After Ran Qingmo departed, the battle began.
No, at this scale, it could already be called a war.
A war between mankind and demonic beasts.
Across both his past life and his present one, this was the first time Xu Yuan had ever witnessed the spectacle of war.
From all directions within the mist, vast swarms of demonic beasts surged forth with sky-shattering roars. The soldiers deployed outside the city shouted in unison as they met the enemy, while atop the city walls, the twang of drawn bowstrings rose and fell in an endless cadence.
Two hours had ultimately been far too brief. Even with the gates on three sides thrown wide and the Shengshan border army evacuating refugees, a great many were still stranded outside the walls.
Worse still, alongside the grotesque beasts swarming over the ground, countless flying demonic beasts burst forth from the mist.
Fortunately, the Shengshan border army had ample experience dealing with beast tides—or at least, the frontline officers did.
They did not form massive battle formations to clash head-on against the tide of beasts.
The six thousand Shengshan border soldiers arrayed outside the walls formed over a hundred small battle formations in units of fifty-man squads. Gaps were left between each formation, yet each remained interconnected. When low-intelligence demonic beasts crashed into them, over a hundred beasts were shredded in the instant of initial contact!
The Shengshan border guards atop the city walls were not idle either, manning all manner of massive siege-defense engines.
Every bolt fired from the specially crafted, array-inscribed ballistas kicked up storms of flying grit and stone, punching through the chests of a dozen massive beasts as if slicing through bean curd!
Explosive jars flung by trebuchets detonated within the tide of beasts, sending bursts of blood and shredded flesh flying.
Yet there were simply too many demonic beasts, and many possessed long-range attacks of their own.
Acid, fireballs, and water projectiles rained down like a barrage, blanketing the battle formations of the Shengshan border army.
Before long, the Shengshan border army suffered its first casualty, followed swiftly by a second and a third.
Standing at the edge of the array, Xu Yuan watched everything unfold with a silent frown.
This was war in a world of extraordinary powers.
He felt his own insignificance amidst the battlefield.
In a war of such scale, how many demonic beasts could a third-rank expert kill?
Two hundred? Three hundred? Four hundred?
Even exhausting all their Source Qi, they might not kill five hundred.
Xu Yuan fixed his gaze on the beast packs with ranged attacks in the distance.
Under ordinary circumstances, acid, fireballs, and stray projectiles posed little threat to a third-rank expert; evading them or deflecting them with martial skills was utterly effortless. But the battlefield was too chaotic. Once trapped within the swarm, extricating oneself would be exceedingly difficult, and then those arrow-like ranged attacks would become lethal instruments.
On the human side, it was even simpler: trap an enemy deep within a battle formation, unleash several coordinated volleys from array-inscribed ballistas, and even a third-rank Grandmaster would meet their end on the spot.
On a battlefield of this scale, perhaps only a second-rank expert, or even a first-rank Dao Domain master, could truly sway the tide.
Yet the war before him was merely one corner along the hundred-thousand-li frontier of the Wanxing Mountain Range.
Most of the Shengshan border soldiers were only at the eighth or ninth rank, and many were merely martial apprentices who had barely entered the ranks. The demonic beasts were likewise low-intelligence cannon fodder, lacking even a decent demon commander.
In the spring tide battles before the most vital passes of the Wanxing Mountain Range, one could even spot war behemoths of the demon race, on a scale at least ten times greater than this.
And the war currently unfolding in Great Yan's northern frontier was even more so.
According to the C-grade internal intelligence from the Chancellor's Manor:
The thirty thousand Feathered Forest Guards Princess Wuyuan took to the north were all battle-hardened veterans of the sixth-rank Iron Body, while the Barbarians fielded an army of hundreds of thousands.
In that kind of war, what vast scale would clashes involving elite legions numbering in the hundreds of thousands achieve?
In battles like that, what role could even Saints play?
Everything on the battlefield was suffocating. The slaughter between the Shengshan border army and the demonic beasts raged on.
Death had become the sole sound within the array.
Gradually, as casualties mounted, the formations began inching backward toward the city walls under Colonel Wang's command.
The refugees outside the city had all been forcibly herded into the barbican. Some may have died in the stampede, but in the face of such dire military urgency, they could no longer afford to care.
The Shengshan border army could not suffer too many losses outside the walls, or the ensuing siege defense would leave them entirely at the enemy's mercy.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan silently counted down the time in his mind. Taking a deep breath, he raised Qingyu, the sword Feng Jiuxuan had gifted him, level at his side.
Void-Stepping Slash.
Empowered by the soul power of the Saint's remnant soul, Xu Yuan silently teleported out of the Illusory Mist Grand Array.
The world outside the array was utterly quiet.
The moment he cleared the Illusory Mist Grand Array, the shouts of the border guards, the roars of the demonic beasts, and the humming resonance of the activated city defense array vanished completely, replaced by an unsettling silence.
The sky was cloudless, and the bright moonlight poured across the earth for thousands of li. Vast swathes of sprouting mountain forests were rimmed with silver, while dense fog stood like a towering wall along the edge of the woods.
Inside the array, it had been impossible to see clearly, but once outside the mist, he could tell that it did not form a closed square like the character 'kou', but rather a three-sided basin shaped like the character 'min'.
The two sides bordering the Wanxing Mountain Range stretched outward for a great distance, where scattered packs of demonic beasts could be seen constantly charging into the Illusory Mist Grand Array.
The war inside the array continued, and outside, battle had also been joined.
Even without drawing on the soul power of the Saint's remnant soul, Xu Yuan could sense waves of frigid Source Qi pulsing endlessly on the other side of the Illusory Mist Grand Array.
The Wanxiang Sect experts outside the array had made their move against Ran Qingmo.
Seeing this did not surprise Xu Yuan in the least. He asked silently in his mind,
"Old Man Luo, how many are facing her?"
The Saint's remnant soul probed briefly before chuckling.
"Three third-rank Grandmasters."
"Three third-rankers?"
Xu Yuan murmured, his tone laced with sarcasm. "No wonder they decided to intercept and kill. The Wanxiang Sect has really spared no expense."
Even for the Chancellor's Manor, whose reach spanned most of Great Yan, secretly grooming three unknown third-rank Grandmasters was no simple feat. This time, the Wanxiang Sect had likely staked everything they had.
Pausing, Xu Yuan followed up with another question:
"Ran Qingmo shouldn't be in any trouble for now, right?"
The Saint's remnant soul sounded thoroughly relaxed:
"Don't worry. Little Ran is stronger than you think. Right now, she's suppressing all three of them on her own."
Relieved, Xu Yuan whispered,
"That's good. Old Man Luo, let's hurry and find the array control node."
Their plan was simple.
There was a third-rank Grandmaster stationed at the node. Even if Xu Yuan and Ran Qingmo managed to kill them in battle, they most likely would not be able to prevent the enemy from destroying the node. But if they drew the Grandmasters out, then with the Saint's soul power augmenting him, Xu Yuan was confident he could instantly wipe out the low-tier cultivators guarding the node the moment he found it, taking control of the array to protect Shengshan County.
Thus, when the Shengshan border army struck the Illusory Mist Grand Array, Ran Qingmo had escaped alone first, luring the Wanxiang Sect members guarding the array into coming out to intercept her.
A lone third-rank Grandmaster—if the Wanxiang Sect was thoroughly prepared, they would never let her get away.
After all, this was a conspiracy upon which they had staked their sect's very destiny.
If they could encircle and leave no survivors, they would certainly strike.
And thanks to Void-Stepping Slash, Xu Yuan could exit the array without needing help from the Shengshan border army.
While Ran Qingmo kept the Wanxiang Sect experts occupied, Xu Yuan could sneak off to find the node. Even if he failed to find the control node, he could still creep over and deliver a vicious blow to those three Grandmasters.
With Void-Stepping Slash in hand, no one understood sneak attacks better than him.
Everything had gone smoothly.
Even facing three Grandmaster experts, the big block of ice methodically drew the battle deeper and deeper into the mountains.
After waiting quietly for a moment, Xu Yuan moved, searching along the periphery of the Illusory Mist Grand Array for any potential control node.
Moving at a moderate pace, with the Saint's remnant soul suppressing his Source Qi fluctuations using soul power, Xu Yuan had no fear that the three Grandmasters locked in fierce combat over there would detect him.
All things possessed Source Qi fluctuations, and there had to be a connection between the control node and the Illusory Mist Grand Array. With the Saint's remnant soul's immense soul power, tracking down that faint strand of Source Qi connection shouldn't have been too difficult.
Yet things did not go as smoothly as Xu Yuan had anticipated.
There was nothing to the west of Shengshan County, nothing to the north, and nothing to the east or south.
In half an hour, Xu Yuan circled the entire Illusory Mist Grand Array without finding anything that resembled a control node.
Returning once more to his starting point, Xu Yuan stared at the wall of fog towering into the clouds, his brows knit tight.
"Old Man Luo, could this control node be set up inside the Illusory Mist Grand Array?"
The Saint's remnant soul fell silent for a moment before replying in a low voice,
"That depends on what your sister's foundational array blueprint looked like. If the blueprint that girl gave them didn't have a control node designed inside, it is practically impossible for it to be inside."
"What do you mean?" Xu Yuan asked immediately.
The Saint's remnant soul considered his words before murmuring,
"Arrays are things where pulling a single thread affects the whole tapestry. The overarching framework, the intricate patterns for channeling Source Qi, the materials used... if there's even the slightest deviation at any step, the final result could be miles off the mark.
"Your sister activated and verified the Illusory Mist Grand Array before leaving, which means the vast majority of the work was already finished. Trying to add something inside the array at that point would require an effort comparable to rebuilding it from scratch. So if the foundational blueprint didn't have one inside, the control node the Wanxiang Sect covertly constructed must be outside."
Xu Yuan searched his memories regarding his adoptive sister and shook his head.
"Xu Xinyao shouldn't be that foolish."
With that, Xu Yuan sighed and asked,
"If we circle it once more, do you think we can find it?"
"Heh."
The Saint's remnant soul gave a low laugh. "Kid, if you couldn't find it in one lap, you won't find it in a hundred. This is a scheme that could get their entire sect wiped out. Who knows how long the Wanxiang Sect planned this? You think you can unravel it with a plan you cooked up in a few minutes?"
Xu Yuan fell silent for several breaths upon hearing this, his feelings complicated. In a low voice, he said,
"In that case, let's not waste any more time. Let's go help Ran Qingmo. Perhaps we can capture one alive for interrogation. Hm... I'll take the shot. You just help me gather Source Qi."
The Saint's remnant soul raised a brow.
"You're sure you don't want me to strike?"
"Even though I don't retain the memories from the illusion realm, a lot of things were carved into my muscle memory."
Xu Yuan shook his head and smiled. "In that illusion, I spent over a decade as a second-rank Origin Realm expert. It's just a sneak attack. Nothing to it."
The Saint's remnant soul hesitated slightly, but said nothing more.
"As long as you know what you're doing, kid."
With that, Xu Yuan gave chase through the mountain forest, following the trail of Ran Qingmo's earlier battle.
BOOM!
An explosive roar echoed across the mountain ranges. As the dust and smoke in midair cleared, it revealed a shield formed of ice crystals within.
Within this shield, a graceful figure in black holding an ink-black sword gazed coldly at the three surrounding her.
Two men and a woman.
An old man, a burly man, and a plump woman.
Seeing his attack blocked, the burly man barked toward the old man while rapidly retreating:
"Number One, this girl's cultivation method is abnormal!"
"Like I need you to tell me!"
The old man snapped back in a low growl, looking thoroughly battered.
A sword slash had nearly cleaved his frail torso in two, and ice crystals spreading from the wound had frozen almost half his body. Had his two companions not covered for him, he would have already become another ghost beneath that woman's blade.
With that thought,
The old man gave a violent surge of Source Qi, instantly shattering the ice crystals coating his body. He sent a low voice transmission:
"This girl is clearly that old bastard from the Tianyuan Sword Sect's precious disciple!"
Hearing this, the plump woman's pupils shrank slightly.
"Ran Qingmo?! A sixteen-year-old Grandmaster, just like Xu Changge?"
The burly man's eyelid twitched uncontrollably. He transmitted,
"Should we just let her go? She doesn't have any evidence anyway. By the time reinforcements arrive, everything here will already be over."
The plump woman chimed in softly,
"If that old man from the Sword Sect's disciple dies here, I'm afraid we won't be able to answer to the Sword Sect."
Veins bulged on the old man's forehead.
"You two cowards! Frightened already?! What if? If something goes wrong, what will become of our sect?!
"There is only one Xu Changge in this world! Fast cultivation doesn't mean unmatched power!"
Though he said so, the gazes the plump woman and the burly man fixed on the black-robed woman were filled with intense wariness.
To the sect, the name Xu Changge was practically a nightmare.
The plump woman and the burly man had attended the Tianyuan Grand Tournament thirteen years ago.
Back then, possessing only Body Integration cultivation, they had been eliminated early on, but they had witnessed firsthand how that green-robed youth, resembling a banished immortal, broke the spines of every genius of their generation.
A crushing dominance that felled peers of the same rank with a single stroke.
Even though the two of them had crossed from Body Integration into the Grandmaster realm over the years, now that the "Xu Changge" of this generation stood before them, they were still confronted with near-overwhelming might.
Because in a single exchange, the old man had nearly been cut down by her.
The woman cloaked in inky black inevitably reminded them of that Eldest Young Master of the Chancellor's Manor.
Moonlight cascaded like a waterfall as the four faced off across midair.
Just as the resolve of the three Wanxiang Sect experts wavered, a blood-robed figure appeared behind the old man without the slightest warning.
It was so sudden that it almost made one doubt their own eyes.
In the very instant the figure appeared, the old man sensed the newcomer.
The old man did not doubt his intent-soul perception; it was simply too late.
All his attention had been locked onto the black-robed woman across from him, and the person behind him granted him no time to react.
Time seemed to freeze.
A sword technique like splashed ink blossomed like a flower, tracing a graceful arc under the cool moonlight.
And then,
The old man saw a familiar, headless body.
After a breath of dead silence, the headless corpse plummeted like a kite with its string cut.
The mountain breeze stirred the long hair at his temples. Standing suspended in the void, the blood-robed youth cast a calm gaze toward the utterly stunned man and woman beside him, his voice gentle:
"Now, I have a few questions for you."
Chapter 147