I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals
Chapter 432: Calamity of the Ice Fairy, Might of Withering Extinction

Chapter 432: Calamity of the Ice Fairy, Might of Withering Extinction

Above the clouds, two Nascent Soul True Monarchs clashed. Thunderous booms resounded endlessly as whirlwinds and sandstorms swept across the sky. The intense pressure forced the cultivators below the battlefield to retreat quickly.

Lan Chang'an activated the Dragonwood Staff, transforming it into a towering ancient tree nearly a hundred zhang tall. Crimson dragon shadows coiled across its surface, and the sky echoed with the resounding roar of a dragon.

True Monarch Fang stood calm and composed, his palm stirring a swirl of murky yellow Netherwater, which spun like a coiling yellow dragon. Gradually, it took the form of a massive grinding mill in the sky, absorbing and converting Lan Chang'an’s power, growing ever more intense.

“As expected of a divine art containing the Dao rhythm of reincarnation. It can actually absorb and convert the opponent's mana.”

Lan Chang'an hadn’t gained the slightest advantage. If not for the longevity and depth of his Evergreen Technique, he might have already been suppressed by the opponent.

Although True Monarch Fang hadn’t reached the peak of early Nascent Soul stage, the strength of his mana and divine abilities had already surpassed old-generation Nascent Soul cultivators such as True Monarch Red Serpent and True Monarch Yunlan.

Just then, from within the demonic faction’s territory, a familiar Nascent Soul aura rapidly approached.

Lan Chang'an withdrew in time, instantly pulling away from True Monarch Fang.

This clash had merely been a probe.

The familiar aura on True Monarch Fang’s body resembled the Nine Seal Stele, though it was faint and shallow.

True Monarch Fang withdrew his hand indifferently, without the slightest intent to pursue.

This Buddha-like detachment left Lan Chang'an slightly surprised.

As reinforcements from the Nether Spring Sect, True Monarch Fang clearly had no intention of risking his life for Beast King Valley and was holding back.

Although he appeared composed, True Monarch Fang was also slightly surprised internally.

In the Eastern Region of Great Qing, cultivators at the same level who engaged him in prolonged battle were usually crushed by the pressure in short order.

Yet Lan Chang'an, with his deep reserves and enduring qi, remained unsuppressed.

True Monarch Fang’s lack of pursuit was also related to the characteristics of his technique.

If the enemy did not attack, he had no force to absorb and convert, and his strength would be diminished.

“It’s said that True Monarch Fang is the youngest Nascent Soul cultivator among the Six Demonic Sects, possessing traces of past-life wisdom and is the reincarnation of a great power. I had my doubts before, but after today’s fight, I believe it a bit more now.”

Lan Chang'an looked surprised and sighed with admiration.

True Monarch Fang was far younger than him, only just over half Lan Chang'an’s age, to be precise.

True Monarch Fang neither confirmed nor denied it, smiling faintly.

“If True Monarch Lan is willing to align with and join the Nether Spring Sect, I am willing to reveal the truth regarding my past life.”

Lan Chang'an smiled and shook his head. This man was indeed cautious, leaving no loose ends.

According to current intelligence, one popular theory was that True Monarch Fang had been a Nascent Soul cultivator of a former generation within the Nether Spring Sect.

“The power of Reincarnation is not exclusive to the Nine Seal Stele. The mysterious treasure of the Nether Spring Sect, along with their core technique, might be connected to the Dao of Reincarnation.”

The cultivation world held too many mysteries, and Lan Chang'an wasn’t shocked by this, just curious.

...

After the clash between the two Nascent Soul cultivators, both sides' reinforcements quickly arrived from adjacent territories.

From the Alliance of Righteous Dao, Fairy Xia came; from the demonic faction, True Monarch Black Feather and True Monarch Guo arrived.

As the current phase of the cultivation war was still in its early stages, the Nascent Soul cultivators from both sides confronted each other briefly but didn’t initiate battle.

One month prior, Yin Yuanhai had been transferred to assist other frontlines.

Now, Lan Chang'an and Fairy Xia were facing off against three Nascent Soul cultivators from the demonic faction, one of whom was the unfathomably powerful True Monarch Fang.

Of course, Lan Chang'an also had a fourth-rank Demon King, Lord Earthrock, on his side. On the surface, the two sides seemed evenly matched.

Lan Chang'an and Fairy Xia returned to their fortified city.

The two hadn’t met for nearly a month. Within the cave-dwelling, they discussed Dao together and dual cultivated using the Dragon Phoenix Dual Cauldron Technique.

Xia Wenyue’s innate Dao body, the Cold Soul Jade Marrow, was an ideal physique for dual cultivation. From the secret technique, she benefited even more than Lan Chang'an.

“This concubine cannot leave the guard post area for too long.”

Fairy Xia’s face was flushed like rosy clouds, her hairpins askew and her hair disheveled. Her snowy-white, icy jade-like body lay draped in scattered ribbons and robes, breathing softly in Lan Chang'an’s embrace.

Lan Chang'an gazed at Xia Wenyue’s picturesque brows and snow-like, cold countenance, observing her quietly for a long time.

“Is there something on my face? Why does Husband keep staring? Could it be… you're comparing me to that Peacock Saintess?”

Fairy Xia was slightly embarrassed by his gaze and teased softly with a trace of coyness.

When something unusual occurs, there must be something behind it.

To her husband, every inch of her body had received his affection, there were no secrets left.

Lan Chang'an withdrew his gaze and said with a smile:

“Wenyue, when you leave this time, why not take the Peacock Saintess with you?”

“Husband is willing? It's only been half a year and you already…”

Xia Wenyue's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“She’s merely a spoil of war, not worth mentioning.”

Lan Chang'an spoke casually, with no emotional attachment.

The Peacock Saintess, after all, had once been a life-and-death enemy, there were no feelings involved.

After experiencing the bliss of Jiang Ziyan and Xia Wenyue, both Nascent Soul fairies, his standards had naturally risen, and his tastes had grown more particular.

No matter how beautiful the Peacock Saintess was, compared to those two, she was still slightly inferior—just a fleeting wildflower, good only for a novelty.

Rather than keeping her around and letting Fairy Xia harbor resentment, it was better to be magnanimous.

“If this concubine were to execute the Peacock Saintess, would Husband feel any regret?”

“As you wish.”

“Wenyue had misunderstood Husband before.”

Xia Wenyue’s heart lightened with joy, and she spoke with a hint of guilt.

She had previously thought Lan Chang'an had developed feelings for the Peacock Saintess, and that she might eventually become one of his concubines.

That day, Lan Chang'an watched Fairy Xia leave, heading to guard the adjacent frontier.

Fairy Xia didn’t hold back and took the Peacock Saintess with her.

Until the two women disappeared from view, Lan Chang'an calculated with his fingers, his expression turning grave.

“The calamity on Wenyue’s body was already dispelled after forming her Nascent Soul. Yet now, signs are reappearing.”

“Since ancient times, beauty is fated to suffer… Is this due to me? But without me, she, frail and sickly, would’ve remained in the Xia Clan of Qingsha Bay and died long ago.”

...

Several months later, Lan Chang'an turned 431 years old.

On the frontlines of the Righteous Dao Alliance, specifically in the Feng Kingdom and Chen Kingdom, the demonic faction army continuously garrisoned and attacked fortified immortal cities, capturing strongholds one by one.

The war continued to escalate.

The Feng Kingdom, with the largest territory, had its southern region become the primary battlefield.

South of Feng was the former Yan Kingdom and other cultivation nations, all now under the control of Beast King Valley.

Chu Tianfeng, Zhang Tianfeng, and other Nascent Soul cultivators were all stationed in the southern battlefront of Feng.

It was said that the Sect Master of Beast King Valley was personally overseeing the war from that region.

Lan Chang'an was positioned on the western front of the Feng Kingdom. Further west lay the Chen Kingdom, formerly ruled by the Heavenly Net Sect and the Xie Clan, with this area now under the command of True Monarch Fang.

The Jing Kingdom was considered a secondary battlefield, controlled by the Xuan Yin Sect and certain merchant guild forces.

The Jing Kingdom also bordered the Chen Kingdom, and Sect Master Liang, who was defending that area, was under considerable pressure.

On this day, Lan Chang'an stood atop the city wall when he sensed a violent and ferocious aura emerging from within the distant demonic faction army ranks, an aura not inferior to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

“Reporting to True Monarch! A fourth-rank Demon King from Beast King Valley is advancing toward our position!”

The frontline scouts quickly brought back the intelligence.

Seconds later—

Rumble rumble rumble...

The earth shook a hundred li away, and clouds of dust rose into the sky.

A colossal, scaled beast the size of a mountain appeared. Its head resembled that of a crocodile, its body had four limbs, and it exhaled clouds and mist with roars like that of a whale. It trampled across the battlefield, kicking up thick clouds of dust as it charged toward the major city held by the Righteous Dao.

Wherever it passed, cracks and ravines formed in the ground, and hills were leveled flat.

This was none other than Beast King Valley’s infamous war machine known throughout Great Qing, a fourth-rank Demon King!

The army of cultivators from the Righteous Dao alliance turned pale. Staring at the beast that loomed like a mountain, they couldn’t help but feel their hearts tremble.

Although Lan Chang'an had not personally participated in past demonic wars, he had seen a fourth-rank Demon King before.

Back then, when the Peacock Saintess had come for a second assassination attempt, she had brought along a fourth-rank Demon King as a trump card into the Fengyuan Kingdom.

A fourth-rank Demon King could go head-to-head with a Nascent Soul cultivator in open combat, though it was clearly inferior in terms of intelligence and maneuverability.

“Pull back the lines, form up battle formations, fall back to the main city for defense.”

Lan Chang'an issued the order.

The direct fighting between cultivator armies would be commanded by the Core Formation stage cultivators below.

As a Nascent Soul True Monarch, his primary role was to counter and neutralize the top-tier threats from the enemy.

If one could severely wound or even slay a single enemy Nascent Soul cultivator, the impact would be greater than deploying thousands of troops.

...

Above the clouds behind the fourth-rank Demon King, the figure of True Monarch Fang, pressing the rear line, gradually emerged.

“Does True Monarch Fang really believe that by adding this war machine, he can breach our fortified city?”

Lan Chang'an said with an emotionless face.

True Monarch Fang smiled faintly.

“This one merely follows coordination orders and adheres to my duties, that’s all.”

Before his voice even faded, streaks of light emerged from the demonic army, it was Core Formation cultivators taking flight.

Among them were four at late Core Formation stage, while the rest consisted of more True Dan and Fake Dan cultivators.

Lan Chang'an’s expression changed slightly. The demonic faction’s Core Formation forces were twice as numerous as his side’s and that wasn’t even counting third-rank spirit beasts and flying beasts.

When Core Formation forces are too numerous, and they form a proper battle formation, they could even temporarily stall a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Rumble!

The fourth-rank Demon King led the charge, followed by tens of thousands of battle beasts, storming toward the front-line fortress of the Righteous Dao.

Behind them was an endless army of demonic cultivators—spirit boats, giant warships, flying beasts, all of which made one’s scalp tingle.

The Core Formation and Foundation Establishment cultivators of Beast King Valley flew into the air, launching attacks on the defensive formations protecting the city, engaging in ranged fights with the cultivators inside.

A myriad of treasure lights streaked through the sky—meteor showers, lightning bolts, wood-summoning spells, and more. The battlefield before the fortress became a brilliant and chaotic spectacle of light and shadow.

“This fourth-rank Demon King fears no death. If True Monarch Lan does not take it seriously, this frontline city will fall sooner or later.”

True Monarch Fang’s gaze locked onto Lan Chang'an. As long as the latter didn’t make a move, he could remain at ease as well.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With no one to restrain it, the fourth-rank Demon King ferociously and ruthlessly slammed into the city defenses, causing ripples of light across the protective formation. Several gaps had already begun to appear.

With its massive size and thick hide, the beast was even more effective than most Nascent Soul cultivators in breaking through immortal cities.

Nascent Soul cultivators feared being overwhelmed by group attacks, and the potential injuries that could result; demon kings, however, were not only tougher, they were also not afraid of pain.

“So, True Monarch Fang has mobilized a massive force, with so many Core Formation cultivators and a fourth-rank Demon King at the vanguard… All this, just to pin down me and Lord Earthrock at the same time?”

Lan Chang'an spoke with a half-smile.

As soon as those words were spoken, True Monarch Fang’s previously relaxed expression vanished. His brows furrowed slightly.

“Why hasn’t Lord Earthrock taken action?”

Realizing something was wrong, True Monarch Fang shifted his gaze toward the half-demon rat-man standing beside Lan Chang'an on the city wall.

Lord Earthrock was wrapped in earthen yellow light, exuding a dense earth fiend aura.

It stood motionless, eyes locked dead-on at the fourth-rank Demon King crashing into the city wall below, seemingly ready to strike at any moment, but still, it hadn’t moved.

...

“Could it be… there’s an inside man in Beast King Valley’s upper ranks, and this brat uncovered our plan?”

True Monarch Fang’s expression turned thoughtful.

According to the plan, the fourth-rank Demon King was meant to temporarily trade itself against Lord Earthrock.

Otherwise, all True Monarch Fang had to do was keep Lan Chang'an occupied. With the Demon King attacking the city, the demonic faction forces had twice the Core Formation power, plus numerous spirit pets and war beasts, more than enough to break through the front-line fortress.

Staring again at Lord Earthrock on the distant city wall, True Monarch Fang activated the Breaking Illusion Drama Eyes, and in his indifferent pupils, a pair of dark golden vertical pupils emerged, locking onto Lord Earthrock.

To his senses, Lord Earthrock’s aura appeared completely normal. But under the gaze of the golden pupils, its figure gradually became translucent, hollow inside.

At the hollow center of that illusory body, there was a fourth-rank Phantom Talisman.

“Not good!”

True Monarch Fang’s face changed drastically. He hadn’t expected Lan Chang'an to see through their plan.

That fourth-rank talisman created a false image of Lord Earthrock, sufficient to deceive the majority of early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

Fourth-rank talismans were incredibly rare, illusion-type talismans even more so and extremely niche. How did this kid just happen to have one?

You should know there were barely any fourth-rank talisman masters in the entire Eastern Region. Even within the Righteous Dao Alliance, there had been no known emergence of a fourth-rank talisman master.

“Heh… just a fake fourth-rank Demon King. Why would I need Lord Earthrock’s help?”

Lan Chang'an hadn’t even finished speaking before his body vanished, leaving only a faint afterimage behind.

Swish!

In the blink of an eye, Lan Chang'an appeared above the fourth-rank Demon King’s head, his lips curled into a playful smirk.

“He dares engage a Demon King in close quarters?”

True Monarch Fang was stunned by Lan Chang'an’s move.

In terms of close combat, a fourth-rank demon king from the Beast King Valley was equivalent to a Demon King or fourth-rank Body Cultivator. For a typical qi cultivator to get that close, it was extremely dangerous.

Though he didn’t understand what Lan Chang'an was doing, True Monarch Fang turned into a murky yellow streak of light, rushing to assist the Demon King.

He wasn’t really worried about the thick-skinned Demon King's safety, but rather about Lan Chang'an’s awareness of their plan, that unsettled him more.

At the same moment, standing atop the Demon King's head, Lan Chang'an raised both hands and slowly struck out.

Withering Extinction Divine Light!

Between his palms, two beams of profound, shifting blue-green light began to form, radiating a decay-like aura of time’s passage and withering death.

Slap! Slap!

Two deathly rays, containing forbidden life-draining power, struck the enormous beast’s head, corroding two withered, bloody holes into its flesh.

For such a massive fourth-rank Demon King, these could only be considered minor flesh wounds.

But True Monarch Fang, flying from afar, felt a deep sense of unease. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the essence of the technique.

“No! That’s a Lifespan-Draining Divine Ability!”

True Monarch Fang instinctively grew wary and immediately remembered that Beast King Valley’s fourth-rank Demon Kings were force-grown by sacrificing lifespan potential.

Moreover, the beasts selected were not young specimens with high potential, but often older, near-retirement creatures.

Roar!

The fourth-rank Demon King, unfazed by the minor injuries, opened its massive jaws and lunged at Lan Chang'an only to bite empty air.

Lan Chang'an flickered out of sight, now standing once again atop its head, hands behind his back.

The entire exchange had taken just a breath or two.

The Demon King, now provoked, roared in fury and began to thrash around, trying to shake Lan Chang'an off its head.

But then, its mountain-sized body suddenly froze.

A blood-scented wind swept across the battlefield.

The Demon King’s fur, flesh, and blood began to wither visibly, its vital essence rapidly draining away.

Its enormous body shrank by a full size in an instant, turning into skin and bones.

Stiffly frozen in place, its blood-red eyes, larger than lanterns, stared wide open at the white-robed man standing on its head.

Boom!

The colossal war machine collapsed powerlessly, crashing into the earth and creating a massive crater, sending dust and rubble into the air.

...

At that moment, cultivators and spirit beasts on both sides froze, falling into a brief silence.

Everyone turned to look at the scene where the fourth-rank Demon King had fallen dead.

“This… how could this happen…”

The cultivators from both the Righteous and Demonic factions opened their mouths wide, struck speechless.

A fourth-rank Demon King, a war machine that had swept across the Eastern Region for Beast King Valley, once toppling countless immortal cities and cultivation sects.

Numerous spiritual senses swept over, confirming that the Demon King's lifespan had been depleted and that its soul had been completely extinguished.

“A mere demonic beast with just twenty-some years of lifespan left, and it dares flail about before this True Monarch?”

Lan Chang'an said calmly and unremarkably.

His face-to-face strike with two blasts of Withering Light could strip thirty years of lifespan from a same-rank cultivator.

By that logic, Beast King Valley still owed him a few years.

“Lan Chang'an! You actually cultivate such a heaven-defying, forbidden technique!”

True Monarch Fang arrived and stared at the withered corpse of the Demon King, fear flashing in his eyes.

He dared not approach, instinctively keeping a safe distance from Lan Chang'an.

These kinds of forbidden techniques always came with a price. For Lan Chang'an to wield it so effectively, he must have sacrificed quite a bit of his own lifespan.

“Beast King Valley mass-produces war beasts, and force-breeds Demon Kings by sacrificing potential and lifespan, how is that not ten or a hundred times more heaven-defying than anything I’ve done?”

Lan Chang'an said with mocking disdain.

Whether a technique was labeled “heaven-defying” depended on whether the person wielding it was a threat.

If not no one cared, not even if you were self-destructing.

True Monarch Fang’s face twitched. His plan was now in shambles. He asked in a low voice:

“Where did True Monarch Lan get this information?”

“Heh… We in the Righteous Dao Alliance have informants even within the upper echelons of Beast King Valley and even Unseen Gate.”

Lan Chang'an answered with a mysterious smile.

At that moment, he flipped his hand and produced a transmission token, within which was a plea for help from the region Fairy Xia was guarding.

The city Fairy Xia was defending was currently under siege by three Nascent Soul cultivators, and their army outnumbered hers two or three times over.

Under normal circumstances, without reinforcements from another Nascent Soul cultivator, they wouldn't be able to hold out for long.

This was the ominous sign Lan Chang'an had divined on her body months ago.

...

“Hold the city for half a day.”

Lan Chang'an’s body blurred, and he appeared above the fortress, tossing down several prepared third-rank puppets.

“Yes, True Monarch Lan!”

The stationed Core Formation cultivators respectfully received the puppets.

With the fourth-rank Demon King slain, the pressure on the defenders dropped significantly.

“True Monarch Fang, are you planning to stop me?”

Lan Chang'an asked casually, as a pair of majestic black wings, several zhang wide, unfolded behind him. A misty black aura swirled around his entire body.

With a sweep of his wings, Lan Chang'an turned into a bolt of black lightning, soaring through the clouds.

True Monarch Fang’s expression flickered. He hesitated, his escape light flashing beneath his feet, but in the end, he didn’t pursue.

First, Lan Chang'an possessed the Black Heaven Wings, his flight speed exceeded normal limits. He couldn’t catch him.

Second, there was no point in risking his life for Beast King Valley, especially after witnessing the Withering Extinction Divine Light.

If he lost decades or a century of his own lifespan in a fatal struggle, who could he blame?

“Continue the assault!”

True Monarch Fang made up his mind and gave a cold order.

Having lost the fourth-rank Demon King, he knew it was unlikely they could take the city within half a day.

The fortress was protected by a pseudo-fourth-rank formation, along with numerous Core Formation cultivators and third-rank puppets assisting in defense. A direct assault would take time.

Still, appearances had to be maintained.

He couldn’t stop Lan Chang'an, but he could at least do his part by pressuring the Righteous Dao on the front line.

After all, any losses on this battlefield weren’t from his own Nether Spring Sect.

...

The Feng Kingdom, Yuanliu Immortal City, located in the southwestern border region.

Black clouds pressed low over the city, threatening to crush it. A boundless sea of demonic faction cultivators, war beasts, and flying beasts had completely surrounded the immortal city, not even a drop of water could leak out.

Above the immortal city, tens of thousands of spirit cranes danced and soared, their glowing feathers filling the sky, forming a massive formation of annihilation that sealed off any escape route through the skies.

Elder Ten Thousand Crane, True Monarch Black Feather, and True Monarch Guo, three Nascent Soul cultivators of the demonic faction floated in a triangle formation around the city. Each was unleashing their methods, deploying powerful artifacts to violently bombard Yuanliu Immortal City.

Within the city, Fairy Xia, dressed in a moon-white palace gown, sat cross-legged on a lotus platform.

Her jade-like hands formed incantation seals as snowflakes danced around her. A layer of crystalline white ice radiated from her body, extending toward the weakest points of the city’s great formation, quickly condensing into a thick wall of frost.

Boom! Boom! Crack!

A huge fissure soon tore through the city’s protective barrier. The ice wall exploded and shattered into fragments.

Despair and panic spread throughout all of Yuanliu Immortal City.

“Breach the city! Kill everyone inside!”

“If possible, capture the Fairy Xuanbing alive, prevent her Nascent Soul from escaping!”

At the command of the three demonic faction True Monarchs, Beast King Valley’s Core Formation cultivators took the lead. Countless flying beasts and war beasts surged through the massive breach.

“Turtle Lan! You captured my wife alive, today, I’ll capture and kill your woman and make you taste double the humiliation!”

True Monarch Black Feather’s cold and stern expression twisted into a cruel smile.

Beast King Valley had been unable to find any weak spots on Lan Chang'an, making him impossible to retaliate against. Thus, they changed tactics and set their sights on the woman closest to him.

If they could capture and kill a Nascent Soul-level woman like Fairy Xia, the psychological blow would far exceed the disgrace Lan Chang'an had brought upon them with the Peacock Saintess.

To ensure the plan’s success, Beast King Valley had increased pressure on the frontlines adjacent to Fairy Xia’s position, making it impossible for her to receive reinforcements.

While Lan Chang'an had a fourth-rank spirit beast, Beast King Valley’s fourth-rank Demon Kings were powerful enough to hold it in a prolonged fight.

“Fairy Xia, today you can’t escape your fate. You’d best surrender now. Hmph blame Lan Chang'an for shaming Beast King Valley and inciting our wrath!”

True Monarch Black Feather, cloaked in a storm of demonic black fire and wind, charged toward the giant breach in the formation.

Inside the isolated city, Xia Wenyue sat like a fairy lotus in a painting, pure and untainted by the world. Her ice-cold beauty only stirred True Monarch Black Feather’s desire.

Having lost the Peacock Saintess, he would be more than happy to make this woman her replacement.

As the cultivators of Beast King Valley stormed the breach, True Monarch Black Feather followed closely behind.

Fairy Xia’s expression was cold as frost. She gently waved her sleeve.

Squeak!

A rat demon, the size of a mongrel dog, suddenly appeared by her feet.

Whoosh—Boom!

A violent yellow sandstorm erupted out of nowhere, growing a hundredfold in an instant, transforming into a terrifying sand tornado that swallowed the Beast King Valley cultivators, flying beasts, and war beasts charging through the breach.

“Ahhh—!!”

Screams filled the air as blood mist and shattered bones spun within the massive storm like a scene from hell.

The vanguard of Beast King Valley’s army was caught completely off guard—suffering massive casualties, including several Core Formation cultivators.

...

“Lord Earthrock!”

“Wasn’t this rat demon supposed to be with Lan Chang'an? Why is it in Yuanliu City?!”

This sudden twist shocked the three demonic faction True Monarchs and made their hearts sink.

With the unexpected arrival of a fourth-rank Demon King, the entire battlefield situation shifted drastically.

If it had remained three versus one, they could have easily suppressed Fairy Xia, with at least triple the power.

Especially since Elder Ten Thousand Crane was one of the most powerful early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, and they had a massive army at their backs.

But with another Nascent Soul-level fighter appearing, making it a 3v2, the power gap was drastically reduced.

In this situation, capturing Fairy Xia was no longer a certainty. Even killing her in the short term would be extremely difficult.

Boom!

True Monarch Black Feather’s black wind and demonic flames clashed against Lord Earthrock’s sandstorm, canceling each other out and rescuing some of the remaining elite cultivators from the storm.

At this moment, his situation became awkward.

To go forward would mean entering the city and facing a two-on-one against Fairy Xia, Lord Earthrock, and the barrage of attacks from cultivators inside.

If he had the Black Heaven Wings, he would’ve charged in without hesitation.

But to retreat, while safer, would mean wasting the hard-won opportunity and sacrificing their previous efforts in vain.

If Fairy Xia and Lord Earthrock managed to seal the breach and repair the formation, breaking the city again wouldn’t be so easy.

“Black Feather! Get in there! We’ll be right behind you!”

Behind him, Elder Ten Thousand Crane sent a quick voice transmission, making a decisive call.

This was the best moment to breach the city.

Once fully breached, they would hold an absolute advantage both in high-level combat power and army numbers.

“Fine!”

True Monarch Black Feather gritted his teeth and summoned a black blade-type magical treasure, his black wind and demonic flames surging once more.

But at that moment, he suddenly felt his body sink as though he were being dragged downward. Only by circulating his full cultivation did he manage to resist the pull.

It was Lord Earthrock, far in the distance, using an earth-binding technique on him.

“Go!”

Fairy Xia’s eyes were icy, snowflakes swirling around her. With her slender jade fingers, she slashed through the air.

Cold Ice Divine Chain!

A silver-crystal iron ice chain like a dazzling arc of polar light swept across the air and in an instant coiled around True Monarch Black Feather’s waist and thigh.

He didn’t think much of it at first and intended to forcefully shatter the chain with a burst of power.

But a terrifying cold force exploded across his body, freezing his flesh and bones, even locking down the Nascent Soul mana in his body.

He couldn’t even use half his power. Ice rapidly formed on his skin, bringing deep frostbite and cracks across his body.

“Help me, you two!”

True Monarch Black Feather let out a panicked, hoarse scream.

He couldn’t comprehend how this newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator Fairy Xia could wield such a powerful cold-type magical treasure.

And her innate Dao body gave her tremendous amplification to ice-based divine abilities. Until now, she had been holding back during the defense.

Elder Ten Thousand Crane and True Monarch Guo, who had just arrived, were both shocked.

They had assumed Fairy Xia’s combat strength was on par with Yin Yuanhai. They hadn’t expected her to be this strong, possibly even stronger than True Monarch Black Feather.

...

“Quick! Save Black Feather!”

Elder Ten Thousand Crane and True Monarch Guo were just about to charge through the breach to rescue him- Whoosh!

Suddenly, a black-feathered streak of light-like thunder tore through the clouds from high above, circling around to attack Ten Thousand Crane and Guo from behind.

A relaxed male voice echoed from the sky:

“Wenyue, don’t worry. Your husband is here to save you.”