Chapter 74 - The Crimson Tide
The wind-tracking eagles brought the carriage down toward the Chu border fortress, its wooden frame creaking against the hot gusts. Unlike the Qi canyons, the western frontier was a wide valley of cracked clay and deep fissures, where the wind carried a sharp, sulfurous heat.
Inside, Ji Han sat with eyes closed, his thunder Qi forming a cool hum around his shoulders, while opposite him, Lin Yuying sat in silent meditation, her breath releasing a faint frost. As they landed, the doors opened to a sweltering dry wind. The basalt walls of the fortress, reinforced by iron brackets, were already hot to the touch, and mortal soldiers were rushing along the battlements carrying oil jars and heavy spears.
Ji Han and Elder Lie of Vermilion Flame Peak entered the stone chamber, where a runic communication mirror linked all three fronts. Ji Han tapped the bronze rim, channeling his Qi. The bronze mirror hummed as the array activated, its surface rippling like water before settling into clear, glowing status glyphs. Each glyph represented a command node, flashing in green and red to synchronize the intelligence of the entire border.
The Qi front report pulsed steadily. "Elder Su and Elder Han have stabilized the canyon," Elder Lie noted, his voice carrying the deep rumble of a fire cultivator.
Ji Han gave a cold nod, his gaze shifting to the central glyph. The main front report was far more chaotic, flashing warning runes across a massive, vibrating array dome. Led by Mu Bairong, the central pass was ten times larger than either flank, holding a three-mile wall against a massive stampede.
"The center is holding, but the scale of the tide is immense," Ji Han said flatly. "We must hold this flank to keep the demon beasts from reinforcing the center."
"Then let us head up," Elder Lie replied, a spark of flame flickering in his eyes as he adjusted his red robes. "The wind is shifting. The hounds are close."
They climbed the basalt steps to the main battlements, where the air was thick with red dust. General Wei stood at the edge, his massive steel spear planted in the stone. Though he lacked spiritual Qi, his Stage 4 body radiated a heavy physical pressure that kept his mortal soldiers steady.
"The vanguard has entered the valley," General Wei grunted, offering a stiff salute. "A pack of volcanic hounds, driven mad by the chaotic energy."
On the lower wall, the Flowing Cloud Valley disciples were already struggling. As the local sect, their lands lay directly behind the fort. They desperately channeled wind and mist barriers to protect the lower gates, but as the hounds drew close, the intense heat warped the air. The blue mist hissed and cracked, steam rising as the moisture boiled away. The vassal elder shouted frantic orders, his eyes bloodshot with panic as their defenses began to warp.
"They cannot withstand the heat," Elder Lie said. He turned to his disciples. "Zhao Kang, take your group and reinforce the lower gates."
Zhao Kang leaped down, his red robes fluttering as he landed smoothly among the vassal disciples. His body flared with orange flames. As a flame cultivator, his meridians hummed, absorbing the ambient heat to strengthen his own spells. Extending his hands, he traced a rapid seal, raising a massive wall of fire across the gate path.
Fifty volcanic hounds, blackened, soot-covered beasts dripping molten saliva—slammed into the barrier. The hounds charged in a dense, red-eyed pack, their heavy footsteps cracking the dry clay as their bodies radiated a suffocating heat that made it hard for the mortal soldiers to draw breath. The flame wall did not stop them physically, but it drained their heat, causing their internal volcanic energy to reduce. Several exploded into ash, while others hardened into stone.
Beside him, Zhang Yuexin fought desperately, but the stench of burning blood and sulfur made her chest tighten. Unlike the tournament arena, this battlefield was chaotic. She cast a flame snake spell, but as two hounds lunged from the dust on her flank, panic seized her. Her footing slipped on the cracked clay, and she froze.
"Watch the flank!" a vassal disciple screamed as a hound lunged at her shoulder.
*Slash!*
A blade of orange fire bisected the hound mid-air, scattering hot ash over her robes. Zhao Kang stood nearby, his hands already forming the next spell without looking at her.
"Junior Sister Zhang, if you want to die, do it where you won’t block my sight," Zhao Kang said coldly. "You are dragging us down."
Zhang Yuexin’s face went pale, but she gritted her teeth and retreated to a safer circle, her hands trembling as she forced her Qi to stabilize.
The battle grew heavier. A second, denser wave of volcanic hounds surged down the valley. The sheer volume of their collective heat caused the Flowing Cloud Valley barrier to collapse completely with a loud crash. The vassal disciples fell back in retreat, their breathing heavy as the burning wind swept over them.
"The gate is exposed!" one of the elders yelled.
From the high, Ji Han’s subordinates stepped forward.
"Deploy," Ji Han commanded.
A dozen disciples in white-and-blue robes raised their hands, channeling the storm elements of their peak. A heavy, dark cloud formed over the valley, releasing a freezing downpour that hissed as it struck the hot ground. Thunder crackled within the mist, striking the beasts with blue lightning. The vassal disciples watched in silence, stunned by the absolute difference in execution between their sect and the performance of the Heavenly Cloud Sect’s disciples.
As the heat from the valley rose again, threatening to dry the rain, Lin Yuying stepped forward. She looked down at the charging mass of hounds, her expression serene and focused.
She raised her hand, her fingers tracing a cold, blue rune in the air.
*Clang!*
A sharp metallic hum echoed as a long spear made of solid, blue ice materialized in her hand. With a quick gesture, she threw it forward. The spear pierced a large hound, pinning it to the ground, before shattering into a dozen sharp ice shards that flew outward, skewering the surrounding beasts. She moved her hands rapidly, conjuring three more ice swords in the air, sending them flying to slice through the vanguard.
Then, she closed her eyes and pressed her hands against the granite battlements.
"Glacier Sky Domain," she murmured.
A deep, bone-chilling hum vibrated through the stone wall. From her palms, a bright blue light surged downward, spreading across the cracked clay valley like a freezing wave. The creeping frost raced across the ground, climbing up the basalt fortress walls and instantly freezing the dry earth. The sweltering heat of the volcanic hounds was snuffed out, replaced by a biting cold that cracked the frozen valley floor. The hounds’ fiery hides hissed as the ice climbed up their legs, locking hundreds of beasts solid in deep, blue ice mid-stride. A freezing gale swept through the valley, instantly cooling the air and relieving the exhausted vassal disciples and mortal troops.
"Now," Lin Yuying said, her breath forming a thick cloud of frost.
Above, Ji Han’s body rose into the air, his robes whipping violently in the freezing wind. His hands moved in rapid, complex gestures, his thunder Qi flaring to its absolute peak. The dark clouds above turned pitch black, violently swirling into a vortex.
"Heaven’s Wrath!" Ji Han shouted.
A colossal, sky-splitting column of blue lightning descended from the heavens, striking the center of the frozen valley. The lightning chain-reacted through the solid ice, spreading outward like a spiderweb.
*BOOM!*
The ice shattered, and with it, the frozen bodies of the hundreds of volcanic hounds exploded into millions of glittering, harmless shards of ash and frost. The valley was instantly cleared of the vanguard, leaving only a smoking, frozen wasteland of cracked ice.
On the battlements and the secondary walls, the silence was absolute. The mortal soldiers, the Flowing Cloud Valley disciples, and even the Vermilion Flame Peak disciples stared in complete awe at the coordinated display of the two Golden Core and elite disciples.
General Wei lowered his spear tip, his jaw tight as he stared at the cleared valley. "So this is the strength of the Sect Master’s lineage..."
On the wall, Elder Lie let out a low chuckle, looking at Lin Yuying. "Her control of the Frost element has improved since the tournament. To freeze such volcanic hounds in such a dry valley requires immense control."
Ji Han descended slowly, landing back on the stone floor. His expression remained cold and serious, his eyes fixed on the horizon.
"It was only the first wave," Ji Han said, his voice flat. "The chaotic energy is still rising."
He pointed toward the distant hills. Through the thinning mist of ice and ash, the horizon had turned a deep, blood-red color. The ground began to vibrate again, a low, heavy rumble that shook the basalt blocks of the fortress.
The culprit, the demon lord Crimson Blood Hound, was coming, and with it, the main tide of the western front.
Ji Han’s hand tightened, his thunder Qi beginning to crackle once more as they stood on the absolute brink of the collision.