Chapter 40 (Part 1)

Song Yuanxi was startled awake.

In the dead of night, Jin City’s warning bell rang three times in succession. Every toll was deafening, each one drilling straight into the ears.

By the time he rushed to the family’s central square, more than half of the Song family’s disciples had already arrived. Most of them were still bleary-eyed, with dark circles under their eyes, a clear sign of not getting enough sleep after the revelry.

Their blank expressions carried a trace of nervousness. They did not understand. The demonic creatures had already been dealt with, so why had Jin City’s warning bell rung?

Song Yuanxi pushed through the crowd and, with great difficulty, squeezed his way into the very center. He found Song Miao and asked about the situation.

But Song Miao only shook her head. “I’m not sure. Jin City’s warning bell is attached to the city-protecting grand array. It automatically gives a warning when it encounters an enemy and doesn’t need anyone to ring it manually. But…”

“But what?” Song Yuanxi had a bad feeling.

Song Miao’s expression was ugly as she said, “There is only one possibility when Jin City’s warning bell rings. The defensive power of the city-protecting grand array isn’t enough to withstand the attack, and there’s a danger of the array being broken.”

Song Yuanxi quickly thought of the two demonic creatures that had been lured outside the city. One of them had the cultivation of late Golden Core. Could that demonic creature have turned back and returned?

If so, then what was the situation with the heads of Jin City’s various families? Surely they hadn’t all been wiped out?

Song Miao was also worried about this. “The elder has personally gone out to investigate. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

The younger generation in the square waited in silence. From time to time, unrest stirred, but it soon settled on its own. Until—

With a thunderous crash, the Song family elder fell from the sky and slammed straight into the family’s central square. Broken stones and dust immediately flew everywhere.

“Elder!” Song Miao’s expression tightened, and she rushed over in a panic to help the person on the ground up. “Elder, how did you get hurt? What exactly happened outside?”

“Enemy attack! Activate the family’s protective array at once!”

The Song family elder suppressed the bloody sweetness rising in his throat and quickly issued orders. “Song Miao, take my command token to the family head’s main courtyard and activate the protective array immediately. Hurry! The demonic creature is inside Jin City. I fear it has the cultivation of late Golden Core. Protect the safety of my Song family’s disciples!”

Song Miao still wanted to ask more, but the Song family elder had already completely passed out.

Song Yuanxi immediately stood up. Without another word, he grabbed Song Miao and ran toward the main courtyard. Song Miao felt as though her entire body had taken flight, swaying in the wind like a paper kite, while Song Yuanxi’s hand was the spool of thread holding her tightly in place.

Afterimages slid past before her eyes. In just a few breaths, the two of them had reached the main courtyard.

“Where do we activate the array? How do we use the token?”

Seeing that she was still standing there in a daze, Song Yuanxi roared, “Song Miao! Do the important thing! Hurry up and activate the protective array!”

“Oh, right!”

Song Miao instantly snapped back to herself. Holding the token, she walked toward the central hub, found the hidden slot where the token was to be inserted, and then performed a complicated sequence of hand motions.

Light suddenly flared over the entire Song family grounds, but soon disappeared again.

“Thank goodness. The protective array opened safely.” Song Miao leaned against the wall to support herself upright. Her heart was pounding like a drum.

“The elder is unconscious now. I need to find someone to take charge, otherwise the Song family will fall into chaos.”

After only a brief rest, Song Miao ran back toward the central square. Before leaving, she did not forget to remind Song Yuanxi to watch the central hub and continuously feed spirit stones into it.

But Song Yuanxi could not be optimistic. Earlier, when he had accompanied Song Yuanruo in reinforcing and repairing the grand array, he had already understood this clearly. This array could only guard against attacks below Golden Core cultivation. If the enemy attacker had Golden Core cultivation, it could withstand at most three full-power strikes from them.

“The elder said the demonic creature is probably at late Golden Core cultivation. Our protective array isn’t safe. Song Miao, the Song family should have an escape tunnel. Do you know where it is?”

Run away. That was Song Yuanxi’s first reaction. So he went straight to Song Miao and told her what he was thinking.

But Song Miao was unwilling. “The Jin City Song family’s hundred-year foundation is here. If we flee, the family will be destroyed.”

“Compared to lives, what does a foundation count for?”

“No. A foundation is more important than life.”

“As long as you’re still alive, what’s wrong with rebuilding another Song family?” Song Yuanxi had never met someone this stubborn before.

Song Miao was silent for a while, then looked up and smiled. “Song Yuanxi, you aren’t a disciple of my Jin City Song family, so of course you can afford not to care. But I can’t do that. I was born here and grew up here. The Jin City Song family is everything to us. If the family is destroyed, then we’ll have nothing left.”

“The Song family doesn’t only exist in one place. You can go to another branch family’s territory, or go directly to the main family.”

“Then there would no longer be a Jin City Song family.” Song Miao’s expression was stubborn, and her gaze gradually turned resolute. As if making an oath, she said, “I am willing to live and die with the family grounds!”

Song Miao’s emotions infected many people. One by one, the younger generation in the square clenched their fists, impassioned and fervent.

“I’m not leaving. I want to stay in the family.”

“I’m not leaving either. Even if I die, I’ll die on Song family grounds.”

“That’s right! We’re willing to live and die with the family!”

“Willing to live and die with the family!”

Song Yuanxi had never been to the main Song family and did not know what the direct-line Song family disciples were like. But looking at the Song family branch disciples before him, he could not help thinking that perhaps this was the integrity of the Song family’s children.

They did not fear, did not dread, did not hide, and did not avoid.

Song Qian settled the unconscious elder, then hurried over and immediately calmed the Song family disciples whose emotions were running high. Afterward, he walked up to Song Yuanxi and stated a fact.

“Even escaping through the tunnel won’t work. If the demonic creature truly has late Golden Core cultivation, every movement inside the tunnel will be under its control. Before we can even escape the city, we’ll be discovered.”

Song Yuanxi also realized this, and his mood immediately sank. “Is there really no way? Are we just supposed to wait here for the demonic creature to invade, and then all die together?”

“The family head already notified the main family earlier. The message should have arrived by now. Half a day. Half a day at most! The main family will send people to assist us, and then we’ll have hope!”

Song Yuanxi shook his head outright. “Forget half a day. We may not even be able to hold out for half an hour. That’s a demonic creature at late Golden Core. In just a few moves, the protective array will be torn apart. Rather than counting on the main family to send people, we’d be better off hoping the Song family head outside the city can rush back in time.”

But so much time had passed, and not a single high-level cultivator who had left the city showed any sign of returning. Most likely, the battle was locked in a stalemate. Hope for rescue from that side was almost nonexistent.

Everyone fell silent, caught in blank confusion for a moment.

Song Yuanxi thought to himself that if they truly reached a critical moment, worst case, he would risk his life to send a warning. His parents would definitely sense it. If his maternal grandfather stepped in, a demonic creature at late Golden Core would not be worth fearing.

“I hope Father is still in the sect right now. It would be best if he were with Grandfather or the sect master. Otherwise, things will get troublesome.”

Song Yuanxi had made up his mind. Just as he raised his head and was about to speak, Song Miao’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she cried out, “How could I forget! There’s still the Heart-Linking Array!”

“The Heart-Linking Array?”

“That’s right. Before Song Yuanruo left, he reinforced the protective array and set up the Heart-Linking Array on it. With the blood of Song family disciples as the guide, it can increase the defensive power severalfold. So long as the blood does not run dry, the array will not be extinguished. There are so many of us. As long as we can hold out for half a day, that’s enough!”

Song Yuanxi had never expected that the Heart-Linking Array Song Yuanruo had set up before leaving could be used this way.

But using the blood of one’s clansmen as a guide—wasn’t this array a little too sinister?

Song Miao could not wait any longer. She pulled Song Qian out with her, gathered the Song family disciples, and led them to the central square, where they stood in the fixed positions of the Heart-Linking Array to reinforce and stabilize the array.

The sky above the family grounds suddenly darkened in an instant. A massive skull appeared in midair, its two empty eye sockets like black abysses as they swept back and forth over the entire Song family.

“What a sweet scent. That’s the smell. Eating it will be a great nourishment.”

“Human cultivators, listen well. Hand over the person serving as the Heart-Linking Array’s blood guide, or I will swallow all of you in one bite.”

The younger generation who had just taken their positions in the square suddenly heard the demonic creature’s voice. Then, facing that enormous skull head directly, each of them trembled with fear and instantly fell into panicked helplessness.

“Ah! It’s the demonic creature!”

“What a huge skull head. Such strong demonic energy.”

“What do we do? It wants to devour all of us. What do we do?”

Many people began to panic. Like headless flies, they dashed about chaotically, and quite a few crashed into one another because they could not watch out for everything at once. The entire scene instantly descended into disorder.

Seeing that the situation was wrong, Song Qian immediately leapt to the highest point of the square and amplified his voice with a Giant Voice Talisman. “Everyone, don’t panic. We have already activated the protective array. That demonic creature cannot invade us. We are safe. Stay calm! Don’t run around. We—”

There was a crash.

Before Song Qian could finish speaking, the skull in the sky struck heavily at the protective array. The defensive barrier’s light flared instantly, and everyone saw that the moment the light vanished, it had dimmed by half.

“Hee hee hee…”

The demonic creature’s laughter was sinister, and its tone carried the air of toying with them. “A mere little protective array, and you think it can stop me? If I weren’t injured, I could break it with one strike.”

The surroundings fell deathly silent.

But the demonic creature was still searching for delicious food. It wanted to find the sweet delicacy that attracted it.

“The person serving as the Heart-Linking Array’s blood guide—where are you? Where are you? Human cultivators, hand the person over. I will spare you…”

The demonic creature murmured again and again. Its voice seemed to press against everyone’s ears as it spoke, perfectly clear, every word sinking into their hearts.

Song Yuanxi’s heart sank. He had a bad premonition and was just about to quietly retreat when the skull above suddenly froze. Its empty eye sockets stared straight in his direction.

“Found you. The blood guide. Such a fresh, sweet scent.” The demonic creature salivated over Song Yuanxi.

With just one glance, Song Yuanxi’s scalp instantly went numb. Even with the defensive barrier between them, he could feel his soul trembling. This was the power of being locked onto by high-level pressure. That demonic creature had already chosen him.

“Song Yuanxi, what’s going on? Your blood…”

“Yuanruo and I were born of the same mother. The Heart-Linking Array uses his blood as the guide, and I can replace him too.” Song Yuanxi was a complete layman when it came to arrays, but before Song Yuanruo left, he had explained the Heart-Linking Array’s method of use in detail. Even if Song Yuanxi had not understood, he understood now. It was just that he felt awful inside. This was worse than not knowing! The more he knew, the more panicked he became!

“Hand him over. Hand him over. I only want the food. Give me the food, and I will spare you.” The demonic creature was still coaxing them in a low voice.

In an instant, Song Yuanxi became the center of attention. Everyone’s gazes gathered on him, and those gazes were exceedingly complicated. There was hope, desire, loathing, pleading…

All this time, he had been an unknown little transparent person. Now, he had become a crucial existence. Although this kind of “crucial” was a little ironic, Song Yuanxi could not make himself not care.

“I want to…”

“No!” Song Miao cut him off at once. “That is a demon. How can a demon’s words be trusted?”

She leapt onto the high platform in a few steps and faced all her clansmen in the square. Word by word, each syllable firm and resounding, she said, “Song family disciples never do something like betraying a clansman just to drag out an ignoble existence. If any of you are bewitched by the demonic creature today and push Song Yuanxi out, then you are unworthy of being Song family members!”

The younger generation, whose thoughts had originally wavered, felt as if they had been struck awake. They quickly came back to themselves.

That was right. Song family disciples stood upright and walked straight. How could they do something so devoid of conscience? If they truly clung to life like this today, then they would also plant bitter fruit. When they advanced in the future, they would surely be trapped by heart demons, and their cultivation would find it difficult to progress.

Taking ten thousand steps back, could the words of this demonic creature even be trusted?

“That’s right! The Song family shares one heart and one life.”

“We will never be bewitched by a demonic creature. We swear to stand together to the death.”

“Everyone, hurry and recite the Heart-Cleansing Incantation. Guard your mind’s platform.”

The unrest in the square settled. It happened so quickly that the demonic creature found it hard to accept.

It did not understand. With such tempting conditions, why would these human cultivators not agree? One person in exchange for a whole group. Was that not the most profitable trade?

Although, in the end, it was destined not to keep its promise. Still, having its plan disrupted ahead of time made it very unhappy.

“Foolish humans. Take another strike from me!”

The demonic creature used all its strength and once again smashed heavily into the protective array. The light of the defensive barrier dimmed again, nearly turning transparent.

Song Yuanxi stepped forward directly and shouted to everyone, “Everyone, listen to me! My younger brother and I were born of the same mother. Our bloodlines are connected and can sense each other. With my blood as the guide, I can likewise reinforce and repair the protective array. I am willing to serve as the array eye of the Heart-Linking Array.”

After a pause, he continued, “But my strength alone is not enough. I need the help of my clansmen, my brothers and sisters. Use the blood of our clan as the medium and support me in upholding the array! One thousand people. As long as there are one thousand people, that will be enough. Who among you is willing?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Song family disciples already standing in the square shouted, “We are willing to support the array!”

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