Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

When the neatly arranged battle formations appeared before the demon race, all the demons who witnessed this scene were immediately reminded of that ancient era filled with blood and tears.

Back then, the human warriors wore standardized armor and stood in neat and uniform formations. Under the leadership of that supreme emperor, they were truly invincible, forcing all races to unite and form an alliance, and ultimately signing an ancient covenant that was extremely humiliating.

Now, they have retreated to the banks of the Canglan River, but this time no one has signed a covenant with them.

"Prepare!"

With the commands of their respective commanders, the soldiers drew their bows and nocked their arrows in perfect unison, and a fierce aura gathered above the battle formation, condensing into a colossal, iron-blooded battle spirit.

"put!"

A barrage of arrows rained down, the special arrows forged from refined steel. The arrowheads could easily tear through the tough leather of the monsters, and after piercing into their flesh, the shafts would explode under the influence of runes. The fragments from the explosion would penetrate deep into their internal organs, and even the most resilient monsters could not withstand more than a few arrows.

Under the rain of arrows, blood splattered everywhere, and a large number of demonic beasts fell. Most of them did not die on the spot, but were simply unable to move. Their painful howls echoed across the battlefield.

After two volleys of arrows, the various war behemoths slowly began to move.

While the firepower of arrows is effective, each arrow requires a craftsman to forge it personally, resulting in limited annual production. Furthermore, they cannot be recycled and reused. In the past few days, over a million arrows have already been used to defend against the beast tide, leaving the stockpile accumulated over decades almost depleted.

What follows is close combat.

Fortunately, this is also their strength. Their armor can connect everyone's power and concentrate it on the cultivators on the flanks and in the front row, allowing them to unleash power far exceeding their own level and tear apart all the demons blocking their way.

They worked in perfect harmony, their movements perfectly synchronized. They first eliminated the severely wounded demonic beasts, then began to divide and surround them, gradually annihilating them and squeezing the demon race's living space bit by bit.

Of course, not everyone is so disciplined; the elite are only a small minority, and tens of thousands of cultivators are still entangled in battle with the demon race.

The deep-seated hatred had long blinded them.

Among them, Song Youfu was perhaps the most composed.

He was like a ghost wandering across the noisy battlefield, constantly hunting down the great demons among the beasts with his longbow.

Drawing the bow, nocking the arrow, and hunting—all done in one smooth motion.

Finding a target might take a quarter of an hour, but he could shoot an arrow in an instant. He always kept in mind Song Changsheng's teachings: seek out the enemy from afar, strike once and leave immediately, and never linger in one place, whether or not he caused effective damage. Moreover, he always adhered to the principle of not engaging the enemy in direct combat.

Of course, with his current archery skills, even a demon king could be hit if he's not careful during a sneak attack, let alone these great demons, who are almost always accurate.

Any demon beast that is hit by an arrow will basically only have death as its only option, because all the arrows in his hand are coated with [voodothief] that Song Changsheng obtained from the ancient witch clan.

Even a demon king would lose most of his life if poison entered his body. These great demons would have their internal organs rapidly rot and turn into pus within a quarter of an hour of contact with it, and then they would die.

While hunting down powerful demons, he could also keep an eye on the situation of others around him, and each arrow could accurately save one or even several people.

He was completely unaware that these instinctive actions were causing his own luck to grow.

"Swish"

An arrow of unparalleled precision pierced the head of a low-grade third-tier demon, its mountain-like body crashing to the ground, and the beasts that had just gathered around it scattered like birds.

"Five arrows remain."

While searching for a target, he meticulously planned the use of each arrow.

The arrows made of Tianchen Steel are excellent in every way, but there are too few of them. He was only allocated a few dozen. The second batch of arrows promised by Tiangongtang has not yet arrived. There is nowhere to replenish them once they are used up.

With the remaining five arrows, he had to be more careful and choose more valuable targets.

Just then, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. He stared at it in disbelief for a long time before he was sure he wasn't seeing things.

"What's that kid Song Xingyuan doing here?"

At that moment, he felt like his head was about to explode.

As one of the few elders in the clan who knew the inside story, he was all too aware of what Song Xingyuan's talent would bring to the Song family. He was the most likely candidate to become the second Song Changsheng, a prodigy.

If he grows up smoothly, he can at least make the Song family prosperous for another two thousand years.

Although this battle was supposed to be a clan-wide mobilization, the elders tacitly excluded him. Firstly, he was not old enough to fight, and secondly, the battlefield situation was constantly changing, and no one could be sure what would happen next. The risk of dying in such a chaotic battle was too high.

Logically speaking, Song Xingyuan should be at Cangmang Peak right now, so why is he here?

When he saw the two people next to Song Xingyuan, his mind went blank: "Ming Shuang and Jing Xuan are there too?"

One has an ice spirit root and the other an earth spirit root. The three most talented people in the Song family in the past sixty years have actually come together. If anything unexpected happens, the entire clan will be shaken up.

"This is ridiculous!"

Song Youfu cursed under his breath and was about to take them back when he discovered that at least four Purple Mansion cultivators were accompanying the three of them, either openly or secretly.

The two people in the open are Song Qingxia and Yuan Tianshu, master and disciple, one in the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm and the other in the Great Perfection of the Purple Mansion realm. Although he can sense the presence of the two people in the shadows, he cannot be sure of their identities.

However, according to the clan's custom, these two must be the hidden guards of the Hidden Hall. The Hidden Hall has been secretly developing for more than two hundred years, and has only had a few dozen people, all of whom are Foundation Establishment cultivators, with a total of four Purple Mansion cultivators.

Among them, the twin brothers Qin Ze and Qin Yu, who were among the first to enter the Hidden Hall, now both have the cultivation level of the mid-stage Purple Mansion realm. It is said that even a late-stage Purple Mansion cultivator would be no match for them if they joined forces.

Since there was a plan, it was obviously impossible for him to have sneaked out. It was most likely Song Qingxi's decision. Thinking of this, he immediately gave up the idea of ​​interfering.

Song Qingxi is always thorough in his work, so there are definitely no issues with his safety.

That's what he thought, but he still quietly moved closer, just in case anything unexpected happened and he could lend a hand in time.

At only sixteen years old, Song Xingyuan was arguably the youngest on this battlefield. After eight years of dedicated cultivation, he had already broken through to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining and was only one step away from the Foundation Establishment realm. On average, he would break through a small realm every year.

This cultivation speed is something even Song Youlin, with his Heavenly Spiritual Root, would envy.

But the battlefield is a place where strength matters, not the speed of training.

On a battlefield of this scale, a mere Qi Refining cultivation level is utterly insignificant.

Even though Song Mingshuang and Song Jingxuan had already broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, this battlefield was still fraught with danger for them. If it weren't for the protection of several Purple Mansion cultivators, they might have been trampled into mincemeat long ago. This was the first time the three of them had experienced a real war, and their past pride was shattered on this bloody battlefield.

This battlefield made them realize that no matter how many halos you have in your life or how amazing your talent is, you are nothing in the face of absolute power.

However, geniuses are geniuses after all; they are always more adaptable to their environment than others, even in the perilous battlefield.

Song Xingyuan moved with agility, always managing to precisely evade the second-tier demonic beasts. Five flying swords of different shapes circled around him, always able to deliver a fatal blow to the surrounding demonic beasts with pinpoint accuracy.

It is already extremely rare for someone with Qi Refining cultivation to master the [Sword Control Technique], which is only mastered by Foundation Establishment cultivators. Yet he was able to simultaneously and for an extended period of time wield five spirit swords, like an endless fighting machine.

This is the power of the Five Elements Dao Body: the five elements are perfectly balanced, and life is endless.

Although he was trying to avoid those second-tier demonic beasts, his behavior was so eye-catching that demonic beasts would try to ambush him from time to time.

But Song Mingshuang and Song Jingxuan, who were by his side, blocked most of these dangers.

The two were equally renowned geniuses within their clan, and were not much different in age. They were known as the "Dragon and Phoenix Twins" and often secretly competed with each other, even on the battlefield.

However, on the battlefield, Song Jingxuan, who came from an alchemy background, was ultimately at a disadvantage.

Song Mingshuang cultivates the Yin chapter of the Taiji Hunyuan Scripture. Every night, she uses the moonlight to cleanse herself, refining her spiritual power into extremely Yin power, which perfectly matches her spiritual root. Every move she makes can cause widespread damage, leaving behind several lifelike ice sculptures on the battlefield.

They are not afraid of being surrounded and attacking, and fighting against opponents of higher levels is commonplace for them.

Of course, this does not mean that Song Jingxuan's combat ability is weak. On the contrary, he takes a bold and powerful approach. His magic weapon is an extremely rare double-edged giant axe, which contrasts sharply with his seemingly weak appearance.

Compared to Song Mingshuang's agility and elegance, he appeared much more rugged and violent. With a single swing of his axe, he disemboweled her, a scene of extreme bloodshed, completely unlike someone who was going to the battlefield for the first time.

Since joining the battle a few days ago, the three of them have been growing at an extremely terrifying rate every day.

This is also the main reason why Song Qingxi sent the three to the battlefield under tremendous pressure. No matter how good the training system is, it is not as good as coming back alive after rolling around on the battlefield a few times.

The better the materials, the more they need to be tempered with blood and fire to forge divine weapons.

Song Qingxing and Song Changsheng are both ready examples.

Her own growth was much slower because she had been stationed in the family for many years.

She didn't feel much regret about it. Everyone has different responsibilities and ways of using their talents, and managing the family is her destiny.

Song Jingxuan's destiny lies in the alchemy room, Song Mingshuang's destiny lies on the battlefield, and Song Xingyuan's destiny lies on the path to immortality strewn with bones.

But before facing this so-called destiny, some experiences are equally indispensable; this is the process of tempering one's heart.

Cultivation is not about practicing magic, but about cultivating the mind.

As time went by, Shi Potian and the others who had gone to pursue the fleeing demon king returned to the battlefield one after another, completely ending the demon race's possibility of turning the tide of the war. The battle line that stretched for thousands of miles was divided into hundreds of battlefields of varying sizes, and the demon race, which was putting up a stubborn resistance, was gradually devoured.

Looking around, corpses lay strewn across the field, and blood pooled on the ground, forming streams that stained the battlefield red before flowing into the turbulent Canglan River, adding a touch of crimson to the deep waters.

The sky was dark and gloomy, the clouds were blood-red, and a nauseating stench filled the air.

"I originally thought the demon race would have some follow-up actions, but I never expected them to give up so decisively."

Even Shi Potian, who was used to seeing all kinds of storms, had to be amazed by the ruthlessness of the demon race.

That wasn't just a few, but hundreds of thousands of demonic beasts.

Within just a few days of the start of the war, the armies of the Kanglong Demon Kingdom and the Jintong Demon Kingdom had been completely annihilated. Although the losses on the side of the Great Qi cultivation world were also considerable, they were just a drop in the ocean compared to the demon race.

In this situation, if these demonic beasts are allowed to retreat safely, the two demon kingdoms can still retain some of their strength and have a chance to make a comeback in the future.

In Shi Potian's opinion, the demon race should have intervened to protect them no matter what, and would most likely have mobilized the demon kings from other major battlefields to take action. So they rushed back early to ambush them. Unexpectedly, the two demon lords did not care about the lives of these demon beasts at all.

Today, the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom and the Soaring Dragon Demon Kingdom are reduced to nothing more than a small spire of the pyramid and a huge base, with the middle layers almost completely destroyed.

Logically speaking, given how this great battle has progressed, the demon race has almost no chance of winning. The best course of action would be to retreat to the demon realm under cover of each other and minimize losses in time.

In fact, the demon races on the other major battlefields did indeed retreat, but all indications suggest that this retreat was merely for rest and reorganization, and did not signify a truce.

This is a rather dangerous sign for the human race, because they are beginning to lose track of the demon race's intentions.

"Vice Alliance Leader, what's the next step?"

Shi Potian thought for a moment and said, "Everyone should clean up the battlefield together, then retreat to the defensive line and observe the situation."

Especially at this critical moment, they dared not make any rash moves, as no one knew what trump cards the demon race still had to support them in forcibly maintaining this war.

The group quickly cleaned up the battlefield and then boarded flying boats to retreat to the two major defensive points of Qixia County Fortress and Linjiang City.

Although they achieved a resounding victory, the human side also suffered nearly 30,000 casualties and will need a long period of rest to recover their fighting strength.

Just as they were resting, the Blood Demon Cult, which had been lying low for a long time, finally made a move.

The Blood Gu Venerable and the Blood Soul Venerable, carrying sacred artifacts, concealed their presence and infiltrated the Canglan River battlefield.

"The demon race is a bunch of useless trash; they were completely wiped out."

Seeing the devastation left by the great battle, the Blood Gu Venerable was extremely agitated.

"Isn't this a good thing for us? They can only rely on us if they want to turn the tide."

"Otherwise, how could they have given us such a great gift?" Blood Soul Venerable said with a sinister smile.

"Hmph, the promised human blood essence has turned into demon blood essence, what kind of grand gift is that?"

"That's not how it works. As long as we restore the two sacred artifacts to their peak condition, our chances of winning the next battle will increase by at least 50%. Then, we won't have to worry about not having enough essence blood."

...(End of this chapter)