With his core temporarily locked, Xiao Zhan could rely only on Lan Wangji. Not that he was feeble or close to that but he was trying to avoid to use resentful energy since he was still unsure of his own control of the dark power. Especially after what happened to the training hall. It also due to the fact that each time he was emotionally triggered, he would cause some sort of natural disaster, but in an unnatural way. Since then, he had never used it without Lan Wangji's permission. He had been able to hold it at bay for several days now with Lan Wangji's helps and he was trying his best to suppress the intense stress that was gnawing at his mental fortitude little by little.
One moonless night, as both him and Lan Wangji were sitting on the highest peak of Cloud Recesses, the alarm talisman in the slip of his robe glowed brightly, signifying a breach in the first layer of defensive barrier.
A nod from Lan Wangji was all he needed before he sent his dire owls towards the sky, getting an aerial view of the intruders. The vision showed that there was a sizeable troop of Wen army coming their way. He looked over at Lan Wangji, who was staring at his hands as they clenched into fists. It was something he did when he was anxious or distressed. His lips moved as he informed, "It is them."
Without further delay, Lan Wangji lit up the emergency flare that shone brightly in the night sky. Few seconds after, it was followed by the sound of a horn blared loudly, alerting everyone in the premise to the approaching danger. The elders were the first ones up and were already moving around gathering everyone and commanding them to gather into battle formation. Everyone was running around systematically and took their positions as assigned.
This felt like the drills that Xiao Zhan had been implementing when the two of them returned from Qinghe four days ago but this time, it was the real deal. With the knowledge that he should be doing the same, he made sure to take a deep breath and relax his mind to maintain control of his inner self. But it was also hard to stay calm with how tense everyone else was. All he could think about was whether or not he could pull this off without using resentful energy. He tried to keep his breathing regular so he wouldn't accidentally start channeling demonic energy but it was difficult.
"Wei Ying, you need to relax," Lan Wangji said quietly as he placed a comforting hand on Xiao Zhan's shoulder. "We can do this together. You just need to focus."
"That's easy for you to say," Xiao Zhan muttered under his breath.
How the hell am I supposed to relax knowing people will come in here trying to kill everyone ? There's a good chance that one of us is going to die today and I do not want anyone to die. Especially not you, Lan Zhan.
"We'll make it through," Lan Wangji reassured him again. "I won't let anyone hurt you, Wei Ying."
"Or yourself." Xiao Zhan said sternly.
"Or myself." Lan Wangji repeated to appease him. "So, don't worry."
He knew Lan Wangji would keep to his words but it still didn't help ease his own nerves. He took another calming breath.
Then, there was a sudden commotion behind Xiao Zhan. He tensed again as he heard his name called out.
"Young Master Wei, the second barrier had been breached!" A junior yelled.
"Second Young Master Lan, we're running low on spiritual power to maintain the second barrier." Someone else reported.
Xiao Zhan turned around to face them and nodded, "Lan Zhan, go ahead. They need your help to maintain it. That's the most important thing right now."
Lan Wangji glanced at Xiao Zhan, a little hesitant to leave him but Xiao Zhan urged him again, "Da Ge will be with me. So, go now."
"Mn." Without needing to hear anymore, Lan Wangji rushed forward to join the rest of the group as they moved towards the main gate.
True enough, a minute later, Nie Mingjue led a company of Qinghe Nie warriors into the compound and met him halfway. Their father insisted that Nie Mingjue and his team followed along considering Xiao Zhan's condition.
"Didi, why are you alone? Where's your... uh... partner?" Nie Mingjue asked in surprise once they had met. Lan Wangji usually never left his youngest brother's side.
"He is needed at the second barrier. We need to standby at the trap zones." Xiao Zhan said, keeping a straight face while he answered the question even though he was internally panicking. He couldn't help it. After all, this was his first experience of real battle and to think that his core was unusable on top of that.
"Let's go then." Nie Mingjue gestured his men to follow them. Since he couldn't ride his sword, Xiao Zhan had no choice but to use a little bit of demonic energy to use Body Flicker to keep up with them.
The layered barrier system was what Xiao Zhan had designed specifically for this very day and it was set up the moment they returned to Cloud Recesses in anticipation of Wen Ruohan's upcoming retaliation.
The first barrier was the biggest barrier Gusu Lan had ever erected and it spread out at 40li outside the mountain range where Cloud Recesses stood. It was never meant to be a defensive barrier but rather its purpose was to get an early alert and to mark the invaders with the trace of its energy. The second barrier is where most spiritual energy was needed for its maintenance; it encompassed most of the inner parts of the mountain and valley in sight. It was layered over the original barrier at the main gate and once breached by those bearing the traces and as soon as someone bearing the traces entered the boundary, they would be entering a huge maze labyrinth that encompasses the whole valley and surrounds Cloud Recesses itself. The aim here was to divide and separate the attackers by trapping and confining each group into different parts of the maze. This was done by building a set of traps at the end of the maze that would trigger once a capacity of ten is reached and effectively seal them within. As soon as the traps were initiated, a hidden array would automatically activate which would draw spiritual energy from the confined occupants to keep it active. Hence, the longer they are there, the weaker they will be. The stronger their spiritual energy, the more the array will drain. The more energy it drains, the stronger the trap. It was a full cycle of contraption that would only work on those who bore the mark. On addition to that, Xiao Zhan had made it impossible for one to climb over or fly out from the maze as the roof of it was a horizontal reflective barrier at the same height as the wall which scaled at three meters.
Xiao Zhan closed his eyes as he took in the bird's eye view from his owls, estimating the number of intruders who had just invaded the territory. There were about several hundred of them. Judging by their armored uniform and ranks, they were most likely the main force of Wen Xu's troops. He watched the group of assailants led by Wen Xu enter the second barrier without an ounce of hesitation.
Good. They walked into the trap.
"Get ready. They're inside now." Xiao Zhan informed Nie Mingjue in a low tone.
Nie Mingjue glanced up at him and then said, "You better stay here, Didi. We'll handle them." Before he went up to lead his subordinates to go against Wen Xu's forces.
Xiao Zhan sighed, frustrated that he couldn't participate in the fight himself but he couldn't afford to be careless during these critical moments. After taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, he focused on his surveillance from the air as he continued watching the situation on the ground and was ready to alert if there were any problems he hadn't seen yet.
The fight had been going on almost an hour now and Xiao Zhan was getting fidgety. He watched as Lan Wangji swung his sword with lightning speed at one of Wen Xu's guards. At the same time, Lan Xichen blocked a slash with the flat of his sword, causing the enemy's spear to collide with the edge of his blade causing a loud bang. The Twins of Gusu Lan were working well as a team once again. He switched the view to see how Nie Mingjue's team was doing and felt a sense of satisfaction to see that the battle was going smoothly on that side as well. The traps worked perfectly fine and the enemies were weakened by a lot, especially those high-level elite warriors. That gave the Lan disciples an advantage which made the battle easier for everyone involved.
Just when everything seemed to be going according to plan, a new movement outside the first barrier drew Xiao Zhan's attention away from the battle. His heartbeat quickened as he saw a familiar face. Wen Zhuliu and another group of hundreds of troops had crossed the first barrier and had begun to advance toward the compound.
Damn it! A backup?? And it has to be Wen Zhuliu among all people!
The second group of the Wen clan seemed to have noticed something as they entered through the first barrier and moved cautiously.
Xiao Zhan cursed under his breath as the group suddenly halted right in front of the maze barrier. Someone among them might be quite proficient at detecting invisible barriers. If they didn't enter it, they wouldn't be trapped. They would be able to leave the first barrier and come back with an even bigger group. Wen Zhuliu suddenly signaled the team to turn back.
This is bad!
"Fuck!" Xiao Zhan's brain was whirring as he made quick calculations in his head on his chances. There was no room to send a warning flare without alerting those newcomers at that moment. He also knew couldn't defeat them if they came to him as a group in his current condition unless he used his demonic cultivation. What he could do now was to stall them as long as he could. He ripped a communication talisman in half, notifying Lan Wangji of an emergency before he made his way toward the first barrier with a flash step, to block their path from going outside the barrier. The group stopped their parade at the sight of him.
Wen Zhuliu stepped forward to speak, "Young Master Wei, it is a surprise to see you here."
Xiao Zhan replied with a cold, unfeeling tone, "Yeah, likewise."
Wen Zhuliu raised an eyebrow as he noticed that there was something off about the person before him.
Did he notice it?
Xiao Zhan was trying his best to keep his calm composure as he stood opposite Wen Zhuliu, both of them glaring intensely at each other.
"Looks like you have a problem with your core." Wen Zhuliu remarked bluntly.
Xiao Zhan didn't miss a beat. "Still, it doesn't mean that I can't beat you."
A grin slowly crept onto Wen Zhuliu's face. He stretched his arms wide, showing off the number of soldiers that were under his command, "Are you confident that you can beat all of us, Young Master Wei? Or should we test that theory?"
Xiao Zhan narrowed his eyes as his gaze grew colder, "That's exactly my intent."
Wen Zhuliu smirked, "What are you waiting for then?" He called out to the others behind him, gesturing for them to surround Xiao Zhan.
Xiao Zhan's expression did not change as he unsheathed his blade and readied himself for the attack. He grasped in his mind that he would not last long wielding Suibian with his sealed Dantian and the only spiritual energy he had was whatever Yang energy left in his meridians.
Lan Zhan... Please come faster.
As soon as the Wen members began approaching him, he lunged into action, using the momentum of the first attack to push back their attacks. His hands formed a seal as he cast explosive talismans he had prepared beforehand, throwing all of them at the Wen soldiers. He dodged their attacks neatly but found it difficult to avoid those coming from behind as they continued to close the distance between him and them. He turned around abruptly and slashed at a Wen with the point of his sword. As soon as his blade connected with the enemy, the Wen fell down with a gushing wound across his chest.
"Not bad. Your swordsmanship is really as what the rumor said." Wen Zhuliu stated, giving Xiao Zhan a look of approval.
Xiao Zhan's lips twitched slightly as he continued to fight. The fact that Wen Zhuliu still had enough courage and audacity to talk to him like this was more than enough to let him know that his opponents were definitely feeling at ease right now since they outnumbered him by a lot. Still, he tried his best to remain calm and collected as he took care of another wave of Wen soldiers, using only Suibian to deflect all of the Wen cultivators' attacks.
"I have heard that Suibian has already become much more powerful." Wen Zhuliu commented, "Looks like I won't get to see the full potential of your sword with your core in that condition."
Xiao Zhan didn't answer but kept on deflecting his opponents with his sword until he felt like his spiritual energy was running dangerously low. He couldn't draw any from his core to power his blows because of the strain on his body and the risk of permanently damaging the yet-to-recover golden core.
"Perhaps I should test your skill out." Wen Zhuliu suggested as a smirk stretched across his face "Come over here Young Master Wei and fight me alone."
In an instant, Suibian glinted ominously and his body flashed into motion to deflect an incoming attack from Wen Zhuliu. He moved like a shadow, evading his opponent's attacks deftly. He knew very well that he was already pushing himself over the limit. Not too long after, his steps faltered slightly as he felt a sharp sting come from his center, and the backlash from trying to force more spiritual energy out of a locked core caused him to cough a mouthful of blood.
Shit. Lan Zhan... Where are you? Please hurry!
Xiao Zhan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked up at Wen Zhuliu who was staring at him in amusement and a mocking smirk. His subordinates who stood behind him had long halted their attacks since their leader began his attacks were snickering.
"Looks like I overestimate you, Young Master Wei." Wen Zhuliu said, crossing his arms in a relaxed manner.
Haha... Fuck. He is treating this like a game of cat and mouse! Fine! I can't wait anymore. Sorry Lan Zhan... I have to do this.
Xiao Zhan realized his life was in danger if the situation continued. Like he would definitely die. For real. He knew he had no chance against the group with this orthodox method so he sheathed Suibian back into its scabbard. He casually shrugged as if he had given up on delaying the inevitable. "Well, that would be your error in judgment then."
Wen Zhuliu 's eyes widened a bit surprised by his behavior. He frowned as he did not expect that Xiao Zhan would go against him without a weapon in hand, "This isn't just a game, Young Master Wei. You will die if you continue to play with me."
"Ah, I beg to differ." Xiao Zhan said simply. His eyes started to change in color and his lips curved upwards into a snarled smile as he spoke in a dangerous tone, "You will die if you continue to play with me." He stopped smiling as he said his command, "Arise."
*****
Note:
*1li = 509meter