Great Wilderness Demon Lord

After the city was sealed off, it fell into a state completely different from the fierce confrontation with the outside world—a stalemate with internal tension and external relaxation based on strict discipline and resource control.

Outside the city, the Wugu tribe strictly enforced the blockade.

Every day, several wolf-riding cavalry squads patrol the outskirts of Ice City like ghosts, sweeping away any trace of living creatures.

They would occasionally leave a few food sacks or miscellaneous items in the snow, intending to lure the garrison out of the city and create an opportunity for an ambush.

Inside the city, Xiao Yunlan's orders were carried out without fail: no one was allowed to approach within ten steps of the inner side of the city wall, and all forms of external communication were strictly prohibited.

The ice city is like a completely silent block of ice, unresponsive to any disturbances from the outside world, silently responding only with the imposing outline of its fortress.

Time passed methodically under the strict rationing system.

The soldiers have gradually adapted to receiving 70% of their daily rations.

Although the two regular meals cannot completely satisfy hunger, and a persistent, mild feeling of hunger becomes the norm, it is still within the range that the body can tolerate and the will can control.

No one complained during the meal; they simply finished their food in silence and quickly, even wiping the bottom of their bowls carefully with coarse grain bread.

Generals such as Zhao Meng and Tieshan organized daily drills for their soldiers, with a moderate intensity.

On the drill ground, veterans led the way, and new recruits followed, repeatedly practicing defensive maneuvers such as thrusting, dodging, and passing rolling logs while relying on the wall.

The white breaths exhaled formed a continuous expanse, and the frozen earth was compacted by footsteps.

This is both to maintain combat skills and coordination, to familiarize oneself with the complex defensive positions and response methods of the bastion, and to stretch one's muscles and dispel the inertia and lethargy that the cold and monotonous schedule may bring.

The daily inspections of the bastions and ramparts never cease.

The sentry walked along the fixed route on the top of the wall, his eyes constantly scanning the snowfield outside the city and the nearby moat. Occasionally he would stop, rub his frozen hands, and go close to the crenellations to observe carefully for a moment.

The maintenance and polishing of weapons and armor is a daily task. After finishing their shifts, soldiers often gather in a sheltered spot and, by the daylight, carefully inspect the straps of their leather armor, the blades of their swords, and straighten each arrow shaft.

Arrows were sorted by weight and logs by size, and then stacked in designated locations to ensure they were always ready for use.

These seemingly trivial yet crucial military duties constitute the main body of daily life, allowing one's mind to remain stable and focused amidst the regular busyness and clear responsibilities.

The situation was even more difficult inside the jackal prisoner camp.

With only 30% of their rations available for survival, most jackals were in a semi-dormant state, conserving their energy.

They moved slowly, rarely communicated, and spent most of their time silently staying within their designated areas.

Even if a child occasionally lets out a weak whimper, it will be quickly stopped.

The camp was shrouded in a silence that required extreme restraint in order to survive.

When a few particularly weak or old jackals fell, their bodies were quickly removed and disposed of by the guards on duty. The process was swift and efficient, without causing any disturbance in the camp.

Against this backdrop of overall low consumption and high discipline in the stalemate, Xiao Yunlan gained valuable time to focus on introspection.

He spends a lot of time each day meditating and regulating his breathing in the main tent, with the primary goal of suppressing and calming the increasingly active demonic thoughts within his body.

Within his dantian, the pulsation of four demonic thoughts was clearly discernible.

The Demon of Slaughter whispers incessantly about the illusion of gaining power through sacrifice; the Demon of Unparalleled Courage conveys impatience with long-term steadfastness; the Demon of Extreme Passion reflects his unwavering obsession, and also mirrors the fact that his methods are becoming increasingly cold and hard; the Demon of Indulgence is ever-present, quietly amplifying the hidden influence of controlling resources and wielding the power of life and death.

Xiao Yunlan's approach to dealing with the situation focused on "guarding one's mind" and "clear discernment."

He no longer confronted the every agitation of demonic thoughts head-on, but instead calmed his mind and stood like a reef in the sea of ​​consciousness, letting all sorts of distracting thoughts and delusions wash over him like the tide, remaining unmoved.

He examines himself with an almost harsh rationality, dissecting the hidden costs and illusions behind every impulse.

When the Demon of Slaughter tempted him with the power of blood sacrifice, he saw not only the fleeting power, but also the boundless karma and utter ruin that followed; when the Demon of Unparalleled Courage urged him to fight, he calmly assessed the balance of power between himself and his enemy, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the battlefield environment; when the Demon of Indulgence tried to make him lose himself in the illusion of power, he soberly realized how fragile the foundation of this power was.

Only that pure belief of "staying here and protecting everyone" was firmly held in the center of his heart, becoming a stabilizing force against all erosion and turmoil.

At the same time, he proactively used his wisdom and computing power to shift the focus of his thinking from external tactical confrontation to the meticulous planning of internal survival.

How can we sustain ourselves for longer under limited conditions? How can we maintain basic order and stability? How can we prepare for any potential changes in the future?

These real and pressing issues occupied a great deal of his thoughts.

Through continuous inner perseverance, rational discernment, and pragmatic responses over this period, although the clamor of demonic thoughts has not been eradicated, it can no longer easily shake his mind.

They were like ferocious beasts locked in a cage, still roaring and howling, but unable to cross the line.

When he finished a long period of meditation and slowly opened his eyes, the charcoal fire in the tent had gone out, and a chill quietly permeated the air, but his mind was clear and lucid.

Within the dantian, the four strange halos of light still floated, transmitting their own fluctuations, but they were intertwined and restrained by each other, forming an unstable balance, with none of them able to truly overwhelm the others.

Xiao Yunlan maintained this precarious balance by focusing on his own conscience.

The faint warmth emanating from the jade pendant around his neck, though waning, was like a persistent ray of light, illuminating and nurturing his heart, which, though tempered by trials, had never lost its true nature.

He walked to the edge of the tent and pushed it open a crack.

Outside, the sky was overcast, and tiny ice crystals drifted silently down. On the city wall, sentries stood guard in the cold wind, their posture alert and focused.

The area around the prisoner-of-war camp was unusually quiet, with only the occasional sound of regular patrolling footsteps breaking the silence.

The bitter cold, limited supplies, and tight external blockade... these are the objective realities that Harbin must face, not an unbearable despair.

Xiao Yunlan knew that he had temporarily suppressed the most intense wave of demonic erosion and stabilized the basic order within the city.

He used this relatively "peaceful" period to build a spiritual defense line that, though not solid, was real, through the balance between observation, reason, and demonic thoughts.

However, the fundamental dilemma remains unresolved.

Food supplies were dwindling, all contact with the outside world had been completely severed, and time was not on the side of the defenders.

The challenges remain and will become increasingly severe as food reserves dwindle.

Suppressing demonic thoughts through meditation is to maintain a clear mind and a firm will.

Next, he must find a way to break the deadlock. Whether it is to try to re-establish contact with the South or to find an opportunity to weaken or even defeat the enemy monitoring outside the city, more proactive and meticulous planning and action are needed.

Waiting and patience are necessary foundations, but by no means the only option.