Chapter 402: All Draw Power from Heaven and Earth

On the walls of Zi Yun City, shadows ran everywhere, armor clanking as they moved, while strong winds howled through, making the military banners flap wildly.

Originally, Zi Yun County had a few hundred defenders; later, the court repeatedly reinforced it, grudgingly sending over three thousand troops—neither many nor few. First, it was rumored that northern military garrisons had marched south, and the court needed to gather forces to resist; second, this was a matter of demons, and four thousand men guarding a small city could hold it if they could, but if they couldn't, even more troops would hardly help.

At this moment, most of the city's defenders were on the walls.

Lin Jue, his third senior brother, and his junior sister stood atop the northern gate's arrow tower, gazing northward.

The sky was thick with dark clouds, lightning flashing and thunder roaring, yet a vast fog rolled in from the wasteland—thousands of feet high, its length and width unknown, stretching endlessly left and right. From afar, it looked like clouds hanging down to earth, or a wall of black mist slowly advancing toward them.

The legendary blizzards and sandstorms were no worse than this.

"Indeed…"

Lin Jue murmured to himself, reaching into his robe.

A copper coin rested calmly within.

The Eastern Wang Mu had lain dormant for years, and now, as great calamity neared, she chose this perfect moment to rise and cause chaos. Her goal was to disrupt the world, absorb vital energy, and survive her great calamity—not to survive the encirclement of the True Lords of Protecting the Sacred and Preserving the Sacred. If she merely sought to live, she would not have revealed herself now.

Therefore, the Eastern Wang Mu would not flee.

For if she failed to achieve her goal, even if she escaped, she could not overcome her great calamity.

Though Lin Jue did not know what her great calamity was, nor how she intended to transcend it, wasn't her very uprising proof of her intent?

If she meant to flee, she would have chosen the weakest of the counties—Jiguang.

If she meant to fight, she would likely strike first at Zi Yun County, the closest to her—or if she felt capable, attack all four counties at once.

Previously, her demonic underlings had emerged countless times from Mo Du Mountain to harass surrounding towns, yet for a long while had never touched Zi Yun County—this had subtly unsettled Lin Jue: such behavior, besides avoiding losses among her troops, might also be meant to lull them into complacency, or to conceal the true nature of her demonic forces.

These various reasons formed his suspicion.

Now it was confirmed.

"Boom!"

Lightning flashed, turning every face pale as snow.

Nearby, a few startled cries rose.

Lin Jue turned to look behind him: many soldiers held bows, others spears, their faces clearly filled with fear.

Even the general beside them trembled slightly.

"Lin Zhen… Lin Lingqing Zhenren…"

Seeing him look over, the general licked his dry lips.

"General! Please rally the troops!"

"Rally the troops? Fine!" The general drew a deep breath and shouted to his soldiers, "My lads, don't be afraid! With Lin Zhen here, what's there to fear? Fear, fear won't help…"

Yet his own voice shook.

Lin Jue watched in silence, silently shaking his head.

Just as Luo Gong had said—

In this court, brave warriors don't become generals, wise strategists don't become ministers, and this general is nothing but a drunken fool.

Even without Luo Gong, if he had half the courage of any warrior from Luo Gong's retinue, he would stand here now without a trace of fear.

At that moment, Wan Wan Xinrong saw Lin Jue's expression, saw the general's cowardice, his face hardened, and without hesitation, he stepped forward, climbed onto the battlement, raised his lantern, and shouted loudly:

"Why should you, officers and soldiers, fear!?

"What lies ahead isn't men—it's demons, creatures that eat people! It's too late to fear now! Even if you wanted to run, how could two legs outrun four? And some demons have wings! Even surrender is no option—they see you only as blood food!

"If defeat means death, then fight to the death!

"Besides, these demons are nothing but beasts and plants turned monstrous—they still have flesh, still bleed when cut, still die under blades! Beasts can be slain, demons can be slain! Trees can be cut down, demons can be cut down!"

Though Wan Wan Xinrong was short of stature, he carried a fierce spirit—otherwise, he wouldn't have stormed Feng Mountain alone in rage to challenge Master Hua. Now, gritting his teeth, he spat out these words as if tearing them from his throat, screaming into the wind—his aura far surpassing the general's earlier bluster.

And such emotion truly spreads.

"Join me, Wan Mou, follow Lin Lingqing Zhenren, and slay these devilish beasts! Boil them for wine, then trade their heads for military merit!"

"Boil them for wine!!"

Instantly, many soldiers were infected by his spirit; in their desperate plight, fear turned to rage, as if blood surged into the sky.

"Spells reach heaven and earth, divine thunder gathers at the sword's tip…"

"Decrees command yin and yang, true fire glows along the blade's edge…"

Among the defenders on the walls, mystics from the Gathered Immortal Mansion walked slowly, chanting the sword-enchanted spell taught by Lin Jue and others, over and over, infusing the soldiers' weapons with thunder and fire.

At the same time, the fox beside Lin Jue suddenly transformed.

A massive five-tailed white fox appeared atop the wall, as if amplifying Wan Wan Xinrong's words with added might.

At this point, the soldiers' hearts steadied slightly—then they heard Lin Lingqing Zhenren's companion, Liu Lingqing Zhenren, begin chanting.

As her incantation echoed, a rumbling rose from beneath the walls. Looking down, they saw the large and small stones previously placed outside the city rolling on their own, gathering and piling upward, forming four stone giants nearly thirty feet tall.

Remember, Zi Yun County was one of the capital's gateways, bearing the heavy burden of northern defense—its walls were already high, yet only forty feet tall. These four stone giants were nearly as tall as the walls themselves.

Looking down upon them, the sight was awe-inspiring.

Especially such magic, so strange and wondrous, aiding them directly—letting them know that not only did the enemy possess demons, but their own side had masters of the arcane—again, their hearts grew steadier. Lin Jue finally turned his gaze back to the front.

Unconsciously, the mist had drawn much closer.

Now, seeing it nearer, even its peak vanished into the clouds—it had become a wall of mist towering into the dark heavens, stretching endlessly wide, slowly advancing as if ready to swallow all beneath heaven and earth.

Even the city of Zi Yun behind them seemed tiny beside it.

Whether from wind-driven mist, optical illusion, or something else, dark shapes stirred within the fog—faintly visible, colossal figures walked like towering trees.

Legend said the northeast of Qinzhou, Mo Du Mountain, had always been shrouded in thick fog—rain or shine, day or night, never parted, not even by wind. No one knew what lay within, nor what the mountains looked like, nor why they were called Mo Du Mountain. All knew that anyone who entered, except the Eastern Wang Mu's followers, never emerged again.

"Boom!"

Another lightning bolt struck from the dark clouds, plunging into the mist.

Whether divine intervention or heaven's justice, a shadow within the mist seemed to fall.

Yet the lightning illuminated the mist, revealing countless demonic silhouettes to the onlookers—confirming that within the fog lay countless great demons.

The thick mist continued advancing.

"Buzzzz…"

Not a single word, not a single syllable, not a single thing was missed!

Lin Jue first heard a buzzing sound.

"Wind, come!"

Lin Jue shouted.

Before the mystics beside him or the defenders behind could react, a violent wind suddenly surged around them—

The sky had abruptly changed; thunder and rain loomed, the heavy heavens stirred to life. The wind had already blown, but irregularly—now left, now right, scattered and disjointed. Yet now, at his cry of "Wind, come!", all the wind in heaven and earth seemed to converge into one furious gale, whipping their hair wildly, making banners crack like thunder, nearly knocking them off their feet.

Fortunately, the wind did not strike from the front or side—otherwise, they could not have opened their eyes.

Where did this wind come from?

From behind them, pressing forward against the thick mist.

Instantly, all could clearly see: the very front of the mist surged violently, like a giant wave crashing against a cliff, halting—and even beginning to retreat.

This wall of sky-high mist had been stopped?

Everyone turned to look at that figure.

"Third Shixiong, your skill is remarkable!"

"Not my power—it is the power of heaven and earth at this moment."

At that moment, a patch of black cloud split from the mist, pushing against the gale toward them.

The buzzing grew louder.

From afar, it looked like a cloud—but up close, it was a swarm of black insects, like locusts during a plague, yet not locusts: countless poisonous insects, charging with fury.

"Citizens of Zi Yun, close your doors and windows! Block every crack with cloth, towels, even quilts! Don't panic. If your heart falters, pray to the gods."

Lin Jue's voice carried, calm and steady, easily reaching every corner of Zi Yun City.

Doors and windows slammed shut, hiding countless terrified faces.

Outside the city, the black cloud had arrived.

"Clever tactic!"

Lin Jue said.

As legends told, immortals and masters of the arcane always sought ways to counter and neutralize each other, always harnessed the power of heaven and earth's seasons, always sought to defeat enemies with the simplest, most effortless means.

Now, in midsummer, yang energy was strong, yin energy weak, thunderstorms frequent. The True Lords of Protecting the Sacred and Preserving the Sacred had descended using heaven's yang energy and divine lightning to exterminate demons. Today's storm brought fierce winds—Lin Jue merely harnessed the full force of the wind, turning its direction to press back the mist.

And summer was the season of insects—so the Eastern Wang Mu or her demons had seized this moment to unleash countless poisonous insects against them.

"Brilliant!"

Lin Jue cried again.

Perhaps because his third senior brother stood beside him, influenced by his brother's bold nature, Lin Jue's own spirit grew wild. He swung his arm—his robe sleeve erupted with a vast cloud of yellow smoke.

The wind lent aid!

The yellow smoke rode the wind, striking the black cloud.

The black cloud was full of poisonous insects; even though the smoke had been thinned by the gale, the moment they touched it, their bodies stiffened—especially their thin wings, which soon could no longer flap, or snapped mid-motion, falling in vast numbers.

The wind-scattered, diluted smoke expanded the reach of the Stone-Sealing Technique.

At the same time—

His junior sister, standing to his left, glanced at him, then thrust out her palm. Flames shot forth like a dragon, then quickly scattered in the wind into a fiery cloud, crashing into the black cloud ahead.

Wan Wan Xinrong stood to his right, raising his lantern. His magic had barely reached it when, before he could even blow, the wind from behind swept the embers from the lantern into a furious river of sparks, countless glowing dots, dense as rain, hurtling forward.

The massive five-tailed white fox stood atop the wall, exhaling yellow smoke that rode the wind forward.

When soldiers come, generals stand against them; when water rises, earth blocks it.

(End of chapter)