Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 299 Dark Shadows

The night faded, and a hint of dawn appeared in the sky, but the light of the morning sun could not dispel the haze that shrouded Chang'an City. The city gate slowly opened with a heavy creaking sound. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui stood side by side at the front, and behind them was the army ready to go. Their eyes flashed with determination, and everyone was ready to sacrifice themselves to protect their homeland.

The army set out in a mighty force, heading towards the dark abyss where the ancient demons resided. Along the way, the atmosphere was solemn and depressing, with only the fluttering battle flags and the sound of orderly footsteps echoing in the valley.

When they reached the edge of the dark abyss, a chilling breath came over them. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other, and they could see the solemnity in each other's eyes.

"Tao'er, are you ready?" Hu Bugui clenched the sword in his hand, and the sword emitted a faint cold light.

"Yes." Wu Tao nodded firmly, holding the Blade of Light tightly in his hand.

The two raised the artifacts in their hands at the same time, and the dazzling light instantly illuminated the entire dark abyss. Feeling threatened, the ancient demon let out a deafening roar and soared into the air from the depths of the abyss. Its huge body blocked out the sky and exuded a suffocating and terrifying aura.

"Attack!" With Hu Bugui's order, the army immediately launched an attack, and a rain of arrows whizzed towards the ancient demon. However, the demon just gently flapped its wings and dissolved all the attacks into nothingness.

"Tao'er, use the Blade of Light!" Seeing this, Hu Bugui immediately realized that the situation was not good.

Without any hesitation, Wu Tao poured all his spiritual power into the Blade of Light. The dazzling light burst out again, transforming into a beam of light that shot straight into the sky, then poured down like a waterfall, enveloping the ancient demon.

However, to everyone's shock, the ancient demon emerged from the beam of light unscathed, with a mocking smile on its face.

"How could this happen?" Wu Tao looked at the scene in disbelief. The Blade of Light is an ancient artifact, how could it be ineffective against ancient demons?

At this moment, the ancient demon suddenly launched an attack. It waved its huge claws and slapped hard at the densest area of the crowd.

"Xingchen, be careful!" Wu Tao exclaimed, but it was too late to stop it.

Li Xiaoyao led the elite troops and rushed towards the ancient demon like a sharp arrow, trying to buy time for Wu Tao and Hu Bugui. However, the demon's power was far beyond their imagination. It just waved its claws lightly, and it set off a gust of wind, which scattered Li Xiaoyao's troops.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Li Xiaoyao shouted at the top of his lungs, his eyes filled with reluctance and grief. He knew that facing such a powerful enemy, continuing to fight would only result in meaningless sacrifices.

The remaining soldiers fled the battlefield in a panic under the pursuit of the demons. Seeing the once brave warriors now covered in wounds, Wu Tao felt a pain in his heart.

"It's all my fault. If I had mastered the power of the Blade of Light earlier, I wouldn't have..." Wu Tao closed her eyes in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Tao'er, this is not your fault. We still have a chance." Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand tightly, trying to give her strength.

"Xingchen! Yueying!" Wu Tao suddenly remembered his son and allies, and looked around anxiously, but there was no sign of them.

"Don't worry, let's go find them." Hu Bugui took Wu Tao's hand and shuttled through the chaotic battlefield, anxiously looking for the whereabouts of Yueying and Xingchen.

The battlefield was littered with broken limbs and fallen soldiers, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood. Every step Wu Tao and Hu Bugui took was like a needle stabbing their hearts.

"Yueying! Xingchen! Where are you?!" Wu Tao shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice filled with fear and despair.

Suddenly, Wu Tao's eyes fell on a huge rock not far away, where there seemed to be a figure swaying.

"There!" Wu Tao pointed at the boulder and ran away with Hu Bugui.

"Xingchen!" Wu Tao's heart sank suddenly when he saw the figure under the boulder.

Xingchen leaned in Yueying's arms with a pale face, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, and Yueying's body was covered with scars, obviously caused by protecting Xingchen.

"Xingchen, how are you?" Wu Tao asked in a trembling voice, tears blurring her vision.

Xingchen shook his head weakly and tried to say something, but no sound came out.

"Don't talk, let's leave here first." Hu Bugui picked up Xingchen and looked around vigilantly.

"Roar--" The roar of the ancient demon came again, deafening, like a call from hell.

"It's too late, it's coming..." Yueying uttered a few words with difficulty, her eyes full of despair.

The shadow of the demon loomed over the land. Its huge body moved like a mountain, shaking the ground with every fall. The fortifications of Chang'an City were like paper in front of it, easily torn apart and destroyed. The city walls collapsed, the houses collapsed, and the once prosperous streets were now in ruins, filled with dust and the smell of death.

The people were terrified, crying and running for their lives. They had never seen such a terrible scene before, as if the end of the world had come. Some people stumbled towards the city gate, wanting to escape from the city that was about to be destroyed by the devil, but found that the city gate had been blocked, and despair spread among the crowd.

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui carried the injured Yueying and Xingchen and struggled through the chaotic crowd. Their clothes were covered with dust and blood, and their faces were full of fatigue and frustration. Xingchen's injuries were getting worse, his breathing was weak, and his face was as pale as paper.

"Hold on, Xingchen, we'll be home soon." Wu Tao hugged his son lovingly and comforted him softly.

"Tao'er, let me hold him." Hu Bugui stretched out his hand to take Xingchen, but was rejected by Wu Tao.

"No, let me take care of him." Wu Tao's voice was trembling slightly, but extremely firm.

They finally returned to the palace, which was relatively safe, but the atmosphere was extremely depressing. Everyone was immersed in the shadow of the defeat in the first battle and remained silent.

"Xingchen needs immediate treatment, Yueying, your injury..." Wu Tao looked at them, hesitant to speak.

"I'm fine, Tao'er, you don't have to worry about me." Yueying forced a smile, trying to comfort Wu Tao, but couldn't hide the fatigue and worry in her eyes.

"It's all my fault. If I had done it earlier..." Wu Tao closed her eyes in pain, tears of self-blame falling again.

"This is not your fault, Tao'er. We still have a chance." Hu Bugui hugged Wu Tao in his arms and patted her back gently, trying to give her strength.

Suddenly, a deep voice sounded behind them, "It's not time to despair yet..."

"Who is it?" Hu Bugui turned around alertly, protecting Wu Tao behind him. He saw a man in a black cloak standing at the door. His hood covered his face, so his expression could not be seen. Only a pair of deep eyes were shining in the shadows.

"Who are you?" Wu Tao asked vigilantly, his heart full of doubts and uneasiness.

"I'm a friend," said the man in black, slowly taking off his hood, revealing a familiar face - Li Xiaoyao.

"Xiaoyao?!" Wu Tao and Hu Bugui exclaimed in unison. They never thought that the person who appeared here would be Li Xiaoyao.

Li Xiaoyao looked at them and smiled bitterly: "It seems that you have all forgotten my abilities."

Wu Tao then remembered that Li Xiaoyao was not an ordinary person. He was proficient in the art of Qimen Dunjia and could travel freely through different spaces. It was not impossible for him to appear here.

"Why are you here?" Hu Bugui asked with a hint of doubt in his tone.

"I'm here to help you," Li Xiaoyao said, his eyes sweeping across the people in the room, finally landing on Xingchen, "He's seriously injured and needs treatment as soon as possible."

Wu Tao then remembered Xingchen's injury and quickly stepped aside to let Li Xiaoyao go forward to check.

Li Xiaoyao carefully examined Xingchen's injuries and frowned slightly: "His injuries are very serious and require a special herb to heal."

"What herbs?" Wu Tao asked anxiously.

"Tianshan Snow Lotus," Li Xiaoyao said in a deep voice, "This herb grows on the top of Tianshan Mountain and is extremely rare."

"Tianshan Snow Lotus..." Wu Tao muttered to himself, with a look of embarrassment on his face. The journey to Tianshan is long and full of dangers. How easy is it to find Tianshan Snow Lotus in a short time?

"Don't be discouraged," Li Xiaoyao seemed to see Wu Tao's worry and comforted her, "The power of the artifact needs time to be adjusted. You still have a chance."

"Do we still have a chance?" Hu Bugui repeated Li Xiaoyao's words, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"That's right," Li Xiaoyao nodded affirmatively, "Although the ancient demon is powerful, it is not invincible. What you need to do is to seize the time, improve your strength, and master the use of the artifact."

Li Xiaoyao's words, like a ray of light in the darkness, illuminated the hope in Wu Tao and Hu Bugui's hearts. They looked at each other, each other's eyes were full of determination.

"You're right, we can't give up!" Wu Tao clenched his fists and said in a firm tone.

"That's right, we still have a chance!" Hu Bugui also echoed, his eyes full of fighting spirit.

Li Xiaoyao looked at them, nodded with satisfaction, then took out an ancient book from his arms and handed it to Wu Tao.

"This book records how to use the artifact, as well as some techniques for fighting ancient demons. I hope it will be helpful to you."

Wu Tao took the book solemnly, his heart filled with gratitude: "Thank you, Xiaoyao."

Li Xiaoyao shook his head and turned to leave. When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and turned back and said, "Remember, the power of the ancient demon is not invincible. As long as you unite as one, you will be able to defeat it!"

After saying this, Li Xiaoyao disappeared into the night.

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at the direction where Li Xiaoyao disappeared, their hearts full of hope. They knew that the road ahead would be more difficult, but they were ready.

"Let's start." Wu Tao took a deep breath and opened the book in his hand.

In the room, the candlelight flickered, reflecting the focused expressions of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui, and also illuminating the books in their hands. The pages turned, as if foreshadowing that they were about to embark on a new journey...