I Killed Gods and Demons in Song Dynasty

Chapter 291 The Outer Gods Arrive
A few days later.

At daybreak, the northern border was suddenly engulfed by a strange gray fog.

The gray fog was not an ordinary morning mist, but rather had a damp and rotten feel, as if it had turned the entire land into a cold and gloomy prison.

If someone listened carefully, they would hear low and intermittent roars coming from the fog, like those of a wild beast, but with an indescribable hoarseness, as if it came from a farther and darker place.

On the top of Yanmen Pass, an armored soldier tightly grasped the spear and was covered in cold sweat.

More than a dozen companions stood behind him, all with pale faces, staring at the fog in front of them that was rolling like ink.

If you look at it for too long, you will start to feel dizzy in your head, as if you are being stared at by a pair of invisible eyes.

The flags on the city walls drooped down because of this strange aura, as if they could not bear the weight of it all.

"This...what on earth is this?"

One soldier's voice trembled as he tried to find an answer, but found that no one could answer him.

Apart from the legendary evil spirits from the underworld and giant beasts from the spirit world, no one has ever heard of such an indescribable monster.

But now, they are spreading towards the border like a flood.

Below the city, the black fog rolled like waves, and vague deformed figures could be vaguely seen wriggling in it, moving and stopping, making a creaking noise.

Occasionally, a strange monster shaped like a long claw would suddenly rush out of the fog and appear in the field of vision - it was a torso that barely resembled a human, but with several arms with twisted joints clinging to it, its skin and flesh were gray and emitting a foul odor.

It tilted its head, with smooth facial features and a pair of empty eye sockets facing the direction of the city wall. It raised its head slightly and let out a low neigh.

A young soldier turned pale and tried to raise his bow to shoot an arrow, but found that his hands were shaking violently.

He couldn't help but take a deep breath and told himself that this was just an ordinary monster.

But his companion patted him on the shoulder and whispered:
"Don't act rashly. Wait for the general's order first. This creature is not like an ordinary beast. If you provoke it rashly, you will probably suffer."

The war drums above were not beating, and the border town’s defenses had not officially given the order to draw bows.

Because everyone understands that these monsters are just pioneers, and the real important things are still to come.

The scout on top of the city wall looked into the distance with a telescope. In the lens, he saw a rolling sea of ​​fog and a huge crack running across the center of the earth. Black rock formations resembling claws stood on the edge of the crack, and mucus slowly dripped from it, condensing into dirty puddles.

In the damp wind, there seemed to be a distant whimpering sound, which was intermittent and made people feel uneasy.

"Outer Gods...army..."

The scout swallowed and stared in amazement at the surging shadows looming behind the rock formation.

He didn't look any further, fearing that if he stared any longer, he would be eroded by the inexplicable distorted force field.

The sky was not yet fully light, but the fog was growing thicker and thicker, silently approaching the city wall.

In the city, many civilians had also been awakened at this moment. They looked out through the half-open windows and saw the rolling clouds and dark shadows in the distance. They were so scared that they crawled on the ground and couldn't help crying.

A small group of alien monsters had attacked earlier, causing considerable casualties. Now the scale is obviously several times or even dozens of times larger. God knows how this border town can resist?
"Prepare the fire arrows and rolling stones. When the drum sounds, fight the enemy with all your strength!"

A low roar of the defender was heard from the top of the city.

The veterans took their positions one after another, and the young soldiers gritted their teeth and held on, with fear and the last bit of courage mixed in their blood.

They understood that if they retreated any further, the city would be completely lost, and behind them would be thousands of innocent civilians.

Just when everyone's souls were extremely tense, the black fog in front of them suddenly churned, and a giant arm with hideous joints suddenly stretched out. It was twice as thick as an ordinary person's, with bulging tendons, purple skin, and covered with sharp bone spurs.

The giant arm was inserted into the ground like a hook for exploring the way, and then a monster about three or four feet tall emerged half of its body from the fog.

It was covered in black mud and had a shell-like appearance, but corrupted blood oozed from its joints.

It looks like both an insect and a beast, and the deepest feelings it gives people are "against common sense" and "involuntary chills".

"Hurry... look at that guy!"

A soldier on the top of the city shouted in a trembling voice. The guard's eyes were fixed, and cold sweat broke out.

He had fought against countless barbarians and monsters, but he had never seen such an ugly and strange monster.

The monster raised its head, and its eyeless head shook slightly. It opened its countless barbed teeth and let out a low roar. Then it raised its huge arms and smashed the ground hard, causing the dirt to fly everywhere.

This blow was like a horn, causing countless twisted figures in the fog to become restless in an instant. Rows of monsters shaped like wild wolves but with human faces were running on the ground, with hooked claws on their front limbs and twisted hind limbs like animal hooves. They howled and rushed towards the city wall at an alarming speed.

This scene was like a vicious spirit from hell released from its cage, rushing towards you with unstoppable force.

"Beat the drum! Release the arrows!"

Zhongli Quan and Lu Dongbin, who were guarding the city, shuddered all over and shouted loudly.

The sound of war drums immediately resounded throughout the city.

The soldiers on the city walls drew their bows and arrows one after another. Hundreds of special arrows engraved with runes and condensed with spiritual power broke through the air and drew dense arcs.

Although the wolf-shaped monsters were fast, dozens of them were shot down by the rain of arrows, and they let out sharp howls.

But more monsters pounced on them from behind, completely disregarding the lives of their companions. They crawled on all fours like the wind and rushed to the foot of the city in an instant.

"Quickly put down the rolling stones and prepare the kerosene——"

Lu Dongbin roared again.

A group of cultivators used all their strength to push the huge rocks that had been prepared long ago down from the top of the city wall, and smashed them towards the group of monsters with a loud bang.

Then, people manipulated the mechanism to pour out rolling logs and kerosene at the same time, and the fire instantly engulfed more than a dozen monsters below.

The burning smell mixed with the stench of the monster's rotting flesh and flesh filled the air.

It sounded like the city wall had gained some advantage for a while, but those wolf-shaped monsters seemed to feel no pain. Even though their bodies were burning with flames, they still roared and climbed madly towards the city wall.

The bricks of the city wall rustled under the beating of the sharp claws, and the soldiers could only temporarily stab with spears, bows and crossbows. The scene was extremely tragic.

A young soldier's hands were trembling so much that he lost his aim and missed his target with his spear. The monster pounced on him and its sharp fangs were about to bite his throat. Fortunately, Lu Dongbin was quick-eyed and quick-handed, and swung his Pure Yang sword straight down, cutting the monster's head in half, with blood splattering everywhere.

"Keep it! You must keep it!"

Zhongli Quan's voice became hoarse when he saw this tragic scene.

The walls may eventually fall, but they have no escape route.

If this pass is lost again, won’t the people in the rear be slaughtered?

Just as the hand-to-hand combat on the city wall was about to become dangerous, a strange roar suddenly came from afar.

A vibration like a volcanic eruption was transmitted from the earth to the base of the city wall, shaking the entire line of defense.

The soldiers turned pale, and some of them trembled and cursed:

"No way, there is... something more terrifying?"

At this time, more deformed monsters rushed out of the sea of ​​fog. They had different shapes: some were humanoid but had three arms and bone spurs turned outward; some were suspended in the air with twisted wings and black slime dripping from the tail. A three-headed python-like monster half emerged from the ground, spit out its long tongue and entangled the trees outside the city, tearing them apart violently. A large tree was torn in half by it.

"Oh my god... How do I fight this..."

Many soldiers were almost stunned by what they saw.

Lu Dongbin bit his tongue and roared hysterically:

"All archers! Aim at the giant python and shoot! The rest of you protect the crossbow carts and blow that beast to pieces!"

His order was like a torch that lit a fire. The crossbow carts on the city wall started moving immediately. Dozens of thick crossbow arrows whizzed out and pierced the scales of the three-headed giant python.

Although the python's body was hard, it was shot and bleeding profusely. It rolled violently, crushing a group of similar monsters.

But it only delayed it temporarily and failed to kill it completely - there seemed to be black mist rolling inside the monster's body, repairing its wounds by itself. The scene was extremely weird.

At the same time, deeper in the sea of ​​fog, a huge shadow was emerging behind the huge crack, as if some creature taller than the mountains was wriggling. Its outline obscured the skylight, making the entire battlefield even darker.

From a distance, it looks like a huge column of flesh, with countless joints and lumps on it, expanding and shrinking with the rhythm of breathing.

Mucus kept dripping from the surface of its body and flowing into the cracks. The mucus once again transformed into a dense group of small monsters and rushed towards the border town.

"Outer Gods...Legion..."

Someone repeated these words in a dry voice with a dazed look in his eyes.

The legendary Outer Gods have never appeared on such a large scale before, and today I finally saw it with my own eyes.

Lu Dongbin's face turned pale as he looked towards the "mountain"-like root, his heart almost jumping out of his chest.

He knew that this was just the beginning and the real horror might have just begun.

Boom——

There was another thunderous explosion, and the earth shook as if it was about to tear apart.

The huge shadow seemed to be angry, and in the distance, countless long tentacle-like branches were vaguely visible waving, bringing up a gust of wind.

The wind, mixed with the stench and mucus of the ocean tide, rushed towards the city wall, blowing the men and horses above to stagger back.

The air was so foul that it made people vomit, their eyes and noses felt stinging, and their heads became dizzy.

At this critical moment, a messenger stumbled up to the top of the city wall and shouted:
"My two Immortals, Langya Fort and Minghe Village and other nearby fortresses were all lost last night. The soldiers and civilians defending the city have already retreated. We are powerless to provide reinforcements. If we cannot hold on, then... just retreat quickly!"

"Retreat? Where to retreat? This is Yanmen Pass, not an ordinary town. The people behind us are all citizens of the Song Dynasty. If we retreat here, several counties will fall!"

Lu Dongbin answered in a hoarse voice.

As a land immortal, he naturally understood what it meant to have no way to retreat.

Even if he died on the city wall at this moment, it would be better than bringing tragedy to more people.

But having said that, he also felt a sense of despair: Looking at this tide of black fog, even if he held on to it, how long could he hold out?
Just when he was in a dilemma, a sharp whistle suddenly came from between heaven and earth, as if the sky in the distance was torn apart, with a sound like metal friction.

The tone caused all the Outer God monsters to stiffen briefly, while the people on the city walls felt a stinging pain in their eardrums and a slight dizziness in their heads, but they had a vague sense of hope - was this a signal for reinforcements?
Sure enough, the next moment, arrows flashed in the sky, and a team of Song Dynasty cavalry broke through the fog and rushed to the open space outside the city from the south.

The leader tore off his black cloak, revealing armor glowing like flames. It was Wang Xuanfu.

He Xiangu also appeared sideways at the other end of the team, waving the Jade Ruyi violently, flames suddenly appeared, and she split the two half-bodies of the monsters in half.

A large number of cultivator cavalrymen then rushed into the fog, and cooperated with the upper and lower attacks from the city walls, chopping down many evil creatures.

"It's the imperial reinforcements! That's great!"

The soldiers on the city wall were excited when they saw this and shouted "Long live the emperor".

Wang Xuanfu and He Xiangu had no time to say much. In this raging group of monsters, they could only rely on the momentum of their horses and their martial arts to temporarily tear a bloody path and approach the city.

"All soldiers, cover the commander as he goes up to the city!"

Someone lowered the rope ladder in time.

Wang Xuanfu and others jumped onto the city wall, and Lu Dongbin hurried to meet them.

"My two Taoist friends, you arrived just in time! But these monsters... are simply endless!"

Anxiety flashed in He Xiangu's eyes:
"Don't give up, we have to hold on here. Qingyun is still dealing with some things and will be here soon. If this place collapses, the army will be in chaos and the consequences will be disastrous!"

Wang Xuanfu drew his bow and shot several monsters that tried to climb the city wall. He said coldly, "At least stabilize the position first and then see how the situation develops."

The city's capable troops and cavalry worked together, and their firepower was quite fierce, causing many casualties among the monster vanguard.

But more dark shadows continued to pour out from the crack, and the situation in the border town remained precarious.

The place was shrouded in a night-like shadow, and even though the sky gradually brightened, it did not bring any warmth.

Looking far behind the city, the populated areas were also in extreme panic.

Large groups of civilians fled inland with their families. Some people, fearing that monsters would follow them, blindly rushed to the official road, blocking the regular army's route, causing chaos.

There are also rumors circulating: As long as the outer gods are immortal, the human world will eventually be destroyed.

Some people simply knelt by the roadside, crying silently, looking desperate and waiting to die.

Military reports received by the court were delivered to Bian Jing like snowflakes, making the emperor and his ministers sleepless all night.

The civil and military officials gathered in the hall quarreled with each other. Some advocated abandoning the border to defend the heartland of the Song Dynasty; others were unwilling to give in and insisted on sending more soldiers to the front line to fight to the death.

But everyone knows that such a huge wave of monsters cannot be stopped overnight.

Once they destroy the first line of city, the corrosive force will spread to a wider area, and the situation will be even worse.

"What about the Taoist sect? Didn't Master Huanglong say he would kill the foreign gods? Why isn't he making a big move now?"

Some people couldn't help but complain.

Zhao Zhen had a gloomy face and kept silent.

He knew better than anyone that Yuxu Palace was just waiting for an opportunity to grow bigger and it was impossible for them to reveal all their cards.

Perhaps they will choose the best time to win the hearts of the people with the so-called "magic to save the world".

While the debate was going on in the court, there were also riots outside the city of Bianliang.

Seeing the situation deteriorate, the people and refugees lost confidence.

Some people simply went to Taoist temples to pray for protection, while others just wanted to escape as quickly as possible.

Rumors spread throughout the city:

"Li Zhen seems to have been seriously injured and may no longer be able to defend the world."

"The coming of the outer gods is God's will, and the human race cannot escape this disaster"

All these negative arguments made the atmosphere even more heavy.

A fast horse galloped past the gate of the Imperial City. On its back was a scout, whose face was ashen and who shouted hoarsely:

"Report - the outer gods raided the southeast entrance, Baoxi Pass fell in the middle of the night, the defenders have retreated, but the slime and poisonous fog has spread over ten miles!"

The gate guards were all stunned when they heard this. Some even knelt down and murmured:

"It's over, it's over. God is going to destroy our Song Dynasty..."

At this moment, not only the human race fell into disaster, but the remnants of the undead in the spiritual world who were originally recuperating in seclusion were also affected.

The Lord of the Underworld, who once stood firm in the ancient war of gods, is now forced into a state of panic by the invasion of foreign gods.

Rumor has it that the Outer Gods raided the edge of the underworld, destroyed many of the Nether Legion's strongholds, and devoured countless souls.

It is still unknown whether the spirit world will unite with the human world to fight against the foreign gods, or they may choose to surrender in order to protect themselves.

This confusing situation makes all parties feel nervous.

In the palace, an important official worriedly advised the emperor:

"If the spirit world colludes with the foreign gods, our dynasty will inevitably be attacked from all sides; if we can win over the spirit world to fight against the foreign gods, we don't know what the price will be. Your Majesty should make a decision soon."

The emperor thought about it and finally sighed:
"Why not ask Li Qingyun for his opinion? He is the only one who can control this chaos. Unfortunately, he is also seriously injured..."

Li Qingyun is resting in the headquarters at this moment.

The injury from sealing "Silence" caused him to feel unbearable pain every time he used his divine power, but he had to think about how to attack in time.

The loss of the border hurt his heart: if he delayed any further, the power of the foreign gods would grow stronger and the human race would inevitably be destroyed.

But if he were to go into battle reluctantly, the undercurrent in the palace might cause him to collapse and lose control. What a dilemma.

Just when he was in a dilemma, another military report came: a team of foreign gods seemed to have appeared in the southern border, and their scale was no less than that of the northern border. The rhythm of the attack was obviously coordinated, as if there was an overall command from a higher being.

The more Li Qingyun listened, the more shocked he became. The outer gods had such a meticulous plan. No wonder the human world was losing ground.

However, the monks of Yuxu Palace still traveled around, "eliminating minor demons and saving the people", and widely spreading the magical powers of Taoism.

It seemed like they were fighting against the outer gods, but Li Qingyun noticed something strange: many outer god monsters did not put up a tenacious fight when confronting the Taoist monks, but retreated easily, allowing the Taoist sect to gain prestige but without any real attack.

That scene was obviously a staged "letting go". Perhaps the Outer Gods and Yuxu Palace had already had a secret connection, waiting together for the final opportunity to reap the harvest.

All this indicates that the human world is caught in a two-way struggle: the army of foreign gods is coming in large numbers, and the Yuxu Palace may be secretly manipulating the situation.

Now there are only a few cities left on the border, fighting desperately. Although the cavalry is brave in the rescue, it is difficult to reverse the trend of total collapse.

The people's confidence in the emperor and the court was shaky. Some people were cursing in the streets, some were crying and praying, and more people could only pack up their bags and flee inland.

Just at this moment, the Lord of the Underworld in the spiritual world also began to act.

Several messengers carrying the mark of the underworld quietly appeared in the territory of the Song Dynasty, claiming that they were ordered by the Lord of the Underworld to have a meeting with the emperor or Li Qingyun.

His words revealed that they were also facing attacks from foreign gods in the spiritual world, and they were irreconcilable.

If they don't want to destroy each other, they can join forces.

But the negotiations were still in their infancy, and Emperor Renzong was hesitant: After all, the spirit world had oppressed the human race for many years, and the grudges behind it were hard to settle. Would they really be willing to cooperate now? If they were pretending to join forces and trying to take advantage of the situation, the consequences would be even more disastrous.

The situation became increasingly complicated, with the human race, the spirit world, and outer gods fighting each other, and coupled with the hidden power of the Yuxu Palace, Bianjing seemed to be surrounded by whirlpools from all directions.

There is no way to escape or hide from it.

The world was filled with shouting and sounds of fighting. The whole city was filled with anxiety and the people were uneasy day and night.

Someone in the teahouse was talking in panic: "If Li Qingyun doesn't take action, the world will really be over!"

Some people sneered: "Li Zhenshen is not omnipotent. Besides, I heard that he suffered internal injuries. How can he protect so many territories? There are so many outer gods, it is endless!"

The ministers in the court kept hearing such discussions and were extremely anxious, but they could not come up with a good solution.

Some people even proposed "moving the capital" and advocated abandoning several counties in the northern border, which triggered a fierce argument.

In just one night, the emperor issued three urgent edicts, mobilizing the remaining reserve troops to support the northern border, but they were repeatedly blocked by waves of refugees and monsters, and stopped three times.

In desperation, they could only ask a few more immortals from land to lead the main force of cultivators in the world to hold on.

In this chaos, the destructive power displayed by the foreign gods' forces is far beyond imagination.

Alarms were sounded on all fronts, and more than one or two border towns had fallen.

A strange aura from an indescribable space filled the air, causing even birds to be afraid to fly over. The grass and trees withered, and the rivers were polluted by black mud.

Some say this is the end of the world, others say the Outer Gods are merely testing deeper powers.

But no matter what, the arrival of this army has forced the Song Dynasty into a desperate situation.

At this time, Yuxu Palace was ready to take action. Huanglong Zhenren seemed to go to the areas around the front line in person and organize Taoists to restore their prestige by providing "small-scale assistance".

However, careful people would find that every time they had to deal with a larger wave of monsters, they would always arrive a step late or be forced to withdraw their troops.

The occasional "victory" is the result of the other party's initiative to give in.

Some people were grateful to them for saving people, but there were also a few who saw doubts but were unable to confirm them.

Looking at the whole situation, a grand bloody curtain has been drawn, and the human world seems to be on the edge of a knife, while the rampage of the Outer Gods has not yet reached its full strength.

Perhaps they are waiting for the next round of more violent attacks, and once the human defenders are exhausted again, they will launch the ultimate decisive battle.

Under the bleak sunlight, fireworks rose to the sky in the northern border town, fog rolled in, and roars and shouts were accompanied by a sneering shadow.

Those Outer God monsters released low-frequency humming sounds, like countless songs from the abyss, bringing lingering nightmares to all witnesses.

Even the soldiers who survived in the city often woke up in the night, muttering "dense tentacles" and "eyeless heads", which made them feel dazed.

Such scenes appeared on other battlefields one after another. Whether in the southwest or northeast, there were cracks and evil creatures pouring out, dealing devastating blows to the human world.

This is a catastrophe covering the entire territory, no longer the single-point chaos of the past.

Those elders who lost their homes trembled in the haze all day long, and perhaps they would be killed by the monster in the next breath, and no one could save them.

It can be imagined that this is only the prelude to the arrival of the Outer Gods' army, and it is still one step away from the real storm. But this moment is enough to make the world wail and the mountains and rivers dyed with blood.

The dark clouds in the distance grew thicker and thicker, with lightning lingering among them, like the wrath of the gods in ancient times.

But those gods have long disappeared, and now only Li Qingyun and the remaining human forces are struggling to hold on.

The world seemed to be waiting for a more tragic explosion to drag everyone into the abyss. The brief tug of war and struggle were just bubbles that had not yet been swept away by the ocean tide, and they were fleeting.

All the characters in this scene, whether human, god or demon, are driven forward by the hand of fate, with no way to retreat or escape.

Everything points to an even bloodier and more terrifying climax, as if the pulse of the world is beating faster and faster, and ultimately a choice must be made between blood and disaster.

On the devastated Northern Frontier city wall, Wang Xuanfu and others were also secretly gripping their swords.

If Li Qingyun could not come in person, the two of them could only try their best to block the vanguard of the outer gods and buy time for the deployment and evacuation of the rear.

Fight to the death. The only option left now is to fight to the death.

And deeper in the crack, there were countless tentacles wriggling, as if there was a higher god on the other side, overlooking the desperate resistance of the human beings on this side, revealing cold and ruthless mockery.

Through the rolling black fog, it seemed to cast a gaze at the human world, watching this dying drama meaningfully.

The army arrived, despair filled the air, and humans wanted to resist, but were overwhelmed and could hardly breathe.

The past grudges and entanglements also become insignificant at this moment.

Only blood and steel can temporarily slow the advance of the Outer Gods.

But can we wait for a turning point? Will the city be broken in the next breath?
Neither the soldiers on the city walls nor the civilians fleeing had any way of knowing.

The wind and sand blew over the pile of corpses, lifting up the torn flags, like a long sigh.

The army of outer gods entered this land on a large scale, and in just a few days, the once solid defense line collapsed.

More scorched earth and dead zones are expanding, and all living things are fleeing for their lives.

Ahead, perhaps only the abyss is calling.

A more serious catastrophe, like cumulonimbus clouds, piled up in the sky, waiting to fall with a bang...

……

(End of this chapter)