Volume One: The Great Calamity of the Lich and Demon, 238: Hou Yi Shoots the Suns, The War Between the Lich and Demon

Following the transformation of Kua Fu into Peach Mountain, Hou Yi and the other Great Magi arrived at the scene.

"You insolent Golden Crows of the Demon Tribe, how dare you kill a Great Magus of our Magi! Today, I, an Ancestral Magus, shall make you pay with your lives!"

As soon as Hou Yi arrived, he manifested his true Ancestral Magus form, his stature towering more than ten times larger than Kua Fu’s had been. The Fifth Prince of the Golden Crows, seeing this, felt a surge of fear and addressed his eldest brother.

"Eldest Brother, this fellow seems far more powerful than the last one. Shouldn't we retreat and avoid him?"

The Eldest Golden Crow, however, was displeased by this suggestion. "Little Five, why have you become like Little Ten? We are so many; are we truly to fear just one of them? We shall do as we did to that previous brute and bury him here!"

The Tenth Prince frowned upon hearing this. "Eldest Brother, but I truly feel he is far stronger than the one before!"

The Eldest Golden Crow, still basking in the joy of having slain Kua Fu, turned a deaf ear to their pleas. He was determined to finish the job and bury Hou Yi in one fell swoop. He believed the Magi were dim-witted; surely, they could simply fly to great heights where the Magi could not reach them.

However, once Hou Yi manifested his full power, he began to swing his fists, the force of a single strike rippling across nearly a hundred million miles, destabilizing the flight of the Golden Crows. Seeing this, the Crows quickly ascended, refusing to engage Hou Yi at lower altitudes. The Eldest Golden Crow thought to himself, "This fellow is indeed quite formidable."

Seeing the ten Golden Crows scattering into the sky, Hou Yi realized it would be difficult to catch them all at once. He sneered at them, his laughter cold and mocking. "Do you think that because you can fly high and far, I, an Ancestral Magus, have no way to deal with you?"

Hou Yi produced a longbow and prepared to loose an arrow. Upon seeing the Xuanbing Longbow, the Tenth Prince felt a sudden, sharp tremor in his heart and warned his brothers: "Brothers, I sense that this thing poses an unfathomable threat to us! We must return to Yang Valley at once!"

"Little Ten, you are as timid as ever. If you wish to leave, then go. We brothers do not believe that without you, our combined strength cannot overcome his puny bow and arrow."

Before the Eldest Golden Crow could finish his sentence, Hou Yi had already drawn his bow and fired. The Fifth Prince felt an overwhelming aura lock onto him entirely. Before he could react, an arrow pierced his heart, and his entire body was rapidly encased in freezing Xuanbing ice. The True Solar Fire within him extinguished instantly. This was the very source of their Golden Crow essence; once extinguished, there was no hope of salvation.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the Fifth Prince warned his remaining brothers: "Brothers, be careful! This bow and arrow completely counters us!" He looked at the Tenth Prince with regret, thinking that if only they had listened to him, they might not all be facing their end today.

The next moment, the others realized the Fifth Prince’s life force had vanished, and his body plummeted toward the primordial earth.

"Little Five!"
"Fifth Brother!"

Then, they felt that same terrifying sensation of being locked onto again. The remaining Golden Crows fled desperately toward the shores of the Eastern Sea and Yang Valley. At this moment, they truly felt the depths of fear and dread. But there is no medicine for regret in this world, and they were destined to fall here today.

One by one, the Ninth Prince followed the Fifth, falling to the earth. They fled in a frantic panic.

"Hou Yi, how dare you!"

Far away in the Heavenly Court, Di Jun sensed that his children were in peril. His furious roar echoed from the heavens and descended upon the primordial earth, a rage felt by countless beings. When the Fifth and Ninth Princes perished, Di Jun felt a sharp pang in his heart—a connection through their bloodline confirmed his loss.

Ignoring Di Jun’s wrath, Hou Yi continued to draw his bow, shooting down the remaining Crows. Demon kings attempted to intervene, but they were quickly intercepted and held back by the other Great Magi and their warriors. Hou Yi drew his bow once more, loosing three arrows simultaneously. In an instant, three more Golden Crows fell, crashing onto the earth.

As time passed, the remaining Golden Crows fled for their lives, desperately dodging the Xuanbing arrows. But as an Ancestral Magus at the peak of the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm, Hou Yi was far beyond their ability to evade. Even the protective True Solar Fire surrounding them was swiftly extinguished by the cold ice. Soon, only the Eldest Golden Crow and the Tenth Prince remained.

The Eldest Golden Crow shielded the Tenth Prince, speaking with profound regret. "Little Ten, it is all my fault for leading us into this catastrophe. You must survive, and if you lack the strength, do not even think of avenging us!"

The next moment, an arrow pierced through, and the Eldest Golden Crow fell, having used his own body to shield the Tenth Prince.

Suddenly, a rhythmic clanging sound approached from the distance. Di Jun and Tai Yi had arrived. Seeing Hou Yi release another arrow, Tai Yi quickly cast the Eastern Emperor Bell. The bell encased the Tenth Prince just as the Xuanbing arrow struck it with a loud clang, causing the bell to tremble violently before stabilizing. Tai Yi and the others saw layers of Xuanbing ice rapidly creeping over the surface of the bell.

Di Jun and Tai Yi immediately channeled their True Solar Fire to melt the ice from the artifact.

"Hou Yi!" Di Jun roared, his eyes burning with a rage so intense it consumed his reason. He glared at Hou Yi, teeth gritted.

"Di Jun, I thought you might not show yourself at all," Hou Yi said, looking at him with calm indifference.

"How bold! Even now, you remain this arrogant. Today, I shall slay you here to honor the spirits of my children!"

Hou Yi let out a cold laugh. "Your children’s lives are lives, but the lives of my Great Magi are not? I merely struck them down; that I did not do more is already an act of mercy."

"Look closely at what this primordial land has become. They met this end because of you. Had you taught them better, they would not have come to this!"

Stung by the accusation, Di Jun was filled with shame and unbearable fury. He longed to skin Hou Yi alive.

"You! Demon Tribe, annihilate the Magi here!"

Following Di Jun's command, countless demons surged forward, descending upon the Magi in a frenzy of violence.

"Insolent demons, do you think my Magi fear you?"

Hou Yi’s form expanded, and the other Great Magi manifested their true forms as well. They charged into the Demon Tribe, and a brutal, bloody slaughter ensued.