Chapter 61: Repelling the Sun Genesis Gate!
The deafening roar made everyone’s heart skip a beat.
Dai Xiao instinctively looked toward the source of the sound, but the very next second, a powerful shockwave surged from behind him. The terrifying noise and destructive force even left his ears ringing. Filled with a mixture of confusion and terror, he spun around to look back.
To his horror, the disciples behind him had been blown to pieces by something unknown. Four or five disciples were instantly reduced to countless fragments, while others, though standing further away, were either disemboweled or missing arms and legs. At the epicenter of the blast, a massive crater had formed, curling with wisps of black smoke.
He shook his head, and the ringing in his ears subsided slightly, only to be replaced by the agonizing cries of the wounded disciples.
"Ah! Help me, someone save me! It hurts so much!"
"My leg! Quick, give me a medicinal pill, my leg is gone!"
"What on earth is this thing? Why are there fragments of iron-bone ox bones inside?!"
The disciples had never encountered anything so bizarre; the horrific scene completely shattered their courage. The explosion had come with such suddenness that they had no time to prepare before the assault dropped from the skies. Because it caught them so off guard, even their defensive magic artifacts proved useless, leaving them severely injured.
To Dai Xiao, the scene looked straight out of the legendary underworld.
Forget the disciples of the Yangsheng Sect; even the disciples of the White Sword Sect, who had prepared themselves for a desperate, fight-to-the-death battle, stared in utter bewilderment. They simply stood there in a daze, watching the inexplicable explosion unfold before them. From their perspective, all they saw was a black, spherical object plummeting from the sky and detonating violently.
Gazing at the flesh and blood littering the ground, they trembled slightly, for the spectacle was far too brutal.
Peng Shan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he gripped his longsword and lowered his voice, "Senior Sister, do you have any idea what is going on?"
He had never witnessed such a sight. While it felt deeply gratifying, the attack had come so abruptly that it was impossible to tell which side the assailant was on.
Liu Ruyan instinctively shook her head, gritting her teeth. "I have no idea what's happening either, but it looks like whoever is responsible is targeting the Yangsheng Sect."
Although the image of Liang Chuan had flashed through her mind, she dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it appeared. Judging by the sheer destructive power she had just witnessed, this was definitely beyond the capability of someone in the Core Formation stage! Not to mention anything else, even Dai Xiao, who was in the late Core Formation stage, hadn't had time to react!
Peng Hai looked at the chaotic enemy camp, hesitating for a moment before asking, "Should we take this opportunity to launch a counterattack?"
With the enemy thrown into complete disarray, rushing them now would undoubtedly yield great results!
Yet Liu Ruyan vetoed his idea without a moment's hesitation. "No! We don't know if the attacker will continue targeting the Yangsheng Sect. If we charge in now, we might get caught in the friendly fire!"
Besides, her primary objective was to wait for Liang Chuan's return; buying as much time as possible was all that mattered now!
While they were whispering amongst themselves, Dai Xiao, not far away, wore a livid expression. Because so many of his men were injured, he was momentarily at a loss as to where to begin rendering aid. Furthermore, the blast's power was so immense that he suspected it might be the work of a Soul Formation stage powerhouse!
"Senior Brother, what do we do?!"
At that moment, a Core Formation disciple asked with a trembling voice. He too could sense that such terrifying might could never belong to the Core Formation stage; it had to be at least the late Nascent Soul or even the Soul Formation stage executing such a horrific spell. Even more fatal was that he had scanned the surroundings earlier and could not detect the origin of the assault whatsoever. It felt as though it had fallen straight out of the sky. Had it landed directly in front of him, he would have been killed or crippled on the spot!
"This... this must be a Soul Formation expert, we—"
Boom!
Just as Dai Xiao was pondering their next move, the deafening explosion rang out once more.
Having learned their lesson from before, they instinctively tried to scatter and evade, but no matter how fast they moved, completely dodging it was out of the question. A black object plummeted from the heavens, slamming heavily right into the dead center of their formation!
Rumble!
The terrifying shockwave struck again. Even though the disciples had braced themselves beforehand, escaping unscathed remained exceedingly difficult. Moreover, even those who managed to run a little further away were pelted by the flying iron-bone ox shrapnel.
"Which senior is out there?! We are from the Yangsheng Sect, please show mercy, Senior!"
Terrified to the core, Dai Xiao cupped his fists toward the empty air. He flatly refused to believe that this level of destructive power could be pulled off by those good-for-nothings from the White Sword Sect!
Yet the surrounding airspace offered no reply. At that very moment, another thunderous roar echoed, plunging them into the depths of utter dread.
The next second, another explosion tore through their ranks. Even with their defensive artifacts raised, a dozen more individuals were blasted into the air.
It was then that Dai Xiao finally caught a glimpse of the source of the roar in the distance.
Atop a pavilion far ahead, Liang Chuan and an elderly man stood side by side. Before them rested a metallic tube, supported by a rack-like apparatus.
This was unmistakably a mortar!
Liang Chuan glanced at the situation in the distance, adjusted the direction and elevation, and shouted to Elder Luo, "Elder Luo, bring me the final round!"
He had begun practicing cultivation some time ago, all for this very moment. The reason it had taken so long was entirely due to the intricate and cumbersome process of manufacturing the mortar. Fortunately, it was finally completed just in time!
Spotting Liang Chuan, the members of the White Sword Sect felt a wave of surging excitement wash over them.
"Look everyone, it's our Sect Master!"
"We're saved! Who knows where the Sect Master managed to acquire such a weapon!"
"Brothers, stop standing around like idiots, get ready to charge!"
The disciples of the White Sword Sect gripped their longswords with excitement. With the aid of such a divine artifact, wiping out the enemy would be a breeze. Thanks to these rounds of bombardment, the opposing side had lost at least a major portion of their Foundation Establishment disciples; even those who survived were left with no capacity to fight back!
Watching Liang Chuan high above, Liu Ruyan felt tears of joy prick her eyes. As expected, Senior Brother would never abandon them.
"Prepare to charge!"
Liu Ruyan swept her right hand forward, her gaze suffused with killing intent!
Yet at that exact instant, Dai Xiao gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with bitter resentment. "Fall back, everyone! Retreat and ask the Patriarch to intervene!"