi asked cautiously. This was the first time she had seen Mo Yue without a smile. It was unsettling.
Jian Dan rubbed her brow, then recorded what she had seen into a jade slip and handed it over. "See for yourself. Mo Ran risked its life to gather this. I have already ordered it to return."
The other three studied the jade slip. Their expressions darkened with every passing second. No wonder the Ming beasts had thinned so quickly. They were sacrificing themselves to slow the invasion. It was no surprise that Jian Dan was furious.
"What now?"
"This message must get out. I fear we cannot complete this mission alone. We must let the Zhēnzūn take over."
"Agreed. This is no longer just a battle for the Heavenly Demon Palace, nor one that the four of us can win alone," Mo Yi said as his gaze swept over the rest of the battlefield's sect cultivators.
"Mo Yi, do you really think we can rely on them? Would you trust your back to people you've never once fought beside?"
Mo Su's pale, handsome face was unusually solemn.
"More importantly, we do not have time," Mo Qi added, holding a flying sword messenger. She quickly fed the message into it and sent it out.
"We move now. Mo Qi already forced open a gap. It should be easier."
"And them?" Mo Yi motioned to the assembled cultivators with a jerk of his chin.
"They follow at their own pace. We go first."
"Understood."
"If your breathing is steady, prepare yourselves. We are reclaiming the land we lost."
Jian Dan's voice, clear and gentle, rang out across the battlefield. The cultivators straightened up instantly, offering quick affirmations.
Mo Qi dissolved her composite kill array and led the charge into the rear section of Ming Valley.
In front of them lay heaps of insect remains. A deep blade trench stretched thirty li inward, clearing the field. Insects could be seen approaching from afar.
"Move in sect formations. Advance in a fan-shaped assault."
While she issued orders, Jian Dan turned to the cultivators behind her.
"Let me make this clear. If you lose territory again, you will face the wrath of the Zhēnzūn.
"You think the Zhēnzūn do not compete? As the highest beings of this realm, they may not fight themselves, but their pride rests on the strength of their sects. On your strength. Your discipline. Your ability to finish what you started. Do not make your own Zhēnzūn lose both face and standing."
"Let us go."
With Jian Dan at the head, Mo Qi covering the rear, Mo Su to the left, and Mo Yi to the right, the four charged into the insect swarm.
No one dared slack off. The rest quickly formed their attack formations.
Demonic Sound Sect deployed the "Demonic Sound Wheel," Nine Fiends Hall the "Nine Kill Surge," unleashing nine types of deathly energy in rotation. Life and Death Pavilion formed the "Between Life and Death" array, each sect pressing inward from three fronts.
Groups of Ming beasts followed different sects, launching a fresh wave of attacks.
Palace One and his team resumed their advance once the weapon's hum faded. This time, everyone quickened their pace. If someone fell behind, they were left to catch up on their own.
"Mo Xuan, looks like your young one is not half bad," remarked Nine Fiends Hall's old master, Jiusha Weng.
"It has been ages since I heard such a fierce weapon cry. Hopefully they can hold out. If not, us old bones will have to move again."
"They can do it," replied Yin Huang of Demonic Sound Gate with firm conviction.
Mo Qi's message first reached Palace One, who passed it on. It soon made its way to the Zhēnzūn.
After reading it, Mo Xuan said just one thing:
"Mobilize the forces. Gather at Ming Valley's entrance. Notify the entire Lingyun Continent."
In that instant, all of Lingyun was in motion. Cultivators moved swiftly. Pills, talismans, formation plates, and magic tools were suddenly in high demand.
The major sects ordered their affiliated cultivation clans to seal off connections between the cultivation and mortal realms, reinforcing their boundaries. The rear must remain secure.
The Heavenly Sword Sect, Purple Sky Sect, Cloud Sea Sect, Artifact Sect, Pill Sect, Formation Sect, and the Yin Yang Gate all recalled their traveling disciples, save for those already inside the Chengli Secret Realm.
For reasons unknown, the Chengli Secret Realm, originally set to open ten years later, had activated a decade early, leaving many cultivators without the chance to enter.
Fortunately, this did not include Cao Chenfeng and Du Yanran. Both had safely entered.
Jian Dan's group of four carved a bloody path through the oncoming swarm. They did not linger in battle, relying on teleportation and sheer momentum to advance. Trees and rocks flew by in reverse. Towering ming beast silhouettes loomed around them.
Three days later, they reached the boundary line.
There stood a massive ming beast, a tyrannosaurus-like creature the size of a mountain. It sensed unfamiliar auras and opened its lantern-sized golden eyes.
"Human cultivators, you have finally arrived."
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Nine Fiends Hall=九煞殿 (Jiǔ shā diàn)
Demonic Sound Gate=魔音门 (Mó yīn mén)