Chapter 454: It’s the Stone Dwelling Old Monster!
Flames soared skyward, and heat waves surged.
Boom!
The wooden giant formed by Grandfather Long, towering five or six zhang tall, toppled backward with a crash, slamming heavily onto the ground!
What was once a vast and mighty vitality, originally his greatest advantage, had now become his fatal weakness under the burning of Lifeless Fire.
All things in the world generate and counter one another. Extremes are often countered by other extremes—this is the principle of nature!
Therefore, the world of cultivation is one of harmony and balance.
Sun Lingtong raised a hand to his forehead and sighed, “Too tragic, really too tragic.”
“Grandfather Long stole all the spotlight and ended up taking the hardest hit.”
“Liangzhu Kingdom really threw every trick they had at him.”
“Even the toughest warrior couldn’t withstand this!”
As if in response to Sun Lingtong’s lament, the giant engulfed in flames began to crackle and pop, like firewood burning in a hearth.
Grandfather Long’s robust body still trembled occasionally within the flames.
It was, without a doubt, a miserable sight.
Ning Zhuo looked up, his gaze seeming to pierce through the remains of the Puppet Dragon and the Stone Dwelling Old Monster, through the vast sky, as if he could see above the clouds.
“Liangzhu Kingdom has hidden troops in ambush!”
He then retrieved footage from the Wanli Dragon, carefully reviewing that streak of fire just moments ago.
From that line of flame, he sensed the strong imprint of military strategy.
Ning Zhuo sank into contemplation.
“Lifeless Fire is one thing, but Grandfather Long’s state is incredibly odd. He was burned into unconsciousness—there must be a deeper cause.”
“What kind of technique did that airborne unit use?”
A thought stirred in Ning Zhuo’s mind, and suddenly, he recalled an intelligence report from the Fire Cloud Army.
“There’s a battle formation avatar variant known as Fire Tongue Command.”
“This technique channels all the power of the battle formation avatar into a single point, specifically targeting individuals on the battlefield.”
“Especially those powerful military commanders!”
However, just that Fire Tongue Command alone wasn’t enough to render Grandfather Long into such a strange unconscious state.
Ning Zhuo continued his observation, employing various scouting techniques in succession.
Soon, his eyes lit up as he uncovered the truth.
“This is the Fire-Rushing-the-Heart Technique!”
“It’s a divine art—an attack on the spiritual sense!”
So-called divine arts were methods that used spirit and will as the primary medium.
The Fire-Rushing-the-Heart Technique—causes the target to fall into a state of anxiety and irritability, igniting a fire of urgency within their Sea of Consciousness.
If the affected cultivator cannot calm their agitated emotions, they cannot extinguish the inner fire.
Moreover, the anxiety and frustration themselves would further fuel the flames.
The stronger the fire, the more it induces additional negative emotions like restlessness and rage.
Thus, a vicious cycle forms.
“So, Grandfather Long may seem unconscious, but in fact, his Upper Dantian’s Sea of Consciousness is overwhelmed by urgent fire.”
“As the saying goes, fire rushes the heart—he’s so overwhelmed with anxiety that his entire body is immobilized!”
Double Purity, whose armor had long since been shattered, also looked up toward the sky.
“The Fire Cloud Army—it must be them!”
His expression was deeply conflicted.
On one hand, he couldn’t help but curse Sun Gan inwardly.
He had always believed the Fire Cloud Army was stationed in Canglin Immortal City. In reality, they had been secretly advancing through the skies.
Double Purity prided himself on his rank and status, yet even he had not been informed of this arrangement.
His heart was full of fury at being kept in the dark.
But on the other hand, he had to admit that Sun Gan’s decision had been a wise one.
“The enemy’s intelligence-gathering capabilities are strong. They’ve already uncovered the timing and route of our rear army’s movement.”
“If Sun Gan hadn’t concealed this, the Fire Cloud Army would likely be in ruin by now.”
“It was precisely because he hid it from even his own allies that this trump card became possible!”
At this thought, Double Purity clenched his jaw in frustration.
He gazed at the ruined camp, now littered with corpses and shattered walls.
“The losses are too severe!” Once filled with lofty ambition, he now felt only sorrow.
Double Purity could not help but sigh, “If the Fire Cloud Army’s movements hadn’t been kept secret, they would’ve been the enemy’s primary target.”
“In that case, I wouldn’t have become the main target of the enemy’s concentrated assault.”
“My losses wouldn’t have been so devastating!”
Thinking of this, his heart ached like it was bleeding.
But soon, he calmed himself, his eyes locked onto the burning giant.
A brilliant glint appeared in his eyes as he rallied himself: “If we can preserve Grandfather Long’s life, then all our losses will be worth it!”
Grandfather Long had once been a peak-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, though due to age, his cultivation had declined to late-stage Nascent Soul.
However, once he entered battle and used various spells and divine arts to enhance himself, he could easily return to peak-stage Nascent Soul strength.
He could even faintly surpass the limits of the Nascent Soul stage and reach a quasi–Soul Formation level.
Grandfather Long’s combat power was simply overwhelming.
Moreover, his defeat held significant political ramifications.
Because he was the temple priest of the Dragon King Temple—an important representative of the Dragon Ginseng King in the mortal world.
If he were to die or be captured by the Liangzhu Kingdom, the impact on both morale and momentum would be enormous.
Though intangible, morale and army spirit were critically important.
They could directly influence battlefield performance, particularly the overall strength of an army.
“That’s right—the Stone Dwelling Old Monster!”
“That shameless old thing—where did he go?”
“If we can capture him too, we’ll recover most of our losses!”
The mention of the Stone Dwelling Old Monster made this scion of nobility grit his teeth in rage.
Sun Ning and Zhang Chongyi were midway en route to the Red Flower Camp. They looked toward Grandfather Long, engulfed in blazing flames, then back at the Red Flower Camp.
With Grandfather Long’s collapse, morale in the Red Flower Camp soared, and their combat strength multiplied several times over!
It would be ill-timed for Sun Ning and Zhang Chongyi to go trouble them now.
Firelight reflected on Mu Lan’s pale face. She revealed a rare smile and softly said, “Uncle Zhang, I won the bet!”
Zhang Chongyi sighed, “Yes, you won. We won. But the risk… it was too great.”
Suddenly reminded of something, he quickly asked, “General Mu… did you know the Fire Cloud Army was hidden in the skies?”
Mu Lan shook her head. “Even Double Purity didn’t know—how could I?”
“I just seized what I believed to be a potential opportunity and gave it my all.”
“My father taught me this—warfare is about finding the path that seems most likely to lead to victory… and daring to stake everything on it!”
Zhang Chongyi’s expression grew complex. “The White Jade Army suffered heavy losses, but the most seriously injured among the general and vice general still have a breath left. I’ll do everything I can to save them.”
“Moreover, we were the first army to arrive as reinforcements. Even if the titled nobles and high clans in the capital investigate afterward, they’ll only see us in a favorable light.”
“We haven’t even participated in a proper major battle yet, and we’ve already seized such a prime opportunity. General Mu, your goal of revitalizing your family… it’s more than halfway achieved now.”
Mu Lan nodded. “A good start—very smooth.”
“But it’s still not enough.”
“I still need to demonstrate the strength of the Mu Family in direct confrontation. The more merit I gain, the greater my hope of restoring the family.”
While the two were conversing, four Nascent Soul cultivators of the Six Caves Sect arrived at the edge of the battlefield.
“Grandfather Long?!”
“That’s… Lifeless Fire?!”
The Blood Shadow Cave Lord and the Poison Scorpion Cave Lord exclaimed in unison.
The Heart Demon Cave Lord looked to Lu Hongtu and said, “No wonder the Grand Cave Lord retreated just in time—our situation was already hanging by a thread!”
Lu Hongtu smiled bitterly. “Dangerous is an understatement. Grandfather Long used the Dragon King's root tendrils, and his immense vitality only fueled the Lifeless Fire further. With such an inferno, who among us could possibly go in to rescue him?”
“Who could possess such means?”
The other three Nascent Soul cultivators all turned pale.
“Then… do we retreat?” Heart Demon Cave Lord hesitated, using only spiritual sense to communicate.
Lu Hongtu’s face darkened, just about to nod—when suddenly, his expression froze in shock.
Because he saw a perfectly round stone sphere charge straight into the raging inferno with an unprecedented, reckless momentum!
It was the Stone Dwelling Old Monster!!