Abyssal Demon Assault

The inn in Yellow Earth City was more rudimentary than imagined.

Calling it an inn was a stretch. It was really just several rows of single-story houses rammed from yellow earth, each room containing only a stone bed and a stone table. But for cultivators who had fought on the battlefield for an entire day, having a roof over their heads was already a blessing.

Qin Yuan and Zi Ling had just entered the inn's courtyard when they heard a familiar voice.

"Junior Brother Qin!"

Chu Wuyue rushed out of a room, his white pupils brimming with delight. Behind him, Yun Qingyao also stepped out slowly, the clouds and mist around her even more solid than before—clearly, she had gained something over the day as well.

"Senior Brother Chu, Senior Sister Yun." Qin Yuan nodded.

Zi Ling was slightly startled upon seeing them, then promptly bowed. "Zi Ling of the Zi Xiao Sect greets you both, fellow Daoists."

Chu Wuyue waved a hand. "No need for such formalities. Where are Junior Brothers Han and Ye? Have you seen them?"

Qin Yuan shook his head. "We were scattered after the teleportation."

Yun Qingyao said softly, "The two of us only met by chance as well. We encountered three waves of Demonic Beasts along the way, all in the Nascent Soul Realm. It was extremely dangerous."

Chu Wuyue grinned. "But the rewards weren't bad either! We slaughtered two of them, and our points went up quite a bit."

He looked at Qin Yuan, battle intent blazing in his eyes. "Junior Brother Qin, how many points do you have now?"

Qin Yuan took out his token—the jade tablet issued upon entering the battlefield. The front bore the two characters "Xuan Yuan," while the back displayed a string of numbers: 5780.

"More than five thousand?!" Chu Wuyue's eyes widened. "I only have two thousand!"

Yun Qingyao also revealed a surprised expression. "I only have eighteen hundred."

Zi Ling took out her own token with a bitter smile: 1430.

The gap was obvious at a glance.

"Junior Brother Qin, just how many did you kill today?" Chu Wuyue could not help asking.

"Three Demonic Beasts and three cultivators," Qin Yuan said indifferently.

Chu Wuyue's mouth twitched—killing cultivators of the same realm and killing Demonic Beasts were scored entirely differently. Killing one Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator was worth as much as five Demonic Beasts of the same realm.

"Those three from the Golden Sword Sect... you killed them all?" Zi Ling asked quietly.

Qin Yuan nodded.

Chu Wuyue gave him a thumbs-up. "Impressive!"

At that moment, urgent gong strikes rang out from outside.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A Crimson Flame Sect disciple ran through the streets, shouting, "All cultivators! Gather at the city walls immediately! The Abyssal Demon Tide is coming!"

The inn instantly erupted into chaos.

"So soon?!"

"It's only the first day!"

"Didn't the Abyssal Demon Tide usually begin on the third day?"

Complaints aside, everyone still rushed out of their rooms and surged toward the city walls.

Qin Yuan's group of four merged into the crowd.

The walls of Yellow Earth City were already packed with cultivators.

At a rough glance, there were more than three hundred of them, all disciples from various sects who had come seeking refuge that day. Their expressions were grave as they stared at the world beyond the city, now swallowed by utter darkness.

Within that darkness, countless scarlet points of light were drawing nearer.

They were the eyes of the abyssal demons.

Howls, shrieks, chewing sounds... all kinds of hair-raising noises blended together and surged forth from the darkness like a tidal wave. Simply hearing them made one's scalp go numb.

"Where are the Crimson Flame Sect people?! Aren't they in control of this city?!" someone demanded loudly.

A disciple in red robes said coldly, "What are you panicking for? Senior Brother Yan Lie will be here soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, raging flames suddenly erupted from the beacon tower at the center of the city wall!

Three figures slowly rose from within the flames.

At the center stood a red-haired young man with resolute features and eyes like blazing torches. Tangible flames burned around him, and his aura was unmistakably at the Nascent Soul Late Stage! He was the leader of the Crimson Flame Sect's expedition—Yan Lie.

To his left stood a pale, delicate-looking young man in white robes, holding a feather fan. His aura was slightly weaker, but he had still reached the peak of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage. To his right was a burly man with two sabers strapped to his back, his face brimming with ferocity.

"Yan Lie of the Crimson Flame Sect." The red-haired young man's voice cracked like exploding flames, resounding across the city wall. "Tonight's Abyssal Demon Tide must be resisted by all of us together. Anyone who kills abyssal demons will receive double points. Those who cower from battle and retreat—death without mercy!"

As his words fell, he raised a hand and swept it outward.

The formation patterns across the city walls lit up simultaneously, forming a pale golden barrier that enveloped the entire city.

"The formation can only weaken the abyssal demons by thirty percent. It cannot stop them from entering the city," Yan Lie said coldly. "If you want to live, kill!"

Almost the instant his words fell—

Boom!!!

The first wave of abyssal demons crashed into the barrier!

They were a pack of black Demonic Beasts shaped like wolves, with sharp fangs and claws and blood-red eyes. They battered the barrier madly, every impact making it shudder violently and emit an overwhelmed hum.

"We can't hold them back! Prepare for battle!" someone shouted.

The next moment, the barrier shattered!

Countless abyssal demons surged onto the city walls like a flood!

"Kill—!!!"

Battle erupted in an instant!

Cultivators from every sect displayed their abilities. Sword light, saber radiance, spells, talismans... all kinds of brilliance exploded across the walls as they collided with the black demonic tide.

Qin Yuan stood at a corner of the city wall, facing more than a dozen wolf-shaped abyssal demons rushing toward him.

He raised a hand, spread his fingers, and lightly pressed toward the void.

"Suppress."

The air within a radius of thirty meters abruptly froze solid! The dozen or so abyssal demons seemed to be pinned beneath an invisible mountain. Their movements slowed in an instant, and terror appeared in their eyes.

Qin Yuan joined his fingers like a sword and slashed through the air.

Sshh—!!!

More than a dozen pale golden sword rays flashed past, and more than a dozen heads flew into the air at once!

The number on his points token leaped madly: 5780→5980→6180→6380...

One abyssal demon was worth one hundred points. Double points meant two hundred.

In the blink of an eye, his points had surpassed six thousand.

The surrounding cultivators were all stunned.

"Who is that?!"

"A Nascent Soul cultivator? He's killing abyssal demons like cutting grass?!"

"Xuan Yuan Sect's... that bottom-ranked sect?"

Chu Wuyue burst into laughter, battle intent blazing in his white pupils. "See that? That's my junior brother!"

He too charged into the demonic tide, his fists like hammers, each punch smashing an abyssal demon apart. But compared to Qin Yuan's effortless slaughter, his efficiency was clearly far lower.

The clouds and mist around Yun Qingyao transformed into countless ice needles, shooting into the demonic tide like a torrential downpour. Every ice needle pierced through an abyssal demon's skull.

Zi Ling's dagger whirled and flashed with purple light as she darted through the demonic tide, striking specifically at the abyssal demons' vital points.

But most people were locked in bitter battles.

There were simply too many abyssal demons, and their strength generally reached the Nascent Soul Early Stage. There were even quite a few Nascent Soul Middle Stage elites among them. Many cultivators had barely killed one or two before being swallowed by even more abyssal demons, screaming as they were torn to pieces.

Blood flowed across the city walls.

"Help—!"

"I can't hold on!"

"Where are the Crimson Flame Sect experts?!"

Amid the wails, Yan Lie and the other two finally made their move.

Yan Lie formed seals with both hands, and the flames around him soared into the sky, transforming into a fire dragon three hundred meters long that rampaged through the demonic tide! Wherever the fire dragon passed, abyssal demons were reduced to ashes!

The white-robed young man lightly waved his feather fan, and a violent gale rose up. Countless wind blades mixed into the wind, slicing abyssal demons into fragments.

The burly man with the twin sabers was even more savage. He charged straight into the depths of the demonic tide, his twin sabers spinning like a meat grinder. Flesh and blood flew everywhere in his wake.

With these three towering experts holding the line, the pressure on the city walls dropped sharply.

Yet the abyssal demons seemed endless.

One wave receded, only for another to come.

The battle lasted from the depths of night until dawn.

When the first ray of dawn pierced the darkness, the final abyssal demon finally fell.