Outside the forest west of Heaven’s Moat, the Lou Lan border campground mourning the death of General Bazir.
Many Lou Lan cultivators were attracted by Ji Liang’s bright and crisp call. They looked up at the sky…
Above the towering trees, Ji Liang’s hooves shone with light as it galloped in the sky.
“It’s the Sword Devil’s steed! Catch it!”
The witchcraft cultivators with keen sight recognized Ji Liang immediately.
This was the very horse that led them on a wild goose chase.
The death of the hero of the border, General Bazir, was connected to the master of this horse.
For a time, many witchcraft cultivators gathered together. They had strength in numbers. There did not seem to be a high requirement for courage to face a single horse.
Hundreds of witchcraft cultivators flew at full speed toward Heaven’s Moat from the campground.
At the same time, a large number of Roulians and Lou Lan nationals were stationed at the foothills on the eastern side of Heaven’s Moat.
The Lou Lan cultivators took flight and tried to surround Ji Liang.
They rose higher at the same time.
The witchcraft cultivators in the west formed a line that pushed forward while the witchcraft cultivators in the east formed a straight line as well.
With this, Ji Liang would eventually run into the Lou Lan cultivators, no matter how fast it traveled.
Neigh!
Ji Liang noticed the abnormality. It raised its hooves and stopped in midair. It saw the witchcraft cultivators blocking its way. Every cultivator held a purple orb in their hands. They were clad in purple hooded cloaks. Purple gas slowly flowed out of their palms. The purple spheres in their hands seemed to be connected by a purple chain.
The witchcraft cultivators behind Ji Liang did the same.
They had the horse in a pincer attack. It seemed that the beast had nowhere to run to now.
Ji Liang was extremely intelligent. It made a swift judgment about its current situation and made a shocking move. It chose to rise higher in the sky. It looked up as it maintained its standing posture, hooves clopping away.
“It’s no wonder Great Yan’s Sword Devil managed to reach Rouli from the heartlands of Lou Lan… What a rare and wonderful steed.”
“We must capture it no matter what. If we can tame it, we can make it work for us. If we can’t tame it, we’ll just kill it!”
“Roger!”
The shamans rose higher into the sky.
Two rows of cultivators followed Ji Liang in its ascent.
Two clouds of purple gas rose as well. They looked like purple sky curtains. It was a magnificent sight.
Ji Liang was not flustered. It reached the highest point of Heaven’s Moat with its legendary speed.
This was not the southern part of Heaven’s Moat. It seemed to know that it could not shake off the witchcraft cultivators at this altitude. Hence, it chose to climb further up. When it had reached the altitude it deemed suitable, the air thinned considerably and Primal Qi was scarce. It was stifling, constricting, and difficult to breathe. It stopped climbing up and flew straight ahead…
“We can’t go any higher! Primal Qi is too scarce here!”
If they went up further, they would not have access to Primal Qi. Without Primal Qi, cultivators were only slightly sturdier than mortals. It was the same for witchcraft cultivators.
Ji Liang did not seem to be affected by this… It continued its flight. Shortly after, its trail drew an arc in the skies as it crossed over the barricade of witchcraft cultivators.
“Stop it!”
“Attack!”
The row of witchcraft cultivators tossed their purple orbs out.
A row of purple witchcraft circles was launched into the air.
Ji Liang nimbly dodged and flew higher.
Neigh!
The rare and precious horse had to control its altitude at this moment. Its eyes shone with a golden light as though they were burning. It advanced courageously. It only had one destination at this moment: Great Yan.
Swoosh!
Ji Liang crossed Heaven’s Moat despite the witchcraft cultivators’ effort to stop it.
At its altitude, it was easy for Ji Liang to cross Heaven’s Moat.
Above Heaven’s Moat, a snowstorm raged on.
Roaring wind rang in Ji Liang’s ears, and its vision was obscured by flecks of white snow.
The Lou Lan shamans adjusted their positions and pursued the horse.
“After it!”
“We can’t let it get away!”
“We must avenge Lord Bazir!”
“Revenge!”
Their hatred soared.
General Bazir was a grand shaman. In the eyes of Lou Lan’s witchcraft cultivators, he was a hero akin to a god.
The hundreds of cultivators gave chase in a square formation. They worked together well. They knew that Ji Liang was swift. Hence, they cast different spells that complemented each other. They advanced in a pointed formation. With their collective spells, their speed was on par with Ji Liang for a moment!
Meanwhile, the Roulians looked at the sky from their campground.
General Karol was also intrigued by this huge commotion. He rose into the air and looked at the pursuing group of witchcraft cultivators in the distance. Shortly after, he sighed. “Although I don’t see eye to eye with Bazir and our tempers aren’t the best fit for each other, I do respect and admire his character. The sheer number of people willing to avenge him is a testament to his charisma. I’ve lost to him in this sense.”
The moment he finished speaking, a subordinate beside him bowed and said, “General, before Bazir died, he personally led a team that pushed the Sword Devil to the lands of Rouli. His objective was to frame you for the Sword Devil’s death to sow discord between Rouli and the Evil Sky Pavilion.”
“Is that so?” Karol frowned.
“You may investigate this, general. He also said… that Lou Lan doesn’t need a… a…” the subordinate stammered, unsure if he should finish his sentence.
“Just say it. I won’t punish you!”
“A ‘piece of trash’ like you. He can kill Yu Shangrong on his own.”
Karol’s eyes narrowed when he heard these words. Flames of anger seemed to dance in his eyes at this moment. He scoffed. “He deserves to die then.”
After saying this, he descended.
The subordinate followed suit. He had spoken the truth. Even if it were not, the dead could tell no tales.
The group of witchcraft cultivators pursued Ji Liang wildly.
Perhaps, it had made too many trips between Heaven’s Moat and the quagmire, and also due to the precarious altitude, Ji Liang’s speed was slightly slower than usual.
“Kill it!”
“It won’t last!”
Many witchcraft cultivators noticed Ji Liang’s decreased speed. They poured more of their power into their spells. Their streamlined formation instantly sped up.
Neigh!
Ji Liang continued galloping. It crossed the mountains, the rivers, and the forests.
“Take it down!”
“Understood!”
The witchcraft cultivators channeled their witchcraft power forward. The purple gas converged before their formation. Then, a purple bow and arrow materialized in the hands of the person in the lead.
“Livestock! Let’s see where you can run off to now!” He let his fingers go and the arrow sailed in the air.
Bam!
It was breathtaking to see them pitch their spells together in this manner.
The arrow seemed sure to hit its target.
Neigh!
Ji Liang raised its hooves. The arrow was almost upon it.
The others were certain the arrow was about to land when…
Whizz!
There was a resonance in the air.
“Who dares to attack my horse?!”
A figure appeared behind Ji Liang with a palm raised before himself. His fingers were shining blue as he caught the witchcraft arrow with one hand. He looked old, but his eyes were lively.
The witchcraft cultivators from Lou Lan did not expect anyone to be capable of pulling off such a dangerous move. Their expressions changed. If they did not know better, they would have thought they were hallucinating. They were smart so they knew how to differentiate between illusion and reality. The seemingly meek old man who caught the arrow was real.
“Oh, no, we’ve gone too far… Get ready to retreat!”
They suddenly realized that they had unknowingly entered Great Yan’s territory, too preoccupied with the chase.
“Mhm, calm down. Great Yan cultivators are our enemies to begin with. Maintain the formation and retreat to the campground.”
“That arrow will keep him busy. Fall back!”
At the same time, they saw the old man who caught the arrow pushed his palm forward.
Boom!
The power gathered from hundreds of cultivators that manifested in the form of the purple arrow was shattered by a blue palm seal. The blue palm seal dispersed the purple witchcraft before flying toward the witchcraft cultivator.
The shaman at the lead felt his hairs standing on end. He roared, “Block!”