Chapter 216

The air was filled with piercing screams of despair, mingling with the yellow wind’s devouring howls, echoing around the four.

They channeled spiritual power into their eyes and released their divine awareness, barely glimpsing three figures battling desperately within the yellow wind.

As time dragged on, the cries faded, and the beams of light around the figures dimmed.

Eventually, even their shadows dissolved like wind-scattered sand.

Now, only the yellow wind’s mournful wails lingered in their ears.

Zhang Wutai trembled uncontrollably, his last shred of fighting resolve crumbling.

Those three accompanying cultivators had been stronger than him.

Yet under the yellow wind, they could only struggle helplessly before being devoured.

“The yellow wind demon… Is this Tiger-Chasing’s yellow wind demon?”

When he snapped back to his senses, the yellow wind—now done slaughtering the soldiers—began creeping up the mountain toward Flying Eagle Mountain Villa.

The other three elders were paralyzed with terror, but a sliver of clarity struck Zhang Wutai.

If this were a true extermination, the troops at the mountain’s foot should have attacked simultaneously!

Yet the soldiers remained still—this enemy approached alone…

“Quick! Summon every family member to the gate!”

Zhang Wutai roared, jolting the other Elders into action. Soon, the villa’s entrance was packed with kneeling figures.

When Yang Lingrui materialized from the yellow wind, he found the gate crowded inside and out with prostrate people.

Zhang Wutai knelt at the front with the three Elders.

Spotting Yang Lingrui, he crawled forward and pressed his forehead to the ground. “We surrender, Senior. Spare our villa’s disciples, we implore you.”

“Good.”

Yang Lingrui uttered flatly.

Zhang Wutai’s tension eased as he urgently guided his family through the blood oath.

After verifying the oath, Yang Lingrui marked the white zone on his map.

Truthfully, slaughtering all and keeping the land was safer.

But the He Family required laborers for spiritual plant cultivation. To conserve resources, he offered surrender at each mountain.

He gave one chance only.

Submit and swear.

Refuse, and perish.

Recently, a deluded small sect had tried haggling. Even the ants beneath their sect’s soil were erased by the yellow wind.

Securing Flying Eagle Mountain Villa granted him hefty military merits, inching him closer to the treasure within the Dynasty Treasury.

After handing over the area to the Tiger-Chasing army, Yang Lingrui prepared to head toward the next target requiring capture.

Just then, the captain of the accompanying cultivators rushed to find him.

"Fellow Daoist Lingrui, an urgent order from the main camp!"

"Urgent order?"

Yang Lingrui’s heart tightened. Direct orders from the main camp to the frontline had never occurred before in Tiger-Chasing’s history.

If the order reached him now, something grave must have happened.

Yang Lingrui swiftly took the document. Upon reading it, his eyebrows arched sharply and his gaze turned icy.

A violent surge of killing intent erupted from him, making the messenger cultivator beside him shudder.

"Inform the main camp that Yang Lingrui accepts the order!"

Suppressing his murderous aura, Yang Lingrui abandoned his original mission and raced northeast.

The order contained only three brief lines:

"Eastern Wilderness sect coalition launched surprise attack on strategic stronghold Guhui Town."

"Qiu Ran trapped by enemy forces within the town."

"Situation critical. Reinforce immediately."

Identical orders spread across the eastern line within a single day.

With both sides’ Condensing Essence and Spirit Communication cultivators locked in territorial battles, only mobile units of Dynasty Talents remained deployable.

"Wu Zhao acknowledges! Hold on, Sister Qiu! I’m coming!"

"Feng Lan acknowledges!"

"Shen Yue, acknowledged."

"Relay my Military Order: advance northward!"

"Stay alive. Don’t you dare die!"

Multiple figures began darting through battle zones, taking shortest routes toward Guhui Town at maximum speed.

Two days later, Guhui Town’s situation had deteriorated under combined sect and Eastern Wilderness assaults.

Dozens of techniques bombarded from all directions. The guarding formation flickered weakly, its cracked surface nearing collapse.

"Breach west! Seal it now!"

"On it!"

"Western crack patched!"

"Support northern defenses!"

"Understood!"

A dozen accompanying cultivators raced through town, having worked nonstop for days.

Their spiritual power nearly exhausted, they desperately channeled remaining energy to sustain the crumbling formation.

What kept them going was the resolute purple-clad figure standing atop Guhui Town’s high walls.

As long as she remained standing, hope still lived for the town!

"Strike!"

CRACK!—

The Purple Thundercloud materialized instantly. As Calamity Lightning crashed down, besieging sect cultivators scattered like frightened ants.

Qiu Ran moved swiftly to other battlefronts, summoning heavenly bolts to repel enemy forces.

Eastern Wilderness cultivators knew better than to face her directly, retreating at mere sight of the purple silhouette.

"How many days has this lasted? Hasn’t her supply run dry yet?"

"Fool! She’s Tiger-Chasing’s senior sister – her reserves dwarf ours."

"Status means nothing now. She’s just buying time before dying!"

As they argued, another voice cut through: "Even with those sect prodigies helping us, she can’t last three more days."

"When the formation falls, I claim her left hand for the bounty."

"Her right arm’s mine."

"Nobody touches the heart and lungs but me!"

Though Guhui Town’s guarding formation still held, these Eastern Wilderness cultivators already bickered over spoils – proof of their overwhelming confidence in the sect’s talented disciples.

Qiu Ran’s continuous lightning strikes drained her spiritual power, forcing repeated elixir consumption. Each pill brought visible agony, her brow furrowing deeper.

"Why torture yourself, Friend?" came false sympathy from beyond the barrier. "Elixir poisoning will cripple your cultivation."

"Three days without reinforcements! Does Tiger-Chasing value their star disciple so little?"

The voices belonged to sect traitors collaborating with Eastern Wilderness invaders. Their honeyed words sought to erode her resolve, unaware that Tiger-Chasing had dispatched Yang Lingrui’s team after interceptors blocked regular troops.

Regaining partial strength, Qiu Ran faced her tormentors.

"Friend, perhaps we could negotiate—"

"Strike."

CRACK!—

Lightning scorched an attacker’s arm mid-sentence.

"Ungrateful savage!" The burned cultivator clutched his injury. "When this formation breaks, I’ll teach you manners!"

"Strike."

"Y-you…!"

He instinctively dodged again, only to find empty skies. Qiu Ran’s mocking laughter confirmed the bluff.

Before he could retaliate, an Eastern Wilderness scout arrived panting:

"Friends! Western scouts vanished – the detection artifacts activated!"