“The area right beside the fortress,” Feng Ming said. “What is it?”
Boom. Boom.
There was nothing there on the map, not even their own symbols. “Like I said, I don’t know,” the custodian replied, clearly irritated.
“Strange,” Feng Ming said. “What about a three-dimensional view of what’s happening?” The image changed into that of a bird’s-eye view of the wall. He adjusted the view, then zoomed in. To his surprise, he saw nothing. The image of the wall stopped just before and just after the fortress, leaving a gaping nothingness where he and Gong Xuandi stood. “What in the blazes is happening?”
Boom. Boom.
“Unknown,” the custodian said. “This servant suggests you investigate personally.” These last words were not heard, as Feng Ming and Gong Xuandi had already left. The black-caped, black-armored Feng Ming held a spear that resembled a piece of molten metal in his right hand. His face, though younger than most of his men, was stony and his eyes hardened with many battles.
Gong Xuandi wore the same black armor he did, though instead of a spear, he wielded a golden trident. Though he’d lost the Sea God’s Crown, the white-haired man was still a half-step blood-awakening cultivator. His toned body was covered in blue-gold runes, and the air around him seemed thick and viscous. No one in the Song Kingdom, not even Feng Ming, was stronger than he was. Save the transcendents, of course.
“I reviewed our ancestral teachings but haven’t found anything that matches what we’re experiencing,” Gong Xuandi said. “Whatever it is, it can either obscure or destroy karma, or it can shield itself from the wall’s sensors.”
Boom. Boom.
“A difficult feat, given that the wall is a transcendent artifact,” Feng Ming muttered. “Could it be one of the monarchs on the Ling Nan Demon Ranking?”
“Unlikely,” Gong Xuandi said. “Though some of them are stronger than I am, none of them specialize in subterfuge. If one of them acted against the wall, you’d feel more than this constant dull thumping. They’d tear gouges in the rocks that would take at least a few seconds to repair.”
Boom. Boom.
“Great,” Feng Ming said. “I find that both reassuring and unnerving.”
“I, for one,” Gong Xuandi said, “prefer a known powerful enemy to an unknown weaker one.” Despite his worrisome words, his expression remained stoic and unchanged. The ex-Sea God Emperor had been this way since he’d left with Feng Ming, no matter how much he, the chief marshal, tried to get him to relax.
Boom. Boom.
“Agreed,” Feng Ming said. The hallway they were in opened into an outdoor training square, where many confused men were busy putting away training swords and spears and drawing their real weapons. Feng Ming and Gong Xuandi ignored them and flew above the wall. They finally saw the perpetrator: a man-shaped shadow covered in hornlike protrusions. It was busy beating away at the wall with a bare fist while the wall’s defenders looked on in confusion. They hadn’t even needed to summon the wall’s defensive shields, as the creature’s blows were unbelievably weak.
“What the hell are you guys doing just looking at it?” Feng Ming yelled. “Kill it!”
The troops, who were originally wondering whether they should use their energy-intensive weapons for such a weak creature, buzzed into action. The wall’s formations activated, summoning bladed weapons that slashed at the creature. They cut into its arms, legs, and torso. To everyone’s surprise, the blows completely decapitated the creature. It fell into a useless lump at the base of the wall.
“Finally.”
“I wouldn’t celebrate too quickly,” Gong Xuandi said.
Feng Ming nodded. They looked at the pile of severed limbs, which soon began shaking. Then, they shot into the air and reassembled. Within three breaths’ time, the creature was back in action.
Boom. Boom.
The men swiped again. This time, however, the severed limbs didn’t fall off. Rather, they merged back together, and the creature continued pounding. They tried a few more times, but each time, the creature reassembled even faster.
“It’s not working,” a red-caped colonel said, floating up beside them. Westvale’s soldiers hadn’t given up with their initial failure. Like any disciplined army, they continued executing their standing orders without fail.
“Use the energy cannons,” Feng Ming said. “If it can’t be cut, perhaps it can be blown to pieces.”
“As you command,” the colonel said. “Prepare the energy cannons!” Several ports opened on the wall, revealing golden metal barrels that concentrated spiritual energy from the wall’s energy reserves. “Ready when you are,” the colonel said, standing by with spear at the ready.
“Fire!” Feng Ming called out.
The cannons pulsed. Large balls of energy that could annihilate even a middle-core-formation cultivator shot into the creature. Several holes appeared on its massive black body.
Did we injure it? he thought. For several seconds, it only stood there, waiting for heavens knew what.
“Hold,” Feng Ming said as the soldiers were preparing to fire a second round. Endless moments passed as they waited for what they knew in their hearts was inevitable. Slowly, at first, the holes began closing. Then, the healing intensified, and the holes grew back. The creature, who’d seemingly suffered a terrible injury, began whaling on the wall once more.
Boom. Boom.
To most of the men on the wall, the sound seemed the same as before. Feng Ming and Gong Xuandi, however, knew better. The sound was different. Somehow, despite having been shot by the cannons, it had grown stronger.
“I think I know what this is,” Gong Xuandi whispered. “Though I pray to the Sea God up above that I’m wrong.”
Boom. Boom.
“What is it?” Feng Ming asked. Anything that frightened Gong Xuandi was great cause for concern. To him, even the Southern Invasion was just an everyday
