Princess Tieshan was afraid. Afraid and in a hurry. Though she gave the Eternal Dragon clan heaps of boisterous words, she didn't want this fight. The reason was simple, unlike the lives that had stayed trapped in Green-Leaf Village for centuries or thousands of years, Tieshan had wandered the outside world and had a strong presence in Yanzhou.
Yet, despite that knowledge, she couldn't see through the outsiders' background. The world was vast and full of mysteries. From hidden Demon Nobles playing the various factions of the world as they attempted to thwart the plans of the Divine Spirits, to the secret Holy clans that avoided the limelight. And of course, you still had to consider the Taiyang on the land, and the almighty Hengye on the Seas. With so many factors and a Demon Noble already doing its best to exploit her, Tieshan didn't want to take on problems she couldn't solve in a blitzkrieg.
'The Green Immortal Sword Art vanished eons ago. Where did the newcomers get it from? What if they have connections to the immortal clans and the deceased Green-Leaf Village founders? So many unknowns, and he sent a powerless Stampede to greet them.' Tieshan sighed at her betrothed's foolishness.
The princess wasn't naive enough to think that the Spring of Eternal Youth and Golden Immortal Relic would satisfy the outsiders' appetite. But at first, she believed in her abilities to negotiate and control the conflict. Alas, due to the Bull Demon Prince's actions, the Celestial Farm's position had grown weak, shifting all momentum to the outsiders' side.
Unfortunately for Tieshan, the outsiders were only getting started. By the time the Cow Demoness had crossed half the farm, the sky darkened. White lightning coursed through the clouds, supported by grumbling thunder that boomed throughout the Celestial Farm.
"What is..." From Tieshan to her 100,000 Cow Demonesses, and even the tens of thousands of Gled Demon Bulls, all stared absentmindedly at the sky, wondering why for the first time in 10,000 years, Green Leaf Village saw grumbling thunder.
The answer came promptly. Three white lightning bolts fell from the sky, blasting at the Celestial Farm, and forcing its defensive array to kick in. Monstergirls and bulls' eyes widened at these three bolts' destructive power. Tieshan's hands trembled at the discharge, not out of fear of these three bolts, but of what would come soon after.
"Citizens of the Celestial Farm, my master, the Eminent Revenred Ecstasy, came in peace, willing to help you all achieve enlightenment and emancipation from the shackles imposed on you by your village founders.
However, every step of the way, you greeted him with animosity, insults, weapons, battles and flat-out murderous charges. The Stampede of 1,000 Demon Bulls you dispatched to our village was the last straw, forcing my master to show you...that though a kind and merciful monk, his temple isn't a faction you can afford to mess with." Spatial ripples followed Xin Zhong's voice, causing distortions that altered the Celestial Farm's landscape.
Bulls and cows suffered dizzy spells, the earth shook underneath them, but their defensive formation kicked in, preventing these spatial distortions from turning the Celestial Farm upside down.
"A Void Tribulation. That man is undergoing a Void Tribulation. Wait...don't tell me that he plans to breakthrough here?!" Tieshan couldn't believe her eyes. Alas, Xin Zhong's words made his stance clear, driving the Cow Princess into despair.
"Since you dared to threaten the peace of His Eminence's celebration, brace yourself...for our Divine Judgment!" Barely had these menacing words echoed, that a deluge of white tribulation lightning rained from the sky, battering the defensive array with full force.
"Aaargh!" Ear-splitting sounds slammed through cows' and bulls' eardrums, sending them to roll on the ground, holding their ears in agony. At the same time, lavender void lightning zigzagged through the air, followed by a shroud of darkness that mirrored the breakthrough of an Infernal Shadow Beast.
Spiritual, divine and demonic forces pummeled the defensive array, causing minuscule spatial distortions and rumbling thunder noises that sent the Celestial Farm's lives reeling. As simplistic as it sounds, the defensive formation could protect them from any strike. However, noise was never part of the deal. That noise rose to obscene decibel levels, threatening to drive all Celestial Farm lives insane.
Worse, the more heavenly lightning fell, the stronger the tribulation became; as if the Heavenly Dao couldn't tolerate that the Celestial Farm dared to resist its punishment!
"Absurd! Absurd!" In his castle, the Bull Demon Prince floundered, unable to accept that the enemy could summon Tribulation Lightning.
Tieshan's eyes narrowed at the sky, and she raised her hand, conjuring lavender space runes that altered the Celestial Farm's atmosphere, forming a formless barrier that prevented the noise from affecting the farm's lives.
'But for how long can you do this?' Xinzi, who connected to Xin Zhong's White-Winged Demon Heart so he could watch the show, smiled at Tieshan's resistance. His smile didn't last. Because the longer he stared at Tieshan, the more uncomfortable he felt.
His heart beat at an unusual rhythm, making him clutch at his chest.
'This is the second time since I've returned to Yanzhou that an unknown girl makes my heart throb with strange sensations. The nine-tailed fox girl by Xiao Hu's side, I can guess why. But a Green-Hat Village native? For what reason? Who are you...and how are you connected to me?' Xinzi pondered the issue.
'Never mind, Princess Tieshan it is, huh? I look forward to your visit,' Xinzi thought, then disconnected himself from Xin Zhong's Demon Heart.
"Tieshan!" Aware that, despite her peak Divine Transformation cultivation base, princess Tieshan couldn't maintain this sound barrier indefinitely, the Bull Demon Prince rushed out of his stone castle, aiming to pour his energy into Tieshan's dantian.
"What are you doing here?! Right now you should be supervising our spirit stone reserves to determine the cost of our resistance, manage our resources and ensure that the formation doesn't run out of energy supply." Though appreciative of the Bull Demon Prince's concerns, Tieshan didn't welcome his help.
It was one thing to guarantee that the relentless sound bombardment wouldn't damage cows and bulls' sanity, another to make sure that the defensive formation they all relied on for survival wouldn't run out of energy. Of these two, anyone could see which one mattered the most. The Bull Demon Prince didn't need Tieshan to figure this one out. Alas, with loving concerns twisting his reasoning, he refused to let go.
"But I..."
"BACK OFF! I have several times your energy reserves, and spirit stones to supply my barrier. Even if my energy is limited, it's not getting depleted anytime soon! In what language do I have to spell it for you to understand that I don't need you here!" Tieshan barked at the Bull Demon Prince, making his jaw drop, his eyes tremble, and his heart squeeze in pain.
Lowering his head, the Bull Demon Prince gritted his teeth, turned heels and rushed towards the center of the formation.
'Sorry, I didn't want to hurt your feelings, but you're the one holding the High Command Seal, meaning that only you can supervise and control the Defensive Formation. This...is no time to let emotions control your actions.' Tieshan bit her lips. While her brain convinced itself of the reasoning behind her harsh words, a part of her wondered why she so often treated the Bull Demon Prince so harshly.
If she didn't like him, why give him the High Command Seal and honor their engagement? If she did like him, why put him under such overwhelming pressure?
Her father's face reappeared in her mind, his broad grin and large bull face staring at her with amusement.
