Chapter 261: Sorrow
The two Sacred Heart Treasures emitted a radiant glow, one a pale yellow short sword and the other a purple pagoda.
The treasures floated in the air, bathed in the light of the sun, moon, and clouds, as if merging with the very heavens and earth, dazzling all who beheld them.
Upon obtaining the treasures, Long Jue Shen and Feng Ling Xiao shared a knowing glance, aware that they must succeed in defeating the Li family to fulfill their promise to the three Wasteland Gods.
"I'll break the array, you take care of that old dog!" Feng Ling Xiao said in a low voice.
"After the array is broken, your Holy Palace will take the lead," Long Jue Shen replied.
The two pinnacle demon forces joined forces, temporarily setting aside their differences to focus on their common goal.
Feng Ling Xiao didn't haggle further, as his injuries made him reluctant to engage in an all-out battle with Li Mu Xiu. Instead, he relied on the elders of the Holy Palace to make up for his shortcomings.
The two quickly immersed their divine souls into the Sacred Heart Treasures, merging with them and communicating with their sacred spirits to understand their unique abilities.
In no time, their eyes glowed with power, having absorbed and refined the treasures. They soared into the sky, issuing commands to their forces.
The leaders of the two demon factions understood their orders and prepared to forcefully breach Qingzhou City.
Commands rang out, and amid the sea of demons, demonic banners rose, accompanied by the sound of ancient, desolate horns.
As the demon horde stirred, Long Jue Shen and Feng Ling Xiao's figures surged forward, rushing toward the city of Qingzhou.
Boom!!
As the first rays of the rising sun bathed Qingzhou City in its golden light, a deafening roar shook the city, causing the residents to wake from their anxious slumber, their faces filled with fear and apprehension. They hurriedly pushed open their windows, peering anxiously through the gaps.
Above Qingzhou City, a golden array suddenly appeared, like an inverted divine bowl, fending off a terrifying purple-black light.
Countless divine patterns flashed rapidly, resembling fluttering butterflies.
The earth-shattering noise startled the entire city.
Countless soldiers, who had been taking turns resting, awoke from their tents pitched along the city walls.
On the battlements, Li Mu Xiu, who had been taking a break to meditate and recover, abruptly opened his eyes. His divine soul's perception spread beyond the city walls, immediately spotting the two figures hovering in the air—the leaders of the two demon factions.
His pupils contracted as he noticed the treasures they held.
"Sacred Heart Divine Treasures!"
Li Mu Xiu's expression changed, and he rushed out of the corner tower. His aged body soared into the sky as he roared, "Stop!"
At that moment, Feng Ling Xiao, wielding the treasure, paid him no heed. With all his might, he smashed the purple-black Xuan Yu Heavy Tower toward the city.
The sacred heart essence of the tower unleashed its power, harnessing the might of ten thousand Xuan heavy waters. Each drop of this water weighed ten thousand pounds, and with all of them descending together, the force was akin to a hundred million pounds, concentrated into a single point. This strike nearly caused the array protecting Qingzhou City to falter.
If it had been any other city, the array would have been shattered instantly.
The array of Qingzhou City was not comparable to those of Liangzhou's Tianmen Pass or the border states. As the state capital of the Divine General's Mansion, its array was one of the best in the Great Yu Dynasty, second only to the Xuan Tian Emperor God Array of the Holy Imperial Capital!
Like the other state capitals of the Divine General's Mansion, the array had been personally constructed over three thousand years ago by the first Grand Astromancer during the dynasty's founding. It was incredibly powerful, capable of withstanding even the full-force attacks of those in the Peerless State.
However, at that moment, under the combined might of Feng Ling Xiao and the Sacred Heart Treasure, the divine array's power was rapidly waning.
Li Mu Xiu acted in anger, but a figure suddenly rushed forward, blocking his path.
A pale yellow sword glow abruptly slashed down, nearly splitting the air in front of Li Mu Xiu. The might of the Dao Domain instantly enveloped and covered his body.
Within the Dao Domain, countless sword lights flashed and killed mercilessly. A dragon's roar echoed, and the power of rules pressed down on Li Mu Xiu, causing his body to tremble as his blood and power were forcibly suppressed and weakened.
Li Mu Xiu was both shocked and furious. He threw a punch, and the extreme invincibility state of his Half-step Invincible Fist made him momentarily unstoppable. If it had been a mere Peerless State cultivator, they wouldn't have been able to enter the state of extreme in the face of the Dao Domain. However, as Li Mu Xiu unleashed his extreme invincibility, the Dao Domain also emerged around him, protecting him from Long Jue Shen's encroaching Dao Domain.
In terms of offensive power, the Half-step Dao Domain was weaker than the Peaceful Dao State because it took too long to unfold.
However, for self-protection, as long as one only needed to cover their body with the Dao Domain, the speed of its expansion wasn't much slower.
"Ten Extreme Sword Shadows!"
Long Jue Shen also abruptly unleashed the power of the Ten Extreme Sword Sacred Heart Treasure. The sacred heart essence manifested its might, and ten extreme sword lights split off from the short sword, howling as they rushed toward Li Mu Xiu.
Li Mu Xiu's expression changed once more, and a green silk belt appeared in his palm. The belt moved as if it had a mind of its own, coiling around his fist.
Facing the extreme sword lights that slashed at him, Li Mu Xiu threw consecutive punches.
Bang, bang, bang!
The sword lights shattered, and Li Mu Xiu stepped forward like a dragon or tiger, each stride powerful and steady. His body was as stable as a mountain, and the green light in his hand shone brightly. The invincible fist seemed to carry terrifying destructive power, pushing back against Long Jue Shen's Dao Domain and tearing through the sword lights as he advanced toward Long Jue Shen.
Long Jue Shen's expression shifted slightly. He hadn't expected the old dog to have another Sacred Heart Treasure up his sleeve.
However, he wasn't too surprised, as the Divine General's Mansion had a long history spanning thousands of years, and it was only natural for them to possess several Sacred Heart Treasures.
His expression turned cold, and he continuously unleashed the oppressive might of his Dao Domain, resembling countless dragon roars that echoed in Li Mu Xiu's eardrums, causing his face to turn red. Although Li Mu Xiu appeared to be advancing forcefully, his blood and energy were surging within his body, forcibly suppressed.
At the same time, a violent tremor resounded as Feng Ling Xiao, not far away, lifted the Xuan Yu Heavy Tower once more and smashed it down. The dazzling purple-black light descended like a mountain.
"Stop!"
"Block him!"
Within the city, figures flew toward them, led by Li Xiao Ran.
The previous earth-shattering noise had not only awakened the entire city but also alerted the people within the Divine General's Mansion. They had sent out their divine souls to observe the situation outside the city, witnessing the intense battle between Li Mu Xiu and Long Jue Shen, as well as the Holy Palace Master attacking the array.
A brilliant flash of light, as dazzling as a galaxy, ripped through the sky and charged toward Feng Ling Xiao.
Feng Ling Xiao's eyes turned cold, and he let out a faint smile. His Dao Domain expanded, causing the blade light to burn and dissipate before it could reach him. He remained unwavering, his hand clutching the heavy tower as he slammed it down on the array with the full force of his Dao Domain.
The array trembled violently, and the divine patterns flashed rapidly, becoming afterimages.
This meant that the array was nearing its limit, unable to withstand much more punishment.
Feng Lingxiao's expression darkened as he looked coldly at the incoming figures. The one who had made the move was a woman.
This woman was Ji Qingqing. Although she was in the Absolute Learning realm, she cultivated the Ji family's martial arts, making her slightly stronger than even the royal family of the Great Yu Divine Dynasty in the same realm.
When she was expelled from the Ji family, Ji Tianchao and the others were furious with her choice and held deep hatred and disgust towards this niece. But at the pleading of her father, the late thirteenth uncle, they secretly gave Ji Qingqing many valuable items, including the Sacred Heart Divine Treasure she now held in her hand, the Taiyuan Sword.
The Sacred Heart essence within this sword contained the power of rules, allowing Ji Qingqing's attacks to be unaffected by other rules. It was an extremely rare and powerful treasure that could allow her, in the Absolute Learning realm, to injure those in the Peaceful Dao realm!
Of course, if they were facing each other out in the wild, a cultivator in the Peaceful Dao realm would only need to catch the opportunity to get close, envelop her in their Dao Domain, and instantly refine her, despite this sword.
But with the protection of the array, she could attack without restraint.
"Damn it!"
Feng Lingxiao's eyes flashed with anger as he channeled his energy once more to urge the Xuan Yu Heavy Tower to bombard the array.
Ji Qingqing also made continuous moves, her sword techniques exquisite and unparalleled. She continuously slashed at the heavy tower, reducing its might, but the ten thousand Xuan heavy waters of the Xuan Yu Heavy Tower were still extremely condensed, causing the divine array to rapidly deplete.
"Quick, block him!"
Li Tiangang's body soared into the air, tightly grasping an ancient bronze battle sword in his hand. This was the Sacred Heart Treasure of his ancestor, and at this moment, as he unleashed his full power, the sword light pierced through the divine array and attacked.
But the power of rules brought by this battle sword was different from that of the Taiyuan Sword, unable to ignore Feng Lingxiao's Dao Domain, and the sword light soon dissipated.
Li Tiangang's expression turned ugly, and at the same time, he heard a desolate horn coming from outside the city, as if it were coming from the distant ancient times. Following this, the walls of Qingzhou City began to tremble slightly.
This vibration was felt by all the people in the city, as the ground beneath their feet shook slightly, like the galloping of ten thousand horses.
And at this moment, outside the city, the number of demons and monsters that had been besieging the city was not just ten thousand, but as many as several million, and they were all elite demons and monsters who had fought their way through.
At this moment, with the long blast of the horn, they all rushed forward together.
Li Tiangang's expression changed as these demons and monsters finally lost their patience and decided to launch an all-out offensive.
"Quick! Battle stations, vanguard to the walls!"
Seeing that he was of no use against Feng Lingxiao, Li Tiangang did not linger and quickly rushed to the battlements. He quickly transmitted his voice, calling his generals and ordering them to form a counter-attack formation.
On the battlements, the soldiers who had been on standby at all times were now rushing forward as the demon and monster tide approached. The fu rocket arrows from the arrow towers and cannon towers had already been shooting out in droves.
Countless arrows fell like a black tide upon the demon and monster horde.
But amidst the demon and monster tide, a wave of powerful figures emerged, revealing their gigantic demon forms to withstand the ranged attacks from the soldiers on the walls. They waved their divine weapons and smashed them towards the divine array outside the city.
These were the elders and kings of the two major demon forces, and at this moment, over a dozen of them revealed themselves.
Each of these demon kings was in the Four Establishments realm, and among them were great demon kings in the Absolute Learning realm. Their attacks were fierce and shook the divine array, causing the divine patterns to flutter like butterflies.
Seeing this, Li Tiangang felt his blood turn cold. Although he knew that the top battle strengths of both sides were vastly different, he had not expected the gap to be so huge.
Seeing the divine array swaying precariously, his eyes turned red, and he gritted his teeth and roared, "Quick, activate the life wheel of the divine array!!"
The divine array of Qingzhou City was one of the top ten divine arrays in the world, known as the Sunlife Life Wheel Array.
This array not only sealed the powerful demon kings' souls within the array to fight for the array, but more importantly, the array could absorb the essence of the sun and the moon to repair itself.
Furthermore, the power of the life wheel could briefly absorb a portion of the lifespan of all living beings within the array and convert it into the power of the array.
This array was no longer at the level where it could be easily destroyed by those in the Four Establishments realm; it contained the Grand Dao within it.
Following Li Tiangang's order, the divine array reversed, and the power of the life wheel was activated. Countless golden silk-like lifeforce essences seemed to float up from the buildings within the city, flowing into the divine array. This included Li Tiangang and the others, as well as all the soldiers within the city.
However, the people within the Divine General's Mansion were isolated from this effect by the divine array of the mansion.
But deep within the Divine General's Mansion, in the ancestral hall that stood tall beside the mountain, the candles in front of the memorial tablets suddenly swayed, almost going out.
Sitting at the entrance of the ancestral hall, Li Qingzheng, with his white hair and aged body, looked worriedly into the distance.
Seeing the countless golden pearl-like lifeforce essences rising from the city, his body trembled slightly as if he had realized something. He suddenly turned his head and looked towards the solemn ancestral hall behind him.
The memorial tablets, which had been quiet until now, suddenly shone with golden divine light, and the spirits of the ancestors emerged one after another.
The unbroken lineage of the Li family, their ancestors who had not perished, revealed their spirits at this moment.
Figure after figure, with proud and unparalleled postures, once dazzling in their time, stood tall on their respective memorial tablets.
"The life wheel has appeared, it seems that Qingzhou City has reached its final moment."
"I never thought that in my lifetime, I would see the activation of the life wheel array."
"Not long ago, the seventeenth ancestor sacrificed his residual soul to guide the bloodline, and now it seems that we must build the last stretch of the road for these children."
"We stand before the millions of people, and we must not let the people protect us. Ancestors, it's time for us to make our move!"
"The life wheel array has been activated, what are we waiting for? Let us don our residual souls and fight!"
One by one, the ancestral spirits of the Li family charged out, leaving the solemn ancestral hall that had stood for thousands of years and received incense offerings.
Standing at the entrance of the ancestral hall, Li Qingzheng looked at these determined ancestors with tears streaming down his face.
"You no longer need to guard this place."
An ancestor passed by Li Qingzheng and said calmly, then rushed into the sky towards the Divine General's Mansion.
"You've worked hard."
The other ancestors also said softly to Li Qingzheng as they passed by, then stepped out of the ancestral hall and flew into the distance.
Li Qingzheng wept as the ancestral spirits passed by, for the burden he had carried for decades had been lifted at this moment, but he could no longer muster the strength to stand.
He appeared youthful, a young man with an older soul.
Li Qingzheng raised his head, looking at his third brother, who had died in his youth but still retained his vibrant and spirited appearance. Countless memories flooded his mind, and he held back the sorrow in his heart, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes, a look of relief on his face as he smiled faintly.
"This time, I can accompany you!"
Li Xuanyin smiled slightly, and his residual soul suddenly shone with golden light, like a feathered garment draped over Li Qingzheng.
"Brothers of the same heart!"
"Its sharpness cuts like gold!"
Li Qingzheng's bones creaked as the frail body that had sat in the ancestral hall for decades straightened its spine. His hair remained white and billowing, but his eyes seemed to regain the vigor of his youth, reminiscent of when he had established a formidable reputation on the border.
"Let's go!"
He took a step forward, soaring into the sky from the ancestral hall, transforming into a golden glow as he rushed towards the battlefield ahead.
The other ancestral spirits who had stepped out of the ancestral hall bid farewell to the first ancestor of the Li family, whose golden body was at the very center. They then flew out of the ancestral hall one by one, rushing towards various locations within the Divine General's Mansion.
Li Tianyuan sat upright on the golden body, his eyes devoid of obvious sadness but revealing a profound desolation, having witnessed the fall of countless bloodlines and the demise of countless warriors.
He waited, awaiting the return of the Li family's bloodline, to forge their bones with his residual soul, and to fight once more for the sake of their descendants!
Other ancestral spirits flew towards the various members of the Li family within the Divine General's Mansion.
Golden lights streaked across the sky, and everyone within the different halls of the mansion looked up, stunned.
When they offered sacrifices to their ancestors, they had seen portraits of these ancestors, and now they recognized them as the residual souls of the Li family's ancestors.
"Ancestors..."
In the other halls, He Jianlan, Gao Qingqing, and the others also looked up, watching the ancestral spirits flying out of the ancestral hall, filled with awe.
But soon, a deep sense of sorrow overwhelmed them.
"Child, are you willing to don my soul garment, continue my path, and slay the demons?"
A valiant female general's residual soul descended in front of He Jianlan, her brows exuding a proud and heroic aura, but her eyes looked at He Jianlan gently.
He Jianlan was stunned and immediately wanted to pay her respects, but a wisp of the ancestor's power stopped her.
"Ancestor, but I don't have the Li family bloodline..." He Jianlan recognized this ancestor as the 32nd generation, a female general who had once dominated the battlefield and established a formidable reputation over two thousand years ago.
"It doesn't matter."
The female general smiled, "Anyone who marries into the Li family is a part of the Li family."
Hearing this, He Jianlan's eyes welled up with tears, and she nodded firmly.
The female general's figure flickered, her body seeming to burn with flames as she transformed into golden light, enveloping He Jianlan and becoming a golden battle skirt.
The power and will of the ancestor's residual soul merged with He Jianlan's spirit, causing her, who was initially at the early stage of the Three Immortals realm, to suddenly exude the might of the Dao Heart realm.
Similar scenes unfolded in the other halls.
In the Fei Hua Hall, Wang Xiangru faced the inviting residual soul of an elderly ancestor, her expression changing as her face paled, and she said, "I, I..."
Her footsteps retreated.
The elderly ancestor was taken aback, gazing deeply at her before turning away without another word and soaring into the sky, flying towards another destination.
As they passed by the Shui Hua Hall, the ancestors noticed the prohibition outside and realized that it was likely a place of confinement for those who had made mistakes, so they simply bypassed it.
In the Ling Long Hall, two golden ancestral spirits flew in and landed.
"Child, are you willing to follow me to the battlefield and exterminate demons?"
A young man looked at Li Yuanzhao, his voice aged despite his youthful appearance.
Li Yuanzhao was stunned, his voice quivering as he asked, "Can I... am I able to?"
"Are you willing?"
"Of course, I am!"
"Then it's settled."
The young man smiled faintly, and his figure transformed into divine light, covering Li Yuanzhao.
A violent aura surged within Li Yuanzhao, who was initially only at the Divine Travel realm. Yet, at that moment, he exuded the might of the Three Immortals realm.
"Just lend me control of your body," the young man said softly, "We may perish, are you afraid?"
Li Yuanzhao's expression changed as he thought of the boyish figure who had always walked by his side during their childhood. Determination flashed in his eyes as he replied, "I am not afraid!"
"Good!"
The young man's carefree laughter echoed, and he soared into the sky, rushing towards the battlefield ahead.
"Yuanzhao..."
Xiao Yujing stared, tears streaming down her face. There were many things on her mind, and although she hadn't truly invested much emotion into her relationship with Li Yuanzhao, seeing him resolutely rush to his death at this moment of the Li family's impending demise stirred a heartache she couldn't explain.
"Madame, would you like to join me in battle?" The elderly ancestor beside her smiled and extended an invitation.
Xiao Yujing glanced at him and took a deep breath before replying, "Marrying into the Li family was a mistake."
The ancestor was taken aback.
"But I do not regret it," Xiao Yujing continued through gritted teeth.
Her husband had died in battle soon after their marriage, leaving her with a sense of resentment towards the Li family. Yet, at that moment, she felt like she could understand a fraction of what her husband had felt when he had marched off to war.
The ancestor gazed at her and said softly, "The Li family safeguards the border and is revered by the common folk, but it has brought suffering to you women who married into the family. It is the Li family that owes you."
As he spoke, he bowed his head slightly, showing his respect.
Witnessing this gesture from the Li family ancestor, Xiao Yujing was stunned.
The resentment that had built up in her heart over the years suddenly felt like it had been struck by thunder, and she couldn't hold back her tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
Unlike the ancestral spirits who visited the various halls, some of the ancestors were more impetuous. Some rushed out of the Divine General's Mansion directly towards the battlefield, joining the battle against the incoming tide of demons. Others stood in the sky above the mansion, shouting,
"Who among the Li family's bloodline is willing to fight to the death with me?!"
"I!"
"I!"
From the various halls, figures rushed out, some of them powerful members of the Li family's side branches.
Soon, these figures, cloaked in the ancestral spirits, flew like meteors towards the battlefield, reinforcing their kin against the onslaught of demons.