Chapter 77 — The Talisman Painter Who Guards the Village

The Great Demon Tide

It began not with a loud bang, but with an eerie silence. During the entire previous afternoon, the wind stopped blowing, the birds on Vân Tiêu Peak simultaneously fell silent, and even the induction stone at Cảnh Linh Đài turned to a dark purple color never recorded in the sect's history.

Then, right in the middle of the third watch, the ground shook violently, a roar rang out from deep within the mountain, and right at the foot of Vân Tiêu Peak, where Cửu Vân was once the strongest ancient defense battlefield, the ground split into a giant abyss, purple light swirled violently from the bottom of that bottomless abyss.

*

"Vực Khuyết Nguyên," Lãnh Vũ exclaimed, standing before the horrifying scene, his voice trembling with true fear for the first time since Diệp Sương had known him. "I never thought it would be this big. This is no ordinary Linh Mạch crack — this is where the source of energy has been drained to the point of being bare, revealing the very root wound."

From that abyss, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of deformed creatures began to rise, their numbers and power far surpassing anything that had ever appeared in Lam Thủy Town, as if all of Linh Mạch's pent-up rage for many years was simultaneously erupting through a single gateway.

*

"Get into position!" Tạ Vân Khê shouted loudly, her voice echoing throughout the training ground filled with coordinated forces. The sect's disciples lined up in lines, holding pens and ink at the ready. Imperial soldiers under the command of Cố Bạt Nguyên formed an outer ring, their spears shining in the moonlight. The Vụ Ẩn clan, led by Du Khinh, spread out to high points to observe and give early warning.

Diệp Sương stood in the center, closest to the edge of the abyss, clutching the specially made pen and ink bottle that she had painstakingly prepared during the days of preparation, combining the essence of all three sources—the official spirit ink, Mr. Tám Mực's homemade ink, and herbs from the Thâm Vụ Forest.

*

The first wave of monsters came like a black flood. The talismans from hundreds of disciples simultaneously burst into light, forming a wall of light that blocked the first attack, while the soldiers rushed into direct combat with those that managed to slip through the gap.

Thanh Việt fought right next to Diệp Sương, the sword in his hand swung accurately with each blow, sensing the smallest fluctuations in the air with his heirloom hunch to dodge and counterattack at the right time. "On your right!" he shouted, and Diệp Sương turned around, quickly drawing a talisman to block a monster rushing from that direction.

*

Miên Trà, standing on a high cliff with several other Vụ Ẩn warriors, shouted warnings every time he felt a new wave of energy about to rise from the abyss, allowing the defenses to promptly adjust before the attack actually came.

"The next wave will be stronger!" it shouted over the chaotic noise of battle. "I feel it, it's pent up at a deeper level!"

Lãnh Vũ, fighting not far from Tạ Vân Khê, unleashed incredibly powerful attacks, the ancient energies of the Vụ Ẩn clan sweeping across a series of monsters at once. "Chief, behind!" a young warrior shouted, and Lãnh Vũ turned in time, blocking a sudden attack aimed at himself.

*

Cố Bạt Nguyên, the commander of the outer ring, rode his horse along the line, his shout of command echoed throughout the battlefield, reassuring each group of soldiers who were showing signs of panic before the constantly increasing wave of monsters. "Hold your formation! Don't let any gaps slip through!" His many years of combat experience helped the entire army maintain discipline amid chaos that many young soldiers had never experienced.

Húc Bá Nguyên, although always skeptical before, now rushed into the fight no less fiercely, leading a group of inner sect disciples to maintain an important line of defense near the edge of the cliff. Perhaps, facing the danger directly with their own eyes, even the most stubborn person no longer has room to deny the truth.

*

The battle continued endlessly, wave after wave, each more intense than the last. Diệp Sương felt her strength running out, her hands shaking after drawing hundreds of talismans in a row, but she did not dare stop because a moment's inattention could collapse the entire defense line.

"I need a break!" Thanh Việt shouted, pulling it back after seeing it stumble and almost fall. "Let someone else take over!"

"Impossible," Diệp Sương replied, her voice broken from exhaustion but still determined. "No one else knows how to combine all three spellcasting styles like you do. If you stop, the central line of defense will lose its most important layer of protection."

A large monster, taking advantage of the moment when Diệp Sương was concentrating on drawing spells and was caught off guard, suddenly rushed straight from a hidden corner, sharp claws aimed straight at its back. Miên Trà, watching from a high cliff, shouted a warning but it was too late for it to react.

At that moment, Du Khinh rushed forward like a bolt of lightning, blocking its face, absorbing the entire attack with his own body. He collapsed, blood staining the entire hem of his shirt, but he still had time to swing his hand to knock down the monster before he collapsed completely.

"Du Khinh!" Diệp Sương screamed, knelt down next to him, her hands trembling, trying to find a way to treat the deep wound.

"I'm... fine," he replied, his voice broken but still trying to give a forced smile. "This is... what an ally should do, right?"

Diệp Sương quickly drew a cleansing talisman on the spot, trying to temporarily stop his bleeding before signaling a few other Vụ Ẩn warriors to take him to the back line for closer care, her heart tightening because he had almost lost his life.

*

In the midst of the most tension, a thunderous roar rang out from the middle of Khuyết Nguyên Abyss, much louder than any previous sounds. From the depths of the abyss, a gigantic form began to rise — not a single monster, but as if the mass of chaotic energy itself had coalesced into a shaped entity, many times taller than a human, radiating a pressure that made the ground tremble.

"What is that?" a soldier shouted in panic, his voice cracking with terror.

Tạ Vân Khê, standing not far away, her face turned pale when she saw that entity. "Those are no ordinary demon beasts," she said, her voice shaking. "It is the embodiment of the Linh Mạch wound itself, nourished by years of over-exploitation. If it completely escapes from Khuyết Nguyên Abyss, I fear that no power in the world can stop it anymore."

*

Diệp Sương stood still, looking at the giant entity gradually taking shape, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew that all the efforts from the beginning of the battle until now were only a prelude to this decisive moment—the moment when everything she had learned from Mr. Tám Mực, the sect, and the Vụ Ẩn clan would have to be mobilized at once to face what might be the greatest danger Cửu Vân had ever witnessed.

"We need a new plan, now," Diệp Sương said, turning to look at Tạ Vân Khê, Lãnh Vũ, and Thanh Việt, all panting from the prolonged battle but their eyes still unwavering. "If we can't destroy it with pure force, perhaps, we must find a way to make it no longer have a reason to exist."

Tạ Vân Khê looked at her, her eyes flashing with worried understanding. "Are you thinking of healing the wound at its root while it has expanded this far?"

"I don't see any other choice," Diệp Sương replied, her voice determined even though her whole body was still shaking from exhaustion and fear. "But you will need time, and you will need everyone to protect you long enough to complete it." Lãnh Vũ looked at her for a moment, then nodded slowly. "My clan will use all its remaining strength to support you. But you must understand that the entity is growing larger every moment. You may have less time than you expect."

"I will personally lead a suicide squad close to the edge of the abyss, attract its attention, and buy you as much time as possible," Tạ Vân Khê said, her voice sharp and filled with determination.

"No," Diệp Sương immediately objected, her voice panicked. "That's too dangerous a mission, the elders can't..."

"This is not the time to argue about who is more worthy of risking their lives, Diệp Sương," Tạ Vân Khê interrupted, her eyes unshakable. "Concentrate on your work. Let me take care of my work."