Two armies clashed, and the battlefield was already cleared early on.
Even if both sides' scouts were a bit careless, the living beings at the center of the battlefield should have fled for their lives long ago.
Once people entered the forest, birds would startle themselves, and beasts would run on their own.
What's more, with a great army pressing in, battle aura surged to the heavens.
However, in the center of the Red Tail County battlefield, there was strangely still a third party present. Scouts from both sides intentionally or unintentionally avoided this place.
A pale white smoke drifted like a cloud beast, floating all the way from the Cangfeng City domain to here. And anyone or anything that strayed into it would never be heard from again.
Of course, in reality, it had been "forced" here by Yang Jiande's great army.
Two hundred and ten thousand troops had entered Red Tail County from Hengyang County, moving from the northwest to the southeast. Even the Holy Sovereign of Bone Path had to give way to some extent.
Both sides maintained a delicate distance.
In the end, this scene appeared at the center of the battlefield.
Pale white smoke rolled and billowed, and the Holy Sovereign of Bone Path floated within it.
Adjacent to it were two cities—one was garrisoned by Yang Jiande, and the other had been directly flattened by Chongxuan Chuliang.
Between the two great armies, there was only a thirty-li buffer zone. On a battlefield dominated by extraordinary power, this hardly constituted a safe distance.
A great battle could begin at any moment.
Within a hundred li, even the clouds in the sky were scattered by the battle aura.
And the pale white smoke at the center of the battlefield looked like a cloud that had fallen to the ground—though it was far too eerie.
Within the smoke, a song was being sung, its voice extremely sorrowful, repeating over and over.
Among the Qi army, Chongxuan Sheng frequently glanced at Jiang Wang.
Because ever since hearing this song, Jiang Wang's expression had seemed to freeze, showing no change. Only his sword-holding hand had fingers that had already turned white.
This was a Jiang Wang he had never seen before.
This resolute killing intent was almost impossible to hide.
However, within the great army, this was no time for idle chat. He could only stand silently in the army formation, waiting for the commander's orders.
...
Chongxuan Chuliang listened intently to the Bone-Lifeless Chant.
This chant was being performed by Bone Path Elder Lu Yan to protect the Holy Sovereign of Bone Path.
The fundamental teachings of Bone Path were the Bone-Lifeless Chant—from the name alone, one could see the significance of this chant to Bone Path.
Back in Maple Forest City, Lu Yan had used this chant to guide the Life-Death Array. Now, he was using the flickering furnace of the Yang kingdom's state to help the Holy Sovereign of Bone Path control the "intensity."
"As long as there was even a glimmer of hope for the Yang kingdom, Yang Jiande wouldn't have kept a low profile for so many years. I didn't give him a chance to break the deadlock, so why would he give me a chance for a decisive battle?"
Chongxuan Chuliang seemed to be sighing to himself: "This is the variable he's been waiting for."
When had Yang Jiande ever given up his geographical advantage for this? Chongxuan Chuliang had advanced methodically, pushing forward step by step, and Yang Jiande had no geographical advantage to speak of. The Autumn Slaughter Army hadn't even had time to establish a solid foothold.
"Little do they know, the commander is also waiting for this moment!" Tian Antai from the Tian family of Daze chimed in from the side.
After Chongxuan Chuliang had given him a slight warning earlier, he had become very obedient.
In many people's eyes, there was no suspense in this battle—they were just tagging along to share in the credit. If they were expelled at a time like this, they would have nowhere to cry.
Chongxuan Chuliang wouldn't hold a grudge over his subordinates' offenses. In the army, once punishment was administered, the matter was settled.
"Our army has the resolve to exterminate the Yang domain, but that doesn't mean that's the only outcome we want. This mutant plague is truly troublesome. Once that evil creature finishes absorbing the plague energy..."
Chongxuan Chuliang was speaking casually when suddenly.
"Tread my gate of life and death, drape my black and white cloth."
"Kill my former intentions, deliver those who depart!"
"Kill my former intentions, deliver those who depart..."
The Bone-Lifeless Chant suddenly changed slightly, repeating the final line once more, its tone ethereal.
Chongxuan Chuliang immediately cut off the conversation and rose to his feet.
"Formation!"
The generals under his command each led their troops, and in an instant, battle aura surged like a tornado.
Because of his earlier merits in neutralizing the threat from Sunlight County, Chongxuan Sheng also led a formation of five thousand men, with Jiang Wang and Shi Si protecting his flanks.
And Chongxuan Chuliang himself charged straight past the vanguard, taking the lead as he dashed into the pale white smoke.
The moment he charged in, the smoke scattered abruptly!
Within the smoke, the Rabbit-Bone Mask, Bone Path Elder Lu Yan, and the Holy Sovereign of Bone Path were all exposed before both armies.
The Rabbit-Bone Mask's eyes almost immediately turned red, without a moment's hesitation, and he shot sideways into the distance.
Among the Yang army, a general had just raised his great bow when he was stopped by a white-haired old general beside him: "With a formidable enemy before us, don't waste any strength."
As the Rabbit-Bone Mask fled, the expressionless Holy Sovereign of Bone Path suddenly turned his head, fixing his indifferent eye on Lu Yan.
Lu Yan, who was also drifting to the other side, closed his eyes and responded: "Great as you are, you should understand—I have already drawn starlight into my body. Your contamination cannot affect me."
"Why."
The Bone Sovereign questioned in a voice so calm it was eerie, while controlling his physical body, making those madly surging flesh lumps calm down. He turned around almost mechanically and extended his fist.
Visually so slow, yet in reality exquisitely timed, he met Chongxuan Chuliang's charge with a head-on clash!
Boom!
With the two who had clashed in mid-air at the center.
A tremendous shockwave blasted out in all directions. Even landing on Lu Yan who had fled far away, it still made him feel a powerful impact force, startling him inwardly!
Looking at the Bone Sovereign, he was clearly on the verge of success. If they had been even a step later, allowing him to fully refine his body and become a Plague Avatar that could wield Divine Descent power, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"No need to hide it anymore, Bone! You are no longer Wang Changji!"
Lu Yan continued flying backward with his eyes still closed: "You watched me from the netherworld, making me worship you as a god. You said you could help me find my deceased wife, as long as I worshipped you devoutly!"
"But how many years has it been? I've poured my heart and soul into Bone Path, reviving a declining sect from the ashes."
"But what about what you promised me?"
The Bone Sovereign had been at the final step of refining the Plague Avatar, and he had still been holding back from Lu Yan and the others. The time he had told them was seven breaths away from completion, when in reality it only needed three breaths.
He believed that the Life-Death Array, laid out with plague energy, death energy, and calamity energy, could at least hold off the assault for five breaths.
But what he hadn't expected was that Lu Yan had given the signal ten breaths ahead of time! This signal wasn't targeted at just one side—it notified both Chongxuan Chuliang and Yang Jiande simultaneously.
Whichever side acted first could stop the Bone Sovereign's final step.
And furthermore, he had tampered with the Life-Death Array long ago, so it hadn't played any role at all, allowing Chongxuan Chuliang to get close immediately.
While dealing with Chongxuan Chuliang's attacks, the Bone Sovereign responded: "I said, wait until I... recover... divine power."
"You had divine power to refine a Plague Avatar, but not enough to find an ordinary soul?" Lu Yan didn't hide his emotions, his face twisted: "Even if you are a deity, you can't... toy with me like this!"
As he spoke, his eyes suddenly opened!
Those nether eyes that now only showed the whites of the eyes stared straight at the Bone Sovereign.
Bang!
A flesh lump on the Bone Sovereign's body suddenly exploded. His figure was thus unimpeded, and he managed to exchange three punches with Chongxuan Chuliang.
But with each punch he received, his body would "shake." Not the unsteadiness of losing footing, but like a container full of water sloshing around inside.
At the same time, Lu Yan grunted softly, as if struck by a heavy blow.
And the "shaking" Bone Sovereign still spoke to Lu Yan: "Stay and help me. I'll absolve your sins."
By now, his speech had become 'normal' again, even carrying a tone.
"Without me, you will never see her again!"
In the distance, Lu Yan had closed his eyes again, blood winding down from their corners.
But he turned away without hesitation.
"I will go find her myself—no need for you to trouble yourself!"