**Chapter 77: The Crown Prince of Tiantu**
On the dragon pillar, Qin Mu looked upward and saw the thunderclouds expanding ever wider, spiraling outward like a colossal vortex. Though countless bolts of lightning continued to strike, they merely orbited around the swirling maelstrom.
The thunderclouds were moving -- advancing toward the vanguard of the Yankang army. Suddenly, a single bolt of lightning slammed into the ground. Where it struck, fire and light erupted in all directions, scurrying like golden serpents. A deafening boom shook the earth.
Then countless bolts of lightning, as if they had found their targets, began crashing down from the heavens with abandon. The spectacle resembled enormous plows descending from the sky to till the earth, plowing their way from the front of the Yankang army straight through the ranks.
*Boom, boom, boom --*
Countless thunderbolts collided with the Yankang vanguard. In less than a single breath, the colossal beasts were struck charred and smoking. Lightning cracked and split. Some of the beasts were cleaved open as though struck by enormous blades, their innards spilling.
The beasts wailed in agony and fled in all directions, some even stampeding backward, trampling untold numbers of soldiers beneath their massive feet.
The rolling thunder arrived in the midst of the army, and chaos erupted. Countless soldiers and officers were struck down, killed instantly.
A towered boat was hit by several bolts of lightning and burst into roaring flames. The elixir furnaces at the core of the vessel detonated. Flames engulfed the Herbalists and their attendants, turning them into living torches.
The volatile medicinal power in the furnaces surged outward, crashing into the ship's core furnace. The furnace could not process the catastrophic energy in time. It detonated with a thunderous explosion, and the massive vessel fragmented in midair, disintegrating on the spot.
Other towered boats lost their core furnaces and动力. Trailing great plumes of black smoke, they slid down from the sky at an angle, crushing soldiers who could not escape in time.
The Yankang army, which had been pressing the city with overwhelming presence, now possessed nothing but chaos.
"General Lu, this thundercloud formation is highly suspicious -- it seems to be targeting our Yankang forces!"
A scout rushed to the central command tent and dropped to one knee, clasping his fist. "The thunderclouds cover a radius of eighty li! Beyond that range, there is not a single wisp of cloud!"
The burly, powerful General Lu's eyes flashed with cold light. "Deploy the Wind Marquis Army! Blow the thunderclouds away!"
"Yes! Pass the General's command -- the Wind Marquis Army is to perform the rite and scatter the thunderclouds!"
In the rear, a corps of soldiers wearing strange garments each carried a great gourd on their backs, half again taller than a man. The soldiers twisted open the mouths of their gourds, and columns of black wind shot into the sky.
Each soldier channeled his yuan qi and pointed a finger. The black wind howled and expanded, transforming into a gale that joined together and blew toward the thunderclouds overhead.
But at that very moment, in the bookshop within the city, the Deaf had already completed his second painting -- a vortex of torrential rain. He flicked his brush tip, and the painting of the vortex rose into the sky, vanishing into the heights.
The Wind Marquis Army had just begun its rite, the black wind churning the thunderclouds, when catastrophe struck. From within the clouds, enormous tornadoes descended like divine dragons lowering their tails from the heavens, plunging into the ranks of countless soldiers.
There was not just one tornado but dozens. They caught up the black wind of the Wind Marquis Army and absorbed it, amplifying the tornadoes' power. Countless soldiers were swept into the air, their limbs flailing.
What made it truly terrifying was that the moment those soldiers were flung aloft, countless bolts of lightning crashed down upon them, charring them to cinders in midair!
Whether they were warriors or divine-art masters, they were powerless against such forces of heaven and earth!
Wind and thunder raged in the sky, and torrents of rain poured down, drenching the Yankang soldiers to the bone. Bolts of lightning struck the soaking soldiers and the sodden earth alike, adding to the ferocity of the thunder!
Countless men convulsed and twisted under the lightning, transforming into scorched husks.
"Demons and monsters -- how dare you act so brazenly! Xuanwu Army, raise shields!"
General Lu was incandescent with fury. He slapped both palms downward and his body soared into the air, plunging into the thunderclouds above. His figure streaked back and forth, his fists smashing tornadoes apart with raw force.
Bolts of lightning struck at him, but the moment they drew near, the glow of his armor deflected them, preventing any from striking his body.
Below, the soldiers of the Xuanwu Army roared in unison. Yuan qi transformed into great shields that rose into the sky, hovering ten zhang above each formation, blocking the downpour.
The falling lightning was also intercepted by the Xuanwu shields. The troops' morale steadied. The officers of each division quickly reorganized, executing deserters and restoring the ranks.
Within Xianglong City, another great painting burst into the sky -- a Hundred Demons Chart.
The Hundred Demons Chart gradually dissolved into the heavens, vanishing without a trace.
Then, from within the thunderclouds, demon gods with twisted, ferocious visages erupted forth and surrounded General Lu in battle. His scalp went numb as he fought desperately to hold them off. At that moment, yet another painting shot from the city walls. General Lu caught a glimpse of it and nearly lost his soul from fright.
It was a Meteorite Chart -- depicting countless meteors falling from the heavens!
"Retreat!"
The instant General Lu bellowed the command, the sky transformed. Massive meteorites, trailing long tongues of fire, descended from the firmament, tearing through the heavens and hurtling toward the Yankang army below.
"One man painting can hold off a million-strong army. This reminds me of someone."
At the border between Yankang and the Great Ruins, atop the watchtower of the Yanbian Fortress, a middle-aged man with narrow phoenix eyes and willow-leaf brows stood observing the scene. Behind him waited a host of great generals. This man was the State Preceptor of Yankang. He watched his army fall into peril, yet his expression remained unruffled. He spoke in a measured tone. "In the days when the Kingdom of Tiantu still existed, the Crown Prince of Tiantu was a man of peerless grace and unparalleled talent -- the foremost beauty of Tiantu and its most gifted individual. Yet he was devoted to painting and calligraphy. He once declared that he would shut his ears to the world's affairs and devote himself solely to reading the sages' books. When the Ronglang Kingdom invaded, seeking to destroy Tiantu, the kingdom could not withstand them -- yet this Crown Prince remained lost in his art. By the time he emerged from his brushwork, the Ronglang army had already breached the capital and was slaughtering his people. His father, the Emperor of Tiantu, had been killed, and soldiers paraded his severed head through the streets."
Behind him, the generals of Yankang listened in silence. One of them felt the sword at his waist surge into the air and streak away like a blade of light, heading straight for the thunderclouds, demons, and tornadoes.
"And then the Crown Prince of Tiantu went mad."
The State Preceptor's narrow eyes glinted with depth as he continued. "He had shut his ears to the world, and that neglect led to his kingdom's destruction. What use were those ears to him then? He was an extreme man. He wept openly in the streets, sliced off his own ears, and pierced his own eardrums. He used the blood of fallen citizens as his paint and painted Hell itself. He painted the eighteen levels of Hell."
"And then the capital of Tiantu vanished, replaced by a bottomless abyss. The Ronglang army of a million men plunged into the dark abyss, becoming part of Hell -- devoured by its demons. Some powerful warriors attempted to flee, but they were seized by the demon gods within and dragged down into the depths."
"After that battle, both Tiantu and Ronglang were finished. Not long after, both kingdoms were destroyed, and the Crown Prince disappeared as well. I once visited the ruins of Tiantu's capital and leapt into that dark abyss. I walked through the eighteen levels of Hell and witnessed his eighteen paintings of the underworld. I came to understand the depths of his grief and despair, and I came to admire his talent. That is why I petitioned His Majesty to establish the Hall of the Painting Saint -- for who could be more fitting to serve as the Painting Saint than the Crown Prince of Tiantu?"
"I thought I might never meet the Painting Saint. Yet here, in this remote borderland of the Great Ruins, I have encountered him. The pity is that he has become an enemy of my Yankang."
As he finished speaking, the thunderclouds, lightning, demons, tornadoes, and rain above the Yankang army all vanished. A stream of black ink flowed down from the sky.
This sight chilled the hearts of the Yankang soldiers below. Those terrifying phenomena that had killed so many of their comrades had been nothing more than ink!
"My Lord, there is a sorcerer causing havoc in the city!"
Within Xianglong City, Qin Feiyue witnessed the spectacle in the sky and immediately stormed into the City Lord's Manor. He found Grandma Si disguised as Fu Yundi and reported. "This sorcerer's arts are obstructing our Yankang army. His power is extraordinary, and he is hiding in the city's bookshop. My Lord, please slay this sorcerer!"
Grandma Si's expression turned cold and dark. "So there is such a sorcerer? How dare he cause trouble in my territory -- the audacity! Do not worry, young General. I will go and take his head at once!" With that, she strode out with fierce intent, heading straight for the bookshop.
Qin Feiyue followed close behind. By the time they reached the bookshop, the building was empty.