Chapter 260: The Cold Night, the Silent Moon, the Fog Rises

The night was cold and clear, the moon silent and still; barren lands stretched in endless ravines, desolate and impoverished.

Under this night and moon, six figures raced across the sky, sweeping over vast stretches of earth; their attire differed, two of them clad in black onmyōji robes—the very two who were also the strongest among them.

Fog arose, thick and overwhelming, engulfing all directions without the slightest restraint; the light surging from the six of them resembled a mountain flood at the edge of heaven and earth, mighty and roaring.

Wherever they passed, all things and beings prostrated themselves; even gods and demons were moved.

"This aura… a Sage of Human City? The Five Races were besieging Human City—how are they still alive?" A god or demon from one of the races rose into the sky, gazing toward the radiant glow fifty thousand li away, its heart trembling with suffocating dread.

"No, why are there two additional Divine King auras? So powerful! Could they be Invincible Divine Kings? How is that possible…"

"Huh? They're not fleeing—that direction is…" One god or demon followed the path taken by Ayaaya Yu and Ayaaya Kaku, suddenly horrified: "That's the Life Domain of the Demon Horn Clan!"

At this moment, less than half a day had passed since the Five Races besieged Human City.

After slaughtering the invading Five Races and all other clans, Human City had no time to celebrate; Ayaaya Kaku and Ayaaya Yu led the four Human City Sages toward the Life Domain of the Demon Horn Clan.

Along the way, they made no effort to conceal their auras, moving with ruthless speed, utterly indifferent to the commotion, traveling at maximum velocity—this was deliberate on Ayaaya Yu and Ayaaya Kaku's part, meant to ensure every race and every living being knew exactly what they intended.

They meant to proclaim to all races of the Wasteland Realm: Human City cannot be trifled with; they meant to show all races the might of humanity!

During their journey, Ayaaya Yu and Ayaaya Kaku continuously seized barren mountains, wastelands, and desolate valleys, binding them into their palms and transforming them into slender streams of spiritual energy that slithered like dragons.

The sight was terrifying.

Along the way, countless barren mountains, valleys, and forests had been drawn in, swirling like small fish within their palms, unable to escape; the more they seized, the more terrifying the power rising from their palms became—even gods and demons felt dread.

These were merely barren landforms—mountains, hollows, ancient forests—that gods and demons could crush by the hundreds with a single flick of their hands—yet why did they now radiate a ferocity that startled even gods and demons, as if what lay in their palms were not landforms, but a slumbering ancient god or demon?

The Human City Sages were stunned: first, they could summon ten Divine Demons without consuming any bloodline or divine power; now, this miraculous ability to transform the mundane into the wondrous—utterly inconceivable.

Onmyōji are not merely demon-slayers; according to the Nihon Shoki, onmyōji master the Way of Yin and Yang, understanding stellar constellations, reading human faces, determining directions, foretelling calamities, drawing talismans, chanting incantations, and casting illusions.

In short, onmyōji comprehend the celestial Way and can harness terrain and celestial phenomena to their advantage, somewhat akin to Chinese fengshui geomancers, though less specialized.

Now, Ayaaya Yu and Ayaaya Kaku were seizing various landforms to forge a fearsome malevolent fengshui array.

"Do you understand? This is transforming terrain into a malevolent array—capable of defense, capable of offense," Ayaaya Yu explained as he bound the landforms, deliberately intending to pass this malevolent fengshui array on to the Human City Sages.

He and Ayaaya Kaku could not remain in Human City forever; they had their own missions. Human City is still weak. With this malevolent fengshui array, even without them, Human City could repel invasions by all races—its effect would be extraordinary, catching enemies off guard, ensuring they came but never returned.

The Human City Sages were moved and thanked them:

"Brothers Ayaaya Yu and Ayaaya Kaku, we do not know how to thank you enough. Your great grace toward Human City, we shall remember for life. If you ever need anything from us, say the word—even if you ask us to die."

They could see the power of this malevolent terrain fengshui array; if spread around Human City, it would be the ultimate defense, guaranteeing peace. Such a gift was beyond repayment.

"No need. We share the blood of the Flowing with the Origin Realm. Though your bloodline has thinned, you are still descendants of the Origin. Our Lord taught us: when kin are in peril, aid them from all directions; never turn against each other—for we are human."

Meanwhile.

The Demon Horn Clan's territory: a thousand mountains and ten thousand ravines, stretching endlessly in lush greenery, layered peaks and ridges—a true paradise on earth, worthy of being the Life Domain of one of the top ten races of the Wasteland Realm, immeasurably rich.

At this moment.

The Demon Horn Clan's chieftain, himself a Divine King, sat like a mountain, unmoving upon his throne; before him sat the clan's strongest warriors, each immensely powerful, the weakest at the brink of Divine Demon status—testimony to the clan's prosperity.

"Chieftain, Gui Du and the others have been gone a full day. Human City may be hard to crush, but with the other Four Races and all the other clans joining the siege, they should have succeeded by now—why haven't they reported back? Could something have happened?"

A Demon Horn Clan half-Divine Demon, his face grotesque as a demon, knelt prostrate on the ground.

"Twenty-three Divine Demons, including Divine Kings—slaying twelve Divine Demons wouldn't take much effort; annihilating Human City in one battle wouldn't take long. This delay is too long," said a Demon Horn Ancestor Demon, agreeing.

Another demon spoke: "Could other races have intervened, seeking to profit from the chaos, preventing Gui Du and the others from reporting?"

"Highly likely. Human City is still among the top ten races—everyone wants a share. It may be the Three-Headed Lion Clan, with whom we have old grudges, stepping in." A half-Divine Demon spoke coldly.

"I fear it's not just the Three-Headed Lion Clan—other races may have allied to interfere," the previous demon said in a low tone.

"Then what are we waiting for? We must move quickly to aid Gui Du and the others!"

"Who dares ruin our Demon Horn Clan's plans? They will pay. If it's a minor clan, wipe them out entirely to establish our might."

"Kill. Let the blood of their clan lands flow like rivers. Let all races know the cost of provoking the Demon Horn Clan. It seems we've gone too long without asserting our power—everyone has forgotten our name."

The Demon Horn Clan's warriors echoed in agreement.

Some even spread their wings wide, their divine demonic aura surging skyward, eager to strike immediately.

Throughout, they never once considered that Human City might win—or that the besieging races might be utterly annihilated. Not a single thought of such a possibility crossed their minds; the disparity was too great, the idea too absurd, pure fantasy.

Suddenly.

The Demon Horn Clan's Divine King, who had remained silent and immovable as an ancient demonic mountain, suddenly shot two nearly solid beams of terrifying light from his eyes toward a distant direction. At first, surprise flickered in his gaze—he thought it an illusion—then astonishment, then fury.

A thousand li from the Demon Horn Clan's territory.

In this moonlit, chilling night, Ayaaya Yu and Ayaaya Kaku arrived with the four Human City Sages, stirring up a storm of dust that blurred the sky, veiling the moon in haze and shadow, carrying a chilling aura of slaughter.

…