Defending the City

Li Fan was able to walk again. He tried to lift the stone mill that Zhang Xiang used for training, but it wouldn't budge. He felt his meridians were blocked, his muscles were sore and numb, and he couldn't exert any strength. It was probably because the Blood God Child that had been left in his body hadn't been completely removed.

Alas, this round really turned into a disaster. It seems the Tribulation of Slaughter isn't a free-for-all that can be casually offered; no wonder most cultivators avoid it like the plague. But to be crippled by just one Blood God Child shows he's still too weak. This time, his recklessness has backfired, and he might truly have to undergo physical disintegration.

Li Fan couldn't sit still in the courtyard. Seeing that Yao Xuanzhou was protected by an array set up by Li Wugou, he realized he was of no use to Yao Xuanzhou. So he took a spear as a cane and went out to wander around the military town.

The military households in the town had already begun packing their belongings and leaving the city in groups. Once they left, they would become refugees, and on their way south, they would surely be robbed by all sorts of demons and bandits. Even if they were lucky enough to reach the south, they certainly wouldn't be taken in by the xenophobic warlords, and nine times out of ten, they would end up in Yellow Heaven Dao, just trying to make a living. But at least it was a way to survive, and it was still a tiny bit better than being slaughtered by the Hu Barbarians and becoming slaves.

The military households guarding the northern border were in dire straits, consisting mostly of women, children, the elderly, and the disabled, some missing limbs. This place was similar to the Ten-thousand-mountains of the South Border, surrounded by demons and monsters, and the land was difficult to cultivate. If it weren't for the Immortal Palace imperial court's garrison, it would be virtually uninhabited, making it difficult to survive for long. But there was nothing they could do. The rich Central Plains were occupied by powerful clans and noble families, while the northern grasslands were Hu Barbarians demons. The common people could only suffer in the middle, constantly being driven back and forth, struggling to survive in the mortal world.

Li Fan had no choice. He also wanted to live. The "Execute" mark above his head showed no sign of dissipating, indicating that the Chanyu to kill him remained undiminished. Therefore, after much consideration, Li Fan decided to take Xuan Tian's advice and prepare for the worst-case scenario. So, he took the Si Nan and went out to find the body to be possessed.

"Body possession" in this context simply means finding a recently deceased person, having their soul leave their body, and taking over their body. In fact, transmigration is almost the same as body possession. Li Fan still has the Golden Cicada Immortal Robe to house his nascent Nascent Soul Stage, but the Sword Embryo Flying Crossing from the Xuan Tian Sect is obviously better because he can take the Tai Sha Sword Embryo, which he has painstakingly cultivated, with him. With the previous experience, as long as the new Dao body's quality isn't too bad, and Tai Su Dao Moon Worship's progress is rapid, it won't take eighteen years; five or six years will be enough for him to become a hero again.

Moreover, there's another point: there's no shortage of bodies for possession right now. On the way back from the north, many soldiers from the vassal states were seriously wounded and died. Theoretically, as long as they died within seven days and their bodies weren't severely damaged, they could be used.

So Li Fan made his way to the mortuary where many wounded soldiers were laid out, and was startled when he entered.

Instead of an ancestral Profound Maiden the Immortal Goddess, there was a clay statue of an old woman in front of the gate— the Wusheng Laomu! The Black Lotus Demonic Sect!

Li Fan hesitated for a moment, but still went in to take a look.

Many soldiers, too badly wounded to be saved and left to die, were placed in the courtyard, their bodies resting on straw mats. Only a blind old woman, holding a black lotus-shaped teacup, squatted beside one of the wounded soldiers, chanting incantations. After she finished chanting, she gave the wounded soldier a mouthful of the soup from the teacup, and the wounded soldier breathed a sigh of relief and died.

The blind old woman muttered something to herself beside the dead man for a while, nothing more than things like "the soul returns to its homeland" and "the Vacuum Home."

Li Fan stood beside him, frowning, and listened for a while. "Are you performing a ritual to help the souls of the dead pass away? Can someone who isn't from the Black Lotus Sect go to the Vacuum Home?"

The old woman didn't turn around, ignoring Li Fan, and continued to the next person, muttering incantations.

To Li Fan's surprise, the other wounded soldiers did not resist either. They seemed resigned to their fate, waiting for the blind old woman to arrive. It was as if the pain in their bodies was eased by the old woman holding their hands.

Li Fan frowned and probed, "Do you know Wang Hong?"

The old woman seemed to recognize him; she even paused for a moment while chanting the incantation.

Li Fan probed again, "He said he can't die yet, that someone is waiting for him to return. Is it you?"

The old woman still didn't respond, and started chanting incantations again while feeding the wounded soldiers soup.

Li Fan didn't bother with her anymore. After all, she was just a Foundation Establishment sorceress, sending these incurable wounded soldiers to their deaths. There was nothing worth interfering with.

But the Black Lotus Sect...

Li Fan looked around and did some quick calculations. He had to admit that sometimes the most practical thing was actually these demonic sects. At least with the image of the Wusheng Laomu placed at the door, no wandering ghosts, demons, or wild beasts would bother the people of this Vacuum Home.

So Li Fan looked down at the dead soldiers, probing their meridians, trying to find a suitable body to possess...

"Splash!" "Oh my god!"

Suddenly, the blind old woman threw a bowl of soup at Li Fan, splashing it on his foot, and yelled at him, "You stinking Daoist priest! Get out!"

"Holy crap! I..."

Li Fan was startled, but when he saw the blind old woman, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, spread her arms and rush over to block the corpses of the dead soldiers, he couldn't help but freeze.

"You stinking Daoist priest! Get out! Get out!" The blind old woman picked up a clod of mud from the ground and threw it at Li Fan.

"Damn it! You crazy woman! A good man doesn't argue with a woman!" "Get lost!"

Li Fan had no choice but to lean on his gun and run away with his head in his hands, stumbling as he escaped the mortuary.

Well, the plan to disintegrate the military has failed...

Li Fan was at a loss for what to do. He was too lazy to argue with the blind old woman. Fine, if the mortuary wouldn't let him look, he'd just find another place. In this day and age, there were dead people everywhere. He remembered that when they came back by carriage together, there were many soldiers who had died on the way and were left in the mass graves outside the city. They were probably still in a hurry to bury them. Judging by the days, it had probably been less than seven days.

After resting for a while, Li Fan set off again to search outside the city.

Many soldiers are still reinforcing the city's defenses, carrying wooden planks, stones, and arrows. It's not that they're particularly brave or righteous, willingly sacrificing themselves to cover the retreat; it's simply that these men have just escaped and are unwilling to run any further. They also know that most of their horses have been killed for food, and where on the plains can they escape the four-legged Hu Barbarians? Being caught and ambushed is certain death anyway, so they might as well hold the passes and continue to defend. Perhaps another miracle will occur?

Of course, many people also removed their armor, skipped roll call, and fled among the refugees. With the Jiedushi dead, no one could control them. In short, the city was in chaos, and everyone went their separate ways. Li Fan also took advantage of the chaos to escape to the outskirts of the city. He actually found a few young men with decent aptitude, low-grade talent, and bodies that he could use for daily body tempering with the Gang Fist.

Although cultivation in the Immortal Path will be slower in the future, it probably won't have much of an impact on the Tai Su Dao. Besides, he'll at least be stronger than Li Yi was at ten years old back then, right?

So Li Fan sat down in the mass grave, fiddling with the pyramid-shaped black crystal given to him by the Thousand-Faced Immortal.

Alright, since the Gui Xu Nascent Soul is definitely going to be destroyed anyway, if that Chanyu shows up, just summon the Thousand-Faced Immortal to fight him, and then use the Sword Embryo Flying Crossing to transcend into physical disintegration...

What are you still doing here?!

Lost in thought, Li Wugou's Sword Light flashed down, enveloping Li Fan and carrying him away. "There's no escape! Enter the city! A large number of Demon Race have appeared from the south, flanking our rear! They can command those demon kings! This time, the Chanyu must have come in person!"

Sure enough, when Li Fan looked down from the sky, he saw that the crowd that had left the city earlier had turned back and were crowding the city gate. The number of people was much smaller; it seemed that many of them would not be able to return.

"Tsk, 'To the extreme,' they say...?"

Li Wugou didn't have time to talk to Li Fan much. She took him directly to the Jiedushi's office and went to inform the remaining vassal generals.

Li Fan could hear the military officers in the military headquarters arguing amongst themselves, debating whether to hold their ground or retreat. Every now and then, scouts like the Falcon Soldiers would gallop by, reporting that a large contingent of Hu Barbarians cavalry had been spotted to the north.

Li Fan felt dizzy from the noise, so he leaned against the corner of the wall and began to concentrate.

He saw that the Blood Infant's belly in the Divine Court was bulging from eating, and it would take some time to fully digest it, but its mouth could be fed again, so Li Fan couldn't wait any longer. He used the Returning Gui Xu Nascent Soul again, holding the Tai Sha Sword Embryo, and rushed into the Blood Talisman Sword Formation in the Divine Court. He slashed wildly, cutting down more than a dozen Sword Light and throwing them back to the Blood Infant to eat.

Sigh, to be honest, he's almost mastered the Blood Talisman Sword, and the Blood Infant has gotten so fat these past few meals. If this could help him recover, his strength would definitely skyrocket. It's just a pity there's still not enough time...

When Li Fan opened his eyes, it was getting dark. He tried jumping and found he could already scale walls and rooftops. But flying through the air was still difficult.

The soldiers were still arguing, but it didn't sound so chaotic anymore. At least they had made the decision to hold out for reinforcements. Anyone in the town who could go to the battlefield, regardless of age or gender, was to take up a bow and a sword and stand guard on the city wall.

Li Wugou is now the strongest cultivator in the city. She can't care about Li Fan anymore and is busy instructing the remaining Golden Core cultivators in the city to set up magic and sword formations around the city.

At this moment, a golden light flew through the air and landed Jiedushi on the governor's office.

Li Wugou leaped forward and caught the golden light in her hand. It was a palm-sized gold plaque with two characters on it.

"Emei! It's the Emei Golden Seal!"

The generals shouted with excitement. They had probably never been so happy to see Emei in their entire lives.

"The Emei Gold Medal is here! Reinforcements will arrive within days!"

Li Wugou also unleashed his Daoist power and roared, his voice like rolling thunder, drawing cheers from the entire city.

Li Fan was initially delighted, but upon closer inspection of the gold medal, his heart sank.

It's Yang Nanying's piece; it was probably found when Li Wugou was bandaging him.

Sure enough, she landed and whispered to Li Fan, "I used this golden talisman to call for help a long time ago, but now only the talisman has returned, no reinforcements. Moreover, the message on the talisman said that Mount Emei is under lockdown, so it probably didn't even reach anyone. There's no hope..."

Closing the mountain... If an elderly person with intellectual disabilities goes missing, the mountain must be closed...

"They just suffered a defeat at Wangwu Mountain, and with the Left Wise King keeping them occupied, they probably won't be receiving any reinforcements for a while..."

The two exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat helpless. Li Wugou then took the gold medal to intimidate the vassal army.

Li Fan sighed. Now that he had some strength left, he didn't want to just sit there doing nothing. So he went to the warehouse, got a set of armor, and went up to the city wall to help.

The northern Hu Barbarians are nowhere to be seen, but the southern city walls are already visible, with thick, demonic winds rising on the horizon. Judging by their aura—the black winds swirling, the thick smoke and poisonous clouds—there are probably four or five Divine Transformation demon kings among them!

Ugh... This is troublesome, really troublesome... I'm afraid Li Wugou alone can't handle this situation...

What if the Chanyu doesn't show himself and only sends these monsters to fight? Does that mean every little monster is called the Thousand-Faced Immortal? The messenger of Chaos can't be so lacking in prestige...

Li Fan was truly speechless this time. Last time he was possessed, he almost died after passing through two goalposts. This time, he didn't even have a chance to die together with the body!

It seems this is truly the final chapter! Thank you all for your support! The End!

As Li Fan was lost in thought, the sun set behind Yinshan Mountain, its golden rays obscured by the snow-capped peaks, gradually drawing back the curtain of night and casting its light upon the twilight earth. Then, in the last rays of the setting sun, as the sky met the earth, eight figures emerged from the twilight.

These were eight men dressed in brown fur and hemp clothing, wearing bamboo masks, carrying Black Sword, and wearing straw sandals. They walked briskly, their figures flashing, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at the city gate.

The leader was a tall, broad-shouldered, middle-aged man with arms that reached past his knees. He wore a plain bamboo mask and raised his hands in a fist salute. "Moist Tianyu, a Mohist. I was passing through the northern frontier when I saw the beacon fires. So I brought my junior brother to help defend the city."

Damn it... why do you guys always show up out of nowhere? Give me some warning!

"Who are you people?! You're not monsters, are you?!"

"No, no! It's aid... cough cough cough!"

Just as Li Fan was about to climb down from the city wall to reunite with his relatives, something shot into his mouth. When he spat it out, he saw that it was a pill, which was probably not the Changchun Pill. It smelled quite like the fragrance of flesh and blood. Then he heard a familiar voice in his ear.

"Eat, and don't say anything more."

Those are long, white legs!

Sure enough, he spotted a pair of long, white legs in the crowd, which reassured Li Fan. He knew that the inability to recognize them was probably due to some kind of magic. He chewed the pill and circulated his energy. He felt a sweet, metallic taste in his mouth, and his muscles and bones felt relaxed. The blockage in his meridians and the fatigue in his muscles were greatly reduced.

"We brothers are wandering cultivators from the countryside. We came to help when we saw demons attacking the city. Now that we're here, it's alright if we don't enter the city. Let's go and build the city walls."

As the Moist Tianyu spoke, he waved his hand, and the seven Mohists simultaneously leaped away and disappeared without a trace.

"Wait! What city are you building! May I ask which sect you belong to, sir! How many clouds and dragons are there, what characters are above and below, where is the direct lineage of the Three Mountains? Please explain!"

With a flash of Sword Light, Li Wugou landed on the city wall and stood up to confront Tian Yu.

"Moist Tianyu, a mere wanderer, is better off meddling in other people's business, exorcising demons and monsters. Get out of the way!"

With a wave of his hand, Tianyu summoned a mound of earth from the void, which landed outside the city with a boom, blocking the south exit of the city!

"Ah! Moving Mountains!" Li Wugou exclaimed in surprise, "He actually knows the art of moving mountains! With such power, could he be a deity?!"

Li Fan stroked his chin. Hmm... that might not necessarily have been obtained through magic; it could have been forcibly taken...

Sure enough, a series of loud booms were heard, and eight earthen mounds, each forty feet high, completely surrounded Shuofang City!

The soldiers and civilians of Shuofang Town were hidden in the shadows cast by the towering hills, terrified and as if plunged into the darkness.

At this time, the sky also completely darkened.

The sun set behind the Yin Mountains, and night fell over the earth.

One after another, enormous human-god figures crawled out from the other side of the Eight Hills.

They were strange gods, like dragons, pythons, black birds, phoenixes, rhinoceroses, and bulls, but the only thing they had in common was that they all had human heads and faces. However, those faces were covered by huge black bamboo masks, so the faces could not be seen. Only pairs of black pupils shone behind the ethereal masks.

Li Fan didn't care, and even wanted to sing a song, but when he heard the sound of people falling to the ground around him, he looked around and found that the soldiers and civilians of Shuofang Town had all rolled their eyes, kicked their legs, and fallen to the ground unconscious.

Li Fan checked them over and found that they had all succumbed to this level of mental shock and gone into shock. That was for the best; after all, the scene of the Mo Shan lineage being slaughtered later wouldn't be exactly horrible, but it would certainly be extremely gruesome...

Sigh, it seems there are really very few people who can learn the Moshan Dao...

"This, this, this... what... what... what..."

Huh?

Li Fan turned his head and saw Li Wugou staring wide-eyed at the eight enormous heads around her, her teeth chattering incessantly. She had both her flying swords, 'Frost Wind' and 'Cold Rain,' in her hands, her knuckles white from gripping them so tightly.

Hmm... it seems that mentally ill people are more resistant to psychological harm...

"Real Person Li, relax a bit. You've been tense for days. Leave the rest to them."

Li Fan took out his jade flute and played "Two Tigers" for Li Wugou, which at least eased her emotions a little.

"You, you, you, me, me, me, it, it, it... what is that thing?!"

Li Wugou finally regained her ability to speak, pointing at the giant human-headed beasts that flew and leaped overhead, her voice still somewhat hysterical.

"They're all allies of justice, let's fight them, Masked Man! Just kidding..."

Li Fan leaped onto the earthen mound, looking at the Revered Heavenly Demon soaring in the night sky, and the horde of strange and Non-Thing creatures that had transformed into various Devil Embryo under the illumination of the False Moon. He then flew towards it.

"They were just some righteous men who would brave fire and blades and die without hesitation, and they just happened to be passing by."