"The south gate of the city has fallen."
On this morning, the sunlight did not shine into the ancestral Ancestral Hall of Dawang Village.
A peregrine falcon formed from a gentle breeze landed on the offering table, and its beak revealed the voice of Feng Zhi.
With his head full of white hair, Li Mo lit an incense stick for his ancestors, then remained silent, gazing at the dim, flickering candlelight.
After a long pause, he finally spoke and asked:
"What about the warriors of the Celestial Clan and the Earth City?"
"They moved into the city within a city to preserve their strength. They will only reclaim the South Gate when Emperor Jiang has completely made the divine sword recognize its master, but you will not live to see that day."
"Not necessarily." Li Mo shook his head.
A voice in the breeze asked, puzzled, "Your sister is no longer in town. Even she has given up. Why are you staying here?"
She could sense that Ying Bing was no longer in Dawang Town.
Perhaps the initial interest has faded, and they find ordinary life uninteresting, so they drift away after experiencing it all.
Over the long course of time, the Celestials inevitably experience moments of restlessness and change, with thoughts arising and falling away in an instant.
It was as if she had just casually reminded Li Mo.
"Thank you anyway."
Li Mo bowed slightly to the pale blue peregrine falcon.
Seeing that he was still stubborn, Feng Zhi said no more and her figure disappeared into the breeze.
In the morning, the townspeople gradually arrived at the ancestral Ancestral Hall. They were completely unaware of what had happened in Rencheng, but having been urgently summoned, some of them already had a vague sense of foreboding.
In addition to the original villagers of Dawang Village, people from several surrounding villages, as well as migrants who had settled here, also arrived.
Those who entered the gate were all accomplished martial arts practitioners. The children who used to go fishing in the river with their bare bottoms down and steal birds' nests from trees are now all old enough to be grandfathers.
Now, placed in the underground city, they can all stand on their own. Among them, Dong Erniu has the best talent and would have no problem establishing his own sect.
"Brother Li, why did you suddenly call everyone over?"
Dong Erniu was the first to ask.
"The south gate has fallen," Li Mo said succinctly.
The townspeople were in an uproar; some were incredulous, some sighed, and some were filled with anxiety.
Everyone was counting down the days, and only a few days had passed since the fifty-year deadline was reached.
This means that the fall of the South Gate happened almost instantly.
Moreover, judging from Li Mo's tone, the Celestial Clan has no intention of subjugating it in the short term.
This also means that Dawang Village will soon face a large number of rampaging demons.
"What should we do then?"
"Didn't the warriors of the dungeon expand into several new cities between the dungeon and the human city? Why don't we head over there?"
"I'm afraid it's too late." Li Mo shook his head.
"If we take the women, children, and the elderly with us, we should be able to get there in time..." said the honest Qi Tiezhu.
He was a descendant of the old village chief, and his mother was the girl who had once admired Li Mo. Li Mo taught him many blacksmithing skills.
Dong Erniu pondered for a moment and said:
"Brother Li means is, we can outrun demons, but we can't outrun others."
"The city is vast and overpopulated. Too many people want to go there to make a living. Even if the city expands into several new towns, it can only accommodate a small portion of them. Moreover, we are of no value to them, and we would probably be turned away if we went."
"Erniu is right."
"Have we seen enough of the true colors of the dungeon dwellers?"
"If they truly cared about the common people, they wouldn't have retreated into their shells."
Many villagers had been to the underground city. After mastering martial arts, many were no longer willing to farm and wanted to make a name for themselves in the underground city.
Many people came back.
The reason is simple: just like those bright but foolish college students who desperately try to squeeze into big cities, they find that their ambitions are all in vain, and they are like a drop of water being squeezed into the ocean, a cog in a machine.
Those more talented than you work harder than you, while those less talented than you have a better background.
If I'm going to be a beast of burden in the fields, I'll still be a beast of burden in the city. What's the point of me going to the city?
After letting everyone's emotions build up for a moment, Li Mo raised his hand to quiet the Ancestral Hall down.
"Everyone has their own ambitions. If you want to go to the dungeon to make a living, I guarantee no one will stop you."
"But those of us who remain today must stand together through thick and thin; no one can do anything that harms the group."
His voice had aged considerably, but it was still as resonant and powerful as it had been in his youth.
Some people bowed deeply towards the Ancestral Hall and decided to leave, while many others chose to remain where they were.
Dong Erniu took a deep breath.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he walked to the entrance of the Ancestral Hall.
However, he didn't leave; he simply slammed the door shut and then smiled:
"Brother Li, what do you think we should do?"
"Give up your illusions."
Li Mo gave him a disgruntled look and said:
"The Celestial Person sit high in the clouds, while the earthly beings are blinded by greed; we can't rely on either of them, we can only rely on ourselves!"
"After practicing Image-Mimicking Martial Arts for so many years, it's time to put them to use!"
"Everyone, go and get ready!"
As the founder of the Image-Mimicking Martial Arts, Li Mo's level of mastery was so profound that even most people didn't know it.
Moreover, it is widely known that Mayor Li is a genius.
Thinking of this, everyone inexplicably gained confidence.
What does Li Mo want to do?
"His Image-Mimicking Martial Arts are quite amazing, but I'm afraid they'd be powerless against a horde of demons of this scale."
"Small groups of demons are fine, but this time they're being directed by someone. Killing a few will attract a large horde."
Is he planning to confront them head-on?
Those outside the sphere who were observing the Map of Mountains and Rivers were unaware of Li Mo's intentions.
They didn't know.
Then there are certain beings who are even more unaware.
"Look, they're here!"
Someone pointed to the sky.
In the Map of Mountains and Rivers, a group of demons, numbering over a hundred, had already arrived a hundred miles away from Dawang Town.
They were enormous, and their malevolent aura was palpable.
None of them were comparable to the first batch that Li Mo had encountered.
But coincidentally, the leader was also a human-snake, except that its scales were dark red and it held a blood-stained giant axe in its hands.
Large numbers of demons kept entering from the south gate.
Some of them joined the Hundred Beast Hall and went to the border between the local and human areas, while a large number of them scattered and wandered around various parts of the human city.
"There's a human settlement ahead! Hahaha, I can smell so many living people!"
The smuggler leader suddenly let out a triumphant roar:
"This is quite a large scale! We can have a feast!"
Some of the demons pounded their chests, while others raised their weapons, all filled with bloodthirsty excitement.
However, after being tamed by the Hundred Beast Hall, they became more intelligent and were able to temporarily suppress their ferocity, waiting for the leader's orders.
"Children, follow me..."
"Wait!"
A deep, resonant voice rang out.
The demons were taken aback, and then they saw another human-snake emerge from the woods not far away. It was equally strong, holding a scythe in its left hand and a hammer in its right.
Human-snake leader. "?"
Is there anyone faster than them?
"Where did you come from, you demon?"
"I am a local demon; it's normal that you haven't seen me before."
"???"