Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

puff!
Liu Kaiyang wielded his fiery red longsword, beheading an unknown level-two withered yellow mantis monster. He then sheathed his sword, tapped his foot, and retreated.

Immediately, another Foundation Establishment deacon stepped forward, raised his hand and summoned a spiritual weapon to attack the demonic beasts surging onto the city wall.

Liu Kaiyang looked at the fiery red longsword that had landed in his hand. Its spiritual light was dim, and there were several nicks on the blade. He couldn't help but sigh softly.

But he couldn't care less about the loss of his magical artifact. He put the fiery red longsword into his storage bag, took out two mid-grade fire spirit stones, gripped them tightly in both hands, sat cross-legged on the city wall, and circulated his cultivation technique to restore his true essence.

Not far from him, Yu Yunzhou sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, holding two mid-grade water spirit stones tightly in his hands, also meditating to regulate his breathing and recover his true essence.

The beast tide siege had lasted for three days and three nights, and Liu Kaiyang had also been fighting hard on the city wall for three days and three nights. This was the second time he had exhausted his true energy.

The next day, he discovered Yu Yunzhou's whereabouts. The two immediately joined forces to kill the monsters, watch over each other, and safely passed through several fairy realms.

Liu Kaiyang killed dozens of level-two demonic beasts, and together with Yu Yunzhou and other Foundation Establishment deacons, killed several level-three demonic beasts. Even the sturdy, fiery red longsword was damaged.

Although this spiritual artifact is only of low grade, it was carefully selected by Liu Kaiyang. It is of excellent quality among low-grade spiritual artifacts and is extremely compatible with his cultivation technique, making it very easy to use.

He originally planned to refine it again after cultivating to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, upgrading it to a mid-grade spiritual weapon as his natal spiritual weapon.

But the crimson longsword was already damaged after only three days of the beast tide, and it was uncertain whether it could last until the tide ended...

Liu Kaiyang suppressed all his thoughts and focused on absorbing spiritual energy.

However, on the city wall, there were dozens of Foundation Establishment deacons who had exhausted their true essence and were also recovering their true essence, competing with him for the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

There were even more Qi Refining cultivators who had exhausted their magical power, numbering in the hundreds.

However, their magical power is weak, so their recovery speed is much faster.

Half an hour later, the two mid-grade spirit stones exhausted their spiritual energy and turned into powder.

Liu Kaiyang's true essence had only recovered by half. He frowned, took out two more mid-grade fire spirit stones, and continued to circulate his cultivation technique.

The city lord once issued an edict stating that the spiritual energy concentration in Ping Le City had been halved because he had intercepted it to refine magical artifacts to resist the beast tide.

But now that the beast tide has arrived, the concentration of spiritual energy has not yet recovered and is still only half of what it used to be.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to specifically take out a mid-grade spirit stone to restore his true essence.

Liu Kaiyang used all the mid-grade spirit stones in his hand to buy the Three-in-One Pill, leaving him with only three, which he was reluctant to use to restore his true essence.

The spirit stones he is currently using were a gift from the city lord.

After the beast tide began, the city lord ordered his men to retrieve a large number of spirit stones from the treasury, and all the cultivators who resisted the beast tide received several stones every day.

Qi Refining cultivators receive low-grade spirit stones, while Foundation Establishment deacons receive mid-grade spirit stones.

Although Liu Kaiyang's cultivation level was not high, he focused on honing his foundation, resulting in a profound and powerful true essence. When wielding the fiery red longsword, its power was significantly greater than that of other cultivators of the same level.

The number of demonic beasts he killed was among the highest of cultivators of the same level, and he received a considerable amount of spirit stones, receiving six or seven every day.

However, the beast tide was too fierce, and in order to recover his true energy, he had to consume four or five pieces every day, so he didn't have much left.

But at this critical juncture of life and death, Liu Kaiyang couldn't care less about saving spirit stones; he only wanted to save his life.

Although Ping Le City is protected by a defensive formation, it is inevitable that gaps and weaknesses will appear under the continuous onslaught of thousands of demonic beasts.

Over the past three days, hundreds of demonic beasts, at least level one high-ranking demonic beasts, have stormed into the formation, causing considerable chaos.

Hundreds of Ping Le soldiers were caught off guard and died in the mouths of the monsters.

Dozens of Qi Refining cultivators also died, mostly because they lacked combat experience, thought the formation was unbreakable, were greedy for merit and acted rashly, and were killed by the demonic beasts that rushed into the formation.

Some Foundation Establishment elders were killed or wounded, but the number was much smaller, less than ten, while none of the Core Formation elders were injured.

The number of slain monsters was in the tens of thousands, their corpses piled up like a mountain at the foot of Ping Le City's walls, the stench of blood filling the air and making people nauseous.

The beast tide siege lasted for three days and three nights, but Ping Le City remained impregnable. This victory greatly boosted the morale of the Ping Le army.

Many Qi Refining cultivators were also invigorated, seizing this rare opportunity to bravely slay demons in exchange for generous rewards of spirit stones.

But seeing this scene, Liu Kaiyang felt a sense of unease rising in his heart.

Most of the other Foundation Establishment deacons also had solemn expressions, showing no excitement at the results of the battle.

The beast tide of two years ago was still vivid in Liu Kaiyang's mind. He clearly remembered that the attack in the first three days was far less fierce than this one.

The monster army in this beast tide seemed to disregard their own lives, displaying unparalleled ferocity. In just three days, they caused considerable casualties in Ping Le City, far exceeding the previous one.

But this was just the beginning. Half of the demon beast army and more than a hundred demon cult cultivators were still eyeing the city from outside.

When they also join the siege, how will Ping Le City defend itself?
Liu Kaiyang's thoughts were in turmoil, but he was just a minor Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his words carried little weight.

He could only bury this thought in his heart, recover his true energy as soon as possible, and try his best to survive the beast tide.

……

Another day passed, and suddenly She Mo raised his hand, and a desolate long howl came from behind the demon beast army.

The demonic beast army, which was fiercely attacking the city's protective formation, suddenly stopped its offensive after hearing the desolate howl, leaving behind a pile of corpses, and retreated like a tide.

The cultivators and soldiers fighting fiercely on the city wall were all stunned. Suddenly, someone shouted, "The beast tide has retreated! The beast tide has retreated!"

The silent city walls were set ablaze, and the soldiers raised their weapons and cheered loudly. The soldiers on the other three city walls were inspired and also raised their arms in cheers, which spread almost throughout the entire city.

Cultivators value composure and do not shout casually, but they always have a smile on their face.

The Qi Refining cultivator in charge of the Ping Le Army reprimanded his soldiers to remain calm, but he only laughed and scolded them a couple of times without actually getting angry.

After resisting the beast tide for three days and three nights, the cultivators in the city were exhausted and unwilling to fight any longer.

Many Foundation Establishment deacons also breathed a sigh of relief. They were under even greater pressure than Qi Refining cultivators, and now they finally had a chance to catch their breath.

Liu Kaiyang sheathed his fiery red longsword, looked at the retreating beast tide, his brows furrowed, and a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Although the demon army suffered heavy casualties, it was not insurmountable, yet it suddenly retreated, which was truly unexpected.

He turned to look at the Core Formation Elder and the refined cultivator in the sky, but saw that they all had solemn expressions, which made his heart sink.

In the sky, She Mo turned to Ao Lin beside him and said, "Brother Ao, Ping Le City is well-defended and difficult to breach in a short time. Now it's up to you to decide what to do."

A hint of surprise flashed in Ao Lin's eyes: "This offensive has only lasted for three days, and the city's protective formation has already shown a breach. Why don't you personally take action and break through the formation in one fell swoop, Brother She?"

She Mo said calmly, "Brother Ao is joking. Ping Le City has survived dozens of beast tides without falling. How could the city's protective formation be so fragile?"

"Who knows if Zhang Xuancang deliberately revealed a flaw? Why should I waste my efforts?"

"If Brother Ao feels confident that he can break the formation, he might as well give it a try with Fellow Daoist Xing. I will be watching closely."

Upon hearing this, Lang Mou, who was standing to the side, looked somewhat embarrassed and lowered his head slightly.

He was responsible for repelling the beast tides that Ping Le City had blocked.

But Lang Mou did not refute it. In front of She Mo, who came from one of the eight royal families, he was still slightly inferior.

Ao Lin turned to look at Zhang Xuancang, a fierce glint in his eyes: "Then let me see just how powerful this magic weapon that Zhang Xuancang specially crafted for this beast tide really is!"

After saying that, he silently moved his lips a few times, and a long howl came from afar, which was different from the howl before and was more profound.

Beneath the other two city walls, the demonic beast army that had been staying in place seemed to be suddenly awakened from its slumber upon hearing this long howl, and roared as it charged toward the city walls.

The surging tide of beasts slowly rose, then grew faster and faster, causing the earth to tremble. The demonic energy, like the wind, crashed into Ping Le City.

The cheers on the city wall came to an abrupt halt. Soldiers and cultivators stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the surging army of demonic beasts.

The white-haired old man shouted sternly, "Form ranks to meet the enemy! There must be no mistakes! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

He then turned to the other Core Formation elders: "Quickly allocate manpower to resist the beast tide!"

The Core Formation elders nodded emphatically, then descended into their escape light, directing the Foundation Establishment deacons and Qi Refining cultivators to head towards the other two city walls.

The section of the city wall where Liu Kaiyang was located happened to be under Elder Shi's jurisdiction. He descended in a flash of light and shouted sternly, "The beast tide attack has started again! Follow me!"

Having said that, he turned and flew away swiftly and decisively, without any hesitation.

Liu Kaiyang immediately mounted his escape light and followed closely behind.

The other Foundation Establishment deacons were a step behind and quickly followed.

As for the Ping Le Army and Qi Refining cultivators, they could only run along the city wall under the command of a few Foundation Establishment deacons who were in charge of the Ping Le Army.

Fortunately, Ping Le City had extensive experience in dealing with beast tides and was well-prepared for such situations. The three city walls were built to be extremely wide, making it very convenient for people to pass through each other.

The Qi Refining cultivators and martial arts soldiers could also use lightness techniques or lightness skills, making them extremely fast. They arrived at the position in time before the demon beast army climbed the city wall.

Liu Kaiyang followed Elder Shi to another part of the city wall, where he unleashed his fiery red longsword, whose spiritual light was growing dimmer, and slashed at a level-two purple-feathered buzzard that was falling from the sky.

The great battle has resumed, and the atmosphere that had just relaxed a little has once again been replaced by a grim atmosphere.

However, this half of the demon beast army was not much stronger than the previous half, and it was still stopped by the cultivators and soldiers of Ping Le City.

Above the sky, Lang Mou watched as one demonic beast after another died. His pale yellow eyebrows trembled slightly, and a hint of heartache flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly overshadowed by hatred.

These demonic beasts were all gathered by him from his own territory. Among them were many demonic beasts that he had high hopes for, with the potential for their demonic cores to transform and grow into level five demonic beasts, serving as capable assistants.

But just two years ago, he launched a beast tide.

Now that another beast tide has been launched, there are not enough low-level monsters, so they have no choice but to exhaust all resources to catch them.

Lang Mou did this out of desperation. Ao Lin and She Mo had their eyes on Ping Le City and wanted to use it as a gamble to determine the ownership of the Golden-Patterned Iron Birch Branch.

Faced with their request, how could a demon general from a remote place dare to refuse? He could only agree. It was impossible for the two to travel thousands of miles to gather low-level demon beasts from their own territories to besiege Ping Le City; Lang Mou had to make the preparations.

However, as the witness to this bet, he received a lot of treasures from the two of them, which was enough to offset the loss of the low-level demon beasts and also made the two of them owe him a favor.

Most importantly, Lang Mou's territory borders Ping Le City, and the cultivators in the city have been hunting down the demonic beasts under his command, gradually encroaching on his territory, which is a thorn in his side.

Moreover, Lang Mou's younger brother, Lang Liao, another demon general of the Iron Wolf clan, died at the hands of Zhang Xuancang, which made him hate Zhang Xuancang to the bone.

Now that we finally have the opportunity to break through Ping Le City, kill Zhang Xuancang, and avenge Lang Liao, even if there are some losses, it doesn't matter.

Seeing that the demon beast army was not very effective, Ao Lin turned to Xing Qianyue and cupped his hands in greeting: "I would like to ask Fellow Daoist Xing to have the members of the Divine Sect join the attack."

Xing Qianyue smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Ao, you flatter me. The mission of the Divine Sect members is to fight for the Flood Dragon Clan. Today, they are able to fight for you, Fellow Daoist, which is their greatest honor."

He descended in a beam of light and arrived before the hundred or so blue-robed cultivators. He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, making a strange gesture, and said solemnly, “You have been blessed by the Dragon God, which has temporarily cleansed you of the sins you carried in your human form, allowing you to embark on the path of cultivation, fly through the sky and escape into the earth, and greatly increase your lifespan.”

"And now, the Dragon God's messenger in the world, the demon general Ao Lin of the Azure Dragon lineage, is ordered by the Dragon God to break through this Ping Le City and slaughter all the lowly and filthy humans in the city."

"This is a great opportunity for you to perform meritorious service for the Dragon God and wash away your sins."

"Even if you unfortunately die, your souls will be reborn in the celestial realm to serve the Dragon God and enjoy supreme glory. Are you willing to die for the Dragon God?"

The five blue-robed cultivators who were in the lead immediately responded loudly: "We are willing to die for the Dragon God!"

Then, the hundred blue-robed cultivators, their faces filled with fanaticism, shouted in unison, "We are willing to die for the Dragon God!"

Xing Qianyue laughed loudly: "Good! The Dragon God is watching you from the heavens. If anyone is greedy for life and afraid of death and does not fight the enemy with all their might, they will not be able to wash away their sins. After death, they will fall into the Avici Hell, suffer endless torment, and never be reincarnated!"

Without further hesitation, the hundred or so blue-robed cultivators unleashed their magical treasures and artifacts, their auras surging as they charged towards Ping Le City.

The five leaders were all at the Core Formation stage: one was at the late Core Formation stage, one at the middle Core Formation stage, and three at the early Core Formation stage.

The others were Foundation Establishment cultivators, their expressions resolute, even revealing a deep-seated hatred, as if they had an irreconcilable feud with the cultivators of Ping Le City.

Upon seeing this, the white-haired old man clasped his hands in a respectful bow to the refined cultivator: "Master, this disciple will go and block the people of the demonic sect."

The refined-looking cultivator nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the blue-robed cultivator, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

He had to be wary of the three demon generals and Xing Qianyue, so he couldn't make a move. These people were treacherous, and he could only leave them to the cultivators in the city to deal with.

The white-haired old man rode his escape light to meet the hundred or so blue-robed cultivators. He raised his hand and summoned a clear yellow bronze mirror, which shot out two beams of light, blocking a late-stage Core Formation cultivator and a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator.

He shouted, "Elder Shi, Elder Zhu, Elder Qi, follow me to deal with the demonic sect members!"

Upon hearing this, the three Core Formation elders abandoned the demonic beast before them without hesitation and turned to face the blue-robed cultivator.

For the cultivators of Ping Le City, treacherous people are even more hateful than demonic beasts.

The hundred or so blue-robed deacons with Foundation Establishment cultivation were also stopped by other Foundation Establishment deacons, and the battle suddenly became even more intense.

The resistance in Ping Le City was extremely fierce, but the sudden attack by these hundred or so blue-robed cultivators still broke the balance.

Before they can take human form, demonic beasts cannot control magical artifacts and spiritual weapons, and they are usually at a disadvantage when fighting against human cultivators.

Only a few powerful demonic beasts, with extraordinary innate abilities and supernatural powers, are able to suppress cultivators of the same level.

However, these blue-robed cultivators can also wield magical artifacts and spells, and can fly freely, making them much more difficult to deal with than demonic beasts of the same level.

If it weren't for the extreme fanaticism of some demonic cultivators who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the Dragon God, fearless and even reckless, and unaware of how to dodge, the cultivators of Ping Le City would have had an even more difficult time resisting.

But with the death of the most fanatical demon cult cultivators, the other demon cult cultivators became much more cunning.

They did not launch a direct assault, but instead assisted level five or higher demonic beasts in attacking the breaches in the city's protective formation.

The gaps in the light screen increased, and batches of monsters entered the light screen, becoming stronger and stronger, no longer limited to level one monsters.

There was even a level 5 demon beast that broke into the Ping Le Army's formation and slaughtered hundreds of soldiers before being stopped by a Core Formation elder.

But once the floodwaters breach the dikes, they won't stop.

More and more demonic beasts broke into the formation, causing heavy casualties to the Ping Le army. The number of Qi Refining cultivators also increased, and chaos began to break out on the city walls.

In the sky, Ao Lin saw that after the blue-robed cultivator made his move, the situation began to tilt in favor of the demon race. He laughed loudly, "Fellow Daoist Xing, you have such skill! You have trained so many capable people and found so many flaws in the city's protective formation. You should reward me handsomely after this battle."

Xing Qianyue smiled slightly: "To die for the Jiaolong clan is the best reward for them."

She Mo looked down, his face quite grim, his bloodshot eyes appearing even colder.

His beast horde attacked relentlessly for four days and four nights, but the Ping Le City formation remained as stable as Mount Tai, with only occasional breaches.

But as soon as Ao Lin made his move, the two groups of demon beasts were of similar size, and with only a hundred or so Dragon God Sect cultivators as support, so many flaws appeared in the Ping Le City formation.

If he had held on a little longer, he might have been the one to break through the Ping Le City formation.

Ao Lin was taken aback, then his laughter grew even louder, revealing a murderous aura: "Good! The Ping Le City formation is on the verge of collapse. It's time for you and me to take action, completely shatter it, and kill Zhang Xuancang!"

He descended in a flash of light, followed closely by Xing Qianyue, and arrived before the great formation of Ping Le City.

Ao Lin flipped his hand and took out two octagonal silver hammers with dragon patterns. He smashed them against the light screen and shouted, "Zhang Xuancang, come out and die!"

Xing Qianyue then unleashed a three-pronged steel fork, which grew to about ten feet in length as it was lifted by the wind, and pierced the light barrier.

boom!
The octagonal dragon-patterned bright silver hammer smashed into the light screen, shattering it like a mirror and revealing a large hole.

The three-pronged steel fork pierced through the array, causing the entire city-protecting array to flicker and crack like a spiderweb, on the verge of collapse.

Ao Lin was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "I originally thought that Ping Le City had remained unconquered for over three hundred years, so its protective formation must be extremely sturdy. It turns out it's so fragile!"

A resolute glint flashed in Zhang Xuancang's eyes as he secretly transmitted his voice to the group of Core Formation elders: "I will hold off these two. You all split up and break through."

The crowd's expressions changed drastically, but before they could speak, Zhang Xuancang had already stepped forward and said coldly, "I, Zhang, will now test your skills!"

……

Liu Kaiyang frantically activated his inner energy, flying towards the cave in the north of the city. He would glance back every now and then, grit his teeth, and increase his speed even further.

The demonic birds swarmed in, and a level two silver-clawed eagle, about ten feet in size, swooped down with a sharp cry, snatched up a mortal, and took flight.

Releasing its claws, the mortal plummeted from the sky. The silver-clawed eagle listened to the terrified screams coming from his mouth, its eyes flashing with cruel light.

However, many more demonic birds were chasing after the fleeing Qi Refining cultivators. Compared to mortals, cultivators' bodies contained spiritual energy, making them more delicious to eat and also increasing their demonic power.

Ping Le City has fallen into chaos. In addition to the celestial birds, the army of demonic beasts has also scaled the city walls, hunting down cultivators and massacring mortals.

Demonic beasts roared triumphantly, mortals wailed miserably, cultivators shouted angrily before their deaths, and blue-robed cultivators laughed gleefully as they slaughtered mortals... Slaughter and death intertwined, shrouding the sky above Ping Le City and spreading rapidly.

Liu Kaiyang pursed his lips, his expression cold and stern, his anger rising, but he did not turn around.

The building was about to collapse, the sky was falling and the earth was cracking; he, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, could not save Ping Le City.

Ao Lin and Xing Qianyue easily broke through the city's protective formation. Zhang Xuancang stepped forward to block them, but it was to no avail.

With the city's protective formation broken, the demon beast army immediately rushed onto the city walls, throwing the soldiers and cultivators into chaos.

Liu Kaiyang was locked in combat with a level-two demonic beast when he saw the situation and knew things were going badly. He mustered all his strength to strike, forcing the level-two demonic beast in front of him back, and then turned and fled.

The Core Formation Elder was gathering the Foundation Establishment deacons. He heard Elder Shi's telepathic message and Yu Yunzhou's shouts, but he ignored them and simply increased his speed, flying towards the city.

Yu Yunzhou was extremely anxious and called out loudly, "Brother Liu, where are you going?"

Liu Kaiyang paused, then transmitted his voice to Yu Yunzhou: "The great formation has just been broken. Brother Yu, you must not follow the elders to break out. You should first enter the city to hide, and then find an opportunity to escape."

"If I, Liu, am fortunate enough to escape alive, we will meet again in the future."

Having said that, he increased his speed again and flew towards the north of the city.

The "Consumption Demon" senior is still in his cave. He has already spent thirty mid-grade spirit stones on this senior and waited for a month. He absolutely cannot give up halfway.

Moreover, this beast tide was commanded by three demon generals and one Nascent Soul cultivator. The city lord only managed to hold off two of them, while two more demon generals and half of the demon beast army remained unmoved.

At this moment, the great formation has just been broken, and the demon race is on the most arduous defense. If they were to flee the city immediately, they would be besieged by the demon army, and even the demon generals might make a move.

The demon general of the Blood Serpent Clan may disdain dealing with low-level cultivators, but Lang Mou and Ping Lecheng have formed a deep-seated blood feud.

His younger brother, Lang Liao, died at the hands of the city lord, and he will certainly not let the people of Ping Le City go.

Rather than fleeing for his life, Liu Kaiyang would rather rescue the consumptive senior and escape disguised as a mortal. In this chaotic situation, there might still be a glimmer of hope.

No matter how large the beast tide was, it was still far less than the number of ordinary people in the city.

When they hunted down cultivators and slaughtered mortals, it actually created an opportunity for Liu Kaiyang to escape.

This idea is quite cruel, but the tide has turned and it's beyond his control.

He could only suppress the pity in his heart, remember what the demon race had done today, and memorize the names of the three demon generals and the Nascent Soul cultivator of the demon sect.

He wanted to seize this opportunity with the "consumption demon" senior, and if he succeeded in his cultivation in the future, he would definitely avenge the city lord, the cultivators in the city, and the mortals of Ping Le City.

Liu Kaiyang frantically channeled his true energy and finally arrived at the mountain peak north of the city, where he descended in a streak of light.

He flicked his sleeve, and the stone door of the cave swung open with a bang. Without stopping, he strode into the cave and entered the stone chamber where the tuberculosis demon was.

The stone chamber was silent. The consumptive ghost lay on the stone bed with his eyes closed, unchanged from when Liu Kaiyang left.

Liu Kaiyang felt relieved and quickly stepped forward, bending down to reach out and help the consumptive patient.

But the next moment, he froze, rooted to the spot.

On the stone bed, the consumptive ghost slowly opened his eyes, staring at Liu Kaiyang with a slight frown: "Who are you?" (End of this chapter)