132 She knew that voice

A spell in the shape of a butterfly fluttered in the air. The sights around it came through in blurs, meshing together with odd echoes of sounds. It was not only difficult to navigate but difficult to discern the information that came through it.

Huo Tang at first only noticed bright glares of dancing light and something that sounded like the distant pounding of drums. A distant caw. A howl, perhaps. The butterfly continued to flutter toward the manor. There was a thick barrier in the sky, snaking and permeating in the air, preventing the butterfly from flying directly ahead.

It took Huo Tang a moment to realize it was smoke.

But she couldn't quite pinpoint where exactly it was coming from, the spell too unrefined to give her sharper visuals or clearer sounds. But strangely, she could feel an oppressive force that came upon her like a thick wave.

Demonic energy. It didn't take long for her to realize the gist of what was going on. But how or why remained mysterious to her.

There were no clear deductions to be made until a closer investigation could be made.

She relayed what she learned to Yuan Xuelan.

'There are demons attacking the wall.'

"What!?" Yuan Xuelan jolted, almost getting flattened to the ground but luckily Liu Sumeng was there to protect him from such a fate.

'I have yet to find that air-headed sect leader Chen but yes. There are demons at the north side of the city. They will soon breach the wall. It is most difficult to tell the extent of the situation and how the defenses hold through your haphazard spell. This is the best I can do.'

Yuan Xuelan only blinked, looking around at the current situation. There were still a few Fallen Gods that dotted the horizon but given some time he was confident that they will all be cut down sooner or later.

Given that they had the time.

From what Huo Tang reported, they did not have time.

But hadn't he left some capable people back at the northern gate? Elder Hanli, Zhu Qiang and…

Liu Langce. The suspicious Guanghai Elder with unmatched martial skills.

A dark feeling bloomed in Yuan Xuelan's heart. It was guilt and stupidity, he cursed himself for ever leaving the northern wall in that man's hands.

"What is it?" Liu Sumeng asked, flicking his wrist.

Dark blood flickered off of Mingshui's edge. His pristine white robes had long lost their elegant and flawless integrity, dirtied from blood, dust, and dirt. And yet still the Ivory Sword Saint bore his moniker well. He stood, dignified and powerful, his visage calm with beads of sweat that glowed beneath the sparkle of the moon, eyes steady and determined.

Admiration and love melted the panic. But concern was still rife in Yuan Xuelan's heart. He was worried about the people he left back at the north wall and his Shijie still quietly holed up in the manor, now impossible to reach.

"Huo Tang says there are demons attacking the north of the city," he said.

"What?" Sharp eyes widened in surprise, Liu Sumeng's head immediately snapped toward the city. It was impossible to see much from this distance, aside from the thin rise of smoke.

"We have to see what's going on."

"..." Liu Sumeng understood the urgency, but how could they leave the southern front now? If they did, the entire defense threatened to collapse. They were thin in their forces already, managing only by a thin thread of power and skill, with the Ivory Sword Saint and Yuan Xuelan as pillars of morale.

They couldn't leave now.

Yuan Xuelan's expression was dark. He knew what Liu Sumeng was thinking. But how could they just senselessly keep fighting while the city was being attacked and overrun in the north? His Shijie might be in danger…Elder Hanli and Zhu Qiang as well.

Painfully, Yuan Xuelan bit out, "I'll go then." Saying such words felt harsh and made his heart ache. He felt like he was letting Liu Sumeng down, leaving him here on the battlefield on his own.

But Liu Sumeng showed no hesitance and nodded, "Okay."

Behind the stiff expression on his face, his heart was in turmoil as well. Emotions that swelled, thick and full, ready to rupture at any given point. There was fear, apprehension. There was also love, trust and yearning. Desire pulsed and itched his nerves but Liu Sumeng was unsure what it was he desired.

The roar of battle that surrounded him muddled his thoughts.

Yuan Xuelan stepped close. He stared at Sumeng's calm expression and almost expected the Ivory Sword Saint to pull away. When he didn't, Xuelan almost dipped in for a kiss.

He didn't. He stopped himself at the last breath and just pulled Liu Sumeng into a tight hug and breathed in his scent, remembering the mold of his body beneath his arms.

When he stepped back, Yuan Xuelan couldn't bring himself to look at Liu Sumeng's expression, fearing that what he would see would shake his resolve.

So he turned around sharply, ready to depart.

The air parted, a sharp sound cut the wind as a spear was thrown. Yuan Xuelan stepped to the side, barely avoiding its wooden tip.

A familiar shrill voice came with the sound of thundering hooves. "Eeek! Nan Chang is sorry! Nan Chan is dumb! Nan Chang--"

Laughter was behind her, "Nan Chang can't aim at all!" Chen Leike, who sat behind Nan Chang on a tall white steed was laughing into her shoulder, one arm firmly clasped around her waist.

He raised his face, eyes stills teary from laughter. Without much thinking or looking, he used his free arm to reach for one of the spears held to the saddle. He wound it up and threw it without even aiming. As ridiculous luck would predict, a powerful gust of wind followed at the same time, pushing the spear just enough to pierce the throat of a Fallen God.

"See? That's how you do it!"

Nan Chang huffed, "Nan Chang can aim, but not with these big ugly things.�� She complained before giving up on the spears all together, pulling out a string of talismans instead.

Both Yuan Xuelan and Liu Sumeng were shocked at the developments. To think they really came!

Nan Chang and Chen Leike were not alone.

There was a swirling of wind, tornadoes ripped through the earth. The cyclones were white in body, with talismans abundant in their chaotic winds. They danced around a single black horse, charging fearlessly toward not one but four Fallen Gods. Peng Zhugen wore a stony expression, dispatching the towering giants without much ceremony.

"Sect Leader Peng is trying to steal my thunder," Chen Leike singsonged, "even though this is my home turf, he wants to outshine me. Whatever should I do?"

"Nan Chang thinks that Young Master Chen needs to stop whining and kill the ugly thing staring at us." She said, pointing at the Fallen God they had unwittingly rode too close to. In a bit of a panic she had accidentally released a cloud of talismans on the Fallen God, but they were haphazardly placed, dotting the giant blue body randomly.

Chen Leike only laughed, fearless of death and too trusting in his own luck.

Alas, he did not need to.

string shot out from behind and cut into the parts of the Fallen God's skin where the talismans were attached. It wasn't enough. It only took a single movement for the Fallen God to snap out of its binds, but it had stalled it long enough that Chen Leike was able to steer his horse out of danger.

Zhao Fanyu sighed, uncertain if his decision to help Chen Leike had been a good one. Maybe he should have just tested Chen Leike's luck and seen if he'd have died. It was too late to retract the act of kindness, the Fallen God now was interested in him instead of the Immortal of Luck.

A crow flew overhead, bearing demonic energy and gray plumage. Liu Sumeng raised his arm, allowing it to perch. It spoke with Hui Moxiang's feminine voice, "It's good to see you guys are still in one piece!"

"Thanks for coming."

"Don't sweat it," the bird hummed pleasantly before speaking with a graver tone, "as much I'd love to hang out and catch up, I suggest you check out the north front of the city. There are portals there."

Yuan Xuelan rushed up to the bird, "Portals? What do you mean portals?"

"The portals that allow demons to travel freely," the crow explained. "Not many people can draw them. Zhao-ge and I will come with you as well. I think the other guys are okay with handling things here."

Zhao Fanyu rode up with his horse, sighing deeply at his robes, now splattered with blue-black blood. "We went over this. I'm not your 'ge'. You're a good century older than me…"

The crow just shrugged, ignoring his complaints. Zhao Fanyu just made a face and then turned his attention to Liu Sumeng, "Ivory Sword Saint, I haven't had the chance to really thank you…Though I suppose now isn't a good time either." He sighed, "I just want to sleep."

"You slept for almost two days straight," the crow chirped in accusation.

"Just let me sleep…"

"Anyway, Li Zheng is already making his way around the city, taking a small group to the north side as we speak. Let's go join them," Hui Moxiang said as he...no, she this time-- transformed into a young woman.

No one had any objections and nodded to her words.

Unconsciously, Yuan Xuelan had reached out and grabbed a hold of Liu Sumeng's hand before running off toward the city. The way he squeezed the Ivory Sword Saint's hand told him of relief and private happiness. Of hope.

And though their situation was dire, Liu Sumeng allowed himself a small, secret smile.

…

From the depths of Yuan Xuelan's mind, Huo Tang was vaguely aware of the developments that now allowed her host to rush into the city, toward the northern side without worry. The reinforcements were good, but she didn't waste too much energy to dawdle over that and instead focused on navigating the halls of the Ascending Dawn Manor with that flimsy little spell. She was still searching for Chen Gaoyong, knowing that re-establishing a line of communication was imperative.

But instead, the only thing she'd come across were vague outlines of bodies slumped over, cold and lifeless. Just what had happened here?

Though her senses were muddled, Huo Tang could at least follow a trail of auras left behind by living beings passing through. For some reason, that was the only thing that could be understood clearly through Yuan Xuelan's stupid spell.

The little butterfly fluttered down a dark hallway. Huo Tang could make out the light at the very end. There were noises, like shuffling and footsteps. Spiritual energy that flared from a spell. When she approached, she could tell there was a single person within the dimly-lit room. And just when she was about to land the butterfly on this person to establish a line of connection, two dainty fingers plucked the butterfly right out of the air.

A low, terrible voice, invaded Huo Tang's consciousness, 'Silly bird. Stop interfering with my plans, would you? There is no benefit for you here.'

And just like that, the connection died, the spell dispersed.

Huo Tang shivered, an unspeakable fear gripped her soul. The voice was so utterly familiar, yet not at the same time. She knew it from a time that she had forgotten. A piece of her memory that was forcefully locked away…

But she knew that voice, and it knew her.