The setting sun bled across the sky, casting a crimson glow that slowly vanished behind the mountains.
Zhang Yanhé watched as another wave of the beast tide receded. Only then did the tension in his chest ease. He slumped down against the battlement wall, gasping for breath, long sword still in hand.
It had been over ten days since the beasts launched their first attack. From facing the enemy on a single front to now being besieged on all sides, they had repelled wave after wave of ferocious assaults.
Thanks to the city's strong defenses, they'd slain over a hundred thousand demonic beasts. But despite the body count, the overall situation remained grim.
Neither the Thundercry Demon King nor the Black Dragon Demon King had yet appeared.
The remaining demon elites rarely took the field either. As a result, in all this time, they had only managed to kill two greater demons and severely wound a third.
That injured one was Gold Armor, a high-ranking demon of the Black Shell clan.
Back when Niu Dazhuang's plan left it heavily wounded, everyone's attention had been focused on the frontlines. Taking advantage of the chaos, Gold Armor mysteriously vanished without a trace.
When word reached the Thundercry Demon King, he flew into a rage. He'd originally planned to use that moment to devour Gold Armor and strengthen himself. But he hadn't expected the creature to flee so quickly. No wonder it had survived so many previous wars; this was the mark of a professional survivor.
After his offensive failed, Thundercry finally accepted his subordinates' advice and sent a plea for reinforcements to the Black Dragon Demon King in the rear.
The Black Dragon hadn't held out much hope for Thundercry to take Luoxia City on his own. Upon receiving the request, he dispatched a fresh wave of beasts and firmly demanded that the Blood Demon Sect also enter the war.
With these reinforcements, Thundercry ordered a full-scale siege, exhausting Luoxia City day and night. And it was starting to yield results, but to take the city in one blow, he'd need the Blood Demon Sect's full cooperation.
Lifting his massive head, the Thundercry Demon King gazed toward the enormous, light-shrouded city, a glint of anticipation flickering in his eyes.
"Blood Demon Sect... You should be ready to make your move by now."
Just then, his adviser, the Silvermoon Direwolf, trotted up and spoke respectfully:
"My king, while out hunting, some of my scouts discovered several human factions secretly delivering supplies to Luoxia City. What are your orders?"
Thundercry's voice boomed like thunder, brimming with fury.
"Those ants! That I haven't crushed them already is mercy enough. They should be hiding in fear, scraping out an existence in the shadows.
Now they dare challenge my authority?!
Silvermoon, I command you to take your clan and wipe them out. Leave none alive!"
Silvermoon's heart leapt with joy. This was a golden opportunity. In the border provinces of Bian and Ling, aside from Luoxia City, there wasn't a single Purple Mansion cultivator among them.
Such fertile land wasn't it ripe for his clan to run wild?
He bowed low and accepted the order with enthusiasm.
Not long after, over ten thousand Silvermoon Direwolves, led by the demon Silvermoon himself, swept around Luoxia City and surged toward the hinterlands of Bian and Ling provinces.
Luoxia City tried to intercept them, but the wolves were swift as the wind, and the results were limited.
The Cultivator Alliance had no better strategy either. The border was simply too vast to defend every inch.
All Luoxia City could do was hold fast like a nail driven into the heart of the beast, anchoring the main force here.
As for that rogue division of demonic beasts?
The warning had already been sent.
The factions in Bian and Ling could only fend for themselves now...
...
Night fell. Luoxia City sank into stillness, broken only by the steady patrols of the City Lord's law enforcement disciples.
Since the outbreak of war, some shady characters had tried to stir up chaos within the city. But none had lasted long; most were taken down within moments by Zhuang Yuechan and her elite patrol squads.
As a result, the city was surprisingly stable.
Zhuang Yuechan led a small patrol down the main street.
Her face was pale and tired. The gentle air she once carried had been replaced with sharp resolve.
Though she hadn't fought on the frontlines, keeping a massive city stable during wartime had drained her in body and spirit.
A petite girl at her side looked at her weary eyes and couldn't help but speak up.
"Senior Sister, you haven't rested properly in over ten days. This is just a routine patrol; we can handle it. You should go back and rest."
"Yeah, we've got it covered. Please, Senior Sister, take a break," another added.
But Zhuang Yuechan shook her head sternly.
"Our elders and comrades are on the walls, shedding blood and risking their lives. If they don't get to rest, what right do I have to?"
"No more discussion. Focus. Nightfall is the most dangerous time."
Seeing her resolve, the group fell silent and returned to their duties.
But just after Zhuang Yuechan's squad passed a corner, a shadow began to slowly rise from the ground behind them…
...
The night was eerily quiet. No disturbances across the city. On the surface, it was good news.
Yet Zhuang Yuechan couldn't shake her unease, a gut feeling that something was going to happen tonight.
When they passed an inn, she stopped walking and turned to the others.
"I'm going upstairs to visit a friend. Rest here for fifteen minutes and don't go off alone."
Zhuang Yuechan walked up to the second floor and knocked on a door.
It was Xu Yunhe who opened it. Not long after he'd entered the city last time, Luoxia City had gone into lockdown.
He had wanted to hunt down Wu Luochuan, who had miraculously returned from the dead, and finish the job. So he stayed behind and took up residence in this inn.
But he quickly came to regret it.
The city's lockdown was stricter than anything he'd ever experienced. A strict curfew was enforced, and even during the day, people were heavily restricted. He was confined to the inn, with no chance of tracking down Wu Luochuan.
And if that wasn't bad enough, if the war in Luoxia City intensified, people like him, outsiders stuck in the city, would likely be drafted to fight.
With mounting frustration, he could only ask Zhuang Yuechan to help him look for any trace of Wu Luochuan.
"Daoist Zhuang, any news?" Xu Yunhe asked eagerly.
Zhuang Yuechan shook her head. "Still nothing. I'm beginning to wonder if he's already escaped the city. Staying here doesn't benefit him in any way."
"Maybe… I don't know either. All I can do is give it my best and leave the rest to fate. If only Daoist Song were here, we wouldn't be running around like headless chickens."
As he spoke, a flicker of envy passed through Xu Yunhe's eyes. Song Changsheng's cultivation technique, Ten-Thousand-Mile Tracking Art, was practically made for tracking, and pursuing it was incredibly convenient.
"Ugh… Daoist Song is probably overwhelmed dealing with the beast tide by now," Zhuang Yuechan sighed, thinking of that ever-surprising man. "I just got word that the Silvermoon Direwolf clan bypassed Luoxia City and is headed deep into the interior."
"A force that massive entering the region… The people of Bian and Ling Provinces are in for a disaster."
"Yeah…"
As the two spoke, neither noticed a shadowy figure slowly emerging from a dark corner just outside the inn, not far from the patrolling team.
The figure wore a tattered black cloak, revealing only a pale, bloodless face. His lifeless, fish-like eyes flicked over the patrolling cultivators, exuding a chilling aura of danger...
"Ahhh!!"
"We're under attack! Enemy attack!"
Suddenly, loud cries erupted from downstairs, followed immediately by the sounds of fierce combat.
Zhuang Yuechan and Xu Yunhe exchanged a glance and leapt out the window.
The moment Zhuang Yuechan landed, she saw over a dozen patrol disciples surrounding a single figure. Screams rang out as bodies fell within moments. Four disciples were already lying on the ground, lifeless.
Seeing her fellow disciples, people she'd worked with day and night, slaughtered so brutally, Zhuang Yuechan's heart ached with grief, quickly replaced by a blaze of fury.
She shouted, "He's a Foundation Establishment cultivator! Seal off his escape route with a formation. I'll handle him!"
With that, she pulled the yaoqin (jade zither) from her back and charged into the fray.
The other disciples, under the command of another Foundation Establishment cultivator, immediately began deploying a formation, locking down the battlefield.
Xu Yunhe stood off to the side, sword in hand, not yet making a move. He frowned as he studied the cloaked figure, a creeping sense of familiarity nagging at him.
Suddenly, his expression changed dramatically. He shouted with a voice like thunder,
"Daoist Zhuang, watch out! That's Wu Luochuan!"
The moment he shouted, Wu Luochuan's pale face twisted into a wicked grin.
A terrifying wave of pressure late in the Foundation Establishment stage erupted from him. Two sharp fangs extended from the corners of his mouth, and his fish-like eyes turned a glowing, sickly green.
His withered hands grew black claws over an inch long, exuding thick death energy.
"He is a zombie?!" Zhuang Yuechan's face darkened. "What the hell happened with the gate patrol?! How did they let something this dangerous in?!"
Screeeeech!
Without a word, Wu Luochuan slashed his black claws across her yaoqin, sending sparks flying.
"Daoist Zhuang, allow me to assist you!"
Xu Yunhe was both stunned and elated. Stunned that Wu Luochuan had become a zombie and had been hiding in the city, even finding his location.
But elated because after all this time searching fruitlessly, Wu Luochuan had walked right into his lap. With his strength, combined with Zhuang Yuechan and the patrol disciples, they had more than enough power to kill him!
In a flash, countless sword beams slashed through the air, engulfing Wu Luochuan in a storm of blade energy. His already-tattered robes were shredded in an instant.
But the sword beams only sparked off his body, bouncing away with a shower of sparks.
"His body is as tough as a mid-grade magic weapon; ordinary attacks won't harm him!
Daoist Xu, hold him off, I'll handle the rest!" Zhuang Yuechan called out.
She lightly tapped her toes and retreated from the melee.
Wu Luochuan's eyes glowed brighter, and with a sudden lurch, he opened his mouth and spewed a cloud of foul, noxious gas straight at her.
"Retreat!"
Just before the gas could reach her, Xu Yunhe flashed in front of Zhuang Yuechan and swung his sword. A wave of force sliced through the air, dispersing the corpse qi like a tide flowing backward.
"I'll keep him occupied, you focus on taking him down!"
Sword energy surged around Xu Yunhe as he engaged Wu Luochuan in a fierce battle.
Having withdrawn from the fray, Zhuang Yuchan suspended her yaoqin (jade zither) before her. Her slender fingers gently plucked its strings, and a melodious tune began to resonate.
The music seeped into every crevice, bypassed hearing entirely, echoing directly in one's mind and soul.
As the endless soundwaves spread toward him, a mocking glint appeared in Wu Luochuan's eyes. With a powerful leap, he lunged toward a patrolling disciple stationed on the rooftop.
"Not good, he's trying to escape! Stop him!"
The disciples of Luoxia City instantly activated their techniques. Golden threads shot out and entangled Wu Luochuan mid-air, suspending him and binding him in place.
"I underestimated you," Wu Luochuan said, his voice low and hoarse.
"Everyone! This is our chance to strike him down now!"
Xu Yunhe raised his sword, Qingfeng, high into the air. Boundless sword energy gathered at its tip, radiating with dazzling brilliance.
At the same time, Zhuang Yuchan and the other disciples of Luoxia City burst forth with multicolored radiance, like a rainbow stretched across the sky.
This was a joint attack technique that the Luoxia disciples had trained in since day one. Its power was immense if it landed; even a zombie body like Wu Luochuan's would struggle to withstand it.
"Kekekeke... This is only the beginning. One day, you and I will settle this for good."
Despite the dazzling sword light and rainbow aura rushing toward him, Wu Luochuan showed no fear. Instead, he looked at Xu Yunhe and sneered coldly.
A sudden sense of foreboding rose in Xu Yunhe's heart.
Sure enough, in the next instant, the golden threads binding Wu Luochuan snapped apart, and his figure turned into a streak of light, shooting off into the distance.
BOOM!
Sword energy and rainbow light collided violently, releasing a massive shockwave that blasted a pit dozens of meters wide into the ground.
Zhuang Yuchan and the others looked grim despite their efforts; they had been outwitted by a mere zombie.
"Send the signal, he must be eliminated tonight!"
With that, Zhuang Yuchan transformed into a streak of light and chased after Wu Luochuan.
The remaining disciples stayed behind to collect the bodies of their fallen comrades while simultaneously alerting nearby patrols to form an encirclement.
Xu Yunhe's expression shifted rapidly. In the end, he gritted his teeth and gave chase as well.
By right, someone of his status wasn't supposed to act freely within the city. But Wu Luochuan had come for him specifically; he couldn't just sit idly by. More importantly, Zhuang Yuchan had gone after him alone.
Under the cover of night, silhouettes shot into the air from every direction, relentlessly pursuing the streak of light fleeing across the sky.
Yet Wu Luochuan's escape technique was extraordinarily fast, and his body incredibly resilient. He tore through the encirclement by sheer force, wreaking havoc in his wake.
In no time, half of Luoxia City was thrown into chaos by his rampage.
More and more patrol units arrived, forming an inescapable net. At this rate, not even a peak Purple Mansion cultivator could escape, let alone a zombie.
But while most eyes were fixed on Wu Luochuan, in a quiet corner of the northern part of the city, a figure dressed in the robes of the law enforcement division appeared.
He watched the havoc unfold with cold eyes, a cryptic smile playing at his lips.
"Didn't expect that guy to be this capable… Seems we can start the plan ahead of schedule."
Though a man, his voice was sweet and seductive, so much so that anyone who heard it would feel their bones go soft and think, Maybe men aren't so bad after all…
He seemed completely unaware of this effect. Taking out a blood-red token, he said lightly,
"Begin the operation. Use any means necessary."
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