Chapter Eighteen: Defense of Ximen

  On the third day, at dawn, the tide of evil descended. Above the Xingxiang Fortress, a bright moon rose high in the sky, its silver light spreading far and wide, enveloping the surrounding hundred miles.

  Rumble! Rumble! The earth began to shake, and on the horizon, a dark shadow surged forward, a disaster that swallowed up the world, once again swept in.

  Inside the Xiangbao Manor, on the main seat of the manor lord, a stunning beauty sat high above. Hai Mingyue, one of the top ten Dan masters of the Hai family and also one of the top ten fairy ladies of the Tian Ce Fu.

  However, at this moment, the Moon Goddess who was admired by countless people had a solemn expression on her face as she looked at her subordinates who were sitting down with flushed faces.

  "This time's tide of monsters is more than before, what should we do?"

  "What else can we do? When soldiers come, we stop them; when water comes, we dam it. Can't our thousand-year-old foundation of Xiangxiang Fortress withstand this demonic tide?"

  "But don't forget that 'Jade Dragon Pearl' was taken back to the Sea Old Castle by the three elders! Our main formation is now weaker by 30%!"

  "Castle owner, how can you lend out the Dragon Pearl during the arrival of the demon tide."

  "What's with the borrowing! The Dragon Ball was originally from Sea Old Castle!"

  ……

  "Enough!" Hai Mingyue's cold rebuke, the authority of a Dan-building stage master, instantly quieted the entire room. "Qinxiang Fortress has a thousand years of history, what danger haven't we faced? In the past, without the Huálóng Pearl, our ancestors guarded through the most difficult founding war. Now, as their descendants, with resources and population several times that of back then, I have confidence in crossing this calamity."

  She glanced around, and one by one, her subordinates lowered their heads in shame.

  "As before, each of you make good preparations for battle. Maintain contact with each other, ensure the formation is solid, and have the law enforcement team and demon-hunting team ready to resist."

  "Yes!"

  Only Hai Mingyue and Hai Jia's daughter, Hai Youchan, were left.

  Hai Mingyue looked at Hai Youcai with concern and asked solemnly:

  "Young Zhen, are you really not going back through the portal?"

  "Auntie, I'm not leaving, I want to help you." Hai Youcao replied firmly.

  Hai Mingyue nodded and didn't press the issue further.

  "Alright! Have it your way! You are the hope of the Hai family, and sooner or later you will have to face the demonic tide personally."

  ……

  Heaven and earth, all are monsters.

  Compared with the demonic tide Chen Yuan had seen in the manor, this was simply not on the same level of horror.

  The entire Xiangxiang Fortress was surrounded by a vast expanse of demonic beasts, with dark flying creatures filling the sky and herds of elephants, tigers, leopards... all sorts of beasts running wildly.

  Everyone who sees such a scene will have their heart beating abnormally violently, some are fearful, while others are excited.

  Chen Yuan didn't know how many demon beasts had arrived in this wave of demons, but in an instant he felt that the number of demon beasts was more than all the people in Qingxiang Fortress.

  "The West Gate has been breached!" A mournful howl, a long wail to the heavens, brought terror to the entire fortress. The old and young, women and children of Xiangxiangbao began to retreat in the streets.

  A woman in white stood in mid-air, holding a sword of law and shouting: "Men of the Qin Xiang Fortress, let's take an oath together to guard our home."

  "Yes!"

  The whole city responded simultaneously, and almost all those with fighting capacity rushed towards the west gate.

  Such a life-and-death battle, apart from the fear of death, there is also hot blood burning.

  Chen Yuan stepped out of his resting inn, and he was asked to watch the demon beast destroy this fortress. Obviously, he couldn't do it.

  Joining the crowd, Chen Yuan rushed towards the west gate.

  Roar!

  A mighty roar of a beast, a giant mountainous bull crashed through the city wall, its deafening bellow sent countless people flying.

  "Abomination! You will die!" The white-robed woman in mid-air shouted loudly, her long sword falling straight down, a blue sword aura flashing, astonishing the four seats.

  But the mountain-conquering cow was no ordinary monster, its head turned towards the sky and with a flick, its demonic energy shot up to counter the sword's rainbow.

  A fourth-level demonic beast and a Foundation Establishment cultivator were engaged in an intense battle together, it was no longer an area that people below the Foundation Building stage could approach.

  Apart from the giant Minotaur, various monsters also surged in at the gate, and a great melee erupted.

  In the sky, the main halo is still there.

  Legal light turned into a shock, shooting and killing flying birds in the sky.

  A squadron of flying beast knights from Aquafall Castle cooperated with the main army to resist the aerial assault by the flying beasts, alleviating the pressure on the ground.

  "Silver Snake Plucks Starry Sky!" Chen Yuan held the Qing Shui sword in one hand and stretched out the other, as Silver Snake shot out, instantly killing a burrowing wave. Chen Yuan activated the Lian Yao Shen Jue, instantly obtaining over ten demonic spirits.

  "This can't go on! That Xiangxiang Castle Lord, although her cultivation is high, she's not an Array Master!" Chen Yuan swept his gaze across the battlefield. For now, the human cultivators outnumbered them and temporarily blocked the demon beasts at the entrance. However, the battle between Xiangxiang Castle Lord and the Mountain Confining Ox grew more intense, with the area of destruction expanding. From Xiangxiang Castle Lord's sword-based fighting style, Chen Yuan had already discerned that she wasn't an Array Master.

  Seeing these young people being bitten to death by the demon beast, Chen Yuan no longer hesitated and shouted loudly: "Qinxiang Baozhu, I am a second-level array master. I will lead the mountain cow away and set up an array to block the western gate!"

  Hai Mingyue, who was in a dilemma, heard this and suddenly lit up his eyes. The sword in his hand transformed into the Wujisheng Sword, and with one slash, the body of the Mountain Confining Cow, which weighed over 100 tons, was split and flew hundreds of feet away, instantly leaving the west city entrance and flying to a residential area that had already been evacuated.

  The massive body of the mountain captive cow disappeared, followed by a vast number of demonic beasts rushing in.

  Chen Yuan had already begun to urge on the Tiger Elephant Troop after shouting out his voice.

  The monsters rushed in, and a loud roar shook heaven and earth.

  Wow!

  Five tigers and an elephant stood at the forefront of the gap, facing the impact of thousands of demonic beasts.

  Tiger Elephant Formation, a second-level formation. In the past six months, apart from the City Protection Great Array and the Heaven Fire Earth Frost Great Array, this is the strongest battle array that Chen Yuan has mastered.

  "Five Tigers Pounce and Kill!"

  The five fingers move together, and the five tigers start killing.

  A third-class demonic beast was instantly torn into five pieces by sharp claws and died miserably on the ground.

  "The boundary of Shanshi Town!" But Chen Yuan didn't have a moment to rejoice, because even more demonic beasts were approaching him.

  He quickly activated his formation, borrowing the divine power of Huang Shan's heavenly gift, summoning the most powerful spell.

  A ten-zhang giant stele condensed in the sky and fell instantly.

  Rumble!

  Dozens of monsters were crushed into meat sauce, with blood splashing wildly.

  Chen Yuan's formation held strong, drawing in nearly two-thirds of the demonic beasts to attack. The remaining beasts that were not within his formation's range posed little threat to the cultivators of Qingxiang Fortress, as most were cut down by chaotic sword strikes once they charged in.

  Just as they were watching the West Gate's breach being slowly contained, a deafening explosion suddenly shook the sky.

  Boom!

  The entire land was shaking again, Chen Yuan stumbled, and the five tigers he controlled were also affected. If he hadn't pulled them back in time, they would have been killed by the demon beast.

  "What's going on?" Chen Yuan was shocked and looked up, only to see the evil crocodile that had been chasing him hovering in the sky above. It was just now that it had struck the protective city array with its tail.

  At the same time, a mournful cry echoed from behind.

  "Jinmen Village has been breached!"

  "The Watergate Villa has been breached!"

  "The Five Elements Formation is missing two elements and is about to collapse!"

  ……

  A bleak atmosphere spread throughout the Xiangxiang Fortress, and Chen Yuan could already feel that the people behind him had lost their will to fight.

  If they continue on like this, they will probably be powerless against the demonic beasts.

  Chen Yuan immediately shouted in anger:

  "Our home is still here, our parents and children are still here, how can we lose our will to fight? As a man, let's stand together with me to guard the gap."

  A loud shout, stirring up the blood of many men. Many people grasped their weapons tightly, with determination on their faces, showing a strong and unyielding spirit.

  "Come on, you beasts! I haven't killed enough yet!"

  "My home, my family, I'm here to protect!"

  "Kill! Kill! Kill! For our home, for our family!"

  ……

  The crowd's emotions were running high, and the battle continued to erupt. The fight at Ximen became even more intense, but the impact of the demon beasts was too great, and except for Chen Yuan holding his ground, the other cultivators could not break through.

  Chen Yuan's Tiger Elephant Formation was also beginning to collapse, and two of the five White Silver Tigers had already been killed by the demonic beasts and turned into a pile of scattered bones.

  The beast array was destroyed, and the person in control of the array suffered a backlash, with two long needles piercing through his brain, causing Chen Yuans soul to scatter in agony.

  Chen Yuan bit his tongue and fresh blood entered his throat, the bloody taste making him feel a little more clear-headed.

  "Now the situation can only be revived by summoning the power of the demon's soul again!" Chen Yuan saw that the cultivators were starting to retreat step by step, and he was forced to make a final desperate move.

  The power of the demon's soul is extremely harmful to the human body, with no benefits whatsoever. Last time it was used, some fundamental damage was already done, and if used again, it may lead to self-destruction, cutting off one's own future.

  "Past? Future? Both must be lived through before they can be discussed! The power of a hundred demon spirits, explode!"

  A low growl rumbled from the bottom of his heart, and the Yin-Yang Cultivation Technique detonated the accumulated demonic energy within his body. In an instant, Chen Yuan's body erupted with a massive surge of demonic power, rivaling that of a fourth-level demon beast. However, this came at the cost of immense pain as his entire body was invaded by the demonic energy. This time, it wasn't just his arm that broke out in festering boils - his face also instantly swelled up with painful blisters, distorting his features into a grotesque visage.

  "Huangshan Xiang strikes!" With a vast and powerful aura surrounding him, Chen Yuan's true energy was sufficient to control the movement of Huangshan Xiang. As soon as the giant elephant moved, countless stone arrows fell from the sky in an instant.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Jian Shi's sharp blade swept across, and another dozen or so demonic beasts were killed. The Yellow Mountain Elephant also began to attack the demonic beasts, its trunk sweeping across, sending a group of demonic beasts flying, and with one stomp of its leg, it could crush out a meat pie.

  "Follow me and kill!" Chen Yuangao shouted, his killing intent soaring, the demon's spirit entering his body, his aura filling to the brim. Chen Yuan's mind was affected, his eyes turning blood red.

  "Kill him!"

  The monks saw the giant elephant wreak havoc and took advantage of the opportunity to launch a counterattack from the gap.

  The giant elephant swept across, and under the influence of the demon energy, it was still at the half-step Jiedan period's strength. The remaining three tigers were also affected by the demon energy, their attacks becoming even more ferocious.

  Kill! One by one, the demon beasts turned into corpses, and their demonic souls were absorbed into Chen Yuan's body. To maintain the power of Huangshan Xiang, he would detonate ten demonic souls every now and then to replenish his strength. As the cultivators counterattacked, the demon beasts were forced out of the city gate, and Chen Yuan decisively transferred 500 demonic souls into the Jade Tablet, exchanging them for a single "Thunderbolt Seed".

  Third-level disposable artifact, after use produces a massive explosion, comparable to a single strike of the Condensation Period.

  With a flick of his wrist, Lei Zi appeared in his hand. He swung his arm and threw it into the midst of the demonic beasts.

  Boom!

  In an instant, fierce flames burst forth, and over a hundred demonic beasts perished instantly, their flesh torn apart, blood splattering everywhere, the shockwave immense.

  Flames burn, hundreds of demonic beasts die miserably. Chen Yuan stands on the head of a giant elephant, stretches out his hand and grabs, countless demonic spirits are absorbed into his body.

  His entire body was stained red with blood, and due to the invasion of evil energy, his whole body emitted a bloody red glow, which was terrifying beyond measure.

  "This person... who is this? So amazing!"

  "He... he won't go mad, will he?"

  ……

  The deeply hidden Xiangbao monks were all frightened by Chen Yuan. Looking at the huge flame ball, their hearts were racing with fear.

  "Damn it! Die!" Meanwhile, in the distance, Jie Dan's battle with the fourth-level demon beast was also coming to an end.

  Ouch!

  A mournful bellow announced that the mountain captive had been slaughtered.

  The lord of the Xiangxiang Fortress, Hai Mingyue, was covered in blood and wore tattered clothes. He held a sword that shone like moonlight in one hand and the massive head of the Mountain Confining Cow in the other. Standing atop the fortress, he declared to all: "The Mountain Confining Cow is dead, let the counterattack begin!"

  The law sound spread throughout the fortress, inspiring all who resisted.

  The morale was boosted again, and the monks were no longer afraid, crazily charging towards the monster.

  After Xi Men was bombed by Chen Yuan's thunderbolt, the raging flames completely blocked Xi Men. Not to mention that the demon beast couldn't rush in, even the cultivators couldn't rush over.

  Chen Yuan was now sitting cross-legged on the giant elephant, with black and white energies surrounding his body, using the Yin-Yang Cultivation Technique to suppress the evil energy within him.

  Hai Mingyue glanced at Chen Yuan on the giant elephant and confirmed that Ximen was temporarily safe, then flew straight up to the sky and turned to fight against the evil crocodile.