Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Liu Kaiyang was stunned for a moment, feeling that the voice sounded somewhat familiar. He then realized that it was the voice of Zhang Xuancang, the city lord!

Two years ago, when the beast tide came, the city lord, in front of the cultivators of Ping Le City, sternly scolded the demon general, speaking with righteous indignation and boosting morale.

Liu Kaiyang remembered the city lord's voice; it was exactly the same as the voice transmission he had just heard.

He immediately looked up at the city lord, who was surrounded by the elders.

The city lord was indeed looking this way, a smile on his lips and a gentle gaze.

Liu Kaiyang had great respect for the city lord and immediately replied telepathically, "I am Liu Kaiyang, a junior official in the city, and I am honored by your inquiry, city lord."

His voice was respectful, but he neither bowed nor answered.

Since the city lord had asked via telepathy, he replied via telepathy in return.

The city lord nodded slightly, looked away, and said nothing more.

A hint of doubt arose in Liu Kaiyang's heart, but he dared not presume to guess the city lord's thoughts. He could only suppress his thoughts and look at the distant surging tide of beasts. In his heart, he was thinking about the "consumptive ghost" senior in the cave. He wondered how well his injuries had recovered.

The surging tide of beasts rolled in, crossing the mountains and rushing into the valley.

Zhang Xuancang suddenly raised his right hand and swung it heavily.

Upon seeing this, the white-haired old man immediately took out a sound transmission talisman, put it to his lips, whispered a few words, and then threw it out.

The sound transmission talisman transformed into a golden streak of light, flew into the city, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

A moment later, the array flags planted along the edge of the city wall suddenly lit up, accompanied by a buzzing sound, and beams of light shot into the sky.

The soldiers and cultivators on the city wall instinctively took two steps back to avoid the dazzling beam of light in front of them.

At this moment, the surging tide of beasts swept across the fields and roads, covering the mountains and plains, and rushed towards the city of Lele.

The ferocious faces of those monsters were already clearly visible: iron wolves covered in black scales, lions with fiery manes, giant elephants taller than ancient trees, and giant spiders with eight legs covered in sharp spikes...

The beasts, who usually fought and devoured each other in a life-or-death struggle, now walked side by side, like a large army in formation, exuding a powerful and eerie sense of harmony.

The cultivators on the city wall reacted swiftly, their energy surging. Some subconsciously summoned their magical artifacts and spirit weapons, but under the watchful eyes of the surrounding cultivators, they gave an embarrassed smile and put them away again.

The soldiers gripped their weapons and shields tightly, veins bulging, lips pressed together, but under the strict military regulations, they dared not utter a word.

The demonic bird was faster, arriving near Ping Le City a step ahead of the beast tide.

Although the Ping Le Army trained daily, they rarely engaged in direct combat with demonic beasts. The overwhelming hordes of demonic birds awakened their fear of the beast tide that occurred two years ago.

A commotion finally broke out on the city wall. A soldier shouted, threw down his weapons and shields, and turned to flee, causing considerable chaos.

Behind the square formation of soldiers were the Qi Refining cultivators who commanded the Ping Le Army.

Seeing this, a murderous glint flashed in their eyes, and they immediately unleashed their magical weapons, beheading the panicked soldiers with a single blow. The bodies fell to the ground, blood gushing out like a fountain, and the surrounding soldiers hurriedly moved away.

"Obey orders, form ranks and meet the enemy, do not panic, those who disobey will be executed without mercy!"

A series of sharp shouts echoed from the city wall, carrying a strong sense of menace.

Headless corpses lay on the ground, their heads rolled off, blood flowing everywhere.

Shocked by this, the chaos in the army immediately subsided, and even though the soldiers were pale with fright, they dared not retreat another step.

These menacing demonic birds arrived before the pillar of light, but suddenly stopped, their ferocious eyes revealing fear, and they halted their advance.

After rising a hundred feet, the pillar of light stopped and rapidly spread to both sides, transforming into thick, pale yellow light curtains that connected together and enveloped the entire city of Ping Le.

The light barrier separated Ping Le City from the demon army, and the cultivators and soldiers finally relaxed, their panic slowly fading.

Liu Kaiyang was not flustered, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the city-protecting formation take shape.

Ping Le City has only one medium-sized spiritual vein to supply the cultivation of thousands of cultivators, and spirit stones are quite scarce.

The city's protective array is never activated on normal days; it is only used when a beast tide arrives and is guarded by cultivators on patrol.

The surging tide of beasts from all directions stopped a hundred feet away from Ping Le City. The continuous fields and neat roads had been completely destroyed under the trampling of the beasts' hooves, leaving behind a scene of utter devastation and chaos.

Above were monstrous birds, below were countless beasts; the demonic aura was intense, soaring straight into the sky, causing the wind and clouds to change color.

At the same time, more than two hundred streaks of light flew in from afar and landed with the demonic bird.

The light faded, revealing the figures of more than a hundred cultivators, all dressed in azure robes embroidered with dragon patterns.

Their expressions were indifferent, looking down at Ping Le City with eyes full of mockery and disdain, yet also revealing a hint of pity, as if they were looking at pigs and sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

The cultivators and soldiers on the city wall stared intently at the more than one hundred cultivators, their eyes bloodshot and their faces full of resentment, but under strict orders, they dared not utter a word of abuse.

The white-haired old man glanced at the hundred or so blue-robed cultivators, then swept his gaze across the boundless tide of beasts. His expression grew increasingly solemn, and a hint of gloom appeared in his eyes.

He transmitted his voice to Zhang Xuancang: "Master, the spiritual energy of the spiritual veins has not yet recovered, and the power of the city-protecting formation has been greatly reduced."

"The beast tide is more than twice as large as before, and the number of demon cult cultivators has also doubled. This time, it seems unlikely to end well..."

Zhang Xuancang remained calm, his three long wisps of beard fluttering in the wind. He looked up at the sky and replied indifferently, "When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it. What is there to fear?"

The white-haired old man remained silent, a deep worry flashing in his eyes.

……

High in the sky, above layers of white clouds, surrounded by fierce winds, the four stood side by side, looking down at Ping Le City.

One of them was lean and wiry, with high cheekbones, narrow eyes, sallow eyebrows, and a cold gaze. He slowly said, "I want to see how Zhang Xuancang escapes this calamity!"

Standing beside him was a burly man, strong and robust, dressed in a blue outfit with long black hair.

The big man laughed heartily: "With Brother She and me working together, how can we not conquer Ping Le City!"

The middle-aged scholar to the left of the burly man frowned, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes. He said indifferently, "Brother Ao, you have quite the generosity to persuade Fellow Daoist Xing to come out of seclusion. It seems that this golden-patterned iron birch branch will belong to Brother Ao."

This man wore a wide robe and had a lean and refined appearance, seemingly a cultured gentleman. However, his pupils were blood red, forming vertical lines, and his gaze was cold and menacing, sending chills down one's spine.

The burly man laughed heartily: "Brother She, you flatter me. I have spent more than sixty years searching for this golden-patterned iron birch branch in order to reforge the magic weapon, but to no avail."

"Unfortunately, Brother She and I discovered this item at the same time. We cannot give way to each other, so we have to ask Elder Xing for help."

As he finished speaking, the last person bowed to the Blood-Piercing Scholar and smiled, saying, "I owe Fellow Daoist Ao a favor. I couldn't refuse Fellow Daoist Ao's invitation, and I hope Fellow Daoist She won't take offense."

This person looked young, appearing to be only around thirty years old. He had a dignified appearance and, like half of the cultivators below, wore a deep blue robe, though the patterns on it were much more elaborate, embroidered with a lifelike dragon.

The Blood-Piercing Scholar said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Xing, you flatter me. Brother Ao and I have already made a bet. Whoever is the first to break through Ping Le City and kill Zhang Xuancang will get the Golden-Patterned Iron Birch Branch."

“Brother Ao is willing to place a large bet to ask Fellow Daoist Xing to take action, which does not violate the bet agreement, so there is nothing wrong with it.”

"However, even though the two of you have joined forces, I will not admit defeat. The outcome is still uncertain."

The burly man's eyes flashed, and he laughed loudly, "Brother She, since you are so confident, why don't you take the lead?"

"If Fellow Daoist Xing and I were to take the field and break through Ping Le City first, Brother She would not have the opportunity to show his skills, which would be unfair."

The Blood-Piercing Scholar's eyes flashed: "Brother Ao is joking. If Brother Ao can break through Ping Le City, that is Brother Ao's skill, and I, She, will naturally admit defeat."

"However, Zhang Xuancang's supernatural power is extraordinary and he is not someone to be trifled with. Otherwise, Ping Le City would not have stood here for three hundred years without falling."

"I will test this person's abilities first. I ask the three of you to cover for me and make sure he doesn't escape."

The burly man's expression turned serious: "Brother She, rest assured, although we have made a bet, dealing with the human race is the priority. How could I, Ao, fail to distinguish between what is important and what is not?"

“If Zhang Xuancang tries to escape, I will stop him, and Brother She will be the victor.”

The yellow-browed cultivator bowed to the two men with clasped hands, revealing a humble expression: "Brother Ao and Brother She think highly of me, allowing me to witness this bet and helping me destroy Ping Le City. I dare not shirk my duty and will never let Zhang Xuan Cang escape."

Elder Xing smiled slightly: "Brother Ao has taken action, how could I, Xing, stand idly by?"

"However, a month ago, a cultist who infiltrated Ping Le City sent back news that the concentration of spiritual energy in the city had suddenly decreased, to about half of what it used to be."

"Then Zhang Xuancang issued an edict, saying that he would intercept half of the spiritual energy to refine magic weapons, intending to use it as leverage to resist stubbornly. Fellow Daoist She should be careful."

The Blood-Piercing Scholar nodded slightly: "Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Xing. I will certainly take precautions."

"But with three fellow Daoists guarding the front, even if Zhang Xuancang has truly refined some kind of magic weapon, it will be useless."

After saying that, he descended in a beam of light, and the other three followed closely behind, arriving below the clouds above Ping Le City.

When the demonic birds surrounding Ping Le City saw the four people arrive, they all retreated, bowing their heads and folding their wings.

The yellow-browed cultivator stared at Zhang Xuancang and said coldly, "Zhang Xuancang, today, Fellow Daoist Ao Lin of the Flood Dragon Clan, Fellow Daoist She Mo of the Blood Serpent Clan, and Fellow Daoist Xing Qianyue, Elder of the Dragon God Sect, have all arrived. Why don't you surrender and open the city gates?"

These words caused a stir on the walls of Ping Le City. From the Core Formation elders to the Qi Refining cultivators, everyone's expression changed drastically.

Even the soldiers, who had been terrified by the killings, were once again in uproar.

This time, the Qi Refining cultivators who joined the Ping Le Army had no intention of carrying out the punishments. They had never heard of these three names, but they knew about the two royal families and the Dragon God Sect. These three were demon generals and Nascent Soul cultivators!

Liu Kaiyang's face was very ugly. He had finally encountered an opportunity and was just waiting for that "consumptive" senior to wake up so that he would have a chance to defy fate.

Ping Le City was met with utter destruction. Could it be that his luck had truly run out after arriving in Ping Le City?
Zhang Xuancang looked around and shouted, "Silence! Even if a royal demon comes here, I, Zhang, will stop him. What are you afraid of?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried throughout the entire city of Ping Le.

The commotion on the city wall subsided somewhat, but it hadn't completely died down. The white-haired old man, his expression grim, roared, "With a formidable enemy before us, no noise is permitted! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

A sharp shout rang out from the city wall, and the restless soldiers and cultivators gradually calmed down.

The white-haired elder then turned and instructed several other Core Formation elders to go to the other two city walls and sternly reprimand them, only then did things calm down.

Zhang Xuancang secretly transmitted his voice to the Core Formation Elder beside him, his voice solemn: "Lang Mou's visit this time is ill-intentioned. I'm afraid Ping Le City cannot be saved."

"I will risk my life to hold off these four. You will lead the cultivators in the city to break out separately. Do not linger. Let as many as you can escape."

The elders' expressions changed drastically. One of them replied urgently via telepathy: "Ping Le City is protected by a city-protecting array, and the city lord has specially crafted a magic weapon for this beast tide."

"As long as we hold our ground and do not come out, even with three demon generals and one Nascent Soul cultivator, they may not be able to do anything to us!"

"Elder Qin is absolutely right, City Lord. We still have the strength to fight, so why should we give up?"

Everyone tried to persuade him through telepathy, but the white-haired old man remained silent, his face ashen.

Zhang Xuancang shook his head slightly: "Since things have come to this, I will not hide it from you anymore. A month ago, the spiritual energy in the city inexplicably decreased. I ordered Huaizhong to investigate, but we could not find the reason."

"In order to appease people, I had to lie and say that I intercepted spiritual energy to refine magical artifacts, but in fact, this did not happen."

"Now that the concentration of spiritual energy has not recovered, the power of the city's protective array based on the spiritual veins has been greatly reduced. As long as these four people attack the city, they will see through the situation and will certainly not hold back."

"The fall of the city is inevitable. There is no need for further discussion. Go and prepare immediately."

"Once I engage those four in battle, I will remove the city's protective array. You can then lead the cultivators to break through and have a chance to escape alive."

A look of astonishment flashed across the eyes of the elders, and then they fell silent.

Zhang Xuancang moved and slowly flew into the sky, arriving in front of the four people, facing each other across the light barrier.

His gaze slowly swept over Ao Lin, She Mo, and Xing Qianyue, and he said coldly, "I, Zhang, have actually managed to get three demon generals and a Nascent Soul cultivator to take action. I can die without regrets. Let's do it."

She Mo sneered: "A mere early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator is no match for me alone."

He waved his hand and shouted, "Attack the city!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried for miles around.

No sooner had the words been spoken than a desolate howl rang out from behind the surging tide of beasts, like a horn of attack. Ten thousand beasts surged forward, covering a distance of a hundred feet, heading straight for Ping Le City.

But the hundred or so blue-robed cultivators remained where they were, standing aside.

Zhang Xuancang was taken aback. He spread his divine sense and covered an area of ​​a hundred miles, only to find that only the monsters in front of this city wall were attacking the city, while the monsters under the other two city walls remained still.

He narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the four people before him: "Are you gambling with Ping Le City?"

She Mo coldly replied, "You do have some insight. Indeed, this city is the bet between me and Brother Ao, and it is bound to be lost."

"If you know what's good for you, you'd better surrender the city sooner rather than later. As long as I can plant a blood restriction on your soul, I can guarantee your survival."

Zhang Xuancang said, word by word, "If I were a coward who fears death, I would have joined the demon cult long ago and become a lackey of the demon race. Why would I wait until now? Bring it on!"

He suddenly raised his voice, which carried far throughout Ping Le City: "Prepare to meet the enemy!"

The elders were taken aback. They couldn't hear the conversation between She Mo and Zhang Xuancang, but they were overjoyed to see Zhang Xuancang change his mind. They immediately scattered and directed the cultivators and the Peaceful Army in the city to meet the enemy.

Zhang Xuancang glanced coldly at the four people, then flicked his sleeves and left, disappearing into the distance.

She Mo watched Zhang Xuancang leave, who was so close to her, but did not stop him.

Although Zhang Xuancang was alone, he was able to withstand the attacks of four or five Nascent Soul cultivators or demon generals by relying on the city's protective formation.

Moreover, the city's protective formation is based on spiritual veins and can be supplied with spiritual energy by spirit stones, making it endlessly regenerating and extremely difficult to break through by force.

Only by first using low-level demonic beasts to deplete the power of the city-protecting formation, and then waiting until it is overwhelmed, can She Mo make his move and possibly break through the formation to take Zhang Xuancang's life.

At this moment, a monstrous bird swooped down from the sky, its dark wings obscuring the sunlight, its shrill cries shaking the air, and a howling wind.

The horde of beasts rushed to the foot of Ping Le City, causing the earth to tremble. Countless monsters climbed up the city walls, so densely packed that they almost completely submerged the walls.

The long tail of the red fox, several meters in size, swayed, and waves of blazing fire surged along the bricks and stones of the city wall.

The toad, covered in pustules, swelled up and spewed out a stream of green venom that rained down onto the light screen of the city's protective array, making a hissing sound.

The centipede quickly climbed to the top of the city wall, opened its sharp mandibles, and bit at the light barrier of the city's protective array, emitting a piercing clang.

The demonic beasts displayed their unique abilities, causing the protective array's light screen to flicker erratically, with tiny cracks appearing, giving the impression that it was on the verge of collapse.

However, the counterattack from the cultivators and the Ping Le Army in the city arrived immediately. Under the command of the Qi Refining cultivators, tens of thousands of martial arts soldiers drew their longbows and shot arrows made of refined steel infused with true qi.

A level one low-ranking demon beast will be injured if hit by it; it will die on the spot after being hit by several arrows.

They made up more than 70% of the beast tide, and many monsters immediately fell off the city wall with cries of pain, only to be trampled into mincemeat by the other monsters that followed.

Thousands of Qi Refining cultivators either unleashed magical artifacts or cast spells, attacking the fearless level 1 mid-tier and level 1 high-tier demonic beasts wielding the Hundred Refined Steel Arrows. Their spiritual light shone brightly, illuminating half the sky.

There were also thousands of Qi Refining cultivators using their lightness techniques to rush over from the other two city walls, giving the beast tide a head-on blow.

This was Zhang Xuancang's order. The Core Formation Elder was quite suspicious of it. Although the beast tide outside the other two city walls showed no signs of attacking the city, the fact that it was not being attacked made people feel even more pressured.

If cultivators are mobilized rashly, they may be taken advantage of by demonic beasts.

However, Zhang Xuancang seemed completely unconcerned that the beast tide would take the opportunity to attack, and mobilized almost all the Qi Refining cultivators to concentrate on this section of the city wall.

The Core Formation Elder still had reservations and left behind several hundred Qi Refining cultivators as a precaution.

Various magical artifacts rose into the air, but the most numerous were flying swords and longswords. This was not because there were many sword cultivators in Ping Le City, but because these magical artifacts were the easiest to forge.

The Foundation Establishment deacons also unleashed their magical weapons, attacking the level two, level three, and level four demonic beasts mixed among the level one demonic beasts.

These demonic beasts numbered in the hundreds, but their demon cores had not yet matured, making them somewhat weaker than cultivators of the same level.

With the city-protecting formation as their support, the Foundation Establishment deacons had no need to worry about their own safety and could act freely, quickly gaining the upper hand.

However, with a continuous stream of demonic beasts surging in, the Foundation Establishment deacons never had a moment's rest and were caught in an endless battle.

Liu Kaiyang wielded a fiery red longsword, slaying a level two iron wolf. His hand seals changed instantly, and the longsword slashed at a level two rock-armored boar that was ramming its tusks against the light barrier.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yu Yunzhou flying in from the other side of the city wall, also wielding a magical weapon and fighting fiercely to kill the demonic beast.

The Core Formation Elders also took action one after another, blocking the level 5 and above demonic beasts that were frantically attacking the light barrier.

However, once a demon beast cultivates to this level, its demon core will undergo a transformation, requiring bloodline support, thus greatly reducing its numbers.

Moreover, not all of the beasts were mobilized; only about half of the monsters attacked the city, and there were even fewer monsters of level five or above, totaling only about twenty.

The dozen or so Core Formation elders were able to easily withstand the attack thanks to the city's protective formation.

The white-haired old man hadn't even made a move yet. He remained beside Zhang Xuancang, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, and whispered, "Why did Master change his mind again?"

Zhang Xuancang looked up at She Mo and the other three, and said coldly, "These four are betting on Ping Le City, so they won't rush in all at once. There's no need to worry for now; they will see through the true nature of the formation."

The white-haired old man was taken aback: "Using Ping Le City as a wager, what does this mean?"

Zhang Xuancang coldly said, "Since you entered the Dao, you have been in Ping Le City. You may not know that some demons will use my human city as a gamble, betting with treasures."

"Afterwards, these demon generals each launched their own beast tides to attack the city. Whoever could break through the city first could take all the bets and have fun with it."

"In addition, there are some demon generals who, due to clan restrictions or other concerns, are unable to directly take action in order to compete for treasures or territory."

"We will also use our human city as a gamble. The winner will return with the treasure, while the loser will be able to plunder some cultivation resources to make up for the loss."

The white-haired old man's expression changed drastically: "The demon race has gone too far!"

A bitter look flashed in Zhang Xuancang's eyes as he slowly said, "The demon race is powerful, while the human race is weak. The reason we are still able to build cities is because we are located in the gap between the eight royal families, in a remote and barren place."

"The cultivators in the city fought desperately, making the demons feel that if they took action, they would suffer more losses than gains. They could only prolong their lives by turning a blind eye."

"Over the years, only Langmou, whose territory borders Pingluo City, has launched occasional beast tides to attack."

"It is quite fortunate that a demon general has finally staked Ping Le City on this."

"I know of a city called Fufeng. It was only established for thirty years before it was attacked by three demon generals in a gamble. They took turns attacking the city, and it fell in three days. Very few people escaped..."

His voice lowered, but his eyes became more resolute: "Ever since I founded Ping Le City, I have been determined to die."

"For more than three hundred years, Ping Le City has stood firm through dozens of beast tides, slaying countless demon beasts and a demon general, thus fulfilling its lifelong ambition."

"Ping Le City will eventually be breached, but before that, we might as well kill as many monsters as possible."

"You secretly search for talented cultivators in the city. I will find an opportunity to hold off these four and create a chance for you to break through."

The white-haired old man's expression changed slightly: "How could a disciple abandon his master!"

Zhang Xuancang said calmly, "I am destined to die, why should you stay and be buried with me?"

"It would be better to preserve my useful body and leave a spark for Ping Le City so that I can kill more monsters in the future."

"Even if I die, I can rest in peace with a smile."

The white-haired old man's eyes dimmed, and he clasped his hands in a bow: "Disciple... obeys!" (End of this chapter)