Chapter 549: Counterattack

Wang Changsheng nodded, his brow furrowed as he asked, "Is everything alright with the clan? Why are there only a few of you? Where are Qingqing and the others?"Wang Ruyan's face was filled with worry as she hadn't seen Wang Qingqing.

Mo Caiyun shook her head and said, "Qingqing is fine; she's working in the Deacon Hall, responsible for artifact refining. However, my eighteenth brother and Qing Tian have died."

Wang Qingshan recounted how Wang Changhao and Wang Qing Tian had fallen. As he spoke of Wang Changhao staying behind to cover their retreat, Wang Qingshan's face was filled with grief and indignation.

"Alright, now that I'm at the front line, I'll take care of you all," Wang Changsheng said. "Qingshan, don't be too sad. Life and death are fated. Your eighteenth brother died to save you; don't let his efforts be in vain. If we can return safely to the clan, I will look after his descendants."

Wang Changsheng's arrival was a great comfort to Mo Caiyun and the others.

After so many years of war, Wang Qingshan and the others had very few cultivation resources left. Before leaving Qinglian Mountain Villa, Wang Changsheng had brought a batch of urgently needed cultivation resources for Wang Qingshan and his group: pills, spirit stones, magic artifacts, and talismans.Wang Ruyan, who was in charge of these items, took them out and distributed them to Wang Qingshan and the others.

A sound transmission talisman suddenly flew in. Its message was simple: Wang Changsheng was to go to the Council Hall.

Upon arriving at the Council Hall, Wang Changsheng was utterly shocked. Over thirty Core Formation cultivators were gathered inside, seated on either side.He found an empty chair and sat down.

More Core Formation cultivators continued to arrive. Those already seated displayed a variety of expressions: some looked very solemn, some were worried, and others appeared self-satisfied.

Wang Changsheng saw Fang Mu, who was still carrying a coffin on his back, his expression cold. No one was talking to him.Fang Mu had already reached the fourth level of Core Formation; it was unknown if he had caught up with the half-demon of the Blood Bat clan last time.

Besides Fang Mu, Wang Changsheng also saw Daoist Ziyang and Huang Fugui.

Not long after, a deep male voice announced, "Nascent Soul True Immortals arriving!"

As soon as the words fell, eight Nascent Soul cultivators emerged from the back of the hall—six men and two women. The one with the strongest aura was a benevolent-looking elder in a white Taoist robe with a goatee, holding a white whisk. He had a truly immortal demeanor.

"I am Xu Bin of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, and I am in charge of Pingyao City," the elder said. "The demon race has invaded, killed our kin, plundered our wealth, and enslaved our human race. How can we tolerate this? Our seven great immortal sects have already united with the Northern Frontier cultivation world and the Southern Sea cultivation world. We will attack the demon race from three directions. I have called you here today to inform you that we are preparing for a counterattack. Those who achieve great merit will be heavily rewarded, while those who are cowardly or avoid battle will be severely punished."

Hearing this, the Core Formation cultivators present stirred, communicating through spiritual messages.

Wang Changsheng suddenly understood. He had wondered why the human race had been purely defensive; it turned out they had been gathering allies. If the Northern Frontier and Southern Sea cultivation worlds joined in, attacking the demon race from three directions, the demon race would truly have little chance of victory. If the demon race was unaware of this news, they would certainly suffer a huge loss.There were multiple defensive lines against the demon race, and Pingyao City was just one of them.

"I intend to divide all of you into six teams," the elder continued. "Each team will be led by a Nascent Soul cultivator and will consist of multiple Core Formation cultivators. You will advance along designated routes, and each Core Formation cultivator will command multiple Foundation Establishment cultivators. Now, I will begin assigning the teams."

Of the fifty-five Core Formation cultivators, ten would remain in Pingyao City, while the remaining forty-five would be divided into six teams. Wang Changsheng, Fang Mu, and Huang Fugui were assigned to one team. Their team had eight Core Formation cultivators, and Wang Changsheng's cultivation was the lowest.According to regulations, Wang Changsheng would command fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators. Since Wang Qingqing was an artifact refiner and not meant for the battlefield, Wang Changsheng decided to bring Wang Qingshan and the other seven with him. It wasn't that he wanted to put them in danger, but if he didn't bring them and there weren't enough personnel, they might be assigned to other Core Formation cultivators and potentially used as cannon fodder.

After the discussion concluded, Wang Changsheng and the others left one by one. The Deacon Hall would dispatch people to distribute supplies to every participating cultivator. It was clear that the Seven Great Immortal Sects were serious about this.

Wang Changsheng received a low-grade Tier 3 offensive talisman. Wang Qingshan and the others each received a bottle of Dharma power recovery pills and two Tier 2 talismans.

Wang Changsheng divided the fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators into seven squads, with Wang Qingshan and his seven companions in one of them.

The Nascent Soul cultivator leading their team was named Fang Sizhe, a fourth-level Nascent Soul cultivator.

In the pre-dawn hours, the night was still.

Six Nascent Soul cultivators, leading forty-five Core Formation cultivators, flew out of Pingyao City, attacking the demon race's encampment from all directions.

Even before entering the demon encampment, they unleashed spirit arts, wielded magic treasures, controlled puppet beasts, or manipulated giant bone corpses, launching attacks on the demon stronghold.

Dazzling spiritual lights illuminated the dark night. Tremendous roars echoed continuously, flames soared into the sky, and screams of agony filled the air.

Wang Changsheng followed Fang Sizhe into the demon encampment, but to his surprise, he found that the demon race had very few high-tier combatants: two Nascent Soul half-demons, over thirty Core Formation half-demons, dozens of Tier 3 demonic beasts, and tens of thousands of lower-tier demonic beasts.

"Stop them! Kill them!"Tens of thousands of low-tier demonic beasts simultaneously cast spells, their various magical lights flaring up with astonishing momentum.

Fang Sizhe summoned a yellow banner, releasing a vast yellow hurricane that blocked most of the spells.

"Kill them all; leave no one alive," Fang Sizhe commanded coldly.

The Nascent Soul demonic beasts and half-demons fled in different directions. Dozens of Tier 3 demonic beasts lunged at Wang Changsheng and his group, attempting to block their path.

Six Nascent Soul cultivators against forty-five Core Formation cultivators—the demon race was simply no match.

A blue light flashed around Wang Changsheng as he pursued an ape-like half-demon. The half-demon, a fourth-level Core Formation cultivator, was quite fast.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, how about we deal with this demon together?" Huang Fugui's voice sounded in Wang Changsheng's ear. "We can split the merits evenly."

According to the pre-battle arrangements, the corpses of Core Formation half-demons or Tier 3 demonic beasts could be exchanged for a large number of contribution points.

Wang Changsheng's escape speed wasn't particularly fast; the half-demon's was much quicker than his.

"Alright, Fellow Daoist Huang. Hurry and stop him; don't let him escape."Wang Changsheng agreed. He and Huang Fugui, working together, would have no problem eliminating this demon.

Huang Fugui chuckled. A bright yellow light enveloped his body, and his escape speed more than doubled. In less than ten breaths, he had flown in front of the ape-like half-demon, blocking its path.

Wang Changsheng noticed that the ape-like half-demon wore a pair of gleaming golden boots, evidently a flying magic treasure; otherwise, the half-demon's flight speed wouldn't have been so swift.

"Get out of my way!"The half-demon roared, and an invisible sound wave flew out, striking at Huang Fugui.With a flick of his wrist, a dazzling golden spear appeared in his hand. As it glowed intensely, the spear extended a hundredfold, slamming down towards Huang Fugui. Before it even landed, a layer of crimson flames erupted from its tip, emitting astonishing heat.

Huang Fugui's expression shifted slightly. With a flick of his sleeve, a gleaming yellow flying dagger instantly shot out, slashing towards the golden spear.He opened his mouth, and a palm-sized yellow shield flew out, instantly expanding in size and circling him protectively.

With a dull clang, the yellow flying dagger was knocked away, but Huang Fugui took the opportunity to fly further, avoiding the golden spear's attack.

The half-demon glanced at Wang Changsheng behind him. The spiritual boots on his feet shone brightly, and his escape speed doubled as he flew into the distance.

Before he had gone far, dense yellow flying needles shot towards him. A yellow flying dagger slashed in from his right, attacking him from both sides.The half-demon frowned. With a sudden shake of the golden spear in his hand, a vast array of spear shadows flew out, shattering all the yellow flying needles.