Situ Mo was truly no ordinary man. Even after being restrained by True Fire and targeted by the Chongming Profound Insight Screen, and even after Ding Weizeng managed to escape, he still seized a fleeting opportunity to turn the tide.
Li Minggong and her companion had failed to arrive in time. An Siwei managed only three counterattacks before being gravely wounded and captured.
In the next moment, Situ Mo’s cold voice rang out as he shouted, "Attack the mountain!"
Situ Mo removed a seal from his waist and tossed it into the air, where it transformed into a stone mountain and came crashing down upon the Chongming Profound Insight Screen. Li Minggong recognized it immediately; it was a gift presented when Profound Peak Gate had forged an alliance with Golden Tang Gate.
The dharma artifact was not of a low grade. Li Minggong’s mana consumption doubled as it pressed down. Situ Mo drew his blade and stood before the two, while five cultivators descended behind him, heading straight for Floating South’s main peak.
Situ Mo’s experience in combat far surpassed that of his opponents. Although he could not defeat them outright, the mountain beneath their feet was not going anywhere. By remaining on the defensive and relying on the dharma artifact, he managed to hold off both Li Minggong and Ding Weizeng.
A thunderous boom soon followed, Boom!
The grand formation beneath their feet shattered in just two strikes. The Li Family cultivators were left trembling like helpless sheep before the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.
Li Minggong’s pupils widened as Situ Mo, still holding the severely injured An Siwei, pressed the advantage and shouted, "Li Minggong! The Floating Cloud territory can no longer be held! I will release this man if you lead your people across the river. I swear I will not pursue you guys!"
However, Li Minggong did not waver. The radiance of her dharma artifact grew even brighter. An Siwei gritted his teeth and his face flushed red, a sight that made both Ding Weizeng and Situ Mo turn pale.
"Does he have a death wish?!"
Situ Mo, born of a prestigious family, immediately recognized that An Siwei intended to fight to the death. Golden light flashed like lightning in his eyes, striking the center of An Siwei’s brow and scattering his mana.
Yet in that brief instant of distraction, a tremendous force slammed into Situ Mo. His dharma robe flared to life as if on its own. It felt as though something had struck him head-on; the world spun wildly before his eyes, and he staggered back, nearly coughing up a mouthful of blood.
But his will was far stronger than most. Even under such a sudden and brutal assault, he did not release the spell art he held. He dragged An Siwei along as he skidded to a halt. When he focused his gaze, he saw that another figure now stood where there had been none before.
It was a young man in a colorful feathered robe. His face was slightly rounded; his eyes were bright and clear; and the fine orange feathers at his temples marked him unmistakably as a demonic creature.
A Dawn Rayfish?
He hesitated for a moment. Several figures appeared atop Floating South’s main peak. His forces had been pushed back and regrouped around him. Situ Mo tossed the captive into his subordinates’ hands and suddenly tilted his head back as a pitch-black shadow streaked past his jaw, leaving behind a trail of dark red blood.
"You motherless bastard!"
The vertical pupils of the Hooked Serpent emerged from the shadow as Li Wushao lunged at him with two black swords aimed at his ribs. Situ Mo’s feathered robe fluttered as he shifted back several steps to evade the strike. Golden qi surged across his body, flowing into his frame through his robes as his long blade shone with dazzling light.
Below, a massive white ape revealed its true form as Li Chenghuai, flickering in and out of sight, battled the Golden Tang Gate cultivators. Heavenly Glow, True Fire, and Geng Metal clashed and intertwined across the Floating South territory, sending spiritual energy into chaotic surges. Terrified commoners stumbled into the forest, cowering on the ground and trembling.
————
Wilderness.
The vast Wilderness was noticeably quieter than the utter chaos in the Floating South territory. An utterly confident man with golden eyes sat beneath heavenly light, locked in a tense standoff with several figures across the river from him.
The group from the Capital Immortal Dao stood shrouded in a veil of pale gray mist, with a massive brown stone stele carved with densely packed runes hovering above their heads.
They were led by a man in a black Daoist robe with a silk sash tied at his waist. Silver-white fabric lay between the two lapels, and black markings adorned both cheeks. He held a Daoist scripture in his hands. His attire, though unusual, carried a strange and compelling beauty.
His high brows and deep-set eyes betrayed him as none other than Guan Gongxiao, chief disciple of the Capital Immortal Dao. A cultivator at the late stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, he had only recently broken through to this level but was already a master of spell arts. He was widely regarded as unmatched in the Dao.
The Wilderness stretched vast and long, and it was the home ground of the Profound Peak Gate and the Li Family. Their communication and defensive capabilities were far superior. Li Zhouwei had not appeared at the riverbank at first, and even the outermost defenses were sparse, leaving the area looking empty and exposed.
But Guan Gongxiao was no fool. He had not charged recklessly into enemy territory but instead ordered his forces to assault several strategic peaks first, ensuring both advance and retreat were possible. Li Zhouwei had thus stepped forward to block him, and the two sides grew locked in a stalemate along the river.
The Wilderness was vast, but Li Zhouwei refused to scatter the Profound Peak Gate’s forces across it. Most of the territory was defended only by Qi Cultivation Realm or even Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators, with Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators stationed solely at critical points. Thus, the Profound Peak Gate’s main force were present here. The Kong Family had fifteen Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, and nine of them led by Fu Yuezi himself.
The rest were led by Li Zhouwei himself, joined by Cui Jueyin, Li Wen, Qu Buzhi, and Miaoshui, five in total. If they included the Kong Family cultivators and the yet-to-arrive Li Chenghui, they numbered fifteen.
Both sides had ample forces, though the Capital Immortal Dao fielded even more as Guan Gongxiao, Gongsun Baifan, and others brought their number to eighteen. It was without question the largest battle since the great conflict between the northern and southern factions.
Li Zhouwei was waiting for Li Chenghui, while Guan Gongxiao awaited reinforcements from the Golden Tang Gate. After a brief stalemate, the weather shifted in the east and a surge of Baleful Qi shot into the sky, causing Kong Guxi’s expression to change drastically.
Li Zhouwei did not need to ask to know that Profound Peak Gate’s flanks had surely fallen. The Capital Immortal Dao would not have concentrated all their forces here; there were no doubt numerous guest cultivators attacking from multiple directions.
The Wilderness is crisscrossed and exposed. Our family alone cannot hold it. The only viable method is to withdraw and meet the main force head-on, thought Li Zhouwei.
The tension in the air thickened by the moment. The jade pendant at Li Zhouwei’s waist grew warm; Li Chenghui was only seconds away. Heavenly light flared between his brows, and a surge of Heavenly Radiance and Hidden Light burst forth, streaking across the river. A stone stele immediately rose from the Capital Immortal Dao’ side to block the radiant light.
Neither side wasted a single word. The battlefield shifted from stillness to motion in an instant as bursts of mana flared across the field. Li Zhouwei thrust his halberd forward, and the first to react was none other than Gongsun Baifan, cloaked in a straw raincoat.
Resolution flared in Gongsun Baifan’s eyes as he drew his blade and charged. Guan Lingdie, on the other hand, took a step back, unwilling to face Li Zhouwei directly. She turned instead toward the ‘soft persimmon’ Qu Buzhi, clearly still haunted by their clashes in past years. Since this battle could bring death at any moment, she immediately backed down.
Gongsun Baifan wanted to engage Li Zhouwei, but Cui Jueyin did not give him the chance. The elegant, scholar-like man smiled faintly as luminous steps appeared beneath his feet one after another, drawing Gongsun Baifan into their formation.
With Gongsun Baifan blocked before him, Guan Gongxiao’s gaze shot forward like an arrow. The Daoist scripture in his hand stirred without wind, and as the halberd thrust toward him, torrents of river water surged from the pages, spiraling and swirling beneath his feet.
Heavenly light shone down upon Li Zhouwei, piercing into Guan Gongxiao’s eyes. Yet aside from the golden hue of his pupils, the man before Guan Gongxiao seemed unremarkable.
Guan Gongxiao let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Let’s see just how mighty this so-called White Qilin truly is!"