We Celebrate The Lunar [IV]

Covered with their Chi lights, Zhang Xiu Ying and Chi Shang Wu imbued their weapons with their most powerful techniques as they sped towards the advancing demons formation. The sound of the collision was colossally thunderous, creating an opening in the demons formation. Using her divine evasion heritage, Zhang Xiu Ying flew inside the formation before it could close.

Once inside the arrays with the demons, she tested the capacity of her dantian by pushing a large amount of Chi into her demigod aura before releasing it in a massive blast. The demons were stunned which temporarily dispersed their formation, allowing the two silver cores to destroy the demons.

"Demon masters in the face of silver cores. Pfff."

Chu Shang Wu said, turning to regard Zhang Xiu Ying who nodded in return before checking the situations of things with the others. Around the mountainous area, the demons were beginning to suffer the same fate. It appeared others had figured out ways to defeat the formations which was bringing great relief to the cultivators.

Zhang Xiu Ying was about to check on her family when her divine sense felt an incoming danger. Not knowing where the danger was coming from, she quickly threw Navaris into the air. The sword split into three, forming walls of flame around her just as a dark-blue circlet was forming above her head.

The Nether Death Ring.

A low-grade Abyssal artifact capable of killing any cultivators below the level of golden core. When locked on, it would grind the soul of the entity enclosed within seconds. Unless with a superior power from the outside, the only way to break the ring was from the inside. However, even if the entity was able to withstand the soul grinding, the lock would eventually expose the soul to external attack.

With the lock on, Zhang Xiu Ying formed a massive wall of energy around her soul. With the wall of flames formed by her sword reducing the power of the artifact, Zhang Xiu Ying's wall of energy was able to minimize the grind on her soul. Although she had a great amount of energy in her dantian for her to use in protecting her soul, she knew the time was limited.

The death ring continued to increase the hold of the lock, putting great strain on Zhang Xiu Ying'soul as she held both the walls of flames and energy with her will. While trying, desperately, to figure out a way out of the lock, she had an insight which made the wall of flames to collapse suddenly.

The demon leader watched with smile as the walls of flames disintegrated while some of the other cultivators frantically attacked the death ring which was hovering over Zhang Xiu Ying's head. He slowly took out the single black arrow given to him for that purpose. The moment the soul of Zhang Xiu Ying appeared to be exposed, the demon leader released the knocked arrow. But before the arrow could make the contact, there was a blinding flash of light coming from Zhang Xiu Ying.

After the recession of the light, the demon leader opened his eyes to the sight of Zhang Xiu Ying who was surrounded in a nimbus of golden light, speeding towards him. A demigod.

"What?"

The demon leader couldn't believe the woman was a demigod, and she advanced a level to escape the attack. When a demigod advanced a level, there would be a fraction of a moment of protection. She had used her advancement and protection to evade the deadly attack.

Sensing the danger, the four demon lords quickly manifested four obsidian staves and seals. Within a blink of an eye, they had activated the seals with their staves, forming an unknown yet exceedingly powerful array of shimmering dark energy. Tendrils of dark energy quickly surrounded the vast area of the plain, stopping Zhang Xiu Ying on her path.

As the mass of tendrils closed in on them, Zhang Xiu Ying hurriedly returned to her agitated family. It had turned to the survival of a lineage. They joined the other cultivators in launching attacks at the dark energy but their efforts were effectively repelled. No effect on the deadly energy.

"Hehehe. Void-Of-The-Lost-Souls. Are you surprised? Yes, you should be. No mortal or immortal of this world can break this lock. Not even your heavenly ancestors. Sad, we could have celebrated with you whatever you are celebrating, but time is not on our side as you can see. Hehehe."

One of the demon lords said, laughing heartily as the other three joined him.

"We must bring this to an end now."

The four demon lords raised their staves higher, and the obsidian skulls at the top of their staves shone with extreme intensity. The massive mass of energy increased in speed, making its force incredibly overwhelming. The demons continued to laugh heartedly after realizing there was no way any one of those cultivators would survive the incoming attack after their futile efforts in preventing it.

Zhang Xiu Ying was beginning to contemplate on their decisions to bring her son to the festival. But she knew they couldn't have left him at home in the first place. After all, it was a festival. She was deep in thoughts when she felt herself frozen in place. As well as everything on the lunar plain.

A nascent force-field? An hegemon?

Slowly, a tall, seemingly muscular man who was wearing a thick yellow robe, came out through an opening that suddenly formed at the base of the mountain. His shining bald head would make the solar-orb hide in shame. On closer look, he had thick eye brows and yellow pupils which moved like that of an ancient predator. He was taken aback in shock when he saw the dark shimmering energy.

"Atrament? In a mortal world?"

The yellow-robed man continued to stare at the massive mass of atrament, slowly shaking his head in surprise.

"This shouldn't be here. Not in this universe, surely not in any mortal world."

He waved his hand, and a massive terra energy covered the dark atrament in its entirety. He activated a gold-yellow seal he brought out from his spatial dimension and sent it into the wave of terran energy. The mass of atramental energy instantly dissipated into nothingness. Then with eyes emitting anger, he turned towards one of the demon lords, and flipped his hand. One of the demon lords appeared immediately before him.

"Demon, yet, no longer demon. Tainted by the atramental energy. No immortal of this world you said? Yet, here I am. Puny demons. Anyway, why are you here? Speak up!"

"Or what? Go ahead and kill us. But I will never tell you anything."

"Very well then."

The bald man flicked his hand, and with a release of terran bust, the demon lord exploded into ashes. He continued the act until he was on the last demon lord.

"We are here for those two."

The demon lord voiced, pointing to Zhang Xiu Ying and Ju Feng.

"The boy cultivator, in particular."

"Why?"

"We only have our instructions. We don't ask why."

"Mhm. You don't ask why."

The bald muscular man produced another seal, turning the demon into an orb of dark light which disappeared into the mountain. Whatever the reasons behind the demons attack were surely of great concern.

The yellow-robed man contemplated as he took a step forward and appeared in front of Zhang Xiu Ying. Standing in front of her, he shook his head as he released his force-field on the area.

"A demigod. You recently advanced? Hmm, good. Your life force is also powerful and solid. However, you should be stronger than this. I truly don't know why the mutated demons were after you and the boy, but if you remain like this, you will simply die. Whoever is after you must be exceedingly powerful entities. It could be from any of the higher planes, or could even be from the void.

Nevertheless, atrament is one of the deadliest energy in the void, and it's used by extremely dangerous entities. Know this, when you are attacked by the atrament, the inside of your body will instantly decompose into black liquid, and your soul will be ripped from your body becoming part of atrament. You want to avoid that at all cost."

He flipped his sleeves and produced two white stones, giving one to Zhang Xiu Ying.

"Terra's light. It will alert you when any of these dark energies nears you. That'll be your warning sign. This is a gift to you as a true demigod."

"You are too kind, senior. Many thanks."

"En."

With a glance around, he discovered that few villagers had been killed, but no nascent soul or golden core cultivator was killed. He shrugged before looking at the boy with the threads of karmic virtues around him. Although he couldn't say what exactly it was, but there was something about the boy that drew his attention. His virtues? Surely something.

"Who is the boy?"

"He's my son."

Zhang Xiu Ying replied mildly, despite slightly trembling inside. They should have been dead by now. Dead! But somehow, they were saved by this exceedingly powerful man. Although he couldn't be a god — since no god's image could be that powerful — he was definitely an immortal beyond the mortal plane. There was surely an ancient aura about him.

"Senior, thank you so much for saving us. We are all in your debt."

The bald man gently waved her words off.

"You are not in my debt. I was around and did what was necessary."

He took another step and appeared in front of Zhang Li Qiang, Zhang Wang Jing and Ju Feng. He watched Ju Feng for some seconds, then gave him the other stone.

"Terra's light against the dark energy. Take it. A gift to you for your virtues, probably."

"Thank you, sir."

Receiving the stone, Ju Feng fell on his knees and bowed, receiving acknowledging nods from the bald entity.

"Hm. Be stronger and gain more knowledge. Only by knowing what you are really facing can you truly confront it. Come visit in the future."

"Senior, for-forgive me for asking who you are?"

One of the village headmen asked respectfully in a shaky voice.

"You can call me lord Luyang. For hundreds of millions of years, this place has been my home when there was no living soul in this world. I was here when the nine siblings came into fore. This mountain is my existence."

"A titan lord!"

The chieftain exclaimed in fear before falling on his knees. He knew titans were totally different from humans. And for a titan to gain complete transformation showed the stage of existence of the titan. He could easily destroy cities without much efforts.

"Thank you, lord Luyang."

"You are too kind, Lord Luyang."

"It was simply a necessity."

Titan-lord Luyang let out a soft breath as he turned towards Chu Shang Wu.

"Impressive terra force you displayed, I must say. Maybe we can exchange pointers in the future?"

And with that, he disappeared back into the mountain, leaving no traces behind.

Ten minutes later, the first of the lunaries descended from the mountain, holding the lunar stones high in his hand with a wide smile on his face.