The towering walls of Great Wall Prefecture's city resembled an ancient beast crouching amid the wind and snow. Weathered by the years, their surfaces were covered in scars left by blades and axes.
It was the depths of winter. Heavy snow fell, painting the lands of Qingzhou, only recently ravaged by the demon tide, a vast, desolate white. Yet outside Great Wall Prefecture's city that day, the scene burned as hot as fire.
Perfectly synchronized footsteps sounded from the far end of the horizon, as though even the earth trembled beneath their heavy tread.
Amid the swirling snow, an immense black dragon of steel slowly emerged—an army of fifty thousand cultivators.
At its head marched Anping County's [Black-Armored Guards].
All eight hundred cultivators wore heavy armor forged from premium Demon Beast leather fused with refined iron. They carried long polearms and rode demonic horses.
Faint blood-red killing intent lingered around each of them, a tangible pressure naturally forged by crossing mountains of corpses and seas of blood, slaughtering countless demons.
At the center of the army's escort, an enormous carriage drawn by four Purple Lightning Mad Lions advanced slowly.
Atop the carriage, Chu Bai sat in the seat of honor, draped in a dark-gold commander's cloak, calmly watching the enormous city ahead.
Beside him stood Zhang Cheng, Hu Hao, Pang Song, and other great cultivators of the Foundation Establishment realm, including the Water Earl in human form. They lined both sides, their auras deep and their presence soaring like rainbows.
"Marshal, we've arrived." Zhang Cheng lowered his voice, unable to conceal his excitement.
Chu Bai nodded slightly. At last, he had returned to Great Wall Prefecture's city openly and honorably, as a victor.
By then, cultivators and ordinary citizens already crowded the city walls.
When they saw the Southern Route