At the heart of the formation, Priestess Changfeng was bathed in roaring flames.
The Flame of Life wasn't particularly intense, yet in the eyes of the remaining few hundred of the Forest Clan, it shone like a beacon piercing the night.
The tremendous power, gained from the burning of the Flame of Life by the priest, poured frantically into the formation. The surging vines grew even thicker and more robust, revealing an ethereal glow of bluish-white, akin to mystical serpents.
The situation turned dire for the five Core Formation Elders of the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect.
They found that their once unstoppable Earth Dragon Fire now barely made an impact, and their life-bound magic treasures couldn't sever the assaulting vines.
Soon, continuously forced back, they were isolated by the vines which began to constrict their maneuverability. Ultimately, the tendrils wrapped around each of them, their overwhelming suction draining their spiritual power and life essence, rendering them paralyzed despite their desperate struggles.
Zhong Erle cried out in alarm, "Wife!"
Yet, in the next instant, a vine stifled his shout.
Abruptly, he felt his essence being drained by the vines, as white blossoms started to sprout slowly on the green tendrils.
Zhong Erle's eyes bulged, but he couldn't break free from the resilient vines.
"It's over..."
At that moment, all the cultivators from the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect were tightly ensnared by the vines. Their spiritual power and essence were rapidly siphoned, channeled through the formation to the ground below, coursing through a complex root network, and relayed to the divine trees scattered throughout the Southern Forest.
Witnessing this, Priestess Changfeng, amidst the fierce flames, serenely closed his eyes.
The final wisp of flame on him faded away. Priestess Xigu sought to touch him, but a gentle breeze blew, and Changfeng's body transformed into ashes, dispersing with the wind.
She tilted her head upwards, observing the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect cultivators on the brink of having their life essence drained. Yet, in her heart, she couldn't sense an ounce of triumphant joy. Whispering to herself, Priestess Xigu murmured, "Have we truly won?"
Su Wanyi, holding her hand, deeply understood her sentiments at that moment. For this victory, too many lives of the Forest Clan had been sacrificed. However, a deafening explosion from above suddenly jolted every member of the Forest Clan from their mourning reverie.
Crack!
A beam of light, red fading into white, descended from the sky.
Splurt!
Every member of the Forest Clan within the formation coughed up blood.
Su Wanyi, panting heavily with her chest heaving, looked upwards.
Countless writhing vines turned to ash under a blazing red flame. Amidst the flurry of red ash, she saw a human cultivator, clothed in white, floating above the forest. His indifferent gaze surveyed the Forest Clan below, as though he was observing a horde of ants making their last stand.
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
The united spirit of the Forest Clan, their valiant sacrifices, were only reflected as pitiful futility in his eyes.
As if saying: What, indeed, are you all fighting for?
His gaze infuriated Su Wanyi. She couldn't help but draw her longbow, aiming an arrow at the white-robed man in the sky. Yet, in his eyes, there was only disdain and indifference. With his two fingers coming together, he flicked his hand, and a roaring fire dragon, illuminating the night, descended.
Boom!
A massive wave of fire spread throughout the Southern Forest, a bright fireball that could be seen from every corner.
The surging heatwave expanded, instantly evaporating every bit of vegetation within twenty miles, scorching everything in sight to barrenness.
The vines that had bound the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect cultivators were instantly consumed by the flames, and every trapped disciple and elder was freed.
They looked up to the figure in white soaring high above, their faces alight with the joy of imminent victory. In unison, they knelt, shouting, "Greetings, Supreme Sect Leader!"
However, the Forest Clan wasn't as fortunate. The descending fire dragon had directly pierced through the formation. Every member of the Forest Clan was gravely injured by this terrifying power, and the formation was on the brink of collapse.
Hearing the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect cultivators hail their Sect Leader, the faces of the Forest Clan turned ashen. This man in white had long been the darkest nightmare for the Forest Clan.
"Song Jinglun!"
Priestess Xigu, suppressing her surging energy and blood, uttered his name through gritted teeth.
Song Jinglun said with an air of casual indifference, "Disperse."
"Yes!"
In an instant, all the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect cultivators scattered, leaving only Song Jinglun facing the Forest Clan's formation, made up of hundreds and glowing with a teal hue.
Yet Song Jinglun remained unruffled, his fingertips shimmering with blinding white light, the essence of the condensed Earth Dragon Fire.
Then, with a nonchalant wave, he summoned another fire dragon, red fading into white, roaring down.
Priestess Xigu's pupils constricted sharply. She shouted desperately, "Forest Clan members! Maintain the formation with all your might!"
Boom!
The fire dragon once again crashed onto the teal formation, injuring every member of the Forest Clan within, the formation swaying perilously.
Song Jinglun said coldly, "Is that all?"
Then, he waved his hand rhythmically, as if conducting a symphony.
In an instant, more than a dozen fire dragons circled around him before diving down.
Despair glinted in Priestess Xigu's eyes, swiftly replaced by fierce determination. Her chest heaved as she stepped forward, shouting, "The Forest Clan may be defeated, but we will never surrender! Eternal life! The forest remains undying!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Hundreds of life fires blazed within the formation.
Witnessing this, Zhuo Chun and several other Forest Clan members who had already defected to the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect paled in fear. They didn't dare to ignite their own life fires, choosing instead to flee the formation in a panic.
However, in the next moment, the dozen fire dragons swooped down.
With a resounding explosion, the moment Zhuo Chun and his group stepped out of the formation, they were obliterated by the fierce Earth Dragon Fire, leaving no trace behind.
Boom!
A fireball, hundreds of meters high, rose from the scorched land.
When the fireball dissipated, Song Jinglun frowned, realizing he had yet to break the Forest Clan's formation. Worse, the formation had extended countless vines towards the sky, aiming for him. Within moments, he was ensnared within the dense web of vines.
Through the rapidly closing gaps between the vines, Song Jinglun gazed down at the Forest Clan and sighed, "I underestimated you. Even with only two cultivators at the early stage of Core Formation left, you can achieve this. However, your lives are crucial to me. I won't allow you to die like this. If that's the case, let me, Song Jinglun, fight with all my might!"
He took a deep breath, remaining calm within the tightening grip of the vines.
Suddenly, a long sword adorned with red and green gold appeared before Song Jinglun. Grasping the sword, a golden light blossomed from his brow.
Where ancient trees once rooted, now only scorched earth and hovering, thick teal vines remained. However, in a split second, blinding red light burst forth from within the dense vines, reminiscent of countless sharp swords.
Heatwaves, one after another, ensued. The engulfing heatwaves burned the vines to ashes in an instant.
Song Jinglun, standing amidst the raging Earth Dragon Fire, resembled a sun rising in the night, illuminating half of the Southern Forest.