Outside of Mount Daybreak, every spike that whistled through the air contained explosively destructive power. And they had an unusually restrictive effect on spell formations. When they stabbed into the defensive spell formation, they created black lightning bolts that slowly connected. Though Mount Daybreak’s spell formation was very powerful, even it was being slowly weakened.

“It’s gonna blow soon!”

“Hahaha! Keep it up, everyone!”

“After it blows, we’ll charge in, kill everyone, loot the place, then tear down the mountain!”

This attack on Mount Daybreak was obviously the result of careful planning. At the moment, there were over a thousand cultivators involved in the siege. Roughly eighty former prisoners from the Corrections Division formed the core of the operation. The others were rogue cultivators and random hoodlums that had been recruited to help. There were also clues indicating that some of the major nonhuman species in Daybreak Prefecture were secretly backing the effort. That was especially true of the spikes being used on the formation. They were not a weapon that ordinary cultivators would have access to; only a major species would be able to provide them.

In terms of the cultivation level of the besieging forces, most of them were in Foundation Establishment or Gold Core. There were only three Nascent Soul cultivators present.

Of those, two were male and one was female. All were nonhumans. One of the males had scales covering his face, while the other had four arms. The female was middle-aged, with a second face on her forehead. That second face was charming and pretty, making her overall appearance grotesque. In terms of cultivation base, the fluctuations they emitted made their level of strength obvious. The woman was in the mid Nascent Soul stage while the two men were in the early stage. All three were prisoners who had escaped from Unit C in the Corrections Division, and they were also the ones leading the siege. It was with very cold eyes that they looked down at Mount Daybreak from high in the air.

“The skeleton crew left behind by the Swordsage Court hasn’t called for backup. And they even sent orders to the other human sects nearby to not send aid! Things aren’t going exactly as predicted….”

“We didn’t make the predictions. The major species backing us did. I’d say this cooperation of ours is going quite well. Since there’s been a bit of a twist… let’s clean this place out and figure things out later!” 𝑙𝑖𝓇𝒶.𝑐ℴ𝑚

“Agreed. I’ve been wanting to taste swordsage flesh for a long time now.”

Chuckling viciously, the three Nascent Soul nonhumans sent out orders for more black spikes to be loaded into the magical devices, and for the assault on the formation to be intensified.

Shockwaves rippled out, shaking Mount Daybreak.

***

The skeleton crew left behind was made up of only a few dozen swordsages. As they felt the mountain shaking beneath their feet, their faces flickered with fury. They all knew that there was no hope of defending Mount Daybreak successfully.

There was no backup on the way. There couldn’t be any backup on the way.

The majority of the forces from Mount Daybreak, and from humankind in general, had been sent to the front lines in the west and north. All taboo treasures were in the control of the county capital. Everything was focused on defending against the Holytide invasion of Sea-Sealing County. Because of that, there was nothing left to provide aid to the interior.

The only backup available was in the various human sects in Daybreak Prefecture that were currently on lockdown.

It was a big shock to find that these despicable criminals had magical devices that could target spell formations. That said, they had obviously been using them sporadically, as if giving Mount Daybreak a chance to call for help.

Among the group of a few dozen swordsages was a Nascent Soul expert who was obviously their leader. It was possible to see the conviction of his swordsage oath in his eyes as he said, “This siege of Mount Daybreak is obviously about more than the Swordsage Court. They want us to call for backup. If we did that, then the major human organizations in Daybreak Prefecture would all have to open their defenses to come to our aid. These villains want to use Mount Daybreak as bait!

“That’s why I haven’t asked for any help from anyone. In fact, I’ve taken advantage of the lulls in their attacks to notify all human sects in Daybreak Prefecture that they absolutely, positively must not try to help us in any way! We’re going to fight this battle without any hope of backup.

“I don’t have the authority to call on the taboo treasure net in the sky. The main battle is too significant. Humankind as a whole is more important, and things look bad right now….

“However, I trust the palace lord! Humankind will definitely come out on top in this war for Sea-Sealing County. We here might fall in battle, but humans as a whole will rise victorious! And afterward, every nonhuman organization backing this despicable siege will suffer the fate of complete extermination!”

The Nascent Soul expert’s eyes were bloodshot as he made his speech, and the other swordsages surrounding him were clearly ready to fight to the death.

***

A massive boom echoed out in all directions. The Abyssal Sea vibrated, and all the mountain ranges shook. Mount Daybreak’s grand spell formation had collapsed!

The demonic villains and devilish rogues that had been surrounding the mountain let loose greedy howls as they surged forth in attack.

The handful of swordsages there to defend Mount Daybreak also charged forward. Magical devices installed in the mountain were activated, sending out blinding beams of light.

The battle had begun.

The magical devices could unleash astonishing power, making it impossible for the first wave of attackers to advance very far. But the enemy had prepared well. A moment later, the three Nascent Soul nonhumans made their move, causing a huge screen of light to descend from above.

That light came from a magical treasure given to them by the nonhuman species backing this event. It turned into a huge palm print that dropped onto Mount Daybreak and crushed all of the defensive magical devices. Popping sounds rang out left and right as the magical devices crumbled. Rumbling sounds filled heaven and earth as the second and third wave of rogue cultivators and random hoodlums raced forward. A major crisis was building.

Seeing what was happening caused a look of madness to fill the Nascent Soul swordsage’s eyes. Shouting a battle cry, he fought back along with the dozens of swordsages at his side. However, their counterattack seemed like a little sailboat fighting back against a burst dam. It just wasn’t enough. In the blink of an eye, they sustained heavy injuries, causing blood to spray from their mouths.

The Nascent Soul swordsage sustained a combined attack from the three Nascent Soul nonhumans, leaving him badly hurt.

However, there wasn’t a scrap of regret or pain on his face. Eyes radiating madness, he backed up a bit, along with the other swordsages. When he looked around at the grief and indignation in the eyes of the other swordsages, his expression became even fiercer. He took out a transmission jade slip.

“All human sects in Daybreak Prefecture, this is Sun Hai from the Swordsage Court on Mount Daybreak. This is my final message to all of you….

“Do not send us any help! Your job is to stay safe in your spell formations, and wait… for humankind to rise to victory! When that happens, report what happened today to the Swordsage Palace!

“Any species involved in this attack, whether rogue cultivators or not, and any species backing them, shall be sent to hell. And I, Sun Hai, will be waiting for them there, with all of my fellow swordsages at my side today!

“Swordsages are pledged to defend humankind, even if we die in the process!” 1

Sun Hai laughed heartily. The surrounding swordsages, despite being in a situation of complete despair, also joined him in laughing. When their laughter reached the ears of the enemy rogue cultivators, their killing intent burned, and they charged forward with increased rage.

Just when things seemed completely hopeless for the swordsages….

A piercing cry that could shake heaven and earth erupted from the direction of the Abyssal Sea. The fog and water roiled as a huge golden crow with a wingspan of hundreds of meters rose up, surrounded by a sea of fire. Bursting with a spectacular aura, it shot toward Mount Daybreak. The golden crow glittered with black light, and from within the boundless sea of fire around it, more than a hundred tails swirled, releasing a terrifying aura.

Even more notable was a small figure seated cross-legged on its head, clad in an imperial robe, with an imperial crown on its head. That tiny figure’s eyes were ice cold. It seemed threatening without being angry, and pulsed with a massive killing intent along with Nascent Soul fluctuations.

As the golden crow let loose its cry, the tiny figure got to its feet, and together, they erupted with a spirit that could conquer mountains and rivers.

In response to this unexpected event, the nonhuman cultivators assaulting Mount Daybreak looked over their shoulders with shocked looks. That was especially true of the three Nascent Soul criminals, whose pupils constricted.

The middle-aged woman with the mid Nascent Soul stage cultivation base looked over with narrowed eyes.

“Jiaolin,” she said coldly, “go slaughter that golden crow!” 2

The moment the words left her mouth, the Nascent Soul nonhuman with the scaled face turned, his eyes flickering with killing intent. Calling to a handful of other cultivators to come with him, he flew to meet the golden crow.

Meanwhile, the swordsages on Mount Daybreak were visibly surprised. That was especially true of the Nascent Soul swordsage.

“Stay away!” he shouted anxiously. “I don’t care who you are, just get out of here! Run!”

However, even as he shouted those words, the group that had split off from the main attacking force to block the golden crow… suddenly found themselves in darkness. An evening glow of sunset had been covered over!

The entire sky had turned pitch black, as if it had turned into an ocean of darkness. And it was just barely possible to spot a bluegreen dragon swirling above, howling, its draconic whiskers floating around it. As it moved, it unleashed heaven-shaking, earth-shattering fluctuations. The mighty pressure it exuded weighed down on the rogue cultivators with such crushing force that all of them vomited.

Then Mount Daybreak trembled violently as all of the weaker cultivators in the criminal army suddenly shivered and exploded. Miserable shrieks rang out as they were destroyed in body and soul.

As the canopy of heaven turned dark, countless eyes appeared, extremely gruish in appearance. They blinked, and the nonhuman cultivators’ hearts shivered, leaving them stunned. A red bolt of lightning appeared, shooting back and forth among the stunned cultivators, piercing through each of them.

Then, to the astonishment of all of the enemy cultivators, a beam of light appeared from within the Abyssal Sea. As it shot toward them, it let loose a piercing sound. It was… daybreak light!

Within that seven-colored light was a person.

He was not dressed in ordinary clothing. Instead, he wore the white uniform of a swordsage. His eyes were ice-cold and contained killing intent that could reach the highest heights.

He was none other than Xu Qing.

He had been some distance away, but he had seen Mount Daybreak’s spell formation collapse. Whether it was because of his responsibility as a swordsage, or what Mount Daybreak meant to him personally, there was no way he would allow it to be desecrated.

Thus, he attacked.

Up above, the Nascent Soul nonhuman with the scales slammed into the golden crow. The sea of flames raged, intense rumbling sounds shook everything, and the sound of combat rang out.

Xu Qing glanced there, then looked away. Now that the golden crow had reached the third stage, it had Nascent Soul battle prowess. What was more, he didn’t need to control it. Imperial-class techniques eventually gained their own independent thinking, which meant the golden crow could handle itself.

Xu Qing accelerated. With the blessing provided by the godly body, he became a blur that almost instantly reached Mount Daybreak. The first thing he did was slam into a Gold Core nonhuman. That cultivator was an extraordinary individual, but all he could do was scream for a moment before he exploded. As the mist of blood spread out, Xu Qing emerged from within. A moment later, he was in front of another Gold Core nonhuman. Before that cultivator could react, Xu Qing took out a dagger and slashed it through his throat. The force was such that the head flew off the shoulders, accompanied by an explosion of blood.

It was a somewhat familiar scene. Eyes cold, Xu Qing leapt forward, performing an incantation gesture and pointing out. Daybreak light shot out from him, heading toward the gaping swordsages.

As it neared, it created a defensive barrier around them. Xu Qing didn’t have time at the moment for explanations. He simply unleashed the power of his third heavenly palace.

He was going all out! Given the circumstances, he wasn’t thinking a lot about keeping secrets. A poison cloud spread, and when it touched the nonhuman cultivators, they screamed and melted into bloody sludges. It was a shocking and ghastly scene.

As Xu Qing’s poison spread out, his shadow went crazy. In order to prove its worth and loyalty, it took advantage of the darkness to start parasitizing everything it could. It took control of one nonhuman cultivator after another. To their terror, they found they couldn’t control their own bodies. They started self-detonating and killing each other.

Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior was on the killing path as well. In an attempt to elevate his own position and make himself seem stronger, he put everything on the line. As a red lightning bolt, he shot back and forth, causing endless booms and rumbling sounds.

And then there was the heavenly dao bluegreen dragon. As it exhaled left and right, the power of the magical treasures provided by the major nonhuman species began to ripple and distort. Meanwhile, the defensive magical devices on Mount Daybreak were bolstered by destiny aura. Activating, they started unleashing devastating attacks.

Deafening booms rang out everywhere. Xu Qing had arrived just in the nick of time!

1. Sun Hai: Sun is #10 on the list of 100 common surnames. Hai means “sea, ocean.” Madam Deathblade said this name makes her think of someone that has “big ambitions and big dreams.” This is the exact same name as one of the characters in I Shall Seal the Heavens, who first appeared in chapter 820. I don’t want to spoil ISSTH for those who haven’t read it, but the Sun Hai in that novel ended up being an important supporting character. And he ended up going bald…. That character does not have anything to do with the Sun Hai in this chapter. ?

2. Jiaolin: This side character obviously isn’t very important, but it is noteworthy that “jiao” is the same jiao as in “flood dragon.” These creatures are notable for their scales, and this guy has scales. “Jiao” is not a surname, so this doesn’t come across as an ordinary human name. ?

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