A Dangerous Situation

The celebration feast in Black Wind City had not yet dispersed when a blood-stained communication jade slip, arriving through the air, landed in Elder Wu's hand. The spiritual energy fluctuations on the slip were chaotic, and as it unfurled, a line of crimson text stung the eyes: "Space-Time Rift anomaly, Northern Border Three Passes have fallen, Exotic Race main forces are pressing in, the six provinces' defense line is in critical danger!"

Fang Yan leaned forward, his fingertips tracing the scorched marks on the edge of the jade slip – remnants of spiritual energy overload. He looked north. In his memory, the vast territory of the past now existed only as broken outlines. In the century since the Space-Time Rift appeared, the Exotic Races had swallowed ninety percent of the land like a tide. Now, humanity was left with only the Six Provinces of Yan, Shu, Jing, Ji, Yun, and Tai, and five core main cities built around spiritual veins, like six lonely stars suspended in a dark, lost sea.

"The Northern Border is the shield of the six provinces. Once the three passes fall, the Exotic Race cavalry will be at Shuzhou City's gates in seven days," Elder Wu's voice carried a rare solemnity. He crushed the jade slip. "Mystic Martial Pavilion is sending out a summons: all cultivators at the Martial King Realm and above must immediately reinforce Shuzhou. It is the granary of the six provinces, and it absolutely cannot be lost."

The next morning, the Vanguard Camp set out on the road to reinforce. All they saw along the way were ruins and broken walls. Former towns had turned into scorched earth. Occasionally, refugees huddled in abandoned fortresses, gaunt and sallow. An old woman, holding a dying child, saw the armored soldiers and tremblingly offered half a moldy bun: "Officer, can you give us some food... The Exotic Races burned the village to the west again last night."

Fang Yan handed over the dry rations he carried, his heart tightening. He had seen the prosperity of a hundred years ago in ancient texts: fertile land stretching for thousands of miles, cities stretching endlessly. Now, only this small territory of six provinces and five cities remained, every inch soaked in blood and tears.

Upon reaching Jianmen Pass on the border of Shuzhou, it had already become a battlefield. Countless Exotic Race soldiers scaled the city walls with cloud ladders. The human soldiers on the battlements, having run out of arrows, wielded broken sabers to fight the enemy hand-to-hand. The words "Shuzhou Barrier" on the city wall were stained crimson with blood and blackened by cannon fire.

"It's the Ironbone Barbarian assault force!" Zhao Hu roared. Those Exotic Races stood over ten feet tall, covered in iron scales. Each giant hammer they swung could smash the bricks and stones of the city wall. Further away, several Winged Tribe cultivators with fleshy wings circled high in the sky, occasionally swooping down to reap lives.

"Master, you take the elite to harass the Winged Tribe from the flank. Zhao Hu and I will lead our men to support the city wall!" Before Fang Yan finished speaking, he had already circulated his true qi and leaped onto the city wall. His long spear swept across, knocking away three barbarian soldiers who had climbed onto the wall. Prison Heaven Sword Finger was unleashed repeatedly, its finger-blades piercing the sky and forcing back the swooping Winged Tribe.

Elder Wu's figure turned into an azure afterimage, rushing straight into the sky. The pressure of a sixth-level Martial King instantly spread out. He struck out with a palm, the wind of his palm like a blade, killing two Winged Tribe cultivators on the spot. "You Exotic Races dare to run rampant in human territory!"

Seeing the reinforcements arrive, the soldiers on the city wall's morale soared. Li Gang led the right-wing soldiers, pushing a battering ram that smashed the siege engines placed at the city gate. Zhao Hu wielded his great saber, carving a bloody path through the barbarian soldiers. Fang Yan, however, focused on the barbarian's siege commander – an Ironbone Barbarian General at the first level of the Martial King Realm. The giant hammer in his hand carried black energy, and each swing contained destructive true qi.

"Human brat, once I break this pass, I will burn your main cities to ashes!" the barbarian general roared, swinging his hammer down. Fang Yan dodged to the side, his long spear thrusting towards the general's throat, but it was blocked by the opponent's iron scales. Using the force of the rebound, he retreated and then circulated the Prairie Fire Spear Technique. Spear shadows coiled upwards like fire dragons, forcing the barbarian general to retreat repeatedly.

"Opening!" Fang Yan seized the moment the opponent was taking a breath, condensing Prison Heaven Sword Finger at his fingertips. The sharp finger-blades pierced through the gaps of the giant hammer, striking the barbarian general's heart. The general fell to the ground with a crash, and the barbarian soldiers below the city wall immediately fell into disarray.

Elder Wu finished off the last Winged Tribe cultivator and swooped down. "The Exotic Race main forces are still in the rear. We need to reinforce the defenses as quickly as possible!"

As night fell, the lights of Jianmen Pass finally became a little more stable. Soldiers repaired the city walls, while Fang Yan stood on the battlements, looking towards the direction of the Space-Time Rift – a place perpetually shrouded in black mist, where countless Exotic Races lurked. Elder Wu walked to his side, handing him a defense map of the six provinces. "These six provinces and five cities are humanity's last embers. We are not defending cities, but hope."

Fang Yan stroked the spiritual vein nodes marked on the map. Each main city had a defensive formation built around a spiritual vein. Supplies were transported between the six provinces through underground secret passages. This was the survival line humanity had built over a hundred years. He suddenly clenched his fist. "Master, we will not lose another inch of land. One day, we will fight our way back to the Space-Time Rift and reclaim all the lost territory."

Elder Wu's eyes flashed with approval. "Good lad, it's good to have that spirit. But the true main force of the Exotic Races has not yet moved. It is said that deep within the rift, there are Exotic Race Kings at the Martial King Realm and above."

Just then, hurried hoofbeats echoed from the distance. A scout dismounted, his expression panicked. "Commander! This is bad! The Space-Time Rift is showing signs of anomaly, and stronger Exotic Race auras are approaching. It seems to be... the Exotic Race Royal Court Troops!"

Fang Yan's head shot up, and he looked towards the lost land shrouded in darkness. The lights of the six provinces and five cities flickered in the night, as if they could be extinguished by a strong wind at any moment. But he gripped the long spear in his hand. Behind him stood countless soldiers ready for battle, humanity's last home.

"Pass down my order: the entire army is on high alert!" Fang Yan's voice echoed in the night wind. "Hold Jianmen Pass, hold every inch of land!"

The torches on the city wall crackled in the wind, illuminating the determined faces of the soldiers. This war to defend the remnants of their land had only just begun.