Chapter 86 - Demon Lord Captured
Ji Han did not wait. He thrust his hand forward, pointing toward a narrow canyon pathway where the cliffs compressed the stampede path. "Hold the pass at the twelfth gate. Shift all mortal archers to the flanks. Raise the barrier now."
Elder Lie bellowed the command to the lower wall. The Flowing Cloud Valley disciples, their faces pale and their robes scorched, rushed to their new positions. They adjusted their shield alignment to the shifting tide, desperate to restructure the standard formation at the canyon mouth. Ji Han’s orders were absolute, and the vassal sect elders pushed their disciples to their assigned array banners, ignoring the cuts and burns that covered their hands.
"Move!" Zhao Kang barked, driving his volcanic lance into the dry ground. He grabbed a heavy, runic iron anchor, his muscles straining as he dragged it through the mud. "Junior Sister Zhang, secure the formation at the eleventh array node. Do not let them slip."
Zhang Yuexin wiped soot from her forehead with a bloody sleeve. She threw her weight against the iron chains of the anchor, her breathing heavy. Nearby, other inner disciples were screaming, the hot wind from the charging beast making their skin blister. She saw two disciples fall back, their shields shattered, but Zhao Kang did not slow down, his focus locked entirely on the incoming beasts.
The Crimson Blood Hound charged into the narrow pass. Driven mad by the thunder strikes, the wolf-lion beast thrashed violently, its paws smashing the solid rocks as it spat geysers of crimson lava. The molten spray blinded three archers on the ridges, their screams echoing through the canyon.
"Now! Earth-Binding Hexagram Array!" Ji Han shouted.
He threw seven yellow paper talismans down from the battlements. The talismans ignited in mid-air, casting glowing, golden runic chains directly beneath the massive Crimson Blood Hound. Golden light projected upward, wrapping around the hound’s thick claws in heavy runic locks. The beast roared, its massive muscles bulging as it thrashed against the gold chains, cracking the stone floor.
"Restrain it!" Ji Han commanded, his hands moving in a blur of thunder seals.
He channeled his thunder Qi, directing a series of Heavenly Thunder Shackles from above. Crackling chains of blue lightning snaked down from the sky, wrapping around the hound’s throat and front legs. The sound of thunder was deafening, the surging lightning burning the beast’s dark mane and forcing it to its knees. Ji Han’s face paled, sweat dripping from his chin as he poured his remaining Core Qi into the shackles.
Elder Lie stepped forward, his body radiating a heavy heat. He directed the Vermilion Flame-trapping array, channeling a massive ring of fire to contain the beast’s heat and prevent it from leaking out.
"Lin Yuying, freeze the floor!" Elder Lie yelled, his voice strained.
Lin Yuying pressed her frost-covered palms against the stone base of the gateway. A wave of blue frost Qi surged forward, spreading icy frost across the field. The creeping ice locked the hound’s legs, cooling the molten hide around it. The sudden, extreme drop in temperature made the hound’s burning hide crack, releasing steam that hissed in the cold wind.
"The chains! Lock them!" Zhao Kang shouted, his volcanic lance flaring with final sparks.
He and four inner disciples rushed into the heat. They dragged the heavy, iron Spirit-Locking chains forward, their hands burning as they wrapped the runic links around the hound’s neck and torso. The beast thrashed, its tail slamming into one disciple’s ribs with a sickening crack that sent him flying into the stone wall. Zhao Kang gritted his teeth, planting his feet in the cracked ice; he conjured flaming chains to stop it.
Zhang Yuexin slammed a physical runic lock over the chain links with her hands trembling.
The Crimson Blood Hound gave one final, earth-shaking roar. It thrashed against the lightning shackles, the golden hexagram locks, the creeping ice, and the heavy physical anchors, but the combination held. The heavy chains clanged, locking the beast tight against the basalt floor. Its volcanic fire slowly died down, leaving only smoldering embers rising from its scorched hide.
The silence that followed was absolute.
Zhao Kang collapsed, his hands raw and blistered, his red robes torn to shreds. He panted, his chest heaving as he stared at the bound Demon Lord. Zhang Yuexin sank to her knees beside him, her head spinning from exhaustion.
Above, Ji Han landed on the battlements, his boots clacking softly. He stood stiffly, his breathing shallow, his face completely pale as he looked down at the captured hound. Elder Lie walked up beside him, wiping blood from his cheek with a soot-stained sleeve.
They had won. They had captured a Demon Lord alive. But as Ji Han looked at the wounded disciples and the ruined gateway, he felt no joy. The battle had been a chaotic, messy scramble that pushed them to their absolute limits. The news of Su Ming’s casualty-free victory at the Qi front still hung over them, making this victory feel heavy and hollow.
"It is secured," Elder Lie muttered, his voice gravelly. "We must march to the center immediately."
Before Ji Han could answer, the ground beneath their feet trembled.
It was not the shaking of a beast’s charge. The entire mountain range groaned; the massive Chu fortress shook under a deafening screech. In the distance, toward the main central camp, the sky turned a deep, terrifying purple.
A colossal wave of spiritual pressure rolled over the valley, so dense and heavy it felt like lead.
Zhang Yuexin gasped, her chest tightening as the raw pressure forced her to press her hands against the ground to keep from falling. Beside her, the captured Crimson Blood Hound whimpered, its violent pride vanished as it curled its tail, shivering in terror.
Ji Han’s eyes widened, his hands freezing on his silver hilt.
"The Demon King..." Ji Han whispered, his voice catching in his throat.
A transmission talisman in Elder Lie’s sleeve burst into red flames. A frantic, distorted voice screamed from the burning ashes.
"The main camp’s defence is shattered! The Demon King has breached the central camp! All vanguards, retreat"
The voice cut off as the talisman crumbled to dust.
Elder Lie’s face drained of color. He turned toward the valley, his voice cracking with urgency. "Retreat! All forces, return immediately!"