"Can they really handle this?"

After the others had left, the middle-aged man asked Zhan Tianxia in a low voice.

"If they can’t even handle a small matter like this, how will they ever take our place to guard Luoxia City in the future?" Zhan Tianxia replied, his hands clasped behind his back, his face a mask of cold indifference.

"They are all excellent, but they’re still young. They don’t have the ability to face a Tier Three Great Demon. It would be better to have a few elders and senior brothers go and keep an eye on them."

"Hmph. This is just an appetizer. That old serpent won’t launch an all-out attack until the situation is clearer."

The middle-aged man shrugged. "Whatever. You’re the commander-in-chief appointed by the First Senior Brother. It’s your call."

As they spoke, the Beast Tide was already just a stone’s throw away.

North City bore the brunt of the Beast Tide’s assault. Niu Dazhuang, dressed in snug black combat attire, his face grim and filled with killing intent, slowly raised his right hand and then swung it down forcefully.

RUMBLE...

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The thousand Demon-Hunting Crossbows mounted on the northern city wall unleashed their first volley against the Beast Tide.

The Demon-Hunting Crossbow was a powerful weapon created by a Celestial Artisan. It was powered by Beast Cores, and its bowstrings were made from Tier Two Beast Tendons.

The bolts were crafted from Tier One Top-Grade Spirit Wood, tipped with Tier Two Extreme Cold Meteorite Iron. They were specifically designed to pierce the tough hides and Scale Armor of Demon Beasts, but they had limited effect against Spiritual Gang.

Therefore, they were usually mounted on naval vessels to hunt massive Sea Demons that lacked Spiritual Gang Body Protection.

Somehow, Luoxia City had acquired a massive number of these Demon-Hunting Crossbows and was now using them to defend against the Beast Tide.

A dense hail of bolts rained down upon the Beast Tide.

In an instant, countless Demon Beasts were reduced to a mist of blood. A large clearing appeared in the horde, and the crimson of the Red Plain deepened by several shades.

The first volley from the Demon-Hunting Crossbows killed nearly ten thousand Tier One Demon Beasts, but the casualties among the Tier Two Demon Beasts were negligible.

The results seemed impressive, but for a horde of this size, it was merely a drop in the ocean. In the blink of an eye, more Demon Beasts surged forward to fill the gap, launching an even more frenzied assault.

The Demon-Hunting Crossbows fired several more volleys, shrouding the sky above the Beast Tide in a layer of bloody mist.

But Niu Dazhuang’s face remained taut, showing no signs of relief.

’These results might look glorious, but we’ve only eliminated some cannon fodder. In a Beast Tide of this scale, the Tier Two Demon Beasts are the main fighting force.’

"Disciples of Luoxia City, heed my command! Kill!"

Niu Dazhuang waved his hand once more.

Tens of thousands of Luoxia City disciples, who had long been preparing, unleashed their first wave of Magic.

In an instant, a vibrant torrent of multicolored Magic soared into the air and crashed down into the Beast Tide.

"AWOOO..."

"ROAR—"

Countless Demon Beasts were turned to ash under the deluge of Magic.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

One after another, Arrays materialized atop the city walls.

Each of these Arrays was at the Tier Two Level. Nearly every well-known Tier Two Attack Array could be seen here.

These Arrays had been linked together by an Array Master through special means, launching an even more powerful attack that forcefully sheared off an entire layer of the Beast Tide.

Standing on the city wall, Zhang Yanhe felt his heart surge with emotion. ’So this is the foundation of Luoxia City’s confidence, built over two thousand years of standing guard!’

’Over so many years, through the reigns of numerous City Lords, Luoxia City has been forged into a veritable battle fortress. Its attack and defense capabilities are unsurpassed in the Daqi Cultivation World. Even if the two major sects were to attack, they would have to pay a terrible price...’

It was as if an invisible line had been drawn on the Red Plain. Any Demon Beast that crossed it would meet a bitter end before the might of the Luoxia City battle fortress.

For a moment, the Demon Beasts’ offensive actually ground to a halt.

At the rear of the Beast Tide, the Thunderous Demon King paced back and forth restlessly in its massive form. It stared at the rising mist of blood and roared in fury, "Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

It had volunteered to be the vanguard for this assault, intending to wipe out Luoxia City in one fell swoop and wash away its past disgrace. It never imagined that its assembled cannon fodder would be mostly wiped out before they even touched the city walls.

Although the dead were just ant-like Tier One Demon Beasts, seeing such a large number of them perish still caused it a sting of pain.

The terrifying aura emanating from the Thunderous Demon King scared the surrounding Great Demons into prostrating themselves on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

"Whoever breaches the city will be handsomely rewarded by me!"

The few Great Demons nearby exchanged glances, then cowered back. For a moment, none dared to accept the order.

It made sense. If even a brute like the Thunderous Demon King didn’t dare to charge forward recklessly, they certainly wouldn’t.

’This isn’t our first time dealing with Luoxia City. Everyone knows they’re still holding back. Wouldn’t going up now be suicide?’

Seeing them cower, the Thunderous Demon King grew furious. Its imperious gaze fell upon a giant Golden Armor turtle, and it commanded in a chilling tone, "Golden Armor, you go."

Golden Armor cried out silently in despair but dared not defy the Thunderous Demon King’s will. ’Offending it would be disastrous. My own death is a small matter, but the safety of my race is paramount.’

"As you command, Golden Armor obeys."

---

"Huh? Why is the Beast Tide retreating?"

Watching the Demon Beasts retreat like a receding tide, leaving behind a field of severed limbs and mangled flesh, Zhang Yanhe was taken aback. ’Was it that simple?’

Beside him, Steward Liu sat down cross-legged and said, "That was just the appetizer. The real battle is next. We should rest and recover our strength while we can. Later on, there won’t be any time to rest."

Zhang Yanhe scratched his head, then quickly copied Steward Liu, sitting down cross-legged to close his eyes, focus his mind, and replenish his spent Spiritual Power.

The others followed suit. For a moment, a strange calm fell over the battlefield.

"Look, what’s that?"

"Heavens, it’s huge."

A commotion startled Zhang Yanhe from his meditation. He raised his head curiously and froze on the spot.

Amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, several "hills" were slowly moving toward Luoxia City.

Zhang Yanhe rubbed his eyes. Those weren’t "hills" at all. They were clearly gigantic "turtles," pressing forward on heavy limbs.

"Those are Profound Armor Turtles. They are the race with the strongest defense on Thundering Mountain, and perhaps in the entire Black Water Marsh. Back in the day, the Profound Armor Demon King nearly usurped the Black Dragon Demon King’s title as the number one Demon King."

"Later, the Profound Armor Demon King was slain by several Masters from the Golden Crow Sect working together. They took its shell and refined it into the strongest Defensive Spiritual Artifact in the Daqi Cultivation World."

Steward Liu’s expression was grave. ’These creatures’ shells are no joke. That especially massive one in the middle will be particularly troublesome.’

"Deploying a Great Demon so soon... Among the Demon Kings of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, only Lei Ming would pull a move like this."

On Celestial Sound Mountain, three elders shrouded in black robes sat at a stone table with a man and a woman. The man spoke as he poured tea for the group, his words showing not the slightest fear of a Demon King.

The woman picked up her teacup, her delicate brows furrowed in worry. "Are we just going to watch? The Profound Armor Race is famed for its defense. Can that Dazhuang kid handle them?"

The man spread his hands helplessly. "Second Brother is dead set on using this opportunity to temper the younger generation. He’s the City Lord. What can we do, no matter how anxious we get?"

"They’re still just a bunch of kids. Second Senior Brother is being a bit too harsh," the woman said, shaking her head in disapproval of Zhan Tianxia’s methods.

"Fledglings must eventually spread their wings and soar. Protecting them too much, spoiling them, will do them no good," one of the elders, who had a chilly aura, said lightly.

"Indeed. That is precisely the reason why Luoxia City was founded with only three City Lords. Unless the city faces a moment of life and death, we are to remain hidden in the shadows for our entire lives. Guibai has already broken the rules by letting Little Fifth come out of seclusion early," another elder said coldly, setting down his teacup.

"Martial Uncles, a Demon King is besieging the city. Does this not count as a moment of life and death?" the woman asked with a frown.

"So what if it’s a Demon King? It’s not like Luoxia City has never killed one. A mere Lei Ming is not enough to breach our walls. We’ll talk again when that Old Flood Dragon makes a move itself." The last elder’s words were final, ending the debate.

...

「North City」

"Relay my order! Prepare the Spirit Crystal Cannons!"

...