“Lord Bloodlight, please calm your anger. Although the defenses of Tianyuan City are more troublesome than the rumors suggest, with our strength, it is only a matter of time before we breach the city. If you wish to expedite this, we can have the demon beast army take turns attacking the city, gradually increasing the intensity to force out and dismantle most of the city’s defenses one by one. Once we’ve exhausted their means, we can gather all our forces for a final, decisive strike. The city will surely fall. However, by then, the demon beast army we brought may be nearly depleted,” an elderly man adorned with several golden plumes suddenly stepped forward and respectfully addressed the blood-robed man.
“As long as we take the city swiftly, what does it matter if some demon beasts perish? Our Sacred Realm lacks many things, but low-tier demon beasts are endless—we can replenish our losses at any time. Does anyone else have anything to add to Elder Huan Yu’s plan?” The blood-robed man nodded in satisfaction after hearing the elder’s words, then coldly turned to the other demons.
“My lord, I suggest that while attacking Tianyuan City, we dispatch other elite demon forces to eliminate the smaller human cultivator strongholds in the region. This way, during the final assault, you can proceed without worrying about threats from behind. Additionally, this will allow our Sacred Ancestor elites to familiarize themselves with human cultivators’ combat methods, reducing casualties among our own during the decisive battle,” a yellow-robed woman gracefully stepped forward and proposed.
“After our initial sweep, how many large human strongholds remain nearby?” The blood-robed man seemed intrigued by the idea.
“Due to limited time, our forces bypassed the more troublesome strongholds. In this region, there are still about seven or eight left. However, their scale pales in comparison to Tianyuan City,” replied a fair-skinned, youthful-looking high-tier demon with a smile.
“In that case, deploy the Wheel of War Demons, the Bloodlight Crystal Guards, and the Myriad Phantoms Cavalry to eradicate these strongholds. Everything else shall proceed as Elder Huan Yu suggested,” the blood-robed man mused briefly before making his decision.
“What? My lord intends to mobilize the Bloodlight Crystal Guards? The Wheel of War Demons and the Myriad Phantoms Cavalry are one thing—though they are elite forces of our ancient demon race, every Sacred Ancestor has a contingent under their command. But the Bloodlight Crystal Guards are your personal guard—how can they be sent away from your side?” Upon hearing this, most of the high-tier demons turned pale, and some immediately voiced their objections.
“I have my reasons for deploying the Bloodlight Crystal Guards. Do not question me further,” the blood-robed man narrowed his eyes, showing no intention of changing his mind.
The high-tier demons exchanged uneasy glances but dared not protest further, bowing silently in submission.
At that moment, the blood-robed man raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the hall’s ceiling to fixate on a distant place…
Almost simultaneously, atop a towering peak near Linghuang City, a woman with pristine white horns and an alluring figure stood upon a boulder, withdrawing her gaze from a certain direction with a faint smirk.
Behind her stood fifty or sixty high-tier demons, male and female, all standing solemnly with their hands clasped.
From the peak, one could see an endless sea of demonic soldiers and towering banners shrouded in rolling demonic mist. Among them were numerous high-tier demon beasts, unheard of before, growling lowly in groups.
Linghuang City, not far ahead, was completely surrounded by the demon army.
Unlike Lord Bloodlight, the demons here had deployed all their forces from the outset, seemingly intent on achieving total victory in a single battle.
In the distance, Linghuang City, centered around a colossal tree, was enveloped in layers of green light. On the city walls, rows of human cultivators stood resolute.
Within the city, the remnants of countless fortresses lay in ruins, as if obliterated by an unstoppable force.
“Begin the assault,” the horned woman, despite her delicate features, uttered words dripping with killing intent.
“Yes, Lady Six Extremes!” The fifty or sixty high-tier demons bowed in unison, not daring to meet her gaze, as an overwhelming aura of slaughter erupted from the peak.
At the edge of the group, a demon woman in purple palace robes slightly lifted her face, revealing unparalleled beauty. Though she wore the same respectful expression as the others, her eyes held a trace of confusion and complexity.
—
After returning to his residence, Han Li immediately retreated to the top-floor chamber to continue refining the Myriad Sword Diagram and the Gourd Sword.
Completing these treasures sooner would grant him and his disciples an edge in the coming battles.
A month later, Han Li finished refining the Gourd Sword and bestowed it upon Hai Da Shao.
Thereafter, he devoted all his efforts to perfecting the Myriad Sword Diagram.
Time passed swiftly, and before long, half a year had elapsed.
During this period, Elder Jin Yue and the other Tianyuan City elders never disturbed Han Li, but through daily updates from his disciples, he learned that the demon attacks on the city had never ceased.
No matter how many probing assaults were repelled, within days, an even larger demon beast army would appear before the city, as if their numbers were infinite.
The high-tier demons commanding these forces showed no concern for the losses of their low-tier beasts. Even when the city’s defenses, led by Body Integration cultivators, activated several super formations and nearly annihilated the commanding demons, they returned undaunted with fresh armies.
More alarmingly, over these months, the nearest human strongholds around Tianyuan City had fallen one after another.
Most of the human cultivators defending these outposts perished, while the rest were captured by demons, reportedly to be transformed into demonic beings through demonic infusion. The ordinary human populace, however, was largely spared.
The attackers were not low-tier demon beasts but true elite demon forces, each possessing formidable powers and excelling in coordinated combat. Even the Body Integration cultivators stationed at these outposts had failed to escape with their lives.
Hearing this, Han Li grew deeply uneasy.
The demons’ true strength seemed far greater than rumored. Once they identified Tianyuan City’s weaknesses and eradicated the surrounding human strongholds, the city’s fate would hang in the balance.
Yet, these matters were beyond his control alone.
He could only watch how Elder Jin Yue and the other Body Integration cultivators would handle the crisis.
These elders, each having lived for millennia, would not idly await doom.
Moreover, Han Li sensed that his tranquil days of refining treasures were unlikely to last much longer.
Sure enough, a month later, he received a summons from Elder Jin Yue to attend a meeting at the Elder Hall.
Without hesitation, Han Li left his chamber and flew to the appointment.
Within hours, he was seated in a grand hall alongside Elder Jin Yue, Elder Gu, Fairy Silverlight, and other familiar elders, as well as several unfamiliar faces—other members of the Elder Council he had not yet met.
These elders had reportedly been occupied with urgent matters, hence their absence until now.
Though curious about these “urgent matters,” Han Li maintained a composed demeanor and exchanged pleasantries with them.
Most were early-stage Body Integration cultivators and treated Han Li, a mid-stage cultivator, with great respect.
However, during the conversation, Han Li noticed the faint anxiety in Elder Gu’s eyes, despite his calm exterior.
“Now that Fellow Daoist Zhang and the others have met Brother Han, let us proceed with our urgent discussion,” Elder Gu cleared his throat solemnly. “Yesterday, the Elder Council received word that the demons have launched an assault on the allied city of the Yitian Sect and the Tianhuang Sect, among others. The four sects, unable to withstand the attack, have sent envoys to seek our aid. Their stronghold is the largest in the region after Tianyuan City. If it falls, we will be truly isolated. Thus, we must dispatch reinforcements.”
At this, Elder Jin Yue and the others grew grave, while Han Li frowned slightly.
The newly arrived elders appeared equally startled by the news.
“Elder Gu, didn’t the Yitian Sect repel the demons before, even severely wounding several high-tier demons? How has the situation deteriorated so rapidly?” a red-faced elder asked urgently.
“The combined might of the four sects ranks among the top ten of our human forces. Their Yitian City’s defenses, though not on par with Tianyuan City, are formidable. The sudden crisis arose because the demons employed over a dozen high-tier demons in this assault, luring out and ambushing the sects’ Grand Elders. Two perished in the attack, drastically weakening their top-tier combat power,” Elder Gu explained grimly.
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