Defending the City

Yuan Jin rose to his feet and slowly stretched. It had been another night of cultivation. At their level, they no longer needed to sleep every day. Most of the time, they absorbed spiritual energy and cultivated, which actually left them feeling more invigorated. Once they embarked on the path of cultivation, their bodies began to differ greatly from those of ordinary people.

Zeng Fan got up as well. After a night of cultivation, the changes in his blood were negligible. The concentration of spiritual energy was still too low. If he wanted to break through to Body Tempering Blood here, he could only absorb Spirit Stones or take pills. But he had no time to think about that now. They needed to assemble first and prepare for the trial.

When they walked out of the room, Murong Xue and Wang Beichen were already waiting at a table downstairs. The moment they saw the two come down, Wang Beichen was already complaining.

"What's wrong with you two? You got up even later than us. You're really slacking off."

Zeng Fan knew the boy's temper, so he merely smiled without replying. Ever since Yuan Jin had met Wang Beichen, the two had never quite seen eye to eye. Hearing this, Yuan Jin let out a cold laugh.

"We're not pampered young masters like you, with everything you could ever want. We have to work hard every day to absorb spiritual energy and cultivate~" Yuan Jin replied in a distinctly sarcastic tone.

Wang Beichen's face darkened, and he immediately looked ready to explode.

"That's enough, you two! Keep it down. You're about to go on a trial and you're still arguing. If you have that much energy, go kill a few more monsters later. Stop making a racket here!" Murong Xue snapped, her willow brows raised and anger faintly showing on her face.

The two immediately fell silent. After glaring at each other, they each snorted coldly and said no more.

Zeng Fan felt a headache coming on. These two really did need Murong Xue to keep them in line. Otherwise, he felt they would have to fight it out before they were willing to stop.

After breakfast, the group followed the main force slowly out of the city and headed toward the pass ahead. As they drew closer, the oppressive presence of the towering defensive wall grew stronger in everyone's hearts. A faint smell of blood began drifting into their noses. The smiles of some disciples who had been chatting and laughing gradually vanished, and nervousness crept across everyone's faces.

When they officially arrived beneath the defensive wall, Zeng Fan looked up. The wall was several dozen meters high. Given the bodies of the monsters, an ordinary city wall would probably have been cleared in a single leap.

Some wounded soldiers were resting beneath the wall. They were called soldiers, but most of them were actually at the Body Tempering Realm. Otherwise, they could not have withstood even a few blows from those monsters.

One soldier was covered in blood as someone bandaged him. He let out muffled groans of pain while sweat mingled with blood and ran down his face.

Another soldier was half leaning against the wall, panting. Parts of his body were missing, as if they had been bitten off by something. Blood continued seeping from the gauze wrapped around him. Clearly, it had happened only moments ago.

The soldiers reacted differently when they saw the numerous disciples. Some looked numb, as if nothing in the world mattered to them. Others wore delighted expressions, thinking that reinforcements had finally arrived and the pressure at the front line could be reduced. Still others wore complicated expressions, their thoughts impossible to read.

Zeng Fan watched the scenes before him with a heavy expression. "The situation isn't optimistic. At the very least, the battlefield is still extremely dangerous."

"You've seen it yourselves—the situation isn't optimistic. Otherwise, I wouldn't have requested reinforcements from the sect. This is your disciples' trial, but there are rewards for killing enemies as well. Once you complete your own trial objectives, you can bring back the corpses of the monsters you kill and have your battle achievements recorded. The rewards available for exchange are posted on that board. They won't disappoint you!" The speaker was Sun Ze. At some point, he had flown above the disciples, with Qian Dayou and Lin Li slightly behind him.

"Why do we have to bring back the entire corpse? Wouldn't bringing back part of it be enough?" Zeng Fan asked, puzzled.

"Monsters eat humans to obtain spiritual energy, so their bodies naturally contain spiritual energy as well. Although we cultivators can't directly swallow a monster's flesh to absorb its spiritual energy, cultivators can use it to refine pills and forge magical artifacts. You could say we're making use of each other." Murong Xue smiled and explained his confusion.

Zeng Fan nodded without much reaction. He had gradually grown accustomed to this world's rules. But when he looked toward the ranking board, excitement began stirring in his heart.

"Common Body Tempering Realm monster corpse: fifty Spirit Stones."

"Body Tempering Realm monster corpse with a special bloodline: from one hundred Spirit Stones upward, depending on its value."

"Ten Body Tempering Realm monster corpses: ultimate move, Cloak Palm."

"Fifteen Body Tempering Realm monster corpses: ultimate move, Nine Ox Fist."

"Thirty Body Tempering Realm monster corpses: one Body Tempering Pill, which can help a Body Tempering Realm cultivator break through."

The more Zeng Fan read, the more excited he became. His empty Storage Ring finally had a chance to be filled with Spirit Stones! Many of the things on the board were intensely tempting, but Zeng Fan knew they would not be easy to obtain. The wounded soldiers below were proof of that. As long as he completed the trial and then tried to kill a few more monsters to exchange for Spirit Stones for cultivation, that would be enough!

But that was precisely the purpose behind posting the rankings. They knew ordinary disciples could not obtain the rewards at the top. As long as the disciples were tempted by the ordinary rewards below and killed a few more monsters, that would suffice.

After saying this, the three Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators left. They were probably going to discuss how to deal with the Foundation Establishment Realm monsters on the other side. Cai Yi approached in a suit of armor, his expression solemn. He gave his subordinates a few quiet orders, then slowly raised his head and swept his gaze over the disciples below.

"Fellow Daoists, I will command the defense of the city from here on. You will take turns defending the wall. Anyone who refuses to follow orders or attempts to flee will be executed without mercy!"

Killing intent filled Cai Yi's words, and the aura of a peak Spirit Gathering Realm cultivator spread outward. Everyone's hearts tightened. They had not expected Cai Yi to already be among the strongest people beneath the Foundation Establishment Realm, only one step away from breaking through.

A flurry of hurried footsteps approached. Zeng Fan turned his head and saw dozens of soldiers carrying long, narrow boxes toward them. When they reached the group, the soldiers struggled to set the boxes down. The instant the boxes struck the ground, the earth trembled. Clearly, whatever was inside weighed a great deal.

Everyone looked curiously at the boxes. Cai Yi had no intention of keeping them guessing. With a wave of his hand, the soldiers opened them. Inside were neatly stacked black spears. The spears were perfectly straight and gleamed with a cold, dark luster. Special blood grooves ran along their spearheads. One could imagine how, once such a spear pierced the body, those grooves would make the wound bleed without end. They were complete weapons of slaughter for the battlefield.

After all the boxes had been set down, Cai Yi addressed the crowd loudly. "Each person may claim one spear. These were forged by artifact refiners and pose a certain threat to monster bodies. They must be returned after the battle. If you want one, you may also exchange a monster corpse for it. That's all! Begin taking turns defending the wall!"

Cai Yi strode away after speaking. As the commander overseeing the entire army, he still had many matters to arrange. The officers under him could handle what came next; he had merely come to serve as a deterrent.

A burly man clad in black armor stepped forward and began dividing the disciples into teams and assigning them positions. Zeng Fan and the other four naturally asked to be assigned together. The man had no objections. As long as they were willing to go up and kill monsters, that was enough.

Once they had their weapons, Zeng Fan handed each person one healing pill from Yao Ling'er. Only Yuan Jin and Wang An accepted theirs. Murong Xue and Wang Beichen had made their own preparations.

Zeng Fan swung the spear in his hand. It was somewhat heavy and cold to the touch. Before he could get a better feel for it, he received the order to go up onto the wall.

His eyes narrowed slightly. Zeng Fan had not expected them to be in the first batch. They were unfamiliar with many of the circumstances, but there was no time to think it over. The group could only climb onto the wall first.

The instant he reached the top, the smell of rust rushed into Zeng Fan's nose. Wind howled across the wall. He narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze around. The entire defensive wall was covered in claw marks and teeth marks, clearly left by monsters. Dark-red, dried blood was scattered everywhere, impossible to distinguish as human or monster blood. Every trace revealed the brutality of the battle.

A rapid peal of bells rang out. "Everyone, be careful! The monsters are coming!"

As shouts rode the wind toward them, Zeng Fan looked outside the city and his expression changed. Faint black specks had appeared on the horizon. They rapidly approached, their forms growing larger. They were hundreds of grotesque monsters, rushing toward the wall. Roars rolled over the land, and Zeng Fan seemed able to smell the fetid stench in their mouths.

"They're coming! Everyone, be careful!" Zeng Fan gripped his spear tightly, and the Spiritual Energy in his body began circulating rapidly.

The monsters were incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, they reached the base of the wall. Zeng Fan could feel the tremors coming from the ground. The monsters that had reached the wall did not hesitate. They leaped fiercely, their claws digging into the wall, and began climbing upward.

Black light spread across Zeng Fan's body as he unleashed Ironwood Body.

"They're here!"

The stench of a wild beast swept over them amid furious roars. A boar-like monster leaped up from below the wall. Its four limbs were not hooves, but sharp claws. After reaching the top, the boar monster swept its blood-red eyes over the crowd before viciously slashing at Zeng Fan with one claw.

"You don't need to help. I'll handle it myself!"

Zeng Fan shouted to the others. He could tell that this monster was at the Body Tempering Bone level, similar to him. It was perfect for practicing.

Zeng Fan quickly retreated and dodged the monster's claws. Unable to change direction in time, the monster crashed into the ground with tremendous force, leaving a deep claw mark. Taking advantage of its momentary inability to turn, Zeng Fan exerted his strength and swung the iron spear with a howl, smashing it directly into the monster's head.

With a bang, the monster let out a pained cry and was slammed into the ground by the tremendous force. But it quickly rose again and lunged at Zeng Fan with its jaws wide open.

"The defense of a monster in the same realm is truly tough." Seeing that the monster had suffered only a few bleeding scratches after taking his blow, Zeng Fan's expression turned solemn. But this did not affect him. Clutching the spear, he charged at the monster once more.

"Even this spear can barely pierce the monster's hide. I can only attack its weak points." Zeng Fan considered his options while fighting the monster. Its claws struck again, and Zeng Fan swept his spear out to block the attack. The monster refused to stop, thrusting its head forward to bite him.

A bright gleam flashed through Zeng Fan's eyes. He charged power into his right fist, and Spiritual Energy surged wildly toward it.

Fish Dragon Dance!

Zeng Fan's fist slammed into the monster's lower jaw, forcing its head high into the air. Before it could react, a spear had already pierced straight through its eye socket. After a howl of agony, the boar monster's corpse crashed to the ground.

Zeng Fan breathed slightly harder as he walked over and pulled out the spear, bringing a spray of blood with it.

"I'm finally starting to earn Spirit Stones." Zeng Fan felt a little happy inside. As long as he kept killing these monsters, his Storage Ring would finally no longer be empty.

Murong Xue and the others stood nearby. After the boar monster climbed up, no other monsters temporarily attempted to scale this section of the wall, so they kept watch for Zeng Fan. Just then, a hiss suddenly rang out behind Murong Xue. At some point, a snake-shaped monster had circled behind her, and it was now biting toward her head.

"Watch out behind you!"

Zeng Fan shouted at Murong Xue and hurriedly moved, but the scene that followed left his body somewhat rigid.

Hearing the movement behind her, Murong Xue shifted sideways slightly and dodged the snake-shaped monster's gaping jaws. Then she swung the iron spear in her hand. It shrieked sharply through the air before crashing down onto the monster's head.

From Zeng Fan's perspective, a cloud of blood suddenly exploded beside Murong Xue. The snake-shaped monster's head was smashed apart by a single blow from her, leaving only its body writhing on the ground.

"So strong!"

Zeng Fan's heart jolted. In that instant, the cultivation Murong Xue had unleashed had directly reached the peak of Body Tempering Blood. Judging by the strength of her aura, she was probably only one step away from breaking through to the Spirit Gathering Realm.

Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin exchanged a glance and smiled bitterly at each other. How were they supposed to catch up? The two of them could say they had not dared slack off for even a single day, yet they still could not compare.

Wang Beichen, however, did not seem surprised. Only he knew that even among these Earth Vein disciples, Murong Xue's talent was among the very best. Peak Body Tempering Blood was nothing to the boss lady—just child's play.

Seeing the dazed looks on Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin's faces, Murong Xue blinked and spoke somewhat playfully.

"What? Did this young lady shock you? It's only human nature."

Murong Xue looked a little smug. She had always concealed her cultivation because she did not want to put too much pressure on Zeng Fan and the others. But now that they knew, it no longer mattered.

"A little." Zeng Fan shook his head. Murong Xue's cultivation had surprised him, but it was also within his expectations. After all, her cultivation talent had always been formidable. Even if Murong Xue had already broken through to the Spirit Gathering Realm, Zeng Fan could accept it.

Yuan Jin walked over to Zeng Fan and quietly leaned close to his ear, cursing under his breath.

"Damn, Murong Xue cultivates so insanely fast. How am I supposed to get my revenge in the future? I can only follow Big Sister Murong around, waving flags and shouting encouragement."

Zeng Fan's expression turned strange. "You're still thinking about revenge? At Murong's cultivation speed, you can only eat her dust from behind."

Yuan Jin could only say glumly, "Who can say for sure? Maybe I'll encounter some great opportunity in the future and become a late bloomer."

Zeng Fan rolled his eyes at him and said no more. As they spoke, the section of wall they were guarding grew somewhat quiet. Monsters also knew how to seek fortune and avoid disaster. The stench of the two monsters' rapid deaths had spread across this section of the wall, making weaker monsters afraid to charge here. But accidents always arrived without a sound.

Just as Yuan Jin walked toward Murong Xue to ask about her cultivation insights, another ear-piercing hiss rang out, making all four of them feel an urge to cover their ears.

A huge shadow suddenly leaped up from beneath the wall and crashed down in front of Zeng Fan and the others. It was another snake-shaped monster, somewhat similar to the one Murong Xue had casually killed earlier.

But Zeng Fan and the others no longer had the mind to determine whether it belonged to the same species. The aura emanating from the snake-shaped monster before them surpassed that of everyone present. A layer of Spiritual Energy could be seen flowing across its scales.

Yuan Jin's shocked, slightly fearful voice echoed all around them.

"Spiritual Energy released externally?! A Spirit Gathering Realm monster!"