Seeing the vibrations of the bronze bell come to a halt, Song Changsheng finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. With a mere thought, the Xuan Yang Heavenly Steel Array began to slowly open.
It wasn't that Song Changsheng hadn't considered claiming the entire ruin for himself, but he had his principles unless they betrayed him first, he wouldn't betray them.
"It's open! They did it!" Li Hu was the first to notice the formation opening and shouted with joy.
Smiles broke out across the faces of Zhu Yiqun and the others they had succeeded!
As the formation dissipated, the figures of Song Changsheng and Xu Yun appeared. At this moment, Xu Yun's face was filled with deep shame. Not long after entering the formation, she had lost her way.
This entire formation-breaking process relied solely on Song Changsheng.
She had initially been displeased that Zhu Yiqun had invited someone else even after asking for her help, but now, she realized if it hadn't been for Song Changsheng, they would have once again returned empty-handed.
"Fellow Daoist Song, your mastery of formations is truly extraordinary. I am thoroughly impressed." Xu Yun cupped her hands and bowed before Song Changsheng in front of everyone.
"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist Xu. I was merely fortunate," Song Changsheng said as he hurried forward to help her up.
But just as he extended his hand, a sense of imminent danger surged in his heart. He looked up far in the distance, a blackish-red streak of light was rapidly approaching.
"Watch out!" Song Changsheng cried out urgently.
Xu Yun had not yet understood his warning. She turned her head in confusion only to widen her eyes in terror.
The next moment
"Splat!"
Xu Yun's head exploded like a watermelon, blood and brain matter spraying in every direction. The grotesque scene struck with shocking intensity.
Everyone was stunned by the sudden and violent turn of events. It was sword cultivator Xu Yunhe who reacted first. He drew the longsword from his back and shouted, "It's an ambush! Watch for sneak attacks!"
The rest quickly snapped out of their daze, each summoning their magic tools and keeping vigilant eyes on the direction the attack had come from.
"Swish, swish, swish"
More black-and-red streaks of light came sweeping in, blanketing the sky. But this time, Song Changsheng and the others were prepared, blocking most of the attacks. Only two Qi Refining stage cultivators suffered minor injuries.
"This is the Blood Demon Sect's method of attack. We've walked right into their trap!" Zhuang Yuchan's voice rang out, ethereal and clear as she held an ancient, elegant zither in her arms.
Song Changsheng gave her an extra glance. To recognize the Blood Demon's attack method so quickly this woman's background was no ordinary one.
"They're coming!"
Li Hu let out a thunderous roar, and his muscles immediately bulged, taking on a metallic sheen the hallmark of a body cultivator, whose flesh could rival magical artifacts in strength.
As his roar echoed out, over thirty Blood Demon Cult cultivators wielding various demonic weapons surged in from all directions.
The moment both sides clashed, a dazzling array of spells erupted in brilliant colors, turning the battlefield into a kaleidoscope of radiant light.
Above Song Changsheng's head hovered a treasured gourd, while a Water Origin Shield floated protectively at his side. Thick water dragons roared across the battlefield, swallowing two mid-stage Qi Refining blood demons in an instant.
At the front lines, Li Hu had transformed into an iron-clad juggernaut, impervious to blades and spears. Wearing a pair of vajra claws, he rampaged through enemy lines like a god of war, unstoppable and savage.
Zhu Yiqun also demonstrated the full might of his peak Qi Refining cultivation. Wielding a massive black cauldron, he swung it around with brute force anyone struck by it met with shattered bones and snapped tendons.
But the most dazzling of all was Xu Yunhe. He strolled the battlefield with a sword in hand, a sharp sword aura swirling around him, keeping enemies at bay within a radius of ten feet none dared approach.
In stark contrast stood Zhuang Yuchan. She sat cross-legged at the edge of the battlefield, her elegant zither resting across her knees. Her delicate fingers plucked the strings with gentle grace.
The soft melody spread across the battlefield, at first like the tinkling of a spring, soothing and serene, utterly enchanting.
Then, as her tune shifted, it became a symphony of clashing steel and galloping horses a stirring martial rhythm.
It ignited a fire within Song Changsheng and the others, stirring a rush of passion and power that made their strength soar as if they had taken a powerful stimulant.
To the blood demons, however, every note of the melody became a blade of death, slicing through the air unpredictably. They couldn't defend against it at all.
For a while, the two sides were evenly matched neither able to overwhelm the other.
"Hmph, useless trash!"
High in the sky, the Black Steward hovered atop his sword, watching the chaotic battlefield below with evident displeasure.
He descended into the fray, and with a casual flick of his sleeve, two Qi Refining stage cultivators were instantly reduced to bloody mist.
"A Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator!" Zhu Yiqun cried out, dread gripping his heart.
Li Hu, drenched in blood and mid-charge, saw the Black Steward and his pupils shrank. Without hesitation, he tried to retreat.
The Black Steward sneered coldly. "Trying to run now? Too late." With a flick of his finger, a beam of blood light pierced straight through Li Hu's prized body.
A look of bitter unwillingness flashed across Li Hu's face and then he exploded into a cloud of flesh and bone.
"Fellow Daoist Li!" Xu Yunhe's eyes turned bloodshot. He spun his longsword and unleashed a brilliant slash with all his might.
"You dare attack me? Courting death." The Black Steward waved his hand, sending a massive blade of blood light that devoured the sword slash and continued toward Xu Yunhe.
Xu Yunhe tried to dodge but found himself immobilized as if trapped in invisible chains. As the blood light closed in, he twisted his body at the last second with sheer force of will.
The blood light struck.
Blood sprayed.
Xu Yunhe's right arm was severed clean at the shoulder.
The Black Steward prepared to finish him off but just as he raised his hand, a black cauldron came crashing toward his face.
He frowned and flicked his finger again, sending the cauldron hurtling back. Zhu Yiqun was struck as if by lightning, vomiting a mouthful of blood as he was thrown backward.
At that moment, the zither's melody had shifted fully into a sound of slaughter.
"Noisy."
The Black Steward scowled and flung out a crimson ray of blood light. It reached Zhuang Yuchan in a flash. A jade pendant at her waist lit up, forming an eggshell-like barrier around her.
The blood light was stalled for a split second just long enough for Zhuang Yuchan to leap up, tap her foot lightly on the ground, and retreat gracefully.
"Trying to escape?" The Black Steward sneered, stretching out his right hand. A massive blood-red hand materialized and lunged toward Zhuang Yuchan.
In that critical moment, a thick water dragon coiled around her and yanked her sideways, making the bloody hand swipe at empty air.
Zhuang Yuchan narrowly escaped. She looked at the monstrous blood hand with lingering fear, then turned to see Song Changsheng the one who had saved her. Her expression grew conflicted.
Song Changsheng had no time to worry about her gaze. He summoned two magical artifacts to shield him and shouted:
"Everyone, retreat into the ruins! I have a way to stop him!"
Everyone looked at him in shock.
But this wasn't the time to hesitate. Zhu Yiqun made a swift decision:
"Follow Changsheng's lead! I'll cover the rear!"
As he spoke, Zhu Yiqun took out a white jade talisman and crushed it. A radiant sword light surged out, engulfing the Black Steward.
"A full-power strike from a Foundation Establishment sword cultivator?" The Black Steward's pupils contracted for the first time, he took things seriously…
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