Although this war was initiated by the Black Dragon Demon King, it had remained entrenched in Blackwater Marsh without showing itself. It wasn't that it lacked the will to sweep down on Luoxia City in one strike and lead the monster hordes to overrun the cultivation world of Great Qi.
From the very beginning, it had never taken Luoxia City seriously. A city without even a single Golden Core cultivator could never hope to halt its advance.
The only reason it held its forces back was its wariness of the Golden Crow Sect and the Heavenly Vein Sect joining hands.
The Ten-Thousand Mountains had no fewer demon kings than the two sects had Golden Core cultivators, but most demon kings were proud and aloof, unwilling to submit to the Black Dragon Demon King's command.
Compared to open war with humans, they preferred guarding their little territories.
Because of this, there was always a shortage of top-tier battle power on the demon side. Thus, the Black Dragon Demon King's plan to wipe out the Great Qi cultivation world had never succeeded.
Unwilling to remain idle, it had continued probing for a thousand years. But it also knew the human cultivators yearned to destroy it, so it chose to remain hidden in the shadows, driving beast tides from behind the scenes, never daring to leave Blackwater Marsh lightly.
This time, however, the provocation of the Blood Demon Cult had drawn the Golden Crow Sect and Heavenly Vein Sect into all-out war, and the Black Dragon Demon King saw a rare opportunity.
But what had made it the longest-lived demon king of the Ten-Thousand Mountains was precisely its caution and suspicion.
Who could guarantee that the sect war wasn't a deliberate play staged by humans?
So it pushed forward the Thundercry Demon King as the vanguard against humanity, while it remained hidden, watching how things would unfold.
Now, a year had passed. Luoxia City was on the brink, yet had received no reinforcements.
Meanwhile, the two sects' war had entered a fever pitch. Their casualties already numbered in the thousands, even Purple Mansion cultivators had fallen, and not long ago, a Golden Core battle had erupted.
Piece by piece, event by event, the Black Dragon Demon King became convinced: this was truly its chance. As long as this outer barrier was breached, the monster horde could instantly flood across the entire southwest of Qi.
At that point, it didn't believe the remaining demon kings would be able to resist the temptation.
Once they joined, the demons would completely dominate the top tier of power, and with that, decide the fate of the world in a single war!
Slowly, the Black Dragon Demon King moved its massive body. For the first time in five hundred years, it stepped out of Blackwater Marsh. Behind it, a tide of a million monsters from the Ten-Thousand Mountains surged forth.
They rolled together like a flood, leaving nothing alive in their wake. Even the ground trembled beneath their passage.
On the blood-soaked city walls, tens of thousands of exhausted cultivators stared blankly at the endless beast tide. For the first time, they truly understood the meaning of despair.
"Hahahaha! Luoxia City will be destroyed today!" the Thundercry Demon King bellowed, his voice like rolling thunder.
Above the heavens, a man in black robes stepped across the sky. His features were no different from a human's, but a jagged dragon horn jutted from his brow, and his entire body radiated an aura that chilled the soul.
Only a demon king could assume human form. And with that single horn, there was no mistaking his identity.
It was the ancient flood dragon who had ruled the Ten-Thousand Mountains for a thousand years, the Black Dragon Demon King!
The instant he appeared, the faces of everyone on the wall went deathly pale.
"It… it came out!" A Foundation Establishment cultivator's legs shook as he cried out in terror.
"Heavens above! Without the Golden Crow Sect, who can stop it?"
"Where is the Grand City Lord? Why hasn't he appeared yet?"
At those words, silence fell across the wall.
Yes, where was the Grand City Lord?
A year of war, and not once had he shown himself.
Once suspicion took root, it spread like a plague.
Some cultivators began shouting directly, questioning Zhan Tianxia. Why hadn't the Grand City Lord appeared until now?
Zhan Tianxia stood with a stern face, eyes fixed forward, as if he hadn't heard them.
But silence did not quell the doubts; it only fanned the flames of anger. We've been fighting and dying on the front lines, and the Grand City Lord has abandoned us!
In that instant, the morale and will that had kept Luoxia City standing for so long began to crumble.
Even the disciples of Luoxia City were shaken. Seeing their fellow cultivators' hopeful, doubtful, and questioning gazes, Zhuang Yuechan bit her lip hard, her delicate body trembling.
She knew they were all waiting for an answer. Or at least a reason they could accept.
But she had none.
For the truth was, Mu Guibai had indeed vanished from the very beginning of the war.
As his disciple, she would forever trust her master. But she could not erase the doubts of others.
Words were powerless against cold reality.
Taking a deep breath, Zhuang Yuechan straightened her back, met those expectant eyes, and declared:
"Behind us lies our home, the place we live and survive. We have nowhere left to retreat. I will fight shoulder to shoulder with all of you until death!"
"At this point, we have no other choice," Xu Yunhe said as he slowly rose, his gaze resolute. Since he had chosen to stay, he would not take a single step back. A sword may break, but it must never bow in fear.
On everyone's faces, a tragic determination surfaced. Perhaps today, they would be buried together with this city…
The Black Dragon Demon King looked down from above at the shattered Luoxia City, a flicker of emotion crossing its eyes. After five hundred years, it had finally set foot once more in human territory.
"My King, when shall we begin the attack?" The Thundercry Demon King, now in the form of a burly man in short robes, asked in his booming voice.
"I'll give you one hour. I don't want to see this city standing after that." The Black Dragon Demon King's tone was icy.
"As you command, My King!" A cruel smile spread across Thundercry's scarred face. He had been waiting for this moment far too long.
Demonic winds howled as Thundercry reverted to his true form and lunged toward Luoxia City, with a million beasts thundering behind him.
The earth quaked. The skies went dark.
Like a raging sea, the beast tide surged forward, intent on drowning Luoxia City completely…
Far away, atop a mountain range ten thousand miles from the battlefield, a middle-aged man with stubble on his chin held a wine gourd in one hand. He let out a long sigh.
"Luoxia City is finished."
The woman beside him sneered coldly.
"Good. Let them all die."
The man shook his head slowly.
"Every single soul in Luoxia City is worthy of respect. They are heroes of Great Qi."
"Heroes?" The woman's voice dripped with scorn. "Have you forgotten who you once were? You've killed plenty from Luoxia City yourself."
The man fell silent at that, raising his gourd instead. Wordlessly, he tipped it back and drank deep, one swallow after another…
On the battlefield, despair spread like wildfire. Some were prepared to fight to the death, while others abandoned resistance altogether, resigned to await their fate.
Just then, the world seemed to fall utterly silent.
A strand of zither music drifted out of nowhere, reaching every ear. Fear in their hearts ebbed away, replaced by a deep, inexplicable calm.
Even Thundercry staggered under its influence. For a moment, he seemed to see a sword descending from the heavens, and knew that if he dared take one more step, that blade would sever his head.
The beast tide, vast as the sea, suddenly halted in unison. The mysterious melody bound them in place as though by invisible chains.
Seeing this bizarre scene, the Black Dragon Demon King frowned, cursing under its breath.
"Fool!"
It stepped forward, its face half-twisting into the hideous visage of a dragon's head. Then came a roar that shook the heavens.
"ROARRRR!"
The might of a flood dragon spread, and Thundercry, along with the entire horde, broke free from the zither's spell.
Shame and fury replaced Thundercry's fear. A Demon King brought low by nothing more than an intolerable melody!
"Who is it? Show yourself!" Thundercry bellowed furiously.
"Silence, fool." The Black Dragon Demon King shot him a withering glare, then turned toward the void where the music had come from. Its voice was low and cold.
"So, you've broken through to the Golden Core as well. But you never should have come here. Against me, your strength is meaningless."
"Are you suggesting I should cower in the Blackwater Marsh like you, clinging to life in hiding?"
The voice was calm, almost gentle. A figure emerged from afar, walking through the sky itself.
He was clad in snow-white robes, a purple-gold crown on his head. Before him floated a jade zither, its strings still trembling with sound.
The moment he appeared, Luoxia City erupted in cheers.
"It's the Grand City Lord!"
"He's walking the skies, he's broken through to the Golden Core!"
"We're saved! The city is saved!"
At last, the taut lines on Zhan Tianxia's face loosened. Finally. It had worked. At last, he could breathe.
No one knew the crushing pressure he had borne this past year. He alone in the city had known of Mu Guibai's whereabouts, and for months, he had feared it was already too late. Yet in the end, Mu Guibai had returned.
Tears welled in Zhuang Yuechan's eyes. She had always believed her master would never abandon Luoxia City, never abandon them.
Even Xu Yunhe's eyes lit with hope, though his heart remained heavy. Yes, the Grand City Lord had broken through to Golden Core, but how could a fresh Golden Core cultivator possibly stand against the Black Dragon Demon King, who was at the very peak of the Fourth Rank?
"You're seeking death." The Black Dragon Demon King's face darkened, its monstrous aura surging forth, crashing toward Mu Guibai.
But Mu Guibai stood tall and unmoved, his voice calm and steady.
"I am indeed not your match. But I am not the one you'll be fighting today."
As soon as the words fell, the Black Dragon Demon King was gripped by an overwhelming sense of danger.
Driven by instinct, it tried to retreat at once.
But it was already too late. Beams of golden light rained down from the heavens, cutting off its escape.
From within those lights, one figure after another stepped forth, each one causing the Black Dragon Demon King's eyelids to twitch violently.
"Su Ding… Chen Zhongfang… Bai Zimo… Shi Potian… Bai Yan.
So, the five of you were acting all along. Truly, a fine performance!" The Black Dragon Demon King's face turned dark as ink. Cautious all its life, and yet today, it had still capsized in the gutter.
But while its heart sank, the people of Luoxia City erupted with joy.
Those five figures were none other than the entirety of the Golden Core Real Persons from the two great sects of Great Qi. Among them, Su Ding himself stood at the very pinnacle, a cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core realm!
He alone was enough to match the Black Dragon Demon King, let alone joined by the other four.
In an instant, the tides of battle had reversed!
"Old serpent, today is the day you die!" Su Ding gazed down upon the Black Dragon Demon King with cold eyes. To lure it out of the Blackwater Marsh, they had sacrificed far too much.
"You think you've already won? Thundercry, split up, break through!" The Black Dragon Demon King bellowed, transforming back into its true form and lunging straight toward Bai Yan, the weakest among the five.
At the same time, Thundercry abandoned his entire beast horde without hesitation, fleeing toward the direction of the Ten-Thousand Mountains.
If the Black Dragon Demon King could keep the five Golden Core masters occupied, then Thundercry had a real chance of escaping.
But just as Thundercry surged forward, a figure materialized in his path; it was none other than Mu Guibai.
"You think you can stop me? Die!" Thundercry roared, unleashing a torrent of lightning tens of thousands of feet long.
Mu Guibai remained calm, raising his hand. A streak of light shot out from Tianyin Mountain, falling neatly into his grasp, a slender longsword.
This was the only spirit treasure left behind by Luoxia City's founding ancestor. For centuries, it had been nurtured in Tianyin Mountain, and now, for the first time in a thousand years, it was unsheathed.
"Today, let us drink the blood of a Demon King together."
Mu Guibai whispered, then charged forward, sword in hand, clashing with Thundercry in midair.
Meanwhile, the Black Dragon Demon King was already locked in battle with the five Golden Core masters. Divine powers clashed, immortal light filled the skies, and within tens of thousands of miles, heaven and earth alike became their battlefield.
Mountains crumbled. Rivers broke. Countless beasts were crushed to powder under the shockwaves. The once-mighty beast horde scattered in chaos, their arrogance erased, replaced by scenes of utter apocalypse.
Then, suddenly, rumbling booms echoed from beyond Luoxia City.
Everyone turned their heads only to witness a sight that would remain etched into their memories for life.
One after another, enormous flying ships, their sails billowing wide, swept forward, blotting out the sky. On their decks stood cultivators in neat rows, each exuding an aura vast and overwhelming.
"It's the Golden Crow Sect and the Heavenly Vein Sect's warships!" someone cried, pointing at the symbols painted across the sails.
"In such numbers… could it be the two sects have emptied their entire strength?" Xu Yunhe stared in disbelief. Weren't the two sects at war with each other? Why then had they suddenly appeared here, on the borderlands?
With their reinforcements arriving, Su Ding and the others deliberately shifted the battlefield higher into the skies.
From the warships, cultivators shot forth one after another. In coordination with the massive skyships, they launched a one-sided slaughter against the fleeing beast tide.
The blood mist rose so high that it stained the heavens crimson.
This day was not the end of Luoxia City. It was the end of the demon clans of the Ten-Thousand Mountains.
After shattering the beast tide with ease, the two sect armies did not stop. Instead, they pressed forward fearlessly, charging into the Ten-Thousand Mountains themselves, sweeping through as if no one could stand in their way.
From the city walls, the people watched, their hearts surging with pride and hope. For a thousand years, the beast tides had battered at the cultivation world of Great Qi. But today, for the first time, the human armies had taken the offensive into the Ten-Thousand Mountains.
It was a day that would be remembered as the turning of an age.
And they were not just witnesses, but participants.
That day, the Black Dragon came with a million under its command. But the humans broke them all.
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