Following his intervention, Qin Yun could feel instabilities in the barrier. It flickered slightly, weakening as another wave of sand crashed overhead. This prompted even more sandworms to fall from the sky as holes opened up in the boundary between the city and the hostile world outside.
The situation was even more dire than it seemed. Unbeknownst to those fighting above, the barrier wasn't lacking power. In fact, the opposite was true. The Dragon Vein raged as the formation siphoned away its power, while Qin Yun could barely staunch its flow.
The forgotten one's sacrifice had triggered a chain reaction that prompted the barrier to run wild. If Qin Yun had not used his body as a valve to regulate its flow, it would have consumed everything in its wake, destroying everything for countless miles around its epicentre.
The formation was like a runaway horse, rampaging along the plains with infinite stamina. The best that Qin Yun could do was to stop it short of exploding. In the worst case, he would have to turn it off entirely, which would mean the city's fall. In that case, letting it run wild might be the better outcome. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
His only saving grace was that absorbing the earth's force through the dragon vein did wonders for his body cultivation. In the short moments he had been connected with the Dragon Vein, his body went from a low-grade common-rank artifact to a mid-grade one. If he didn't have to put most of his focus on stabilizing the situation, he might have reaped even more profits from it.
The situation above devolved into barely controlled chaos. Most of the core disciples of the three sects besides the Moonlight Sword Palace had already retreated to their own compound within the city, possessing their own protecting formations. They were also making preparations to evacuate the city entirely if necessary.
Even when the world hangs in the balance, most people will always choose their own self-interest, Qin Yun lamented deep within the earth as he watched the city’s troops being slowly overrun.
Corpses and blood littered the streets, while broken bones and shattered steel were discarded everywhere, painting a macabre picture of this once bustling city. Although this city breathed war, it was still a painful sight for all its inhabitants.
Nalia stood in her tavern. Her gaze was unhurried as she watched the deluge of sand fall from the sky, burying all who dared stand against it. Countless desert creatures patrolled the streets, sinking their teeth and fangs into unfortunate passersby as they ran from the onslaught. Yet, surprisingly, they seemed to avoid her completely, almost as if they couldn't perceive her existence.
Qin Yun noticed this particular detail yet thought not much of it, only offering a slight smile. He had more pressing matters to attend to. The desert receded, preparing for the next onslaught. Through the formation, Qin Yun watched the outsiders' assembled forces. Their numbers had dwindled substantially, having exhausted most of the desert beings they had brought. They were now left with mostly their own warriors. Still, they seemed reluctant to use them.
It seems they aren’t ready to expend their own men until the formation is broken... It appears they put much of their hopes on the two they sent here. It might have worked had I not been here. However, they might still get their wishes the way things are going...
Qin Yun could only shake his head at how passive he was in this situation. He could only watch as the city was overrun while he did his best to keep the barrier from vaporizing everything in sight. It was then that he found something most peculiar.
A man stood at the front of the outsiders' main army, watching the assault. Yet, unlike his own men, he had no joy or eagerness for battle on his face, only a stern determination to do what was necessary, even if it meant sacrificing all those who stood behind him or even his own life.
Qin Yun could easily recognize this look as he had seen it countless times before. This was the look of a man with conviction and a goal to strive for. This wasn't the mere zeal of fanaticism but something much more—something that made Qin Yun envious.
While he couldn't make out the words as the formation only transmitted visuals, he could infer what was happening through body language alone. A few large men who wore nothing but fur on their lower bodies approached the man, only for an argument to strike.
From what Qin Yun could decipher, they seemed eager to join the melee, yet the man denied their request. Some tried to reason with him, while others showed discontent, yet the man didn't budge. In fact, his features only showed his intent were they to disobey him.
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The few large men recoiled, frightened of a much smaller man. Qin Yun could see them trembling, unable to hold on to their weapons as they fell to the soft, warm sand. Some even had to bend their knees as they couldn't support their own weight, only for their chests to heave up and down as they tried to catch their breaths.
Intrigued, Qin Yun sought to take a closer look at the young man, only to be shocked by what he saw. As he looked upon him, he felt a striking resemblance to someone he had met before. Although their features differed in some aspects, the resemblance was uncanny. Qin Yun remained lost in thought for a while, pondering the implications.
Then, the man's head turned abruptly, ignoring the men that had fallen to the ground. He faced the city in the distance, his eyes narrowing as a frown appeared on his face. A slight killing intent slowly spilled out of him as his hand rested on the bone sword attached to his hips. The men next to him recoiled even more in fright, thinking themselves to be the target of his ire. However, Qin Yun knew better.
He could feel the man's killing intent aimed at him—or, more precisely, at the formation he was now in charge of. He frowned, gazing in the distance. It was as if, despite the distance separating them, both men could feel each other's gaze and their fighting instincts resonated with each other.
Interesting... I didn’t expect him to be able to feel the formation spying on them. It seems they have means we aren’t aware of.
Having seen enough, Qin Yun disengaged. He knew antagonizing this man would only lead to further complications. Still, he couldn't help but quickly glance at the tavern he had frequented earlier in the day. Nalia was still there, impassive as she watched the battles in the streets as countless desert creatures overran them while avoiding her by a wide berth.
He also glimpsed at the group from the Moonlight Sword Palace. Most had looks of horror on their face, probably owing to the fact that Elder Xu was bloody and battered, and his breath was shallow and inconsistent. They struggled against the waves of enemies, slowly retreating from the front lines.
Qin Yun frowned further as he watched the front lines collapse. He mobilized all the power he could from the formation, slowing the onslaught against the city, but all it did was delay the inevitable. He could feel the Dragon Vein below his feet further destabilize as he needed to further tap into its resources, only to stop the situation from devolving into utter chaos.
Unless a miracle happens, this city is doomed to fall... Should I just let the Dragon Vein go wild?
As Qin Yun wavered between the city's conquest and destruction, a massive pressure appeared, standing just over the shimmering blue barrier. All the creatures that had infiltrated the barrier were pinned to the ground, unable to move, but so were most of the defenders. The pressure was indiscriminate.
Yao Ruolan felt her breath cut short, and her vision grew slightly hazy. However, she smiled, for she was familiar with the pressure she felt. It was strangely similar to her own but only orders of magnitude stronger.
Up above, a sword hovered above the world. On it was a young woman in a white dress. Her long hair danced along the sand-laced wind, yet none could reach her as every grain would perish before they had the chance. They sublimated into nonexistent particles as they entered the slim domain wrapping her body.
Another sand wave rose to the sky, aimed again at the city. Qin Yun concentrated, stabilizing the structure of the formation, if only to better resist the impact, yet he knew that his efforts were mostly in vain. Every time it collided, he would lose a bit of his control, bringing the city further toward destruction. Based on his calculations, the formation could only bear it once or twice. Any more, and it would collapse. Still, there was no nervousness in his gaze as he watched the tide approach.
The woman raised her hand, pointing two fingers forward, only for the sword below her feet to spring forth, plunging deep into the sand wave, creating a massive impact as it did so. The wind of this thrust alone split the sand in two, carving away a safe haven for the city as the wave exploded and rained sand all around, only for the creatures within to be fully exposed, free-falling toward the city before being shattered by the sword as it made another pass before returning to the woman hand.
The world grew silent as it stood still; only the sizzle of hot sand falling onto the unstable formation barrier remained. None dared to move, yet it would be more accurate to say that none could. There was only the hot sun overhead and the raging winds of the Great Barrier next to the city.
“Commander!" one of the large outsiders said as he looked at the woman in the distance. "They've finally sent one of their Soul Formation Experts. Should we initiate phase two of the plan?"
The commander showed no emotion, even as he faced the might the woman exuded. In fact, both of their gazes had already met, yet none of them chose to initiate hostilities first. They probed each other from a distance, yet the man found he was slightly superior. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to proceed. Something had gone wrong.
“The formation should have been broken by now... Did something go wrong?” the man muttered, yet his gaze didn’t leave the woman. “I felt the trap being released; they shouldn’t have failed. What happened?”
"Commander! Your orders, please!"
More large men lined next to the commander, awaiting orders. Their faces were eager for blood, and their bodies exuded an aura of slaughter. They had patiently waited for this moment ever since the battle had started. Even if the woman's aura was almost suffocating, they could only barely stop themselves from leaping into battle. They firmly clung to their weapons, exuding an overpowering killing intent.
"Retreat!" the commander yelled, finally breaking the silence, leaving the men beside him completely stunned. Only one managed to break out of his stupor.
"Commander! Just give us the order, and we will slay her. The city has almost fallen. Our victory is at hand!" the man replied, barely concealing his agitation. "Why stop now? Are you that afraid of her?!"
The commander looked at the man, showering him with the coldest look, which alone made him tremble in fear. It only lasted a single moment, yet all those around could feel that they had barely escaped death.
"Enough! My decision is final. This battle ends here. Have our troops retreat to the next meeting point!"
He then began to walk away, turning his back to his foe in the distance without fearing a surprise attack. The woman silently floated in the air, her sword in her hand. Only as the man disappeared behind the dunes did she let out a long breath and stopped her hand from trembling. Despite wanting to deny this from the bottom of her heart, she had just barely escaped death.