Upon receiving the command, Ai Sang and Ai Ni flew toward the small hill, spears in hand, without a moment's hesitation.
Among the members of the Giant Wood Clan, there was long no need for excessive words. A single glance or a short phrase was enough to convey their complete meaning. This was the result of constantly walking the line between life and death, relying on one another, living and dying together. To speak more was to waste stamina, and in a life-or-death moment, the most direct and simple forms of communication were the only way to increase their chances of survival.
Without A Guxi needing to say more, Ai Ni and Ai Sang understood they were to go and clear out the caves, providing a temporary shelter for their clansmen.
The glow of Spirit Power around their bodies was nearly invisible. This was the most efficient way to conserve magical power while also concealing their presence and providing the bare minimum of defense. Otherwise, an enemy ambush could mean instant death.
Ai Sang was the first to fly toward a cave at the front of the hill. It was situated between a few short trees, its entrance shielded by branches and leaves. The mouth of the cave slanted downward, preventing rainwater from flooding in. Seeing the size of the entrance, Ai Sang's experience brought a flicker of joy to his heart. He knew this was the den of a larger beast, and due to its location and construction, it was likely dry inside.
A cave like this could hold at least five or six people. Some of the elderly and children could rest inside and recover their strength. Although the black flag in A Guxi's hand could shield them from the wind and rain, doing so would constantly consume his magical power, and they had long run out of Spirit Stones to recover it. For A Guxi, this was a matter of using his life to protect theirs.
The thought of Spirit Stones brought a soft sigh to Ai Sang's heart. A few days ago, they had an opportunity to acquire Spirit Stones or medicinal pills. He gave his head a slight shake, immediately banishing the thought.
'It would be great if there's a large beast inside!' he thought. That way, the mortals could have a good meal and drive out the cold. All of this flashed through Ai Sang's mind in an instant.
At the same time, his Divine Sense swept toward the cave. He was now less than ten li from the small hill, while on the other side, Ai Ni had circled around to the far side of the slope.
The next moment, the flying Ai Sang's expression froze. He had not sensed any danger from the cave; it was dry and empty. However, his flying form came to an abrupt halt, and he immediately let out a guttural roar at Ai Ni, who was still rushing forward.
"Retreat!"
Without the slightest hesitation, upon hearing Ai Sang's roar, the flying Ai Ni carved an arc through the curtain of rain and shot backward. At the same time, lines of water erupted from the hillside a few li in front of him, followed by figures soaring into the sky.
"Hahaha, they really are cunning! They actually discovered us. Brothers, kill them! But remember, leave all the young women and children alive!" a coarse voice echoed from amidst the exploding water arrows, his laughter filled with wanton arrogance.
These people had long been lying in ambush here, using a formation to conceal their presence. They had only startled the few beasts in the area when they first arrived, before they had deliberately hidden their auras. They had immediately killed all the beasts and cleared the scent of blood. They had predicted that if any of the seven clans passed by, under such heavy rain, the mortals would most likely seek shelter in the caves.
And everything was just as they had expected. A Guxi understood them, and they understood the seven clans. However, they had still underestimated Ai Sang's and Ai Ni's vigilance.
It was not just the cultivators like A Guxi; even the mortals, who had lived in this region for years, were extremely familiar with everything here. This naturally included their knowledge of beasts and plants. The moment Ai Ni had seen that cave, he had identified it as the den of a beast called a Black-Armor Earth Bull. This beast loved the sun and feared the cold; it would never venture out to hunt in the rain and should have been deep asleep in its cave.
The cave was empty. While it was possible that this particular Black-Armor Earth Bull had died recently and the cave had yet to be occupied by another beast, it was only a possibility. In that split second, Ai Ni chose to trust his judgment, to not take the risk, and to preserve his own life.
As a result, the enemy, thinking Ai Ni had truly discovered their ambush, decided to just storm out, given the close distance.
In the air, Ai Ni and Ai Sang quickly regrouped. At this moment, A Guxi was less than forty li behind them. Seeing the situation unfold, he showed no hesitation and immediately turned, flying rapidly in another direction.
Ai Ni and Ai Sang showed no dissatisfaction at A Guxi's act of leaving them behind. The moment they converged, they simultaneously thrust their long spears forward. By now, the ambushers were still several li away. As the two thrust their spears, two fist-sized balls of green light rapidly formed at the tips. The tips of their two spears then crossed in mid-air, and from the crimson tassels behind them, streaks of red light flew out.
Then, as if pulling back a grand curtain, the two spears swept outward to the sides. As the spear tips moved, they left behind two translucent green curtains in the air. The curtains expanded rapidly, interwoven with a crisscrossing mesh of red threads, like an oversized fishing net. The translucent green curtain, like a wall of qi, instantly stood erect in the heavy rain, three hundred zhang high and nearly five hundred zhang long.
After accomplishing this, Ai Ni and Ai Sang immediately retracted their spears. Large beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads; it was clear that executing this magical art placed an immense burden on them. In just that short time, they were already showing signs of extreme fatigue.
Without even a moment to regulate their breathing, the two turned and fled in A Guxi's direction. The entire sequence was completed in a flash, their coordination with A Guxi's escape perfectly synchronized.
By this time, four figures had just arrived before the translucent green curtain. Behind them was a hazy expanse of green—more cultivators. The four in the lead were incredibly fast, covering the distance of several li in the blink of an eye. Seeing the massive green curtain blocking their path, they knew that trying to fly over or around it would cost them time.
The man in the lead wielded a chain hammer. He was a burly warrior with a full, curly beard, his physique so massive that even A Guxi and his two companions bundled together might not match his size. With a great roar and a clattering of chains, a hammerhead the size of a washbasin smashed against the giant green curtain.
With a muffled "bang," the translucent green curtain behaved like a highly resilient net. Where the hammerhead struck, the net bulged backward into a large hemisphere. As the hammerhead slammed into it, sparks of electricity crackled across its surface, yet it failed to tear even a small hole. Instead, it was instantly enveloped by streaks of red thread.
The burly warrior was stunned. He was a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and he cultivated the rare power of the thunder attribute. His magical power, combined with his great hammer, was unstoppable when it came to breaking through defenses. He had not expected that this time, not only would he fail to succeed, but he wouldn't even be able to punch a small hole in the giant translucent green curtain.
The warrior's wide eyes glared, and with another roar, he yanked the black iron chain. Wrapping it around his wrist, he swung his arm in a circular motion in front of him. The chain once again emitted a piercing metallic screech, like a taut rope slicing an arc through the air, causing the hammerhead at its end to spin rapidly.
At that moment, the sound of breaking air erupted beside the burly warrior as the other three also attacked with haste.
"Kill!"
"Break for me!"
The burly warrior shot a fierce glare at the three. Normally, he would have berated them, as he refused to believe he couldn't break a defense hastily thrown up by the enemy. But seeing the Giant Wood Clan disappearing into the downpour on the other side of the translucent curtain, he channeled all his fury into his magical power.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
"Boom, boom, boom!"
After a series of loud bangs, a crisp cracking sound came from behind them. The fleeing Ai Ni and Ai Sang were startled. This defensive barrier of theirs was a secret defensive art of the Giant Wood Clan. In the past, it had always bought them about seven to thirteen breaths of time to escape.
But today, it had been shattered in less than three breaths. Although there were four Foundation Establishment cultivators on the other side, the strongest was only at the late stage. They had thought it would hold for at least four or five breaths, but they hadn't expected their opponents' attacks to be so sharp.
"There is no escape for you today, not in the heavens or on earth!" a furious roar echoed from behind.
Half an hour later, in the pouring rain, streams of crimson flowed through the gaps between the green blades of grass, trickling into the distance. But after flowing for less than a zhang, they were washed away by the torrential downpour, becoming murky before fading completely into the rainwater…
A dozen or so corpses lay strewn across the ground. A little less than half wore tight-fitting green garments, while the rest were dressed in ragged clothes. In this moment, whether they had been full of vigor in life or resigned to a miserable existence, all were now silent, reduced to the same state of death.
A Guxi held a small black flag in one hand and a great shield in the other, his body covered in dozens of wounds, both large and small.
Ai Ni had collapsed at his feet, her hand still gripping her long spear, her life status unknown.
A large chunk of flesh was missing from Ai Sang's waist, and blood continuously welled from his exposed internal organs. He had forcibly sealed the wound with his magical power to stop the bleeding. He was leaning on his spear with both hands, gasping for breath.
Behind A Guxi, within a faint green light shield, stood a dozen mortals, each holding a sharp blade to their own neck. Even some of the women held sharp knives, the gleaming tips pressed against the throats of the children in their arms.
Every one of them was trembling like a leaf in the wind, their eyes filled with a mixture of extreme fear and grim resolve. The children cried ceaselessly, only to be held tightly in their parents' arms, their heads restrained so the sharp blades remained pressed firmly against their slender necks. The elders had tears streaming down their faces, their cloudy vision long blurred, but they kept their gazes fixed on the stooped old man before them, whose figure was no longer upright, whose face was no longer handsome, his hair a disheveled mess.
That old man had told them more than once that when he, Ai Ni, and Ai Sang were about to die, he would detonate a formation to kill them all. If he failed to do so, or if some clansmen were lucky enough to survive even the formation's self-destruction, they were to use the blades in their hands, first on the women and children beside them, and only then could they die themselves.
A Guxi's stamina and magical power were almost completely depleted. He glanced at the four remaining Qi Condensation disciples on either side of him.
"You should retreat into the formation as well!"
At this moment, A Guxi's voice was unusually calm. He had done his best. Even in death, he would have a clear conscience before the old clan chief.
Just then, the torrential rain blotted out the heavens and the earth, obscuring the slaughter taking place here…
Before them stood a group of cultivators in tight-fitting green clothes. Their eyes glinted with ferocity, but when their gazes swept over the tall figure of Ai Ni on the ground and the other Giant Wood Clan women behind her, a lustful look emerged in the eyes of the burly, green-clad men.
Even if they were mortals, the women of the Giant Wood Clan possessed a relatively vigorous wood-attribute power in their bodies. By engaging in harmonious union with them, one could gain considerable benefits. As for the underage children, they contained the most primal wood-attribute power and were excellent tonics. Whether eaten raw or refined into medicine, they were superb materials.