We Celebrate The Lunar [III]

Four of the villages — Fountain-Fox, Rain-Water, Sky-Spring and Red-Eagle — produced two late-stage silver core cultivators each. Another four villages — Windfall, Yellow-Bay, Solar-Peak and Mountain-Crust — each had one late-stage and one middle-stage silver core cultivators. Whereas, Wall-Mount had one late-stage golden core and one early-stage silver core cultivators.

After the introduction, Zhang Xiu Ying took her seat beside chieftain Huan Yu, alongside her family, and continued to observe the proceedings. Since she was new to the traditional sparring contest, she had decided to watch on silently, leaving the fights to the veterans. She wouldn't be challenging any cultivator during the current period when there would be a lot of time for that in the future.

While she was trying to enjoy the competition, she caught wind of a soul-searching stare, coming from the direction of one of the dignitaries. It would be difficult for any cultivator below the golden core stage to escape her divine awareness heritage as a demigod. With little difficulty, she located the source.

Liu Yang of the Red-Eagle village.

Like a latching claws, his expressionless gaze lingered on Zhang Xiu Ying who turned a blind eye in a pretence. Cautiously dismissing the situation, she turned her attention back on the friendly competition. Making a mental note of it, Zhang Xiu Ying continued watching as the dignitaries tested their might against one another in the ultimate moves challenges.

Several long minutes later, no dignitaries were left to compete. Except for the number one ranked silver core, Liu Yang, who was a shadow and necrosis cultivator. After disappearing for hundreds of years, he recently resurfaced with a strong death aura around him which was making other cultivators uneasy. He continued to perceive on-goings with his expressionless eyes which occasionally glanced at Zhang Xiu Ying.

After a while, it was time for the lunaries to begin their competition. The Zhuji cultivators were stationed at the starting points, away for the lunar mountain. At the sound of the gong, they took-off, racing towards the mountain. As with the rules, no teleportation talismans or portal seals were allowed —not that the lunaries could afford to use any here, anyway. Only movement techniques or talismans were allowed to be used.

Some lunaries used quick steps and light steps techniques, others used flash steps talismans. Zuo He, the lunary from Sky-Spring was using the Lightning-Steps talisman, making him climbed the mountain at a very fast pace. Despite this, others too were at the same level with him while some were even above him.

Ju Feng was watching with great excitement as the lunaries raced up the mountain but soon lost sight of them, much to his disappointment. Same as others from his village, he had been rooting for Zuo He, his village lunary with the hope of Zuo He coming back in good time with a lunar stone. Ju Feng had planned on watching the whole incredible event with his own eyes, but let out a deep breath as he had to wait for the lunaries to descend.

Although it took them few minutes, with some seconds' interval, they all reached the top almost at the same time. Once they entered the mist, the lunaries lost sight of one another as they already expected. They all knew what was involved, hence, they had all prepared adequately beforehand.

Some distance from the base of the mountain, all the delegates from the nine villages were monitoring the situation with the lunaries, using their spiritual sights. They could, clearly, see what was happening around the mountain and were monitoring the situation to avoid any foul play, and to handle any danger that could arise.

They were following the progress of the events when a portal suddenly opened. Four legion armies of forty eight demons, led by four demon lords, came barging through onto the lunar plain. But unlike the regular nether demons, these ones were totally different. They were bigger and stronger, and their bodies were covered in blankets of shimmering darkness of energy.

"Shimmering dark energy?"

Zhang Xiu Ying turned to look at her parents with frightened eyes as the memories of the past came flooding into her mind. She was pulled out of her reverie by the voice of her mother who was staring at on-looking Zhang Li Qiang for answers.

"Could it be, Li Qiang?"

"ATTACK."

One of the four demon lords screamed the command at the demon warriors. The demons, covered in shimmering dark energy and brandishing radiant obsidian sabers, started moving in the direction of the confused delegates with terrifying speed. Most of the villagers had never seen a demon attack before and tried to flee from the area. But the whole plain appeared to be under a worldly lock.

Seeing the demons coming at them in full speed with no means of escape, the villagers hid behind the dignitaries who hurriedly prepared themselves for the incoming attack after recovering from the initial shock.

Under unrelenting attack of the Tongzu cultivators, the first wave of demons were eventually dispersed under some difficulty. The second set of demons —the demon masters— who were much more powerful than the demon warriors having reached the equivalent of the peak-stage copper rings, were sent forth. But instead of attacking individually, they morgue into nine overpowering formations of spiralling dark energy.

The Chaotic-Nether formations.

Formations worthy of the abyssal plane. But the aura of the shimmering energy? Sensing the danger of the formations, Tu Yun Fan glanced at Chu Shang Wu with grave eyes, as other nascent souls prepared their various moves.

"I don't know how, but that's a golden core level formation, Chu Shang Wu. I know, if possible, you'll certainly cut off my head, and you may probably have your chance next time. But for now, we have to stop those attacking formations before they gain firm ground."

"Fair enough, Yun Fan."

In the manner of chaotic lightning, the dignitaries engaged the demon masters in fierce battle as they tried to stop them before they could gain battle momentum. It was a terrifying war due to the demons abyssal formations being extremely difficult to face. With the formations, there was little they could do. The copper ring cultivators were on the verge of defeat when the chieftains barged into the formations with powerful forces, creating openings for attack in the formations.

As one of the formations headed their way, Ju Feng watched as his grandmother flicked her hands and manifested the deadly claws of flame. He had never seen the claws before, and now seeing them, he understood why they called her Flaming Claws of the Phoenix clan. He watched as his grandmother glanced at his grandfather before leaping into the air, latching her clawed hands forward.

Two giant fire claws, joined by a massive fire dragon head, streaked in the direction of the approaching demons formation. The aftermath was a thunderous cracking sound which only knocked the demons back a few feet. They were about to take off in the direction of the demons formation when Chu Shang Wu landed beside them with his large war-hammer smashing the ground, launching a massive skull forward.

"Pa, Ma, please stay and protect Ju Feng. We'll take care of this."

Zhang Xiu Ying sent a mindvoice to her father and mother as the noise of the pandemonium continued to escalate. With her sword, Navaris, in her hand, she glanced at Chu Shang Wu who nodded while brandishing his large war hammer, before the two of them sped towards the demons.