Book 2 Chapter 64

The phoenix was faster than the taotie. By the time Mo Jian reached his destination and regrouped with Commander Sisi's forces, Wei Shentong's flank had already made contact with the enemy.

Sisi merely spared him a cool, unreadable glance upon his arrival, offering neither greeting nor complaint, before returning her attention to the battlefield. Mo Jian found that almost amusing.

At this moment, he was not watching the battle before him directly. Instead, he was spying upon a scene unfolding within the mirrored depths of the Heaven Enshrouding Ding. The artifact's interior reflected events occurring around him, allowing him to observe distant locations with startling clarity. It was an incredibly useful ability for gathering information. Or at least, it should have been.

Yet, ever since obtaining the Hell Reflecting Mirror, Mo Jian had struggled to find a proper use for it. The ability had seemed impressive in theory, but in practice, it had rarely provided him with anything valuable. Old Devil Fu had once wielded the mirror as a terrifying tool of surveillance and intrigue, yet after it merged with his natal artifact, the Heaven Enshrouding Ding, it seemed to have lost much of that same menace.

For a long time, Mo Jian had almost begun to consider the ability... useless. A large part of the blame lay with where he had spent the past several months. In the capital, his attention had naturally been drawn toward the Imperial Palace. His original objective had been to observe the heart of the empire and uncover its secrets. But the Palace remained the Palace, protected by countless ancient restrictions and layers of spatial warping. When he attempted to use the mirror, hoping to peer into areas he could not physically enter, the result had been the same. Nothing. The mirror could not penetrate the Imperial Palace. The very place where such an ability would have been most valuable was precisely the place where it was rendered ineffective.

And so, for months, the ability granted by the Hell Reflecting Mirror to his ding had remained almost completely unused.

Yet now...

Mo Jian watched a battle unfolding nearly four hundred li away as clearly as though he stood on the battlefield himself. He could see the surging flames of the phoenix, the movements of the cavalry formations, and the exchanges of techniques between cultivators with perfect clarity. Out here, beneath the open sky and across the vast wilderness, the Heaven Enshrouding Ding's hidden ability finally showed its true value.

Wei Shentong's attack arrived first. The jade giant released its arrow, and the projectile shot across the battlefield in a streak of green light. The mounted cultivators in its path immediately broke formation, splitting apart to create a clear path. The arrow passed between them without slowing, carrying the full force of the massive construct behind it.

But before it could reach the phoenix, the fire beast opened its beak. A wave of golden flames surged outward. The arrow vanished into the fire. For a brief moment, the green light continued forward, pushing against the phoenix's flames. The qi contained within the projectile flared violently as the heat began to break apart its outer layer. Then, unable to maintain its structure, it detonated. Green and gold erupted across the sky. The explosion scattered the surrounding clouds and sent a shockwave racing outward.

It arrived moments later in the form of a physical wall of force sweeping across the battlefield. The cavalry formations nearest the blast were thrown into chaos. Light Wrought Horses screamed as they were pushed backward, cultivators struggling to stabilize themselves while steel armor flashed wildly in the storm. On the Wall, a gale powerful enough to uproot trees and shatter ordinary stone slammed into the fortress, forcing countless soldiers to brace themselves.

Only one figure remained completely unaffected: Commander Yeran. The Hundred Thousand Man Commander moved even before the explosion had faded. Amid the raging wind, a crimson whip appeared in his hand, extending outward with impossible speed. It stretched across the battlefield, twisting through the sky like a serpent of red lightning, looping once around the phoenix's neck. Then twice. Finally, it tightened.

The enormous beast let out an enraged screech, its wings beating violently as it attempted to break free. The scene was almost surreal – a tiny human figure atop a Light Wrought Horse pulling against a creature large enough to blot out mountains, connected only by an impossibly long strand of spiritual energy – but Yeran pulled with the strength of his cultivation, forcing its massive body slightly off course. The attack was not meant to restrain the phoenix forever, only to halt it for a moment. That moment was enough.

Another surge of qi erupted from the Wall. A blue saber appeared above the battlefield, its blade stretching across the sky. It was vast enough to rival the phoenix itself, cutting through the clouds as it descended toward the phoenix with a force that made the air tremble. It struck and the phoenix shrieked. Golden flames erupted around its body, layer after layer forming as the Yuan within it coordinated their power. The fire swallowed the saber's edge, resisting the descending strike even as the beast remained caught by Yeran's whip.

The phoenix was being forced to fight on multiple fronts.

Beside the Wall, Wei Shentong prepared his next attack. The jade giant raised its halberd, the weapon beginning to change. The broad blade narrowed, the jade surface flowing like liquid as the halberd reshaped itself into a massive spear. The giant drew its arm back, its movements precise, and then it threw. The spear crossed the heavens like a falling mountain, a streak of green light cutting through the night. The force behind it was so great that the lingering clouds scattered in its path, leaving a clear trail toward the trapped phoenix.

Mo Jian stopped watching before the spear struck. The flaming taotie charging toward him was drawing closer with every passing moment, and the right flank appeared to have the situation under control. There was no point wasting his attention on a battle he could not influence. He needed to focus on his own opponent.

Still, he spared one final glance toward the center. His qi and spiritual sense had already told him that the fighting had not reached that section yet, but seeing it for himself was different. General Lou stood calmly at the forefront, an intricate purple bowl floating before him. Within the artifact, a strange mist churned endlessly, shifting through countless colors like a living thing. Muxue and the others remained inside their rooms, gathered together in one place. Everything was still holding.

Mo Jian looked away. The taotie was almost upon them.

When it reached roughly twenty li from the Wall, the enormous fiery beast finally slowed. Its hooves no longer pounded forward upon the sky in a charge. Instead, it lowered its head and opened its jaws. Fire gathered, a sphere of incandescent flame rapidly condensing between its horns and fangs, swelling until it was the size of a house. The surrounding air shimmered from the heat before, with a sharp snap, the beast spat the fireball toward the Wall.

The cultivators stationed ahead of Mo Jian immediately withdrew several paces in practiced unison. At the same time, he felt a surge of qi flow through the fortress beneath his feet. Thousands of cultivators along this stretch of the Wall poured their spiritual energy into the formations embedded within the ancient stone. A section of the defensive barrier flared to life. The translucent curtain of light brightened, glowing talisman characters floating across its surface like fish in a river, just as the fireball struck. The impact sent ripples racing across the barrier's surface, the blast spreading into a sea of golden fire that washed harmlessly across the shimmering shield before dispersing into sparks. The Wall remained untouched.

Commander Sisi responded with a casual wave of her hand. At her signal, the crew surrounding one of the great ballistae that protruded from the battlements sprang into motion. Ten cultivators pressed their palms against the weapon, feeding it qi. Lightning crackled along the carved channels running through the siege weapon before a massive stone bolt shot into the sky. The taotie did not bother to dodge. It snorted, turned its head, and struck the incoming projectile with one of its curved horns. The impact rang out like a bell. The stone bolt was knocked off course, spinning away into the clouds. It disappeared into the mist with a dull explosion, carving a winding tunnel through the cloudbank before vanishing entirely.

The taotie had already opened its mouth again. Another fireball formed. This time it fired twice in quick succession, sending the second projectile toward a different section of the Wall before the first had even reached its target. Neither attack accomplished anything. The barrier brightened wherever the fireballs landed, absorbing the impacts with little more than expanding rings of light. The Horse Army maintained the formation without visible strain, streams of qi flowing continuously from thousands of mounted cultivators into the Wall's defenses.

Whenever the taotie paused between volleys, the ballista crews answered with another shot. Stone bolts wrapped in lightning arced through the night. Some were avoided, while others were swatted aside, but none found their mark. For several minutes, neither side advanced. The taotie tested the Wall's defenses while Commander Sisi's forces measured the beast's reactions, each probing for an opening without committing themselves. Compared to the violent clashes unfolding elsewhere along the Wall, this battle was almost restrained.

Finally, Mo Jian could not hold back his curiosity any longer. "Why is it not closing the distance?"

Sisi turned her head slightly, giving him a cool glance, but did not answer. One of the lieutenants standing near her – a Ten Thousand Man Commander at the Core Formation realm – stepped in instead. "It's because of the Gravity Formation, Senior. The Yuan would become grounded if they approached too closely. Clearly, these ones prefer to fight as a group rather than risk being dragged into close combat." He glanced toward the taotie and gave a faint snort. "Wise of them. With Commander Sisi here, not to mention Lord Haotie, we would tear them apart if they charged recklessly."

Several nearby soldiers nodded in agreement, though most kept their attention fixed on the enormous fiery beast hovering beyond the Wall. Their hands remained near their weapons, their bodies tense despite the apparent stalemate. Mo Jian frowned slightly. "But..." He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Are we not going to mount an attack? At this rate, neither side will accomplish anything. Eventually, both will simply withdraw once their qi is exhausted."

Sisi looked at him again with disdain, snorting. Her expression remained calm, but her tone carried open contempt. "We have the Wall. Why would we be foolish enough to chase after them?" She gestured toward the battlefield beyond the defenses. "Here, we have the advantage. Our formations protect us, our soldiers can replenish their strength, and they have to spend their qi attacking something they cannot easily break. Out there, beyond the Wall, they would have the advantage instead. We would gain nothing by abandoning a position we spent generations constructing."

Her eyes were mocking. "If you wish to waste your time taking the fight to them, then do so. But I have better things to do with mine."

Mo Jian met her gaze without backing down. For a moment, irritation rose within him. Part of him wanted to remind her that he was not one of her soldiers, someone she could casually dismiss or order around. Whatever her grievances toward him were, if she could not speak to him with basic courtesy, he had no reason to tolerate it. He could make the difference in their strength very clear. But the thought passed as quickly as it came. He forced himself to look away, suppressing the frustration before it turned into a needless argument.

Instead, Mo Jian considered her words more carefully. A faint smile touched the corner of his lips. ...Why not?

After all, she had just given him an opening, or, more accurately, an excuse. Sooner or later, he would have to venture beyond the Wall. Understanding how the Yuan fought in practice, seeing their methods firsthand, and judging their actual strength would all prove valuable. No amount of reports or explanations could replace witnessing their abilities himself. If he could gain that experience now, there was no reason to refuse.

"Then I won't be polite, Commander," he said, turning back toward Sisi. "Thank you for the opportunity."

Sisi turned to him a brief, disbelieving look, as if she had not expected him to actually take her words seriously, or perhaps not expected him to do so with such confidence. Then her expression changed. "Wait-"

But Mo Jian was already moving. The Heaven Enshrouding Ding, still enclosing him in its ghostly form, lifted him from the Wall and carried him into the sky. He ignored the voices calling after him, the warnings and startled shouts rising from the battlements below. As he passed through the formation of mounted cultivators, the Horse Army reacted on instinct. The sudden appearance of an unfamiliar figure flying directly through their ranks was enough to put them on edge. Several cultivators turned sharply, qi gathering at their fingertips or weapons, and a few reflexively launched attacks before realizing who he was. Bolts of qi flashed toward him. Mo Jian did not even look back. The attacks struck the outer layer of the Heaven Enshrouding Ding and dispersed harmlessly against its defenses.

He continued upward, passing through the golden formation and heading straight toward the fiery beast waiting beyond. Ten li from the Wall, the oppressive force weighing down on him finally disappeared. The restrictions of the Kunlun Gravity Formation faded. His body relaxed as the strange suppression on his qi vanished, and the power he had deliberately held back surged free. The pale, ghostly light surrounding the Heaven Enshrouding Ding changed as color returned to the artifact. Blue-black metal solidified around him, its surface glowing as Mo Jian surrounded himself in a torrent of qi. The ding no longer needed to carry him as he started to fly under his own power.

With a thought, he split off a second Heaven Enshrouding Ding, and sent it hurtling forward. The taotie noticed him, turning its enormous fiery head, golden flames rolling across its body as its eyes fixed upon the approaching cultivator. It lowered its head, planting its hooves against the empty air itself, and angled its massive horns forward. It was prepared to receive the attack.

But it had underestimated what was coming. The copied ding accelerated, swelling as it surged forward. At first, it was no larger than a person, then a carriage, then a house, then a small hill. By the time it reached the taotie, the blue-black cauldron had become a mountain-sized construct descending from the sky. It fell like a blue piece of the sky broken loose. The impact shook the battlefield. A thunderous crash spread across the plains as the Heaven Enshrouding Ding struck the taotie head-on. The force drove both the artifact and the fiery beast downward, tearing through the air before smashing into the ground below.

The earth gave way. A vast crater formed beneath them, with soil and grass thrown outward in every direction. Dust surged upward in a massive cloud, obscuring the battlefield for a moment as chunks of earth rained back down across the surrounding steppes. The shockwave spread outward, the grasslands rippling beneath it like a sheet struck by a heavy blow, waves of disturbed earth racing away from the point of impact. The soldiers on the Wall watched in stunned silence.

Then the crater moved. Golden flames erupted through the dust. The taotie struggled beneath the weight of the Heaven Enshrouding Ding, its massive body pushing against the artifact as fire spilled across the ground and ignited the surrounding grass. Its roar echoed across the plains, a strange sound somewhere between the bellow of a bull and the guttural howl of a beast.

The Heaven Enshrouding Ding trembled. Through his connection with the artifact, Mo Jian felt the force pressing against it. The taotie was struggling fiercely, resisting the mountain-sized cauldron attempting to crush it beneath its weight. Even pinned beneath the full force of his ding, the Yuan construct still possessed enough strength to fight back. Golden flames surged upward and the enormous cauldron shook. Mo Jian's expression hardened as he poured more and more qi into the artifact, reinforcing its suppression and stabilizing its position. Only then did he realize something was wrong.

Too late.

The taotie had never been struggling. It had been reforming. The flames surrounding the beast suddenly shifted. The Yuan sustaining its massive body spread outward, toward the edges of its form. Within the burning shell, countless figures emerged, four-legged creatures with the lower bodies of scaled horses and the upper bodies of humans, each one wrapped in golden flames. The next moment, the massive body collapsed. One hundred Yuan scattered outward in all directions, their forms breaking apart like sparks thrown from a fire. They slipped away from beneath the descending Heaven Enshrouding Ding with ease, leaving nothing behind for the artifact to crush.

The mountain-sized cauldron slammed into the earth. The impact shook the surrounding plains once again, but the taotie was already gone. Mo Jian watched the dispersing figures with a brief flash of fascination. Through his spiritual sense, he could see the connection between them. Their qi was not separate; it flowed between them seamlessly, each individual Yuan contributing to the whole while still retaining its own existence. It reminded him of the time he had linked his qi with others to fight against the Gu, except this was on an entirely different scale.

Then common sense returned with a jolt. Admire them later, he scolded himself furiously. Attack first.

The Heaven Enshrouding Ding that had crashed into the ground dissolved into countless motes of blue light, vanishing into the ether. The ding surrounding him split again, one copy remaining around him as a translucent barrier, while the other sprang out to float before him. With a heavy clang, its lid opened. Within the artifact churned a violent storm of silver lightning and blue flames. The sky responded to its appearance. The clouds that had been scattered by the earlier clashes began gathering again, dark and heavy as they rolled across the battlefield. Silver arcs of lightning danced between them, building into a vast storm overhead.

Lightning fell like rain. Countless strands of silver power twisted through the air, branching and changing direction as though they possessed a will of their own. Each bolt sought out a different Yuan, striking at the scattered enemies before they could fully recover. But it was already too late. The Yuan had only remained separated for a moment. As the first lightning descended, the scattered figures converged once more. Golden flames erupted around them, swallowing their individual forms and merging them together.

A new body emerged, with four massive hooves striking the air as the flames cleared. A humanoid torso rose above them, its arms and chest shaped like those of a warrior, while atop its shoulders sat the head of a dragon, its jaws filled with burning light. It was a centaur of flame, and the new beast reared beneath the falling lightning unafraid, meeting the storm head-on.

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