Chapter 137 : The Wolf King's Ambush

"It possesses the Innate Divine Ability 'Thunderclap Lightning Flash Escape'. Even if I, this old man, could overcome it by relying on the might of my Third Rank High Grade magical treasure, the 'Mountain-Cleaving Soul-Severing Axe', I might not find the opportunity to severely wound or slay it."

"Moreover, that Six-Winged Golden Butterfly's strength is already approaching the Purple Mansion, Mid Stage. If they join forces, I would have to face them with utmost seriousness, yet it would still be difficult to rout them."

"Even if I, this old man, hold off those two Demonic Beast [powerful creatures that cultivate through demonic means], could you, in your estimation, slay the remaining Azure Flame Fox and Frost Serpent?"

Hearing this, Xu Darius shook his head, his expression tinged with disappointment. "With my strength, in a one-on-one duel, I am confident I could defeat any one of them."

"But facing the combined assault of two Purple Mansion Initial Stage Demonic Beast, I could at best hold them at bay. I fear slaying them would be beyond my reach."

"These four Purple Mansion Demonic Beast alone do not intimidate me," Yang the Ancient Ancestor shook his head and continued, "But the whereabouts of the Purple-Spotted Wolf King remain unknown. If we rashly engage and fall into an ambush, we risk losing everything."

"For now, we should rely on the city's defensive formations. We must first ascertain the movements of the Purple-Spotted Wolf King."

Having made their decision and secured the agreement of the forces from Heaven's Ruin Mountain, the two Ancestors began their defensive strategy, fortifying themselves behind the formations of Yuyang Market.

When the Demonic Beast Army [a vast horde of demonic beasts] reached the city walls, the several Purple Mansion Demonic Beast exchanged cold, calculating glances. After a brief consultation, they began directing the Demonic Beast Army to assault the City Guardian Grand Formation [the city's primary protective magical array].

The city's Heaven's Sword Demon-Slaying Grand Formation [a formidable sword-based defensive array] was instantly activated. Countless beams of sword light soared into the heavens, transforming into a relentless rain of blades that fell from the sky, slaughtering the Demonic Beast Army until the fields were littered with their corpses. Read the full novel exclusively on audio‑novel.com.

Regarding the casualties among the low-tier Demonic Beast [a creature that has absorbed spiritual energy and gained monstrous power], the few Purple Mansion Demonic Beast [a powerful demonic beast whose strength is equivalent to a human Purple Mansion Realm cultivator] were not concerned. Instead, they relentlessly drove the Demonic Beast Army [a vast horde of demonic beasts gathered for war] to continue battering against the formation.

To these Purple Mansion Demonic Beast, these dim-witted, low-tier Demonic Beast were little different from ordinary wild beasts. No matter how many perished, it would not cause them any distress.

Initiating a beast tide to assault human territories served the dual purpose of culling the numbers of low-tier Demonic Beast to prevent ecological collapse within their own domains.

Using these low-tier creatures to exhaust the power of the human defensive formations was considered a case of making the best use of available resources.

In the eyes of these Purple Mansion Demonic Beast, as long as the human city was ultimately breached, the deaths of countless low-tier Demonic Beast would be a worthwhile trade.

The assault by the Demonic Beast Army persisted for over half a month. The Purple Mansion Demonic Beast continuously herded low-tier Demonic Beast to attack Yuyang Market.

The Spirit Spring [a natural spring imbued with concentrated spiritual energy] within Yuyang Market could not sustain the formation for long. Left with no choice, the defenders had to expend their own mana, with several thousand low-level cultivators taking turns to power the formation.

Fortunately, with over five thousand cultivators rotating to provide spiritual power, and Purple Mansion Cultivator [a cultivator who has established a Purple Mansion, a spiritual palace within their dantian, marking a significant advancement] personally directing the formation's core, the Heaven's Sword Demon-Slaying Grand Formation unleashed truly formidable power, allowing them to hold the line.

During the relentless, half-month-long onslaught, the Demonic Beast horde was repelled dozens of times by the Heaven's Sword Demon-Slaying Grand Formation. Nearly half of the original thirty thousand beasts were slain, and several dozen Foundation Establishment Demonic Beast [a demonic beast with power equivalent to a human Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator] met their end as well.

By the end, the low-tier Demonic Beast were utterly terrified. No matter how the Purple Mansion Demonic Beast drove and threatened them, they refused to advance.

Left with no other choice, the four Purple Mansion Demonic Beast [powerful demonic beasts at the Purple Mansion cultivation realm] had to abandon their attempts to drive the defenders out. Instead, they encircled Yuyang Market, seemingly waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"They've finally stopped attacking," someone murmured with relief.

Seeing the Demonic Beast Army [the horde of demonic beasts] cease its assault, everyone within Yuyang Market let out a collective, heavy sigh.

For half a month, they had been channeling their power into the grand formation. The low-level cultivators within the city had exhausted their mana reserves multiple times over, their spirits worn thin by the relentless, high-intensity combat.

Had the Demonic Beast [monstrous beasts that cultivate demonic energy] pressed on, the City Guardian Grand Formation [the powerful defensive array protecting the city] would soon have ground to a halt. The defenders would have been forced to either tap into their precious Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] reserves or take to the front lines themselves to fight the Demonic Beast in desperate, bloody combat.

This time, Yuyang Market had stockpiled one hundred thousand Spirit Stone. This reserve was primarily intended as a contingency against a high-level Purple Mansion [a major cultivation stage above Foundation Establishment] threat like the Purple-Spotted Wolf King. With that formidable foe yet to appear, they dared not recklessly deplete their Spirit Stone.

If they refrained from using the Spirit Stone reserve, taking the fight directly to the Demonic Beast would be a brutal affair regardless of the outcome. Many would inevitably fall during this great calamity.

"Use this time to steady your minds, replenish your mana, and restore your cultivation," the order came.

As soon as the Demonic Beast halted their offensive, Yang the Ancient Ancestor issued the command, urging everyone to seize the moment and recover their combat strength.

The Demonic Beast settled into a siege, surrounding the market without attacking. A full month passed in this tense stalemate, until one day, shocking news arrived.

"The Purple-Spotted Wolf King has reached Feng County?"

Within the main hall of Yuyang Market, several dozen cultivators had gathered at this moment, unable to suppress looks of shock and horror from appearing on their faces.

Not long before, a terrifying message had been transmitted from Feng County. The Purple-Spotted Wolf King had led an army of thirty thousand Demonic Beast [monstrous creatures that cultivate and possess spiritual power], somehow bypassing the Heaven's Fate Mountain Range and directly invaded Feng County.

Caught completely off guard by the sudden assault, Feng County saw several of its Second Rank Spirit Vein [sites where spiritual energy naturally concentrates, suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators] overrun. More than a dozen Qi Refinement Immortal Clans and one Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan were utterly annihilated overnight. Hundreds of thousands of mortals became mere sustenance, devoured by the maws of the Demonic Beast.

Now, the spearhead of the Purple-Spotted Wolf King's forces had even reached the Fengyang Trading Post, laying siege to the outpost.

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"How could the Purple-Spotted Wolf King possibly bypass the Heaven's Fate Mountain Range and reach Feng County in such a short time?"

Among the gathered crowd, Liu Junran spoke with disbelief, a trace of panic coloring her voice.

In this long-distance, covert strike spanning tens of thousands of Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], the Liu Immortal Clan had suffered a catastrophic blow. Their ancestral mountain sect and Dao field [a cultivator's personal cultivation ground] had been overrun by Demonic Beast, and the cultivators left to defend it were almost entirely wiped out.

Fortunately, their mortal cities were located quite far from the clan's Dao field. The Purple-Spotted Wolf King, focused on attacking the Fengyang Trading Post, had temporarily ignored them. Thus, their foundational population of mortal descendants had not yet come under attack.

However, once the Demonic Beast [a creature that has absorbed spiritual energy and gained monstrous power] breaches the Fengyang Trading Post, their Liu Clan will have no chance of survival; the mortal cities will inevitably be annihilated by the Demonic Beast.

At this thought, Liu Junran could no longer remain seated. She stood up and declared in a loud voice, "Esteemed ones, with Feng County under attack, I, as a cultivator from Feng County, cannot stand idly by."

"I beseech both Seniors to allow us to return and join the battle in support."

In truth, it was not only her. The five Foundation Establishment Cultivator [practitioners who have solidified their spiritual foundation, a major milestone] who had come as reinforcements from Feng County all wore expressions of acute anxiety, clearly having lost any desire to remain.

Even Xu Darius could no longer keep his composure. As the Purple Mansion Immortal Clan [a powerful clan led by a cultivator who has opened their Purple Mansion, the third major cultivation realm] of Feng County, if the county were to fall, the first to suffer would likely be the millions of mortals under their Xu Clan's protection.

With this in mind, his gaze turned to Yang the Ancient Ancestor, and he spoke with urgent haste.

"Fellow Daoist Yang, the calamity befalling Feng County is no trivial matter."

"You have weathered several Beast Tide Calamity [periodic, massive invasions by demonic beasts]. If you have any strategy, I implore you to make a decision swiftly."

Upon hearing this, all eyes turned towards Yang the Ancient Ancestor.

Facing the collective gaze, this Yang the Ancient Ancestor who was over three hundred and fifty years old could not help but offer a bitter smile as he spoke.

"In years past, during the Beast Tide Calamity [a periodic invasion of demonic beasts], the Green Sun Sect would dispatch four or five Purple Mansion Ancestor [cultivators who have reached the Purple Mansion Realm, a high stage of cultivation] to Bianzhou to lend us their strength."

"Now, with the forces of the Earth Lion Ridge [a mountain range dominated by the Earth Lion demon tribe] growing so powerful, the Green Sun Sect can barely protect itself. They are unwilling to send even a single Purple Mansion cultivator to aid us."

"Were it not for Jiang the Ancient Ancestor taking preemptive action decades ago—storming Demon Wolf Mountain and slaying two Purple Mansion Demonic Wolf [powerful demonic wolves at the Purple Mansion Realm] along with two Purple Palace Demon Roc [mighty demonic rocs of the Purple Mansion Realm]—our situation would be far more dire today." Enjoyed this chapter? Read more at audio-novel*com.