Boom!
Boom!
The open field was consumed by blue flames. These explosive arrows contained just a tiny bit of Chen Wentian's immortal power but this was enough to cause widespread devastation. Each blast wiped out dozens of black insects in an instant while the flames left behind would incinerate anything nearby in a few moments.
With just one volley, the locust horde had been cut down by a quarter!
Incoherent screeches of fury spread through the field. The insects that survived were enraged and burst into action. Several black clouds swarmed together and rose into the sky, looking for the culprit. Unfortunately, they flew straight into more arrows that came down like a rainstorm.
Balls of blue flame took huge bites out of the black swarm until nothing was left. The swarm was forced to the ground and forced to look for another way out.
"Here they come! Get ready!" Bei Chen shouted.
Sure enough, hundreds of individual locusts started flying in their direction, staying low to the ground, seeking a path away from the carnage. Standing directly in their way were Bei Yingluo's forces.
Bei Yingluo leaped down from her horse. On her side were around six hundred cultivators and soldiers, all around the lower Spirit Initiate Realm and the upper Mind Focusing Realm. She was probably the weakest at the 1st Level of the Mind Focusing Realm but this didn't mean she was useless.
Her battle dress was a Spirit Initiate Realm treasure. It was flexible and yet offered great protection. With it on, she could only be hurt by an expert at the peak of the Spirit Initiate Realm. She also had a spear at the peak of the Spirit Initiate Realm residing in her spatial bag but she didn't need it quite yet. She would use her fists for this battle, utilizing the Nineteen Demon Subduing Palms.
Bei Yingluo picked out her target, a particularly fat locust that was as long as her arm. It was the biggest of the bunch and the one leading the small pack that was trying to escape.
"Kill!" She shouted and charged ahead.
"Kill!"
"Kill the demons!"
A chorus rose behind her as her people followed suit.
Bei Yingluo jumped in front of the locust; her palm drawn back for a powerful attack.
Nineteen Demon Subduing Palms, 2nd Palm, Dominate Demons!
Her attack, infused with special attributes of demon slaying, slammed into the gnashing jaws of the hideous black insect face. The demonized beast was at the peak of the Mind Focusing Realm and, full of confidence, did not even bother to dodge. It attacked her palm strike, expecting to bite through her fingers with brute strength.
Instead, her palm shattered its mandibles and crushed its head into a bloody mess.
Bei Yingluo paused momentarily and looked at her hand in astonishment. She had expected a much more difficult battle, not for it to be over in an instant. A demon slaying art was truly unparalleled against demons!
"Ying'er, pay attention!"
She heard the angry shout of her third aunt and jerked to attention. All around her, humans and demonized insects were locked in a fierce battle. Blood and guts flew everywhere as the smaller locusts suffered massive losses.
A nearby soldier struggling against three locusts gnawing on his armor. He was an ordinary cultivator at the Mind Focusing Realm and did not know anything about the Nineteen Demon Subduing Palms. He was waving his sword wildly to little effect.
Bei Yingluo charged over to assist. With a few punches and kicks, the locusts were destroyed and the man heaved a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Lady Bei…"
"Are you okay? Can you still fight?" She asked, looking around for the next threat.
"I can fight!"
"Good!" She said and barreled headfirst in the fray once more.
The fierce battle continued. The explosive arrows continued, turning the barren field into a blue firestorm. The human forces surrounded the flames, killing all the locusts that were still alive and trying to escape.
Thousands of locusts died every minute but the human side also suffered some losses. Most of the fighters conscripted for this offensive were ordinary cultivators from local sects. Their background was ordinary, their training was lacking, and their martial arts was flawed at best. They were fine when they stuck together but if one was caught alone by a pack of insects, they would be quickly overwhelmed.
On the other hand, the members of the Bei Clan were performing admirably. Bei Hao and her two husbands as well as Bei Chen and her fiancée were all above average cultivators to begin with. As members of the newly founded branch sect, the Bei Clan, they were given pills to improve their cultivation foundation and allowed to practice a select number of powerful martial arts.
Among these martial arts was a modified version of the Nineteen Demon Subduing Palms. It consisted of only the first nine palms and the name was changed to Banishing Evil. And as experienced cultivators, they all managed to understand the basics in a short time and were utilizing Banishing Evil to its fullest extent.
The five of them were immovable pillars of strength for Bei Yingluo's forces. Just the five of them alone had slain more demons by hand than all of the soldiers. No demonized locust dared to fly within ten meters of them and they were instantly able to stabilize a section of the frontline with their mere presence.
Bei Yingluo still had a way to go to match their strength. She was proud of her aunts and in-laws but she was also frustrated with herself.
If only she could use her realm-hopping ability… Then, she would be able to fight alongside them as equals.
But try as she might, her heaven-defying ability had never shown up again after that day. She had no idea why and her master was equally as stumped. As the weeks and months dragged on, she was getting more and more frustrated.
She knew that her value lay in her secret ability. If she couldn't use her ability, then what use was she to the sect and to her master?
"Yingluo!" The shout came from her third aunt.
"What?"
Bei Chen rushed up and grabbed her shoulder.
"Look!" She shouted, pointing at the sky behind them.
Bei Yingluo's confusion turned to horror. Black dots appeared over the trees, quickly growing in size and number. It soon became a massive black cloud that billowed over the horizon, rising into the sky until it blotted out the sun.
It was more demonized locusts! Heading straight for them!
"How are there more of them?" She shouted.
"I don't know!" Bei Chen screamed back.
"What do we do?"
"They are closing too fast… archers!" Bei Chen bellowed, "Archers, fire! Turn around, turn around and fire!"
---
Thank you to all my patrons!
Support me and read ahead by 20 or even 40 chapters!
p atreon.com/kigreenwriting
Join my discord for updates, delays, and my ramblings :)
d iscord.gg/dY5UApw