Da Xuan Martial Saint

"Sound the horns, beat the drums!"

Upon realizing that a Heavenly Demon was heading straight for their camp, Wu Gu Marquis's expression changed, and without hesitation, he issued a command that echoed for dozens of miles, spreading throughout the two camps.

No matter the reason, an attack by a Heavenly Demon was no small matter. Although the troops here were elite, they weren't the main force; one group had just over ten thousand, not more than thirty thousand combined. Facing a Heavenly Demon was undoubtedly a tremendous pressure.

However.

Strictly speaking, he wasn't so much afraid; the number of army soldiers in military formations, commanded by six Grandmasters, wasn't incapable of confronting a Heavenly Demon, though the biggest issue was still the unexpected appearance of the Heavenly Demon.

Following the command of Wu Gu Marquis, the troops of the Wu Meng and Wu Li camps sprang into action, assembling nearly thirty thousand elites in a remarkably short time. Under the Grandmasters' command, their Qi-Blood surged, forming a visible essence rising to the sky, tumultuous and mighty, perceivable even from dozens of miles away.

At this moment.

As time passed, the demonic qi in the distant sky grew increasingly intense, and finally, its source could be seen—a tremendously large creature, like a small mountain, soaring down from the heavens, followed by a tsunami-like rolling Cloud Sea, ominously pressing down across the sky.

The military formations of the Wu Meng and Wu Li quickly assembled. As the formation took shape, the six Grandmasters, including Wu Gu Marquis, arrived at the front of the formation, gazing into the distance at the approaching black clouds and the colossal creature they carried.

"Is that... the Mystic Tortoise?"

From afar, Wu Gu Marquis watched the scene unfold and, upon faintly recognizing the identity of the massive creature within the clouds, his eyes suddenly flashed with surprise.

He initially thought it was a flying-escape type of Heavenly Demon, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be the Mystic Tortoise. Known to dwell in the Vast Sea and to govern the power of rivers and seas, the Mystic Tortoise was least skilled in flying escape and rarely ever ventured onto land.

This type of creature, if it were in the Outer Sea, would be extremely difficult to deal with; even those in the Blood Exchange Realm might not overcome it, and even if they did, capturing it was another matter entirely, as the creature had the geographical advantage.

But here in Han Prefecture, there were no large rivers nearby.

And most strangely, this Mystic Tortoise was flying, which is least characteristic of its kind.

With a sense of curiosity in his heart, he narrowed his eyes and noticed two figures in front of the massive body of the Mystic Tortoise heading this way, seemingly being chased by it.

As a top Grandmaster of a Foreign Race who had witnessed many incidents, Wu Gu Marquis swiftly came up with a conjecture, his eyes immediately blinking with a hint of brilliance: "...Are they from the Secluded Silent Valley?"

The Heavenly Demon Mystic Tortoise.

He couldn't imagine why such a demon would appear in Han Prefecture, especially coming from the south, directly where Secluded Silent Valley was located. He had just received the news about a major attack on Secluded Silent Valley by the Seven Profound Sect.

Linking these events, it seemed likely that the Mystic Tortoise was possessed by the Sky Demon Sect, and now, for some reason, had been drawn out, heading straight for their base. Clearly, the visitors meant no good and it was probably the orchestrations of the Seven Profound Sect to direct the Mystic Tortoise to attack their base!

"Well played, Seven Profound Sect!"

Another Grandmaster next to Wu Gu Marquis quickly realized what was happening and couldn't help but snort coldly, glaring into the distant sky, his expression growing increasingly unpleasant.

Leading a Heavenly Demon Mystic Tortoise to their base was indeed a foul move, yet they were short on good options now. Though these Grandmasters might be able to retreat, the ordinary army elites had no escape; they had to face the challenge head-on.

At last.

The rolling black clouds drew increasingly closer, until they hovered above the two military formations.

By then, the body of the Mystic Tortoise was completely visible. Its shell was rugged and uneven, like a range of mountains, its majestic demonic qi intertwined with the rolling black clouds, appearing monstrously menacing, making anyone who saw it feel dread at first glance.

In front of the Mystic Tortoise, the two figures led it in their flight, swooping downwards toward the front of the military formation. One was surrounded by the Strength of Qian Heaven, and the other faintly exhibited the brilliance of the Eight Phases.

"Murong Yan! Chen Mu!"

Wu Gu Marquis hovered in the air, staring toward the approaching Chen Mu and Murong Yan, his voice icy as he immediately recognized their identities.

Chen Mu needed no introduction, third on the Wind Cloud List, and by now a well-known figure in Cold North, while Murong Yan, also a high-ranking figure on the Wind Cloud List and an important person in the Seven Profound Sect, was no less familiar to him, recognized at a glance.

Humm!!

Though there was still a distance of more than a thousand yards, Wu Gu Marquis's momentum combined with the military formation surged mightily, twisting the Power of Heaven and Earth, nearly rivaling the Heavenly Demon Mystic Tortoise coming from behind.

At this moment, Wu Gu Marquis's expression was exceedingly stern, and at some point, he had drawn a Gloomy Light Spear in his hand, ready to strike at Chen Mu and Murong Yan as they drew a bit closer, intending to wield the power of the military formation to eliminate them on the spot!

Though drawing the Heavenly Demon Mystic Tortoise to their base left them with not many good maneuvers, letting them escape without a setback was out of the question; they had to at least pay with their lives.

However.

While still a thousand yards away, Chen Mu stared at Wu Gu Marquis and the two military formations, his expression unchanged, continuously gauging the distance until he reached a certain point. His eyes then flashed and he said,

"Sister Murong, now is the time!"

Murong Yan, having heard Chen Mu's words, immediately turned her gaze sharply and, without any hesitation, dispersed the Qian Heaven Domain. Suspended in the air, she plummeted like a kite with its string cut, falling towards the ground below.

At the same time, Chen Mu dove downwards, rapidly closing the distance with Murong Yan. He placed one hand on her shoulder, and together they arched through the air, colliding toward the earth below.

"Hmph!"

"Stay down!"

Wu Gu Marquis, observing Chen Mu and Murong Yan's actions, instantly understood that Chen Mu intended to escape underground using the Qiankun Artistic Conception. He immediately bellowed furiously and raised the Gloomy Light Spear in his hand.

The spear was lifted high, and in an instant, the suppressed Power of Heaven and Earth within the Military Formation frantically gathered, converging the essence of ten thousand people into a single point, making the spear radiate a dazzling brilliance. Under the rolling dark clouds, it seemed to become the only luminance between Heaven and Earth, which he then furiously hurled at Chen Mu and Murong Yan!

This throw, spanning a thousand yards, saw the Gloomy Spear cutting through the sky, tearing through the sound barrier, and in a blink, it reached them, aiming to pierce through both individuals and nail them to the frozen wasteland.

However.

Chen Mu's judgment of distance was exceedingly precise. Even though the spear tore through the air, almost breaking the sound barrier, its speed and power significantly decreased over a thousand-yard gap.

When it was about a hundred yards away, Chen Mu thrust forward with his right fist, summoning a wave of the Power of Heaven and Earth, striking briefly against the incoming spear. Although he didn't knock it down, he managed to stall its momentum.

Taking advantage of this moment,

Chen Mu and Murong Yan were a step quicker, reaching the ground. Then, he pressed on Murong Yan's shoulders, taking her underground with him. The solid permafrost transformed into a quagmire in an instant, swallowing their figures completely.

Only when their figures and presence abruptly vanished did the spear, having torn through the Qiankun Power, violently strike the frozen ground.

Boom!!!

The permafrost briefly solidified, then starting from the impact point of the spear, it spread visible cracks before the entire area burst outward like ocean waves, shattering like a spiderweb for hundreds of feet!

Yet even so, there was no longer any trace of Chen Mu and Murong Yan beneath the frozen ground, as if once they had dived down, they completely vanished without a trace, untraceable.

Almost at the very next moment,

The Heavenly Demon Black Tortoise, driving the rolling Cloud Sea, crashed with its mountain-like body onto the frozen wasteland at the spot where Chen Mu and Murong Yan disappeared, further shattering the already broken ground and forming dark chasms while issuing an enraged roar.

Yet in its perception, Chen Mu and Murong Yan were completely undetectable, vanished without a trace.

"Roar..."

The Mystic Tortoise roared, then its enormous eyes, filled with ferocity and madness, slowly lifted and looked in the direction of the gathering army of Wu Li and another faction.

With a roar, the massive body of the tortoise trampled across the terrain like mountains, furiously charging towards the nearest Military Formation. The tremendous demonic power gathered, visibly pulling down a large swath of the Cloud Sea above, transforming it into a surging wave several tens of feet high, pressing down towards the Foreign Race's army formation.
Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire

"Hmph."

Wu Gu Marquis's gaze fell on the Mystic Tortoise; he glanced once and snorted coldly, then turned his gaze back towards where Chen Mu and Murong Yan had entered the ground, coldly saying, "This demon is strong on the outside but hollow on the inside, lacking Qi-Blood and clarity of mind. Furthermore, this area of Flying Water Marsh gives it no geographical advantage; Wu Gu Marquis can easily guard it."

As his words fell, he stepped forward, instantly stepping out of the Military Formation.

"Where are you going?"

Wu Gu Marquis handed over a Command Flag to another leader, who steadily managed the momentum of the Military Formation. Noting the tortoise's weakened condition and lacking nearby water bodies, therefore not holding the geographical advantage, he boldly asked.

Wu Gu Marquis, moving like a black streak, dashed tens of yards ahead along the frozen ground then plunged directly into it, his cold voice carrying back, "Such arrogance from the Seven Profound Sect, mere characters from the Wind Cloud List daring such reckless actions. If they escape easily, where would the dignity of my tribe stand?"

Too arrogant!

If Chen Mu and Murong Yan had attracted a fully powerful Heavenly Demon, like the dreaded Zhu Yan or Kui Niu, even with a ten-thousand-strong Military Formation, the threat would be immense, and there would be no room for carelessness as a single misstep could lead to annihilation.

But a weakened Mystic Tortoise, without nearby water bodies and without the geographical advantage, posed much less of a threat. Although it was a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon, the assembled Grandmasters and the tens of thousands in the Military Formation could face it without fear.

Under these circumstances,

He could not possibly let Chen Mu and Murong Yan get away!

Two so-called experts of the Wind Cloud List from the Northern Path, though somewhat capable, were merely youngsters. If they lured the Mystic Tortoise to attack the camp and then retreated at their leisure, making a fool out of their armies, where would Wu Gu Marquis's dignity stand?

If they thought they could come and go freely just by knowing some Earth Escape Technique, they were sorely mistaken. Such techniques were minor tricks, hardly amounting to anything significant; Wu Gu Marquis was well-versed in them too!

Whoosh.

But as Wu Gu Marquis plunged into the ground, only a small hole remained on the surface of the frozen ground.