"The City Lord is here."
"The Great City Lord is here."
Suddenly, a voice called out from the crowd. The cry spread quickly. The disciples of Luoxia City all turned their heads in unison. When they saw the figure robed in snow-white, the tension they felt immediately began to ease.
That figure was as reassuring as ever.
Gazing at the faces, some old and some young, Muu Guibai said nothing. He simply drifted down onto the city tower like a weightless leaf, his calm eyes fixed on the horizon.
"SCREEE—"
"SKRAW—"
A cacophony of shrieks came from the horizon. Zhan Tianxia and the others saw a "black cloud" rise from the distant line where earth met sky, rapidly approaching Dingyuan City.
As it drew closer, everyone realized it wasn’t a "black cloud" at all. It was a flock of enormous Demon Birds. A vicious light glinted in their eyes, and every flap of their wings seemed to kick up a hurricane.
They stopped several hundred li from Luoxia City, seeming to wait for something.
"First Senior Brother, this is a perfect chance!"
Zhan Tianxia’s eyes lit up. Although the Demon Birds had stopped at a great distance, the large-scale Attacking Spiritual Artifacts arranged on Dingyuan City’s walls could still cover the entire area.
A single volley right now would be enough to wipe out a good portion of the Demon Birds and allow them to seize the initiative on the battlefield.
"Patience," Muu Guibai said, shaking his head gently. ’While this is a rare opportunity, there’s no need to reveal Dingyuan City’s defensive arrangements so early.’
’The right move is to cast a long line to catch a big fish.’
’Besides, there’s still a big one in the back that hasn’t shown itself yet.’
"THUD..."
"THUD..."
The city walls suddenly began to tremble violently. Everyone’s gaze shifted forward. Within the dense Demon Qi, the silhouette of a colossal body slowly emerged.
Its mountain-like body made the earth tremble with every step forward. The Demon Qi, so thick it seemed tangible, made one’s heart pound in their chest.
"I heard that fool Lei Ming died at your hands. This King is very curious—how did you manage it? Your body... it’s so ordinary."
The Six-winged Dragon Snake’s gaze crossed a thousand li, landing on Muu Guibai. Its tone was full of provocation.
"I am just an ordinary person, a mortal man. There is nothing special about this body of mine. It cannot compare to the Demon King’s ancient True Dragon Bloodline.
"But... if the Demon King insists on invading my Dingyuan City, then my sword is not to be underestimated."
As he spoke the last word, a magnificent aura erupted from Muu Guibai, clashing directly with the Six-winged Dragon Snake’s. It was so intense that no one dared to look directly at them.
"Heh, invade your Dingyuan City? Why would this King invade your Dingyuan City? This Seat came here today merely to see who killed that fool Lei Ming.
"Now that I’ve seen you... heh, you’re nothing special."
The Six-winged Dragon Snake sneered, uttered these seemingly nonsensical words, and then simply turned and left.
The "black cloud" of Demon Birds in the sky also turned in perfect unison, departing with a flutter of wings.
Zhan Tianxia and the others had considered countless possibilities, but this was the one scenario they had never anticipated. For a moment, they were caught completely off guard.
"This..."
"First Senior Brother, are they... leaving?" Zhan Tianxia asked, his face a mask of disbelief.
Muu Guibai’s brow was also tightly furrowed. He had no idea what the Six-winged Dragon Snake was up to.
However, judging by their direction, it did indeed seem like they were leaving.
Just then, a streak of light shot over from the horizon, passed through the barrier of the City Defense Array, and hovered before them.
Muu Guibai swiped his hand. The streak of light burst apart, leaving only a slightly panicked voice to echo in their ears—"The Beast Tide has split into dozens of groups where it stood! They’re bypassing Dingyuan City and heading in different directions!"
"What?"
In an instant, everyone’s expression changed drastically.
Although every Beast Tide would eventually reach this stage, the prerequisite was that the Demon Race’s first general offensive had been thwarted. It was a retaliatory attack launched after seeing that victory was hopeless, with the goal being slaughter and destruction, not the occupation of territory.
But this newly-ascended Demon King, the Six-winged Dragon Snake, had led its horde here with menacing momentum, only to bypass Dingyuan City entirely and send its forces charging directly into the heartland of Tuo Province.
This posture didn’t look like they were here to conquer land. Instead, it seemed their sole focus was on wreaking havoc.
’Wreaking havoc?’ At this thought, Muu Guibai was startled.
’Perhaps they had been prejudiced from the very beginning. The Six-winged Dragon Snake hadn’t launched this Beast Tide to open up new territory at all, but simply for the sake of slaughter.’
’Its goal was to muddy the waters in Tuo Province, to throw it into chaos!’
’Therefore, it would never try to gnaw on a tough bone like Dingyuan City, because there was no point. Its grand, ostentatious arrival today... perhaps it really was just so the Six-winged Dragon Snake could take a look at Muu Guibai?’
In fact, Muu Guibai was mistaken on this point.
The Six-winged Dragon Snake really had considered attacking Dingyuan City. It had brought these Demon Birds here today and deliberately had them stop within Dingyuan City’s attack range precisely to test the city’s firepower, so it could make targeted arrangements.
But Muu Guibai’s vigilance had exceeded its expectations. He had forcibly resisted the temptation.
Furthermore, Muu Guibai was truly no easy opponent. Despite the Demon King’s contemptuous tone before leaving, it was, in reality, on high alert.
After careful consideration, it decided to avoid the tough bone that was Dingyuan City. After all, its purpose for coming here wasn’t to conquer new territory anyway.
And so, it made a move that neither Muu Guibai nor even the entire Daqi Cultivation World could have predicted. Dingyuan City, at the center of the storm, had suddenly become the safest place in all of Tuo Province.
It had to be said, the situation was incredibly dramatic...
"Tianxia, spread the news immediately. Tell everyone to be on high alert."
"But what about the Six-winged Dragon Snake? If it strikes everywhere, who in Tuo Province besides you, First Senior Brother, can possibly stop it?"
"I will personally keep an eye on it. I will also contact our fellow cultivators from the Celestial Vein Sect and the Golden Crow Sect to strike together. We will strive to slay it!"
"As you command!" Zhan Tianxia and the others bowed and departed...
Before long, Song Changsheng, far away on Five Elements Peak, received Zhan Tianxia’s flying sword message. When he read the news it contained, his entire demeanor soured.
That was over three hundred thousand Demon Beasts! Even three hundred thousand pigs charging into Tuo Province would be a massive headache.
"Regardless of who wins or loses, this will be a great catastrophe for all living beings in Tuo Province..." Song Changsheng’s tone was grim, as if he could already see the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
"Clan Leader, the scouts have reported back. They’ve found traces of a Beast Tide!" Song Qingshi suddenly appeared before Song Changsheng and said.
"A Beast Tide? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?" Song Changsheng’s brow furrowed so tightly he almost thought he had misheard.
In the Cultivation Realm, only an organized group of Demon Beasts tens of thousands strong could typically be called a Beast Tide. ’Could it be that tens of thousands of Demon Beasts are attacking?’
Song Qingshi said with a grave expression, "According to the reports, there are over thirty thousand Demon Beasts. The ground trembles when they move. We have confirmed at least three Great Demons among them."
"Three Great Demons..."
A force of this size could indeed be considered a small-scale Beast Tide. It was enough to annihilate a small Purple Mansion Family.
"Qingshi, give the order for everyone to prepare for battle," Song Changsheng sighed deeply. "Whether it’s a small band of Demon Beasts or a small-scale Beast Tide, we’ll face whatever comes our way."
In truth, he could have chosen to lead his people and retreat. After all, these Demon Beasts weren’t here to seize territory.
But the crucial point was that the resources in Zhangye County were simply too abundant, accounting for one-third of the Song Clan’s current total income. If they were to just hand it over, there was no telling how badly the Demon Beasts would ruin it.
Some wars are unavoidable. If they didn’t fight, their descendants would suffer. Rather than be scorned by future generations, it was better to fight now.
Besides, this was a battle they might not necessarily lose!
...
PS: Updates have been a bit late recently. This isn’t because I’m dropping the novel, but because my family is busy preparing for a happy occasion. I’ve been swamped, so I have very little time to write except at night. I ask for your understanding, fellow cultivators! ~