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Ning Tianchen's carriage was en route to Xingnan City.
Midway through the journey, disciples from the intelligence department delivered dire news.
Conflict had erupted between the Tiandou Empire and the Star Luo Empire at the border.
In the first wave, both sides had deployed fifty thousand troops each to clash on the plains outside Hu Men Pass.
With a combined hundred thousand soldiers involved, casualties were bound to be staggering.
Yu Die, who was well-versed in warfare, spoke up. "When two armies of fifty thousand clash, each side will likely suffer only a few thousand casualties."
"How is that possible?" Ning Rongrong blinked, unable to believe her words.
Yu Die smiled. "You don't think both sides would fight to the last man, do you?"
"Hmph, such thoughts exist only in theory; they never happen in reality."
In essence, when two armies of fifty thousand clashed, it was just the front-line skirmishes involving a few thousand soldiers. The rear ranks—tens of thousands of them—might not even see the enemy.
If the front line faltered, morale would collapse, and the rear troops wouldn't risk their lives advancing but instead flee in all directions.
In fact, if positioned at the back of the formation, forget about earning military merit. If the battle was won, they'd rush forward to plunder. If it was lost, they'd turn tail and run.
"Otherwise, why would soldiers eager for military merit willingly charge to the front lines instead of hiding in the rear to reap the spoils?"
Faced with Yu Die's counter-question, everyone fell silent.
Ning Tianchen waved his hand, bringing the discussion to an end.
The conflict between the two empires at the border didn't concern the Sky Sword Sect—they wouldn't intervene.
As for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, according to the intelligence report, Ning Fengzhi had sent three Soul Douluo-level experts to oversee the situation, though they likely wouldn't directly engage.
---
Ten days later, their carriage arrived at the gates of Xingnan City.
When Ning Tianchen and the others disembarked from the carriage, the soldiers on the city walls were extremely tense. One crossbowman, overwhelmed by anxiety, accidentally triggered his weapon, nearly shooting a bolt at Feng Xiaotian.
Ning Tianchen caught the flying bolt mid-air. Without reproaching the soldier, he calmly said, "Don't be nervous—we're not wolf bandits."
Wolf bandits were hybrids of soul beasts and humans, possessing the strength of soul beasts and the cunning of humans.
In particular, they often wore human skins to blend into crowds before unleashing massacres.
Records from the Feng family even mentioned that some wolf bandits over thirty thousand years old could mimic human voices, appearing indistinguishable from ordinary people at a distance—an ability that made them highly deceptive.
The leader of the soldiers on the wall, his expression grim, stated, "Friends, since you know about the wolf bandits, you should understand our situation here. Words alone aren't enough—you must provide more convincing proof that you're not wolf bandits."
While wolf bandits could disguise themselves as humans, they couldn't hide their martial spirits.
Chen Huayu and Oscar stepped forward simultaneously, displaying their respective martial spirits.
"I imagine wolf bandits posing as humans wouldn't be able to manifest sausage or bear-type martial spirits, right?"
Seeing this, the tension among the soldiers visibly eased.
Most of the hastily recruited soldiers, exhausted from their vigilance, collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.
However, the leader had no intention of letting them go just yet. He asked, "Xingnan City is extremely dangerous. Why are you here? I see you're all soul masters. If you're just passing through, I suggest you leave quickly and not linger here."
This leader's straightforwardness was commendable—he wasn't trying to deceive anyone.
Ning Tianchen retrieved the city lord's petition from his chest and tossed it to the leader. "Take a look—is this your city lord's handwriting?"
After reviewing the contents of the petition, the leader asked suspiciously, "Were you sent by His Majesty to assist us?"
He then hurriedly ordered, "Quick, open the gates and let them in!"
The gates opened, and Ning Tianchen's carriage entered the city.
The leader personally greeted them. "I've already sent word to the city lord. Shall I give you a tour of the city's defenses?"
Ning Tianchen waved his hand dismissively. "No need. We're not experts in city defense—you handle it."
Amateurs interfering in professional matters often led to trouble.
Seeing this, the leader couldn't help but feel relieved.
It was true that Ning Tianchen and the others were soul masters, and their strength even surpassed his own. But when it came to city defense, he was the expert.
"Very well. Allow me to introduce myself—I'm Zhao Qijie, the city defense officer of Xingnan City."
After exchanging introductions, Zhao Qijie led everyone to a rest room on the city wall.
Ning Tianchen inquired, "Brother Zhao, we want to know the movements of the wolf bandits and the strength of the recent wolf bandit forces."
Zhao Qijie nodded and began explaining based on the defensive map. "Last night, a small group of wolf bandits attacked the eastern part of the city. Though we repelled them, the casualties among our soldiers were severe…"
Xingnan City was a small, obscure town, not much larger than Nuoding City.
The number of soul masters within the city was extremely low. Moreover, after hearing about the wolf bandits, most of the soul masters in the city had already fled, leaving only ordinary civilians trapped inside.
Zhao Qijie sighed helplessly. "The city lord and I considered evacuating the civilians, but in practice, it's simply impossible."
There were about ten thousand residents in the city. Evacuating so many people would result in a long procession.
If attacked by wolf bandits along the way, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Moreover, they couldn't abandon the city. Outside the walls, there were still many villages. Upon learning of the wolf bandits' appearance, the city lord's office immediately arranged for villagers to seek refuge in the city.
A few days ago, a forty-thousand-year-old wolf bandit king appeared among the wolf bandits.
However, this individual hadn't led the wolf bandits in a full-scale assault—it seemed he was merely scouting the city's defenses.
"There must be a larger force of wolf bandits waiting in the rear. I suspect their leader is at least a sixty-thousand-year-old wolf bandit," Ning Tianchen said gravely.
Zhao Qijie's face turned pale.
A sixty-thousand-year-old soul beast's strength rivaled that of a human Soul Douluo. Moreover, wolf bandits were pack-oriented soul beasts. To eliminate a sixty-thousand-year-old wolf king amidst a pack of wolf bandits, at least a Title Douluo-level expert would be required.
Ning Rongrong couldn't help but ask, "Haven't any strong individuals from the Spirit Hall come?"
The Spirit Hall's dominance on the continent and its rise as a power comparable to the two empires were built on its mission to eradicate all evil and maintain peace across the land.
There was originally a Spirit Hall branch in Xingnan City. Upon hearing about the wolf bandits, the Spirit Hall's leader should have already sent the intelligence to Spirit City.
A voice came from the doorway: "In fact, the Spirit Hall's people have already withdrawn from Xingnan City."
Everyone turned toward the door. The speaker was a young man—the city lord of Xingnan City.
He bowed toward Ning Tianchen. "Senior, my name is Zhao Yi. I'm a graduate of the Seven Treasures Academy."
"The Spirit Hall has chosen to remain neutral in the war between the two empires. As a result, the Spirit Hall branches in border cities like ours have recently been disbanded."
Zhao Yi had enrolled when the Seven Treasures Academy was newly established.
However, at that time, he was already over twenty-five years old and thus wasn't selected as a substitute for the soul master tournament.
After training at the academy until the age of thirty, he joined the Tiandou Empire and was assigned to serve as the city lord of Xingnan City.
"Do you know each other?" Zhao Qijie asked curiously.
Zhao Yi introduced everyone. "This is my uncle, and because of him, I decided to join the Tiandou Empire."
"Uncle, this is Senior Ning Tianchen, the captain of the championship-winning team from that year's soul master tournament."
Though Ning Tianchen wasn't as widely known as the continent's top powerhouses, his standout performance at the recent re-selection conference of the seven great sects had left a lasting impression on many soul masters.
Zhao Qijie excitedly grasped Ning Tianchen's hand. "Thank goodness! With Young Master Ning here, Xingnan City is saved!"
Ning Tianchen patted the back of his hand, his expression grave. "Don't rejoice too soon. We have no idea about the wolf bandits' situation. Repelling their advance squads repeatedly doesn't solve the root problem."
Zhao Yi earnestly suggested, "Senior, take command of the city's defenses. My uncle and I will assist you."
Ning Tianchen refused once again. "I have no experience in arranging city defenses, so the defense arrangements must remain in your hands."
"Our eight people will follow your instructions."
After Zhao Qijie persuaded him further, Zhao Yi finally relented.
Xingnan City had three gates. Zhao Yi divided Feng Xiaotian and the others into three groups to guard different gates. Meanwhile, Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong stayed on the city walls, ready to support any gate at a moment's notice.
Ning Tianchen asked, "On our way here, I noticed traces of battles on your walls. Have you repaired them? If breaches appear, the wolf bandits will pour in, and the civilians inside will suffer greatly!"
"Young Master Ning, it's not that we haven't thought about repairing the walls," Zhao Qijie said bitterly.
The wolf bandits only attacked at night, but during the day, the city's defense soldiers needed rest. The remaining manpower wasn't sufficient to keep up with the pace of damage.
Additionally, construction materials within the city were scarce, making wall repairs a futile endeavor.
After understanding the situation, Ning Tianchen said no more.
...
As dusk fell, Ning Tianchen and the others walked onto the city walls.
"The Spirit Hall's efforts to suppress evil forces have weakened, and all sorts of malicious beings are emerging."
With a sigh, his gaze shifted toward the distance.
Under Bibi Dong's leadership, the Spirit Hall had completely aligned itself with evil forces.
Without the Spirit Hall's suppression, first came the wolf bandits, and it wouldn't be long before evil soul masters reappeared on the continent.
Suddenly, Ning Tianchen sniffed the air. A faint salty aroma drifted in the evening breeze.
Zhao Yi approached him and explained, "Smelled it, right? That's the scent of the sea."
Xingnan City was only two days' travel from Hanhai City. When strong winds blew in from the coast, the smell of the sea reached here.
A sudden thought flashed through Ning Tianchen's mind.
In the original timeline, the Seven Treasures Academy students had also encountered wolf bandits on their way to Hanhai City.
At that time, Tang San and the others had wiped out a small squad of wolf bandits in a nearby village.
Based on the location, the village they reached should have been near Xingnan City. However, they only eliminated one branch of the wolf bandits and didn't encounter the main force.
In the original timeline, when the Tiandou Empire was busy resisting the invasion of the Spirit Empire, Xingnan City likely faced a great calamity.
However, now that they were here, they wouldn't allow the wolf bandits to run rampant.
Putting aside his thoughts, Ning Tianchen said seriously, "The wolf bandits operate like a miniature human society, with clear divisions of labor. If their main force attacks the city, our current defenses won't be able to withstand them."
His gaze turned to Zhao Yi as he suggested, "Tomorrow, quickly organize the soul masters within the city, including those in the military."
"Soul masters are the main force against the wolf bandits. Ordinary people will only sacrifice themselves in vain."
Zhao Yi's expression darkened, and he let out a deep sigh.
When the wolf bandits first appeared, he had already formed a team of soul masters in the city.
But when the soul masters clashed with the wolf bandits and witnessed their ferocity, they were so terrified that they fled Xingnan City one after another.
Currently, most of the remaining soul masters were in the military.
Aside from Zhao Yi and his uncle, who possessed Soul King-level strength, the strongest among the remaining soul masters were only at the Soul Elder level—and there were only two of them.
Even high-soul-rank martial artists would struggle to handle hundred-year-old wolf bandits. It could be said that their ability to hold the city thus far was entirely due to the fearless sacrifices of countless lives.
Understanding the situation, Ning Tianchen lightly patted his shoulder. "Go ahead—you're the city lord, and you must coordinate and command the city's defenses. Rongrong and I will stay on this section of the wall. If we spot any wolf bandits, we'll act immediately."
"Senior, I'm counting on you," Zhao Yi said solemnly, bowing deeply before rushing off to the command camp.
---
Night fell. The sky was dotted with stars, and a full moon hung high above.
The moonlight flickered faintly, and the evening breeze caused the torches on the city walls to sway.
"A full moon night—this isn't good."
Sighing inwardly, Ning Tianchen stood on the city wall, extending his perception fully to search for traces of the wolf bandits outside the city.
As time passed, midnight arrived in the blink of an eye.
Ning Rongrong rubbed her stomach and took out two pieces of dried meat from her soul-guiding tool, offering one to Ning Tianchen. "Big Brother Tianchen, do you want something to eat?"
Ning Tianchen had no appetite and shook his head. "No need. We've brought plenty of dried meat—let's distribute some to the soldiers."
For ordinary people fighting against wolf bandits, the outcome was almost always death. This piece of dried meat might be their last meal.
The city's defenses couldn't rely solely on the regular soldiers. Most of the troops on the walls were civilians hastily recruited.
Due to a shortage of equipment, these civilians weren't even wearing armor. On average, every three people shared a single spear. Many still wielded farming tools.
Before departing, Ning Tianchen had brought a number of concealed weapons from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's storerooms.
But compared to the number of wolf bandits, these weapons were woefully insufficient.
About the time it took to burn a stick of incense later, the soldiers had all eaten their dried meat. Ning Tianchen continued using his perception to locate the wolf bandits.
Not long after, his eyes suddenly snapped open.
"They're here!"
In his perception, the group of wolf bandits wasn't large, but they were scattered in different directions.
Instantly, alarm fires blazed.
The soldiers didn't have time to savor the taste of the dried meat—they quickly drank some water and swallowed it whole.
"Archers, prepare!"
The squad leader shouted, and the crossbows on the city walls were loaded, with archers ready to fire.
Outside the city, the leading wolf bandits, realizing their presence had been exposed, bared their sharp fangs and charged toward the walls like mad beasts.
Ning Tianchen retrieved a flare from his soul-guiding tool.
After lighting it with a tinderbox, he hurled it into the air.
The battlefield was instantly illuminated.
Without hesitation, the soldiers opened fire the moment the wolf bandits were clearly visible.
The hundred-year-old wolf bandits charging at the front line fell under the barrage of concentrated attacks.
The thousand-year-old soul beasts behind them surged forward, launching an even fiercer assault.
The Coiling Dragon Seven Kill Sword appeared in Ning Tianchen's hand. With his right hand forming a sword gesture, he manipulated the Seven Kill Sword to cut down the thousand-year-old wolf bandits.
"You all focus on suppressing them from a distance—I'll deal with the wolf bandits that get too close."
As a Soul Douluo, wiping out thousand-year-old soul beasts was effortless for him.
Meanwhile, the sections of the city walls guarded by Feng Xiaotian and the others also came under attack from the wolf bandits.
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night!
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