Chapter 71 — The Kui Ox

Instantly the things on the ground blazed with light, a crystalline red glow, and every few yards the red light suddenly shot out sideways, joining in a moment into one body, forming a gigantic red ring of light.

Before anyone could react, that red ring of light sprang aloft as well; countless dazzling red beams shot upward together, forming a spectacular wall of red light that trapped the beast within it, and at the same time streaked straight up into the sky, at last meeting at a single point high above.

It was as though night had lifted its veil, and the darkness too quietly withdrew; in midair a figure slowly appeared.

The Nether King, standing proudly upon an ancient cauldron that floated high in the air, its whole body glowing red, his face solemn, his hands crossed before his chest holding a dharma sign, softly chanting that mysterious incantation.

And all the red light flowed ceaselessly together into the ancient cauldron floating beneath his feet.

Bellow—!

Another roar of furious rage: the beast, surrounded by the red ring, leaped up in anger and charged straight at the wall of light.

High in the air, the Nether King's expression tightened, and at once his chanting quickened.

And the Canglan Sect disciples in the distance stood dumbstruck, forgetting that this was in fact the perfect chance to flee, their eyes fixed unblinking on the scene.

In the sky, as if directly above the Nether King's head, a peal of thunder burst forth, and the beast struck the wall of light head-on!

Boom!

Thunder rolled across the heavens; in an instant the vast, spectacular red wall of light trembled violently, and countless tiny currents, like little lightning bolts, raced this way and that across it with a shrill, piercing sound, so that even the black-clad men standing at the beast's feet, separated from it only by that single wall of light, shook from head to toe.

In midair, the Nether King's face seemed to pale several shades as well!

But in the end, after that violent trembling, the red curtain of light did not shatter; it gradually steadied, while the ancient cauldron beneath the Nether King's feet seemed to shine more brilliantly than ever!

Bellow—bellow—bellow!

The enraged beast had all but gone mad; as thunderclaps burst without cease across the sky, its whole body began to glow with a blue-green light, and again and again it hurled itself at the vast wall of light that held it prisoner.

Wind and rain shrieked across heaven and earth, as though in the highest heavens the Thunder God himself were roaring in fury!

Each rolling peal of thunder seemed to shake Liubo Mountain, to shake the whole sea!

Yet beneath this dread majesty of heaven and earth, that red wall of light, and the ancient cauldron in the sky—who knew whence they came—stood towering and unbroken; little by little, they pressed the beast's ferocity down instead.

Time slipped quietly by, and the beast's charges grew weaker and weaker. Yet the demon cult fared little better: the Nether King, standing on the cauldron in midair, was holding up somewhat better, though his face was ashen—plainly, to bind such an ancient beast by spell, even with the aid of that wondrous treasure of a cauldron, was no light task.

And of the several dozen black-clad men on the ground, more than half now lay fallen, struck dead outright by the clash of those two immense forces. The rest staggered and swayed as well; only a handful of the more powerful ones still held their ground around the curtain of light.

The storm that filled the sky was now gradually subsiding, as if foretelling something.

At last, after one final futile charge, the beast panted, gave a low, hoarse roar, and stood where it was, moving no more.

The Canglan Sect disciples, coming back to their senses, exchanged glances and for a moment could find no words.

After a long pause, Du Biyan said to Song Dayi: "Eldest Senior Brother, what—what should we do?"

Zhang Qingyue looked to Song Dayi as well. That breathtaking contest had left him spellbound, and somehow he felt a little pity for the beast, a faint stirring deep in his heart that he would like to lend it a hand.

In truth, if it came to that, such thoughts were not absent from the hearts of any of these Canglan Sect disciples. They had been enemies of the demon cult for thousands of years, and to see the cult go to such lengths to capture this beast—it must surely matter greatly.

But Song Dayi, as the eldest senior brother, fell silent a moment and at last shook his head. "Let us not stir up more trouble. We must go, quickly!"

The others exchanged glances; no one spoke. After all, they all knew this was no time to branch off into new troubles, and so they followed Song Dayi, who had already started walking on ahead.

Zhang Qingyue, bringing up the rear, took a few steps and suddenly realized that Lu Xueling had not followed. Startled, he turned to look and saw her standing where she was, her feet unmoved. "Senior Sister Lu," he said in wonder, "what is it?"

Lu Xueling was gazing at the beast trapped within the red wall of light ahead. It stood there with its head bowed low, listless, as though it had already accepted its fate. By now the dark clouds filling the sky were gradually beginning to scatter, and that dread majesty which had turned the very heavens and earth pale when it first rose from the sea was nowhere to be seen.

It was like a sorrowful child at the end of his road, standing there with a heart already dead!

A measure of desolation, a touch of loneliness—

Clang!

A blue radiance, like a shooting star suddenly appearing in the night, lit up the surrounding darkness.

The Divine Sword of the Heavenly Dipper leaped from its sheath, its clear blue light flashing and reflected on the face of its peerlessly beautiful mistress—a faint coldness there, and a still, quiet gaze.

Lu Xueling slowly turned her head and looked at Zhang Qingyue, her face cool as clear water. "This beast seems to matter greatly," she said lightly. "Go, all of you, hurry! I will go and return in a moment!"

They all started; Zhang Qingyue's mouth fell slightly open. "You—"

Before the words were out, that beautiful figure had become a brilliant meteor in the night, piercing the darkness around them and hurtling straight toward the vast red wall of light.

The Canglan Sect disciples turned pale with fright; Zhang Qingyue, Tian Lingsu, and Du Biyan all but turned at once and cried out to Song Dayi: "Eldest Senior Brother—!"

Sweat poured down Song Dayi's forehead. If he chose to leave, he feared he could not get past the others, nor past his own conscience; yet to stay meant almost certain disaster. These junior brothers and sisters were young and knew no better, but he must think of their lives. In that moment his heart was in turmoil.

But Lu Xueling flew on her sword with such speed that in an instant she had rushed near the beach where the demon cult's ring of light lay; and by now the cult followers had noticed something amiss, and cries of alarm rose on every side.

The Nether King still floated in midair, his face gradually smoothing. Now he glanced down, frowned slightly, and murmured a phrase: "The Divine Sword of the Heavenly Dipper?"

The black-clad cult followers, caught unprepared by Lu Xueling's sudden charge, were thrown into confusion, and the Nether King in midair seemed unable to descend in time; even the beast trapped within the curtain of light suddenly opened the eyes it had kept shut all this while.

Then a streak of clear light cut across from the side and blocked Lu Xueling outright; the Divine Sword of the Heavenly Dipper rang out sharply and forced that clear light back a little, but Lu Xueling herself was halted as well, still several yards from the red curtain of light.

It was Qinglong, still garbed carelessly in white, appearing before Lu Xueling like a phantom, while his right hand, which wore the Cosmos Clear-Light Ring, slipped back into his sleeve.