I Killed Gods and Demons in Song Dynasty

Chapter 280: Reaching the Mountain Top
The majestic Buzhou Mountain is shrouded in rolling black clouds day and night. From the mountainside to the foot of the mountain, there seems to be a chilly smell in the air.

After several days of bloody battles between humans and demons, the mountain road was stained with blood. Even with the howling wind and rain, it was difficult to wash away the stagnant fishy smell.

At this moment, Emperors Yan and Huang led a large army to meet in a wide area on the foot of the mountain. The sound of war drums accompanied by the collision of iron armor seemed even more depressing under the dim sky.

The soldiers set up camp in different areas, recuperating their wounded and waiting for further orders.

The vanguard team led by Li Qingyun and Hanba returned victoriously. When they stepped into the camp, everyone couldn't help but cheer for their blades and flames.

However, there was no sign of relaxation on their faces at this moment: after all, they had fought bloody battles all the way to clear several demon strongholds, and now they had just established a foothold at the foot of the mountain.

In front of the tents on all sides, the soldiers were either wiping their weapons silently or sitting by the campfire with their injured arms in silence, their expressions revealing fatigue yet tenacity.

Intermittent coughs and low conversations were heard from the crowd. Some people stroked their brother's bodies with tears in their eyes, while others clenched their fists and looked silently at the gray mountains in the distance.

Yan Emperor and Huang Emperor stood in the center of the camp, their battle robes already stained with dust and blood.

Several tribal leaders gathered behind the two emperors, all with heavy expressions.

Huangdi looked back and asked:

"Li Qingyun, can you see clearly where the seal is?"

Li Qingyun stood with his sword in hand, vaguely recalling the strange fluctuations that suddenly emanated from the mountain during the fierce battle on the mountainside just now.

"As I approached the foot of the mountain, I felt the ground beneath my feet shaking from time to time, and I could faintly sense some twisted evil energy. I think that must be where the outer seal is, and the Lord of the Netherworld may have ambushed nearby."

These words invisibly cast a shadow over the hearts of the people in the camp.

Emperor Yan pondered for a while, then ordered the messenger:

"Reorganize the soldiers from all directions - the Sword and Shield Battalion, the Crossbow Battalion, the Flame Army, etc., into three groups, and follow me and the Yellow Emperor to attack different sides of the foot of the mountain.

"Li Qingyun can lead the vanguard to meet the enemy head-on. Don't be careless. After breaking the outer seal, you can continue to move towards the top of the mountain."

The generals around received the order and turned around to convey the command.

Amid the noise, weapons clash and orderly footsteps follow, foreshadowing that a large-scale attack is about to begin.

At this moment, Guangchengzi and the disciples of Yuxu Palace descended on the clouds and suddenly stopped above the camp.

Many soldiers looked at the fairy-like figure, but they were also full of doubts: How would these Taoists act at the critical moment?
Guangchengzi floated in front of the two emperors and bowed slightly:
"Master Yuanshi Tianzun is still in seclusion and has no time to come in person, but I have set up a Tiangang Thunder Array, which can provide some help when breaking the seal."

Huangdi remained calm and said:
"If this is the case, our tribe will be grateful."

Guangchengzi said no more and turned around and flew towards the cliff with a few disciples.

The sound of swords and spears clashing gradually became louder, and the army was ready.

Li Qingyun and Hanba looked at each other and nodded, then each led their elite troops to leave the camp and head towards the foot of the mountain.

The entire open space was suddenly filled with flying dust and the sound of clanging armor, as if a hundred-foot-long black dragon was rolling out, with swords and sabers flashing like scales, moving forward without hesitation.

The previous fatigue and pain have now turned into silent murderous intent, and everyone realizes that this battle is likely to be the most brutal hurdle before reaching the summit.

After walking for a few more miles, we came across a vast expanse of desolate rocky plain. The rock layers were cracked as far as the eye could see, and light grey mist continued to seep out of the cracks, as if lurking among thousands of dead souls.

A few loud thunders echoed in the clouds, and the blood-red lightning made the open space in the middle of the foot of the mountain look particularly gloomy.

At this moment, someone in the vanguard shouted:
"Look, there are a large number of demon soldiers over there, and - oh my god, are they underworld demons?!"

Li Qingyun looked in the direction where he saw a large group of gray-black monsters crowding in the wasteland, crawling like sticky corrosive mud. Behind the group, there could be seen tall humanoid figures waving long black staffs and casting some profound spells.

"The Lord of the Underworld finally took action!"

Hanba's eyes were wide open with anger, and he mobilized the fire army to form a sharp angle formation.

After a horn sounded, tongues of fire spread across the sky and burned towards the dark fog on the opposite side.

A violent collision suddenly broke out on the plain at the foot of the mountain: flames and black fog entangled, emitting sharp screams and strange cries. Some soldiers had their flesh torn apart by the sharp claws of the demon soldiers, while others were roasted into charcoal by the flame army.

In just a few dozen breaths, the earth became like purgatory, with dust and black smoke mixed together, and a disgusting burnt smell coming from the wind.

Li Qingyun only felt a sharp pain in his sea of ​​consciousness, and the gray fog in the palace was also restless, but he couldn't be distracted at this moment.

He gritted his teeth, drew his sword and charged into the air, frequently killing powerful enemies in the battlefield where the blood mist was rolling.

Sometimes he saw giant dark demons roaring and rushing towards him, and sometimes he saw strange poisonous lights interweaving in the air, as if the eyes of an ancient evil god were staring at the battlefield.

Fortunately, the soldiers on the front line worked together, fought hard, and received fire support from the drought demon, so they were not engulfed by the enemy's terrible offensive.

Seeing that the vanguard was firmly holding on to the opposite demon, Huangdi and Yandi arrived in time with the central army, and spread out their two wings to encircle the enemy and attack the enemy formation like a tide.

The Lord of the Underworld himself did not show up, and seemed to have only sent his subordinates and the underworld demons to set up an experimental formation.

The two sides fought for a while, and the shadow was gradually defeated and retreated deeper.

The thick smoke and blood left behind made the entire war zone creepy.

However, at this moment, the ground suddenly shook violently, making a terrifying roar.

Boom!

A seal somewhere in the belly of the mountain was pulled with great force, causing both humans and demons to lose their balance.

In an instant, the air around them suddenly twisted, and a piercing scream echoed in everyone's mind. Many ordinary soldiers had blood oozing from their ears and fell to the ground in pain.

Huangdi saw this and shouted:

"Quick! Protect your position!"

Before he finished speaking, countless strange runes appeared on the gray mountain wall, flickering from time to time, which was very creepy.

"Is this the outer seal of Mount Buzhou?"

Li Qingyun endured the pain and looked carefully: he saw that the surface of the mountain was bulging like a thin film, and several cracks appeared. He could vaguely see a scarlet glow as if flowing inside.

Emperor Yan gritted his teeth and said:
"Break this seal and the army can march straight to the mountainside. But the aftermath is dangerous, and the Lord of the Netherworld will take the opportunity to counterattack. We must fight quickly and decisively!"

Then, he and Huangdi joined hands to command the priests and wizards to lay dozens of ancient totems on the plains, and used the crystal marrow of the divine meteorite as a guide to try to forcibly impact the energy of the mountain.

Guangchengzi of Yuxu Palace also appeared in mid-air at this time, drawing talismans with his whisk. A vortex of thunderclouds appeared in the air, which seemed to help shake the seal.

Li Qingyun stood in front of the formation, constantly chopping down the remaining demons that wanted to take the opportunity to harass him. The blades rolled, and blood and fire entangled into a purgatory.

However, the distorted energy in the mountains became increasingly intense, as if tens of millions of vengeful spirits were dancing wildly in the darkness.

The morale of the human army was in turmoil for a while, and some people even had hallucinations and saw themselves immersed in a bottomless abyss.

"Calm down!"

Huangdi roared and the whole army was inspired.

As the light of the magic circle gradually rose, the mountain wall shone with a strange red light, and a loud bang suddenly sounded.

The earth shook violently, and countless people fell to the ground. Even Guangchengzi groaned and was almost knocked down by the backlash force.

The broken seal mist flew all over the sky, condensed into distorted faces wailing in the sky, and then collapsed in all directions.

In the blood mist, an evil wind swept through the crowd rapidly like a madman. Several soldiers with weak constitutions bled from all their orifices and fell to the ground dead.

However, the combined strength of the human race eventually succeeded in breaking the outer seal. The Yuxu Palace spell was still echoing in the air, and the two emperors Yan and Huang personally led the soldiers to consolidate the defense line; Li Qingyun held the hilt of the knife with a chaotic breath, and through the dust and smoke, he saw that the rock layer at the foot of Buzhou Mountain seemed to have been torn open, revealing a dark and ominous cave passage.

A suppressed howl of wind burst out from the depths of the passage, as if a sleeping evil god had just awakened.

As the outer seal was broken, a long, shrill howl came from afar, like the roar of the Lord of the Underworld, or the groan of some ancient will inside the mountain.

The faces of the human soldiers were all pale, as if they were shocked by the thunder falling from the sky.

Huangdi showed no fear and raised his voice:

"Don't panic! The first seal has been destroyed, and the foot of the mountain is finally under our control. This is a great victory today!"

The sound spread throughout the battlefield, calming countless people down.

Some people looked back at the corpses of their comrades, held back their tears and prayed silently - the sacrifices of these martyrs were not in vain.

In the dark clouds, Guangchengzi waved his whisk, as if to calm the rampant residual energy, but he saw that there was still a lot of evil fog lingering in the air, which was condensing into a whirlpool, blocked by the mountains and secretly gathering.

Obviously, the collapse of the seal has not been completely stopped, and this is probably just the beginning of the nightmare to come.

Guangchengzi knew that it would be difficult to get rid of it so he bowed to Huangdi:

"Your Majesty needs to pay more attention to the remaining aftermath. I will also arrange another formation to deal with it."

There was blood on the ground.

Li Qingyun stood there with a knife in his hand, and could faintly hear the hissing sound of the gray fog in the palace.

That terrifying throbbing clearly told him: the higher he went, the closer he got to the depths of Mount Buzhou, the more bizarre and powerful mysterious forces he would attract.

An indescribable evil shadow opened its rotten mouth at the bottom of the mountain, ready to swallow everything at any time.

But no matter how ominous the situation was, it couldn't make him retreat.

Now that the foot of the mountain has been taken, we can only continue climbing to the top.

The human race suffered heavy casualties, with many soldiers suffering from broken bones and bleeding profusely. The Chinese doctors and shamans in the camp were all busy.

The two emperors Yan and Huang inspected the bodies of the fallen heroes. Although their expressions were sad, they remained calm and composed.

They shouted soothingly:

"You are all so brave. Now that you have broken the seal and stepped into the mountainside, the gods and demons will be terrified. We are willing to sacrifice our blood and bones today, just to free our descendants from the shackles in the future."

These words gradually boosted the morale of the team, with some injured players even insisting they would continue to fight with the team.

In order to consolidate the victory, the two emperors ordered their subordinates to reorganize quickly, build temporary defense posts on the spot, collect the spoils and deploy defenses.

Lightning was still flashing towards the top of the mountain, and strong winds were blowing up scattered sand and dust, giving people a heavy feeling of oppression as if "there is no sunlight in the dark night".

Huangdi turned around and discussed quietly with Li Qingyun:

"Although this place is low, the mountains are even more dangerous. The Lord of the Netherworld has not yet launched his full-strength attack, and I'm afraid the great formation on the mountaintop is still waiting for us. Have you sensed a more terrifying force?"

Li Qingyun frowned slightly:

“That’s exactly what I felt… When the seal was broken, I saw a dark vision in my mind again. It seemed like another energy in the mountain was calling me. It was very strange.”

Huangdi said in a deep voice:

"Remember to hold on. You and I must reach the top as quickly as possible and complete the task of cutting off the pillar of heaven."

As dusk was approaching, the army, with the remaining strength from breaking the seal, temporarily set up camp to rest.

Li Qingyun looked at the blood-stained color of the setting sun in the distance, and alarm bells rang in his heart: after the seal was broken, there was no barrier on the mountainside. The next step was to reach the top of the mountain. Maybe there they could really fight the main force of the Lord of the Underworld, or awaken the power of "destroying the mountain".

By then, the "dark will" in the palace would most likely collide even more violently, and he didn't know if he could hold on to the end.

As night fell, the camp, lit by torches, looked tragic.

Many soldiers held their broken swords or the relics of their comrades, looking at the ominous clouds and thunder on the mountain in the distance.

Because they understand that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, the top of Mount Buzhou will witness the ultimate collision between humans and gods and demons.

Deep inside the tent, Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang were once again planning how to break the formation with Taoist masters such as Guangchengzi.

Li Qingyun walked alone to the valley and looked into the distance, letting the night wind blow his long hair.

I seemed to hear the low call of the old mother of Mount Li in the past, and the phantoms of the four ferocious beasts flashed through my mind.

Perhaps, as they continue to ascend, they will touch the deepest nightmare of ancient times, and may even shake the foundation of the gods.

He smiled bitterly and turned back to the camp.

Hanba looked at him in the firelight, handed him a pot of muddy wine, and said to him with a firm look:

"There's no need to hesitate. Let's fight our way to the foot of the mountain, and then we can fight our way to the top."

Li Qingyun took the wine jug and drank it all in one gulp. The heat burned his throat and also ignited his fighting spirit:
"Yes. Since there is no way out, we humans have no choice but to fight to the end."

That night the earth was still shaking slightly, as if the entire Buzhou Mountain was howling.

Some people in the camp could not fall asleep and stared at the deep sky with melancholy.

At dawn, thunder roared again, and the entire sky seemed to be torn apart by cracks. Dim light sprinkled on the winding backs of the mountains, reflecting a strange purple light and shadow.

The human soldiers looked more and more resolute. No matter how bad the situation was, they would go up to the clouds on the mountainside.

The two emperors Yan and Huang each led their main forces to reorganize the troops. Li Qingyun and Hanba led the vanguard to step out of the camp again and head towards higher places.

If one wants to cut off the pillar of heaven, one can only climb up step by step and claim one's life, leaving traces of blood and knife light on the cliff clouds.

At this point, the human race's mountain climbing battle officially entered the final stage.

Although breaking the outer seal is difficult, it is still not the end.

Within the belly of the mountain, perhaps there is the evil altar of the Lord of the Underworld, or there may be more powerful demon gods ready to make a move; there is also a terrifying aura sealed away from ancient times, looming.

Li Qingyun held the knife and felt the dark palace hidden in his sea of ​​consciousness tremble slightly again.

But he didn't have time to think about it - the horn of advance sounded, and all the troops raised their arms and shouted together, burning out their last fear.

The blade reflected the sunlight, making the rocks beneath his feet buzz.

In this primeval world where blood and fire meet, demigods and mortals, the Flame Army and Taoist magic, the drought demon and Li Qingyun, all their minds are focused on one idea: to approach the top of the mountain.

It seemed as if the Thunder God and the Demon Shadow were confronting each other where the clouds were rolling, waiting for the arrival of mortals.

The mountain wind was fierce, and black smoke suddenly rose up, like the evil god sneering from high above; but the mortals' will to fight was so sincere, as if they wanted to shake the way of heaven with their tiny bodies.

"Buzhou Mountain..."

Li Qingyun muttered to himself, but gripped the hilt of the knife even tighter, quickened his pace, and stepped coldly towards the deepest part of the war cloud.

Next, it was the most bloody and fiery contest...

……

(End of this chapter)