Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

The defenders on the city walls kept firing arrows to block the demons' attack, but most of the demons were thick-skinned and tough, so ordinary arrows did little damage and were obviously ineffective.

Seeing this, the other garrison troops wanted to send reinforcements, but dared not act rashly. The demon wolf strategist was extremely cunning and had a precedent of deliberately feigning an attack on a point to lure cultivators to their aid, and then taking advantage of the situation to launch an attack.

"This can't go on; the formation is being depleted too quickly!"

In just half an hour, Xu Sheng's forehead was already covered in sweat. His injuries had not yet healed, and he was now struggling even more.

Li Yuan also felt immense pressure. He had been pretending to be in the early stage of the Breaking Illusion Realm, but now he couldn't care less about that. He was going all out, hoping to hold the pass tonight and prevent Tiger Wolf Gorge from falling into the hands of these vicious demons.

The battle raged from the dead of night until the darkest hour before dawn. Everyone on the walls was covered in blood, their true energy and magical power nearly exhausted. The light shield of the great formation had become as thin as a cicada's wing, and the phantoms of tigers and wolves on it had long since faded to almost nothing.

The demon horde seemed tireless, taking turns launching attacks, one wave after another. Just then, the Black Bear Demon King, who had been watching from the sidelines with his hands behind his back, actually made a move himself. He flew into the air and slapped the central light barrier several times.

Click!

Each palm strike caused a large dent in the light shield, which was on the verge of shattering.

The crowd was almost in despair, their faces ashen, and they were preparing for a desperate fight when finally, a sliver of dawn appeared on the eastern horizon.

The light of dawn seemed to carry some strange power, causing the raging demon horde to pause. The wolf demon strategist looked up at the sky, then at the seemingly crumbling yet unbroken formation, and let out a resentful howl.

"Awoo!"

With its howl, the demon horde retreated like a tide, quickly disappearing into the vast forests beyond the pass, leaving behind only a ground littered with the corpses of demonic beasts and an air thick with the stench of blood.

"Refunded...refunded?"

On the wall, some people murmured in disbelief, followed by cheers. Many people, once they relaxed, immediately collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

Li Yuan also leaned on his sword, breathing heavily. His internal energy was severely depleted, almost completely drained. He looked around and saw that Chen Shuo, Xu Sheng, and the others were also pale and swaying precariously.

Just then, a familiar voice came from the side: "Everyone, you've worked hard. Last night, thanks to your efforts in holding the line, otherwise, if the formation had broken, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Li Yuan turned his head and saw a young man dressed in the uniform of a border army junior officer, bowing to the group. Upon seeing Chen Shuo, he was taken aback and exclaimed, "So it's Captain Chen!"

The visitor was an old acquaintance, Zhao Lingyun, the captain of Tian Ce Academy. In just a few months, he had changed a lot. He had lost his previous arrogance, and his face showed signs of hardship. His eyes had also become much more reserved.

"Zhao Lingyun?"

Chen Shuo glanced at him. There had been rumors that Zhao Lingyun had dropped out of school and joined the border army. He never expected that they would run into him in Tiger Wolf Gorge by such a coincidence.

"This brother has impressive skills. Are you also from the Demon Suppression Division?"

Li Yuan recognized him, but he did not recognize Li Yuan in disguise. He only saw that Li Yuan's cultivation was not bad and thought he was a master of the Demon Suppression Division, so he asked to befriend him.

"You flatter me, Junior Lieutenant Zhao. It's just my duty," Li Yuan said with a faint smile.

"Judging from your accent, you seem to be from Chang'an?" Zhao Lingyun seemed to like him quite a bit and took the initiative to strike up a conversation. "I wonder if there's any news from Shenwu Academy? During the Four Academies League, the Shenwu team had an accident in the secret realm..."

Li Yuan's heart stirred slightly. It seemed that although Zhao Lingyun was at the border, he still cared about the academy. He then smiled and said, "I am indeed from Chang'an. I have heard a little about the Shenwu Academy. I heard that the team has returned safely, but I don't know the details."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lingyun visibly relaxed, a look of relief appearing on his face. He whispered, "It's good that you're safe..."

Li Yuan secretly sized him up. The Zhao Lingyun in front of him was completely different from the arrogant, conceited, and opportunistic captain he had been during the league.

It seems that the life-and-death trials on the frontier, as well as that defeat, shed his frivolity, making him calm and reserved, and giving him the true qualities of a soldier.

I hadn't noticed it before, but now that I think back, Zhao Lingyun really did lead from the front in last night's battle, sharing life and death with his soldiers. He no longer had that annoying arrogance and domineering attitude he used to have.

Perhaps people do change, especially after experiencing real life-or-death setbacks.

"Lieutenant Zhao, there's no need to dwell too much on the past. Being able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers at Tiger Wolf Pass to fight demons and protect the people is the act of a true hero."

Chen Shuo was in charge of security for the Four Colleges League at the time, so he knew a lot about his situation and offered words of comfort.

Zhao Lingyun gave a self-deprecating smile, nodded, and solemnly said, "Captain Chen is right. Defending the land and protecting the people is our duty."

After saying that, he looked at Li Yuan and asked, "May I ask this brother's name?"

"My name is Chen Zhuo," Li Yuan said, giving an alias that was actually his real name from his previous life.

"Brother Chen, if you have some free time in the future, you are welcome to come to my camp for a chat." Zhao Lingyun clasped his hands in a fist salute, then turned around and went off to patrol.

Watching his retreating figure, Li Yuan sighed inwardly. He had indeed disliked this person before, but now it seemed that Zhao Lingyun was not a bad person at all, just too young and impetuous.

"Let's go, let's hurry up and adjust our breathing. These monsters probably won't let this go easily, and we'll inevitably have to fight a tough battle tonight."

Chen Shuo looked exhausted and nodded to his subordinates.

Li Yuan felt lost. Could the dilapidated formation at Tiger Wolf Gorge hold out for the next night raid? He also wondered when the reinforcements from Longyou Road would arrive.

He looked up at the eerie Black Wind Ridge beyond the pass, his heart heavy.

As soon as they returned to the camp, Manager Luo had someone invite them over.

"The Longyou Circuit Commander-in-Chief is also unable to spare any manpower for the time being." The demon-hunting guard who returned with the news was covered in dust. "Within Liangzhou, not only Tiger Wolf Gorge, but also Wushaoling in the west and Xuansuo Pass in the north, large-scale demon riots have occurred almost simultaneously, each with a demon king in charge."

"The commander-in-chief is fighting fires everywhere, and his forces are stretched thin. He has only been able to send a small team over, and there is really no more support he can send. Now, an urgent message has been sent to the commander-in-chief in the capital, requesting the court to send experts to assist him."

Everyone was shocked. What they had thought was just a problem in Tiger Wolf Gorge had now turned out to be a problem throughout Liangzhou, and possibly even the entire Northwest.

This is not a simple disturbance; it is clearly a premeditated, full-scale invasion.

"Wushaoling, Xuansuo Pass, and Hulang Gorge—three strategic points in Liangzhou are attacking simultaneously..." General Hu's face was deathly pale. "What is the Demon Court trying to do? Do they intend to break the Wei River Alliance and wage all-out war?"

The Wei River Alliance was a treaty signed a hundred years ago on the banks of the Wei River by the late Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, who, with the full strength of the nation, fought against the then-ruler of the Demon Court for several years, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. The treaty defined the approximate borders and stipulated that neither side would invade the other's territory.

Now that the Demon Court dares to launch attacks from multiple points simultaneously, isn't this a prelude to completely tearing up the agreement and setting off a war between humans and demons? If that's the case, I wonder if the Tang Dynasty, with its current national strength, can withstand it?

Panic spread rapidly, and the atmosphere inside the pass became extremely oppressive.

That night, the demon horde gathered again, their attack even more ferocious than the night before.