Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1419 Master of the Frost Array

On the banks of the Lingjiang River, large chunks of ice floated in the water. The red water swept away the corpses of demons, and the withered branches that spread from these corpses intertwined with each other, blocking a large part of the river channel, causing some of the red water to spread to the banks.

Peng Zu sat on a large rock, and the red water flowed past his feet, but it did not react to him in the slightest.

The demon king had been sitting here for two days. The prolonged and intense battle had made him lose his initial high spirits and start to feel doubtful.

If Peng Zu hadn't genuinely sensed the opponent's weakened life force during the fight, he would have even thought that the news that "Ye Cong, the master of the Frost Array, is physically weak and will likely die soon" was just another false rumor spread by the cunning humans. But this was even stranger. How could a human with such a frail body possibly withstand a sacrificial-level array and be dragged into this predicament?
Although there are two powerful formations, Red Sand and Red Water, to assist in defense, the main defensive formation is the Frost Formation. This includes the frozen land formed around the river, all of which originated from the Frost Formation's expansion during the past few days of fighting.

From initially attempting to introduce a deadly poison into the city to kill everyone, to now simply hoping for Ye Cong's natural death, Peng Zu's mindset had inevitably shifted. Fortunately, the "Ten Thousand People" formation was indeed a very powerful formation; even if it couldn't achieve victory, it could still maintain his army's formation, preventing it from collapsing under the onslaught of the overwhelming attack.

After some thought, feeling he had rested enough, he activated his ability again. The withered paper emerged from the corpse, and moments later, the ice blocks responding to the attack began to condense again. Ye Cong seemed to need no rest; whenever Peng Zu launched an attack, he would immediately counterattack.

"Come on... let's see who can outlast whom."

Peng Zu gritted his teeth and continued his offensive. The death-spreading paper strips spread again, the deadly poison seeped into the river, fighting against the red water. The demons covered in paper strips roared and began to charge towards the city walls, showing no fear even in the face of the freezing cold.

However, the situation in the city was far from what Peng Zu had imagined, and he was not as adept as he had been.

Ye Cong was indeed nearing his end. Each of his reactions was almost instinctive, relying on the large amount of ice he had previously created to sense the opponent's attacks and launch counterattacks. And each time Peng Zu retreated, Ling Jiang was unable to launch an effective pursuit; he was truly being exhausted.

Now he can only lie on his ice bed. Even though there is a commander assisting him in using the power of the ice array, he, as the one in charge, cannot be absent from personally controlling the situation.

"Ye Cong, how are you?"

The commander of the Red Sand Formation arrived again. Seeing the renewed attack outside the city, he knew something was wrong and rushed to check on Ye Cong. Ye Cong coughed twice and could only manage a bitter smile, "I can't get up… This isn't going to work. If I can't kill that demon king or the sacrificial animal, I'll be worn down sooner or later. You two can hold them off, but the people of this city will likely suffer…"

"Demons are vile!"

Ye Cong shook his head: "I originally wanted to wait for Lu Ning to arrive, so that there would be someone to take over the Frost Array, before I could go all out. I didn't expect my body to be much weaker than I thought."

The general was silent for a moment, then asked, "Have you made up your mind?"

"Decided."

"As fellow leaders, I won't try to dissuade you from your decision, but as a colleague and friend..."

"If we win in the future, just bring me a pot of good wine." Ye Cong slowly closed his eyes. "Now, let's leave. When the Frost Array erupts, no one can be here."

"learn."

After the general left the room, a chill began to gather inside. When the command was given, many people in Lingjiang suddenly raised their heads.

"Old man, I have to go."

"General Ye... sigh, you should go."

"Brothers, let's finish work early today."

"Haha, see you tomorrow then."

"Captain, the general needs us."

"What are you waiting for?"

The members of the Frost Array did not all gather near Ye Cong, but instead dispersed throughout Lingjiang City, functioning as a protective array to maintain the city's stability. Now, they heard the voice, a candlelight burning in their hearts, and just as they had responded to Ye Cong's invitation, they answered the call once more.

Peng Zu, carrying the poisonous branches, walked towards Lingjiang. The tide of withered branches and fallen leaves collided with the torrent of red water, and death annihilated each other. The roar of all the demons echoed with the "masses". From life to death, and from death to life, Peng Zu could feel the weakness of the other party. It was weaker than last time, but it was still resilient and did not fall.

“I will do it this time—” He plunged a withered branch into the ground, and the entire earth began to turn black from the poison.

However, Ye Cong, who lived in the city, also believed that this was the last time.

Ice covered his body, completely connecting his spirit with the formation. This time, there was no frightening cold wind, only rising ice crystals.

The demons at the front slammed into the ice wall, their bodies instantly stuck. However, some strong demons tore through their frozen, withered skin, attempting to break through the wall with their own abilities.

However, no demon has ever accomplished this.

Weaker demons were unable to escape from it. Once the ice wall stuck to them, it spread to their bodies, becoming silent, deadly, and even crushing everything that constituted a demon within the ice layer. Even the reincarnation power supported by the laws of demons was weakened within it. Although some demon souls could still escape from here, the intensity was far less than before.

Even though Lu Ning had already shared some of her self-developed methods for suppressing reincarnation, Ye Cong couldn't directly use the Reincarnation Severance without Lu Ning's knowledge. However, Ye Cong didn't need to understand it; his proficiency in using the Frost Array far surpassed Lu Ning's. Once such a suppression effect was created, it could easily deprive these demons of their ability to quickly return to the battlefield.

Fortresses formed from accumulating ice began to "grow" on the vast plains along the Lingjiang River. Nourished by the flesh and blood of demons, they absorbed surrounding moisture and even drew upon underground water resources to form ice, spreading towards the shape of a city. Peng Zu did not stop them, allowing the ice crystal palace to envelop him entirely. He could sense that this was the last vestige of the ice formation's power, just as he had anticipated—this was likely the final battle.

"Withering and flourishing..."

The toxin was injected into the ice layer, causing branches to sprout out of thin air under its influence. Even the withered branches, imbued with life, pierced through ice crystals, creating purplish-black cracks within the ice. The filth began to emit violent shattering sounds. The Demon King's power was still sufficient to cause some damage to the ice. But the ice was moving even faster. Cities rose from the ground, and the earth was completely buried under the ice. Although the withered branches could continue to grow on the ice, they would never survive long enough to grow into trees before freezing and turning into fragile fragments.

"How terrifying, truly terrifying. Is this the ultimate power that the Human Race's ultimate formation can create? Sacrifice, sacrifice, so that's how it is. Our research in this area is still too superficial. The 'masses' have already exhausted all their strength just by resisting. This is the difference between sacrifices."

Peng Zu stretched out his hands, his fingertips turning into shattered ice crystals, but the rapidly growing branches were also making up for his missing flesh. Death had always been a constant companion to him, so this kind of consumption meant nothing to him.

"One day. If I can hold on for one more day, I will die; but if I can't even hold on for one more day, then it will be you who dies."

The Demon King's judgment was accurate. Such powerful strength could not be maintained for long. In a life-or-death struggle, it was all about who could withstand the longer delay. In this respect, the demon race had always been tougher.

Peng Zu began to recklessly spread his highly poisonous branches, not caring if all the demons trapped there perished; their arrival was solely for the purpose of allowing this demon king to multiply. Death clashed directly with the ice, while the red water and red sand fell silent. Within the ice-sealed city, even they could not approach.

The battle raged from morning till nightfall, and even the Demon King felt his energy waning and his body growing weary. He found it hard to believe that his opponent could persist—a human so weak and near death could hold his own against him for an entire day?

But as darkness swallowed the last ray of dawn, Peng Zu finally witnessed the moment he had been waiting for.

The wisp of spirit connecting to this incredibly powerful formation finally dissipated. Ye Cong was dead, and this immense power had lost its source of control.

"Ha... I won, I won..." Peng Zu grinned and laughed. He felt that none of the victories he had experienced in his life had made him as happy as this one. He had defeated a sacrificial animal head-on. This achievement was worthy of praise even among the entire demon race.

Isn't that so? Even the Demon Star has never truly broken through any famous sacrificial rituals. The few methods that did break through sacrificial rituals were not direct confrontations, such as the beheading of the former Ice Array Master.

As ice shards fell, Peng Zu realized that there wasn't a single living demon around him anymore. They had all frozen to death or been transformed into branches by him during the day's struggle. But that didn't matter. As long as he, the marshal, was still there, there would always be troops. The demon army had no shortage of manpower these days.

"Growth, flourishing, death!"

The withered branches pierced through the ice, dismantling the walls, and large chunks of ice fell from above, but were all blocked by the branches above Peng Zu's head. The ice castle finally began to collapse. Even if there was some remaining weak power, it was not under his control, and that power was not to be feared.

Peng Zu raised his withered branch staff high, which he had now transformed into a sapling of modest strength. However, once this sapling took root, no life within a hundred miles would be able to survive.

He reached out and pushed against the crumbling wall.

Shattered, everything on the walls crumbled in the purple light, including the last vestiges of the icy array's power. He stepped out of the frost-covered city, raised the sapling in his hand, and walked step by step toward the city.

Without the ice, the red sand and red water were no longer able to harm him. Although their attacks were not weak, they could not break through the barrier of withered branches. Having shattered the ice formation, Peng Zu felt an immense surge of power within him. He even had a feeling that if the Demon Star were before him at this moment, perhaps he could…

Ok?
What's possible?
Peng Zu's raised hand suddenly paused. He recalled that he had just been fighting the Frost Array to the point of exhaustion, and his strength could not have broken through instantly. Moreover, the Red Water Array and the Red Sand Array were powerful arrays of the same level as the Frost Array; how could he, at his last gasp, so easily push them aside?
"When?" Peng Zu turned around in surprise and saw a person walking out of the ice fortress.

Do you know Night Tour?

Lu Ning asked softly.

Peng Zu was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed: "A fleeting moment? I've already fallen asleep?"

“Correct.” Lu Ning slowly drew her sword. “I don’t know how much you know, but even if you realize it now, you won’t remember it when you wake up—and likewise, I won’t let you wake up.”

"Shameless talk!"

Peng Zu roared, and the surrounding branches began to respond with his power. Even weakened, as a top-tier demon king, he could still activate the power he had deployed in reality in his dreams to kill his enemies.

“You reacted quickly, but I wasn’t even near you yet.” Lu Ning shook her head regretfully. “You can’t wake up? Then I know how much General Ye has weakened your strength. Oh, and also, don’t continue activating your power. Do you know the exact moment you fell into the dream?”

Upon hearing this question, Peng Zu frowned slightly.

"The hint is the part that seemed off at the beginning. I deliberately made this dream full of loopholes," Lu Ning said.

At the very beginning? Was it when he separated the two formations and went forward? No, it should be even earlier, when he thought he had broken through that ice wall… In his dream, Peng Zu could hardly avoid Lu Ning's words and immediately began to think about his experience. After carefully recalling what had just happened, Peng Zu suddenly realized the most wrong thing—the light.

The purplish-black toxin oozing out was a dark, dull mass. Where did the purple light come from when the wall was being breached? And this was at night!

"It's time to wake up from the dream."

Without giving Peng Zu time to ponder a solution in his dream, Lu Ning lightly snapped her fingers, and the surrounding environment instantly returned to the frost-covered city. The spirit within the previously dissipated formation transformed into an even stronger and more powerful will.

He destroyed the ice layer, but each ice crystal revealed glowing purple runes. These ice crystals, with runes attached, easily pierced Peng Zu's skin, penetrating him through the ice layer in his sleep.

“General Ye said that if I saw the Demon Subduing Hall on the way here, it would mean that he had already gone all out, and I could take over the position of the leader of the Frost Array without any scruples. Since he sacrificed himself for his country, it would be best for you and your demon army to be buried here with him.”

Lu Ning's voice echoed through the city through the glowing runes. Peng Zu's eyes widened. He tried to get up, but felt a part of him being pulled to the spot. The runes fixed him in place and made him clearly feel that he was getting further and further away from the Law of the Ice Lake.

"What a coincidence—"

The city collapsed with a roar, and the runes instantly shone brightly, drawing all the souls into them, which were then annihilated within the Demon-Subduing Hall.