Chapter 76 - The Seven Star Formation
The red horizon bled into the dark valleys as the main stampede of the western front rolled forward. It was a tide ten times larger than the vanguard, a dense mass of iron-clad wolves, rock-beasts, and flying shadow eagles that stretched back into the distant mist. Below the basalt fortress, the ground shook in a continuous rumble.
Along the three-mile wall, the battle was heavy. The six Golden Core combat elders stood at their positions, directing the attacks. Below them, senior disciples led their groups. Wei Wuji stood on a defense tower, his heavy steel sword moving in wide, sweeping arcs that released waves of blue sword Qi to slice through packs of wolves.
Each strike rang with a sharp, heavy hum, sending shards of crushed stone and dark blood flying into the air. Beside him, several outer disciples gasped for breath, their foreheads covered in sweat as they frantically channeled their Qi into their own weapons to hold the line.
A short distance away, Chen Yu of Spirit Beast Peak directed a flock of lightning falcons, their wings crackling with sparks as they dived to disrupt the flying shadow eagles. The air was thick with dust and soot, filled with the constant screams of beasts and the hum of spiritual Qi.
On the central wall, Bai Yu stood near the defence barrier. She was clad in the plain, grey robes of Spirit Beast Peak core disciples, her expression calm as her eyes tracked the charging horde. Beside her, a massive shadow panther, her third companion beast, materialized from her shadow. Its fur was black as ink, and its glowing purple eyes locked onto a group of iron-clad wolves climbing the lower wall.
"Go," Bai Yu said softly.
With a silent leap, the shadow panther vanished into the shadows of the battlements. It emerged behind a wolf, its claws tearing through the steel plate of the beast’s neck before merging back into the darkness. The shadow panther moved like a fluid ink stain, its claws elongating into sharp blades of dark spiritual Qi. It did not make a single sound, its throat releasing only a silent hum of raw power as it merged and unmerged from the shadows.
As she watched it, Bai Yu felt a warm current of vitality flowing back through her symbiotic soul bridge, replenishing her spiritual energy and reinforcing her meridians. It moved like a phantom, leaving a trail of silent, clean kills along the wall.
Bai Yu watched the panther’s work, her face serene. She did not summon her fourth beast, keeping it deeply hidden within her soul space. As a core disciple of Spirit Beast Peak, others expected her to show her full hand, but she was far too smart to expose all her cards in a general defense.
’A name is just a label,’ she thought, her fingers tracing the cold leather of her storage pouch.
Her real name was not Bai Yu. While Bai was her actual family name, Yu was her mother’s name, who had also been a palace maid in a far-off kingdom like herself. Her mother had died of exhaustion in the royal laundry courts when Bai Yu was only a child. Earlier on the day of her escape, the princess she served had retrieved a mysterious silver bead from the royal vault, boasting of its mystical origins.
That very evening, the princess tried to use the bead in her private chambers while Bai Yu stood guard. The bead’s power was too immense; as it activated, it drained the princess’s life force, killing her instantly. In the quiet room, the silver bead rolled from the princess’s lifeless hands.
When Bai Yu picked it up, a wave of ancient energy flooded her mind, granting her the inheritance of the Myriad Spirit Origin Sutra. But before she could comprehend it, another maid entered the chambers, saw her standing over the lifeless body, and shrieked that Bai Yu had murdered the princess.
Accused of treason and hunted by royal guards, she had fled the palace, surviving a grueling, long journey across the border until she reached the Heavenly Cloud Sect. In this massive sect, she knew she had to climb. Her motivation was simple: she needed high-grade materials to nourish her beasts and summon more spirit beasts from the Myriad Spirit Realm. In a sect of giants, only strength and secrets could keep her safe.
"Watch the sky!" Chen Yu shouted.
Two massive Demon Lords charged the wall. One was a colossal crystal-horned bull, its bone plates glowing with red light, and the other was a giant, wind-attributed eagle with extremely large wings. Behind them, seven high-level beasts followed.
The six Golden Core elders did not show any panic. Having expected these leaders, they coordinated their actions instantly.
"Golden Qilin Peak, take the flanks! Sword Peak, split the center!" the lead combat elder commanded.
A coordinated barrage of Golden Core spells erupted from the towers. The crystal-horned bull slammed against the outer defensive towers, its heavy hoofs shaking the massive stone foundations of the fortress wall, while the giant wind-attributed eagle released sharp blades of pressurized air that hissed as they carved deep grooves in the granite.
But the combat elders moved with practiced discipline. Three elders combined their Qi, raising a net of golden energy that pinned the crystal-horned bull to the ground, while Guan Feng and Wei Wuji launched dual sword strikes that sliced through the wind-attributed eagle’s wings. The battle was brief and controlled. Within minutes, the six Golden Core elders had easily defeated the two Demon Lords, pinning them down with runic chains alongside the seven high-level beasts.
On the battlements, many junior disciples cheered as the massive beasts were caged in mystical iron chains, ready to be sent back to Spirit Beast Peak.
Xiao Ran watched the captures, his brow furrowing as he noticed the criteria. "They are even capturing the younger ones, even some of the weak ones. Why not just take only the strongest?"
"Because raising a beast takes a long time," an elder said, her eyes calm as she watched the cages lock. "Immediate strength is useful today, but potential is what lasts."
Xiao Ran nodded slowly, realizing the long-term depth of their methods.
Xiao Ran looked at her, then toward the command tower. Before he could speak, a sudden, deafening roar shook the entire pass.
*ROOOOOAAAR!*
The roar did not come from the valley; it rose from the deep, dark mountain pass behind the mist. The sound was so loud it tore the soot-covered clouds in the sky, carrying a violet, suffocating pressure that made the stone surface under their feet crack. The iron-clad wolves below the wall instantly entered a state of synchronized frenzy, their eyes turning pitch black as they threw themselves against the wall in a mad, silent rush.
The raw force of the roar slammed against the yellow runic dome.
*CRACK!*
A sharp, fracturing sound echoed through the valley. At the top of the dome, a small, web-like crack appeared in the golden runic shield. The three formation elders at the core spat blood, their faces turning pale as the spiritual backlash traveled through the formation nodes. The sheer power of a single roar had damaged a barrier that had held against thousands of beasts.
As the barrier cracked, a surge of frenzied beasts—a dozen high-level beasts and a swarm of iron-clad wolves—scrambled through the opening, leapfrogging the defenders toward the central pavilion. Standing on the deck, Mu Bairong did not even turn his head. With his hands still tucked in his sleeves, he simply flicked his fingers. Two colorless ripples of spiritual Qi expanded outward.
The moment the ripples touched the charging beasts, their bodies stiffened.
Instantly, the tigers and wolves disintegrated into fine dust, their physical frames and cores completely pulverized by the casual power of Nascent Soul realm cultivation power. The path cleared in a single breath, leaving only a drift of grey ash.
’The Demon King,’ Elder Song Jin whispered, his hand trembling on his sword. "The Armoured Hell Behemoth King is here."
From the dark mist, a colossal shape emerged. It was thirty meters tall, its head covered in thick black crystalline plates, and its massive bone-wings leaking violet mist. Its eyes were two pools of dark purple fire, locking onto the central command pavilion.
"Elders, form the array!" Mu Bairong’s voice echoed across the pass, cold and calm, instantly cutting through the panic of the disciples. "We will now initiate the capture."
"Yes, Second Elder!" the six combat elders saluted.
Leaping from their towers, the six Golden Core elders took their positions in the air around the pavilion, forming a massive, interlocking circle. Mu Bairong stepped into the center, his grey robes whipping violently in the wind as his Nascent Soul Qi flared to its absolute peak, forming the seventh star of the formation.
"Seven-Star Beast Binding Array!" Mu Bairong commanded.
Seven massive columns of silver light shot into the sky, connecting with one another to form a gigantic, rotating silver cage of spiritual chains above the fortress. Mu Bairong charged forward, leading the six Golden Core elders as they dived toward the colossal, crystal-plated Demon King.
On the wall, Xiao Ran and Bai Yu watched in silence as the silver formation descended to collide with the violet mist, as Elder Mu led the charge into the absolute center of the storm.