Chapter 669

Takenaga Tadatsune jolted awake, suddenly remembering that while escaping was crucial, maintaining army cohesion and preventing collapse was equally vital.

He finally fell silent, ordering the army to halt and rest in place.

They weren't all just a ragtag bunch; after Hu Jing's reminder, they lined up in formation and sat down, the martial heroes following suit, rising in groups of three, then the formation automatically reassembling until all three returned.

In this way, everyone knew who had left and how long they'd been gone, preventing ambushes.

Takenaga Tadatsune remained anxious—he had once witnessed divine path duels in his youth, where the powerful clashed directly with the forces of nature, beyond mortal comprehension.

As he thought this, a sharp crack—lightning struck out of nowhere, making him jump in place.

Everyone startled, looking up at the sky.

In the ink-black sky, faint white-violet lightning flickered; after one thunderclap, the lightning trapped beneath the clouds grew more frequent, like countless branches glowing in spring light.

No thunder, no wind—everyone stared upward at this silent struggle.

The lightning within the black clouds multiplied, accelerated, thickened, nearly piercing the darkness to strike their very crowns.

All raised their heads, eyes wide with tension.

Hu Jing vaguely understood—the lightning represented their side; his fist clenched involuntarily. In the silence, he sensed a killing intent.

That killing intent did not come from above—but…

Hu Jing whirled around and hurled his blade into the darkness.

Clang! Hu Jing roared: "Ambush!"

Everyone sprang to their feet, weapons raised in defense.

In an instant, numerous black-clad warriors surged from all sides.

They wore black garments, nearly merging with the darkness—unless scrutinized closely, they were invisible.

They wore only black, no face coverings, no disguises.

Takenaga Tadatsune instantly recognized two or three: "Naito Yūji, Naito Masao, Naito Shinshi… all Naito Clan disciples!"

Hu Jing immediately grasped Pan Yun's plan, murmuring: "So this is to clear the path for us…"

Gao Zhiming, standing beside him, heard and asked: "What?"

Hu Jing smirked: "Master Gao, please inform everyone—this is the final battle. Settle grudges, avenge wrongs. Miss today, and you'll never get another chance!"

With that, he bellowed in Japanese: "If you want to live, kill!"

Takenaga Tadatsune was still pondering negotiation when the soldiers already charged out with a roar: "Kill—!"

Takenaga Tadatsune: … Who the hell is actually commanding this army?

He truly hated conscripted troops—no coordination, no discipline, no one listens to orders!

But there was no time to think—because his lord, Shanming Xiuqi, gripped both blades and screamed "Ah—!" as he charged out.

Takenaga Tadatsune could only raise his blade and join the fray.

Shanming Clan soldiers and warriors finally clashed head-on with Naito Clan soldiers and warriors;

And the long-awaited martial heroes finally faced off against Naito Clan's direct disciples, avenging the civilians who died unjustly in the Quanzhou battle of Winter, Zhengtong Eighth Year.

This was also the primary purpose of their entire journey!

Farthest from this battlefield, yet at its very center, Pan Yun seemed to sense the power—she snapped her head up, a smile forming on her face.

She stepped the Nine Steps of the Dipper; each step made the celestial and terrestrial qi grow more active—when she reached the final step, a gale erupted!

Celestial and terrestrial qi surged, a violent wind roared, clothes flapping loudly.

Xue Shao, holding a lantern beside her, swayed slightly, then steadied himself—the flame inside the lantern flickered and went out with a soft puff.

He sighed, holding the extinguished lantern and gazing ahead.

Pan Yun strained to form the hand seals, channeling the gathered qi, summoning the Thunder God, whispering: "Thunder Lord, illuminate the spirit; Lightning Mother, reveal clarity. Wind Lord, cleanse the filth; Rain Master, purify all. Four seas open in peace; ten thousand spirits heed. One thunderclap—evil spirits vanish. I command by the Edict of the Supreme Thunder Lord of the Nine Heavens!"

As the final word fell, Pan Yun's thumbs met, her palm flipped—the seal formed, the spell unleashed!

Within the black clouds, the flickering lightning suddenly exploded—the entire sky split open, torrents of thunder and lightning cascaded down like the end of the world.

Pan Yun's throat filled with coppery sweetness, but she forced it down, swallowing it back.

Pan Xiaohei was stunned—he felt it. She could swallow that?

With this kind of willpower, she would succeed at anything.

Pan Xiaohei trembled in Xue Shao's arms, then looked up and saw the light in Xue Shao's eyes.

That light shone brightly—as if Pan Yun were a rare treasure.

Pan Xiaohei stiffened, disapprovingly looking away.

Within the formation, whether fighting or not, all simultaneously froze, staring upward.

The lightning above crackled, striking down as if directly splitting into their skulls, making their legs tremble.

Zhang Weiliang was on the brink of death—the lightning suddenly struck. The "Xue Shao" who had just raised his blade to sever Zhang Weiliang's head was hit by a hair-thin bolt—crack! First charred, then dissolved into smoke.

Zhang Weiliang clutched his chest, blood gushing from his mouth, whispering: "In the end… I still never saw what this damn thing really was…"

Before he finished, his vision swam—the sky flashed bright. Zhang Weiyi and Xue Hua ran toward him.

Zhang Weiliang thought: Damned. Another batch of dolls. He couldn't even lift his sword anymore.

As Zhang Weiliang fell, the black clouds parted—a ray of sunlight poured down, gilding the rice fields.

He didn't see that the moment the sunlight appeared, the animated dolls froze rigid, as if drained of power—thus, Zhang Weiyi and Xue Hua turned and saw Zhang Weiliang lying motionless nearby.

Only then could they recognize him as a True Person—not a doll.

They rushed forward.

Meanwhile, at the gate of Shankou Manor, Dainai Yazi spat a mouthful of blood; her hood fell away, revealing a pale face.

Pan Yun appeared before them. Dainai Jiaohong saw her and his pupils shrank—he shouted: "Stop her!"

But Pan Yun moved faster than any of them—she darted past them with a whisper, every attack missing.

She materialized before Dainai Yazi, seized her throat, yanked her backward, then kicked away Dainai Jiaohong as he lunged.

Dainai Jiaohong was sent flying backward, slamming into the city wall before dropping down, his entire chest caved in.

Pan Yun turned and seized Dainai Yazi by the throat, pulling her out of the encirclement: "Has no one ever taught you that a mage also needs to learn close-quarters self-preservation techniques?"

(End of chapter)