Sea Beasts Attack, Defend the City

On the sixth day of the seventh month, Luo Zhou got up early and made his preparations.

He packed Spirit Stones, rations, water, clothes, shoes, medicine, thirteen Dragon-Slaying Thrusts, and a bundle of Spirit Birch Wood into his Qiankun Bag.

He hid or locked away everything of value in his home.

In truth, Luo Zhou's home was practically bare, with nothing of worth besides a cooking pot.

He didn't have time to check on his pets. If the hired help from the pet market came to care for them, he'd leave them.

If the helper didn't show up, Luo Zhou decided he'd release them all when he returned that night, wishing them well.

He put on his clothes, tied a yellow scarf around his head, slung three Eyebrow-Level Staffs over his back, and held a bronze staff in his hand.

The Dragon-Slaying Thrusts were hidden within the Eyebrow-Level Staffs. This was a suicide mission; he couldn't afford to worry about revealing his secrets in a life-or-death situation.

After locking the main door, Luo Zhou let out a long breath, wondering if he would ever return.

He headed straight for the East Gate.

Early in the morning, the streets were filled with cultivators like him, swords and sabers strapped to their backs, all in a hurry.

The sea beasts were bound to attack the city today. All cultivators and government officials had been summoned. The village chief had relayed the message, and everyone was heading to their respective units.

Ordinary mortals were also gathering for various support roles: cooking, delivering supplies, and transporting the wounded.

All the doctors from the medical clinics had assembled to treat the injured.

Throughout the alleys and streets, preparations were underway. Street barricades were being built, and traps were being laid. If the city fell, they would fight from street to street.

The City Lord's Mansion had been specially reinforced and would serve as the final defensive stronghold if the city was breached.

There was a large underground hall in the City Lord's Mansion where all the women, children, and the elderly would shelter.

Besides the vulnerable, there were also piles of fuel oil and firewood.

If the City Lord's Mansion could no longer be held, they would light the fires and commit mass suicide!

They would perish together, sacrificing themselves for the city!

It was better than being captured and eaten by the sea folk!

Luo Zhou arrived at the East Gate, signed in, and was directed by someone.

"Ping'an Quarter's Luo Zhou? A family member of a martyr? And still a child?

Team Thirty-Seven, assemble at Emplacement Two Hundred Thirty-Eight on the city wall!"

Luo Zhou ascended the wall and saw small teams already gathered along its length.

The emplacements, numbered from north to south, had signs with numbers to facilitate assembly.

Luo Zhou hurried over to Emplacement Two Hundred Thirty-Eight, where over fifty people had already gathered.

There were three cultivators at the Qi Refining stage, and the rest were at the Body Tempering stage.

Among them, over thirty were at the peak of Body Tempering, all in their thirties and forties.

These were all former students of the Daoist Academy who had participated in the Ascension Ceremony. They had only awakened a postnatal Spirituality.

They had failed the Ascension Ceremony, and their Spirituality had saved their lives, allowing them to survive.

However, having lost their Spirituality, they could only reach the peak of Body Tempering in this lifetime and could not advance to the Qi Refining stage.

In fact, Dragon Fang Troop, Cheng Wanli, Zhang Chuan, and Lu Yue were in the same situation.

The captain was a Qi Refining stage cultivator. His protective energy shimmered with vibrant colors, indicating a special characteristic.

Luo Zhou recognized this person.

He was the one who had been sucked into the mouth of the old Crocodile Dragon, chewed on for a bit, and then stiffened by a curse from Luo Zhou as a Curse Master. The old Crocodile Dragon had frozen, allowing him to crawl out and survive.

The two of them had even been sent to the same medical clinic for treatment.

It had only been a few days, and his injuries had already healed.

Luo Zhou went forward to report:

"Ping'an Quarter's Luo Zhou, reporting for duty!"

The cultivator glanced at him and asked, "A student of the Daoist Academy?"

"Third class of Xianya Hall!"

"That bronze staff looks heavy! What's your realm and what kind of Spirituality do you have?"

"Body Tempering eighth level, an Overturning Rivers and Seas Force User! My Spiritual Power is Nine Bulls and Two Tigers!"

"Good, a tough one!"

This cultivator was named Cheng Peng, and he possessed the special characteristic of Starry Brilliance energy.

The other two Qi Refining stage cultivators were He Yongqi and Liu Jing. However, they had not mastered any special energy characteristics and were considered ordinary Qi Refining cultivators.

Still, Liu Jing was an official Talisman Master, proficient in the Eight Sceneries and Twenty-Four Talismans.

Everyone gathered here now to assemble and get acquainted.

Some government laborers pushed carts forward, opening them to reveal various weapons, armor, and shields.

"Everyone, come pick your gear," Liu Jing shouted.

"Don't pick plate armor; it's too heavy and makes dodging difficult. You'll definitely be at a disadvantage."

"If anyone's good with bows and crossbows, we have Iron Girder Bows and Three-Jian Crossbows here. Help yourselves."

Luo Zhou glanced around and picked up a chainmail shirt, putting it on.

He wore a yellow turban on his head, which could transform into Overturning Rivers and Seas Force User Golden Armor, though it wasn't particularly useful, it was better than nothing.

"Anyone who understands battle formations, hurry over. The Three Talents formation is here, the Four Symbols formation is over there, and whoever knows the Seven Stars formation...!"

Luo Zhou had studied at the Daoist Academy, so he went over to make up the numbers.

However, he was quickly kicked out. Most of the others were acquaintances, and his energy was too great, disrupting the balance of the formation.

Cheng Peng said, "Kid, you follow me. Be my deputy, and I'll protect you!"

"Thank you, Uncle Cheng!"

As everyone was preparing, someone suddenly shouted:

"Water's coming! Water's coming!"

Water silently and subtly appeared on the ground.

Water rose from all sides, appearing from flat ground, defying the natural order, not flowing downhill but surging towards Green Ridge City.

A beam of light erupted from the City Lord's mansion, instantly transforming into a Qi Shield, expanding in all directions and enveloping the entire Green Ridge City.

Beyond the city walls, there was a space of three to five li.

In this space, the surging water receded, but the ground was muddy, with some areas having a foot or two of standing water.

In the void, about eleven people ascended, including City Lord Fang Daoqi, and Luo Zhou's teacher, Headmaster Zhao.

Luo Zhou watched in amazement. Cheng Peng said, "These are Green Ridge City's eleven Foundation Establishment cultivators!

At the center is City Lord Fang Daoqi, Headmaster Zhao of the Daoist Academy; beside him are the patriarchs of the three great families in the city: Zhang, Chen, and Liu.

The three people to the northeast are the three great commanders of the Fire Crow Army; the bald old man is Guo Yingxin, the captain of the Maritime Security Battalion; the fairy in white is the owner of the Spirit Workshop..."

Luo Zhou recognized them from the memories of the many Woodworm Devils, matching them one by one.

"They are not our ultimate reliance. Master Yujing, the old enshrined master of Green Ridge City, is our city's guardian spirit."

Cheng Peng deliberately spoke loudly, trying to boost morale.

Luo Zhou immediately played along, asking, "Master Yujing, a Golden Core True Lord?"

"A Golden Core True Lord. Master Yujing wields the Yin-Yang Five Elements Lightning technique.

However, the old True Lord is nearing the end of his lifespan and will only act if absolutely necessary, primarily controlling the grand formation to block the invasion of the third-tier sea beasts."

Master Yujing was an elderly Golden Core True Lord whose lifespan was nearing its end. He was living out his retirement in Green Ridge City, awaiting death.

He would basically not take action, only setting up a spirit energy grand formation to block powerful sea beasts from entering the city.

As long as the powerful sea beasts couldn't enter the city, the catastrophe would be more than half over.

However, the spirit energy grand formation could only block the powerful sea beasts. The first and second-tier sea beasts, equivalent to the Body Tempering and Qi Refining realms, could pass through the spirit energy grand formation.

They would find the key rune nodes of the spirit energy grand formation within the city and destroy them.

If too many were destroyed, the formation would fail, and powerful sea beasts could storm the city, leading to its destruction and the death of all its inhabitants.

This was Luo Zhou's task: to block the first and second-tier sea beasts and destroy the formation nodes.

The Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators were to prevent attacks from third-tier sea beasts and would not easily act against first and second-tier sea beasts.

"Everyone, don't be afraid."

Cheng Peng started boosting morale again!

"As long as we defend the city for seven days, the water energy will dissipate, and the sea beasts will automatically disperse."

Someone asked, "Can we get reinforcements from the prefecture?"

Cheng Peng remained silent for a long time before finally saying:

"There's no way. With the sea beasts attacking and the water energy surrounding us, no one except a Nascent Soul True Lord can break through.

Furthermore, all eleven coastal cities in the prefecture are simultaneously under siege by sea beasts. The prefecture's strength is limited, so don't count on them."

Luo Zhou was speechless. He had initially thought only Green Ridge City was under siege by sea beasts.

He hadn't expected that all eleven coastal cities in the prefecture were under siege.

That jellyfish saint son's protector was truly damnable!

Suddenly, someone shouted, "They're here! They're here!"

The spirit energy shield enveloped the entire city. Outside the city walls, there was a space of three to five li.

Sea beasts, one after another, drilled through the spirit energy shield and entered this space.

These sea beasts were divided into two types: one was fish-like, such as Crocodile Dragons, Siege Crabs, Death Turtles, Walruses, Sea Lions, Giant Octopuses, and Great White Sharks...

Although there wasn't much water in the space, they moved as freely as if swimming, empowered by some unknown force.

One type was humanoid, such as Fishman, Naga, Sharkman, Whaleman, Hippocampus Man...

Sea beasts were more common, humanoids rare, but the humanoids were the leaders, commanding these sea beasts to attack from all directions.

Cheng Peng roared, "Everyone, our families are behind us! For Green Ridge City, fight!"

With that, he leaped up, the first to jump off the city wall.

The others followed suit, jumping off the walls and charging into battle.

Those with battle formations organized them, while others fought individually. Archers and crossbowmen began to draw their bows and shoot.

Luo Zhou brandished his Ripe Copper Cudgel and charged out with them!