Annihilation

Hearing this news, everyone was astonished. They could not help but feel even more anticipation and curiosity toward this mysterious young man.

Wu Jie looked at the youth before him with great hope, silently praying in his heart. He knew full well that all hope of defending the city now rested on this young man.

He had personally gone to the City Lord's Manor before, only to find it completely empty. Against such a powerful city lord, the only one capable of killing him without a sound was a Nascent Soul Realm expert. Though this youth appeared quite young, Wu Jie believed that he possessed extraordinary strength.

From atop the city walls, they could already see thousands of first-tier demonic beasts and dozens of second-tier demonic beasts. Fortunately, Border City's defending army was numerous; with the aid of the walls, they could completely withstand the charge of first- and second-tier demonic beasts.

"Attack!!" At Wu Jie's command, the guards atop the walls launched attacks at the demonic beasts charging below. Blood flew everywhere, and the scene became chaotic.

Wu Jie flew to Jiang Ming's side. Looking at the two third-tier demonic beasts before them, his expression changed dramatically.

The Desert Raging Wolf had a nimble build, its earthy yellow fur like steel needles. Its eyes gleamed with scarlet light, and its sharp claws could tear apart any defense.

Then there was the Two-Headed Black Sand Serpent. Its two enormous snake heads gaped with bloodthirsty maws, while its grayish-white scales glittered beneath the sun. Its body, dozens of zhang long, made crisp clanking sounds with every movement.

"Young Master, there was originally only one third-tier demonic beast—the Two-Headed Black Sand Serpent. I do not know when another one appeared." Wu Jie's face looked awful.

Originally, it had taken both Wu Jie and the city lord working together just to suppress one third-tier demonic beast. Now there were two. "Border City is doomed!!" Wu Jie's face was filled with grief.

The defending soldiers also spotted the two enormous third-tier demonic beasts. Feeling the towering demonic aura, every one of them wore an expression of despair.

Only Jiang Naicha and the other maid remained calm, having witnessed Jiang Ming's true strength.

"Young Master, something is wrong. There was originally only one third-tier demonic beast. You should leave first. It seems heaven is determined to destroy Border City." Wu Jie was utterly despairing.

"Do not panic. I will simply take action!" Jiang Ming said calmly. His voice was not loud, but his tranquil tone put people at ease. A trace of hope surged into Wu Jie's eyes.

The temperature in the air slowly rose, as though they were inside a furnace. "Go back to the city first!" Wu Jie turned without hesitation and returned to the city wall.

Jiang Ming no longer suppressed himself. The aura of the Nascent Soul Realm erupted forth. His black hair whipped wildly, and his plain robes fluttered despite the lack of wind. Golden Eyes burst with blazing golden radiance. Centered on him, a heat wave swept outward, scattering the demonic aura that filled the sky. The first- and second-tier demonic beasts attacking the city howled madly beneath the scorching heat, before finally igniting in crimson flames that could not be extinguished. Within mere breaths, countless piles of black ash covered the ground.

Sensing danger, the Two-Headed Black Sand Serpent and the Desert Raging Wolf immediately retreated, fleeing deep into the wilderness. Jiang Ming believed in cutting weeds and pulling out their roots, so he pursued them.

Seeing the beast tide wiped out so easily, the city guards stared at Jiang Ming's departing figure with disbelief. Even Wu Jie was stunned. He had still underestimated this young nobleman. Then, a wave of shouts rose from Border City's walls.

"Awesome, awesome!!"

"We survived!!"

"Heaven has blessed us!! The beast tide has been completely wiped out!"

The news swiftly spread back into the city. The citizens were also overjoyed and opened their doors one after another. Life returned to the once desolate Border City.

As for Jiang Ming, he followed their trail, hanging behind the two demonic beasts. Since he was already here, he might as well wipe out their lair as well.

Third-tier demonic beasts had only just developed spiritual intelligence, like children. They never would have imagined that Jiang Ming was following behind them.

As he ventured deeper, corpses littered the area. Jiang Ming realized that he was almost there. He no longer concealed himself and quickly stepped forward. The Two-Headed Black Sand Serpent and the Desert Raging Wolf immediately panicked upon seeing Jiang Ming, continuously backing away, though they did not flee.

Looking behind them, Jiang Ming saw a coffin. Curious, he passed them, casually exterminated the two demonic beasts, and stood beside the coffin.

The coffin before him was four or five times larger than an ordinary coffin. It was made of bronze and formed in one seamless piece, with even a faint bronze stench lingering upon it. Just as he was about to open it, the coffin opened before he could. Jiang Ming swiftly retreated to a safe distance and fixed his gaze upon it.

A massive figure shot out from within. It was a giant bird with nothing but bones. With its wings spread, it spanned a full hundred zhang, blotting out the sky and sun. Within the hollow sockets of its enormous bird skull burned two clusters of dark green flame.

"It can fly without feathers?" Jiang Ming muttered.

"Those who trespass into the forbidden ground shall die!!" A deep, terrifying voice rang out.

"Oh? It can even speak. Tribulation Realm? Fifth-tier?" Jiang Ming's lips curled slightly.

The giant bird spoke no more. Its sky-covering body dove down toward him. Jiang Ming remained calm as golden radiance burst from Golden Eyes. Two golden beams pierced through its bony wings. "Screech!" The giant bird cried out and crashed to the ground. Based on his perception, this Bone Bird only possessed the strength of the fourth tier.

Jiang Ming hovered above the giant bird and said calmly, "You did not answer my question. That makes me a little unhappy." A tiny crimson flame flickered and fell onto its bony wing. The giant bird let out a miserable scream before finally burning to ash in the flames.

Jiang Ming frowned. "This... demonic beasts can only speak after reaching the fifth tier and undergoing tribulation. Who is playing god and pretending to be a ghost?"

In the boundless yellow desert, a massive bronze coffin had suddenly appeared. The sight was truly strange. Jiang Ming slowly approached the gigantic bronze coffin and circled it once, but found nothing unusual. He tried circulating the spiritual energy within him, making Golden Eyes emit golden light. Under its illumination, he finally noticed something odd: beneath the massive bronze coffin was a passage leading deep underground.

Jiang Ming could not help revealing a curious expression. He clenched his fist, wanting to see whether he could blast the gigantic bronze coffin away. However, the scene he imagined did not occur. The enormous coffin remained firmly rooted where it stood. He gave an awkward smile and scratched his head, secretly relieved that no one had seen that. Then he extended his right hand again, spreading his fingers and pressing them against the coffin wall. Crimson Sunfire ignited in his palm. Its temperature far exceeded that of ordinary flames and could easily melt bronze.

As the flames gradually spread, the entire gigantic bronze coffin was covered. In only a dozen or so breaths, the bronze coffin completely vanished, leaving behind nothing but a pool of liquid bronze. The bottomless opening that had originally been concealed beneath it was now exposed before him. Jiang Ming did not hesitate and strode into the mysterious opening.

After entering the cave, Jiang Ming found that the stairs continued downward into the depths of the earth, as though leading to the netherworld. The entire passage was pitch-black, without the slightest light. Yet Jiang Ming was not worried, for Golden Eyes allowed him to see in the dark. He continued downward, and after roughly the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he entered a great bronze hall. There was another bronze coffin, though this one was the size of an ordinary coffin. Green flames burned atop the surrounding torches, illuminating the entire hall and making it appear incomparably eerie.