Ye Xuan was completely unaware of the Sun family’s situation.
After advancing to the 4th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm, he continued to consolidate his cultivation. Three days later, his cultivation was fully stabilized.
He continued taking Beast Pills. Raising his cultivation from the 4th Layer to the 5th Layer required three Rank Seven Beast Pills, but Ye Xuan only had two left, which was obviously insufficient. Instead, he simply consumed a Rank Eight Beast Pill.
Once the Rank Eight Beast Pill entered his stomach, its energy was rapidly converted and absorbed. He quickly reached saturation and immediately began to break through to his fifth Mountain Range. He pushed forward in a single, vigorous effort, refusing to give up easily.
A night passed. The next morning, the fifth Mountain Range manifested within Ye Xuan’s body. He successfully broke through to the 5th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm.
He wondered, "What’s going on? I suddenly feel a bit uneasy."
Advancing in cultivation was supposed to be a good thing, but at this moment, Ye Xuan felt somewhat dismayed. He wanted to calm his mind and consolidate his cultivation, yet he felt restless, as if something major was about to happen. Ye Xuan took several deep breaths before finally getting his emotions under control. Then, he continued to consolidate.
Two days later, a knock came at Ye Xuan’s door.
"Who is it?"
"Ye Xuan, it’s me." It was Ye Zeyun’s voice.
Ye Xuan’s heart skipped a beat, and that feeling of unease resurfaced. Normally, his grandfather wouldn’t disturb him while he was in secluded cultivation unless it was something urgent. He immediately opened the door and asked, "Grandfather, what’s wrong?"
"An urgent report! According to our scouts, tens of thousands of people are marching a hundred miles south of here, and their destination seems to be our Ye Family Town."
"Oh? Who are they?"
"It looks like forces from the Bao family’s Three-Star Main Town, the one closest to us."
"People from the Bao family’s main town? Could they be coming to attack us?"
Ye Zeyun nodded. "It’s possible. Our Ye family just defeated the Mou family and is still recovering. They likely saw this opportunity and want to either wipe us out or force us to pay them tribute."
Ye Xuan sneered coldly. "If they want me to pay tribute, they’re dreaming. They’re just a Three-Star Main Town. Whoever comes will die."
Now that his cultivation had advanced to the 5th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm, he could confidently say that he was invincible within the Demon Spirit Realm. He could even hold his own against an expert in the Earth Spirit Realm.
However, Ye Zeyun looked grave. "Shouldn’t we notify the Gongsun family? Even if we don’t want to trouble them, you should at least send a letter to your mother. With Yanran here, we’d feel much more at ease."
"Grandfather, there’s no need. As I am now, I don’t fear any Three-Star Main Town. Did you seek me out just for this?"
"Yes, just this."
"Don’t worry, it’s a minor issue. I’ll go back to consolidating my cultivation then. It will probably take them a few hours to cover a hundred miles."
As Ye Xuan spoke, he turned to head back into his room.
"Urgent report! Urgent report!" A man dressed as a scout sprinted into the courtyard, shouting at the top of his lungs. He dropped to one knee before Ye Xuan and Ye Zeyun, his forehead covered in sweat. Before either of them could ask, he delivered his report bluntly. "Reporting to the Town Mayor, a ten-thousand-strong army has been spotted to the north! The one leading them is the Town Mayor of the Huang family’s Three-Star Main Town! They are marching toward Ye Family Town."
"What! The nearby Huang family’s main town is also attacking? It seems quite a few people have their eyes on our Ye family. Do these people have a hound’s nose? They sure are sharp." Ye Zeyun furrowed his brows and looked at Ye Xuan. "Perhaps we should notify the Gongsun family after all."
But Ye Xuan merely waved his hand. "It doesn’t matter. Once they arrive, I’ll wipe them all out together."
"But—"
Ye Zeyun was about to say more when another scout ran in.
"Report! An army of fifty thousand has been spotted to the east, heading straight for our Ye family! They are led by the Supreme Elder of the Ke family’s Three-Star Main Town."
Right after this scout spoke, yet another scout arrived.
"Report! A massive army has been spotted to the west, marching straight for our Ye family! Based on their Clan Banner, they are from the Jiang family’s Three-Star Main Town!"
Huh? Something wasn’t right!
At this moment, both Ye Xuan and Ye Zeyun realized the anomaly. How could there be forces attacking from all four directions? No matter how sharp the senses of the nearby Three-Star Main Towns were, they couldn’t have coincidentally marched at the exact same time, could they? When things were this unusual, something sinister was definitely afoot.
"Grandfather, gather the men from the Four Great Halls immediately. Have them mount the town walls and prepare for battle. Also, close the main gates. No one is to enter or leave Ye Family Town."
No matter the situation, it seemed a great battle was unavoidable.
With that said, Ye Xuan headed to the watchtower by the town gates. The watchtower was built atop the fifty-meter-high town walls. From his high vantage point, Ye Xuan could take in everything in the surrounding area.
At the moment, it was completely quiet, with no sign of the enemy.
As time passed, clouds of dust suddenly appeared to the south. The Bao family had finally shown themselves. Patriarch Bao, Bao Buxi, was personally leading forty thousand Cultivators toward the Ye family.
But, something wasn’t right!
Even after the Bao family appeared, the dust clouds behind them remained. In fact, they were growing larger and wider. The entire southern horizon was covered in billowing dust. From the walls, it looked as if a massive sandstorm was sweeping in from the distance. The sight was utterly shocking.
Ye Xuan looked to the west, the north, and the east. Dust filled the skies in those three directions as well. From afar, Ye Family Town seemed to be the epicenter of a massive sandstorm.
"Town Mayor, my lords, look at the horizon!" someone suddenly cried out in alarm.
Ye Xuan and the others looked up. Countless black dots had appeared on the horizon. At first, the dots were very small, but as time passed, they grew larger and larger. As they drew near, they realized that the dots were actually Flying Beasts. Most were merely Rank One or Rank Two Flying Beasts, such as Colorful Feathered Giant Crows and White-Clawed Flying Eagles.
The highest-ranked among these beasts was only Rank Four. However, what they lacked in individual strength, they more than made up for in sheer numbers. The Colorful Feathered Giant Crows, in particular, were massive. A single one could easily carry dozens of people.
"There are people on them!"
"Is that a flying battalion?"
"But that’s impossible! What Three-Star Main Town could possibly raise so many Flying Beasts? The upkeep would be astronomical!"
More than ten minutes later, all the Flying Beasts arrived in the sky above the Ye family. Day instantly turned into night. The sunlight was completely blotted out by the sheer number of Flying Beasts. The people standing atop the beasts looked like Divine Kings as they gazed down at the entire town.
At this moment, panic spread among the residents of Ye Family Town. What exactly was going on? Were these people here to attack Ye Family Town? They had never seen so many Flying Beasts in their lives.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Suddenly, the earth began to shake. It seemed as though a colossal behemoth was advancing within the surrounding sandstorm. As the distant sandstorm drew closer, the people on the town walls cried out in alarm.
"It’s the enemy! How are there so many of them?!"
Beneath the sandstorm was a sea of heads. The crowd was incredibly dense, packed shoulder to shoulder. The dust was actually a storm kicked up by their full-speed sprint. Their numbers likely exceeded a million.
What did a million-strong army look like?
With a single stomp of their feet, the earth would tremble. With their mere appearance, the color of the world would change.
Because every single one of these million people was a Cultivator.