"Sound the horns!" Yu Cang commanded.
The melodious sound of trumpets erupted from various positions, soaring into the heavens and striking the soul. Following this, a melodious song began, drifting and swaying in the air like threads of silk, or like a mountain stream flowing down a winding, deep ravine. At times it surged, like a fierce wind blowing, lifting fallen willow catkins and feathers from the ground, causing them to dance in the air for a long time before falling. At other times, it shifted to a low murmur, as if lamenting and complaining, like the sorrowful sighs of a maiden in a secluded courtyard, or the mournful cries from the halls of hell, bringing sadness to the listener and tears to the hearer. At other times, it was like celestial Sanskrit chanting, resonating softly, its source imperceptible, as if it were an imprint etched deep within the soul, so distant, so profound.
Mo Qi, suspended in mid-air, was greatly shocked. Legends spoke of the Siren's Song possessing immense charm, capable of captivating souls and killing without a trace. He had never imagined that the true Siren's Song was a distress signal, informing distant and nearby Merman tribes of a crisis and requesting rescue.
At this moment, the tortoises began to crawl slowly onto Cuiwei Island from all directions, encircling it completely. They then raised their heads in unison, performing a ritualistic gesture towards the sky. Seeing this, Yu Cang knew they could not allow the "ritual" to be completed. With a decisive order, he declared, "All tribesmen, follow me and charge out!"
As he spoke, he was the first to rush forward. With a lift of his hand, countless bubbles rose from the ground, instantly engulfing the tortoises before him. However, the tortoises were too large; as the bubbles enveloped them, they expanded infinitely, appearing extremely thin. Before he could clench his fist, the bubbles burst on their own.
The tortoises let out cries of agony, which were unmistakably human voices.
Those enveloped by the bubbles sustained injuries of varying degrees, but their lives were not in danger. They continued to crawl forward slowly. The tribesmen behind Yu Cang also unleashed various spells upon the tortoises. However, the tortoises' shells were extremely hard, and the spells were mostly deflected, failing to harm the tortoise demons. Instead, the mermen fell to the ground, injured.
The tortoises raised their heads in unison and spat a red thread towards the sky. These red threads wove together to form a giant net, enveloping the entire Cuiwei Island and slowly descending.
As the tortoises in front of him spat out the red threads, the chieftain struck them with a bamboo staff, causing the tortoises to stumble. Two other elders beside him joined the fray. But when they looked back, they saw that the entire Cuiwei Island was already shrouded by the giant net. Their families and tribesmen were trapped within the net, and they could not abandon them. Thus, the three turned back without hesitation, preparing to fight their way back.
At this moment, four transformed tortoise demons flew from the direction of Divine Turtle Mountain. Two of them blocked the chieftain Yu Cang, while the other two blocked the two elders. In the next instant, they engaged in battle.
The mermen within the net also spat water arrows towards the giant net. The water arrows shot upwards, striking the net and breaking it in several places. However, the water arrows were concentrated in one spot, and the broken red threads quickly reconnected. The red threads of the net continuously broke and repaired themselves, and a red mist spread.
Some mermen whose bodies came into contact with the red mist also began to emit mist, their skin corroding. They writhed on the ground in pain. The mermen's teeth were also formidable weapons. Many mermen leaped into the air to tear at the giant net. Upon biting, their mouths were cut by the threads, the wounds extending to the back of their necks, and they died instantly.
The giant net continued its descent at an unabated speed. Many mermen, in despair, cried out under the net, awaiting death.
The two demons surrounding Yu Cang, one in a green robe and the other in a white robe, circled him. They occasionally shot red threads from their hands or spat red mist from their mouths. When the red mist approached, Yu Cang would either dodge or disperse it with his sleeves. When the red threads came, he would fend them off with his bamboo staff, sometimes counterattacking with bubbles, appearing to be at ease. However, he watched the giant net over Cuiwei Island descend continuously, his heart filled with anxiety and distraction.
When he enveloped the two demons with his bubbles, they attacked with red threads, and the bubbles burst upon contact. The two demons would suffer some degree of shock. If it were any other time, Yu Cang would have pressed his advantage and driven them back. However, at this moment, Yu Cang was completely distracted. As soon as he gained a slight advantage, he would try to move towards the island to save his tribesmen. But the moment he relaxed his pressure, the two would intensify their counterattacks, injuring Yu Cang multiple times.
The situation for the two elders was the same. If it were any other time, they could have defeated their opponents after a few more rounds. However, at this moment, their minds were in disarray, and they were not focused on the fight. They constantly thought of moving towards Cuiwei Island, and as a result, they were pursued and beaten.
At this point, the giant net on the island was rapidly descending. Numerous spells were cast from within it, either lifting the net and then letting it fall, or opening a small hole in the net, which then immediately closed. The speed and direction of the descent could not be altered at all. In everyone's hearts, only despair remained. Some knelt and cried on the island, while others ran around frantically searching for a place to hide.
The Siren's Song still lingered stubbornly in the air. Mo Qi, in the sky, saw the situation clearly. Amidst the chaos, Sheng'er's gaze was resolute as she parted her crimson lips towards the distant sky, her mouth opening and closing.
The heavenly sound emanated from her mouth. Her delicate body flickered in and out of sight amidst the moving crowd, appearing small and fragile, like a small boat in a stormy sea, sometimes swallowed by the waves, sometimes struggling to surface.
Regardless of the wind and rain, the heavenly sound never ceased. It flowed like a continuous river, like a long, distant silk thread, extending forward stubbornly. At the end of the thread lay the hope of survival.
The delicate girl's gaze was firm, her posture stubborn, like a blade of grass in a strong wind. So fragile, it bent when the wind blew, and raised its head when the wind passed. As long as it was not uprooted, it would never compromise.
Mo Qi recalled the tears she had shed for him earlier, and his heart was deeply touched. He felt that this girl, and her people, should not perish like this.
However, Cuiwei Island was now in grave danger. The tortoises had already surrounded the entire island.
If he descended from the clouds to attack any part of the tortoise encirclement, it would not resolve the crisis for the Merman tribe.
If he defeated the tortoises in the front, the ones in the back would reinforce them. Even if he defeated both the front and back, the tortoises in other directions would remain unyielding, and the giant net would not break.
Therefore, he could only stake everything on a comprehensive, all-out attack!
With this thought, Mo Qi moved to the center of the island and ascended to a height where he could see every edge of the island and every tortoise.
Then, following the instructions of Mr. Feng, he formed hand seals and recited the incantation. The soul contained within his body surged forth. Two crimson lights extended from both sides of his body, like a pair of wings, or like two red walls extending outwards. Once the two crimson lights appeared, they extended infinitely, rotating and shredding in the same direction. From afar, it looked like a phoenix bathed in fire dancing gracefully.
As the crimson lights extended, they did not cover indiscriminately. Using the giant net as the base, they swept across in a fan-like motion. Wherever they passed, the tortoises instantly exploded, turning to dust. Waves of blood and rain churned, occasionally creating a thousand waves. The giant net suspended above the Merman tribe also instantly dissolved into red mist. The Merman tribe saw a giant being in the sky, radiating light, as if a god had descended. They all bowed down and worshipped the center of the crimson light, the god surrounded by radiant light.
The tortoises in the front were annihilated. The tortoises in the back emerged from the water. As soon as they emerged, another wave of crimson fire swept over, instantly clearing away the newly emerged tortoise demons, leaving only shattered flesh and blood floating on the sea. Even the tortoise shells, which the tortoise demons believed to be indestructible, were battered beyond recognition. Seeing that the tortoises in front met their doom as soon as they raised their heads, the tortoises hidden underwater dared not easily reveal themselves.
Mo Qi's Phoenix Fire Dance Art's power could reach the tortoises underwater, but he did not want to expend too much energy. If there was no one underwater, and he wasted his divine power in vain, what if the enemy hiding on Divine Turtle Mountain suddenly attacked?
At this moment, Yu Cang looked at the splendid red flower blooming in the distant sky and could not help but show admiration: "King of Birds!"
"It seems my tribe is saved," Yu Cang rejoiced. Seeing his tribesmen safe and sound on the island, his heart settled. He immediately launched a counterattack against the two demons, his bubbles bursting one after another, forcing the two to scramble and cry out in pain.
Simultaneously, the other two elders also launched their counterattacks. The two transformed tortoise demons were immediately at a disadvantage.
At this time, the tortoises underwater were still lurking. Unexpectedly, there was movement in the water. Some tortoises had their heads bitten off alive without them realizing it, while others were pierced through their tails by something sharp and then thrown out from their heads. The tortoise group fell into chaos, filled with fear and unease.
The Merman tribe's reinforcements arrived from all directions. They attacked the tortoises from underwater. Underwater, the tortoises were no match for the Merman tribe; they could only be beaten. The mermen on the island had been holding back their anger for a long time. Seeing that the general offensive had begun, they did not want to be left behind and jumped into the water to join the battle.
The tortoise demons were unable to cope with this furious counterattack and fled into the distance. The mermen pursued for a while, killing countless more tortoise demons. The originally green seawater was now dyed red.
The few transformed tortoise demons, seeing that the situation was lost, no longer entangled with Yu Cang and the others. They seized the opportunity and fled.
Several figures on Divine Turtle Mountain, who had never appeared before, flickered at the summit and then fled.
A rumbling sound erupted from the base of Divine Turtle Mountain. Divine Turtle Mountain detached itself from Cuiwei Island and slowly drifted past the island. The Merman tribe knew they could not stop Divine Turtle Mountain and could only watch it drift away.
At this moment, Mo Qi's energy was depleted. A wave of weakness washed over him, and his head spun. He fell gracefully from the sky. From the moment the giant net above his head dissipated, Sheng'er stopped singing and looked up, focusing on the person in the sky who had saved her and her tribe. Seeing him weaken and fall, she immediately flew up and opened her arms to catch him.
When she saw his face clearly, she was greatly startled and almost let him fall to the ground.
After a brief period of thought, she brought Mo Qi back to her cave dwelling. The maidservant A Zhu, seeing her carrying someone in, was somewhat surprised. She stepped forward to get a closer look and saw it was Mo Qi, which shocked her even more: "It's, it's him!"
She placed Mo Qi on the stone bed and made a gesture for silence to A Zhu.
She was worried that Yu Cang would discover Mo Qi and harm him.
Given the divine abilities he had just displayed, her father might not be able to kill him, but in his current weakened state, that was another matter.
After A Zhu fell silent, Yu Sheng turned back and leaned down to examine his injuries.
Mo Qi suddenly opened his eyes and saw a peerlessly beautiful face before him, as delicate and fair as condensed jade. Every feature was beautiful, without a single flaw. His heart skipped a beat.
"What a pity, if only she were human," Mo Qi thought.
Yu Sheng, seeing him open his eyes, was also startled and instinctively took a few steps back.
After taking a pill, Mo Qi sat up and said, "Thank you!"
Sheng'er blushed: "I should be thanking you. I don't even know your name yet."
"I am Mo Qi."
"Brother Mo!"