The small altar's surface was illuminated by two intersecting slashes of sword light, one horizontal and one vertical. The horizontal slash decapitated one Taoist, while the vertical slash cleaved through another female Taoist from head to waist.
That female Taoist was a cultivator at the Six Harmonies realm. Though she hadn't practiced martial arts, a golden chain hung from her forehead, centered with a gemstone that blazed with light, blocking Qin Mu's strike.
Qin Mu dragged his blade. The female Taoist's head split open and bled, but her qi erupted instantly. The horsetail whisk in her other hand bloomed like countless flower stamens, its thousand threads piercing toward Qin Mu.
Just as her attack launched, countless blades of sword light engulfed her.
Night battle, continuous city, wind and rain.
Qin Mu's steps shifted, dodging the incoming whisk as he circled behind the female Taoist's corpse. Her body hadn't fallen yet, and behind her was another Taoist.
That Taoist had recovered, sheets of yellow paper flying from the pouch at his waist. But in that moment, Qin Mu abandoned both blades, pointing two fingers forward. Qi at his fingertips transformed into a razor-sharp sword light that pierced the Taoist's forehead.
Behind Qin Mu, dragons and elephants soared. The monk Yun Que charged forward, dragon-stepping and elephant-treading, crashing into another female Taoist with a thunderous boom that pinned her against the demon statue.
The female Taoist vomited blood as her qi erupted, sending him flying back. Just as she was about to strike, a sword light flashed across her throat, producing a soft metallic ring.
This female Taoist's qi was incredibly dense, blocking the sword with sheer power. But the next instant, Shen Wanyun appeared beside her, gripping the hilt. All his power erupted, pressing her against the demon statue. He yanked the sword free as blood sprayed.
Wolf Slave's figure flickered as he leaped onto the statue's head. His twin demon blades, unpredictable as ghosts, chopped downward. Yue Qinghong stood on Wolf Slave's shoulder, swords flying from the sword case behind her, transforming into drilling sword forms that stabbed at a Taoist below.
That Taoist snatched a white banner planted at the altar's edge. The banner vibrated, its runes glowing as red serpentine shapes slithered from its surface, blocking the twin demon blades. But Yue Qinghong's drilling sword form pierced through the banner face, driving into his forehead.
Meanwhile, Si Yunxiang moved like a phantom on the other side, unleashing a series of strikes with a peculiar seal technique that shattered another female Taoist's bones completely.
Shen Wanyun's heart skipped a beat. "Junior Sister Si hides her true strength. This power is formidable!"
He lunged at another Taoist, who suddenly leaped from the altar and sprinted away, sheets of yellow paper flying back toward the altar in a neat row.
Shen Wanyun rushed to pursue, but the yellow papers detonated one after another, blasting him violently away.
On the other side, Yun Que blocked that Taoist's path, deploying the Grand Wutai Seal to obstruct him.
The Taoist sneered, spreading his five fingers. Thunder erupted from his palm, striking Yun Que so hard his soul wavered.
The Taoist relaxed, shouting harshly, "A bunch of juniors who haven't even reached the Six Harmonies realm dare to—"
Before he finished, a chill pierced his heart. Looking down, a sword had pierced through his chest from behind, and he hadn't sensed the approach at all.
Qin Mu withdrew the sword. The Taoist rasped, "Good footwork!" Then he collapsed to the ground, life extinguished.
Qin Mu sheathed his sword. On the altar, Yue Qinghong, Wolf Slave, and Si Yunxiang were about to dispatch the remaining Taoists, but when they circled around, they found bodies lying in disarray around the demon statue.
Some Taoists hadn't fallen but were pinned to the statue. Others hung from the white banners. Some had been reduced to pulp by fist techniques, others had their skulls shattered by iron hammers. Their deaths were all different.
All three were deeply shaken. Si Yunxiang's expression turned grave as she carefully examined each corpse. These bodies had all been struck by Qin Mu in an instant, their supernatural arts not yet deployed before death claimed them.
"Barely two moves used, most killed in a single strike," she thought, raising her eyes to look at Qin Mu.
Thirteen cultivators. Though their close-combat ability was weak, cultivators were still cultivators. Though people said that when martial artists got close, magic users were doomed, those were just words.
If there was a realm gap, martial artists might not break through the opponent's defensive magic.
This time, though they'd caught the enemy off guard, Qin Mu's combat strength was too overwhelming, his speed too terrifying.
Qin Mu shook the Shao Bao Sword, flicking off the blood, and sheathed it. "Clear the battlefield. Destroy the demon statue immediately!"
His words had barely fallen when a thunderous boom echoed from nearby. In the black mist, blood-red light erupted, dyeing the dark fog crimson.
The blood light reached hundreds of yards high, clearly visible even from their position at the mountain pass.
Terrifying waves of power surged from another world, crashing toward where the blood light burst forth.
Then, rolling thunder followed. Lightning crackled around the blood light—thunderbolts squeezed from the fabric of space by overwhelming force. If the power was too great, the vibrations would destabilize space itself.
When space destabilized, the thunder hidden within would erupt.
Everyone stared in shock. Where the blood light and lightning converged, an impossibly massive figure was slowly rising. It was a horned demon statue with four arms and four legs. Though a sculpture, it now radiated an aura of apocalyptic power as if the demon god had descended!
This descending demon god towered higher than Lushan Mountain where they stood. Thick smoke billowed around it, smoke laced with fire and lightning. Blood-colored light shot skyward, hovering above its head.
"Another group of Hongshan Sect cultivators successfully summoned a demon..."
Qin Mu's hands and feet went cold. The other Hongshan Sect cultivators had completed their ritual, summoning the demon god.
That towering demon's gaze was like interwoven lightning. Wherever its eyes passed, all trees and stones sizzled to ash.
Qin Mu exhaled a turbid breath. "Strip their clothes!"
Everyone froze. The monk Yun Que murmured, "We're stripping clothes again..."
Si Yunxiang understood immediately, tearing garments from the corpses on the ground. The others quickly grasped Qin Mu's meaning and stripped the Hongshan Sect cultivators' robes.
Qin Mu also donned a Hongshan Sect disciple's robe. "Pull up those white banners and take the talismans for backup."
Shen Wanyun and the others stepped forward, pulling up banners and collecting talismans. Once dressed, they saw the demon god roaring at the river surface, its roar creating towering waves on the Yong River.
Everyone's faces paled. The dragonqilin rushed over. Qin Mu spoke rapidly, "We must leave immediately. This is no longer a place where Five Planets realm students like us can survive. Do you still have anything that identifies you as Imperial Academy students? Hand them all to me."
Yun Que produced his waist token and book token, murmuring, "Are we really going to our deaths in the Southern Borderlands?"
Qin Mu collected their tokens and stored them in the Taotie pouch. "We're just taking a detour through the Southern Borderlands, bypassing this battlefield. Once we cross the river to the north bank, we'll be safe."
He exhaled turbidly, about to order their departure, when he glanced at the incomplete demon statue. An idea struck him. He lifted the statue and strapped it to the dragonqilin's back.
"Let's go. Southward."
The group's hearts were heavy as they followed him along the mountain ridge, heading south.
After walking about ten li, they finally emerged from the black mist'sshroud. Another ten li onward, Qin Mu looked back. The black mist hung like an enormous inverted black pot over the Yong River area, covering both banks. Lightning flashed within the mist, and faint flashes of magical combat could still be seen.
Within that black mist stood a colossal gateway—the gateway connecting life and death, linking yin and yang.
"How many in Lizhou will survive?" Qin Mu thought.
Before long, Qin Mu suddenly stopped. "An army is approaching."
Yun Que's heart lifted. "An army? Our Yankang army?"
Qin Mu shook his head, pointing forward. "The rebel army."
They looked ahead to see dozens of towered boats sailing toward them, banners unfurled. Around each towered boat, exotic beasts flew through the air in bizarre variety.
Below the aerial army marched columns of warriors and cultivators. Among them strode colossal beasts carrying large round stones on their backs, towering dozens of yards high like moving mountains, their steps shaking the earth.
Qin Mu and the others stood aside, letting this army bound for the Yong River battlefield pass. On one towered boat, a general's electric gaze swept over them. He turned to an officer beside him. "Who are those people?"
The officer glanced at Qin Mu's group. "Looks like Hongshan Sect disciples. I'll go ask."
The officer leaped from the towered boat. With each step, golden lotus flowers bloomed beneath his feet, walking on blossoms as he descended to stand before Qin Mu and the others, their hearts pounding.
This was a Seven Stars realm expert. Walking on empty air, killing them would be effortless!
The officer swept his gaze over the demon statue on the dragonqilin's back. "Hongshan Sect disciples fleeing battle. Whatsin should that incur?"
Qin Mu bowed, neither servile nor arrogant. "We of the Hongshan Sect did our duty. We summoned a demon to fight. Not only are we innocent, but we've earned merit."
The officer snorted coldly. "But fleeing the battlefield is a capital offense. You should be beheaded on the spot!"
Qin Mu's expression was anguished as he protested, "We were ambushed by Lizhou forces. Out of thirteen brothers and sisters, seven fell! Where were you when we were fighting for our lives? Our Hongshan Sect has been destroyed—we're all that's left. Must we all die out there? General, leave some of the Hongshan Sect's bloodline!"
The officer hesitated, looking upward.
On the towered boat above, the general spoke in a deep voice. "The Hongshan Sect has few members left. Don't pursue this too harshly. They summoned a demon to fight—that's a great merit. Let them demonstrate a spell to verify their identity, then let them go."
Shen Wanyun and Yun Que's foreheads broke into cold sweat. None of them had practiced Hongshan Sect magic.
Qin Mu activated a talisman. The general's voice came again: "Not a talisman. A spell."
Qin Mu circulated his qi. The qi transformed into a rune that shone upon the demon statue. A rune on the statue lit up.
The officer bowed. "General Xiaoyi, it is indeed the Hongshan Sect's Ghost-Commanding and God-Dispatching Glyph Order."
On the towered boat, General Xiaoyi waved. "Let them go. The army moves to conquer Lizhou... Wait!"
General Xiaoyi's gaze fell on Qin Mu again, a slight smile at his lips. "Send them to Tianbo City. Have them summon a demon there as well."