Song Zining braced himself with his spear, struggling to stand, and then shouted, “Sacred Mountain! Attack the Sacred Mountain!” With all his might, he hurled the silver spear.
The silver spear suddenly radiated light, accelerating on its own, plummeting towards the Sacred Mountain like a meteor.
Luo Bingfeng’s face darkened, and he roared, “You dare?!”
He leaped into the air, swiftly catching up to the silver spear, and slashed it with his sword. The silver spear exploded mid-air, creating a massive fireball that engulfed Luo Bingfeng. The fireball then shattered into countless sparks, raining down on the Sacred Mountain.
Luo Bingfeng reappeared, his robes scorched and looking rather bedraggled. But instead of pursuing Song Zining, he first checked the falling embers, relieved to find no hidden traps of great power.
At that moment, a piercing horn blast split the sky.
Luo Bingfeng’s face changed, and he turned to see Song Zining holding a delicate silver horn, blowing it with all his strength.
The sound of the horn echoed far and wide, reaching a hundred miles. The imperial army shifted at the signal, and Song Zining’s flagship raised the battle flag, leading the charge toward the Sacred Mountain.
This battle flag held a special meaning: it was the order for the entire army to follow the commander in a full-scale assault.
If even the commander feared no death, how could the rest fall behind?
Every soldier in the imperial army was fired up, charging toward the Sacred Mountain with unyielding fervor.
In the sky, the imperial warships were all mobilized, raining fire to clear paths for the ground forces toward the Sacred Mountain.
At the foot of the Sacred Mountain, Song Zining stood, having somehow retrieved a folding fan. He extended it, using it as a walking stick, laboriously climbing toward the peak.
Seeing him, the imperial soldiers’ blood burned even more fiercely, and their assault quickened.
While the soldiers fought with disregard for their lives, the scene among the strong ones was quite different. They surrounded Luo Bingfeng from afar, but none dared to make a move.
Li Kuanglan looked at the group, sneered, and stretched out her hand to Ji Tianqing, saying, “Hand it over!”
Ji Tianqing was taken aback, “What do you want?”
Li Kuanglan impatiently replied, “You have a lot of medicine; don’t think I don’t know. Give me a recovery vial, quickly! Or I’ll search you myself.”
Ji Tianqing exclaimed, “Are you crazy? That’s Luo Bingfeng; this medicine won’t save you!”
Li Kuanglan moved like lightning, reaching into Ji Tianqing’s robe, grabbing a vial, and without a second look, injecting it into her neck.
The many strong ones were stunned, and those who knew a bit about Ji Tianqing’s identity widened their eyes. Li Kuanglan’s action was beyond disrespectful, and Ji Tianqing, despite her martial prowess, would have been thoroughly searched. Yet, Ji Tianqing did not seem overly angry, sparking many speculations. Could it be that the two rival factions were reconciling?
Li Kuanglan flicked her finger, summoning an icy blue sword light, and said, “I knew you were hiding something. Hmph, with this injection, my chances of survival increase by at least ten percent. Anyway, it’s your Ji family’s money; might as well use it.”
Ji Tianqing shouted, “That’s only ten percent! You’ll die!”
“Good, then my share is yours.”
Without waiting for a reply, Li Kuanglan leapt into the air, aiming to strike Luo Bingfeng from above.
Ji Tianqing did not immediately follow Li Kuanglan but scanned the imperial palace and clan strong ones, pointing at several of them, coldly saying, “Fend for yourselves!”
She suddenly flashed, appearing before an old clan member, her hand gleaming with a dagger as thin as a cicada wing pressed against the old man’s throat. Ji Tianqing stared into the old man’s eyes, stating, “Do you think fearing death will prolong your life?”
Before the old man could answer, Ji Tianqing pressed her wrist, and the dagger sliced through his throat. The old man’s eyes filled with terror, clutching his throat, making gurgling sounds, unable to speak. For a strong one of his caliber, a severed throat wasn’t usually fatal, but now his protective force dispersed at his chest, unable to seal the wound or even stop the bleeding.
He reached out to grab Ji Tianqing, but his strength drained away, leaving him empty.
Ji Tianqing vanished again, clearly seeking an opportunity, though it was unclear whether it was for Luo Bingfeng or the other strong ones.
With these words, the pointed-out strong ones understood that if they didn’t fight, the battle would end disastrously for them. Though Ji Tianqing couldn’t take on everyone, she could still pick off a few. The elderly man she had killed was the one who had repeatedly held back Elder Li.
With no retreat, the strong ones converged on Luo Bingfeng.
The Sacred Mountain was ablaze with fire, and Luo Bingfeng, like a demigod, continuously emitted a rain of sword light, dueling with the warships. Several imperial ships burst into flames. The imperial ships fought to the bitter end, turning to use the other side’s cannons when one was destroyed. Suddenly, a loud explosion sounded, and a warship, unable to hold, crashed into the ground, its engine spewing fire.
Crew members leaped from the ship, but few could float, and most met their end screaming as they fell.
Seeing the ship crash, Luo Bingfeng grew tense. He charged at the burning wreck, exhaling a powerful breath, and from his palms shot countless sword lights, each nearly a hundred meters long, slicing the ship into hundreds of pieces. With a wave of his sleeve, he flung the debris a thousand meters away, avoiding the main body of the Sacred Mountain, scattering it at the base.
The imperial commanders, well-trained and instructed by Song Zining, realized Luo Bingfeng didn’t want the mountain harmed. They directed their fire to the mountain, even spreading the cannon shots to complicate Luo Bingfeng’s defense.
As more strong ones joined the fray, Luo Bingfeng’s situation became precarious. It was clear that he was mostly focused on intercepting the warship fire, or the battle would have been very different.
If Luo Bingfeng concentrated on a single warship, even the new imperial ships couldn’t withstand it. At the start, he had downed a ship in one blow. If he maintained that, he could annihilate the imperial fleet in half a day.
But Luo Bingfeng chose to forgo opportunities, protecting the Sacred Mountain from further harm, even if it meant certain death.
The imperial commanders wondered why the once-great Luo Bingfeng had suddenly become foolish. But they seized the chance, attacking with all their might, fearing he might regain his formidable power.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage