Volume One: The King's Command Chapter Eighty-One: Young Yin Collides with Old Yang

During the days spent calling for reinforcements, Ma Deren went out each day to confront the enemy, while Dao Xuzi of the Heavenly King Sect remained steadfast within his defenses, refusing to engage. The forces of Flame City were insufficient and dared not attack recklessly; meanwhile, the disciples of Mount Ageless conserved their strength by day, and at night would ignite torches and encircle the camp, shouting provocations.

Some disciples of the Heavenly King Sect, unable to stomach the insult, dashed out on their own to pursue the provocateurs, only to be captured by Ma Deren. The captives were bound and hung from tall masts erected before the city, lined up in a row—hundreds of towering poles hoisting the wailing prisoners, creating a scene both grand and dreadful.

Dao Xuzi stood atop the high watchtower, gazing at Ma Deren seated calmly outside on a wooden chair, feeling somewhat helpless. It was not that Ma Deren’s cultivation was overwhelmingly superior, but rather that the Heavenly Sun Pearl he wielded was impossible to approach. Even if all seven mountain lords joined forces, they might break through, but casualties would be inevitable. Dao Xuzi was loath for the Heavenly King Sect to lose men and prestige before even drawing swords, and certainly not in such an insignificant place as Flame City.

“How goes the scouting? If there’s a way around, we must depart tonight. We cannot afford to linger here,” Dao Xuzi inquired.

Over three days, more than ten teams of scouts had been dispatched to circumvent Flame City, but after days of investigation, nothing was gained.

Yu Hengzi shook his head and replied, “Master, I say we force our way through, kill Ma Deren, and seize the Heavenly Sun Pearl—it would more than compensate for any losses.”

“No. If we fight the first battle this way, win or lose, the Heavenly King Sect will lose face. We must wait for reinforcements,” Dao Xuzi understood the weight of public opinion and refused to act rashly.

Yu Hengzi wished to speak further but was distracted by the clouds of dust rising before the formation. “Look! What is that? I think that’s Daoist Bai’s female disciple!”

A column of smoke swept in from outside the camp. Four people ran ahead, drenched in sweat, followed by a silver tiger carrying something unknown. Chasing them was a large, menacing puppet, its eight arms flailing as it tried to seize the tiger.

“Hahaha, my disciple has indeed brought the Heavenly Shadow Pearl. Master, rally the troops to assist—Ma Deren is finished!” Bai Yiting saw clearly that the puppet was Ma Deren’s junior brother, a man of some craft in the art of mechanisms.

This man had arrived at Flame City with the others from Mount Ageless but had remained unseen. While Ma Deren postured outside, he had transformed Flame City into an impregnable fortress.

“The Heavenly Shadow Pearl has arrived? But where is Lady Yin?” Dao Xuzi peered closely, but saw no sign of the familiar old woman, causing some confusion.

As they spoke, Bai Yiting floated out of the camp. If he did not intervene, Meng Qiaoqiao and the others would certainly be caught by the pursuing puppet.

“Head toward the side! I’ll meet you!” Bai Yiting raised his earthen jar and summoned clay soldiers, charging at the puppet.

Alone, he became an entire army—a rare feat of Daoist magic. Each time he performed such arts, the city’s defenders were astounded, no matter how often they witnessed it.

Ma Deren, sharp-eyed, saw his junior brother chasing the group, and Bai Yiting suddenly intervening. He would not tolerate it. “Defeated foe, you dare show yourself! Prepare to die!”

Though he knew Bai Yiting’s power, he saw no sign of Lady Yin amid the crowd and felt no anxiety. He tossed out the Heavenly Sun Pearl, which shone like the blazing midday sun, instantly melting the clay figures.

Yet this time Bai Yiting’s clay men were different—they shook themselves and stood upright once more, charging ahead.

“Hahaha! Little thief, if I were so weak, how could I have survived to this day?” Bai Yiting laughed freely, surfing atop waves of clay as he moved swiftly.

Seeing reinforcements arrive, Ma Mingyuan grew anxious. In his agitation, he hurled all his weapons with his eight arms, attempting to annihilate the silver tiger ahead.

It was this strange spirit beast—each time he nearly caught Liu Xiaoyi, he missed by a hair’s breadth, his hand grazing the air just short of its target.

“How odd—what skill does this beast possess that makes it so elusive?” He muttered, peering into the deep pit blasted before him, but found no trace of the silver tiger.

Little Jin darted left and right, panting heavily, while the runners ahead, relying only on their legs, seemed much less burdened, stopping now and then without breaking a sweat.

Ma Mingyuan never imagined he would be outpaced so long by a junior, unable to apprehend him. Seeing the Heavenly Sun Pearl rise into the sky brought him some relief.

“Brother! Block the boy—he’s far too formidable for his age!”

Liu Xiaoyi, exhausted, forced a smile and shouted, “Not formidable, not formidable, please don’t hit me!”

He lay on the tiger’s back, battered and dizzy, all his accumulated energy spent dueling Ma Mingyuan. The puppet’s core energy had been depleted several times in pursuit, much to Ma Mingyuan’s distress.

Half a year without food or drink had left his frail body even weaker. With the tiger’s lurching, he felt as if his bones might come apart.

“Don’t panic, junior brother—your elder is here!” The Heavenly Sun Pearl radiated, splitting into beams of light aimed at Liu Xiaoyi’s head.

Yet another gray-blue light shot forth, colliding with the Heavenly Sun Pearl. The two forces were evenly matched.

Ma Deren was shocked; the Heavenly Sun Pearl was connected to his spirit, and at the moment of collision he felt a chilling cold. He immediately cried out, “The Heavenly Shadow Pearl is here! Where is Lady Yin?”

Looking up, he saw a pearl resembling his own flying from the hand of the little girl ahead, protecting Liu Xiaoyi.

“So it wasn’t Lady Yin but her disciple who inherited the pearl—not worth fearing! Prepare to die!” Ma Deren relaxed. Though the Heavenly Shadow Pearl restrained him, it was only potent in Lady Yin’s hands. Precious as the treasure was, it required cultivation to wield its power.

“What’s wrong with a little girl? She can defeat you just the same!” Xiao Qingzhu, affronted, pressed the pearl to her forehead and charged. Her fighting relied on brute force and a refined boxing technique requiring close combat.

Ma Deren brandished a copper hammer, swinging it upward, “Little girl, ignorant of the heavens—you’ll see today!”

The hammer came crashing down. Xiao Qingzhu did not evade; her fists met the copper hammer with a clang, forcing Ma Deren to retreat two steps.

“What strength! Heavenly Sun Fire!” Ma Deren theatrically summoned scorching flames, heating the hammer red-hot and striking again.

Xiao Qingzhu repeated her method, drawing two strands of gray light from the Heavenly Shadow Pearl onto her fists, meeting the hammer. The powers of sun and shadow were of the same origin, their strength evenly matched, but Ma Deren’s cultivation was superior. After several exchanges, the flames gained the upper hand, encircling Xiao Qingzhu.

The others tried to advance but were distracted by Liu Xiaoyi’s cries. Feng Nanjue raised his blade to block the puppet’s arms, rescuing the exhausted boy and tiger. Little Jin shrank in size, curling into Liu Xiaoyi’s arms with a soft whimper.

“A rabble, all must die today! Prepare to die!” Ma Mingyuan, ignoring his scattered weapons, used his eight arms to seize Feng Nanjue, intent on tearing him apart.

Li Jue cried out in alarm, hastily invoking the Golden Light Spell to entangle the puppet as best he could. Meng Qiaoqiao waved her talismans, trying to rescue Feng Nanjue.

But Ma Mingyuan, enraged, caused the puppet to suddenly split apart, transforming into eight wooden snakes that bound them tightly.

He produced an umbrella, shielding himself from the golden light, his body drenched in sweat.

“Do not harm my disciples—retreat at once!” Bai Yiting arrived in a flash, sweeping his horsetail whisk. Ma Mingyuan, panicked, opened his umbrella to block the whisk, but the whisk, seemingly light but incredibly strong, shattered the umbrella and struck Ma Mingyuan.

“What are you staring at? Your opponent is me!” Xiao Qingzhu seized the moment, crushing a jade token in her right hand to conjure a short spear from thin air, deflecting the copper hammer.

Ma Deren, worried for his junior’s safety, summoned the Heavenly Sun Pearl to assist, blocking Bai Yiting’s clay soldiers.

“Without the pearl, you think you can fight me? You underestimate me!” Xiao Qingzhu sensed his disdain and fought even harder, wielding spear and fist—a rare combination—driving Ma Deren back repeatedly.

“No pearl? Then see what this is!” Ma Deren shouted, spitting forth another shining pearl. Brighter than the original, it was otherwise identical to the Heavenly Sun Pearl.

Over decades, Ma Deren had refined his power, mimicking the pearl to forge a counterfeit, adding rare materials to create a convincing replica.

Had Lady Yin herself come, Ma Deren would have retreated, but facing only a young girl, the fake pearl sufficed to suppress Xiao Qingzhu.

Dao Xuzi saw the situation stabilize and could no longer restrain himself. With a wave of his command flag, the camp opened its formation. The entire army of the Heavenly King Sect—one hundred thousand strong—rose up and charged toward Flame City.

Within Flame City, the Four Elders of Spring and Autumn were not idle. They met force with force, each bearing a weapon, battling the seven mountain lords. But Mount Ageless’s disciples were too few, and the defense collapsed at the first touch.

“Brother, we can’t hold out—let’s retreat!” Ma Mingyuan threw out a handful of mechanical puppets to hinder Bai Yiting. Without the Eight-Armed Arhat and so many battle puppets, he was stretched thin and lost momentum against Bai Yiting.

“Retreat? Nonsense! If need be, we’ll perish together!”

In battle, morale is everything. This time, Dao Xuzi led the charge himself. Surrounded on all sides by the army, Flame City was in mortal danger. Mount Ageless’s disciples fled in droves, discarding armor as they ran. The city gates were flung open, Zhang Yi at the forefront, leading the charge inside.

Before Dao Xuzi’s smile could fully bloom, clouds gathered over Flame City, and a rain of fire began to fall.

The citizens panicked, their cries and chaos echoing without end. From ground and walls, sharpened bamboo shards shot forth, their points like iron spear tips, launching wherever the Heavenly King Sect’s army passed. Countless disciples met their end, perishing in the Yellow Springs.