Chapter 418: Battle of the Golden Crow

By the mandate of Heaven.

The white-haired, white-bearded Tian Ting Shui Shen was escorted by the elegant and composed ancient divine beast, Bai Ze, to the edge of the battlefield...

This simple strategy, beyond the imagination of countless beings, fully demonstrated that the combination of Tian Ting Shui Shen and Bai Ze could shatter the morale of the entire Yao Zu army in an instant.

The Yao Zu's three-front battle lines were on the verge of total collapse!

The experts of the Long Zu were not shocked by Bai Ze's unexpected appearance; most of them simply admired the creative way Shui Shen had made his entrance.

Led by dozens of ancient war dragons, hundreds of Cang Long soared chaotically through the sky, swiftly tearing gaps in the Yao Zu battle formations!

The Yao Zu forces on the two flanks immediately retreated, attempting to regroup for another fight, but fortunately, more Yao Zu soldiers surged forward, preventing the fronts from completely collapsing...

However, the focus of the battlefield was no longer on the Yao Zu.

The heavenly soldiers and generals, descending via golden pillars of light, arrayed themselves in orderly ranks, like bricks forming a high wall or a net spread across the heavens and earth.

From afar, their formation resembled the vast wings of a Kun Peng soaring ninety thousand li into the sky, with gold and silver lights shimmering in harmony!

Li Changshou now stood directly above the Black Mountain, his back to the piercing sunlight from the eastern sky, his white hair tinged with gold.

He did not rush into action. Instead, while locking onto various Yao Zu with heavy karma, he issued commands to the heavenly generals.

Seizing the brief opportunity created by his and Bai Ze's appearance, which had greatly shocked the Yao Zu and thrown their forces into chaos, the heavenly soldiers quickly formed their arrays.

Over three hundred thousand heavenly soldiers activated their spells simultaneously!

The chanting of incantations nearly dispersed the morning clouds!

A golden disc appeared before each heavenly soldier and general, and they each tossed an Xian Dou into the center of their disc. The Xian Dou dissolved instantly, transforming into sturdy figures armed with shields.

"Exterminate the demons!"

Dong Mu Gong shouted loudly, slashing downward with his treasured sword, sending the three hundred thousand Xian Dou shield soldiers surging toward the Yao Zu army!

The phrase "like mountains collapsing and seas overturning" could not be more fitting here.

The heavenly soldiers followed suit, summoning a second batch of Xian Dou on the spot, which materialized into archers wielding icy bows.

Each heavenly soldier ordered their archers to draw their bowstrings and unleash a barrage of immortal power toward the distant Yao Zu formations!

Thus, neat shield walls, advancing arrays of heavenly soldiers, and explosive arrow rains...

On the Yao Zu side, even the ancient demons were intimidated by the heavenly soldiers' momentum.

Those Yao Zu soldiers with lower cultivation had never seen such a spectacle before.

During the Yao Sheng Mountain battle, the heavenly soldiers had only observed from afar without joining the fight.

But today, these Tian Ting forces, once protected by Shui Shen, were finally donning blood-stained armor and letting their blades drink blood!

Yet...

As the heavenly soldiers attacked—whether forming 'vertical wall' arrays, charging behind Xian Dou shield soldiers, or engaging in tactics like shooting arrows, hurling magical treasures, throwing hidden weapons, or condensing spear shadows with immortal power from a distance—it all gave off an overly cautious feel.

But the results were undeniably effective.

Before close combat even began, Yao Zu soldiers fell in droves. The heavenly soldiers, following their standard drills, habitually popped pills into their mouths to quickly restore their immortal power, all while maintaining a safe distance...

A reckless fighter was not a qualified heavenly soldier.

On the Yao Zu side, their morale was on the brink of total collapse.

This 'sandwich' vertical wall formation, seemingly full of vulnerabilities, allowed the heavenly soldiers to unleash a saturation barrage on the Yao Zu.

At that moment, many great Yao Zu demons tried to rally their forces, but with most soldiers' spirits broken and the battlefield initiative lost, the heavenly soldiers' advance was unstoppable.

Several ancient Yao Wang charged forward with their Yao Zu experts, transforming into their true forms and slamming into the heavenly soldiers' flanks.

But the Long Zu experts had been waiting on their path!

The Cang Long surged ahead, successfully blocking these demonic beasts, igniting fierce close-quarters battles from the ground to the skies!

The might of the Long Zu as ancient overlords was on full display.

Although some Long Zu experts were suppressed by the ferocious great demons, in most of these brutal fights, the Long Zu held the upper hand.

Right then!

A streak of purple lightning pierced half the battlefield, flashing past several Cang Long being pressed by demonic beasts and striking the area where the Yao Zu experts gathered!

Amid the lightning, a figure darted back and forth!

Behind the four demonic beasts locked in combat with Long Zu experts, the same shadowy form appeared in quick succession!

The shadow wielded a bronze ruler, swinging it effortlessly—striking a beast's forehead, another's neck, and yet another's vital point...

The spots on the four Jin Xian realm demonic beasts hit by the bronze ruler bizarrely turned to dust, leaving four circular holes three chi in diameter!

In half a blink, the holes collapsed inward, wrinkling the fabric of Qian Kun, and the massive bodies of the four demonic beasts shattered outright!

The obscure Dao rhyme from the bronze ruler lingered, smoothing out the wrinkles in Qian Kun like a crumpled cloth being straightened, leaving only scattered ashes floating in the air.

It was as if some hidden beast beyond Qian Kun had opened its maw and devoured these four ferocious demons!

The false Qian Kun Chi: could resize freely and be thrown to smash enemies.

The true Qian Kun Chi: holding it meant mastering the Dao of Qian Kun!

The Yao Zu horde was utterly terrified. As the lightning faded, Li Changshou landed amid the demons, the Xuan Huang Ta hovering above his head and the Qian Kun Chi in his hand, calmly scanning the surroundings.

So much merit...

"Kill the Shui Shen!"

An old demon bellowed, and fierce Yao Zu attacked Li Changshou with streams of light. Several powerful Yao Zu experts pounced directly at him.

A white bear spirit shouted "Bear power!" and swung two massive hammers from the sky; a crocodile spirit wielded a saw-toothed blade made from its own fangs, slashing horizontally at Li Changshou...

Countless attacks came, but Li Changshou ignored them all, drawing symbols in the air with his left hand and chanting incantations. Strands of Xuan Huang aura from the tower above blocked every assault.

Li Changshou stood firm as a mountain, the rebound from the Xuan Huang Ta alone sending the charging Yao Zu experts reeling back injured.

As the thunder symbols formed, purple divine lightning struck again!

Thousands of thunder dragons pierced through the surrounding Yao Zu experts, gravely wounding any below Jin Xian realm!

Li Changshou's eyes brimmed with lightning, his body enveloped in tiny electric arcs. He lightly tapped his foot and vanished in a flash.

In an instant, shadowy forms appeared beside dozens of karma-heavy great demons!

Escaping with thunder, striking with the Qian Kun Chi!

Li Changshou's own cultivation was merely the foundation; his mastery of escape techniques, combined with this top-grade innate spiritual treasure 'borrowed' from a saint, achieved effects rivaling those of a great mage in the chaos of battle!

Li Changshou attacked without regard for his opponents' cultivation levels—after all, none could breach the tower's defense.

He selected targets solely based on their karma, alternating between Qian Kun escape and thunder escape, pushing the Qian Kun Chi's power to its limits.

In the blink of an eye, one karma-heavy great demon after another was 'swallowed by Qian Kun,' a sight that nearly crushed the Yao Zu experts' resolve.

One man charging through, unstoppable by any demon!

Li Changshou briefly diverted his attention, and the paper Daoist in the Black Mountain turned and roared lowly, rousing the witch warriors!

The Black Mountain's defensive array cracked open in seams, revealing six stone gates on the rocky peak. The swift war witches charged out with thunderous war cries.

Four great witches activated the array, summoning shadows of ancient Zu Wu, leading the war witches into the fray. Their fists thundered like lightning, leaping a thousand zhang, tearing apart Yao Zu soldiers left and right...

The heavenly soldiers on the flanks coordinated with the Wu Clan's assault, engaging the Yao Zu in close combat after wearing down their numbers.

Across hundreds of li, the ground and sky were filled with shadows of fighters and beasts locked in battle.

The clashes between demonic beasts and Cang Long had spread over thousands of li, with the Bei Hai sea surface equally chaotic.

In this moderately intense war, the most dazzling figure was the one who had charged to the rear of the Yao Zu formation, harvesting karma-heavy great demons amidst flashing thunder...

Tian Ting's ordinary minister, third-rank deity, Shui Shen Chang Geng.

With Shui Shen charging fearlessly and nearly breaking through the Yao Zu lines, how could the heavenly soldiers and generals not fight to the death?

Ao Yi, transformed into a Qing Long, battled over a dozen Yao Zu experts; Bian Zhuang swung his nine-tooth rake, ruthlessly pursuing several Zhen Xian realm Yao Zu women.

Dong Mu Gong, who had been coordinating the battlefield per Li Changshou's orders, now joined the heavenly soldiers in pushing forward from the edges.

From the high skies, beams of golden light rained down, and occasional thunder curtains provided cover for the heavenly forces.

The Yao Zu were on the verge of total defeat!

Just then!

Roars of tigers and wolves echoed from the south, from a region thick with miasma!

It was the tens of thousands of Yao Zu elites who had previously hidden in the Bei Continent's miasma, along with hundreds of Yao Zu experts, now launching their attack!

This group of Yao Zu elites charged straight for the left-wing heavenly soldiers.

But as soon as they appeared, a series of yin feng gusts whipped up along their path.

The heavens darkened abruptly, filled with wails of ghosts and howls of wolves. Clusters of phosphorescent flames floated in the air, and countless ethereal shadows materialized across the landscape.

Ground soldiers of the Di Fu!

No, not just them—there were also ferocious ghosts!

Eighty thousand Di Fu ghosts and hundreds of thousands of ambushed Yin soldiers surged like a tide, assaulting this Yao Zu ambush force!

A great demon roared furiously:

"Heaven's Way is unjust! The Di Fu and Yin Si, along with the Wu Clan, must not interfere in the Wu-Yao conflict! Heaven's Way is unjust!"

"Are you stupid?" Niu Tou stood on the Black Mountain peak and bellowed, "These are Di Fu agents acting on Tian Ting's orders—what's wrong with that?"

Upon hearing this, Li Changshou, who was busy harvesting karma-heavy demons, smirked slightly.

Just a small trump card.

But then, would Lu Ya really not show himself and watch this Yao Zu army be decimated?

After today, the balance of power between the Yao Zu and Tian Ting would be rewritten.

Even if the Yao Zu could gather new spirits from the three thousand worlds, Tian Ting could recruit more heavenly soldiers in a short time.

Amid the chaos, Li Changshou kept a close eye on the situation, never letting his guard down.

Finally...

As his merit body made slight progress, a familiar voice echoed in his ear.

"Please, treasure, turn back!"

At the same time, the Xuan Huang Ta above his head trembled slightly, and Ta Ye's hearty laughter paused before he roared loudly:

"It's here! This tower is getting excited!"

Li Changshou spun around abruptly, facing a burst of fierce light, but felt nothing—only seeing the Xuan Huang aura before him dent slightly.

Suddenly, Ta Ye erupted in even brighter radiance, expanding from a small tower into a hundred-zhang pagoda illusion, enveloping Li Changshou.

The Zhan Xian flying knife struck again!

Li Changshou caught sight of the old Daoist holding a large gourd, gripping the Qian Kun Chi tightly.

Flames burned in Lu Ya's eyes as he suspended the gourd above his head and grasped a sword glowing with green light.

The innate spiritual treasure, Yao Di Jian!

Their gazes met, sparking arcs of electricity.

In the next instant, lightning surged from Li Changshou's palm, and solar true fire exploded around Lu Ya. The two figures vanished with explosive Qian Kun sounds!

The speed of the Jin Wu and Shui Shen's escape techniques was so fast that even ordinary Jin Xian's immortal senses could only catch faint afterimages!

Almost instantly, they clashed from the air to the heavens, then plummeted toward the Bei Hai ice plains, shattering ancient ice mountains one after another...

At the edge of the battle, Bai Ze watched this scene, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

Dong Mu Gong could only spare a moment to sense it, his expression complex but gradually easing.

In the high skies, under the sea, and in distant forests, a few figures observed the duel between Tian Ting Shui Shen and Yao Ting Tai Zi.

'Tsk tsk, Shui Shen's cultivation progress... is it a bit terrifying?'

In the sea depths, Wen Jing Dao Ren frowned slightly; she could clearly see the battle's details.

What surprised her wasn't the Zhan Xian flying knife that could challenge treasures of Ren Jiao, nor the impenetrable Xuan Huang Ta, nor the bronze ruler controlling the Dao of Qian Kun.

It was purely Shui Shen's current strength.

Yet, with treasures concealing it, no one could discern his exact cultivation.

Wen Jing Dao Ren pondered carefully: What were her chances of victory against Shui Shen now?

Zero chances, regardless of divine abilities—Shui Shen's heart was too dark.

"Wen Yi, when do we make our move?"

"Wait to cover the retreat. Let the Yao Zu keep more of their strength," Wen Jing Dao Ren said calmly. "Did you see those Yin soldiers? The Di Fu's Wu Clan experts haven't even shown up yet—clearly, Shui Shen prepared them for us.

Going out now would just trap us in the battle, making escape difficult."

The silver-haired Luo Sha female thought carefully, glancing sideways at the nearby figures transformed from ferocious beasts.

"Wen Yi, this Shui Shen is very frightening.

The moment I thought of challenging him, my sword resisted."

Wen Jing Dao Ren chuckled lightly, arms folded as she continued watching, saying, "The sword in your hand once lost to that ruler—and it was with its brothers."

"Oh," the Luo Sha female murmured softly, hugging her sword, "Don't be afraid."

Wen Jing Dao Ren was about to tease her when a transmission entered her ear, making her smile seductively.

"Everyone, prepare to act.

Orders from above: this time, we're covering the retreat of the Yao Zu experts. Don't bother with those below Jin Xian realm."

Those dozens of figures rose, waves of ferocious auras swirling around them.

The Hong Meng ferocious beasts had arrived—to aid, or rather, to rescue the Yao Zu.

Tian Ting's side never expected these Yao Zu kings and old demons to escape so decisively.

When the battle was at its most intense and the Yao Zu still had fight left, these experts abandoned most of their soldiers and fled.

As their forces pursued, dozens of Hong Meng ferocious beasts appeared, blocking the way and instantly killing over half of the most aggressive Long Zu experts.

The Long Zu identified some of the culprits behind their previous sea eye attack, flew into a rage, and chased the ferocious beasts fiercely, giving the Yao Zu old demons a chance to escape.

When Li Changshou, locked in combat with Lu Ya, detected this with his immortal senses, he felt a bit helpless.

Bai Ze, who had been observing from the edge, showed a trace of self-mockery in his eyes, closed them, and lay on the clouds, no longer watching.

Lu Ya's eyes burned with reluctance as he clashed head-on with Li Changshou using the Yao Di Jian, the Zhan Xian flying knife striking again and halting Li Changshou's movement.

Seizing the opportunity, Lu Ya turned and transformed into his three-legged Jin Wu form, shooting toward the horizon.

Li Changshou snorted coldly, the Qian Kun Chi glowing in his hand as he flickered across the ice plains in rapid pursuit, disregarding his immortal power consumption!

The half-zhang-long three-legged Jin Wu suddenly twisted its head, eyes filled with fury.

Li Changshou closed in!

A dozen afterimages nearly overlapped as the Qian Kun Chi smashed down toward the Jin Wu!

The Jin Wu tilted its head back and cried out, solar true fire erupting around it. The blinding white light stung Li Changshou's eyes, but the Qian Kun Chi still cut through the flames with wind and thunder.

Whoosh—

A sudden slash of light emerged from the true fire, like surging blood sea waves. The Qian Kun Chi seemed to deflect something, its downward force greatly reduced.

The true fire exploded fully, rippling through Qian Kun, and Li Changshou was pushed back hundreds of zhang. Protected by the Xuan Huang Ta, he felt no heat at all.

As the flames receded, the Jin Wu had vanished. In Li Changshou's mind, Ta Ye's carefree voice rang out:

"Eh? Yuan Tu Jian?

Ling Shan has no shame at all—that sword was supposedly sealed by the two saints themselves! How did it get stolen?"

Li Changshou shook his head slightly, recalling the silver-haired girl he had glimpsed in the solar true fire; she seemed to have some strange divine ability...

Looking at the faint bloodstains floating in the air, Li Changshou took out a porcelain bottle, collected the Jin Wu blood, and turned back toward the battlefield.

He had no regard for any expert's decorum and didn't mind taking down weaker Yao Zu.

As long as they had karma, they were his Yao Zu good brothers!