Chapter 70: Inciting a Beast Stampede

"Is this enough spiritual power? I know it might be a little limited, but if you can make do...?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The Lady Arclight: ...

She very much wanted to ask Xiao Nanfeng how he had come by such tremendous spiritual power, but if she did so, wouldn't it make her seem ignorant? Her pride forced her to swallow her questions.

"We'll start now!" The Lady Arclight began to play the erhu, a bit of stifled annoyance in her tone.

A mournful, desolate tune was emitted from the erhu. As the Lady Arclight infused her spiritual power into the music, blue ripples emanated from her.

The Lady Arclight plucked at the strings of the erhu as the blue ripples spread toward the faraway lake. They exploded in the air, and the music was magnified across the lake.

Dozens of lifeforms had congregated around the lake, some conversing and exchanging pleasantries, while others battled and dueled each other. Time and again, they brought up the flying sword that had plagued them these last two days, discussing how to catch it tomorrow.

Just then, sound waves infused with spiritual power struck their heads, filling their mindscapes with certain images.

The spirits saw the flying sword that had plagued them being controlled by a group of blue-armored cultivators, laughing as they pointed at the spirits and cursed at them. Their laughter became more and more riotous, their insults more and more scathing.

Even an ascetic monk would be boiling mad, let alone a group of hotheaded spirits.

The giant purple bird let out a blistering roar. All around the lake, the other spirits echoed the giant purple bird's cry, their eyes turning red as they looked around madly for these armored cultivators.

The giant purple bird soared into the air for a better vantage point as it searched for the source of the spiritual power. Suddenly, it found something. The giant purple bird shrieked, motioning for the other spirits to follow it toward the armored cultivators who had dared to challenge them.

The spirits all roared in response, following behind the giant purple bird as they trampled through the forest. Dozens of spirits, brimming with strength and righteous indignation, rushed off to kill the armored cultivators that had taunted and mocked them.

Meanwhile, on the hillock by the swamp, the Lady Arclight continued playing the erhu, her eyes shut as she concentrated on the tune.

"Do you think this tune is atrocious, then?" The Lady Arclight rolled her eyes at Xiao Nanfeng, but she didn't seem angry.

"It's excellent, Elder." Xiao Nanfeng smiled awkwardly.

Last time, he had criticized this tune for being discordant; this time, he wouldn't run his mouth.

"This is the Spiritsong of Beast Invocation. It's not meant for cultivators but rather specifically for spirits, and the song itself is meant to be taunting and mocking. If you want beautiful melodies, well, I have none of those," the Lady Arclight explained.

"No wonder!" Xiao Nanfeng understood the situation now. The music he had heard was meant to be taunting and mocking; how could it be melodious?

"My cultivation is limited, and I likely can't isolate the sound and prevent it from spreading into the valley. Keep an eye out for any trouble. We'll stop if the cultivators make a move," the Lady Arclight instructed.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded and turned toward the valley before him.

The six Ascension-realm cultivators were attempting to break through the toad spirits' defenses and deal them a killing blow when they frowned.

"Do you hear something? An erhu, perhaps?"

"How could there be an erhu here? And it sounds horrid, too!"

"I feel like something might be wrong. Quick, we should kill these two toad spirits as fast as we can, now!" the leader shouted.

None of the six understood what the music represented, but they all had an uneasy premonition. Nodding to each other, they concentrated in earnest. The blue light around them flared, and the increased strength and density of attacks caused the two toads to bellow again in pain.

However, the male toad suddenly shook. It understood the meaning of the melody. In its mindscape, it could see a group of armored cultivators taunting it with a flying sword, but the male toad wasn't angry at all. In fact, it was even hopeful—it recognized that sword, and its owner had fought with it a few days ago!

Could that man have come once again?

As it bore the pain of the assault, it croaked at its companion in excitement, telling it not to give up, that help was on its way.

The female toad spirit croaked back in understanding.

"These two toad spirits are fighting back even harder than before! There has to be something wrong with that erhu. We can't drag this out any longer. Keep suppressing these toad spirits. I'll go find the source of the music and destroy it!" the leader called out.

"Understood!" The unease that the cultivators was feeling grew stronger and stronger.

Just then, a ray of golden light shot through the sky, seizing everyone's attention.

"It's that flying sword?!" someone cried out.

The flying sword descended from the heavens and rapidly cut apart one chain on the male toad's body.

"Damn it!" one cultivator slashed at the Immortal Cicada with his sword in a flash of green light. Struck by the attack, the Immortal Cicada went flying into the swamp water, where it sank out of sight.

"Where's the flying sword? It vanished into the water?!"

The six cultivators didn't know that the appearance of the Immortal Cicada wasn't intended to save the toad spirits, but rather to draw the other spiritbeasts' attention.

Just then, as the giant purple bird flew by the Lady Arclight's hillock, she stopped playing the erhu and went into hiding along with Xiao Nanfeng. At the same time, Xiao Nanfeng sent the Immortal Cicada into the air to attract its attention.

The giant purple bird saw the shining golden blade from afar, completely confident that this sword was the one that had plagued it for days. It rushed into the valley and disappeared from sight.

The giant purple bird flew toward the valley, where it noticed the same armored cultivators it had seen in its mindscape trying to take down two toad spirits! The flying sword had to be a treasure of these cultivators. If the toad spirits were under attack by the cultivators, then they were allies!

The giant purple bird spat out a bolt of lightning at the cultivators, killing dozens of them and injuring dozens more, who fell into the swamp water.

The cultivators cried out in shock. What was this spiritbeast doing here, and why was it attacking them?

"We'll take you down, fowl!" One Ascension-realm cultivator jumped into the air and launched a sword technique at the giant purple bird. An explosion knocked back both the cultivator and spiritbeast.

The giant purple bird roared in outrage, spitting out another bolt of lightning, which the cultivator dodged.

"Clan Head Wei, I'll help you out. This fowl will die here!" another cultivator thundered.

The two Ascension-realm cultivators leapt up with their blades and executed two sword techniques at the purple bird, which defended against both at the cost of many of its feathers.

It roared in outrage.

"We'll take you down right here, you fowl!"

The two men leapt into the air again—but this time, things were different. In addition to the giant purple bird's lightning, a flurry of fireballs, ice bolts, wind blades, and other energetic constructs flew toward them as their eyes widened in alarm.

They were struck by the attacks and knocked down into the swamp, bleeding all over as they glanced above them in shock.

By the top of the valley, a few dozen spiritbeasts were eyeing them coldly. More and more Ascension-realm beasts arrived at the valley, glaring at the gathered cultivators in outrage.

"What's going on? Where did all these spirits come from?"

"Lords, there's something wrong! There are far too many spirits gathered!" the armored cultivators cried out.

The six Ascension-realm cultivators felt a tremor of fear run through them. One giant purple bird alone would be a trifling enemy, but what sort of situation was this?

"These beasts have to have been lured over by the music just now! Someone's trying to harm us!" the leader of the cultivators shouted.

The giant purple bird had been injured by the techniques of the two cultivators, and it was in an enraged state. It roared, signaling for all the spiritbeasts to attack.

The other beasts roared in unison, then charged toward the gathered cultivators.

"No!" the armored cultivators cried out.

"Quick, we have to run!" someone shouted.

However, the rampaging beasts had no intention to let the cultivators go. A fierce battle broke out. The six Ascension-realm cultivators in the lead suffered the most concentrated attacks from the spiritbeasts.

The two toad spirits, now freed from the cultivators' suppression, flung off the chains holding them down. They glanced at each other in unabated relief: they had been saved from near-certain death.