"Woooo"
"Woooooo"
A mournful horn echoed once more above Luoxia City, like the death knell struck by the hand of a grim reaper.
Tens of thousands of Luoxia City disciples stood tall atop the towering city walls, their faces solemn as they looked out over the blood-red plains before them.
RUMBLE...
BOOM...
Suddenly, the earth began to tremble, and along with it, so did the hearts and legs of the disciples on the wall.
The beast tide.
Some of them had faced it before. For others, this was their first time.
But growing up in Luoxia City, under the watchful eyes of their elders and years of strict instruction, they all knew one thing: the beast tide was terrifying.
According to the older generation, the land before them used to be black soil, planted with golden spirit rice. When the wind blew, it rippled like a sea of gold.
But no one knew when it started to change.
The golden rice vanished, and the land turned desolate.
The black soil disappeared, replaced by blood-red earth.
That red... was dyed with blood.
Mostly the blood of the demon beasts, but also that of humans. Mingled together, it soaked into the ground.
If you dug just beneath the surface, all you'd find were pale white bones; no other colors remained beneath that crimson crust.
This was the war between the two most powerful races on land: humans and demonkind.
It had raged for thousands of years.
Luoxia City was the barrier that protected billions of cultivators in the Great Qi cultivation world.
And these disciples standing on the front line were the guardians of that barrier.
Dozens of generations had bled and died here, countless lives lost, their bodies never recovered.
Now, it was their turn to follow in those footsteps.
RUMMMMMBLE…
Far in the distance, a massive wave of black surged across the horizon, rumbling as it came.
The young disciples' faces turned pale. Sweat beaded on their palms as they gripped their weapons tightly.
They could see clearly that it wasn't just any shadow. It was a tide of demon beasts, rolling forward like a black tsunami, blocking out the sun and sky. Endless. Unstoppable.
Anything that stood in its way was torn apart without mercy.
Some of the young cultivators felt a wave of panic and doubt.
Could they defeat something like this?
"Steady yourselves," an experienced deacon of Luoxia City said, noticing the anxious faces around him. His voice was calm, encouraging. "Luoxia City has held firm time and time again. We've repelled beast tides before, and we'll do it again."
Zhang Yanhe gulped hard, then turned to the deacon beside him. "Deacon Liu, I—I'm not scared… It's just… my legs went numb from standing. They're not listening to me right now…"
Deacon Liu chuckled but didn't call him out. He pointed toward several massive, menacing constructs standing on the city walls.
"See those? Those are spirit crystal cannons. A direct hit from one of those will blast a second-tier beast to pieces. Even third-tier beasts would have to avoid them if they don't want to be torn apart in the first volley."
"The last two beast tides were so weak we didn't even need to use them. But this time, the City Lord himself had them all hauled up here. With those in place, what's a beast tide?"
Zhang Yanhe looked at the terrifying, towering spirit crystal cannons and immediately felt a surge of confidence. His back straightened, and his fear began to fade.
But then, a thought struck him.
In a hesitant voice, he asked, "Deacon… if the cannons are deployed this time, doesn't that mean… this beast tide is worse than the last two?"
Deacon Liu shot him an annoyed look.
Such an honest kid, why'd he have to say that?
"Ahem, don't worry. As long as the Grand City Lord is here, unless that old flood dragon from Blackwater Marsh shows up himself, Luoxia City will stand firm," he replied, trying to sound confident.
"ROAAAAAR!"
A long, piercing dragon roar echoed from beyond the horizon.
Zhang Yanhe trembled on the spot.
Deacon Liu's face instantly turned dark as ink…
...
Meanwhile, Zhan Tianxia hovered mid-air, gazing silently at the surging tide of beasts that stretched endlessly toward the city.
His face was calm as still water—revealing neither fear nor anger.
"The old flood dragon from Blackwater Marsh really couldn't stay put… this battle will be a tough one," he said softly.
A weathered, middle-aged man appeared beside him and nodded slowly.
"Humph," Zhan Tianxia snorted. "So what? Luoxia City isn't some pushover waiting to be crushed. If that old serpent dares show its face, I'll make sure it remembers the lesson for the rest of its life."
His fists clenched involuntarily, his voice ice cold.
The middle-aged man shook his head. "Senior Brother, oh Senior Brother… You've been the same all these years, even after all that closed-door cultivation, you haven't changed one bit."
"That old flood dragon is sly beyond belief. He's hidden away in Blackwater Marsh for centuries. If he's come out now, he must be confident. Don't take him lightly."
Zhan Tianxia didn't flinch. "Isn't that why our eldest senior brother called you out of seclusion?"
"Relax," the man replied with calm certainty. "We've already got them by the tail. Just focus on holding back the beast tide, leave the inner city to me."
Zhan Tianxia gave a silent nod.
Looking down at the soldiers and cultivators assembled below, he barked his orders coldly:
"Transmit my command
Qian Ri to oversee the East Wall!
Qian Yue to oversee the West Wall!
Yin Shang to oversee the South Wall!
Niu Dazhuang to oversee the North Wall!
Zhuang Yuechan to patrol the inner city!
If war breaks out
Any, flee, kill.
Any who defy orders, kill.
Anyone who values life over duty kills.
Any who seek chaos in the moment, kill."
A chorus of "Kill!" echoed across the heavens and earth, sending chills through everyone's hearts. In unison, they shouted, "We obey the City Lord's command!"
As the words fell, the group turned into streaks of light and shot off in different directions…
Once they had left, the middle-aged man asked softly, "Can they hold the line?"
"If they can't even handle something this small, how can they hope to take over the defense of Luoxia City in the future?" Zhan Tianxia stood with his hands behind his back, a cold expression on his face.
"They're all quite capable, but they're still young and lack the strength to face a Tier Three demon beast. It's better to have some of the elders and senior brothers keep an eye on things."
"Hmph, this is just an appetizer. While the situation remains uncertain, that old snake won't launch a full assault," Zhan Tianxia said coldly.
The middle-aged man shrugged, unconcerned. "You're the general appointed by the senior brother. It's your call."
As the two spoke, the beast tide was already just a breath away.
On the northern wall, standing directly against the incoming horde, was Niu Dazhuang. Clad in tight-fitting black battle gear, his face was stern and murderous. He slowly raised his right hand, then suddenly slashed it down.
Boom…
Boom boom boom!
Over a thousand [Demon-Hunting Crossbows] mounted on the northern walls unleashed their first volley.
The [Demon-Hunting Crossbow] was a powerful weapon crafted by master artificers. Powered by beast cores, its bowstring was made from second-tier beast tendons.
The shaft of each bolt was made from top-grade first-tier spiritual wood, while the arrowheads were forged from second-tier extreme-cold meteoric iron designed specifically to pierce tough beast hide and scales, though they had limited effect against spiritual energy barriers.
These weapons were typically mounted on naval warships to hunt massive sea demons lacking spiritual armor.
No one knew where Luoxia City had acquired such a large stockpile of [Demon-Hunting Crossbows], let alone how they'd deployed them in preparation for this beast tide.
A dense barrage of arrows rained down like a storm onto the beast tide below.
In an instant, countless demon beasts were turned into clouds of blood mist, carving a massive gap into the advancing horde. The blood-drenched Crimson Plains grew even darker with gore.
That single volley from the [Demon-Hunting Crossbows] killed nearly ten thousand Tier One demon beasts. However, it had little effect on the more powerful Tier Two beasts.
The result looked impressive on the surface, but compared to the scale of the beast tide, it was barely a drop in the ocean. Within moments, more demon beasts surged forward to fill the gap, launching an even more frenzied assault.
The crossbows continued firing volley after volley, cloaking the sky above the horde in a thick haze of blood mist.
Yet Niu Dazhuang's expression remained tense, not relaxing in the slightest.
Though the initial casualties seemed significant, they were little more than cannon fodder. In a beast tide of this magnitude, Tier Two demon beasts were the real fighting force.
"Disciples of Luoxia City, heed my command, kill!"
Niu Dazhuang raised his hand once again.
The ten thousand-strong force of Luoxia City disciples, who had long been preparing, unleashed their first wave of spells.
In the blink of an eye, a kaleidoscope of dazzling, magical energy lit up the sky and rained down into the beast tide.
Awwoooo!
ROOOAR!!
Countless demon beasts were reduced to ashes under the tide of magic.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
One formation after another lit up on top of the city walls.
Each of these formations was of second-tier power. Practically every well-known second-tier offensive formation could be seen here.
These formations had been intricately linked together by formation masters using specialized techniques, unleashing a far more devastating coordinated strike that forcibly shaved off another layer of the beast horde.
Standing atop the wall, Zhang Yanhé couldn't help but feel his blood surge with excitement. This was the confidence that came from guarding Luoxia City for two thousand years!
Over the centuries, with one City Lord after another, Luoxia City had been forged into a fortress of war. Its offensive and defensive capabilities stood unmatched in the entire cultivation world of the Great Qi Empire. Even if the two great sects attacked together, they'd pay a heavy price.
Across the Crimson Plains, it was as if there was an invisible dividing line; any demon beast that dared cross it would die a bitter death under the might of this fortress.
For a moment, the beast tide's momentum came to a complete halt.
At the rear of the horde, the Thunderhowl Demon King paced restlessly, its massive body stomping back and forth. Staring at the thick blood mist rising ahead, it roared angrily, "Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"
It had volunteered to lead the vanguard in this assault, hoping to crush Luoxia City in one fell swoop and wash away its past disgrace. But to its shock, they hadn't even touched the city walls before the cannon fodder it had gathered was already more than half annihilated.
Though those lost were nothing more than Tier One demon beasts, mere ants losing them in such numbers still made it wince in pain.
The terrifying aura emanating from the Thunderhowl Demon King sent the surrounding high-tier beasts trembling to the ground, too afraid to even lift their heads.
"Whoever breaks the city walls, I shall reward handsomely!"
Several high-tier demon beasts exchanged glances but shrank back, none daring to step forward.
And it was no wonder even a fool like the Thunderhowl Demon King wouldn't charge in recklessly. How could they possibly dare?
This wasn't the first time they had faced Luoxia City. Everyone knew the city still had strength in reserve. Charging in now would be suicide.
Seeing their cowardice, the Thunderhowl Demon King was furious. Its imposing gaze fell on a massive golden-armored tortoise, and it growled with chilling intent, "Golden Armor, you go."
Golden Armor cursed bitterly in its heart but dared not defy the Thunderhowl Demon King's will. Offending the demon king would cost it more than its life; the safety of its entire clan was at stake.
"Golden Armor obeys."
....
"Eh? Why are the beasts retreating?"
Watching the horde of demonic beasts suddenly pull back like a receding tide, leaving behind a field of mangled limbs and blood, Zhang Yanhe was momentarily stunned. That's it? That easy?
Beside him, Steward Liu simply sat down cross-legged and said calmly, "That was just the appetizer. The real battle is about to begin. Rest and recover while you still can; there won't be another chance once it starts."
Zhang Yanhe scratched his head and quickly followed Liu's lead, sitting down cross-legged, closing his eyes, and focusing on replenishing his spiritual energy.
The others followed suit. For a brief moment, an eerie stillness settled over the battlefield between the two armies.
"Look what that is?"
"Oh my god… It's huge!"
The sudden commotion jolted Zhang Yanhe awake. He curiously raised his head and froze.
From the sea of corpses and blood, several massive "hills" were slowly moving toward Luoxia City.
Zhang Yanhe rubbed his eyes. Hills? No, those were colossal tortoises, trudging forward with their heavy limbs, pressing toward the city.
"Those are Blackshell Turtles," Steward Liu said grimly. "They're one of the most heavily armored beast species from Thundercry Mountain and the Blackwater Marsh. Back in the day, the [Blackshell Demon King] nearly unseated the [Black Dragon Demon King] as the top among the demon kings."
"Eventually, the [Blackshell Demon King] was slain by several Nascent Soul elders from the Golden Crow Sect. They took his shell and forged it into the strongest defensive artifact in the entire Daqi cultivation world."
Liu's expression darkened. These creatures' shells were nearly impenetrable, especially that one, the largest of them all. It would be a serious problem.
"Deploying a greater demon this early… In all of the Ten-Thousand Mountains, only Thundercry would dare act so aggressively."
Atop Tianyin Mountain, three elderly men cloaked in black robes sat around a stone table, accompanied by a man and a woman. As the man poured tea for the others, he spoke lightly, as if the presence of a demon king meant little to him.
The woman lifted her teacup, eyebrows slightly furrowed, concern in her voice. "Are we just going to sit here and watch? The Blackshell clan is known for its impenetrable defense. Can Dazhuang handle it?"
The man sighed and spread his hands helplessly. "Second Brother is determined to use this as a trial for the younger generation. He's the City Lord. We can't do much, no matter how anxious we are."
"They're just kids," the woman murmured, shaking her head. "Second Senior Brother is being too harsh."
"They're fledgling eagles. If we keep sheltering them, smothering them with love, they'll never learn to fly," said one of the elder men coldly.
"Exactly. That's why Luoxia City has only three visible City Lords. Unless the city faces destruction, the rest of us must remain hidden. Letting Xiao Wu come out early was already bending the rules," another elder said, setting his teacup down with a chilling finality.
"Elder Uncles," the woman frowned, "a demon king is attacking our walls. If this isn't a matter of life and death for Luoxia City, what is?"
"A demon king? So what? It's not like we haven't slain them before. Thundercry alone won't breach this city. When the old flood dragon makes his move, then we'll talk," the last elder said flatly, his tone silencing the debate.
…
North City Wall
"Pass the order to prepare the Spirit Crystal Cannons!"
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