Chapter 144 - The Golden Sun Saint Avatar
With a frenzied roar, the patriarch raised the heretical Soul-Reaping Banner and swung it toward the sky.
A catastrophic tidal wave of tens of thousands of howling vengeful spirits and corrupted necrotic Qi erupted from the banner, surging straight toward Elder Nie like an abyss dragon swallowing the heavens.
Elder Nie looked down at the screaming faces with cold eyes.
He raised both hands as pure Golden Yang Qi surged from his meridians into the sky. Space warped as a hundred-foot titan of blinding golden light rose behind him. He unleashed his Golden Sun Saint Avatar.
Behind its back, a radiant Golden Sun Halo turned slowly, radiating majestic pressure that locked onto the entire mountain and burned the outer miasma into steam.
The Fang Patriarch’s sneer froze. Terror gripped his eyes as the boundless Saint pressure crushed down upon him.
"Another Saint Realm powerhouse?!" the patriarch shrieked in horror.
"By the decree of the Heavenly Cloud Sect, I shall now purge these demonic heretics!"
Nie drew his gold-plated executioner’s blade. Above him, the Golden Sun Saint Avatar mirrored his movement, its golden hands gripping a massive blade made of condensed Golden Sun True Flame.
Golden Sun Sword Technique - True Sun Severance!
Elder Nie swung his blade downward.
The Saint Avatar brought its massive blade down in unison.
A concentrated line of golden flames cleaved through heaven and earth. The horde of the screaming spirits evaporated into white vapor before the blade even touched them. The golden slash sliced cleanly through the Soul-Reaping Banner, snapping the artifact in two, and continued downward through the possessed patriarch and the stone altar beneath him.
The patriarch’s body froze, then dissolved into grey ash under the searing heat.
Across the continent, powers surged through his remaining vessels as the realization dawned on them.
"Retreat! Now! Quickly! The Heavenly Cloud Sect has launched a full-scale war! Retreat!" Demonic Ancestor Mo’s vessels cried out in panic.
***
Silence returned to the Iron Crag Mountain valley. The necrotic clouds dispersed, letting golden sunlight bathe the shattered estate. Below, the surviving mortals and guards fell to their knees in tears, spared from the altar.
As Elder Nie slowly descended from the sky, his spiritual sense caught an unusual resonance amid the ruins of the central plaza.
Among the collapsed corpses of the Fang Clan elders who had been corrupted by the altar, a single figure remained somewhat unaffected.
It was a young girl in torn martial robes, barely conscious among the dead elders. Her breathing was shallow, and blood stained her lips. Around her chest and brow, faint threads of pure golden flame flickered, repelling the demonic miasma.
Under the imminent threat of the blood formation, the violent influx of corrupting yin energy had triggered a fierce reaction within her meridians. Her innate constitution, which was dormant since birth, had violently awakened to repel the filth.
Elder Nie swept his divine sense over her, his eyes widening in shock. ’A True Sun Sacred Body.’
Nie landed on the cracked stone and looked at the girl, his sharp eyes softening with rare solemnity.
The Fang Clan had governed Iron Crag City for generations as loyal vassals to the Heavenly Cloud Sect, yet the possessed patriarch had turned the entire clan into fuel for his power. Every elder and direct bloodline had perished with this.
She was the last remaining direct bloodline of the Fang Clan.
"What is your name, child?" he asked, his deep voice carrying a gentle warmth.
The girl looked up. Despite her trembling body and the grief clouding her eyes, her gaze was clear.
"Fang Ya," she mumbled, her small fists clenching tight against her knees.
"The Fang Clan guarded this valley with honor for generations. You will not be left to wither in the dust," he said. "From this day forward, you follow me to Golden Qilin Peak of the Heavenly Cloud Sect as my direct disciple."
He tapped the jade token at his waist and spoke into it.
"Stronghold in the Iron Crag City is purged. Secure the perimeter, and prepare a carriage for Golden Qilin Peak."
***
The dragon-bone war ark slowed down, slicing through the dense clouds, its heavy hull humming with power.
They had arrived at the perimeter of the Eighth Demonic Stronghold near Black Crow Ridge.
Beside the railing, Peak Master Lei Zhenwu took out his Saint Grade Lightning Halberd. A chime echoed from the communication jade at his waist. He tapped it with spiritual Qi.
First Elder Nie’s voice resonated from the crystal. Stronghold Two in Iron Crag City was taken care of. The possessed vessel was the Fang Clan patriarch. The damage to the city and the Fang Clan was severe, and only one of the Fang Clan’s direct descendants survived the ordeal.
Lei Zhenwu nodded in satisfaction.
The report left a quiet chill in Su Ming’s chest. An entire vassal clan had just been wiped out, leaving only a single survivor, yet Peak Master Lei treated it like nothing more than crossing names off the list.
That casual indifference bothered Su Ming a little, but he kept his mouth shut and said nothing. If anything, it only proved the absolute dominance of the Heavenly Cloud Sect. In the eyes of a behemoth like them, collateral damage was just a side note on the said list.
"Old Nie did not waste a second," Lei Zhenwu said, grinning. "That makes two strongholds down. Sect Master took the third stronghold in the Phoenix territory, and Old Nie crushed the second. The rats have nowhere left to run."
Su Ming stood with hands behind his back, looking down at the dark valley. His spiritual sense reached into the depths of the valley. Everything seemed normal, but the dense forest gave off an eerie presence.
"Two vessels have fallen in minutes," Su Ming said calmly. "The remaining vessels must be anticipating our arrival."
The war ark tilted as it started descending toward the outer boundary of the ridge.
Lei Zhenwu grinned, violet sparks flickering in his eyes.
"Let them know. Today, we tear their nest apart."
Lei Zhenwu leapt from the warship, his halberd crackling with violet lightning. Su Ming and the elders followed closely behind, plunging into the dark forest of the Black Crow Ridge.