I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

The setting sun dyed the entire sky a dark red, like a curtain soaked in blood, spread over Chuyang City.

On the plains below the city walls, the corpses of monsters had piled up like mountains, their dark red blood soaking into every inch of the land, gleaming with a damp and somber sheen in the afterglow.

The roars, crashes, and arrows piercing the air gradually subsided after more than four hours, like the lingering echoes after a storm, slowly fading away on the empty plain.

The dark black defensive barrier still stood firmly fifty feet in front of the city wall, completely unmoved.

The dark, ethereal light flowing across the barrier's surface was like the breath of Xuanwu, steady and orderly, each flicker silently proclaiming its unshakeable nature.

The fists of the Iron-Armed Apes left countless ripples of impact on it, the fireballs of the Fire-Maned Apes exploded into hundreds of blazing spots of light, and the wind blades of the Gale Apes cut thousands of fine, shallow marks on it.

Even after the energy surged, the barrier remained intact, without even a real crack.

The Iron-Armed Ape King stood at the rear of the army, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked. Dark gray spiritual light surged around him, but he could not find a way to release it.

Its gaze fell on the barrier, on the mountain of corpses of its own kind, and on the array patterns that were slowly recovering in the spiritual light. Rage and resentment surged in its dark gray pupils, like a volcano about to erupt.

Those dead Iron-Armed Apes, those Bone-Crushing Apes with their throats pierced, those Gale Apes pinned to the ground by arrows—they were all its old subordinates, whom it had led for over a hundred years. It recognized every single one of their faces.

They had followed it through countless charges before the Burning Bone Pass, trampling down city walls much taller than this city. But today, they fell before this inconspicuous border town, unable to even touch a single brick of the city wall.

But that barrier, that beam of spiritual light that looked no more than ten feet thick, became an insurmountable chasm for it, like an invisible wall blocking its pride and dignity.

It tried to concentrate its strongest third-tier demon beast subordinates to attack a single node simultaneously, causing the spiritual power of hundreds of demon beasts to converge into a single point, attempting to break through the surface by focusing on that point.

But the barrier was only dented a few inches where it was hit before it bounced back to its original shape, like a bowstring that had been bent.

It tried having the Iron-Armed Apes charge at the same point in a wedge formation, three layers stacked on top of each other, if one layer wasn't enough, then two layers, and if two layers weren't enough, then three layers.

But the iron-armed apes huddled together in front of the barrier, and were harvested from both sides by arrows, like wheat cut down by a sickle.

It tried to combine the flames of the Firemane Ape with the wind blades of the Gale Ape in an attempt to create a fissure through high temperature and pressure.

However, the fireballs exploded the moment they collided with the wind blades, and the shockwave swept back against the charging horde of beasts, causing even more casualties.

Every time it thought it had found a weakness, every time it thought it could break through with the next strike, the barrier would tremble and then solidify again, like a giant beast that had been tickled, too lazy to even lift its eyelids.

As darkness fell, the last rays of sunlight slid down the horizon, stretching the light and shadow between heaven and earth into a thin, dark line, like a curtain being drawn.

However, the defensive barriers in front of them have not been breached for a long time, and the number of casualties continues to rise.

The corpses of thousands of iron-armed apes lay scattered across the plain, like a dark gray carpet spread between the city walls and barriers.

The spiritual light seeping from the wounds of those third-tier demonic beasts was gradually dissipating, and each breath was heavier than the last, like a candle flame about to burn out.

The Iron-Armed Ape King's face was ashen and iron-like, and beneath his dark gray skin, it seemed as if magma was churning.

Its gaze shifted from the barrier to its exhausted tribesmen, then back to the human defenders who were gaining momentum, and it uttered a single word through clenched teeth: "Withdraw!"

"Bone-crushing apes, provide cover! All other tribes, begin your retreat!"

All the demonic beasts present heard the Iron-Armed Ape King's almost roaring command and reacted immediately.

The rear guard became the vanguard and immediately began their assault on the camp where they had temporarily stopped.

The wounded monsters were dragged along by their companions, their severed limbs leaving blurry trails of blood behind them.

Those who were still able to move fled the battlefield at top speed, their limbs flying, without looking back.

The Bone-Shattering Apes responsible for providing cover remained at the rear, forming a temporary flesh and blood barrier with their bodies, facing the city wall with their limbs low, ready to buy their retreating kin a few last breaths.

The retreat of each ape tribe was orderly and swift, without any collapse.

This also shows that they are an absolutely elite force.

This is precisely why it demonstrates just how powerful the defensive formation designed by Qin Yulin and Lin Xuanqing is.

Those demonic beasts that had fought countless battles, those elite troops that had stormed countless lines of defense before Burning Bone Pass, were now battered and bruised in front of this small border town, unable to even touch the bricks of the city wall.

But there are costs involved.

In the command post, watching the retreating Iron-Armed Ape King, the head steward Lin Xuanqi breathed a sigh of relief, his tense shoulders finally relaxing slightly.

He turned to look at Lin Xuanqing, who was carefully examining the formation, his voice tinged with fatigue after the tension: "Was the formation damaged this time?"

The defending forces suffered zero casualties in this battle because the beast tide's offensive landed entirely on the defensive barrier. All those high-intensity, continuous attacks were blocked by the dark, black light curtain.

The people behind the formation didn't fall, but the formation itself was under continuous pressure.

Lin Xuanqing's gaze fell on the central projection array plate, moving along the patterns of spiritual light one by one. His fingertips traced the projection as if touching the veins of energy. After a moment, he shook his head.

"The Spirit Trapping Array has large damaged areas. The Iron-Armed Ape King's attack shattered six of the array's foundations, requiring the re-laying of spirit runes to restore its effectiveness. The Four Symbols Returning to Origin Array as a whole is not in major condition, with only a few areas experiencing breaks in the spirit paths. This is due to the spirit runes being overloaded by the continuous attacks of demonic beasts on the same node, which is not difficult to resolve, but..."

She paused, her voice deepening, "But the biggest problem is still the consumption of spirit stones. With the defensive array operating at full capacity, it consumes approximately 100,000 spirit stones every hour. That translates to dozens of spirit stones turning to ashes in the array's base every breath. Our spirit stone consumption is like water flowing away!"

Hearing this, Lin Xuanqi's heart sank.

Goodness, this formation consumes way too many spirit stones!

This defensive battle lasted for more than four hours, and nearly 500,000 spirit stones were lost in the process!

If those spirit stones were exchanged for spirit weapons and pills, they would be enough to arm a thousand-man squad for half a year.

He pursed his lips and tapped his knee lightly with his fingers, trying to suppress the pain.

At this moment, Zhihei added from the side: "There is also the consumption of spirit bows and recovery pills. Judging from the current battlefield situation, the spirit bows and recovery pills we have stored can only last for two weeks of fighting, and that is if the monsters do not choose to attack the city at night."

At night, visibility decreases, reducing the accuracy of long-range arrows and reducing enemy casualties by at least half. Once the effectiveness of the bows and arrows is greatly reduced, relieving the pressure on the monsters, it's only a matter of time before the defensive barrier is breached. At that point, we'll have to engage in close combat to fill the gap, and casualties will increase.

He paused for a moment, his voice turning even colder: "Moreover, the demon army underestimated us this time. They didn't expect our Chuyang City to have such strong defensive capabilities. After the Iron-Armed Ape King failed to break through the formation with brute force, they lost their composure."

But I believe that after fighting the Burning Bone Pass for so many years, they must have developed their own methods for breaking through it. Next time they come, they certainly won't use the same tactics as today. We cannot afford to underestimate them!

Turning to look at Lin Xuanqing, Zhi Hei immediately began making arrangements, his voice short and clear:

"Notify the array masters on the south city wall to immediately repair the damaged array patterns of the Four Symbols Returning to Origin Array. If the repair of the Spirit Trapping Array requires leaving the city wall, be sure to monitor the movements of the demon beasts to ensure the safety of the repair work."

"Yes!" Lin Xuanqing immediately accepted the order, turned around and strode towards the door, his robes billowing in the wind. "I'm going to the front line to personally supervise the repair work of the array. Some array patterns cannot be handled by ordinary array masters, so I need to be there to watch."

Zhi Hei nodded, then turned to look at Lin Xuanqi, speaking even faster than before:

"Have Chairman Lin take inventory of the supplies: crossbow bolts, spare spirit stones, pills, and array base replacement materials. Each item must have a clear number and storage location."

Tell Lin Xuandong that the supplies must be delivered to all points within two hours. If any problems arise, have him execute the person responsible on the spot. The timely supply of logistical materials must be guaranteed!

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping across the array plate, before adding, "Also, immediately have the logistics troops clean up the battlefield. Don't let the monster corpses pile up there. If those corpses are piled up for too long, they will breed disease, affect the array's spiritual pattern sensing, and become stepping stones for subsequent monster attacks. Have Lin Xuandong's men clear the corpses in front of the barrier before nightfall. Recycle usable materials and burn or bury the unusable ones."

Although Lin Xuanqi was in charge of coordinating various departments, orders still needed to be carried out by specific individuals.

Logistics were then handed over to Lin Xuandong.

He has dealt with all sorts of spirits and people all year round, and he knows the supply channels, price fluctuations, and inventory turnover of each company better than anyone else, so he can do this job without any pressure.

"Furthermore, inform Lin Xuanjing that the garrison must keep a team on the city wall to prevent monsters from attacking at night. The two battalions should take turns on duty, and the same group of people should not stand guard for two hours in a row."

"Have Lin Xinqing's scouts keep a close eye on the movements of the demon beast army, reporting back every half hour. Any unusual activity must be reported immediately."

"good!"

Orders were issued one by one, and the atmosphere in the command room became orderly and focused again.

The message talisman flickered in the twilight, transmitting instructions to every corner of Chuyang City.

The logistics units were among the first to receive the orders.

Lin Xuandong personally led the team, and hundreds of logistics cultivators poured out from the side gate of the city wall, forming a neat formation with a clear division of labor.

Their mission was more complicated and dangerous than that of the defenders on the battlefield.

Without the protection of any formations or the cover of any companions, they had to clear away the mountain of monster corpses before nightfall.

A team of people, armed with specially made spirit shovels and long hooks, dragged and sorted the corpses. The corpses made a dull rubbing sound as they were dragged, and the bones made a dry cracking sound as they hit the ground.

Another team quickly skinned the animals, collected their claws and cores.

The last team was responsible for moving the sacred materials and burning the remains.

The firelight flickered in the darkening sky, casting the shadows of the group on the ground, sometimes long, sometimes short.

Behind them, Lin Xuanqing led four array masters on foot toward the city wall, moving quickly along the inner side of the wall to inspect the areas that had been repeatedly attacked.

She squatted in front of a broken section of the array pattern, her fingertips gently touching the cut surface of the spiritual path, feeling the faint fluctuations of spiritual light emanating from the fracture, and judging the direction of repair.

Without saying much, she immediately took out a spirit pattern carving knife and new spirit materials from her storage bag and began to repair the broken patterns stroke by stroke.

The other array masters were scattered in different areas, simultaneously repairing the damage to other array bases. The carving knives in their hands moved quickly across the walls, making a fine rustling sound.

Outside the city wall, the garrison under Lin Xuanjing was changing shifts.

The first group of archers, who had been fighting for more than four hours, filed down from the city wall. Their legs were heavy and their shoulders ached, but not one of them complained.

Because they held their ground, because they accumulated considerable merit in battle!

Everyone had a smile on their face, secretly wondering what they should exchange for...

The second group of cultivators who ascended the city wall quickly formed ranks behind the crenellations, nocking their crossbows and neatly stacking spare arrows at their feet, each confirming their own defensive zone and firing range.

Each section of the city wall was maintained with at least half of its personnel on guard to prevent monsters from launching nighttime attacks.

The orange-red battle flags still fluttered in the fading light, like inextinguishable torches illuminating every section of the city wall.

In the farthest distance, Lin Xinqing's scouts slipped out of the city silently before nightfall.

Clad in dark spirit armor, they moved swiftly, skimming the shadows of the terrain, stealthily making their way towards the temporary camp of the demon beast army.

Their footsteps trod on the soft earth without making a sound, like a group of shadows blending into the night.

Their mission was to monitor the movements of the monsters.

Confirm whether they are gathering troops, preparing to retake the city, or whether new reinforcements have arrived.

They will hide in the shadows of those hills and dense forests, like eyes lurking in the darkness, locking onto every move of the monsters and then silently relaying the information back to the city.

The entire Chuyang City was like a precision instrument that had been wound up again, with each link operating synchronously, each with its own division of labor, and the connections were orderly.

The spiritual light of the array rekindled on the city wall, the gates of the storage vaults were opened one by one, the footsteps of the logistics cultivators echoed below the city, and the figures of the scouts gradually disappeared into the twilight.

At the boundary between firelight and night, beneath the city wall that was once piled high with the corpses of demonic beasts, all is now empty, with only dark red marks left on the ground.

The soldiers on the city wall silently watched the sparsely lit camp in the distance. No one spoke, but their gazes were firm and their breathing was calm.

Tomorrow, there will be an even fiercer offensive.

And they are ready.