Chapter 73: Charging Forward

In days of old, within the lands of Sanshan City, the former lord, Sun Heng, launched the inaugural campaign to purge the savage beasts. When his spirit ascended at the peak of Shubi, his final thoughts clung to the second grand undertaking. He had flayed his own hide, crafting a Kun skin drum to shield his son, all for this very hour. His wife, Dou Yuemei, bore the mantle of his unfinished vow, ascending to the city lord's seat and inheriting the crushing burden upon his shoulders. Could he, upon the desolate heights of Shubi, finally rest his weary eyes?

The bloodthirsty stone wasps, bane of countless generations of cultivators at the foot of Yuheng Peak, were destined to fade into history this day. And all who gathered before Yuheng Peak stood as witnesses to this turning tide.

Sun Xiaoman wept without restraint. She had always begrudged her younger brother's perceived uselessness, believing their mother, grief-stricken after their father's passing, had indulged him to the point of ruin. Yet, in that very understanding, she knew the depth of his fear of pain, his inherent timidity. Still, he obeyed. The tail stingers of the bloodthirsty stone wasps dripped with potent venom, inflicting agonizing pain with each prick. What agony would a barrage of such a dense onslaught inflict?

"Your father favored you too greatly. I must bestow more affection upon Xiaoyan," Dou Yuemei choked out, her voice thick with unspoken sorrow, "You always accused your mother of partiality. How could she ever be willing to cause such suffering?"

"Mother! Let me return! Let me return... Wuwuwu... I'm in unbearable pain!"

Wave after wave of bloodthirsty stone wasps were annihilated, only to be replaced by relentless volleys of tail stingers. Sun Xiaoyan's voice was raw and hoarse from weeping; he was, after all, merely a thirteen-year-old child.

"Mother! Sister!" he cried out.

Dou Yuemei's sudden, fierce shout pierced the air, "Sun Xiaoyan, turn around! Charge forward!"

"Do not forget whose skin you wear!"

"Your father never retreated!"

The cry seemed to have drained her of all strength, leaving her figure trembling in its aftermath.

What none had anticipated was this: Sun Xiaoyan, he truly turned. He wept loudly, yet he charged forward. He was resolute, yet consumed by fear. He cried out in agony, yet he screamed and ran.

All watched this scene in hushed silence, witnessing the small, plump child charge alone into the swarm of bloodthirsty stone wasps. Before this, though he had seen the courageous spirit of Sanshan City's cultivators, Jiang Wang had not truly grasped the meaning of the rampant savage beasts for this city. Now, a flicker of understanding dawned upon him.

"I must uncover the origin of these savage beasts!" Only by understanding their provenance, their means of reproduction, their very source, could they be utterly vanquished.

"Who could possibly know?" Li Jianqiu's voice was heavy.

One after another, the rocky caves were swept clear. Sun Xiaoyan stumbled and endured for a full five hours, from the light of day until the embrace of dusk. The cultivators clearing the bloodthirsty stone wasps rotated more than a dozen times. The once terrifyingly dense swarm of bloodthirsty stone wasps finally thinned.

Sun Xiaoyan could no longer cry. His plump body had softened into a puddle of exhaustion. Dou Yuemei rushed forward, wrapping her son in her embrace, feeling the warmth of his body, the rhythm of his heart. She kissed his forehead, wiping away the tear streaks.

"Charge forward for me! Sweep Yuheng Peak clean!" she ordered through gritted teeth.

The entirety of Sanshan City's Daoist Academy, from the instructors to the students, from the dean to the newest disciples, all cultivators participated in this endeavor, a total of two hundred and eighty-seven souls. Added to this were nearly a hundred cultivators from the Sanshan City Guard, all volunteers who refused any reward. And there were also over a hundred cultivators from various regions, drawn by the promise of rich rewards. A total of more than five hundred cultivators, under unified command, advanced in waves towards Yuheng Peak.

Daoist techniques of every hue erupted in colorful bursts. Wherever they passed, mountains crumbled, trees splintered, savage beasts lay slain, and paths were forged anew. Sun Xiaoyan, nestled in Dou Yuemei's arms, was already asleep. He was utterly spent.

...

Jiang Wang found himself within the charging formation of cultivators. Their team had become dispersed, each fighting their own battles. Over a dozen brightly shining lanterns, crafted by the Mo school with powerful luminescence, hovered in the air, bathing Yuheng Peak in a light as bright as midday.

By this time, Dou Yuemei had assumed command. She divided all the cultivators into five teams, primarily composed of those from the Sanshan City Daoist Academy. These five teams took turns unleashing their Daoist techniques, their defensive line steadily pushing upwards. Of course, some masters were granted autonomy to act independently. Such as Li Jianqiu, who conjured a crimson tide of swords. Such as Sun Xiaoman, who wielded a pair of earth-shattering hammers, leaving only mangled flesh in her wake. Such as the enigmatic woman from the Cloud Country, who casually beckoned, as if pulling down dark clouds from the heavens, transforming them into various cloud beasts to clash with the savage beasts. Jiang Wang had never witnessed such a profound and mysterious art; she alone was equivalent to an entire team.

The progress of the clearing seemed remarkably encouraging, advancing smoothly. Yet, a disquietude in Jiang Wang's heart refused to subside. If the beast nest were only of this caliber, how could Sun Heng have perished in battle? How could Wu Shan's team have been annihilated, leaving only Li Jianqiu alive?

In terms of sheer peril, Yuheng Peak might not compare to Shubi Peak. But Yuheng Peak was vast, and consequently, harbored a greater number of savage beasts. As they neared the mountainside, Dou Yuemei's caution visibly deepened.

"Team B, fall back and rest. Teams C and D, advance. Teams E and A, prepare!" This was the first time two teams had been deployed simultaneously at the front, and the rest period for the other two teams was deliberately shortened.

Soon, the reason became terrifyingly clear.

"Eh eh eh!"

"Gu gu gu..."

One sharp, the other low and deep, two distinctly different calls resonated simultaneously in the night sky. A two-headed demonic eagle, like a streak of lightning, shrieked overhead. Its wings, spanning over ten feet, unfurled, as if an entire piece of the night sky was in motion.

The Yin-Yang Double-headed Eagle!

Almost concurrently with its appearance, the savage beasts near the mountainside of Yuheng Peak erupted in a frenzy. Their eyes blazed red, stirred to the most primal ferocity. The two hundred cultivators of Teams C and D felt immense pressure the moment they stepped forward.

Once the Yin-Yang Double-headed Eagle's howl began, it continued without cease until the very end of the battle. In the initial campaign at Shubi Peak, Sun Heng, after cutting through the beast tide and reaching the summit, had slain such a monstrous creature, but the battle had left him utterly spent. Now, on Yuheng Peak, they were only at the mountainside, and such a fierce beast had appeared.

Dou Yuemei's heart sank. But before the eyes of all, she could not betray her fear. Clasping her hands together, a towering stone wall surged forth, encircling Yuheng Peak for almost its entire circumference! This was the power of a Daoist technique wielded by a peak powerhouse of the Tenglong Realm. The colossal stone wall held the beast horde at bay, buying precious time for the unprepared cultivator teams to adjust.

But those savage beasts had descended into madness. A fierce beast resembling a one-horned bull, stomping the ground and charging wildly, slammed its head against the stone wall. Its single horn shattered. Blood streamed from its head, but it paid no heed, instead using the broken horn to strike again! Such was their madness!

At the beginning of the Shubi Peak campaign, it was the sudden, frenzied eruption of the beast horde that had caused the defensive line to collapse. Would this horrifying scene be repeated now?

"Fairy Ye, I require more cloud beasts to create a buffer!" Dou Yuemei cried out. The cloud beast secret technique of the Cloud Country cultivator was the most suitable for this moment. Otherwise, they would have to fill the breach with human lives.

The mysterious cultivator with a veil concealing her face moved her fingers with lightning speed. Tigers, leopards, bears, bulls... This wave of madness unleashed a hundred beasts, and cloud beasts descended from the sky, engaging the savage beasts in fierce combat. However, the sheer number of savage beasts was overwhelming! The relentless, dense, and frenzied impact reached a breaking point at this very instant. The stone wall, which had stretched around Yuheng Peak for a full circle, crumbled!

The savage beasts, like a surging tide, poured forward. Although the Cloud Country cultivator was powerful, she was clearly lacking in experience, or perhaps she had placed too much faith in the stone wall's defense and miscalculated its endurance. She had expended her full might in the previous wave, and at this crucial moment, her power was diminished!