Chapter 137 : A Defensive Gambit Against Beasts

"It possesses the innate divine ability 'Lightning Flash Escape' [a technique allowing for instantaneous movement like a flash of lightning]. Even if I, this old man, could overcome it by relying on the power of my Third Rank Superior Grade [the highest quality tier for artifacts of the third rank] magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators] 'Mountain-Splitting Soul-Severing Axe', I might not find the opportunity to inflict a serious wound or kill it."

"Moreover, that Six-Winged Golden Butterfly's strength is already approaching the Violet Sanctum Mid Stage [the middle phase of the Violet Sanctum cultivation realm]. If they join forces, I would have to face them seriously, yet it would still be difficult to crush them."

"Even if I, this old man, hold off those two demonic beasts, do you think you can slay the remaining Azure Flame Fox and Frost Python?"

Hearing this, Path Abyss Xu shook his head, speaking with a hint of disappointment, "With my strength, in a one-on-one fight, I am confident I could defeat any of them."

"But if I face the combined assault of two Violet Sanctum Early Stage [the early phase of the Violet Sanctum cultivation realm] demonic beasts, I could at best hold them off. I fear slaying them would be beyond me."

"I do not fear these four Violet Sanctum Demonic Beast alone," Patriarch Yang shook his head and continued, "But the whereabouts of the Purple-Spotted Wolf King remain unknown. If we rashly engage in battle and fall into an ambush, I fear we would lose everything."

"For now, we should rely on the city's defensive Formation [a structured arrangement of energy channels and nodes used for defense, attack, or cultivation] and wait until we ascertain the Purple-Spotted Wolf King's movements."

Having made their decision and gained the agreement of Heavenly Ruins Mountain, the two Patriarch [a title for the founding elder or leader of a clan or sect] began to rely on Sunward Market's defensive Formation for their strategy.

When the demonic beast army arrived outside the city, the several Violet Sanctum Demonic Beast exchanged cold glances. After a brief discussion, they began directing the beast army to assault the City Defense Grand Formation.

The Heavenly Sword Demon-Slaying Grand Formation within the city was immediately activated. Countless sword beams shot into the heavens, transforming into a relentless rain of blades that fell from the sky, littering the ground with the corpses of the demonic beast army. This chapter appears courtesy of audio‑novel.com.

The casualties among the low-level demonic beasts mattered little to the few Violet Sanctum Demonic Beasts. They continued to drive the beast tide relentlessly against the Formation [a defensive or offensive energy array].

To these Violet Sanctum Demonic Beasts, these dim-witted, low-level creatures were little different from wild animals. No matter how many perished, they felt no remorse.

In fact, one purpose of driving such a beast tide to assault the territories of the Human Race was precisely to cull the numbers of low-level beasts, preventing ecological collapse within their own domains.

Using these lesser creatures to drain the power of the Human Race's Formation was simply making the most of available resources.

In the eyes of these Violet Sanctum Demonic Beasts, as long as the human city ultimately fell, the slaughter of countless low-level beasts was a price worth paying.

The demonic beast offensive raged for over half a month. The Violet Sanctum Demonic Beasts ceaselessly herded the low-level beasts against the walls of Sunward Market.

The Spirit Spring [a natural spring imbued with spiritual energy] beneath Sunward Market could not sustain the defense for long. With no other choice, the defenders were forced to expend their own spiritual power, having the several thousand low-level cultivators take turns fueling the Formation.

Fortunately, with over five thousand cultivators rotating to provide spiritual energy, and Violet Sanctum Cultivator personally anchoring the formation's core, the Heavenly Sword Demon-Slaying Grand Formation unleashed truly formidable power, enabling them to withstand the onslaught.

During the relentless, half-month-long assault, the beast tide was repelled dozens of times by the Heavenly Sword Demon-Slaying Grand Formation. Nearly half of the original thirty thousand beasts lay dead, and several dozen Foundation Establishment demonic beasts had been slain.

By the end, the surviving low-level beasts were utterly terrified. No matter how the Violet Sanctum Demonic Beasts drove them, they refused to advance.

With no other recourse, the four Violet Sanctum Demonic Beast had no choice but to abandon their attempts to drive the defenders out. Instead, they encircled Sunward Market [a fortified market town], seemingly waiting for the optimal moment to strike.

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

Seeing the demon beast horde cease its assault, everyone within Sunward Market collectively let out a heavy sigh of relief.

For half a month straight, they had been channeling their power into the grand formation. By now, the spiritual energy [the vital energy cultivated and used by practitioners] of the lower-realm cultivators had been depleted multiple times, and the relentless combat had left their spirits utterly fatigued.

Had the beasts pressed their attack any longer, the City Defense Grand Formation [a large-scale protective array] would soon have become impossible to sustain. The defenders would have been forced to either deplete their reserve of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] or step forward themselves to fight the beasts in a desperate, bloody melee.

This time, Sunward Market held a reserve of one hundred thousand Spirit Stone, primarily intended as a contingency against a high-level Violet Sanctum [the third major realm of cultivation] threat like the Purple-Spotted Wolf King. Since that formidable foe had yet to appear, they dared not recklessly exhaust their precious reserves.

Without tapping into the spirit stone reserve, engaging the beasts directly would lead to a brutal outcome regardless. Many would inevitably fall in the ensuing Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic event or trial].

"Use this time to steady your minds, replenish your spiritual energy, and restore your cultivation base!" orders rang out.

Seizing the moment of respite, Patriarch Yang immediately commanded everyone to focus on recovering their combat strength.

The demon beasts maintained their siege 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 Sunward Market, several dozen cultivators had gathered, their faces pale with shock.

Not long before, terrifying news had arrived from Feng County. The Purple-Spotted Wolf King had led a horde of thirty thousand demonic beasts, bypassing the Heavenly Fate Mountain Range entirely, and plunged directly into Feng County.

Caught completely off guard by the sudden assault, Feng County had seen several Second RankSpiritual Vein [a natural conduit of concentrated spiritual energy] overrun. More than a dozen Vital Essence RefinementImmortal Clan [a clan of cultivators] and one Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan [a clan with a cultivator who has solidified their cultivation foundation] had been utterly annihilated overnight. Hundreds of thousands of mortals had been devoured, becoming mere sustenance for the demonic beasts.

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

"How is this possible!" The complete novel can be found at audio–novel.com.

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

Among the gathered cultivators, Twin Jade Liu spoke with disbelief, her voice tinged with panic.

This surprise attack over thousands of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] had been a disaster for the Liu Immortal Clan. Their ancestral mountain stronghold, the Path-Field [a cultivator's personal training ground or estate], had been overrun. The cultivators left to defend it had been almost completely wiped out.

Fortunately, their mortal cities were located far from the Clan Path-Field [the main ancestral training ground of a clan]. The Purple-Spotted Wolf King, eager to assault Fengyang Market, had ignored them for now. Thus, the vital foundation of the Human Race's mortal descendants remained, for the moment, untouched by the attack.

However, if the demonic beasts breach the defenses of Fengyang Market, the Liu Clan will have no chance of survival. The mortal cities will undoubtedly be overrun and annihilated by the beasts.

At this thought, Twin Jade Liu could no longer remain seated. She stood up and declared in a loud voice, "Esteemed seniors, Feng County is under attack. As a cultivator from this land, I cannot stand idly by."

"I implore both of you, esteemed seniors, to allow us to return and join the battle in support."

In truth, it was not only her. All five of the Foundation Establishment Cultivator [cultivators who have built their spiritual foundation] who had come from Feng County wore expressions of urgent anxiety, their minds clearly set on departure, with no intention of remaining.

Even Path Abyss Xu could no longer stay still. As a Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan [a clan with a cultivator who has opened their Violet Palace realm] of Feng County, if the county were to fall, the first to suffer would likely be the millions of mortals of their Xu Clan.

With this thought, his gaze turned to Patriarch Yang, and he spoke with hurried urgency.

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

"You have weathered several Beast Tide [massive invasions by demonic beasts]. If you have any strategy, please decide swiftly."

Hearing this, everyone turned their eyes toward Patriarch Yang.

This Patriarch Yang, over three hundred and fifty years old, met the collective gaze and could not help but offer a bitter smile as he spoke.

"In years past, during the Beast Tide [a periodic, massive assault by demonic beasts], the Verdant Sun Sect would dispatch four or five Violet Sanctum Patriarchs [powerful cultivators at the Violet Sanctum realm] to the Border Province to lend us their aid."

"Now, with the Earth Lion Ridge [a demonic beast stronghold] growing so powerful, the Verdant Sun Sect is hard-pressed to ensure its own survival. They are unwilling to send even a single Violet Sanctum [the third major realm of cultivation] cultivator to aid us."

"If not for Patriarch Jiang launching a preemptive strike decades ago, breaching Dire Wolf Mountain and slaying two Violet Sanctum Demonic Wolves and two Violet Sanctum Demonic Rocs, our situation today would be far more dire." Experience the full epic at audio-novel . com.