Xiao Yun cursed, "You're the eunuch, your whole family are eunuchs."
"I was just using an analogy..." Zhang Gu said, rolling his eyes.
Mo Qi had no patience for their nonsense, "Those willing to continue following orders, follow me."
He turned and sped away. Xiao Yun, Dongfang Zhangkai, and two others followed him.
Seeing their resolute departure, Lin Shizhang felt a pang of doubt. Had he been wrong?
Zhang Gu put on a fawning expression, "Commander Lin, these people disregard military discipline, they are undisciplined and openly defy orders. We should report them properly when we return."
Upon hearing this, Lin Shizhang felt righteous again, "Yes, they are doomed."
As they neared Qilin Cliff, Mo Qi asked who had a map.
A soldier, Jia Guan, immediately handed him one.
Mo Qi glanced at the terrain map. Behind Qilin Cliff, the land stretched flat for a hundred li to a place called Chexiang Valley. If General Zheng intended to retreat, that would likely be his only option.
If that place were lost, there would be no further defenses, and the Sky City itself would be directly threatened.
With only a few people on their side, a direct interception was impossible. They could only try to flank or harass the demon army from the rear or the sides, to see if they could disrupt their formation.
As they approached Chexiang Valley, they indeed heard the thunderous roars of battle, explosions, and the swirling of colorful energy streams.
The entire sky and the area below were engulfed in war.
Jia Guan asked, "Should we go help?"
"Go there to die?" Mo Qi retorted.
Dongfang Zhangkai chuckled, "Do we have any other way to avoid death?"
Xiao Yun gasped, "We're here to die?"
Mo Qi shook his head and veered off in another direction, "We're here to turn the tide of the battle."
The others followed closely.
Another soldier, Miao Dan, sighed, "With just a few of us, how can we turn the tide? If a few of us could, why would General Zheng and the others be pushed back steadily?"
"That's true," Mo Qi said ambiguously, "Then all of you can go back. I won't stop you, and it won't count as desertion."
Miao Dan hesitated, truly wanting to turn back.
After all, Mo Qi had given the order, and he would bear any consequences.
But Jia Guan, Xiao Yun, and Dongfang Zhangkai were following Mo Qi steadfastly. He couldn't just leave alone, so he reluctantly followed.
"What's wrong with you guys, insisting on following?" Miao Dan thought to himself.
From Mo Qi's direction of travel, Jia Guan gradually realized he intended to outflank them. He said, "It's useless. Even if we circle around to their rear, we won't be able to do anything."
"Saying you can't do anything without having done anything is a bit premature," Mo Qi replied.
At this moment, General Zheng Bubai was retreating steadily, defending in Chexiang Valley using the sky's barrier and the terrain below to block the enemy's attacks.
However, the demon army led by Gong Bing was extremely ferocious and valiant. They quickly broke through Zheng Bubai's layered defenses. The barriers in the sky were shattered one by one, and the ground defenses were destroyed.
The demon army advanced like an unstoppable plague of locusts, overwhelming and unhindered, leaving nothing but barren land in their wake.
The corpses of human soldiers lay on the ground, and as the subsequent demon forces passed, these bodies turned into withered bones.
The blood on the ground was scoured clean, and the plants and trees instantly withered and turned black.
A mouse emerged from its hole, and when it tried to re-enter, only its skeletal frame remained, its fur and skin gone, startling its mother.
Zheng Bubai and his remaining forces had retreated to the edge of Chexiang Valley, their last line of defense. If this was breached, the land would be flat, and the enemy would advance thousands of li, unstoppable.
Therefore, they could not retreat any further, even if it meant becoming stepping stones for the enemy.
Zheng Bubai ordered his army, "Hold the exit, do not take a single step back. Those who retreat will be executed."
Then, thousands of spells and divine abilities surged forth, their colorful energy streams merging together like a vibrant tide surging towards the enemy.
The demon soldiers opposite also lined up, unleashing their own abilities. Their techniques were primarily dark energy. A thick black mist, tinged with red and green, surged forward.
Upon contact, it was like rolling thunder skimming the ground, with continuous rumbling, sparks flying, and energy erupting.
The dark energy also spread outwards in disarray.
In the clash, the dark energy gained the upper hand. Many human soldiers were sent reeling, blood trickling from their mouths, but they quickly regained their footing, stubbornly returning to their positions to continue their resistance.
Mo Qi and his group took a long detour to reach the rear of the demon army.
They looked at the terrifying appearance of the demons, feeling a chill run down their spines.
Most of them had grotesque features, and a few could be described as hideous. Their noses were not noses, their eyes were not eyes, and many had two tusks protruding, gleaming brightly like an elephant's.
Some had green skin all over, large noses, and ears like fans.
Others were tall and covered in scales, as if naturally clad in armor.
Mo Qi couldn't help but wonder why these demons looked like this.
Were they born this way, or had they become like this due to cultivation gone awry?
Seeing Mo Qi charge towards the demon army without hesitation, Xiao Yun felt a bit uneasy. "Are... are we really going there? It feels useless, like ants trying to tickle an elephant."
Mo Qi chuckled, "If an ant gets into an elephant's ear, it can make it quite uncomfortable."
Dongfang Zhangkai and the others remained skeptical.
Just then, a few demons spotted the five of them and immediately shouted, baring their teeth and claws as they lunged towards Mo Qi and his group.
Dongfang Zhangkai and the others were not intimidated. They quickly formed hand seals and engaged the demons in battle.
Mo Qi retreated to the side. He took out a Nine Heavens Divine Arrow from his storage bag, loaded it with several Thunder Pills, and with a surge of spiritual energy, dark shadows whizzed out, landing amidst the demon army. Light erupted from nowhere, blooming like flowers and exploding outwards in all directions. The tearing force spread, instantly ripping the demons apart.
Flesh and blood rained down like raindrops.
Mo Qi continuously fired Thunder Pills, which exploded repeatedly within the demon army.
The sounds of explosions were incessant, and screams rose one after another.
Mushroom-shaped black clouds rose alternately from various locations. Those caught within the clouds descended into chaos. Some were instantly torn asunder, others lay writhing on the ground, covered in wounds, while some, bleeding profusely, ran in all directions.
The demon soldiers in front were alerted by the commotion and turned to charge towards Mo Qi.
Various divine abilities and magical artifacts rained down upon Mo Qi.
However, they were too far from Mo Qi, and most of the spells and abilities couldn't reach him.
Only one artifact, shaped like a flower basket, spun in the air, emitting a blinding radiance from its flowers and striking towards Mo Qi.
Mo Qi directly shot a Thunder Pill with the Nine Heavens Divine Arrow. The blinding light poured down, instantly shattering the Thunder Pill, causing it to explode violently.
A larger ball of light erupted, the air being violently compressed and then released.
Mo Qi felt a mountain-like pressure surge towards him. His entire body was instantly lifted, swept into the air like a withered leaf, and then carried a long distance.
He had miscalculated, being injured by his own artifact.
Even so, he held onto his artifact tightly, fearing it would slip from his grasp.
The next moment, he and the Nine Heavens Divine Arrow rolled on the ground for a while before finally coming to a stop.
Then, a figure emerged from the crowd, clad in black, with long flowing hair, holding a flower basket, and possessing eyes as cold as water in a deep pool.
His face was surprisingly handsome, perhaps a rare gem amidst the rough.
Without a word, he formed a hand seal, and the flower basket spun again, emitting radiance and striking towards Mo Qi.
Mo Qi knew he couldn't be entangled by anyone. With only a few people on his side, if he was held back, the enemy's numerical advantage would become apparent.
Then their rescue mission would fail.
Mo Qi wielded the Xuanyuan Sword, deflecting the cold radiance like a shower of rain. However, the opponent's spiritual power was too strong, and with each deflection, his body was uncontrollably pushed backward.
The blood and qi within his body churned, making him feel as if his internal organs were about to be expelled.
However, after the flower basket completed a rotation, there was a gap in the middle, giving him a moment to breathe.
He took a breath and released the little one, simultaneously stuffing a large handful of emergency pills into its mouth.
At this moment, a tide of demon soldiers began to surround them.
Each of them had fierce brows, bared teeth and claws, and were filled with rage.
It seemed they wouldn't rest until Mo Qi was torn to shreds.
On the other side, Xiao Yun and the other four were surrounded by seven or eight demons, locked in a fierce struggle.
The four fought back-to-back, their battle arduous.
It seemed that a single misstep would lead to their demise.
But they fought with great tenacity and seriousness in every resistance.
If any one of them lost heart, the entire defense would collapse, and they would be captured en masse.
Fortunately, no more demons came to assist in the assault. Otherwise, even one more demon could quickly shatter the fragile defense of the four.
The four were still holding on, but their spirits were close to breaking. "They said they were coming to rescue us, but this is clearly a suicide mission. With just a few random demon soldiers, you can't even hold them off. How can you possibly chew through their army of thousands?"
Meanwhile, the demon vanguard sensed the disturbance in their middle and rear ranks. Their hearts pounded, and their formation began to falter.
General Zheng and his men were on the verge of collapse. A thousand-li dike could be breached in an instant.
Seeing that they could no longer withstand the enemy's assault and with no reinforcements arriving, General Zheng felt a sense of heroic despair. As the demon army surged towards him like a tide, he couldn't help but feel a surge of sorrow and sighed to the heavens, "I, Zheng Bubai, have spent my life in military service, dedicating everything for centuries to resist the demons, always ready to be shattered and die for the cause. Today, I have truly given my all and exhausted my strength. But this endless demon army, who will stop them?"