Volume Four: Winds Ravage the Clouds, Continents Sink Chapter Four: Poison and Desolation

Midnight on the fifteenth day of the seventh month had not yet arrived, but the sky above the great southern jungle of the southernmost reaches of Nanyan Continent was already thick with flying beasts. Over a thousand members of Yunding Celestial Palace traveled in silence, heads bowed as they pressed onward.

Though it was not yet midnight, the moon in the night sky shone fiercely bright, casting long shadows of the travelers down into the dense forest below.

At the forefront were Lin Bai, Lan Sheng, and Qin Ying. They had joined forces three days prior. Now, each of their faces was grim, the instinct of warriors causing them to sense the bloodiness of the looming battlefield.

Since leaving Yunding Celestial Palace, Qin Ying had been anxious and distracted, ever caught between hope and fear. That unease now surfaced once more. She glanced at Lan Sheng, intending to speak to relieve her nervousness, but seeing his furrowed brow and stony silence, the words choked in her throat.

Lin Bai, noticing her distress, asked, “Sister Qin Ying, you’ve been unsettled these past two days, now looking as if you have something to say but can’t. What’s on your mind?”

Qin Ying hesitated before muttering in embarrassment, “I’m worried about Zhuo Hua.”

Lin Bai rolled his eyes and replied, “He’s safe in Yunding Celestial Palace, protected by both the White Tiger and Black Tortoise Halls, with the Central and Rear Armies on guard. There’s nothing to fear. You’d do better to worry about yourself. When we reach our destination, what will you do if we really encounter the Dark Lament Tribe?”

Qin Ying shrugged indifferently, “That doesn’t trouble me. We’ve brought two constellations and the four vanguard guards with us. What could possibly go wrong? The opposition is only a few vanguards who’ve possessed bodies to get here. How much trouble can they cause?”

Lan Sheng, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. “We mustn’t underestimate them. Yuan Shang and I once fought the leader of the Spirit Helm Army. His cultivation wasn’t especially high—he’d just set foot on the Immortal Path—but his strange techniques cost General Xiao his life.”

Qin Ying asked in puzzlement, “What was so unusual about his techniques?”

Lan Sheng explained, “I heard from Yuan Shang later that the man’s methods were rooted in our Xuanhuang lineage, yet the way he executed his moves was unmistakably Dark Lament. In Xuanhuang techniques, all one’s energy is gathered in the palms or fists, unleashed in a single decisive strike, each move brimming with kingly dominance and overwhelming force.”

Lin Bai nodded in agreement. “Exactly. The Xuanhuang arts are pure, fierce, and direct. We restrain ourselves until the moment comes, then strike with a tidal wave of power, leaving the enemy no chance to retaliate.”

Lan Sheng continued, “But when we fought Yuan Kang, he was different. He used refined energy, but his attacks were short and rapid. He never engaged head-on—three feints followed by a quick, real blow. This strategy caught us off guard at first.”

“Oh? How so?” Qin Ying asked.

“At first, we used all our energy to defend against his three moves, but they were all feints, nothing behind them. Our defensive force was wasted. Then he’d follow with a real strike, just as we’d barely managed to muster a sliver of energy—how could we block it? More than once, Yuan Shang had to shield me from those sinister attacks.” Lan Sheng still ground his teeth at the memory.

As the three discussed the differences between Xuanhuang and Dark Lament techniques, a thick pillar of light suddenly shot down from the depths of the forest ahead, illuminating half the sky for a few heartbeats before vanishing.

It all happened in a flash, gone as swiftly as it came. The well-trained Celestial Palace troops quickly regained order after a brief stir.

Lin Bai’s heart sank, a dreadful thought arising in his mind. But he kept silent, not wishing to unsettle the troops. Instead, he sent a secret transmission to Lan Sheng and Qin Ying: “If I’m right, those Dark Lament fiends have succeeded. Let’s bring the men down, organize the ranks, and prepare for battle.”

Lan Sheng nodded, unfurling the Cloud-Turning Banner with his right hand and pointing downward. He pressed the flying beast’s head, diving straight for the ground. The rest of the force followed, descending like wild geese returning to their nests, vanishing into the primeval jungle.

When the army was assembled, Lan Sheng dispatched two scouting parties. Seeing the column ready, Lin Bai addressed them: “You all saw that pillar of light; surely you understand what it means. Though the scouts haven’t yet returned, I can say this: the likelihood that the Dark Lament vanguard has invaded successfully is very high.”

He paused to gauge their reaction. Yet all stood in silence, expressions solemn and unwavering.

Lin Bai was pleased; the panic he had feared had not materialized. He went on, “Why are these Dark Lament fiends here? To steal our golden sun, to slaughter our fathers, mothers, sisters. Will you allow it?”

“No!” The resolute answer rang through the sky.

“But their intentions are dire! Intelligence says they are all elites—skilled fighters, ruthless and cruel. Are you afraid?”

“No!” came the unwavering reply.

“This battle will be bitter. Many of you will die, never to return to Yunding Celestial Palace, never again to serve your parents or care for your wives and children. If you fall, will you regret it?”

“Once joined to the Celestial Palace, never a regret in this life!” No other answer.

At that moment, lightning split the sky, striking the very spot where the pillar of light had been moments before.

Lin Bai looked at the sky, then at his impassioned troops, and decided not to wait for the scouts’ return. He led the army directly toward the source of the light.

Thirty miles west of the Vermilion Abyss Sanctuary, the settlements of the Vermilion Abyss descendants were engulfed in flames. The cries and wails of the people rolled through the dense forest into the distance.

A woman, both delicate and beautiful yet marked by a chilling severity, sat atop a toppled stone marker at the crossroads, watching coldly as the devastation unfolded.

The Dark Lament vanguard had just massacred this place. Exhausted by their long journey and the energy spent to get here, the Vermilion Abyss people now provided them an opportunity to replenish their strength.

Within the woman, a male consciousness sobbed and whimpered, grating on the nerves.

Her brows knitted, she said icily, “A grown man whimpering like this—do you not feel ashamed?”

The cries stopped abruptly, replaced by an emotionless voice: “Kill me.”

She shook her head. “I will not kill you. Without your consciousness, this body will rot. What I cannot abide is the stench. So you must remain alive.”

The voice turned furious, howling in agony: “Don’t you feel guilt? Watching your people drained dry, reduced to corpses, thrown to the ground—do you feel not a shred of pity?”

The woman sneered, “When the Xuanhuang Void was destroyed and all my kin turned to dust, who pitied them?”

A long sigh came from within, and after a pause, the voice mournfully asked, “We trusted you so deeply. Why have you betrayed our Vermilion Abyss clan?”

She stood, gazing at the burning houses, listening to the dying cries, and said wistfully, “You Vermilion Abyss were benefactors to Xuanhuang. I will not forget. When my work is done, I will restore your people first. Then you shall stand as equals with Xuanhuang, governing our new homeland together.”

The man’s voice erupted once more in fury. “The Thousand Mechanisms Jar can forge identical bodies, but never identical souls! What you do is slaughter—exterminating a kind, hospitable, peaceful people who helped you without reservation. I, Yuan Ji, will forever curse you never to be reunited with Zhuo Hua. I curse your Xuanhuang line to perish at the hands of the Dark Lament. I curse you—!”

Her eyes closed, then snapped open, and his voice fell silent into the night.

She clenched her fists, took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. Softly, she sang, “The shadow slants across the green tower, my beloved as when first we met. Upon the road, a man like jade; a lord unmatched beneath the heavens.” She sang it over and over, tears slipping down her cheeks onto her robe.

At the forest’s edge, outside the burning town, the Celestial Palace scouts had already reported all they had seen to Lin Bai and the others. The raging inferno stoked the soldiers’ anger from their hearts into their eyes; the wailing of women and children made their knuckles whiten as they clenched their fists.

Lin Bai called out to them, “Fellow warriors, you see this! Though the Vermilion Abyss survivors may not submit to our rule, they are still subjects under Yunding Celestial Palace. If such slaughter befalls them today, it will be our turn tomorrow—then it will be our immortal and demon kin who are massacred. If you would spare your parents, wives, and children such suffering in the future, then today you must fight bravely. Hear my command: Lan Sheng, lead the Rear Army’s Wind Guard in a frontal assault. Jing Muhan, take the Vermilion Bird Constellation and Rear Army’s Snow Guard to protect both flanks. I will lead the Azure Dragon Hall and the Rear Army’s Cloud and Rain Guards to encircle from behind. Be ever watchful for the enemy using aura to escape; once the battle begins, immediately deploy the Celestial Bell and the Shrouding Net.”

Lin Bai cast another fierce glance at the burning village and spat, “These are demons who devour flesh and spit not out the bones. Show no mercy—let none escape. Attack!”

At his command, the pent-up Celestial Palace army surged forth like a breached dam, rushing toward the ravenous Dark Lament vanguard.