Fazed by Qiu Meng's reproaches, the Nameless Sword Mountain's disciples held still, neither advancing nor retreating. All lowered their heads, wondering if, in their thirst for survival, they'd not jumped the gun. For a short moment, a dreary silence fell on the scene, soon broken by Shui Haoyue.
"Eldest senior brother, please forgive us for this moment of disloyalty. We disciples of the Nameless Sword Mountain pledge to live and die together!" Sensing that elders and disciples alike needed rallying words from a trustworthy source, Shui Haoyue stepped forward, and despite her personal doubts, bowed towards Qiu Meng.
These words, spoken by Haoyue, were all that the elders and disciples needed to regain their fighting spirit. At the exception of Zuixian, all followed Haoyue's example, bowing at Qiu Meng and reiterating their loyalty to the Nameless Sword Mountain.
A heavy dose of skepticism still flashed in Zuixian's eyes. A part of him wondered if his sworn brother didn't become complicit in Bai Renyi's crimes. Another rejected the possibility, believing that Qiu "Chen" simply prioritized the unity of the Nameless Sword Mountain before a seemingly insurmountable enemy.
Meanwhile, Zhiji Jing's eyes narrowed at Qiu Meng. Concealed in the energies buried deep inside the Nameless Sword Mountain, Zhiji Jing could feel an ancient will, a will that endured 10,000 years of confinement, yet remained as sharp as an obsidian knife. That will fused with Qiu Meng's soul, but at the same time, a stronger, more stable and awe-inspiring will erupted, forcing Zhiji Jing to reevaluate the opponent.
'Two Immortal Wills -- not quite -- a False Immortal Will from the Nameless Sword Mountain, and a True Immortal Will...from that boy's own soul. So, either he somehow managed to rob an immortal's soul, or he is...a reincarnated immortal.'
"Well, as my beloved big sister would say, this is all very cute. But since you won't cooperate, death is your destiny," Zhiji Jing said, naturally referring to Daji. Upon hearing these words, The Third Horde's 100 million mysterious beasts all flashed monstrous grins, staring at the Nameless Sword Mountain's disciples like juicy pieces of barbecued meat.
For the Nameless Sword Mountain that barely reached the 1,000 disciples mark, to be stared at by 100 million beasts, the weakest of which still matched a Nascent Soul realm expert, was enough to bring all disciples to their knees.
However, the two Immortal Wills stirring in Qiu Meng's soul unfurled, galvanizing the spirits of the sect disciples. In tandem, they stood up, and despite the insurmountable mismatch, faced the Third Horde with defiant glowers.
"Ximei, make your move. And together, let's crush their spirit," Zhiji Jing said, and Xiao Hu, who till now stayed silent, stepped forward. In her left hand, she held a pipa, resting it against her chest as, with her right hand, she readied to play the strings.
For the first time, the Nameless Sword Mountain disciples' attention shifted away from the mesmerizing Zhiji Jing, locking on Xiao Hu from whom they could feel unmistakenly demonic energies. No one had the time to appreciate the pair's beauty or comment on demonic powers.
Xiao Hu's fingers stroked the pipa's strings, kicking off a fast-paced melody that, for reasons they couldn't comprehend, made all sect disciples break into a cold sweat. The winds of sin and evil gathered around Xiao Hu. Her scarlet eyes flashed like gemstones. Her sclera turned black, and her red lips curled up.
Lilac-colored rays shot out of Xiao Hu's neckless, and from the weakest of the 29th Horde's cannon fodders to the 24 peak-stage Holy Beast Kings leading the Third Horde, all felt their cultivation bases erupt and rise massively.
Stirred by Xiao Hu's melody, all Holy Shadow Beasts or below saw their cultivation bases increase by an entire realm. Anointed Holy Beasts rose by three levels, the Holy Beast Kings by two, and even Zhiji Jing, a Holy Beast Sovereign saw her cultivation base improve by one level.
Thus, to the terror of the Nameless Sword Mountain -- no -- of all watching experts, Xiao Hu's melody turned the Third Horde's leaders into a squad of 25 mid-stage Holy Beast Sovereigns, equal to mid-stage Supreme Clarity experts.
As if that wasn't enough Zhiji Jing's cultivation...neared the late stage.
All the courage that the Nameless Sword Mountain's disciples had gained through Qiu Meng's Immortal Wills threatened to collapse. Qiu Meng himself couldn't believe his eyes.
'In this timeline, she already got the Soul-Grafting Stone?' As he stared at Xiao Hu's necklace, Qiu Meng came to this conclusion. Xiao Hu cultivated the Heart Demon Scripture, the original method created by Sheitan to enable mortals to become demons. After reaching the method's highest level, depending on the type of Heart Demons that they became, practitioners of that ancient method obtained unique abilities.
Xiao Hu got a skill that enabled her to massively enhance the cultivation bases of all those she chose, granted that they possessed even a tiny bit of darkness in their hearts.
However, by herself, Xiao Hu would have never been able to cast this melody on 200 million troops. But thanks to the demonic stone hidden in the necklace she'd received from Daji, she could channel enough Soul Force and Evil Qi to empower hundreds of millions.
But this...wasn't supposed to happen before a couple of years. The Soul-Grafting Stone was one of the most mysterious and secret treasures of Qingqiu Island, one of the gifts received from Hengye Wuxin to thank Daji's father for helping him in his quest to fuse Holy and Divine.
Even for Xiao Hu, if not in preparation for a specific battle, Daji wouldn't have let go of this stolen treasure. But as with many other things, Qiu Meng's reincarnation altered the timelines. Because Daji sensed hidden powers in the Nameless Sword Mountain, powers reactivated by Qiu Meng himself, she didn't dare to send her sisters and hordes without maximum guarantee that they'd all return home injury-free.
The Soul-Grafting was that guarantee. But the Myriad Beast Gang's troops...were just getting started.
Zhiji Jing stepped forward. Splendid Rays lit up her form, spreading across the land like a storm of rainbow light. In that instant, Zhiji Jing became both the most splendid sun and the most mesmerizing moon that all across the Dongli state had ever laid their eyes on.
The shadow of a nine-headed peacock appeared in the sky. Its feathers took a multicolored shade, and instantly, the Nameless Sword Mountain male disciples' cultivation shrank. But worse, they lost all fighting spirit, instead wanting to kneel at Zhiji Jing's feet and kiss her toes.
"Let's go!" Zhiji Jing ordered, and without delay, the Myriad Beast Gang's troops launched themselves through the air, barrelling into the Nameless Sword Mountain.
