The dust began to settle. The terrain had been devastated, trees uprooted, craters dozens of meters wide, rocks pulverized by shockwaves, and the sky darkened by columns of smoke and the residual Qi still vibrating in the air.
There were signs of close combat, spiritual energy explosions, and deep sword marks on the mountain. More than ten Golden Core cultivators fighting simultaneously could reshape the geography of a valley in a matter of minutes.
At one end of the field lay two corpses of giant demonic apes, each over ten meters tall. Their state was miserable: fur burned, bodies covered in deep cuts and dents in exposed bones. Blood still flowed in streams from their open wounds, and their glassy, lifeless eyes stared into the void.
Ten figures floated above them. Though still alive, their condition was far from their former imposing image. Hair disheveled, robes and armor torn—many burned or stained with blood. Some bled from the mouth, others could barely stay aloft. All showed signs of having been at death's door.
General Shen of the Yun Dynasty looked like a veteran who had just survived an extermination campaign. His armor was shattered, cracked in multiple sections, and a trickle of blood ran down his chin. Pale skin and trembling limbs betrayed internal injuries. At his flanks, the other two generals of his dynasty were in no better state.
He slowly turned his head toward the cultivators keeping their distance. They represented several sects, but all had something in common: wounds of varying severity. An elder from the Sect of a Thousand Bones could barely stand, his chest sunken from a direct blow, his face as pale as ash.
"Damn it..." growled General Shen, clenching his teeth tightly.
They had made a strategic mistake. They underestimated the enemies. According to the initial reports, they were facing three mid-tier third-rank demonic beasts and one in the upper stage.
The plan was to split into two groups. The Hailong Dynasty would handle two apes, and the Yun Dynasty the other two. General Shen, relying on his swift action, had proposed to take on the two supposedly mid-stage apes, leaving the stronger one, to Hailong to wear them down.
But the information was incorrect.
One of the two apes assigned to his group was not mid-tier, but also upper-tier. They discovered this too late, when the battle was already underway.
During the confrontation, General Shen was forced to sacrifice several spiritual weapons and even used a perfect third-grade talisman given directly by the emperor, designed to release an attack comparable to that of a peak-level Golden Core cultivator. It was his trump card, reserved for an extreme threat. And even then, it was barely enough to bring down the upper-stage demonic ape.
With clenched teeth and eyes full of hatred, General Shen turned his attention to the other end of the battlefield—the Hailong Dynasty's group.
Their situation was clearly better. Though one of their generals was seriously injured, the rest had only superficial wounds. Unlike the deplorable state of the Yun Dynasty combatants, the Hailong contingent still retained cohesion and combat capacity.
The Hailong general's eyes silently scanned the battered enemy group. A faint glint of killing intent flashed through his gaze. It was a perfect opportunity—General Shen and his group were weakened. The ideal moment to strike and weaken the Yun Dynasty... if he acted fast...
But he hesitated. A cornered enemy was always more dangerous.
General Shen, no stranger to war or to gazes that longed for his head, immediately sensed the hostile intent. His expression hardened. Without a word, he pulled a high-grade spiritual pill from his spatial ring and swallowed it instantly. His complexion improved slightly, and his internal Qi stabilized a little. He was still far from recovered, but the medicine was taking effect.
The cultivators of the Yun Dynasty reacted instantly. One by one, they aligned behind General Shen.
General Shen had no intention of staying any longer.
"We're leaving," ordered General Shen in a low, rough voice, without taking his eyes off the Hailong Dynasty group.
He turned slowly, and his group began to retreat, leaving behind the smoldering corpses of the demonic apes.
But then, the pressure in the air changed.
The general from the Hailong Dynasty stepped forward into the air. His silver spear rose slowly, and the dragon engravings carved into its surface began to move, as if breathing. With a barely audible whisper, the weapon released a deep hum, resonating like thunder.
"General Shen... please, stay," he said in a cold voice.
Killing intent erupted without restraint. The sky seemed to darken for an instant, as if the world itself sensed the imminent conflict.
General Shen narrowed his eyes. His focus had remained on the enemy. Seeing that spear move, he knew they could no longer leave without a fight. His gaze turned cold.
With a burst of golden light, he drew his sword. The blade rang out, and a wave of pure sword energy swept through the air. The weapon trembled, as if responding to its owner's hatred.
"Kill them!"
The Golden Core cultivators behind him wore grim, hesitant expressions, but knowing they could not leave in the current situation, they took defensive and offensive positions, unleashing all their remaining aura.
The battle broke out in an instant.
"Heaven-Piercing Spear: Roar of the Celestial Dragon!" shouted the Hailong general, hurling his silver spear.
A spiritual dragon, radiating an aura of metal and thunder, emerged from the weapon and crossed the sky with a deafening roar.
"Golden Mountain Slash!" roared Shen, executing a sword technique.
A golden sword wave, compressed to the limit, shot out from his blade. The daylight seemed to collapse as both energies clashed midway.
Other cultivators began to fight. The woman from the Fire Lotus Sect activated her technique, summoning a sea of flames that devoured the enemy's defensive Qi.
From the other side, a Hailong cultivator responded with a palm strike—a technique that launched a massive palm, formed by overlapping layers of energy, descending with overwhelming force, crashing into the flames like a meteor.
The sky filled with black, gold, and blue colors, all intertwined with the combatants' auras. Swords flashed across the battlefield like lightning, and the fluctuations of power were so intense that the valley trembled.
Not long ago, this valley had been the battlefield against the demonic beasts. Now, it had transformed into a deadly clash between Golden Core cultivators. The fragile alliance had shattered.
The second battle had begun.