128 Please sit tigh

The east gate was in a state of chaos. With the line broken, the Fallen Gods had begun their assault.

A single punch made the spell that glistened overhead pulse with waves of violet light before completely shattering. A powerful blast echoed through the air.

People screamed, their attack in utter disarray against the Fallen Gods piling at the gates. It was only moments yet before their enemies would fully break through.

"Out of the way!" Yuan Xuelan yelled, pulling a fool by the collar out of the trajectory of a Fallen God's swing. He then launched the spear in this hand, aiming for the Fallen God closest to the gate. It pierced its giant palm as the being raised a fist toward the gate.

The monster flinched its gaze toward Xuelan's direction.

The Fallen God was turning its heel. Its speed and reaction were fast, not yet being bled or damaged much. Just what in the world were these fools stationed here even doing?

Apparently not much!

Yuan Xuelan hissed as he took his free hand to pull out more talismans. Luckily he'd restocked a little before making his way over. "Follow my lead, idiots!" He bellowed, trying to rally the panicked men and women who cowered before the might of the Fallen Gods.

It was already total chaos, but Yuan Xuelan was doing his best to shepherd them. Those that seemed to be running off on their own seemed to have no idea what they were doing, as if having completely thrown out Liu Sumeng's earlier briefing.

A stream of talismans shined a silver glow and wrapped around the advancing Fallen God's limbs, slowing their advance down. It wasn't much but enough to provide an opening, Yuan Xuelan summoned another spear from his interspatial ring. In his other hand, Silei buzzed with power.

He dashed forward to take the advantage gained, slicing apart the Fallen God's vital veins and piercing deep with the spear.

Only by using all these tools in swift and proper succession was one able to properly defeat the monster. One mistake can cost a life but with skilled execution, a single cultivator could defeat a Fallen God without too much difficulty.

Someone seemed to have picked up on his methods and followed his lead just as Xuelan had told them to, unleashing talismans as a quick restraint before closing in.

Soon, more and more cultivators began to gain their bearings. Some with more success than others.

A sharp death cry echoed to Yuan Xuelan's right when a man didn't time his advance properly and was crushed to death with a single step. But for one life lost, two more Fallen Gods were brought to their knees, sinking into a pool of their own blackened blood.

Good.

Still, Yuan Xuelan had no luxury of relaxing and was still far from regaining a foothold at this choke point.

A part of his mind absently wondered where the fuck that stupid Chen Jiang even went but there was no time to search and look for the Second Young Master Chen. For all Xuelan knew, it could already be too late for Anyue's second brother.

'Focus!' A chiding chirp echoed through his mind, snapping his attention to a giant palm coming his way. Yuan Xuelan rolled out of way at the last moment, his breath becoming labored from exertion. He cursed.

"Is there any way for you to do that thing again?" He huffed at the bird nestled somewhere in the corner of his brain. His body lagged with straining sores, heavy from fatigue. He was in need of that total concentration that Huo Tang had forced his mind into earlier.

'If it were as simple as such!' Huo Tang huffed, 'I am already doing what I can. Do not nag me and simply focus on staying alive. I will say however this place is as good as lost so long as it continues like this.'

Yuan Xuelan clicked his tongue, knowing that the words she spoke were ones of truth. Sure, there were finally idiots beginning to pick up the slack, but that didn't mean they were able to regain any ground. Even more Fallen Gods dotted the horizon and while not enough to count an army, every individual was a horror to recon with.

Dread curled up in Yuan Xuelan's heart as the inevitable was slowly sinking in. His mind raced, trying to find any way out of the situation while he fought. With anxiety taking over, Huo Tang could not summon that rage-induced concentration and was left to screech in frustration in the far corners of Yuan Xuelan's consciousness.

Finally there was a voice that caught his attention, but the one as well was one that came from the depths of his thoughts.

'Xuelan.'

Yuan Xuelan startled at first, leaping back to avoid a fist slamming down. A deep crater formed in the ground, causing the young cultivator to swear.

'Xuelan, are you okay?'

It was Liu Sumeng's voice. Why was the Ivory Sword Saint contacting him through the spell? Was here something wrong at the southern side of the city?

In a moment of panic, he veered his attention to the south. But with the entirety of Reling in his line of vision there was nothing he could make out aside from the far off echoes of battle and the flashes of spell work that lit the night sky.

'Sumeng? What's wrong? What's going on?'

'...I'm fine. I felt…I felt something off. Perhaps I was over-thinking. I wanted to check if you were okay.'

Yuan Xuelan blinked. His flesh burned from wounds, cuts and scrapes from falling and tumbling. His muscles were screeching, overworked and sore and he was looking right at the face of death in the form of tall Fallen Gods with blackened scleras and calm visages.

Yet what was this surge of warmth that came over his heart? Suddenly, Silei felt lighter, the ground not as slippery.

'I'm okay!' Yuan Xuelan answered enthusiastically, 'Holding off…the advance…' he gritted his teeth as he wedged his sword into the main artery found in a Fallen God's thigh, trying to avoid the spill of filth that spilled out. 'I'm making do.'

'It's bad isn't it? Don't lie.'

Yuan Xuelan panted heavily. Maybe he was a little tired, 'It's…I'll live.'

'Reinforcements are coming.'

'What? How do you know?' Yuan Xuelan blinked and staggered when the ground shook. He cursed and rolled out of the way of an attack.

'Sect Leader Chen has stopped bickering. He is going back to chanting.'

'...Right.' Yuan Xuelan understood that he owed his life to Chen Gaoyong, but he was not disillusioned. If only Chen Gaoyong hadn't stepped in to interfere earlier, Yuan Xuelan wouldn't be in this situation either.

A surge of relief released through his body like a deep sigh.

'Please sit tight. Be safe, Xuelan.'

Yuan Xuelan wished there was a way to know if Liu Sumeng was holding up. But he knew that asking would probably only be a hindrance to his beloved so he held back and whispered through the spell, 'You too.'

The connection cut.

Just then, Yuan Xuelan heard a female cultivator scream. Fallen over, the monstrosity in front of her was about to smite her out of existence. Without a second thought, he rushed over to save her.

Slow, he already knew he was going to be too slow and lifted Silei. Divine flames enveloped his arms and legs, bracing for the inevitable blow.

The soles of a dark heel came down with striking speed. The air curved, a loud boom. The ground cracked beneath Xuelan's feet. His bones were creaking with stress as the Fallen God's weight and power bore down on him.

A cry wretched out of his throat, "Move! Move already!" He screamed at the dumb shaking girl.

His muscles felt like they were tearing from strain. The blaze of divine fire coiled around his limbs like a snake, both healing and scorching his flesh at the same time.

It took a moment for the girl (whose name Xuelan had totally and completely forgotten) finally scooted herself out of the way with fearful shrills. Yuan Xuelan's strength was about to give.

With the last of his power, he tilted his blade to deflect the giant's strength, just managing to roll out of the way before being crushed under the monster's beastly weight.

Yuan Xuelan panted deeply. The cries of battle still resounded around him but everything came in almost muffled. He was dizzy, his flesh was sizzling. An itch tapped in the back of his consciousness but he couldn't…he couldn't grasp onto it, even if Huo Tang was trying to tell him something important.

His eyes were heavy, slow, as they lifted to see the Fallen God march toward him.

Fuck.

Yuan Xuelan's fingers loosened and tightened again. He didn't know where he was going to get the strength to face this thing but he had to try…

He wanted to see Sumeng again.

Can't die here, no matter what.

The divine flame that flickered inside of him flared. A terrible scorching pain devoured his innards but he didn't care. The entire world slowed down.

'You'll die like this!'

But Huo Tang's voice didn't reach him.

However, Yuan Xuelan didn't even need to lift a single finger.

A spear pierced through the giant's jugular and both its elbows and knees. Its movements locked. An elegant row of talismans danced around it like a serpent, constricting the waist. The wind was sliced apart with a movement that could not be followed with the naked eye.

The Fallen God was cleaved clean in two.

Yuan Xuelan was so stunned he was frozen to the spoke.

Liu Langce, the Guanghai Elder stood on the other side of the Fallen God's corpse. He looked bored and unconcerned, his colourful robes fluttering in the wind.

"Don't die on me now, kid. What would A-Chao say?"