Chapter 43: Swallowing the Clouds

Following the direction indicated by Moonless Night's finger, a white light had appeared above the formation of the Underworld Soldiers, its emergence unnoticed. It resembled a disk, as if the glowing moon had rolled down from the heavens to illuminate the entire wasteland.

This circular white light moved with lightning speed, darting across the sky above the army formation, now in the north, then instantly in the south. It seemed to be searching for something; each leap left a glaring scar across the void.

"Fox, is that a person flying, or some kind of magic?"

Lu Xin could not make sense of what he saw. The distance was too great; from the hillside, he could scarcely discern what the white light was. Yet, at this moment, whatever appeared over the wasteland could not be taken lightly.

"It's too fast—I can't see it clearly. It shouldn't be an onmyoji; no magical artifact could fly so swiftly. But if it were a master of the Divine Realm, wielding a powerful artifact for flight, perhaps it could be done," Moonless Night replied, his voice low and brows furrowed deeply. He, too, seemed unfamiliar with such a scene. The more masters gathered on the wasteland, the greater the danger—meaning, even if a treasure emerged, it would be impossible to intervene.

The white light continued to flicker above the formation, while the five masters who had entered deep into the formation seemed unable to distinguish their positions, fighting the Underworld Soldiers while stumbling about in confusion.

Meanwhile, the Yang sisters had followed the Five Elephants Sect down from the hillside. The group only reached the edge of the formation, not entering immediately.

"Xin, what do you think the Five Elephants Sect wants by forming an alliance with Yang Xiu and Yang Qin? Is it just their beauty?"

"You're hopeless! Is there anything in your head besides women?"

Moonless Night didn’t wait for Lu Xin to answer, cursing the scholar for his lechery. The two bantered back and forth, finally tiring and burrowing back into the grass.

"Don't worry about it. We're just here to watch the show. As long as we don't fight or compete, there shouldn't be any danger. Besides, those Underworld Soldiers are ancient onmyoji from the pre-Qin era. To have survived until now, they must at least possess the power of the Heavenly Union Realm. Such people were rare as phoenix feathers in ancient times. With a thought, they could traverse the eight wilds and pierce through the heavens. Anyone seeking advantage from them is courting death," Moonless Night said, lying comfortably in the grass, glancing occasionally down the hillside, sometimes rolling onto his back to gaze at the moon. Lu Xin, seeing him so indifferent, shook his head with a wry smile and ceased pondering. He wished to help the Yang sisters, but the battle on the wasteland was not something a mortal like him could interfere with.

After about five more minutes, the white light suddenly plunged into a corner of the formation’s southern edge and exploded. A blinding golden radiance billowed forth like a mushroom cloud, instantly vaporizing hundreds of Underworld Soldiers. The shockwave was so powerful that even the three surrounding mountains trembled.

The violent tremor changed the expressions of Lu Xin and his companions, who had ceased caring about the battle. Looking down, the golden light faded, revealing a bottomless pit on the wasteland. By Lu Xin's estimate, the crater was at least the size of two rooms.

"Such power—ordinary missiles could never achieve this. The Great Tang… ha, this world is nothing like what the histories record."

"Xin, what are you mumbling about? What's a miss, miss, missile?"

"Pull your waistband open and stick your head in—you'll know what a missile is."

"Stinking fox, damned demon, did I ask you? Why do you butt in?"

…

At some point, the Soul Bell hanging high in the sky disappeared. Then, the moon above the firmament was suddenly obscured by a mass of dark clouds, plunging the world into utter darkness.

Cries and clamor shook the air, echoing among the mountains. The scholar trembled, grasping Moonless Night’s thigh in terror.

"Fox, is the sky about to collapse? You’re tall—you’d better hold it up!"

"Get lost!"

At that moment, not only the scholar, but even Lu Xin, who had survived countless dangers, felt a primal dread. Somewhere unseen, it was as if a world-destroying power was awakening.

The world was pitch black; not a trace of star or moonlight remained. Moments ago, the sky had been clear; now, wind and rain threatened, thunder and lightning raged.

Roar!

Like an ancient beast waking from a thousand-year slumber, a furious, inhuman roar echoed across the wasteland—so loud it reached the depths of hell and soared to the heights of heaven.

Suddenly, amidst the darkness, someone seemed to stand. He looked up, opened his mouth, and drew a deep breath.

Whoosh…

A storm of dust swept the sky; the clouds that had obscured the moon dropped from above, shrinking and descending.

At the same time, a massive force, centered on the wasteland, began to draw in all things. Lu Xin, clinging to the hillside, was caught by this pull, tumbling down the cliff in an instant. The scholar and Moonless Night were similarly ensnared; before such irresistible force, everyone was like a child learning to walk—one gust and they would fall.

The scene was sudden. In desperation, Lu Xin stabbed his sword into the hillside, using the resistance of the Wandering Immortal Sword to slow his descent. Looking down, he saw he was barely twenty or thirty meters from the ground.

"Xin, help! I can’t fly! Ahhhhh…"

"Fox, save him!"

The scholar, hiding behind Moonless Night, was the last to fall. Moonless Night, true to his nature, reverted to his original form as he fell. The pull was great, yet he managed to use the hillside to alter his trajectory, and with a few leaps, landed safely on the plain with the scholar on his back.

Lu Xin breathed a sigh of relief. Looking out across the wasteland, the night was bright once more. From the depths of the crater, a man flew out, opened his mouth, and devoured a chunk of dense black cloud—within which lightning flickered like silver serpents.

The man wore nothing; though completely naked, his presence was overwhelming, impossible to gaze at directly. Lu Xin’s eyes lingered but a second before pain stabbed his pupils, forcing him to shut them.

Lu Xin’s mind buzzed with shock. He could hardly comprehend what had happened. A man, with nothing but a breath, had swallowed all the clouds from the heavens.

What kind of terrifying power was this? What unimaginable divine skill?

With a single breath, the world changed color!

The whole world fell silent. Even the cries of the Underworld Soldiers vanished without a trace. On the flat wasteland, aside from the swirling sand, only a dozen figures remained. The army from the underworld was gone.

The man hovered in the air, golden and crimson light flowing over his flesh. He was silent, and none dared move. The two elders from the Supreme Heaven Sect, Yang Yan and Yang Miao from Hundred Flowers Valley, Yuchi Baolin from the Imperial Demon Suppression Bureau, and the Five Elephants Sect—all stood frozen, not daring to reveal the slightest presence.

"Xin, come down! Fox, why don't you carry Xin down?"

The scholar suddenly called up to the hillside, his shout echoing through the silent mountains. Everyone’s gaze turned toward him, even the man’s, a couple seconds later.

"Finished, that fool!"

Lu Xin cursed inwardly, his expression twisting with dread. Moonless Night was equally startled, his face pale as death. Though the scholar was far from the onmyoji, the stares from the crowd were palpable.

"Damn it, why are they all looking at me?"

"You idiot, sooner or later you'll get me killed!"

The two whispered, barely daring to raise their heads. Thankfully, the attention soon faded, and the man before the crater descended from the void.

"Who dares ruin Ao's three thousand years of cultivation?"

A deep voice rose from the plain, carried by the mountain wind, echoing through every corner of the void. Though soft, it was unnaturally clear. Everyone froze, then turned and fled.

The first to leave were the two elders of the Supreme Heaven Sect. With a sweep of their sleeves, red and purple sword light flashed beneath their feet, propelling them hundreds of meters away. But at that moment, the man transformed into a streak of blood, instantly appearing overhead. He pressed down with both palms—Zhao Yougui and Zhu Zhen screamed, turning to blood mist.

With two clangs, their swords fell from the void. In an instant, two masters of the Returning Micro Realm were dead, their Dao extinguished.

After slaying them, the man flew at the siblings from Hundred Flowers Valley. Yang Yan and Yang Miao, terrified by the deaths, mustered their strength, each summoning a peach-pink oil-paper umbrella covered in talismans, shimmering faintly with gold in the night.

Boom!

The man struck with a fist. The umbrellas burst forth with countless rays, their talismans incinerated in an instant. Yang Yan and Yang Miao were smashed into the earth, their fate unknown.

"Too powerful—unbelievably so. The Returning Micro Realm, the pinnacle of mastery—and yet, they died without even knowing how."

Watching as the man instantly slew the Supreme Heaven Sect elders, Moonless Night’s already pale face showed unprecedented horror. He took two deep breaths to steady himself.

"Fox, what should we do? If I'd known, I wouldn't have followed them here. I…"

The scholar sat on the ground, wanting to say more, but his voice was drowned out by another.

"Ao Tian, three thousand years—more than enough. This world is no longer ancient. Pre-Qin cultivators should not appear among the living!"