In the middle of the steep cliff face, rocks scoured by rain for millennia stood rugged and uneven, forming a narrow, hidden passage.
This passage was known to very few even among the Nangong clan members, as no one would idly climb from such a precipitous spot. Even if they did, no one would notice a mountain path hidden among the shadows of unassuming rock layers and trees.
But the Wine Immortal knew.
"This path, my companion Nangong Maoguan and I stumbled upon it while idly practicing our lightning arts," the Wine Immortal said, ascending the cliff.
He recalled that back then, he hadn't yet manifested his Dharma Idol and was locked in a fierce battle with Nangong Maoguan. He had accidentally slipped and fallen down the mountain, only then discovering this path.
Xu Mu's feet found purchase on the rock layers, and he climbed upward with agile grace, like a nimble ape.
"Meaning, perhaps no one will be guarding this path, and we can easily reach the Nangong clan's mountain gate?"
"You mean, from here we can reach the Nangong clan's mountain gate?"
Before the Wine Immortal could answer, a figure in a bright white silhouette emerged from the shadows.
This was a middle-aged man who looked quite seasoned. His eyes were sharp, his hands crackled with white energy, and there was some blood on his person.
It was clearly an ability user from the Bai clan.
Xu Mu and the Wine Immortal exchanged a look, then fell silent.
"What do we do? If he charges into the Nangong clan through this path, won't we both become sinners?"
The Wine Immortal found the situation thorny, his lips twitching slightly as he pondered how to resolve it.
"The other party is also a Domain Lord. If I don't summon my Dharma Idol, he won't be easy to deal with. But if I do, our identities will be completely exposed."
The space fell silent. The Bai clan's Domain Lord, seeing their hesitation, looked at the Wine Immortal and Xu Mu with suspicion. "Why aren't you speaking? Could it be..."
"Yes, we can ascend," the Wine Immortal suddenly said, his expression grave. "But the path above leads directly to a rather important area of the Nangong clan, heavily guarded. So, I advise you not to proceed."
Bai Li was taken aback, his expression one of utter incomprehension. "Since it's heavily guarded, wouldn't more people be better?"
"Or do you believe that the two of you are enough to breach the Nangong clan's mountain gate?"
The Wine Immortal shook his head and explained with mock seriousness, "Of course not. The Nangong clan's heritage is immeasurable; even with the full might of the three great families, they cannot break through.
"The reason I dare to ascend from here is simply because I am familiar with the environment and unlikely to be caught."
Hearing this, Xu Mu chimed in, "Yes, Senior. We can sneak in, but you cannot. Furthermore, more people would only increase the risk of exposure, which would be counterproductive."
Bai Li pondered for a moment, then nodded, seemingly accepting their explanation.
But then, he spoke again, "You two don't need to call others. I'll go with you.
"I, Bai Li, am most skilled in assassination. There are few in the Hundred Clans who can surpass me in stealth."
"It just so happens that you two can be my eyes. I will follow behind. The three of us will infiltrate together."
"Alright," the Wine Immortal said with a sigh of resignation.
The other party had spoken with such conviction, and he couldn't think of a valid reason to refuse. To avoid suspicion, he could only brace himself and start climbing.
"If all else fails, we'll risk exposure to kill him. We absolutely cannot let him breach the mountain gate," Xu Mu whispered into the Wine Immortal's mind.
"Yes, I understand," the Wine Immortal nodded, his expression solemn.
As time passed, the three, two in front and one behind, soon reached the upper mid-section of the mountain.
At this moment, from a cave embedded in the mountainside, a group of ability users suddenly emerged. They were all clad in heavy armor, exuding a formidable aura, and had formed a battle array ahead.
"Three Domain Lords leading twelve Lieutenants forming a defensive formation? Fortunately, you've set up defenses in this area."
Seeing the interception, the Wine Immortal's first reaction was relief, as was Xu Mu's.
Bai Li, skilled in stealth, found himself at a loss upon seeing the blocking cultivators, and asked, "What do we do? Fight or retreat?"
The Wine Immortal did not answer, his speed unwavering, his presence terrifying, as if he intended to charge head-on.
Xu Mu followed behind, his eyes darting about as he observed the terrain. In an instant, he understood what the Wine Immortal intended.
"Now!"
Just as the two sides were about to collide, the Wine Immortal suddenly reached out and grabbed Xu Mu. Xu Mu, in turn, twisted his body and used all his strength to push off a rock.
In that instant, their speed surged to its peak, like meteors plunging downward. They shot past Nangong clan's interception in a flash.
But Bai Li did not make it through.
He hadn't even grasped what had happened before Xu Mu and the Wine Immortal had vanished. Only the three Domain Lords and the twelve Lieutenants forming the battle array remained before him.
Even more terrifying was that the attack unleashed by the battle array was already upon him.
Bai Li fell silent, his pupils constricting.
"Damn it!"
In the blink of an eye, Bai Li cursed, burying his head in his arm while turning sideways, reinforcing a sliver of his domain to protect his heart.
The torrent of energy condensed by the fifteen-person battle array crashed down, instantly engulfing Bai Li and flinging him away, piercing through the earth for a hundred meters. His fate was unknown.
"Old man, two got past." A toothless old woman, adorned with yellow flowers, spoke weakly. She was also an elder of the Nangong clan, already severely injured and rapidly losing vitality, which was why she was assigned to guard here.
She hadn't expected anyone to come here, and they seemed prepared.
Beside her, an old man of similar demeanor looked up and said with a sigh, "Too fast, we couldn't stop them."
"Notify the Patriarch. Point 175 has fallen. Two unknown intruders have gone up."
"If they cannot be intercepted, then please activate the great formation quickly!"
...
The land was scorched for a thousand miles, swords broken and arrows spent.
At the main gate of the mountain, the battle continued.
Turbulent energy currents crisscrossed, and countless cultivators perished within them.
"Patriarch, this is bad! Elder Seventeen's position has fallen. They say two people have rushed up and are about to enter the mountain gate!"
Nangong Zhenyuan's expression changed drastically. "What!"
"If the external enemies are difficult to repel, and our internal defenses are also disrupted, then we will truly be defeated today. This absolutely cannot happen! Bring my formation core staff quickly!"
"Everyone, stand within the mountain protection formation and provide energy support!"
Nangong Zhenyuan waved his arm, and wind and fire surged from his sleeves, tens of thousands of meters wide, repelling the surrounding ability users. He then retreated to the rear of the crowd and took hold of an object resembling a scepter, with a blood-red crystal embedded at its tail.
Those who understood formations knew that this object was called a formation core staff, and only the one holding it could control the formation.
And at this moment, the formation core staff in Nangong Zhenyuan's hand was the peerless great formation that deterred the world and could ensure the Nangong clan's eternal prosperity – the "True Phoenix."
Bai Yun's eyes narrowed upon seeing the formation core staff. She immediately charged out from the crowd, her three thousand strands of Heartless Silk entangling and striking, attempting to prevent the activation of the great formation.
But in that instant, Nangong Zhenyuan had already slammed the formation core staff hard onto the ground. The brilliant, crimson crystal at the staff's head and tail then bloomed with a sky-piercing light.
In the night sky, countless crimson rays fell upon the mountainside. Dead trees sprouted new life, broken wild grass grew rampant, rocks became harder than meteoric iron, and even the air was filled with myriad mottled imprints. The entire mountain was blessed by the red light.
At this moment, terrifying flames blazed from Nangong Zhenyuan's body, burning fiercely and soaring towards the sky, merging with the red light. A phantom of a True Phoenix, with its proud posture and boundless pressure, appeared.
Bai Yun looked up, gazing at the divine beast phoenix circling in the sky. For the first time, fear appeared in her usually indifferent eyes.
The phoenix lowered its head, its eyes like a red sun gazing upon the mortal world.
Bai Yun's pupils contracted drastically. She broke free of the encirclement and fled into the distance, shouting in alarm, "Retreat quickly!"
The Bai clan's ancestor, Bai Li, also roared with bloodshot eyes, "Do not be seen by that phoenix, much less be struck by its feathers or flames!"
"Otherwise, even if you possess the Dharma Idol of Heaven and Earth, you will not escape death!"
"Everyone, scatter!"
"—Screech!"
The phoenix slowly flapped its wings, and fiery arrows rained down across half the sky. They were dense, like turbulence in the void, and each possessed the terrifying power to pierce the laws of the Great Dao.
A Domain Lord who could not evade was instantly pierced through the abdomen by a feather arrow. His domain couldn't withstand it for even a moment. He then began to burn, his soul turning to dust.
The entire process took less than three seconds.
Bai Yun, having retreated tens of thousands of meters away, watched this scene from afar, her teeth gritted.
"These blind fools! I explicitly told them to retreat immediately once the great formation was activated, yet now so many lives have been lost in vain."
Bai Ze also appeared beside Bai Yun. Gazing at the phantom phoenix thousands of meters away, he said with fear, "The Nangong clan's mountain protection great formation... it hasn't been seen for how many years? The last time it was activated was when Nangong Yu was assassinated."
"But it's alright. It's only the rogue cultivators who came to join the fun that died. Our Bai clan knows the power of this formation, so we all retreated without casualties."
Hearing this, Bai Yun's icy expression softened slightly.
"Order everyone to form up according to the plan, maintain a distance of ten thousand meters, and continuously wear down that phoenix."
"This True Phoenix is indeed powerful, its killing power comparable to that of a Human King, but it has a fatal weakness."
Bai Ze nodded and shouted loudly in the air over the battlefield, "Everyone, begin forming up, maintain a distance of ten thousand meters."
"I will emphasize this one last time: do not engage the True Phoenix directly. Each battle array should exchange only one blow. After striking, you must retreat to a safe zone."
"The True Phoenix great formation is extremely powerful, but its consumption is also immense. It requires the Domain Lords of the entire Nangong clan to provide their origin essence blood to activate, and the main caster must possess extremely high concentrations of Phoenix bloodline."
"Looking throughout the Nangong clan, apart from their mad Saint Son, Nangong Zhenyuan is the only one capable of presiding over the formation now. And he is heavily injured. As long as we continuously wear him down, he will eventually be unable to sustain it!"
Bai Ze's words echoed across the entire battlefield.
On the other fronts of the mountain gate, the Dongfang and Cheng clans had also responded appropriately to the True Phoenix.
Though the phoenix was powerful, its range was limited.
And everyone knew that Nangong Zhenyuan could not hold on for much longer. Even if he weren't injured, he was approaching two hundred years old, long past his prime for combat.
As expected, after one exchange, Nangong Zhenyuan coughed up a mouthful of blood.
He leaned on the formation core staff, his white hair fluttering around his temples, his body hunched, his eye sockets sunken. This elder, like a candle in the wind, seemed on the verge of death at any moment.
"Ancestor!" countless people around exclaimed, rushing forward to support him, but their movements were sluggish due to the immense power and blood drained by the True Phoenix.
"It's alright."
Flames still burned on Nangong Zhenyuan. He straightened himself again, his expression resolute, burning his essence blood. The phantom phoenix in the sky then solidified somewhat.
Bai Yun narrowed her eyes and sharply commanded, "Attack!"
"Kill!!!!"
Battle arrays formed by countless Domain Lords unleashed torrents of terrifying energy from all directions, covering the sky and bombarding the mountain gate.
Seeing this, Nangong Zhenyuan once again controlled the phoenix to fly, letting out a sharp cry. From above, it spewed endless true flames, like a tsunami sweeping across the world.
The flames scorched the earth, moving with unimaginable speed. A stray spark landing on a person would instantly turn them into dust.
"Quick retreat!"
This time, the flames spewed forth faster than expected. Bai Yun was startled and urgently commanded everyone to retreat, but it was already too late. Over a dozen Domain Lords had already perished beneath the sea of fire, their domains unable to withstand it for even half a breath.
"A bunch of good-for-nothings!"
Bai Yun gritted her teeth, gazing at Nangong Zhenyuan from a distance. She couldn't understand why he would activate the great formation at this time.
This ultimate move, which could only be used once, shouldn't it have been saved for when the mountain gate was breached?
Using it now, while it could kill many of their Domain Lords, was still within acceptable limits, as the Nangong side would inevitably lose combat effectiveness due to exhaustion at any moment.
Their sole mission now was to wait for Nangong Zhenyuan to collapse, the great formation to dissipate, and then the entire Nangong clan would become lambs to the slaughter.
With this thought, Bai Yun's expression became even more resolute, and she coldly commanded, "Continue the attack, do not give him time to rest!"
"Today, I shall destroy the Nangong clan!"
...