Chapter 112: Arriving Just in Time

Chen Mu raced toward the Nine Serenities, his heart heavy with urgency, hoping to reach his destination before the Sacred Land was breached.

On a battlefield within the Nine Serenities Sacred Land, the fighting had reached a stalemate. A group of Nascent Soul realm masters led the disciples in a desperate defense, their great protective array shielding the enclave. Yet, they knew persistence was impossible; Li Yuanfen and his two generals were relentlessly grinding down the Nine Serenities' stamina and combat power, leaving the defenders physically exhausted and mentally crushed. They remained on edge, nerves frayed, preventing the Mingyue Empire’s massive army from shattering the array; there was no respite.

Conversely, Li Yuanfen employed rotating waves of attacks, ensuring his soldiers were always fresh. The disparity in strength was painfully clear. Had Gongsun Qingyang been at his peak, the Mingyue Empire would never have dared such arrogance. After months of ceaseless warfare, the casualties among the Nine Serenities had been catastrophic. With their low-tier and core combat forces severely depleted, the Sacred Land was struggling more with every passing day.

"Sect Master, we cannot hold much longer," the disciples pleaded. "Please, retreat with the elders! As long as you live, the Nine Serenities Sacred Land will never truly vanish; one day, it will rise again!"

"Indeed, Sect Master! Take the Mistress and the Young Sect Master and leave! We can hold them off for a while longer. The legacy must not end here. Only if you and the Young Sect Master survive can we hope for a rebirth."

They urged Gongsun Qingyang to return to the headquarters, retrieve his wife Zhao Qingqing and daughter Gongsun Lin, and wait until his strength recovered to avenge their fallen sect.

Gongsun Qingyang roared in fury, "Enough! How can I, as Sect Master, abandon my brothers who share this faith? Would you have me become a man without honor or integrity? When the enemy is at the gates, we stand together or we fall together. If I were to flee with my family and abandon my people, what face would I have to remain the master of this Sacred Land? Speak no more of this; we shall face life and death as one!"

His words left the disciples silent, but deeply moved. They knew their choice to join the Nine Serenities had been the right one. They were of the Nine Serenities in life, and they would be its ghosts in death.

The situation worsened. The light curtain of the defensive array grew dim, its ripples of impact expanding—the Sacred Land had only days left. Yet, with Gongsun Qingyang standing by their side, the disciples had long since steeled themselves for death.

Two days later, the defensive array reached its limit. Under the relentless assault of Li Yuanfen’s forces, the fragile barrier finally shattered. Those maintaining the array coughed up blood, their vitality sapped by the backlash. Even Gongsun Qingyang and the elders were left powerless, unable to summon even a sliver of strength.

Just as the people of the Nine Serenities looked on in despair, several figures streaked across the sky like falling stars. At the eleventh hour, Chen Mu arrived. Seeing the Nine Serenities under siege, his heart sank; had he been a moment later, he might have arrived only to find them dead.

Looking at the Mingyue army, which charged toward them without a second glance, Chen Mu was overcome with rage. These lapdogs of the Mingyue Empire had nearly slaughtered Gongsun Qingyang and his people in front of him. Gongsun Qingyang had been a benefactor to him, and the Nine Serenities had been his home; those who dared raise their blades against his benefactors deserved to die.

Though some in the Mingyue army noticed Chen Mu’s intervention, they felt that with three Nascent Soul masters in their ranks, a single newcomer posed no threat. They dismissed him as a mere pebble on their path. They did not realize this pebble would cause their entire army to stumble—and fall to their deaths.

Chen Mu’s expression was cold. With a wave of his hand, the four demon beasts—Zongyu, Qing, Chihuo, and the leader Rou’er—appeared beside him, glaring at the oncoming forces.

Li Yuanfen and his generals sensed danger, but before they could speak, it was too late. Chen Mu pointed toward the Mingyue army, and with a blur of movement, he vanished from sight.

One man and four beasts began a brutal, rampaging slaughter. Screams echoed incessantly as they tore through the ranks, leaving dismembered corpses in their wake. A four-legged giant eagle, a green-scaled python, a flaming tiger, and a three-tailed dragon-fox—all accompanied by a human—acted like a natural disaster. Their casual attacks mowed down soldiers by the dozens. Though the army attempted to counter with spells and weapons, they couldn't even scratch their attackers. To the soldiers, Chen Mu and his companions were nightmares incarnate.

The defenders of the Nine Serenities watched in stunned disbelief. It was a miracle—a divine intervention that brought hope at the final hour. A disciple finally shouted, "It’s Chen Mu! It’s our Chen Mu from the Nine Serenities! It’s Deputy Commander Chen of the Night Shadows!"

Gongsun Qingyang looked, and upon confirming it was indeed Chen Mu, the despair in his eyes vanished, replaced by joy and relief. His adopted son had returned from the Great Xia, and his strength had become terrifying. The beasts at his side were so powerful they even overshadowed his own peak strength.

Chen Mu’s combat style had changed; he favored raw physical power over essence energy, making him appear almost like a demon beast himself.

"It seems Lin'er's eye for people was good," Gongsun Qingyang sighed with a bittersweet smile. "But she lacks the fortune; he sees her only as a sister." Still, he didn't mind. Chen Mu was already bound to his family.

Seeing his army being slaughtered, Li Yuanfen’s face turned livid. He signaled his two generals to join him in confronting Chen Mu. But as they charged, Rou’er and Chihuo intercepted them.

Recognizing the fox from the battle at the Imperial Capital, terror gripped Li Yuanfen. "Attack that fox! Do not let her use that illusion! If she does, we are finished!"

The two generals, having suffered under the same spell, were equally terrified and focused their attacks on Rou’er. But without the pseudo-spirit realm cultivation, and facing the combined might of Rou’er and Chihuo, the three Nascent Soul masters were outmatched. Rou’er unleashed her dragon-fox flames, supported by Chihuo’s fire arts. The combined assault shattered their defensive barrier instantly.

As the flames engulfed them, Li Yuanfen cruelly shoved his two generals into the path of the fire to save himself. The two generals were incinerated, while Li Yuanfen managed to escape. Rou’er stomped her paws in frustration; the treacherous old man had sacrificed his own men to flee.

With the generals dead and their leader fled, the Mingyue army broke into a chaotic rout. But under the relentless pressure of Chen Mu and his companions, there was nowhere left to run.