The horned giant fish stretched over a thousand zhang in length. As a branch of the North Sea Fish, it had inherited a portion of the power to summon winds and rain.
As soon as it appeared, the Shanyin County region was immediately engulfed by heavy storms.
The once partially clear skies were now roiled with turbulent winds and clouds.
Thousands of demons surged out of the mountains, only targeting areas crowded with people.
The mortal world descended into chaos once again.
The horned giant fish wasn’t exceptionally strong, roughly equivalent to the Core Formation Stage of human cultivators. Within the vanguard armies participating in the Dragon Abyss Conference, it amounted to an average, mid-upper-level presence.
However, its intelligence surpassed ordinary demons several times over, and it deliberately waited until now to emerge.
Three thousand demons spread across various regions.
These overseas demons were far fiercer than the scattered demons native to these lands—each one utterly savage.
Dragon Head Peak, summit cliff.
Chi Hai stood at the edge of the cliff, mountain winds whistling as he gazed down at the thousand-zhang precipice below. The scenery spanning hundreds of li entered his view.
Suddenly, countless dark clouds surged from all directions.
At the forefront was a massive fish, over a thousand zhang in length, with red spots across its body and a ten-zhang black horn protruding from its nose.
It was the very fish he’d been searching for painstakingly for over a month.
"Very well, it’s finally appeared. Hua Qing, send out the orders to all sides. The demons have shown themselves—prepare for battle! After this fight, every surviving Taoist will be guaranteed twenty yin merit points, and additional rewards for Evil Punishment!"
With that, he immediately led his forces to confront the enemy.
Suddenly, the sky darkened with thick clouds, the weather turned frigid, and heavy snow began to fall.
At the forefront was a giant bird with a wingspan of a hundred zhang.
Its form somewhat resembled an eagle, its abdomen was blue, and its back pale as though encrusted with frost.
"Frost Bird?" Lian Wenzhao furrowed his brows, never expecting such an ancient strange bird to emerge.
The Frost Bird was an ancient mythical bird capable of bringing heavy snow wherever it flew.
Trailing behind it were hundreds of demons—wolves, tigers, leopards, flying fish, and ground-dwelling Jiao-Dragons.
Scarlet demon energy dyed half the sky red.
The heavy snow intensified, temperatures dropped further, and even cultivators immune to extremes of heat and cold began to feel their bodies stiffen.
Lian Wenzhao immediately gathered his group and spoke: "The situation is urgent. Follow my orders."
This was the perfect opportunity to establish his authority once and for all through Demon Extermination. After this battle, his position would likely be secured.
"Let me state this upfront: If anyone dares disobey orders during this fight, don’t blame me for turning hostile!" Lian Wenzhao’s expression was stern.
"Alright," Song Lin nodded, showing no objection.
The others, seeing that Song Lin remained silent, tacitly agreed as well.
"Good. Cooperate with us and be mindful not to disrupt the formation!" Lian Wenzhao appeared confident. With the battle formations set, victory would surely follow.
His only concern was that Xuanke’s motley troops might throw his formation into disarray—everything else was manageable.
The army of demons and ghosts had already arrived overhead, their formidable aura suffocating everyone below.
The Frost Bird’s eyes glinted with malice. Suddenly, the snowflakes in the sky congealed into sharp icicles.
Densely packed icicles hovered in the air, then came hurtling down toward the crowd.
If they landed, even if most cultivators survived, the civilians below would be nearly wiped out.
Lian Wenzhao remained composed, pulling out a flag and waving it lightly. In an instant, forty thousand Taoist Soldiers emerged, raising shields from behind their backs. The icicles struck the shields, producing clanging sounds.
"Let’s make our move as well!" Song Lin, unwilling to remain in the background, summoned his own troops.
His forces numbered just over twenty thousand—a stark contrast to Lian Wenzhao’s vast army.
Their formation was far too loose to be effective.
Soon, the two sides clashed.
The jungle troops marched at the forefront, their energy rivaling that of the demons and ghosts.
Lian Wenzhao and his team stood in the center, casting spell after spell—flames, fierce winds, and flying swords—launching attacks at the Frost Bird.
Though not particularly adept, their profound cultivation at the Divine Establishment level was more than sufficient to deal with the Frost Bird.
Curiously—or perhaps intentionally—the bulk of the demons were funneled toward Song Lin and his companions.
It was unclear if this was a deliberate attempt to weaken their forces or simply happenstance.
Despite their smaller numbers, Song Lin refrained from revealing his full strength. First, he used Rampant Soldiers to encircle the demons, then followed up with spell attacks. With the help of others, eliminating the demons proved relatively easy.
Above all, he ensured he wouldn’t reveal his trump cards prematurely.
No matter the situation, Song Lin remained unflinching.
Lin Qing approached Song Lin and whispered, "Once this mission is over, Lian Wenzhao will likely seize the position. Are we really going to let him take it without resistance?"
Once anyone gained the position from Lian Wenzhao, it was inevitable that Three Capitals placements would undergo a major reshuffle.
"Let’s observe and wait," Song Lin replied calmly.
In truth, having someone above him to bear the brunt wasn’t such a bad thing. He could stay disengaged and only exert his strength when it truly mattered.
At that moment, a piercing shriek resounded from the sky.
The crowd looked up, only to see the Frost Bird bleeding profusely and falling lifelessly to the ground. In less than an hour, a mighty ancient strange beast had been felled by Lian Wenzhao.
"Hmph, what’s there to boast about? It’s no stronger than that Python Flood Dragon back then." Lin Qing scoffed disdainfully, clearly not impressed.
Lian Wenzhao led his army to the group, exuding an imposing aura.
Just as he was about to speak, two thousand paper cranes flew in from the horizon, hovering beside them.
Lian Wenzhao opened one of the letters, his expression suddenly darkening: "Chi Hai Taoist says the horned giant fish is headed this way!"