The uninvited guests were speeding toward them.
Making no attempt to hide their intentions, they charged brazenly toward them. Qin Sang and the others could not help feeling startled and suspicious. Yet the arrow was already notched to the bowstring; there was no turning back now.
The cage contracted as the Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array unleashed its full might, its frigid qi sharp as blades, strangling the Kui Dragon.
The mantle of lightning formed by the scales covering the Kui Dragon's body was already battered and tattered, and its roars lacked their former vigor. Suppressed to the ground by the frigid qi and the blood sword, its attempts to surge up failed repeatedly, only earning it fresh wounds.
The youth surnamed Fang urged them on repeatedly, and everyone held nothing back. They had to severely wound the Kui Dragon before the intruders arrived so they would not be caught in a pincer attack between the beast and the cultivators, leaving them free to focus entirely on the newcomers.
The Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array was driven to its absolute limit; the pillars of frigid qi collapsed inward and pressed slowly downward. The pale white mass of vapor seemed to weigh thousands of jin, pinning the Kui Dragon down so firmly that it could not rise.
The torrential rain fell here only to be instantly frozen into icicles, and the surrounding ground was already blanketed with ice shavings.
The Kui Dragon wailed, its cries blending with the thunder and echoing far into the distance. Hearing the creature's cries, the cultivators rushing over at full speed felt their hearts twist in agony.
Gales whipped up waves a thousand feet high.
Rain poured down in torrents.
Hidden deep within the dark clouds, the thunder god seemed to beat war drums to cheer on the fray.
Braving wind, rain, and thunder, those cultivators flew at full speed with all their strength. At last, they drew near, catching sight of the Kui Dragon trapped within the great array.
The once awe-inspiring spirit beast was now in a wretched state.
Frigid qi formed shackles, pinning it to the ground, where it lay curled into a ball and endured the onslaught.
Scales had torn from its body, leaving mangled flesh and blood; grime and blood coated the mud and ice, while sword marks and whip slashes crisscrossed its head and body. Its aura was weaker than ever before.
The Kui Dragon hissed and roared, its voice terribly hoarse. Seeing familiar faces arrive, hope rekindled in its eyes, and it struggled with all its might.
"Stop!"
"Release it!"
"You're courting death!"
...
Witnessing this scene, the cultivators' eyes nearly split with fury. Roaring in anger, they commanded Qin Sang and his group to release the Kui Dragon.
This was the most critical juncture. Naturally, Qin Sang and the others paid no heed, turning a deaf ear to their shouts as they seized the chance to continue their assault on the Kui Dragon.
The youth surnamed Fang glanced in the newcomers' direction. His eyes flickered, and he darted forward to intercept them. With a wave of his hand, he condensed the rain into a hundred-zhang sword of water, pointing it from afar as he bellowed a warning: "We are hunting a demon beast here! Bystanders, halt! Otherwise, do not blame us for being impolite!"
"How dare you!"
The newcomers stamped their feet in rage. "The Kui Dragon is no demon beast—it is our sect's spirit beast! You slaughter our sect's spirit beast without cause, and now you dare threaten us? What arrogance!"
A spirit beast?
Hearing this, Qin Sang and the others were taken aback and looked over in surprise.
Spirit beasts as formidable as a Kui Dragon were exceedingly rare, and few cultivators were capable of subduing one. Seeing how infuriated these people were, could it truly be a mountain-guarding spirit beast they had raised?
The youth surnamed Fang sneered. "Just because you claim the Kui Dragon is your spirit beast makes it so? This area is famous for its scarce spiritual energy—where could a whole sect have suddenly sprung from? This monster swallows thunder, spews mist, stirs up storms, and has repeatedly attacked passing merchant caravans. Anyone has the right to slay such a wicked demon, yet no one ever came to rein it in! Your sweet talk is nothing more than greed for the spiritual materials on the Kui Dragon's body. Don't dream of tricking me—kill it, quickly!"
The final sentence was directed at Qin Sang and the others.
Qin Sang and the others harbored countless doubts, unable to tell who was telling the truth and who was lying.
However, the youth surnamed Fang made a great deal of sense. People would stoop to anything to seize treasure; masquerading as a demon beast's master was entirely commonplace.
Their apparent fury might well be an act.
The treasures on the Kui Dragon were more than enough to drive these people to take desperate risks.
The situation was murky.
Still, after expending so much effort to hunt the Kui Dragon, there was no way they would let it go on a whim.
"Bullshit!"
The other party was nearly driven mad with fury, cursing loudly, "Ever since my master subdued the Kui Dragon, it has always been gentle and docile, never once harming anyone unprovoked..."
The cursing obviously had no effect.
The frigid qi in the Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array pressed lower and lower. The Kui Dragon could only sprawl on the ground, even its mournful cries growing exceedingly faint.
"You court death!"
As the newcomers flew closer and saw the Kui Dragon clearly, their rage reached a boiling point. Thoroughly enraged by the creature's miserable state, the leading green-robed man roared with bloodshot eyes, "Lightning Command Technique!"
His junior martial brothers had long been unable to hold back. Mid-flight, their figures shifted rapidly, circling around the green-robed man before coming to an abrupt halt.
This move was unexpected.
The youth surnamed Fang's gaze shifted slightly. Secretly channeling all the true essence in his body, he pinched a spirit talisman in his hand without making a sound.
Qin Sang divided his attention toward the group and found them hovering in midair, sitting cross-legged beneath the dark clouds, their hands forming strange hand seals that pointed straight toward the sky above.
An inexplicable unease rose in his heart, and he could not help but frown slightly.
The other party were not exceptionally powerful cultivators; only one middle-aged man was in the late Core Formation stage, making their overall strength inferior to his own side. Moreover, Qin Sang and his companions controlled the Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array; once they eliminated the Kui Dragon, they could unleash the full power of the spirit array against their foes.
The power of the Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array had been proven in the battle against the Kui Dragon. Even if the other side had some trick up their sleeve, it should not surpass the array's might.
Even as this thought crossed Qin Sang's mind, before he could react, an inexplicable dread suddenly enveloped his entire body—and its source was the dark clouds right above their heads.
Startled and alarmed, Qin Sang snapped his head up, only to see clouds churning above in a dazzling expanse of silver-white light so piercing it stung the eyes—an enormous mass of thunder and lightning had gathered there without anyone noticing!
"Not good!"
Qin Sang's face drained of color.
The fluctuations of thunderous power within that mass were terrifying. Just what was the origin of those people? Whether they were deploying a Daoist art or an array, to condense such horrifying power in the blink of an eye was staggering.
Above the small island, countless serpents of electricity were drawn in as though magnetized, converging frantically toward the spot.
A colossal orb of thunder formed at astonishing speed, the terrifying power stored within abruptly erupting outward.
In Qin Sang's vision, the dazzling lightning swelled violently and came pouring down.
All these changes took place in a fraction of an instant.
The others were equally stricken with horror; none had imagined their foes possessed such a terrifying method. With nowhere left to hide, someone shouted in desperate urgency, "Quick! Use the frigid qi to block it from above!"
Everyone caught on at once, grasping the intent.
All five of them had focused their entire minds on the spirit array. It was too late to resort to other means now; the lightning had descended too swiftly and with far too much power.
Only by redirecting the frigid qi of the Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array might they be able to block the lightning and buy themselves time.
As for the Kui Dragon trapped by the cold, they could no longer afford to care about it.
"Rise!"
Chu Heng bellowed. Joining forces, they activated another transformation of the Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array. With a twist, the frigid qi surged upward against the descent.
In an instant, lightning and frigid qi collided.
The shockwave swept outward immediately, slamming into Qin Sang and the others first and leaving them reeling like boats tossed in a storm.
Chapter 865