Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

However, he is currently presiding over a grand formation that traps four demon kings, and the two seniors are working hard to repair the seal, so he cannot spare any extra high-end combat power.

His gaze swept over everyone present, finally settling on Li Yuan.

"Li Yuan, I order you to lead a team to Yongzhou City immediately to suppress the Mongoose Demon King," Lou Junbo said in a deep voice. "Remember, your mission is to hold it off and prevent it from continuing to wreak havoc in the city."

"Once I am free, I will rush to provide support as soon as possible. Do not risk your lives; your primary task is to protect yourselves."

Although Li Yuan single-handedly killed the Black Feather Demon King, proving that he had the strength to fight beyond his level, the Black Feather Demon King was injured after all, and its combat power was slightly inferior to that of the Meerkat Demon King.

"Yes, sir!"

Li Yuan accepted the order without hesitation, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

A moment later, an airship rose from the Xuefeng Mountain camp and soared into the sky toward Yongzhou City.

This type of airship is a mode of transportation provided by the Demon Suppression Division. It is powered by spirit stones and is several times faster than a galloping horse, but it is extremely expensive and is generally not used except in emergencies.

But Li Yuan still felt it was too slow.

He stood at the bow of the boat, gazing at the darkening sky ahead, his heart burning with anxiety.

There are hundreds of thousands of people in Yongzhou City. A demon king is rampaging through the city, and every moment of delay will result in the deaths of more innocent people.

"I'll go first, you all catch up later." Li Yuan said, and before anyone on the ship could react, he leaped out of the airship.

As his internal energy circulated, his cultivation at the Condensation Realm was released without reservation. A silvery-white starlight condensed beneath his feet, supporting his body, and he streaked across the sky like a meteor, shooting towards Yongzhou City.

Once cultivators in this realm reach the Core Formation stage, they can fly using their Qi, but the speed is slow and the cost is enormous. Therefore, most cultivators prefer to ride horses or use other means of transportation to travel.

Upon reaching the Condensation Realm, both flight speed and endurance greatly increase, even surpassing the speed of a floating boat over short distances.

Li Yuan pushed his speed to the limit, the wind whistling in his ears, the mountains and rivers rushing past beneath his feet, and in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the outline of Yongzhou City appeared in his field of vision.

The sight that came into view made his eyes widen in horror.

Thick smoke billowed from Yongzhou City, flames shot into the sky, the city walls were covered with cracks and claw marks, several sections of the walls had collapsed, and rubble was scattered all over the ground.

Heartbreaking cries and screams echoed through the city, interspersed with the howls of rampaging demons.

Along the long street, there were severed limbs everywhere, and blood flowed in streams through the cracks in the bluestone pavement.

A colossal beast, the size of a small mountain, stood on the widest street in the city.

Its entire body was covered with thick, grayish-brown skin. Its head resembled that of a rhinoceros, with three blood-red eyes. Its fangs protruded from its mouth, and its saliva dripped onto the ground, making a "sizzling" corrosive sound.

Behind it followed dozens of small demons of various shapes and sizes, frantically attacking the surrounding houses.

Before that colossal beast, a figure wielding a long spear stubbornly resisted.

He was a middle-aged man in his early forties, wearing the black uniform of the Demon Suppression Division. The uniform was mostly stained with blood, making it impossible to tell whether it was the enemy's blood or his own.

His left arm hung limply at his side, clearly broken, but he still gripped the spear tightly with his right hand, standing in front of the giant beast, not retreating an inch.

Behind him were a dozen or so demon-suppressing guards, also covered in wounds, and tens of thousands of terrified civilians cowering in the street corner.

"Li Zhan! You'd better just accept your death and avoid suffering any more!"

The behemoth let out a deafening roar of laughter, "The Demon Suppression Division is almost entirely wiped out. No one will come to save you. Just get out of my way, and I can give you a quick death!"

"Pooh!"

Li Zhan spat out a mouthful of blood, held the spear horizontally in front of him, and said with a firm and unwavering gaze: "The people of Yongzhou City are behind me. If I take a step back, countless lives will be lost."

"If you want to get over here, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"

The guards of the Demon Suppression Division behind him were all wounded, but none of them ran away. They all raised their weapons and stood behind Li Zhan, forming a Great Wall of flesh and blood.

A sense of despair spread through the city.

The Meerkat King let out a disdainful sneer, opened its blood-red maw, and a black demonic power condensed in its mouth, exuding a destructive aura.

They were determined to wipe this ignorant human, along with the ants behind him, completely from the world.

Faced with this terrifying attack, despair appeared in Li Zhan's eyes. He knew he could no longer protect the people behind him.

At the critical moment.

A streak of silvery-white light fell from the sky like a shooting star.

The light was so fast that even the Mongoose King couldn't react in time.

The streak of light flashed and struck the black demonic power gathered by the Mongoose King. With a loud "boom," the black demonic power was shattered by the blade, turning into a violent shockwave that swept outwards in all directions.

Immediately afterwards, a huge blade was plunged into the ground in front of the Meerkat King. The blade trembled slightly and emitted a low hum. Silvery starlight flowed across its surface, emanating a chilling aura.

Everyone was stunned. Li Zhan looked up and saw a figure descending from the sky like a god, landing steadily beside the knife.

He reached out, grasped the hilt of the knife, and pulled it from the ground. The tip of the knife pointed diagonally at the ground, and his eyes were fixed on the Mongoose King, his eyes surging with murderous intent.

"Li Yuan, Golden-Seal Demon-Suppressing Guard of the Demon-Suppressing Division."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire street: "By order of Lord Lou Junbo, the Right Demon Suppressor, I have come to suppress the rebellious demons."

"If you don't want to die, it's not too late to get out now."

The meerkat king narrowed all three of its eyes, scrutinizing the young man who had suddenly appeared before it.

It could sense that although the young man's aura was only at the late stage of the Core Formation Realm, the power of his strike just now far exceeded the level that a Core Formation Realm cultivator should have.

Moreover, the knife gave it a strange sense of threat.

But it was, after all, a demon king who had lived for thousands of years, and it was impossible for it to be scared away by a single sentence from a young human.

"Awooo~"

It let out a low roar and sneered, "You callow brat, how dare you spout such nonsense before me? Since you're courting death, then I'll grant your wish!"

Before the words were even finished, it suddenly swung its giant claws down at Li Yuan's head with a shrill screech that tore through the air.

Li Yuan neither dodged nor retreated. He simply gripped the nameless blade tightly and slashed out at the colossal claw that blotted out the sky!

"clang--!!!"

The blade and claws clashed, sparks flying everywhere. A violent shockwave emanated from the point of impact, causing tiles to fall from the street and large sections of the bluestone slabs to be torn off.

The meerkat demon king felt an incomparably sharp blade intent invade its body through its claws, causing its arms to go slightly numb.

It was startled; this human was incredibly strong!

What it didn't know was that Li Yuan was already a cultivator at the Condensation Realm, but he was suppressing his cultivation with the Concealing Breath Technique. His true strength was already far beyond what it used to be.

Li Yuan forced the Mongoose Demon King back with a single strike, then turned to Li Zhan and said, "Lieutenant Li, take your men to clear out those lesser demons and protect the people. I'll handle this beast."