Black Spirit City was as still as deep water.
The blood-red light was as full as a moon. At the peak of the tower, the wind was fierce and cold. Ling Tang sat high above, her blood-red aura exuding an enchanting malice as she gazed out of the city.
They knew she was waiting for them, and she knew they had arrived.
Beside her, Dark Tiger led the Spirit Tower Guards, standing ready in full armor. Within the city before her, the dozens of Small Spirit Lords who had been recalled were also rubbing their palms together, eager for the fight.
A slaughter formation, meticulously prepared for them, was waiting to drink its fill of blood.
At the peak of the Spirit Tower, Ling Tang rested her chin in her hand and gazed dreamily to her side at a withered old man chained beneath the blood-red sun. She teased, “Old man, look, your old friend is here. Tell me, are they here to save you?”
The old man remained expressionless, his head drooping, not saying a word.
Save him? They were mere acquaintances; they had no friendship to speak of, so why would they save him?
They weren't even old friends. At most, they were simply from the same mortal realm.
The old man remained silent, but Ling Tang didn't mind. She continued with a smile, “It doesn't matter. Once I capture them and bring them here to keep you company... see how thoughtful I am? I was so afraid you’d be lonely, hahaha...”
“You madwoman!”
“Didn't you call me a monster? Why the change of heart?”
The old man gritted his teeth in secret, but he no longer had any strength left.
In the days since his capture, he had been subjected to constant torment. This black widow before him drained his essence blood every day to satisfy her appetite.
He regretted it. He should have been like the qingluan—resolute enough to end his own life. Anything was better than this, where he could neither die nor truly live.
...
Outside the city...
After a brief rest and regrouping, Xu Xian informed the group of the plan. They were going to attack the city before them and destroy that Spirit Tower. As for the reason, Xu Xian did not explain.
Everyone thought he was insane, even Lu Yuan felt the same.
Back at the Ascension Platform, they had been unable to even withstand that wasteland, leaving behind hundreds of corpses. Today, this giant city was filled with soaring baleful qi and hidden dangers. Instead of avoiding it, he wanted to besiege it?
There were only nine of them—ten, including the woman in the bridal gown. How were they supposed to fight?
However, Xu Xian’s attitude did not suggest he was joking in the slightest. His eyes were filled with seriousness as he instructed everyone that once the fighting began, they must stay close to him. If they were dragged away by those monsters, he would not turn back for them.
Lu Yuan didn't even know what to say. He asked, “Is this absolutely necessary?”
Xu Xian replied decisively, “Yes, it is non-negotiable.”
“Did she say so?”
Xu Xian answered evasively, “It doesn't matter. Beneath that tower is something that can let us live.”
The group understood. They began to prepare in silence.
If it was something that could save their lives, then there was nothing more to say. They would fight.
Regardless, if they continued like this, they would eventually be consumed by the breath of darkness and die anyway.
Since death was the only outcome either way, it was better to engage in a hearty battle and die a more satisfying death.
Furthermore, they didn't believe Xu Xian would truly lead them to their deaths, so that woman in the bridal gown had to be extremely powerful.
Seeing that the group had stopped questioning him and had instead drawn their weapons, Xu Xian led them to stand behind the woman in the bridal gown.
“Senior, we are ready!”
The woman in the bridal gown turned to look at them. While the group’s gazes darted away, they couldn't help but steal glances at her, quietly sizing her up...
This was the first time they had seen this woman from such a close distance.
Grey hair, grey skin, grey lips, blood-red eyes, and a cracked face... her entire being exuded a sense of the bizarre and the sinister. Only her tear-filled eyes, saturated with deep affection and sorrow, kept their hearts from sinking completely into panic.
She truly was not human, but a monster.
They didn't understand why Xu Xian chose to trust her. If it were them, they wouldn't have been able to convince themselves. But it didn't matter now, because they trusted Xu Xian.
She gave Xu Xian a long look and said, “As we agreed!”
Xu Xian nodded and said resolutely, “Yes!”
She turned back and took a step forward, soaring through the air. Xu Xian scanned the group and said, “Stay close!”
The group hurriedly followed, though they were still confused. As they agreed? Agreed on what?
“What did you two talk about?” Lu Yuan pressed.
Xu Xian told him the truth. “I’ll handle the Grey Spirits and Dark Spirits. She’ll handle everything above that.”
The group was even more bewildered.
“What does that mean?”
Xu Xian took a deep breath and explained patiently, “Grey Spirits are Mortal Immortals of the first stage of immortality, and Dark Spirits are Earth Immortals of the second stage of immortality. Small Spirit Lords are Heaven Immortals, and Great Spirit Lords are God Immortals. Simply put, we’re responsible for the Mortal and Earth Immortals, and she takes the Heaven and God Immortals. Got it?”
Although those present had previously known very little about the six stages of immortality, Lu Yuan had educated them over the past few days.
So they knew exactly what Mortal Immortals, Earth Immortals, Heaven Immortals, and God Immortals were...
Hearing Xu Xian’s explanation now, their heads began to throb.
Mortal Immortals and Earth Immortals?
Setting the others aside, Xu Xian himself was only at the early Mortal Immortal stage. To deal with Earth Immortals—and from the sound of it, not just one or two, but potentially hundreds or thousands...
To be honest, this woman in the bridal gown really thought too highly of them.
Their expressions looked worse than if they had eaten something foul.
Lu Yuan couldn't help but complain, “Don't include us in that ‘we.’ You go by yourself.”
Xu Xian said, “I’m not asking you to fight. Just stay close to me and protect yourselves. I’ll handle the rest.”
Jin Yu asked weakly, “Can you really do it?”
Xu Xian gave a confident smile.
Lu Yuan translated for him, “A man never says he can't.”
The group’s expressions were a sight to behold, but they had no time to be distracted. Their bodies were tense, and they were incredibly nervous.
...
With the woman in the bridal gown in the lead, they continued forward. They approached the giant city, stepped into it, passed through it, and kept nearing that high tower.
Deep within the giant city, it was incomparably silent. Only the sound of the wind and their heartbeats could be heard.
Silence.
Complete silence.
It was a deathly stillness!
Every single person was unprecedentedly nervous.
Something was wrong.
Something was very wrong. There had to be a conspiracy, an ambush. They could smell the scent of death.
They felt the condescending gaze of the Grim Reaper upon them.
Yet, the two people in front showed no intention of stopping.
They could only steel themselves and follow.
From the perspective of the eight followers, the area below looked like a dead city, with no one in sight.
But in Xu Xian’s perspective, with the help of his Pupil of Insight, he discovered pairs of eyes hidden in the darkness.
They were concealed in the shadows, their bloodthirsty gazes falling upon them from all directions.
In particular, as they neared the high tower, the experts atop it were as numerous as clouds.
Grey Spirits,
Dark Spirits,
Their numbers far exceeded the thousands; they were likely in the tens of thousands. Even the Small Spirit Lords of the third stage of immortality numbered as many as several dozen. As for those even higher up, his current Pupil of Insight could not peer that far. However, she had said that there were only two dark creatures in this city with strength comparable to the God Immortal stage.
Xu Xian was also very nervous. His hand beneath his sleeve was constantly held in a hand seal, ready to summon the Sword Tower at any moment.
This was a conspiracy and a trap. They were walking step by step into the embrace of death...
In the darkness, pairs of blood-red pupils snapped open. Under the cover of the blood-red light screen, they gazed at the living souls in the sky. They were of various forms and carried different weapons, but the bloodthirsty killing intent in their eyes was identical.
Thump, thump, thump!
Thump, thump, thump!
Until a certain moment, Li Shuhe, who was flying at the very front, flicked her thumb and suddenly drew her sword. A brilliant white sword light flashed for an instant, actually overpowering the blood-red glow that filled the world.
She had drawn her sword.
Then, the person moved with the sword, and the sword followed the shadow. With a single slash, she charged toward the high tower.
The moment the sword light roared out like a crashing sea, a thunderous roar erupted from the high platform.
“Capture them!”
Countless figures charged out from the darkness, surging into the sky. The more powerful ones lunged toward Li Shuhe and her surging sword qi.
The majority of the figures, however, rushed toward the nine people.
Those who looked human, those who looked like ghosts, beasts, demons, spirits, monsters, hybrids...
They were densely packed!
Before the eight could even react, Xu Xian waved his hand.
“Rise!”
The towering Sword Tower rose in an instant, turning the firmament pure white.
“Manifest!”
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