Chapter 410: Chapter 410
Within the roaring flames, countless alien soldiers wailed in despair, their burning flesh emitting a charred stench that forced the defenders on Sword Pavilion Pass to cover their mouths and noses.
"Ancestor, we were hit by an incendiary oil attack while activating the totemic power! Our losses are heavy!" A returning general crawled on the ground, his body hair charred, smoke rising from his skin, and wounds covering him.
"Go and tend to your injuries." Emperor Water Bear did not blame him. Standing at the rear, he had seen the siege unfold clearly; the army truly wasn’t at fault.
After the general withdrew, Bear Fierce couldn’t help but say, "Senior, our sacrifices have been immense. Shouldn’t Qionghua Sacred Land and Zixiao Sacred Land dispatch their troops by now?"
By now, the distress was truly weighing on him. The Thousand Demon Saint Court’s foundations were already shallow. This battle had cost them a third of their strength. Any further significant losses would surely breed discontent among the various races, destabilizing the Saint’s Court’s Fortune. Ultimately, the Thousand Demon Saint Court was a coalition of various clans. They would follow it devotedly only as long as it showed promise. If defeat followed defeat, they might well abandon the Saint’s Court.
"I will go find Ancestor Rong and Star Monarch Kaiyang immediately!" Emperor Water Bear nodded, cast a reluctant glance at Sword Pavilion Pass, and then tore through the Void to depart.
According to their agreement, they only needed to fight their way through the stone path to the front of Sword Pavilion Pass to complete their task. Subsequent assaults were to be a joint effort by the three powers. However, overcome by greed, he desired to claim Sword Pavilion Pass for himself and had launched the initial assault, only to overreach and suffer losses instead.
"Set up the Formation!"
"Hold your positions!"
Bear Fierce heaved a sigh of relief and commanded loudly. At his command, tens of thousands of Array Masters stepped forward. Using the major legions as the foundation, they erected a vast Defensive Array.
The soldiers began to rest. Except for the soldiers on patrol, the others took out dried rations and chewed them vigorously to replenish their spent energy.
Atop Sword Pavilion Pass, the soldiers of Kylin Saint Land were ecstatic. They had successfully repelled the alien assault, slaying over a million enemies, and most crucially, had suffered no casualties themselves. This was an unprecedented victory!
Lin WuFeng, however, felt no joy. He was acutely aware that this day’s battle was merely a prelude. Far more brutal and intense fighting lay ahead.
The next day, an intense atmosphere pervaded Sword Pavilion Pass. The morale, almost tangible between heaven and earth, was even more potent. The elite armies of Qionghua Sacred Land and Zixiao Sacred Land had also appeared on the battlefield.
A thousand zhang above, a simple command platform hovered, adorned with the banners of the three powers, which fluttered in the wind. Emperor Water Bear, Ancestor Rong, and Star Monarch Kaiyang stood upon the command platform. The aura of the Ten-thousand-year Great Emperor Realm erupted from them, making them seem like three divine mountains standing between heaven and earth.
Although the three had yet to make a move, the pressure they exuded caused the Kylin Saint Land soldiers within Sword Pavilion Pass to feel an immense burden. Those with weaker wills were already drenched in sweat.
"Damn it!" Lin WuFeng’s expression turned grim. The pressure from the three Great Emperors was too intense; it was already affecting the army’s morale. An army without morale is a tiger stripped of its fangs and claws! Fresh chapters posted on N0velFire.ɴet
Ancestor, will you descend? Lin WuFeng felt utterly helpless. The pressure from the powerful could only be countered by the powerful, but the problem was Sword Pavilion Pass had no Great Emperor Realm Martial Artists in residence. He could only pin his hopes on Old Ancestor Wanlin, praying the ancestor would descend and bolster their morale. If the Old Ancestor did not come, then today’s doom was surely inevitable. But will he come?
Lin WuFeng turned, his gaze fixed on the distant Kylin Saint Land, his expression shifting rapidly through worry, doubt, and a flicker of hope. A very tiny flicker indeed...
Ancient winds swept across the land, scattering the boundless Fortune that had once gathered. The disciples of the Saint Land, hurrying to and fro, wore faint traces of worry. Gone was their usual calm composure, their elegant self-assurance.
"Ancestor, the Grand Elder requests aid! It would be best if you could go personally to bolster morale!" On Qilin Peak, the Kylin Saint Lord hesitated for a moment before steeling himself, cupping his hands and reporting.
"The mountains and rivers are majestic; the Kylin reigns supreme!" Old Ancestor Wanlin stood on the cliff’s edge, Kylin Staff in hand, his white hair streaming in the wind. His profound gaze swept over the vast lands, as if to drink in the entirety of the East Border’s boundless beauty.
The Kylin Saint Lord sighed. These were the words Old Ancestor Wanlin had proclaimed upon ascending to the position of Saint Lord, declaring the Kylin Saint Land’s supreme status before the myriad factions of the East Border. That declaration had propelled Kylin Saint Land to its zenith, its name renowned throughout the lands. But times change. The splendor of an era, washed by the tides of years, eventually fades, giving way to dire crisis. Confined to a single region, if they could not weather this storm, they would be reduced to dust in the annals of history.
"Today, I shall fight for Kylin Saint Land one more time!" Old Ancestor Wanlin declared, turning around. A formidable battle intent surged from him, piercing the heavens. Formidable Rhymes in Dao permeated his being and spread throughout Kylin Saint Land.
Countless beings looked up, their faces filled with reverence. In a trance, they saw a peerless king striding forth from the river of time and space. In a trance, they saw a golden Kylin throne, upon which sat a young man, brimming with youthful vigor and masterful confidence. In a trance, they heard a stirring voice declare to the world the dawning of Kylin Saint Land’s era.
"The mountains and rivers are majestic; the Kylin reigns supreme!" Old Ancestor Wanlin raised his staff high and roared, tearing open the Void above and flying towards Sword Pavilion Pass.
The ever-returning sun cast its morning rays upon Old Ancestor Wanlin’s back, bathing him in a myriad of brilliant lights. Was this the arrival of a legend, or the twilight of an age?
"Safe travels, Ancestor!" The Kylin Saint Lord knelt, kowtowing with solemn dignity.
Some ten breaths later, the Kylin Saint Lord rose. He stood where Old Ancestor Wanlin had been, surveying the surrounding lands. His vista was boundless, as if he could reach out and pluck the very stars from the sky. He stretched out his right hand towards the nascent sun, as if to seize hope itself, but no matter how he strained, he could not hold the sunlight within his grasp.
Clench the fist, and there is only darkness. Only by opening the palm can one share the morning sun’s radiance!
"Haha..." Suddenly, the Kylin Saint Lord laughed heartily, a look of understanding dawning on his face. He soared into the sky, flying towards Kirin Hall to make arrangements for what was to come.
Facing a siege by the three great powers, Kylin Saint Land’s destiny seemed sealed. In this battle, Old Ancestor Wanlin would face three Martial Artists of the same realm. There was no hope of victory. His insistence on fighting, born of his unyielding pride, was also a bid to buy time. He could perish, but Kylin Saint Land could not be extinguished! As long as even one disciple survived, Kylin Saint Land could one day rise again to dominate the East Border and reclaim its magnificent lands.
The Kylin Saint Land was now beset by enemies on three sides, like a clenched fist shrouded in darkness. If they remained, they would sooner or later be consumed by that darkness. Only by migrating to the Middle Region could they find a path to survival, a glimmer of light!