The moon was bright, the stars sparse, and the blood aura vast.
Beneath Spirit Elixir City, the great war between humans and demons grew increasingly fierce. The cultivators who had originally retreated to Demon-Slaying City heard that hundreds from the Wendao Sect intended to break the city.
Initially, they were shocked, finding it utterly inconceivable.
Then, harboring curiosity and greed, they moved toward the city in unison. Throughout the night, the fires of war blazed, and the air was filled with clamor.
At first, they watched from the sidelines, observing the grand spectacle.
Next, as if it were none of their business, they waited to reap the benefits of the conflict.
Finally...
Seeing the Wendao Sect advancing like an unstoppable force and the demon race retreating step by step, many could no longer sit still. One after another, they joined the fray.
From the periphery and the flanks, they waited for opportunities to strike and take the lives of demons.
In the current situation.
Xu Xian of the Wendao Sect was showing too much momentum. Within that city, beneath the eighth-rank beast sovereign stage, no demon could rival him.
Even though they struggled bitterly to hold on in what seemed like a stalemate, any discerning eye could see that if this continued, the demon race would surely lose.
At a time like this, if they still cowered, they wouldn't even be able to get a taste of the leftovers while they were still warm.
"The Wendao Sect is truly a bunch of lunatics."
"Xu Xian is too fierce!"
"Boss, let's move. If we keep watching, the trail will be cold."
"Let's go, get them!"
Batch after batch of human cultivators joined the battle, seizing the chance to profit.
Pressure on the East Desolation demon race increased dramatically. Even more demon hunters and bold Central Plains cultivators took advantage of the chaos to break into Spirit Elixir City, wantonly harvesting the lives of low-grade ferocious beasts.
The entirety of Spirit Elixir City was thrown into a state of total disorder.
As dawn approached.
The vanguard of the human main force was less than three miles from the walls of Spirit Elixir City. Seventh stage cultivators could reach it in an instant. That city wall, as dilapidated as the one in Demon-Slaying City, was engulfed in the flames of war.
The small demons who had been watching the excitement earlier had long since retreated into the city. Many demon merchants in the city were already packing their things, preparing to flee.
Within the chaotic Spirit Elixir City, fear continued to fester.
The Eight Tribes held their ground desperately.
They suffered heavy losses.
On the banks of the Wild River, scouts moved back and forth with frequent reports of defeat. The eyes of the various beast sovereigns were as red as dripping blood.
In contrast, on Boundary Mountain, reports of victory were frequent.
The Wendao Sect disciples who had gone to Boundary Mountain this time—excluding the Pavilion Elders above the eighth stage—had all been deployed under Ye Xianyu's instructions. Even the disciples who had previously been persuaded by Xu Xian to retreat to the walls of Demon-Slaying City had returned in force under Ye Xianyu's latest orders.
And in the deep of the night.
They joined this battle of offense and defense.
In the mountains and fields outside Boundary Mountain, the eighth stage cultivators from the Central Plains were utterly bewildered, unable to understand what was happening.
They had originally thought.
At most, the Wendao Sect would dampen the demon race's spirit. Who would have thought the other party was actually laying siege to the city?
For an entire night, they acted as if they intended to drive the demon race to total extinction.
What was supposed to be a struggle for an auspicious beast had, in just two days, pointlessly evolved into a war between humans and demons.
Across the three thousand miles of the neutral zone and the vast Demon Suppression Abyss, the demon race was being forcibly driven back.
Now.
With swords at the gates of Spirit Elixir City, it was inevitable that the city would fall if things continued this way.
In the future, it was feared that these three thousand miles of the Demon Suppression Abyss would no longer be a neutral zone but would instead fall under the name of the Wendao Sect.
The struggle between humans and demons had always been a matter of life and death; there was nothing to discuss there.
They just couldn't understand.
Did the Wendao Sect truly have no fear of the demon race? Were they not afraid of pushing the demon race too far and causing them to tear up that peace treaty?
They were in a daze, yet they could not stop speculating.
Someone lamented, "They say the Sword Ancestor is traveling far away and that the Wendao Sect is no longer what it used to be. Looking at it today, the Wendao Sect is like the sun at noon."
Someone sneered, "Once the sun reaches its highest point, it must set."
Another grumbled, "If Heaven wishes to destroy them, it first makes them mad. Just wait; if the Wendao Sect continues to be this overbearing, they aren't far from destruction..."
"..."
Regardless of the commentary, it could not hide the unease in their hearts and their wariness of the Wendao Sect.
As of today.
The Wendao Sect stood isolated in the Northern Borders. After the battle of Cangwu six years ago, they had completely fallen out with the Three Sects of the Central Plains.
Their situation was perilous—not quite as precarious as a stack of eggs, but certainly plagued by internal troubles and external threats.
Yet, even so.
They still acted this way, showing no fear of the demon race. This shocked the observers while simultaneously heightening their vigilance.
Was the Wendao Sect truly at its peak? Or was it strong on the outside but hollow on the inside?
The answer was perhaps known only to the Wendao Sect itself.
For now.
What they cared about more was what consequences would arise if the situation continued to develop this way.
They had originally intended to stir up trouble and make things uncomfortable for the Wendao Sect, but now they were starting to have second thoughts.
What exactly was the Wendao Sect planning?
Surely it couldn't just be that youth named Xu Xian acting out of solitary courage and youthful arrogance, right?
......
The Big Dipper began to tilt, and the east grew pale as morning arrived as scheduled.
Spirit Elixir City, however, remained shrouded under layers of clouds and mist. As more and more human cultivators joined the chaotic battle, the demon race's defeat was already a foregone conclusion.
Xu Xian controlled his sword with his mind, letting Wait crisscross the battlefield while he held a hammer in one hand, smashing things with loud thuds.
He freed up one hand to form seals and chant incantations; wind, rain, thunder, and lightning were at his beck and call.
Arrays rose.
He controlled objects.
Transforming into a versatile warrior, even without summoning the Heaven-Burning Sparrow again, he remained invincible.
By his side.
The three seventh stage experts of the Wendao Sect—Bu Yining and Wen Qingxue from the Sword Suppression Hall, and Yao Zhijian from the Elixir Hall—never left his side, providing support at every moment.
In addition, the little book spirit hovered alone in the sky, overseeing the entire situation.
Even though the various beast emperors of the Eight Tribes racked their brains and exhausted their efforts, charging forward regardless of the cost, they still could not injure him in the slightest.
To catch the bandits, one must catch the leader.
Unfortunately, this leader was too strong; there was absolutely nothing they could do.
The demons' hearts were filled with panic, and a trend of retreat had already begun to form.
"Young Master, let's withdraw. We can't hold it."
"If we keep fighting, our brothers will all be dead."
"Xu Xian is not human; we cannot fight him."
"..."
"Damned humans, this king will return!"
After nearly ten hours of fierce fighting, the powerhouses of the Eight Tribes finally compromised and chose to retreat.
They did not retreat into Spirit Elixir City; instead, they retreated out of it, fleeing in disorder toward the banks of the Wild River.
Once the beast emperors and beast king powerhouses of the Eight Tribes withdrew, the already tottering demon race collapsed instantly.
"Retreat!"
"The Eight Tribes have run! Let's run too!"
"Help!"
"Dammit..."
A scene of total chaos ensued. The demons were leaderless, and the humans struck at the opportune moment. In just a few breaths, they set foot beneath the walls of Spirit Elixir City.
"Kill our way in!"
"Fellow Daoists, grab the money, grab the food, and grab the demons!"
"Vile creatures, where do you think you're going? Have the guts to fight me for another three hundred rounds!"
"Demon-slaying squad, follow me in pursuit..."
"Charge through and trample this city!"
Xu Xian had been charging at the front, and at this moment, he was the first to appear beneath the high city walls.
He did not leap over the high wall like the others. Instead, he raised the Star-Forging Hammer high.
With over a hundred consecutive hammer strikes.
He smashed most of the high wall in front of him to pieces.
The tall wall collapsed, dust flying everywhere. It was like the last shred of dignity for Spirit Elixir City.
It fell.
The demon race was completely defeated.
Xu Xian did not delay. He charged directly into the city, his Pupil of Insight fully active, searching for the missing auspicious beast.
Behind him, the human cultivators followed closely, their momentum like splitting bamboo.
The ferocious beasts in the city were running, hiding, or begging for mercy; it was a mess.
The cultivators from the Central Plains searched and looted everywhere.
The Wendao Sect cultivators, however, killed every demon they saw.
The Little Grand-Uncle had given the order.
Wash this demon city in blood.
Pursuing his target, Xu Xian glimpsed a wisp of innate fortune amidst the vast beast tide, exceedingly powerful.
With one look, he understood its significance.
"Found it."
"As expected, it's hiding here."
He suddenly accelerated. The few people by his side were bewildered but did not dare to linger for a moment, following after him.
"Little Grand-Uncle, wait for us!"
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