The Defeat of Ao Xiao

"Fellow Daoist, we must go gather our sect members. We shall take our leave first." "Very well. We will catch up later." After cupping their hands in farewell, Yu Jiaolong and her companion returned to the battlefield to regroup their sect members. On Luo Chen's side, he sent forth a strand of magic power to sweep up the panting Zeng Yilong, flying further toward the rear. "Martial Uncle, where are we going?" Zeng Yilong asked in confusion. Keeping his eyes fixed on the distant heavens, Luo Chen replied, "A battle between Nascent Soul masters shakes heaven and earth. The destructive power of beings at their level causes collateral damage on an unimaginable scale. If you don't want to become the fish caught in the moat when the city gate catches fire, we'd best pull back a bit!" As he spoke, Luo Chen had already brought Zeng Yilong back to a sparsely populated area. Touching down, he retrieved a compass from his robes and formed the simple hand seals taught to him by Min Longyu, activating the formation. A burst of ochre-yellow radiance flared into existence before vanishing an instant later. Only then did Luo Chen breathe a sigh of relief, turning his undivided attention back to the battle high in the heavens. In truth, before he had even taken those precautions, the clash between the two Nascent Soul powerhouses had already erupted. Separated by an entire major realm, even with Luo Chen's sharp vision and potent divine sense, he could not see the details clearly. Yet he could still vaguely discern the overarching atmosphere of the combat. Luo Chen furrowed his brows. *Why does it seem like they're fighting to kill right from the opening blow?* According to the assumptions of observers like them, the human allied army had already secured victory on the main battlefield, making the duel between the Nascent Soul combatants little more than a formality. Both were striving toward Spirit Severing and ascension; risking life and limb here would truly not be worth the cost. If one considered Master Han Zhan, driven by vengeance for the fallen disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect and the thirst for a place of cultivation, fighting with all his might was only natural. Yet Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao had absolutely no need to do so. With his prowess and natural talents, retreating into the Million Wilderness Mountains behind them would surely leave him a place to reign. Yet now, observing the sheer ferocity of his strikes, he was utterly merciless, clearly possessing a firm determination to slay Han Zhan on the spot. *Does he intend to turn the tides of the war single-handedly, kill Han Zhan, and win this opening war?* *Even if he wins this battle, the Howling Moon Mountain Range's vitality has been gravely depleted, and the greater trend is already lost. Even if the Falling Cloud Sect retreats this time, whichever Nascent Soul sect comes next could still easily conquer the Howling Moon Mountain Range. Unless Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao sits here in person, fending off endless waves of human experts all on his own...* *That is neither a wise choice nor a viable path!* *So what on earth is he thinking?* *** What Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao was thinking, no one knew. At the very least, Han Zhan, locked in battle against him, was indeed feeling immense pressure. Yet this was fine as well! It suited his plans perfectly! As they exchanged blows, magic power surged, and an affinity seemed to stir between heaven and earth as stray wisps of wood spirit qi rushed toward him in torrents. This was precisely the metamorphosis a cultivator underwent after ascending to the Nascent Soul stage. They no longer relied solely on their own magic power in combat; instead, through their Nascent Soul spiritual pressure, they could guide and manipulate ambient heaven and earth spirit qi sharing their own attribute. Using this as a foundation, they constructed a combat domain best suited to themselves. The world referred to this as a Nascent Soul domain! By this stage, spiritual pressure was no longer mere intimidation or coercion, but something that could genuinely be harnessed in battle. Naturally, the construction of such a domain was subject to many factors. Put simply, the more magic power a Nascent Soul cultivator possessed, the more ambient spirit qi of the matching attribute they could leverage. At that moment, as Han Zhan's Nascent Soul domain unfurled, his magic power surged, and the spirit qi of heaven and earth flowed endlessly. The Nascent Soul within his purple mansion felt like a fish in water, thoroughly invigorated. However! His domain had expanded less than halfway before being forcibly pushed back by an exceedingly sharp and ferocious aura. Not far away, Ao Xiao gave a cold snort. "You dare flaunt a Nascent Soul domain before me? Have you forgotten that your cultivation realm is weaker than mine?" He stepped forward and raised both hands. *Whoosh!* A dazzling golden light shot forth from his mouth, expanding rapidly as it flew straight toward Han Zhan. Wherever it passed, the seemingly formidable Nascent Soul domain proved utterly incapable of stopping it. *Whir! Whir! Whir!* The golden light shifted, resolving into countless full-orbed golden wheels. At first glance, they bore some resemblance to Luo Chen's Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel. Yet Luo Chen's flying wheel was crescent-shaped, whereas Ao Xiao's was full-moon round. This was none other than the lifebound magical treasure he had refined in imitation of human powerhouses—the World-Slicing Golden Wheel! He had nurtured this treasure for several centuries, and it had accompanied him through his Heavenly Tribulation of Transformation. It was now merely half a step away from metamorphosing into a True Artifact. The moment this treasure emerged, it completely shattered Han Zhan's Nascent Soul domain. Han Zhan naturally would not sit idly by awaiting death. Raising his hand, five-colored sword light descended beside him. As the sword light swirled, it immediately erected a sword formation. The formation spanned a massive area, seemingly intending to engulf Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao. Yet the wolf emperor was extraordinarily vigilant. Having anticipated this trick long ago, he retreated unhurriedly, manipulating the World-Slicing Golden Wheel from afar to bombard Han Zhan. "Without the support of a large spirit vein, the power of your sword formation is vastly diminished. Let alone a Five Elements Sword Formation, even if you deploy your puppet avatars to lay out the Two Instruments Five Elements Sword Formation, you are still no match for me." At this, Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao bared a cruel grin. When the other party held the geographical advantage of a spirit vein, he had been powerless against Han Zhan. Therefore, once the main battlefield suffered defeat and the other party believed the outcome was settled, Han Zhan had willingly marched out, abandoning that geographical advantage. Yet by doing so, Ao Xiao had regained the upper hand! Just as expected! Even though eerie light flickered across Han Zhan's body and his Nascent Soul puppet avatar emerged to join him in forming the Two Instruments Five Elements Sword Formation, they could barely withstand the endless golden light. Yet as the clash dragged on, Ao Xiao also began sensing something amiss. The power of the opponent's sword formation did not appear as feeble as expected; gradually, it showed signs of overwhelming the World-Slicing Golden Wheel. Ao Xiao furrowed his brows, circulating his demon qi to investigate the cause behind the sword formation's shifts. Soon enough, he realized! "So that's how it is!" "As expected of a human cultivator with exceptional comprehension—to think you incorporated the ambient spirit qi mobilized by your domain directly into the sword formation." "However!" "That is all it amounts to!" Ao Xiao gave a sinister laugh and leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of golden light that began circling the perimeter of the sword formation. Suddenly, he thrust a palm outward. *Boom!* The puppet crafted from Pang Renxiong's corpse took a heavy blow, turning slightly sluggish and rigid. "Just as I thought!" "What your sword formation requires is spirit qi of all five elements. Yet what your domain attracts is merely the stray wood spirit qi drifting between heaven and earth." "Thus, your formation loses its balance—it has the shell, but lacks the core!" Amid wild laughter, the golden light moved even faster, leaving behind afterimages in the void. With every strike, one of the puppets was severely battered. In merely a few breaths, out of the six puppets, all were reduced to battered wrecks save for the Nascent Soul-tier puppet and one wood-attribute puppet. The sword formation's operation grew sluggish. The sword qi slashed forth was no longer as sharp. As one side waned and the other waxed, the World-Slicing Golden Wheel's vicious might surged, circling Han Zhan in continuous assault as if seeking to flay him alive. Had the refined Nascent Soul puppet not helped shoulder the pressure, Han Zhan would likely have sustained heavy wounds within dozens of intense exchanges. Yet judging by the momentum, his defeat was only a matter of time if this continued. *** High in the sky, Luo Chen could not see the battle's exact nuances clearly. Yet he could still barely discern the general trajectory of the situation. He could tell that Han Zhan had fallen into peril, thoroughly suppressed by the wolf emperor. *A sword formation may be powerful, but like any formation, it requires prior arrangement.* *Being forced to deploy it on the fly diminishes its power significantly.* *Still, could this truly be the extent of Master Han Zhan's methods?* Doubts like his arose in the minds of many. No Nascent Soul master who dared initiate an opening war was weak. Was Master Han Zhan truly going to sit by and wait for death? *** "Once I destroy this wood puppet of yours, it will mark the end of your Dao and your life!" A roar echoed through the void. Ao Xiao slammed a palm outward, and the wood puppet—the sturdiest of the five elements—shattered completely. Countless fragments drifted into the air. Right at that moment, Han Zhan suddenly snapped his eyes up, glaring fixedly at Ao Xiao. With just a single glance, Ao Xiao felt as though he had suffered a heavy blow. A divine soul attack! In the next instant, pill-sized spheres shot forth from the five destroyed puppets—sword pills! Five sword pills streaked in all directions like falling stars. The sword formation rose anew! The sword light multiplied once more! Its perimeter expanded abruptly, thoroughly engulfing Ao Xiao in that brief instant of his stupor. Not only that, but Han Zhan clapped his hands together, and his lifebound puppet merged into his body. Then, he strode directly into the sword formation. The complete form of the Two Instruments Five Elements Sword Formation was unveiled before the world. *Ch-ch-ch...!* As Han Zhan drove the sword formation with all his might, terrifying severance intent crisscrossed the area. Within moments, countless wounds of all sizes densely covered Ao Xiao's body. "I underestimated you!" Trapped inside the sword formation, no matter how the World-Slicing Golden Wheel shielded his body, it could not block the pervasive sword qi. Yet Ao Xiao showed no panic. "However, if you think this is all I have, you are gravely mistaken." *"Awooo!"* With a wolf howl, Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao's body began expanding madly. One zhang, two zhang... ten zhang, thirty zhang... In mere moments, he swelled to a colossal hundred zhang in height! He stood in the void like a miniature mountain. Compared to him, the Giant Spirit Transformations of Luo Chen and Wang Yuan were like small sorcery before great magic. Such an enormous frame naturally drew far more sword qi strikes. Yet after revealing his true form, Ao Xiao paid no heed whatsoever to those five-element sword rays. He swiped out with a massive claw, gathering boundless golden light in his grasp. As his blow struck, thunderous rumbles tore through the void. Wherever the colossal golden claw swept, layers upon layers of sword qi instantly collapsed, exposing Han Zhan's location. Han Zhan sought to dodge, yet a terrifying aura of suppression locked him in place, making evasion nearly impossible. Such a bizarre demon art brought a flicker of horror to the lean old Daoist's face. This was definitely not a technique that belonged to the Nascent Soul realm! Right—this was an ancestral demon art inherited through the celestial wolf bloodline awakened within Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao! Han Zhan's courage nearly shattered, yet his hands did not slow in the slightest. An eerie light flared over his body once more! *Boom!* Under the golden wolf's claw strike, magic power agitated heaven and earth as a figure took a devastating hit and plummeted toward the ground. Yet at the same time, another figure leaped out of the sword formation. "A shift-form shadow-swap, a surrogate death technique?" Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao sneered savagely as he watched the escaping figure. "I'd like to see if you have a second Nascent Soul puppet avatar!" With a shift of his body, he scattered the remnants of the sword formation and flew straight toward Han Zhan. The speed between the two was simply on entirely different levels. In merely a few breaths, they were back within range for Ao Xiao to unleash that bizarre demon art once more. Right at that moment, Han Zhan came to an abrupt halt, turning his head to glare back at the demonic wolf. The demonic wolf's charge faltered. Another divine soul attack! Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao had already guarded against this. He recovered far faster this time, taking less than a single breath. Yet the moment he snapped back to his senses, he saw the Daoist holding a nine-story miniature pagoda in his palm, sneering down at him. In Han Zhan's grasp, the nine-story pagoda abruptly expanded. Amid thunderous rumbles, golden chains spanned the sky, binding Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao. Sensing the faint restraining force, Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao stirred his demon qi with utter disdain. "You dare display such a petty treasure before me?" Just as he was about to surge his demon qi to snap the golden chains, he suddenly realized something was wrong. These chains did not bind the physical body, but the Nascent Soul! At that exact instant, Han Zhan threw his head back and let out a resounding roar. "Fellow Daoists, if you do not strike now, what are you waiting for!" Almost the instant his roar echoed, a ray of sword light pierced through the void from the far west. *Swish!* A sword came from the west, piercing into the demonic wolf's hundred-zhang frame. "Despicable!" The demonic wolf roared in fury, his entire frame shuddering violently as the golden chains shattered inch by inch. He no longer held any desire to slay Han Zhan. Using his immense demon power, he temporarily suppressed the terrifying sword intent raging inside his body, turning on his heel to flee. However, a magnificent palace abbey, carrying the force of wind and thunder, blocked his path of retreat. From within the Wind-Thunder Abbey, a heaven-shattering warhammer smashed downward with monstrous force. Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao raised both hands to meet it. *Boom!* Caught unprepared, the hundred-zhang wolf frame was sent flying several tens of li by the single hammer blow. Midair, Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao coughed up a mouthful of blood, yet a loud laugh broke from his lips. "Many thanks, Fellow Daoist, for sending me on my way! Ao Xiao will surely repay today's debt in the days to come!" He intended to use this enormous momentum to flee in another direction. Yet Han Zhan's preparations were far from limited to this. A figure had already quietly stationed itself in that direction at some unknown moment. The newcomer looked exceptionally young, appearing around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Sword-sharp brows swept toward his temples, his ink-black hair was tied high in a dark jade crown, and the handsome, deep contours of his face were so flawless they seemed devoid of a single blemish. His eyes, in particular, were like blooming peach blossoms, making anyone who looked upon them long to give their heart to him. Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao was naturally not one of feeble will. He let out an enraged roar. "Get lost!" The young man shook his head, lightly flicking a single finger. "Fellow Daoist, please stay!" With that flick of his finger, a pink mist resembling musk and orchid diffused through heaven and earth. As the mist seeped in, fallen blossoms drifted in profusion. Yet those swirling petals were not peach blossoms, but shredded flesh and blood! With just a single strike! "Ahhh...!" Wracked with agony, Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao cried out in pain. His hundred-zhang frame seemed on the verge of melting away. Worse yet, the sword intent he had temporarily suppressed within his body began erupting frantically. Beset by internal and external perils, another attack descended upon him. Atop the Wind-Thunder Abbey, the giant warhammer manifested once more! With an unstoppable momentum, it smashed down thunderously upon Ao Xiao. The hundred-zhang true form instantly shattered into pieces. The fragmented flesh seemed to strive to rejoin, yet beneath the pervasive pink mist, it disintegrated inch by inch. *Whoosh!* A tiny figure barely three inches tall darted out from the shattered wolf carcass. It flew out in a daze, then narrowed its eyes, glaring with venomous hatred at Han Zhan. Without uttering a single threat, its frame shivered, vanishing from the spot. A Nascent Soul teleportation escape! Alas, this move had also been fully anticipated by Han Zhan and the others. In a seemingly empty patch of void, pure white feathers suddenly drifted down, laden with a surging demon qi whose potency was no weaker than Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao's peak state. *Bang!* Forced out of the void, the wolf's Nascent Soul was revealed. "Heqingzi, you treacherous bitch!" The wolf's Nascent Soul shrieked, preparing to merge into the void once more. Yet this time, escape would not be so easy. From a distance, a pair of eyes glared fixedly at him, launching another divine soul attack. With a shudder, Ao Xiao's Nascent Soul froze. Taking advantage of that momentary pause, golden chains rattled forth from the void, wrapping tightly around the Nascent Soul. "Lock!" "Return!" Han Zhan formed seals with both hands. Ignoring his pounding headache and the exhaustion of his soul, he manipulated the golden chains, laboriously dragging the wolf's Nascent Soul back into the nine-story pagoda. At this point, the great battle concluded. Five figures stood high in the sky. The man and demon pair from the Hehuan Sect—the Cloud-Crane Daoist Couple—appeared outwardly calm, yet a flicker of anticipation gleamed in their eyes. Atop the Wind-Thunder Abbey, Tianyezi marveled at the shrunken pagoda in Han Zhan's hand, his eyes filled with curiosity. Perfected Jade Cauldron of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect held a longsword inverted in one hand while forming a sword seal with the other. Immediately, four sword pills flew back to his side, revolving around him. Glancing toward Han Zhan, he gave a cold snort. Han Zhan acted as if he could not see these varied gazes. Holding the Demon Locking Tower—a relic from Ghost Spirit Valley—in one hand, he looked down at the earth, toward the dense sea of several hundred thousand human cultivators. "Cultivators below the Golden Core realm, sweep through the remnants of the Ao Xiao Wolf Court!" "Those of the Golden Core realm whose names I call, ascend the Wind-Thunder Abbey." "Accompany us to the Great Snow Mountain!"