The scene in the city sent chills down the spines of those on the mountain. The insect army of Sanqi Fort had not even had time to strike before it was swallowed by a sea of fire and a sea of swords, collapsing in utter defeat.
The insect army of Sanqi Fort was originally extremely formidable, but they had been caught completely off guard. The people were burned to death, and the insects were burned to death.
The female army of the Palace of Parting Feelings was extraordinarily powerful, but in an instant they received a devastating blow. Countless sharp swords rained down from the sky, piercing through the women's bodies—they were already dead while still standing, their bodies riddled with holes.
By the time they collapsed, the swords that had slain them had already flown back on their own, returning to the sword cases behind the cavalry.
The rebel disciples from every faction had no time to react before being scattered by the elephant corps among the infantry, forced into fighting individually.
But no matter how high their cultivation, when faced with the formation arrays deployed by the Yankang soldiers in tight formation, they were decapitated in an instant!
Sect disciples had greater individual combat power than soldiers, but their cohesion was terrible—scattered by a single charge. Even among the rebels there were troops originally from the State of Yankang, well-trained and disciplined regulars, but they too had been caught off guard. Once the army was scattered, it was already too late.
This was an absolute massacre. Under the Transmission Banners of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the effect of a surprise attack could be achieved. Any army facing such a surprise attack had only one outcome.
Total annihilation.
On the mountain, the bronze-masked man's body trembled as he stammered: "Two paths, two paths..."
The State Preceptor of Yankang had given them two paths. One was for the Yankang army to advance steadily, pushing them all the way to the Southern Sea to be exterminated—this was the court's rule.
The other was to follow the rules of the jianghan. They would challenge the State Preceptor of Yankang, and the commanders would fight to the death!
They had always thought they could choose one of the two paths, but they never imagined that both paths would be chosen simultaneously. The State Preceptor of Yankang intended to kill them personally while also wiping out the rebel army.
"When did the Heavenly Demon Cult pledge allegiance to the court?"
The Palace Mistress of Parting Feelings cried out harshly: "A supreme holy site of the demonic path—when did it become the court's lapdog?"
The Parting Hatred Heavenly Sword Art of the Palace of Parting Feelings required its practitioner to sever all emotional ties, free of love, hate, passion, or enmity. Only by achieving the highest state of mind in swordsmanship, where the heart was empty of all external concerns, could it reflect the outside world like a flawless mirror.
But now, when the Palace Mistress of Parting Feelings, Qiu Dieyi, saw the disciples of her palace being slaughtered, she still lost her composure.
Her loss of composure was no small matter. The State Preceptor of Yankang thrust a finger forward. The qi at his fingertip transformed into sword light that surged violently, reaching her throat in an instant!
It was not only the Palace Mistress's heart that wavered—all the others were shaken as well. When the State Preceptor of Yankang made his move against the Palace Mistress, no one had time to intervene.
"We are going to die..." The same thought arose in the hearts of Shen Wanyun and the others.
This mountain was sealed by the Heaven Prison restriction covering eight hundred acres. The shockwaves of combat could not escape—they would only bounce back and forth. When the State Preceptor of Yankang and the others clashed, they would likely be shaken to death or shattered.
Just as the State Preceptor of Yankang made his move, suddenly a great banner appeared before Qin Mu and the others, snapping loudly in the wind. It swept over them, the banner fluttered once, shook, and then—banner, people, and the Dragon Qilin all vanished together.
In the next instant, Qin Mu and the others appeared at the foot of the mountain. Shen Wanyun, Yun Que, and Yue Qinghong all looked around to see strange figures wearing bamboo hats standing beside them, unfurling their great banners.
These several hundred strange figures had formed a circle around the city-mountain, their banners fluttering to blanket the entire peak. An aged voice barked: "Go!"
Whoosh—
Hundreds of great banners swept through the air. As the fabric passed, the mountain behind it—along with the Cult Master-level beings upon it, including the State Preceptor of Yankang—was all transported away together!
Where the mountain had been, only a bare patch of ground remained, along with the crushed city lord's mansion beneath it!
Shen Wanyun, Yun Que, and the others stared in shock and confusion. Then they saw those strange figures raise their banners again, sweeping them over their own bodies, taking them along as well.
Before Shen Wanyun and the others could collect themselves, a great banner had already enveloped them. They felt the world spin around them. When their feet touched solid ground again, they realized they were far from the battle-torn Daxiang City, standing on a mountain peak.
The peak was extremely tall. Howling gale-force winds whipped their clothes into a frenzy. Hundreds of bamboo-hatted figures surrounded them in a tight ring.
Shen Wanyun and the others suppressed their shock and exchanged silent glances: "They are the powerhouses of the Heavenly Demon Cult—they've kidnapped us and we don't know what they want..."
The mysterious Heavenly Demon Cult, the foremost holy site and largest sect of the demonic path—its operations had always been shrouded in secrecy. The Yankang court had investigated this demonic holy site more than once, but had never uncovered much of use.
This time the Heavenly Demon Cult had intervened to help the State Preceptor of Yankang, transported them away from the battlefield, and now abducted them from the fighting entirely. They clearly had some scheme in mind.
Suddenly, one by one, the strange figures removed their bamboo hats and bowed in the posture of disciples, speaking in unison: "Your subjects greet the Holy Cult Master! We greet the Holy Maiden!"
Shen Wanyun and the others were at a loss, watching these Heavenly Demon Cult powerhouses bow before them, filled with anxious dread. The monk Yun Que hurriedly shut his eyes and cried: "I didn't see anything! I didn't see your faces—don't kill me to silence me!"
At that moment, a familiar voice sounded beside them: "Rise. There is no need for formalities."
"Thank you, Holy Cult Master."
The strange figures straightened, and Shen Wanyun and the others turned to look at the speaker beside them with faces of utter horror.
The first abandoned commoner of the Great Ruins to enter the Imperial Academy, the first Imperial Academician of the Academy—Qin Mu was the Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Cult?
Qin Mu's expression was mild as he smiled at them.
"If the Academician is the Cult Master, then which one is the Holy Maiden?" Yue Qinghong asked in a trembling voice.
Si Yunxiang gave her a shy smile, and Yue Qinghong's blood ran cold.
"The Imperial Preceptor of Hanguang Hall—Imperial Preceptor Jian Sansheng! And Imperial Preceptor Chen Yunting of the Formation Hall!"
Shen Wanyun saw the Sword Hall Master and the Formation Hall Master, and his heart sank. He murmured: "We're dead. We're dead..."
The monk Yun Que erupted in fury: "You saw their true faces, so you're dead! But why did you say their names out loud? This monk had his eyes closed! Now that I've heard the names, even I am dead!"
The Sword Hall Master glanced at the four of them and said: "Holy Cult Master, they have seen our true appearances. Should we behead them to eliminate future trouble?"
Yun Que hastily opened his eyes, looked at Qin Mu, and pleaded with a conciliatory smile: "Academician... Holy Cult Master, we were classmates, remember? You even hit me once—have you forgotten? Sister Fox, Sister Fox, for the sake of all the money I've offered you, put in a good word for us, won't you?"
Hu Ling'er tilted her head and wagged her tail, indicating she could do nothing.
Qin Mu reassured them: "Scholar Yun, rest easy. Everyone, put your hearts at ease—I am here, I am here."
He turned to the Sword Hall Master and said: "Sword Hall, they are classmates of the Imperial Academy after all. Ask them whether they are willing to join the Holy Cult. If they are unwilling, then bury them in this beautiful, serene place."
Qin Mu turned back to reassure them again: "Don't worry, don't worry. I will handle everything properly."
The monk Yun Que nearly soiled himself in terror, every hair on his body standing on end. Fortunately, the top of his head was bald, or his hair would have stood up too.
Qin Mu turned back again: "Sword Hall, when the time comes to kill, don't do it in front of me. Wanyun, Qinghong, rest easy as well—we are not the demonic path who go around murdering, arson, and robbing. Put your hearts back in your chests, everything will be fine... Just make the sword strikes quick so they suffer less pain..."
"I heard what you said!"
Yun Que cried out: "Sword Hall, don't come over—I'm already a member of the Demonic—pfft—the Holy Cult!"
Yue Qinghong exchanged a glance with Shen Wanyun. Yue Qinghong whispered: "Senior Brother, what should we do?"
Shen Wanyun hesitated for a moment, then said: "The fact that the Heavenly Demon Cult helped the State Preceptor means the Heavenly Demon Cult is also on the court's side. Joining them wouldn't be so bad. If we don't join..."
His eye twitched, and he said nothing.
Yue Qinghong breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Joining the Heavenly Demon Cult wouldn't be so bad. We'll join."
Since she spoke, the wolf slave naturally had nothing to say.
Yue Qinghong blinked and said to Si Yunxiang: "Holy Maiden, if we don't join the Holy Cult, you certainly won't raise your hand against us, right?"
Si Yunxiang laughed softly: "The Cult Master is kind-hearted. He was just joking with you just now."
Yun Que heaved a sigh of relief and shouted: "This humble monk knew it was a joke! Academician, you were joking just now, weren't you? Academician?"
Qin Mu laughed heartily but said nothing, while Yun Que's face was ashen.
Qin Mu walked to the edge of the cliff and looked toward another mountaintop—that was the battlefield where the State Preceptor of Yankang and the dozen or so Cult Master-level beings were fighting, over ten li away.
The Heaven Prison restriction set by the bronze-masked man and the others had already been punched through, with holes appearing one after another. Terrifying storms periodically burst from those gaps, howling winds sweeping away entire forests, tearing countless trees apart in midair.
The battle on that mountaintop was too terrifying—it was a life-and-death struggle between Cult Master-level beings. Even from this distance, through the Heaven Prison restriction, they could still feel the horrifying tremors.
Whooosh—
Another gust of howling wind swept over. Only then did Shen Wanyun and the others understand: when they had first landed on the mountain and felt the strong winds, the gales had actually been created by the battle over ten li away.
Moreover, the wind was growing ever stronger, bending the trees on the mountain. The gusts came in waves—one subsiding just as the next arrived. Trees that had just straightened were bent again; some were snapped in half.
That mountaintop should have been completely shattered by now. Qin Mu could see that the point of conflict was getting lower and lower, now roughly level with the ground.
From this distance, using the Divine Sky Eye or Azure Sky Eye, they could see the battle there but not clearly. The combatants moved too fast—even the Azure Sky Eye struggled to track their trajectories, let alone their techniques.
Qin Mu could only judge how many figures remained on the mountain by the paths of movement left by these powerhouses.
"Another Cult Master-level being has fallen." Qin Mu's heart trembled slightly.
Yue Qinghong looked around and saw that these Heavenly Demon Cult powerhouses were all standing silently on the mountaintop, gazing at the distant battle, with no intention whatsoever of going to help. Puzzled, she asked: "Aren't you going to help?"
"No," Qin Mu explained. "The State Preceptor of Yankang can handle it alone. The sneak attack of three old monsters from the previous era was able to wound the unprepared State Preceptor amidst an army of ten thousand. But when the State Preceptor launches a sneak attack, virtually no one is his match. Where our Holy Heavenly Cult helps the State Preceptor is in creating the opportunity for him to strike. The instant those Cult Masters lose focus—that is the State Preceptor's perfect moment for a sneak attack."