Chapter 345: The Battle is Over

A fierce battle continued to rage beyond the heavens. Suddenly, a string of blood droplets rained down from the sky, hurtling toward the summit of the central peak. Mid-air, the droplets transformed into all manner of bizarre, flesh-like masses, each as large as a hill.

Wei Yuan had been waiting for the hidden True Lord to make his move this entire time. Now that he no longer needed to hold back, his aura shifted abruptly, and a colossal immortal sword appeared in his hand.

The sword looked unremarkable—and indeed, it was unremarkable. But when Wei Yuan held the colossal sword upside down and thrust it into the space before him, the Xu Clan’s Avatar-stage elder he had been hunting felt as if a heavenly tribulation were descending upon him. He frantically tried to flee, heedless even of the thunderous strikes locked onto him by the two puppets.

Wei Yuan flicked the blade, and a silent, resonant hum rippled out, instantly filling the surroundings with a sense of desolation and melancholy. It was like a dirge following the collapse of a ten-thousand-year-old dynasty.

The Avatar-stage elder’s primordial spirit trembled, and for a moment, his mind went completely blank. His thoughts on his next move were inexplicably erased, and he found himself utterly at a loss as to what to do next.

Of course, the state did not last long. His memories returned to him the very next instant. Unfortunately, his body was already erupting like fireworks and triggering every life-saving technique he had cast upon himself. The split-second distraction was enough for him to take countless blows.

A wisp of dark-red pill fire shot up from below, striking the elder’s ankle. Instantly, the mystic energy in his entire lower leg turned green and emitted a foul stench reminiscent of a dead fish.

Sun Yu had waited until this very moment to strike, crippling his leg and basically ruining his ability to escape. At the same time, the two puppets on either side seized the opportunity to charge forward and grabbed both of the Avatar-stage elder’s arms.

The elder steeled his resolve. A blinding light suddenly flared from his Avatar, followed by a terrifying mystic energy storm that swept across 100 zhang! He was actually about to self-destruct his Avatar!

The mystic energy storm obliterated everything within 100 zhang in just the blink of an eye. Sun Yu managed to escape, though looking somewhat disheveled. In the next instant, the storm subsided, revealing Wei Yuan still standing in the same spot and holding his colossal sword before him. He had actually sealed the oncoming mystic energy storm.

His two Avatar-stage puppets, however, were broken here and there. If they had been human, they would likely have been blown to death.

Surprisingly, the Avatar of the Xu Clan Elder wasn’t completely destroyed—a small portion remained. Originally a giant spinner turtle[1], its shell had vanished entirely, leaving behind a slender lizard. The lizard’s tail and limbs had been blown to pieces as well. Without a closer look, one might have mistaken it for a snake.

This elder’s Avatar was unique in that its self-preservation ability was one-of-a-kind. After all, who would have thought it was possible to detonate just the outer shell of one’s Avatar?

Unfortunately for him, it turned out that the two Avatar-stage warriors really were puppets. Forget dodging, they hadn’t so much as flinched from the terrible explosion. If they were normal cultivators, their instincts would have compelled them to evade such a devastating attack.

From a far distance, Sun Yu spat out another jet of pill fire and burned off the elder’s other leg.

Wei Yuan let out a mighty roar, swung his giant sword in a wide arc, and struck the Avatar-stage elder squarely in the head!

The sword strike shattered the elder’s last remnants of mystic power and cleaved through his skull, which had been tempered to rival a top-grade mystic treasure. However, he stopped right as the blade would cut through the brain.

Wei Yuan reached out and pulled Cui Yu to his side, who instinctively grabbed the hilt of the colossal sword.

“Strike!” Wei Yuan yelled.

Cui Yu hesitated for an instant as his face flushed with both realization and embarrassment. However, he also knew that this was hardly the time to let his emotions get the better of his judgment, so he gritted his teeth, summoned his Dao energy, and pushed down with both hands, slicing the elder in half!

With that done, Wei Yuan, his two puppets, and Sun Yu charged toward the Avatar-stage elder Feng Tingyu was fighting. That Avatar-stage elder was scared out of his wits after his fellow’s demise and, after intentionally taking a blow from Feng Tingyu, turned and fled the realm, never looking back.

Wei Yuan could have caught up to him if he really wanted to, but he didn’t. Instead, he and his two puppets flew to a mound at the edge of the realm. Countless holes suddenly appeared in the mound, and a full army of 30,000 emerged from the underground. Marching in perfect unison and under the watchful eyes of the two Avatar-stage puppets, they charged along the border toward the northwest, intent on cutting off the entire Xu Clan army’s retreat!

Seeing the army aura soaring 100 zhang into the air from afar, Xu Zhongxing sucked in a sharp breath!

This was Wei Yuan’s ultimate move—he had intended from to annihilate the Xu Clan’s whole army from the very beginning!

Xu Zhongxing acted decisively, immediately ordering a retreat while simultaneously commanding Fang Donghe to lead the rearguard to intercept the suddenly appearing elite force.

But with the front lines plunged into utter chaos, retreating was no easy feat. The realm was filled with battle-hardened veterans. Upon sensing their opponents’ intent to retreat, they immediately closed in and clung to their chosen targets relentlessly, determined not to let them escape under any circumstances.

A look of resolve flashed across Xu Zhongxing’s face. Suddenly, he brought his sword down and caused several Dao Foundations to suddenly drop dead just like that!

By this point, Zhang Sheng had already been gravely wounded from blocking a True Lord’s attack head-on. He tried to unleash a sword qi at Xu Zhongxing, but the garrison commander easily dodged it. The garrison commander then tried to approach Zhang Sheng instead, but the scholar instantly teleported 100 zhang away from his original spot. Supported by the realm’s power, his movement speed was no less than Xu Zhongxing’s even in his weakened state.

Realizing he couldn’t catch up to Zhang Sheng, Xu Zhongxing immediately shifted his focus and slew over 10 Dao Foundations in rapid succession. The black qi clinging to his body crept a little higher up his neck, but he paid it no mind.

For the first time, the Qingming soldiers began to waver. Against an Avatar like Xu Zhongxing, sending more men to block his path would just create more sacrifices.

Seizing this opportunity, Xu Zhongxing finally managed to withdraw his troops from their positions. However, the Qingming army still had some artillery ammunition left, and several more thousand soldiers were killed or wounded during the retreat.

Seeing that the situation was turning dire, Wei Yuan rushed to the scene with an Avatar-stage puppet. Sun Yu and Feng Tingyu also joined him to launch a joint assault on Xu Zhongxing.

Wei Yuan imbued both Sun Yu and Feng Tingyu with fortune, then used the Avatar-stage puppet to absorb most of his opponent’s attack. Only then were they barely able to keep Xu Zhongxing at bay and giving him no room to slay the ordinary soldiers. The two armies began engaging each other on their own.

At the same time, the main force of Qingming finally left their positions and began a relentless pursuit.

On the other side of the battlefield, the rearguard commanded by Fan Donghe had also been intercepted by that mysterious 30,000-strong unit. Every member of this unit wore a mask that covered everything except the eyes. Their expressions were all blank and emotionless, sending a chill down Fan Donghe’s eyes[2].

The rearguard led by Fan Donghe consisted mostly of archers. Naturally, they started raining arrows upon the mysterious unit as soon as they came within 200 zhang of them. However, everyone in the unit raised their shields in perfect unison and blocked the arrows. As if they had transformed into a moving dragon of steel, the arrow rain only managed to slow down their marching speed slightly.

Fan Donghe’s archers would unleash a couple more arrow volleys, but the enemy’s casualties hadn’t even exceeded 100. The quality of their shields were truly exceptional; only the Xu Clan’s elite private army—those who were tasked with defending their ancestral lands—was equipped with heavy shields of this caliber.

At this point, the unit was moments away from slipping past them. Fan Donghe had no choice but to order his infantry to attack. Just as the main body of infantry charged within 20 zhang of the unit, firearms suddenly emerged from the gaps in the shield wall, and a deafening roar followed. The 1,000 soldiers at the forefront of the charge were killed just like that!

The morale of the entire infantry unit collapsed instantly as they panickedly turned around and ran away in a chaotic retreat. Meanwhile, the elite unit continued to march toward their designated position without hesitation, their footsteps in perfect unison.

Expression grim, Fang Donghe found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Having led troops for many years, he knew his forces were already on the brink of collapse. Just one more assault might very well result in a rout. But if they did not attack now, their retreat would be cut off.

The only ones who could save the day now were the high cultivators, but it was clear that Qiu Niu was the one who was being pushed back. Moreover, as the battle in the Beyond dragged on, a terrifying aura capable of making one’s primordial spirit tremble was brewing in the air.

The Avatars were also currently locked in a stalemate. Counting on them to protect the troops was no longer an option. Judging by the wavering army aura of his army, it was only a matter of time before it collapsed entirely.

Faced with this desperate situation, Fan Donghe produced a crimson vial and resolutely swallowed the pill inside in one gulp. A sudden flush spread across his face, as if he were drunk, and his aura surged steadily.

“Keep shooting! Don’t stop!” After issuing the order, Fan Donghe raised his great saber and flew toward the enemy unit—or at least, he tried to, until an Avatar-stage puppet caught up with him and kept him busy.

Just then, the mysterious unit suddenly carried forward what looked like multiple cylindrical barrels. It took several of them just to carry one cylinders, and they were aiming them at the archers standing hundreds of zhang away. The next moment, flying swords whistled one after another from the cylinders and plunged into the ranks of archers!

Although, by Dao Foundation standards, the flying swords were ridiculously weak—not to mention there were only several hundred of them—they proved to be the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

Some in the archer formation began to flee, and the moment one person broke ranks, the entire unit began fleeing as well! Fang Donghe let out a long sigh, knowing that the battle was lost.

Meanwhile, Trueman Chu He was still tying up two Xu Clan elders “single-handedly”. Flying swords clashed, and Dao spells erupted into fireballs spanning at least dozens of zhang in diameter. It looked like the end of the world. However, ever since Cui Yu had slain the Avatar-stage elder, neither side had sustained any further injuries.

Beyond the heavens, just as the terrifying aura of a heavenly tribulation was about to reach its critical point, Qiu Niu let out a sigh, and the battle finally came to a halt. The next second, both the True Lord and Zhu Yuanjin vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, Wei Yuan left behind his Avatar-stage puppet to continue holding off Xu Zhongxing with Sun Yu and Feng Tingyu, while he himself broke away from the battle and rushed straight toward Fan Donghe’s position.

It was simply impossible to kill or even contain Xu Zhongxing. In Wei Yuan’s mind, holding back tens of thousands of Xu Clan soldiers were far more important than killing a single ordinary Avatar. That was why he chose to force Fan Donghe back, leading his troops to seize key strategic points to the east and cut off the Xu Clan’s main army’s retreat route.

While this was going on, the sky was still punctuated by the intermittent howls of artillery fire. Yu Zhizhuo had not stopped firing since the beginning of the battle, which was why the Xu Clan’s forces could never regroup or put up any sort of proper resistance.

By now, Xu Zhongxing knew that the battle was lost. He unleashed a series of killing moves to force Feng Tingyu and Sun Yu back before returning to his barely regrouped cavalry. Then, combining his own Avatar with the army aura to stabilize it, he led the remaining 20,000 cavalrymen in a series of charges across the battlefield, rescuing the troops who were caught up in the melee. Those who could not be saved were left to scatter and flee on their own.

As for the two Xu Clan elders, they had already fled the scene beforehand when they noticed that the situation was turning dire.

Trueman Chu He perked up as soon as the two Avatars breathing down his neck were gone. His eight immortal swords blazed like mini suns as he began mowing down the fleeing troops.

Xu Zhongxing repelled Wei Yuan before coming to Fan Donghe’s aid. He then launched a test attack against the eerie force led by Wei Yuan, and the result was beyond stunning: not a single one of the 2,000 cavalrymen he had sent to charge that unit had survived! They had all fallen while they were still 10 to 20 zhang away from the closest enemy!

Speechless, Xu Zhongxing cast a deep, lingering glance at that army. Then, he led his cavalry to bypass Wei Yuan and finally left the realm through the mountains and valleys.

Although the Xu Clan had only lost one Avatar-stage elder in this battle, their 300,000-strong army had suffered massive casualties. 60,000 were killed, 160,000 were captured, and over 30,000 had fled into the wilderness, their whereabouts unknown. After the battle, Xu Zhongxing was able to rally only 40,000 survivors. It was unquestionably a total defeat.

On the Qingming’s side, over 20,000 were killed in action. Over 10,000 had been annihilated by the True Lord’s single finger, and several thousand more had fallen by Xu Zhongxing’s sword. Fewer than 10,000 had actually perished in actual combat.

However, the conflict wasn’t over yet.

Xu Zhongxing had just withdrawn from the realm of Qingming and rallied some of his scattered troops when he received news that one of their two supply camps in the rear had been ambushed by horse bandits. The 8,000-strong garrison had been completely wiped out by fewer than 6,000 horse bandits, and the military supplies they weren’t able to take with them were all set ablaze. The 70,000 civilian laborers in the camp had also been kidnapped by the bandits, their whereabouts unknown.

Xu Zhongxing knew something was amiss the moment he heard this: Horse bandits only ever plundered money—why on earth would they abduct civilian laborers?

But there was no time to dwell on this now. Fan Donghe had consumed an elixir that overdrafted his vitality and was now on the verge of death. Xu Zhongxing ordered the two Avatar-stage elders to escort him back to the clan for treatment, while he himself led a squadron of cavalry to bring up the rear and cover the retreat of the remaining troops as they headed north.

However, before the tens of thousands of remnant troops had even traveled 10 li, a surge of army aura suddenly shot skyward ahead of them. Then, a force emerged from behind the mountains. Although they numbered only 5,000, their aura was as fierce as it was spine-chilling—they were clearly a battle-hardened army!

As if on cue, another army aura rose from the rear as thousands of iron cavalry charged forward with a clanging roar. This cavalry wore cuirasses, wielded firearms, and had spears and sabers hanging from their horses’ sides.

Wei Yuan, flanked by thousands of cavalrymen, radiated a murderous aura. Once more, his blue steed had undergone another transformation since the last time it fought a major battle: its body was noticeably larger, its long mane had turned dark blue, its hooves had swelled to the size of drums, and two fluttering whiskers were sprouting from the corners of its mouth. It now bore a faint resemblance to a dragon.

The two cavalry forces had caught the remnants of the Xu Clan army in a pincer attack.

1. A mythical creature from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. ☜

2. If you still couldn’t tell, it’s the Xu Clan youngsters. ☜