Chapter 1406: Attacking the Topless Mountain
Shi Qianjue, Dead Zen Patriarch, Murong Yefeng, and the Vice Pavilion Master—each of these four was a titan in their own right. With a single stomp, they could cause considerable upheaval across the entire Kunlun Realm.
As the four erupted into battle, the heavens and earth in that region instantly became chaotic and murky. Even Saints could not approach.
Fire Venerable also set his sights on Zhang Ruochen, intending to capture him to counterbalance the Saints on the Sacred Bright side.
However, just as this thought crossed his mind, dozens of Sacred Arts flew out from the Earth Fiend Hall's camp, striking toward him.
"City of Heavenly Fire."
The sea of flames beneath Fire Venerable's feet surged upward rapidly, condensing into a massive city of fire. Four towering walls rose on all sides to block the dozens of Sacred Arts.
"Boom, rumble."
The dozens of Sacred Arts struck the flame walls like raindrops, merely creating small ripples before dissipating completely.
Yet, in that brief moment, a Golden Lion had already flown to the side of the flame city, stomping down and shattering one of the flame walls into pieces.
Fire Venerable's expression shifted slightly. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw another Golden Lion charging up from behind, cutting off his retreat.
Both Golden Lions attacked simultaneously, tearing through the fiery clouds in the sky and forcing Fire Venerable to fall from the heavens, crashing into the ground and collapsing a vast area of earth.
"Isn't the Sacred Bright Central Empire's guardian divine beast supposed to have not reached the Great Saint realm? How is it so powerful?" Fire Venerable said, sacred blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
That one clash had actually left him injured.
One of the Golden Lions spoke in human tongue: "Over eight hundred years, one must make some progress."
With that, both Golden Lions attacked again, dragging Fire Venerable into their battle circle.
With both Great Saints tied up, Zhang Ruochen and the Sacred Bright Saints poured all their strength into the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron once more, striking at the second-layer mountain-protecting grand formation.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
Each time the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron struck, the second-layer grand formation shook violently, and the body of the Topless Mountain split with massive cracks.
At this moment, all the Demon Sect disciples were terrified, fearing that once the grand formation was breached, they would be crushed.
On the Sacred Wood Peak, the Fire Clan cultivators could no longer laugh; their faces were pale.
They had personally witnessed even Fire Venerable being injured.
The strength of the Sacred Bright rebels exceeded everyone's expectations, as if they truly intended to annihilate the Moon-Worshipping Demon Sect and the Fire Clan.
Qiu Yu remained relatively calm, gazing at Huang Yanchen, Shengshu Cainü, and the Battle Heaven King, saying, "The Sacred Bright rebels are so rampant—doesn't the imperial court do anything?"
Shengshu Cainü replied, "I just sent a plea for help to the Earth Divine Temple's Hall Master and the Chaos Army Lord, but received no response. Perhaps they are occupied with something of great importance."
Qiu Yu's eyes turned cold. "What could be more important than wiping out the Sacred Bright rebels?"
"Can we, mere mortals, fathom the affairs of Great Saints?" Shengshu Cainü said somewhat bluntly, then added, "Young Master Qiu Yu, stay calm. This is the Topless Mountain, the headquarters of the Moon-Worshipping Cult. The Sacred Bright rebels won't find it so easy to ascend."
Many cultivators around them were secretly laughing.
Zhang Ruochen's aggressive approach was clearly aimed at seizing the bride, targeting Qiu Yu specifically.
If Zhang Ruochen stormed the Topless Mountain, losing the bride would be the least of Qiu Yu's worries—he might not even keep his life.
How could Qiu Yu not be anxious?
A Fire Clan Saint Ancestor said, "Doesn't the Moon-Worshipping Cult have the supreme sacred artifact, the Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace? Why isn't it being used now?"
Ling Feiyu stepped into the square where the banquet was held and said coldly, "Since it's called the Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace, it will naturally be used only when the cult faces life-or-death."
"Palace Master Ling, isn't this a life-or-death moment?" the Fire Clan Saint Ancestor asked.
Ling Feiyu said, "Zhang Ruochen and the Sacred Bright remnants have come to the Topless Mountain to perform a sacrifice to heaven and earth, not to kill. After the sacrifice, they will leave."
The Fire Clan Saint Ancestor narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Is Palace Master Ling naive, or has she long been colluding with Zhang Ruochen? Could it be that Palace Master Ling wants to become the Moon-Worshipping Cult's leader?"
Ling Feiyu's eyes were sharper than a sword. "Elder Yan, mind your own Fire Clan's affairs first. Who becomes the Moon-Worshipping Cult's leader is none of your concern."
Then, standing atop the Sacred Wood Peak, she spoke to the mountain below: "Disciples of the Moon-Worshipping Cult, hear my command: No one is to attack the Sacred Bright remnants. I, this Palace Master, can guarantee your lives. If you disobey, you will face the consequences."
Her voice, carried by sound waves, spread across the entire Topless Mountain.
The Demon Sect disciples who had been ready to fight to the death with the Sacred Bright remnants now hesitated.
Elder Yan realized that Ling Feiyu was deliberately helping Zhang Ruochen. If she succeeded, where would the Fire Clan be today?
"Courting death."
Elder Yan channeled his sacred Qi, and his skin instantly turned golden-red, like baked rock, radiating immense heat.
With a stomp of his foot, the stone slabs beneath him melted instantly.
Elder Yan moved like a teleport, appearing before Ling Feiyu. His hands formed claws, striking toward her heart.
"Sizzle."
The flames were dazzling, making it hard to open one's eyes.
But unexpectedly, before Elder Yan's claws could hit Ling Feiyu, he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground.
Both his arms had turned to ash.
"What happened?"
"How is that possible? Elder Yan is a formidable figure among Saint Kings, and the First Saintess has only recently reached the Saint King realm. How could she severely injure him with a single move?"
Only the top experts present realized that the one who struck was not Ling Feiyu.
It was another master.
"Why can't we sit down and talk things over? Why must we resort to violence?"
Just then, a white-haired man walked up the mountain step by step, reaching the summit of Sacred Wood Peak.
He was the one who had spoken.
The white-haired man looked to be in his fifties, with features somewhat resembling Ling Feiyu's, but his face was haggard and sickly, with no trace of sacred Qi emanating from him.
Ling Feiyu walked over to the white-haired man, supported him, and led him into the banquet, seating him at one of the tables.
The Wood Clan Saint Lord's expression changed dramatically when he saw the white-haired man. He quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed. "Greetings, Uncle Ling."
The white-haired man nodded slightly, gesturing for him to rise without ceremony.
The wedding banquet buzzed with discussion.
Canglan Martial Saint whispered, "Who is this?"
Shengshu Cainü studied the white-haired man. "He should be the Demon Emperor's son, Ling Xiu."
"Ling Xiu? Shi Qianjue's junior brother? Ling Feiyu's father?" Canglan Martial Saint widened her phoenix-like eyes in disbelief.
Shengshu Cainü nodded.
Canglan Martial Saint clicked her tongue. "Legend has it that six hundred years ago, Ling Xiu lost the struggle for the cult leader position to Shi Qianjue and voluntarily crippled his cultivation. How could someone who abandoned their cultivation still be alive today?"
Ling Xiu seemed to hear Canglan Martial Saint's voice. He looked at her and smiled faintly. "Even if one abandons martial cultivation, one can still cultivate spiritual power. There are a thousand paths to cultivation—which one isn't a great path?"
Shengshu Cainü clasped her hands and bowed slightly. "Senior Ling is truly a peerless master. After cutting off the martial path, you managed to cultivate your spiritual power to such a terrifying height. With a casual strike, you severely injured a Fire Clan Saint Ancestor. This junior admires you."
Ling Xiu waved his hand and laughed. "My spiritual power has reached the sixtieth rank. But compared to your grandfather, I am still far behind—nothing worth mentioning."
"Boom!"
At these words, the entire Sacred Wood Peak erupted.
Sixtieth rank? A spiritual power of the sixtieth rank meant a Spiritual Power Great Saint!
This was a shocking revelation—the Moon-Worshipping Demon Sect had produced two Great Saints.
"Greetings, Great Saint."
A large portion of the square knelt down.
In the presence of a Great Saint, who dared not kneel?
Qiu Yu and the Fire Clan cultivators stared at Ling Feiyu and Ling Xiu, their faces growing even uglier.
"Boom."
A thunderous crash came from the mountain below, shaking even the Sacred Wood Peak.
The second-layer mountain-protecting grand formation had been breached.
The Sacred Wood Peak was not within the third-layer grand formation, so it was now fully exposed. As for the defensive formation within the Sacred Wood Peak, it was practically useless—how could it withstand the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron?
"Kill!"
Zhang Ruochen drove the Golden Step Dragon Carriage, charging up the Topless Mountain toward the Sacred Wood Peak.
Although Ling Xiu and Ling Feiyu had issued orders, a large number of Demon Sect cultivators loyal to Shi Qianjue still attacked Zhang Ruochen and the Sacred Bright army.
Gu Songzi roared, "Disciples of the Moon-Worshipping Cult, if you want to live, stay put and behave. Continue to obey Shi Qianjue, and you will only meet death."
Gu Songzi harbored a deep hatred for Shi Qianjue and the Demon Sect cultivators who followed him, so he attacked first.
"Whoosh."
Luo Xu formed fist seals with his hands and punched upward. The sea of water spanning a thousand miles beneath him surged toward the Topless Mountain.
With a single strike, tens of thousands of Demon Sect disciples died in the waves.
The members of the Heavenly Fiend Hall and Earth Fiend Hall followed closely behind the Golden Step Dragon Carriage, crushing any Demon Sect cultivator who dared to block Zhang Ruochen, blasting them into pieces.
Even the Dark Night Palace's Palace Master, Ye Xiaoxiang, was torn apart by dozens of Sacred Arts in an instant, turning into a cloud of blood mist.
Ouyang Huan sat atop a formation tower, staring ahead. Nine golden dragons pulled a radiant dragon carriage racing toward him.
Zhang Ruochen sat calmly in the Golden Step Dragon Carriage, like an emperor on a tour.
Around the Golden Step Dragon Carriage, hundreds of thousands of Demon Sect cultivators gathered. Some launched war artifacts, others used martial techniques, trying to stop Zhang Ruochen's advance.
But with the protection of the Heavenly Fiend Hall and Earth Fiend Hall, no matter how many Demon Sect cultivators there were, they could not delay the Golden Step Dragon Carriage for even a moment.
"Bang, bang."
Demon Sect cultivators fell like rain, their bodies plummeting. The entire sky turned blood-red, as if it had become a Shura field.
As the Golden Step Dragon Carriage drew closer, Ouyang Huan closed his eyes. "You win."
"Boom."
The nine golden dragons and the Golden Step Dragon Carriage crashed into the formation tower, then crushed over it, shattering Ouyang Huan's body and soul into fragments.
From start to finish, Zhang Ruochen remained calm, his eyes devoid of any emotion, as if he had just crushed an ant.