I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

"They're here."

Before he could finish speaking, hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Lin Xinqing pushed open the door and entered, holding a crimson communication talisman in her hand. Her usually calm and composed face was now filled with seriousness.

"Master! Scouts report that the beast tide is approaching the defenses of Chuyang City!"

Lin Che turned around, his gaze sharp: "Which direction? How much?"

"Southwest, about 560 li from the outer defense line of Chuyang City." Lin Xinqing walked quickly to the map and pointed precisely at the location of Qingfeng Gorge on the map. "The vanguard is crossing Qingfeng Gorge and is expected to arrive at the Spirit Detection Stake defense line in five hours."

Lin Che was silent for a moment, then looked out the window. "It's finally here."

He turned and strode towards the center of the council hall, his voice suddenly rising: "Order that Chuyang City enter Level One combat readiness! Everyone, take your positions according to the pre-arranged plan!"

Less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to issue the order, the entire Chuyang City awoke from its slumber.

In the streets and alleys, footsteps were hurried and dense, and the sounds of armor clashing, weapons being drawn, and orders being relayed mingled together, creating a tense yet orderly symphony.

The cultivators and independent practitioners from various families quickly rushed to their respective defense zones according to their pre-assigned positions.

The cultivators were clad in bright armor, their spiritual weapons unsheathed, their steps quick yet orderly. No one panicked, no one hesitated; everything proceeded smoothly.

On the city wall, the array patterns lit up one by one, and the dark blue spiritual light flowed slowly across the surface, like awakened serpents winding their way along the patterns on the wall.

The spiritual lights grew brighter and denser, eventually coalescing above the city wall into a thin curtain of light, like an invisible armor, enveloping the entire Chuyang City area.

Teams filed out of the military camp and headed toward their designated sentry posts.

They were dressed in standard spirit armor, their spirit weapons unsheathed, their steps were orderly, without panic or commotion.

Lin Xuanjing was already standing on the top of the city wall at the forefront, with a communication array in front of him. The array was flashing with spiritual light, connecting every node of the Chuyang City defense line.

His voice was calm and decisive: "The First Battalion will be stationed on the south wall, the Second Battalion on the west wall, and the Third and Fourth Battalions will stand by as mobile reserves. All crossbows will be cocked, and arrows, spirit stones, and pills will be distributed according to wartime rations!"

"Yes!" came the responses from the team captains through the communication array. Their voices were either rough or clear, but all were equally firm.

Then came a series of confirmations, repetitions, and directives, and the various brigades quickly took their positions.

The cultivators at the city gate poured into their respective defense zones according to the pre-arranged groups. The clanging of their armor produced a crisp metallic sound, and their steps were uniform and orderly, without the slightest disorder.

The defenses of Chuyang City began to change rapidly.

The flags on the city wall have been changed to red flags used only in wartime, fluttering in the morning breeze like clusters of dancing flames.

Inside the arrow tower beneath the city wall, the giant arrows of the city-breaking crossbows were already strung, and the acceleration array patterns on the crossbows were all lit up, ready to be activated at any moment.

The array masters at the foot of the city wall were conducting a final check, their fingers quickly gliding across the array base to ensure that every line was unobstructed.

…………

Amidst this tense deployment, the atmosphere in the temporary operations command room was one of calm.

The conference room in the Shattered Star Lake Complex has now been transformed into a temporary operational command post.

A detailed map of the area surrounding Chuyang City was spread out on the long conference table, marking the locations of spirit-detecting stakes, the distribution of sentry posts, and the defensive nodes of the city walls.

Several chairs were arranged in a circle, and the light from the lamp cast a warm yellow glow on the table, illuminating the dense markings on the map clearly.

In the center of the hall, there is also a projection array that can monitor the situation on the battlefield in real time.

Messages from all directions flowed continuously upwards via the communication array, constantly updating the real-time status of Chuyang City's defenses.

"Miss Qin, the command of this operation is now entrusted to the two of us. I hope that we can work together and cooperate with each other so that we can better lead the entire army." Zhi Hei's cold voice came from behind the mask.

As always, he wore that black and white mask, revealing only a pair of calm, watery eyes.

Lin Xuanqing, on the other side, was also wearing a veil.

She wore a light blue long dress, with a green jade pendant hanging from her waist. Her hair was tied in a low bun and adorned with only a white jade hairpin.

To outsiders, she was Qin Yulin's apprentice. Someone spread the rumor that her surname was Qin, and afterwards, the Lin family would call her "Miss Qin".

Although it's highly likely that only members of the Lin family would enter and exit this command center, both of them are extremely cautious and would not reveal the slightest flaw, even in front of their own family.

Lin Xuanqing's voice remained calm, piercing through the thin veil: "I will have to trouble Mr. Zhihei to be the main commander in this battle against the beast tide. I also need to keep an eye on the formation, and I must be there immediately if any problems arise."

"In that case, I wish us a pleasant cooperation."

"It's a pleasure working with you."

Lin Xuanqi, who was standing to the side, didn't say anything, but rolled his eyes inwardly and thought to himself: You two are so dramatic!

But there was no sign of anything amiss on his face. He simply looked down and organized the list of supplies in his hands, occasionally picking up a pastry to savor.

Soon, an urgent message appeared on the projection array in the center of the hall.

Green dots of light danced on the array plate, representing military intelligence sent back by scouts outside Qingfeng Gorge.

The two stopped chatting, and Lin Xuanqing waved his hand, causing the light spots to explode and transform into a line of text that appeared above the array plate.

The vanguard of the beast tide is splitting up, with most heading towards Tingfeng Pass, while the estimated number heading towards Chuyang City is no more than 20,000.

"Good news." Zhihei's voice came from behind the mask, cold yet with a barely perceptible hint of relief.

Lin Xuanqi nodded as well.

This is the message they've been waiting for.

Whether the beast tide will target Chuyang City first is crucial.

If the main force marches straight towards Chuyang City, they will have no choice but to hold out.

However, if they only send troops in separate groups, it means that Chuyang City has not been given priority.

This gives them time and room to maneuver.

"Then let's proceed according to the pre-arranged plan. We'll execute Plan One: feign weakness to the enemy."

"it is good."

To the demonic beasts, this vanguard force is essentially like a scout, used to probe their defensive capabilities.

Chuyang City must not reveal its strength before the opponent's main force appears.

This is the original plan one.

This made the monsters think that Chuyang City was just an ordinary small town outside the pass, not worth investing too many troops in.

Zhi Hei looked at Lin Xuanqi and said, "Mr. Lin, thank you for your trouble."

Lin Xuanqi was quite cooperative, smiling as he stood up: "Mr. Zhihei, there's no need to be so polite. You are the commander-in-chief appointed by the patriarch. Just tell me what you need, and I will go and inform the various departments to carry out the plan accordingly."

In this beast tide, Zhi Hei was the overall commander, Lin Xuanqing was responsible for the strategy and management of the formation, and Lin Xuanqi was responsible for logistics and issuing specific orders to various departments.

The three people had a clear and distinct division of labor, each managing their own area without interfering with each other, yet cooperating with one another.

"Then I'll trouble you."

Soon, all the defense lines were mobilized.

Two thousand men from the first and second battalions of the garrison climbed the city wall and stood in their designated positions. Their spirit armor was neatly arranged and their spirit weapons were unsheathed, gleaming coldly in the morning light.

Most of them had never seen a real beast tide, but no one backed down for the sake of battle merits; their eyes were full of fighting spirit.

The third and fourth battalions were on standby at a camp not far behind the city wall, serving as reserves ready to be rotated at any time.

The other four battalions remained stationed in their barracks, always in their armor and weapons, ready to be deployed at any time.

The Royal Guard and the Spirit Beast Legion did not participate in the battle.

This is Plan One: preserve strength, feign weakness, and make the vanguard of the beast tide underestimate the strength of Chuyang City.

Time passed little by little.

The sun climbed from the eastern horizon to its zenith, and then slowly began to slant westward from noon.

The golden sunlight stretched the shadows of the city walls longer and longer, casting them onto the dry yellow earth like a silent boundary.

Finally, a detailed battle report came from the spirit-detecting stake.

On the projection array in the command room, lines of spiritual runes began to appear, clear and precise, displaying the strength composition of the demon beast legion to everyone.

There are approximately 8,000 first-tier monsters, 2,000 second-tier monsters, and 5 third-tier monsters.

Clearly, these five third-tier demonic beasts were the leaders of this vanguard team.

Zhi Hei nodded slightly and looked up from the map: "It's pretty much as we predicted. This advance force isn't here to attack the city; it's here to probe the enemy's defenses."

"Then we'll give them a rundown," Lin Xuanqing said calmly, "let them see a 'shaky' city wall."

Two hours later, the vanguard of the beast tide finally appeared within the detection range of the spirit-detecting stake.

South of Chuyang City, on the gray-yellow horizon, a black line is slowly advancing.

The black lines grew thicker and denser, like ink spreading in water, covering the sky and the earth.

The beast tide was still dozens of miles away, but the stench of stench, dust, and blood had already drifted in on the wind, causing the cultivators on the city wall to instinctively grip their weapons.

The array patterns on the city wall began to flow, and a dark blue spiritual light surged from the array base, spreading upwards along the patterns on the wall and converging into a thin, semi-transparent light shield above the city wall.

The light shield didn't look thick; it was even somewhat transparent, like the thin mist on a lake in the early morning, as if it would shatter at the slightest touch.

This was an effect deliberately created by Lin Xuanqing, making the opponent believe that the city's defensive formation was nothing special.

The first wave of contact came not from the ground, but from the air.

A dark cloud appeared on the horizon.

Thousands of swift-winged bats flew in, their wingspans spanning over ten feet, their bodies pitch black, like a moving shadow.

They did not launch an attack, but simply hovered high in the sky, overlooking the walls of Chuyang City, clearly gathering intelligence.

The archers on the city wall aimed at the sky, and a few scattered arrows were fired into the air, which were easily dodged by the Swift Bats.

The swift-wind bat circled for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, then emitted a sharp screech, as if it were some kind of signal.

They did not attack, but began to retreat, flying back over the beast tide army.

Immediately afterwards, the beast tide on the ground stirred.

The first to rush out were those red-eyed demon wolves.

They burst forth from the ranks, surging towards the city wall like a tidal wave, moving at an astonishing speed, their hooves flying and dust billowing.

Instead of directly attacking the city gate, they spread out in a fan shape and surged towards the city wall from three directions, probing the distribution of firepower and the coverage density of the defense system.

"Fire the arrows—!"

At a command, the archers on the city wall fired their weapons simultaneously.

Arrows rained down like a storm, the dark blue spiritual energy arrows drawing dense trajectories in the air.

As the first volley of arrows fell, dozens of red-eyed demon wolves at the forefront were struck by arrows and fell to the ground. Some were shot through the skull, some were pinned to the ground, and some rolled and knocked down their companions behind them.

But more demonic wolves continued charging forward, stepping over the corpses of their companions. Their sharp claws scraped against the walls with a piercing sound, as if they were gripping an iron plate, sending sparks flying.

The array patterns on the city wall lit up the moment the demon wolves touched the wall, and streaks of dark blue electricity shot out from the array patterns, striking the climbing demon wolves and knocking them down.

Beneath the city wall, the Crimson-Eyed Demon Wolf's attack was merely a probe; the real main force was behind them.

The Ironbacked Bear began to move, slowly advancing from behind the beast tide, its steps heavy, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Behind them were the Wind Howling Beasts and the Poison Flame Lizards, like the flanks of an army, one on the left and one on the right, forming a battle formation.

"They've started testing us." Zhihei stood by the window of the command room, gazing at the approaching black tide in the distance. His voice was as calm as ever. "Have the sections of the city wall rotated according to plan, keeping casualties within an acceptable range. Let them see a city that is 'barely defensible'."

This was followed by a series of commands, which were responded to sequentially from various nodes of the city wall.

The first wave of frontal assault was launched by the Ironback Bear.

Six iron-backed bears charged toward the city wall side by side. Their massive bodies moved like a moving wall as they ran, and each step they took cracked the ground.

Their target was the middle section of the southern city wall, where the array patterns on the wall were relatively sparse, a "weak point" deliberately left by Lin Xuanqing.

The guards on the city wall were already in position.

Swordsmen and shieldmen stood behind the crenellations, their shields braced against the wall, while spearmen waited in the rear, and archers aimed from even further back.

They did not use any high-level magical artifacts, nor did they use any talismans with power exceeding the second tier; everything was kept at the level of an "ordinary garrison."

The Ironback Bear charged to the foot of the city wall, its massive body slamming into the wall with a dull thud, causing the bricks and stones to tremble slightly and dust to fall in clumps.

The array patterns on the city wall flickered wildly, resisting the impact. The defenders pushed boulders off the wall, the heavy stones smashing onto the iron-backed bear's head, causing the giant beast to stagger backward.

The spear pierced down from the city wall, striking the iron-backed bear in the neck. Blood gushed out, splashing onto the city wall and flowing down the cracks between the bricks.

Beneath the city wall, the iron-backed bear began to climb.

They dug their claws into the cracks in the bricks and climbed upwards step by step, like six moving mountains.

On the city wall, arrows, boulders, and fireballs rained down, forcing the giant bears to retreat repeatedly.

Finally, the first iron-backed bear fell off the wall, its massive body crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Next came the flanking attack from the Wind Howler and the Poison Flame Lizard.

The Wind Howler unleashed wind blades from the east side of the city wall, while the Poison Flame Lizard spewed out poisonous mist from the west side.

The defenders on the city wall were prepared; they raised their shields and formed a shield wall to block the wind blades.

The poisonous fog was dispelled by the purification patterns of the array, turning into harmless white mist that drifted away.

Although the guards on the city wall were not as well-equipped as the elite Imperial Guards, under Lin Xuanjing's years of daily training, they had long since developed a precise combat rhythm.

They took turns providing cover and shooting, each switch perfectly timed, leaving no opening for the beast horde to penetrate.

When someone runs out of spiritual energy, someone else immediately replenishes it;

Someone was injured, and someone immediately dragged them back to the rear.

The casualties were minimal, but they were perfectly "shown" to the distant monsters.

On the city wall, Lin Xuanjing narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze piercing through hundreds of feet to land on the five third-tier demonic beasts.

They hadn't moved yet, but stood quietly behind the beast tide, like five silent statues, observing.

Observe the strength of the city walls' defenses, observe the reaction speed of the defenders, and observe the city's weaknesses.

Lin Xuanjing's gaze met that of one of the Iron-Winged Golden Eagles.

Those golden eagle eyes were as sharp as knives, appearing like two invisible swords piercing straight at us from hundreds of feet away.

"Time to show them what's what," he muttered to himself, then shouted, "Third squad, prepare the siege crossbows!"

Three crossbows slowly rotated on the arrow towers of the city wall.

The acceleration array patterns on the crossbow lit up one by one, and the rapidly firing spirit arrows were fixed in the crossbow groove, their tips gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

The crossbows could cover the rear of the beast horde, but Lin Xuanjing's order was: "Aim at the feet of those few third-tier demonic beasts, miss, don't kill them, just let them know we have this capability."

Three crossbows fired simultaneously, the giant arrows tearing through the air with a piercing whistle, landing precisely more than ten feet in front of the five third-tier demonic beasts.

The arrow pierced the ground, creating three large craters over ten feet deep, sending mud and gravel flying everywhere.

The five third-tier demonic beasts simultaneously took a step back, shifting their gaze from the city wall to the arrow craters, then back to the city wall, their eyes now showing a hint of caution and scrutiny.

Lin Xuanjing's lips curled up slightly.

"start."

The array patterns on the city wall dimmed slightly, as if the siege crossbows had just used up too much of the defensive array's energy.

The beast tide's offensive began to slow down.

The Crimson-Eyed Demon Wolf stopped charging at the city wall, the Iron-Backed Azure Bear retreated, and the Wind Howling Beast and the Poison Flame Lizard also ceased their attack.

The five third-tier demonic beasts roared softly behind the beast tide, as if exchanging information.

The first probing attack by the monsters in Chuyang City has ended.