Chapter 331: Chapter 225: The Momentum Shifts Again, the Empress Personally Assaults Celestial Profound, Li Sheng’s Deduction, Pitch-black Turtle Shell

Celestial Profound Mansion.

A desolate horn blast echoed through the mountains and wilds, startling the great, slumbering city awake.

As the gateway to the Great Yan Dynasty, the Celestial Profound Continent had always been a vital border stronghold. Located on the furthest frontier, it boasted a population of nearly a million souls. Its streets teemed with Martial Artists from the Jianghu, Qi Cultivators from various Sects, and High Monks from the Buddhist Sect...

Together, they guarded this century-old gateway. But for such a large city, the number of defenders was pitifully small. A great city of a million people had a mere fifty-six thousand soldiers.

Most of the troops had already been dispatched to the surrounding towns to protect the evacuating civilians.

Celestial Profound Mansion was overseen by a Twelfth Realm Saint and was home to a massive number of powerful Martial Artists. It had also gathered countless Immortal Influences.

As the horn blew, the defending generals looked out. A black tide of soldiers surged along a newly carved path, bypassing the natural fortress of the mountain peaks. They arrived at the foot of the city walls amidst a swirling cloud of dust.

...

Streaks of rainbow light shot up from within the city like a dense meteor shower, streaking across the sky before landing atop the city walls.

A group of defenders led by Qi Xingyan stared intently into the distance. They saw more than twenty floating warships, powered by Spiritual Energy Arrays, speeding toward the city’s Grand Array.

Beneath the black clouds, a colossal shadow loomed, like that of a giant.

With every step, the ground trembled.

"Is the Holy Nether Army planning a frontal assault?"

Qi Xingyan stood at the very front, surrounded by his men. He raised his head, his sleeves neat, his eyes like twin suns. The bleak, cold border wind whipped around him, sending his graying hair fluttering like willow catkins at his temples. His aura was powerful, his Vast Righteous Qi incomparably pure—like a blazing sun in the Mortal World, illuminating all things.

"It seems so. There are three defensive lines within the Northern Great Wall. Even if they break the first, there’s still the second. With their current strength, the Demon Country’s army won’t be able to break through the towns’ defenses anytime soon."

A young Cultivator beside him replied.

The perilous border passes form the Great Yan’s first line of defense.

Even if it’s breached, there is a second line, where the many powerful Cultivators in the towns will make their move.

Even if a large force manages to break through the first two lines, they will never be able to breach the third.

Not long ago, the army personally led by the Great Nether Empress summoned a terrifying Demon Fiend from the Yellow Springs and broke through the second line of defense.

One had to admit, she was playing for keeps.

It is rare for an Emperor to personally lead their troops into battle.

Having heard that the second line had been breached, they had been waiting here for a long time.

Fortunately, only the Great Nether Empress’s contingent had broken through the second defensive line; the main Holy Nether Army could not bypass the entirety of the Great Wall.

That was the very purpose for which the Great Wall was built.

It prevented the Demon Country from consolidating its forces, forcing them to attack one location at a time.

This way, their defense would become much more flexible. They could use the Great Wall to rapidly reinforce one another, moving far faster than the enemy.

Even as a direct battlefield, Celestial Profound Mansion had the advantage of a natural fortress of overlapping mountain peaks. It would be difficult for the enemy to march through the mountains, making it much more convenient for the Great Yan to lay an ambush.

This time, however, they had no such opportunity.

THUD!

THUD!

The ground trembled. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The surrounding mountain peaks were plucked from the earth like bamboo shoots by a massive, purplish-black hand. The hand’s sharp nails blotted out the sun and clouds as it brutally carved a path for the Demon Country’s army.

Soon, a wide, open space appeared before them.

Only when it drew closer could Qi Xingyan finally see the owner of the purplish-black hand: a Demon with crimson hair and sharp fangs. It was as large as a mountain, its head level with the heavens, its body as colossal as a peak.

"I had long heard that the Ancient Mountain-moving Apes, beasts of peerless might, made their homes in the mountains. They are exceedingly rare now. I never expected the Holy Netherworld to still harbor such a fiend."

The former City Lord of Celestial Profound Mansion, an expert who had originally been stationed here, was a Middle Fifth-Grade Martial Artist who had reached the Vajra Realm. Ever since Qi Xingyan took over as Guardian Envoy, the former lord had heeded his call. Seeing the enormous Demon now, he couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.

Qi Xingyan, being more experienced and knowledgeable, recognized the creature at a glance. He said in a grave voice, "That is a Giant Demon from the Demon Race of the Holy Netherworld."

"The Ten Kings of the Underworld each command one of the Ten Races, which are the ten great clans of the Holy Netherworld. The Demon Race is the most prominent among them and is further divided into Heart Demons, Celestial Demons, and Giant Demons."

"The Great Nether Empress herself is a hybrid of Ancestral Witch and Celestial Demon. A prodigy born from their union, she was chosen by the Divine Beings. She can communicate directly with the heavens and possesses both an immense demonic nature and the Witch Race’s Spirit Communication Attribute. She can command Divine Power and is the strongest prodigy of the younger generation."

Hearing Qi Xingyan’s explanation, the expressions of the others grew far more grim.

All of this was enough to show that the Great Nether Empress would not be as easy to deal with as they had imagined.

A beautiful Fairy from Dao Yi Mountain gazed at the ever-growing mass of skeletons and corpses gathering below, a grim, green fire flickering in her eyes. She furrowed her brow and asked:

"I’ve heard that these fiends are all summoned through sacrificial rites from the Yellow Springs. Can it be that these Demon Fiends from the Middle Ages were never truly wiped out?"

Another man, a handsome Daoist in black robes, stroked his mustache. "This matter is far too complex. All I can say is that there are too many secrets we do not know."

"The ones who have come this time are not to be underestimated. That woman in the dress at the prow of the ship... could that be the Peach Blossom Goddess from Taizhi Mountain?"

Everyone noticed a woman in a red dress standing at the forefront of the lead warship. She held a wooden staff, and shimmering patterns flowed across her hem. An insignia glowed on her brow.

Though she looked ordinary, not a single person dared to underestimate her.

As the warship landed, all the Demon Fiends below scattered, suppressed and slain by the radiance emanating from her. Her entire being projected an indescribably terrifying aura.