Chapter 69: The Azure Wolf’s Roar

Before her words even fell, Tuoba Yanxue, like an arrow released from a bowstring, had already leaped from the wolf’s back. Gripping her blade with both hands, she carved a fearsome arc through the air, bringing it down directly.

“Azure Wolf Soul Suppression!”

That single strike carried not a trace of spiritual energy, yet it was imbued with the overwhelming murderous aura of the vast army behind her.

Even before the blade landed, the killing intent, solidified to a tangible presence, had already pierced Yuanchao’s Divine Soul with a sharp pain.

“A mere mortal… dares to block me?!”

Yuanchao was filled with both shock and fury. Abandoning his attack on Shen Zhaoqing, he turned and met the war blade with a claw.

****

Clang—!!!!

A deafening clash of metal rang out!

Yuanchao felt an irresistible, terrifying force erupt from his claw. He was sent flying backward, plowing a long trench through the snowy ground.

The tiger’s mouth on his remaining arm split open, bleeding profusely, and his bones were nearly shattered by the impact.

He stared in disbelief at the woman who slowly landed before him.

A mortal…

A mortal general, using the power of a military formation, had actually repelled him, a Soul Transformation Realm demonic prince at the Great Perfection stage, with a single strike?!

What kind of absurd combat power was this? How could such a formidable body cultivator exist in this era?

Tuoba Yanxue’s appearance completely shattered the battlefield’s balance. The Azure Wolf Iron Cavalry swiftly formed a military array, encircling the entire battleground. Thousands of cold, murderous gazes simultaneously locked onto Fen Yu and Yuanchao.

Fen Yu looked at the army radiating a blood-forged killing aura, then at the vigilant Ling Shuangjue and Gu Chang’an. In her lone eye, a flicker of fear finally appeared.

As mad as she was, she understood the wisdom of not fighting a losing battle.

“I shall remember this favor today!”

She let out an unwilling roar, and with a fierce flap of her remaining fiery wings, she transformed into a streak of light, fleeing without a backward glance toward the depths of the distant lava lake.

She actually… ran!

Ling Shuangjue and Gu Chang’an exchanged a glance but made no move to pursue. A dying Soul Transformation Realm great demon, intent on escape, would demand a significant price to capture, making it unworthy.

Meanwhile, seeing Fen Yu flee and finding himself firmly targeted by Tuoba Yanxue and the Azure Wolf Iron Cavalry, Yuanchao was scared out of his wits.

“Retreat! Retreat quickly!”

He scrambled to his feet, abandoning his remaining broken forces, and ignited his last shred of demonic energy, frantically fleeing in a desperate dash toward the Myriad Demon Kingdom.

Thus, a monumental battle concluded in a dramatic and unexpected fashion.

Huff…

Shen Zhaoqing let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as though all her strength had been drained. Her legs gave out, and she sank onto the snow, still clutching Yuange.

It was over…

It was finally… over…

She looked up. Gu Chang’an and Ling Shuangjue simultaneously turned their heads, gazing at her with incredibly complex expressions.

No, to be precise, they were looking at her and Yuange, whom she held in her arms.

Not far from them, Tuoba Yanxue slowly approached, war blade in hand. Her ice-lake-like phoenix eyes were also fixed intently on Shen Zhaoqing.

Shen Zhaoqing: ‘…’

A premonition of ill fortune arose within her.

****

The battlefield fell into a deathly silence.

The snowstorm seemed to have been startled into submission by the earth-shattering battle, pausing mid-air. Only the gasps of those who had survived remained, condensing into wisps of white mist in the biting cold.

Shen Zhaoqing sat heavily on the snowy ground, feeling like a squeezed lemon, utterly devoid of strength.

“Qingyun Sect, Gu Chang’an.” Gu Chang’an spoke first, her voice clear and cold, tinged with a post-injury weakness, but more so with an undeniable vigilance.

Leaning on her Frostbright Sword, her stance, though slightly unsteady, still resembled a drawn blade, shielding Shen Zhaoqing. “Many thanks for your assistance, General.”

Her words were polite.

Ling Shuangjue merely gave Tuoba Yanxue a lazy glance with her blood-red eyes, a mocking curve playing on her lips. She said nothing, but in her eyes, this mortal general and her vast army were probably no different from roadside stones.

Tuoba Yanxue halted several zhangs in front of the three.

“I am Tuoba Yanxue, commander of the Northern Frost Iron Legion.” She looked at Ling Shuangjue, her voice as cold and hard as her blade. “This territory belongs to my Yan State. The demonic remnants must be handed over to my army for disposal.”

Her hand pointed to Yuange, nestled in Shen Zhaoqing’s arms.

Shen Zhaoqing looked down at the unconscious little princess of the Demon Kingdom, whose eyes still held streaks of blood. Then she looked up at Tuoba Yanxue’s icy face, which seemed to declare, ‘Business is business, violators will be executed.’ Her heart sank.

‘Damn it.’

“No.”

“She’s mine.”

Two voices rang out almost simultaneously.

Gu Chang’an’s tone was resolute and unyielding: “She was brought back by Zhaoqing. How she is dealt with is not for outsiders to interfere.”

Ling Shuangjue’s tone was light and understated, yet carried an inherent domineering quality: “This pet is my spoils of war. If you want her, you merely need to offer your life in exchange.”

Tuoba Yanxue’s brows instantly furrowed into a tight knot.

Behind her, the Azure Wolf Iron Cavalry simultaneously drew their greatswords with a resounding ‘shush,’ pointing them toward the trio. The unified killing intent of a thousand men hung like a dark cloud, making the air viscous.

Seeing a new conflict on the verge of erupting, Shen Zhaoqing felt a splitting headache.

“Cough, cough…” Shen Zhaoqing, still holding Yuange, struggled to stand, but her legs gave out, and she sank back down.

Resigning herself to fate, she raised a hand and said weakly, “Um… stop! Just a moment! Everyone, could you please let me say something first?”

The gazes of all three once again converged on her.

Shen Zhaoqing’s scalp tingled under their stares. Mustering her courage, she fumbled in Yuange’s embrace for a long moment, pulling out a scroll of beast hide map, mostly soaked in blood.

“Let’s put the fighting aside for a bit. Does anyone recognize this thing?” She shook the map in her hand. “This little fox… this little princess fought desperately to get in here, seemingly for this. She said there are ‘Three Lives Stone’ fragments inside.”

“Three Lives Stone?”

At the mention of that name, the expressions of Gu Chang’an, Ling Shuangjue, and even Tuoba Yanxue subtly changed.

This legendary ancient treasure held a fatal allure for powerful cultivators of any realm.

“The map points to the nest of that Bi Fang.” Gu Chang’an glanced at the markings on the map, her voice grave.

“Heh, how interesting.” A hint of amusement flashed in Ling Shuangjue’s blood-red eyes. “This Venerable One would like to see what kind of object could even be coveted by those charlatans from the Heavenly Derivation Pavilion.”

Tuoba Yanxue remained silent for a moment before finally speaking coldly: “Deep within Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Mountain, the earth veins are chaotic, and demonic energy soars. It is inconvenient for my army to penetrate deeply, but remember, anything brought out from within belongs to my Yan State.”

With that, she decisively waved her hand and led the Azure Wolf Iron Cavalry back a hundred zhangs. They formed a military array, adopting a stance that implied, ‘You may enter, but you must submit to inspection upon exiting.’

She was terrifyingly shrewd.

Knowing her side could not contend with these two peak cultivators, she opted for a tactical retreat, guarding the exit to reap the benefits of their efforts.

The immediate crisis averted, Shen Zhaoqing let out a long breath.

She looked at the map in her hand, then at the distant lava lake, still spewing thick smoke and radiating terrifying heat. She felt as though the path ahead was utterly bleak.

‘Well, looks like I still have to work overtime.’