Thunderclaps rolled through the City Guard Army's position.
"Boom! Rumble!"
Thunder exploded amid arcing lightning, annihilating Demon Spirits one after another and leaving Demon Cores to fall to the ground.
Qin Hui stood like a mountain, thunderclaps erupting ceaselessly from his palms. He was their undisputed main force in hunting Demon Spirits.
Shen Yanrong's slender figure stood beside him. Holding a branch like green jade, she swept out streaks of radiant light imbued with the vital essence of plants, intercepting the Demon Spirits trying to invade her comrades.
Both were in the Primordial Spirit Realm and could use their primordial spirits to discern the Demon Spirits' movements, but their efficiency in killing them was as far apart as heaven and earth.
The Thunderclap Demon Art Qin Hui practiced was incomparably fierce. To a peculiar species like Demon Spirits, which lacked bodies of flesh and blood, lightning was their lethal bane.
Only after Soul Devouring and possessing their targets could those Demon Spirits use their puppet bodies to withstand the punishing blows of thunder and lightning.
For that reason, all the Demon Spirits swarming here lunged at the City Guard Army soldiers, hoping to swiftly acquire their flesh-and-blood bodies and resist the thunderous onslaught.
Several City Guard Army soldiers sat around the pair, their faces contorted as they fought desperately against the Demon Spirits that had entered their bodies.
Once a Demon Spirit invaded someone, Qin Hui and Shen Yanrong were helpless. They could only hope their comrades could hold fast to their innermost resolve and keep the Demon Spirits from brutally destroying it.
"Zhao Changfeng!"
"Zhao Changfeng is here!"
The City Guard Army soldiers suddenly cried out in excitement.
Shen Yanrong turned her swanlike white neck slightly and likewise saw Zhao Changfeng and Ruan Meizhen racing toward them, one behind the other. Her heart instantly steadied. "We're saved!"
When Demon Spirits invaded someone's flesh, neither she nor Qin Hui could do anything. Only Zhao Changfeng could feed himself to the demons, drawing them out and transferring them into himself.
Right now, five of their comrades had Demon Spirits invading their flesh. Zhao Changfeng had arrived just in time!
"The two of us... ah..."
Shen Yanrong sighed inwardly, guilt stirring in her heart.
The two of them had reported everything about Zhao Changfeng to Tong Yi without omitting a single detail. When Zhao Changfeng had fought fiercely against Xiang Lin, members of the City Guard Army had even spoken up to warn Zhao Changfeng of the Blood Shadow Art's extraordinary power.
At this moment, the arrivals from the Primal Demon Temple, led by Tong Yi, were merely holding one position without moving.
Instead, Zhao Changfeng and Shen Yanrong had rushed over heedless of danger when they were in the greatest difficulty.
"The Thunderclap Demon Art, the Greenwood Demon Art... these two's demonic cultivation methods still lean too far toward orthodoxy."
Zhao Changfeng offered his assessment from a distance.
To refine the bodies of one's own kind and sever the vitality of heaven and earth-this was demonic cultivation.
That statement was one of the many definitions of a Demonic Cultivator.
The difference between the Thunderclap Demon Art and the Righteous Dao's lightning techniques was that, besides refining lightning from places where it ran rampant, this demonic art could also seize lightning from fellow Thunder Cultivators to nourish its practitioner.
That fulfilled the description of refining the bodies of one's own kind.
The Greenwood Demon Art Shen Yanrong practiced had originally come from the Righteous Dao's Greenwood Spirit Art. But the Greenwood Spirit Art merely gathered plant essence from places lush with vegetation, without damaging nature's balance.
After demonic cultivators altered the Greenwood Demon Art, removing "Spirit" and replacing it with "Demon," every plant in the mountain forests its practitioners passed through would wither.
That fulfilled the description of severing the vitality of heaven and earth.
Thus, Qin Hui and Shen Yanrong were also genuine Demonic Cultivators.
"Hiss! Hiss!"
Along the way, Ruan Meizhen splashed poisonous rain over a handful of Demon Spirits, revealing their precise locations to Zhao Changfeng, who immediately slashed at them.
Saber light flashed, Demon Spirits died, and Demon Cores fell to the ground.
Zhao Changfeng picked up several Demon Cores along the way and finally reached the City Guard Army's position.
"Save them!"
Shen Yanrong's voice carried a pleading note.
Without a word, Zhao Changfeng swiftly approached the City Guard Army soldiers whose bodies were being invaded by Demon Spirits. He touched a finger to each soldier's brow, and with a sudden activation of Heavenly Heart Demon-Seeding, harvested a strand of willpower.
He successfully rescued several City Guard Army soldiers in an instant.
Qin Hui let out a long breath and said gravely, "The worst thing is when Demon Spirits invade them and then use their flesh-and-blood bodies to attack us. Thank goodness you're here, Brother Zhao!"
Demon Spirits that had not possessed his comrades could not withstand the devastating blows of his Thunderclap Demon Art at all. Zhao Changfeng's arrival immediately eased his burden.
"Brother Zhao, thank you!"
"Thank you, Brother Zhao. A few days ago, lard must have blinded my heart. I..."
Among the City Guard Army soldiers Zhao Changfeng had saved were some who had spoken up to warn Xiang Lin. Now, they were deeply ashamed.
Zhao Changfeng remained unmoved.
The moment he saw Ruan Meizhen force a Demon Spirit to reveal itself, he raised the Blood God Saber and swept out a streak of demonic light. The Demon Spirit instantly became a Demon Core and fell to the ground.
The City Guard Army soldiers paled in shock.
They were all in the yuanqi stage, yet resisting even a single Demon Spirit was agonizingly difficult for them. Once a Demon Spirit broke through the defenses Qin Hui and Shen Yanrong had built and invaded their bodies, they would most likely die with their souls devoured.
With one man and one saber, Zhao Changfeng had already slain numerous Demon Spirits. The strength of his combat prowess left them shaken.
"Miss Ruan! Congratulations!"
Qin Hui noticed that Ruan Meizhen had successfully entered the Primordial Spirit Realm. Looking deeply excited, he said joyfully, "Tamu Town has gained another helping hand!"
Those below the Primordial Spirit Realm could not see the Demon Spirits' true movements and could only react passively. If they failed to stop the invasion, they died.
Only those with extraordinarily resilient hearts and wills as firm as iron and stone could turn the tables, kill the Demon Spirits, and harvest their Demon Cores.
But such people were exceedingly rare even in the City Guard Army. Most of their comrades died after Demon Spirits invaded their flesh, then became blades those spirits wielded against them.
By now, they had already been forced to kill several comrades possessed by Demon Spirits.
"Congratulations, Sister Ruan!"
Shen Yanrong offered her congratulations as well, but she looked utterly exhausted. Even as she spoke, she was still channeling her art to block the howling Demon Spirits.
Like Zhao Changfeng, Ruan Meizhen remained silent, a trace of pity in her heart.
She knew that Tong Yi and the others from the Primal Demon Temple, as well as Zhao Changfeng and Chen Jian, all intended to kill the City Guard Army soldiers to prevent word from leaking out.
Qin Hui, Shen Yanrong, and the others would die if they could not withstand the Demon Spirit calamity. Even if they withstood it, they would still die.
"Senior Sister Ruan, I can't see the Demon Spirits. How is the fighting in the other areas?"
Zhao Changfeng asked gravely after slaying another Demon Spirit.
"Tong Yi's group is small, but because the powerful cultivators are gathered there, they're attracting more and more Demon Spirits. There are even Third-Rank Demon Spirits among them!"
Shen Yanrong answered in Ruan Meizhen's place, speaking anxiously in quick succession. "Chen Jian and Cui Pinyuan have been roaming around, hunting first- and second-tier Demon Spirits. Those two have it easiest right now."
Her words clearly carried a note of reproach.
With their Primordial Spirit Realm cultivation, Chen Jian and Cui Pinyuan ought to have concentrated their strength at the Primal Demon Temple's position, helping Tong Yi and the others kill the most terrifying Third-Rank Demon Spirits.
Or they could have come to support the City Guard Army.
Yet these two Primordial Spirit Realm fellows were merely wandering around Tamu Town together, killing Low-Rank Demon Spirits that posed no real threat.
"The Primal Demon Temple's people are handling things quite easily too. They don't actually need to hold their position. They could move and fight their way over."
Zhao Changfeng frowned slightly and asked, "Why don't you blame Tong Yi and the others from the Primal Demon Temple?"
Shen Yanrong was instantly at a loss for words.
The Primal Demon Temple held a supremely sacred place in her heart. It was also the destination she dreamed of reaching, and she often regarded herself as one of its members.
Thus, whatever the Primal Demon Temple's people did, she considered it the right course of action.
"Whoosh!"
A figure in the Crippled Demon Sect's scarlet robes rushed toward them from behind Qin Hui and Shen Yanrong, seeming desperately impatient.
"He's one of your fellow disciples!"
Qin Hui paused, but immediately sensed something wrong and shouted, "A Demon Spirit has invaded him!"
"Boom!"
Thunder burst from his palm, mingled with eerie lightning, and exploded against Chi Jingchen.
Chi Jingchen endured the thunderous barrage head-on. Though charred black all over, he continued forward without fear, successfully breaking through Shen Yanrong's barrier of radiant plant essence and lunging straight at the panicked woman.
"Whoosh!"
A piercing shriek rang out, stabbing everyone's eardrums and forcing them to cover their ears as they fought to hold their bodies and minds steady.
Horrified beyond measure, Qin Hui cried out, "A Third-Rank Demon Spirit! Be careful!"
But it was already too late.
Chi Jingchen's nearly blasted-apart body collapsed to the ground. Pain appeared in Shen Yanrong's eyes, and her body shook violently like chaff in a sieve. Clearly, the Demon Spirit had invaded her.
"Zhao Changfeng! Save her! Hurry and save her!"
Qin Hui's eyes instantly reddened. He knew Shen Yanrong had been pampered since childhood and had endured few hardships in life. She probably could not withstand a Third-Rank Demon Spirit's ravages.
It was extraordinarily difficult for outsiders to save someone invaded by a Demon Spirit. The victim could only rely on themselves to turn the tables and kill it.
Before this, whenever he saw that an invaded comrade was about to give way, he would steel his reluctant heart and kill them with thunder to avert disaster before it struck.
Now that it was Shen Yanrong, he knew full well that she could never defeat this Third-Rank Demon Spirit, yet he simply could not bring himself to strike.
"Zhao Changfeng!"
"Zhao Changfeng!"
Qin Hui screamed that name frantically.
He placed his hopes in Zhao Changfeng, wanting him to use his bizarre secret art once more to draw this Third-Rank Demon Spirit into his own body.
Shen Yanrong's heart had yet to awaken to love, and she knew nothing of matters between men and women. His, however, had awakened long ago.
Many in the City Guard Army knew this as well. They knew he had loved Shen Yanrong deeply for a long time, but he was thin-skinned and poor at expressing himself, so he had always hidden his intense love in his heart.
He had been waiting silently all along, waiting for Shen Yanrong to grow a little older, waiting for her to recognize his feelings.
He had long since reached the age to cultivate at the Primal Demon Temple and had no need whatsoever to serve in Heavenly Shield City's City Guard Army. But because Shen Yanrong's lineage had arranged for her to come here, he had begged his own lineage to use its connections to send him here too.
He only wanted to stay by Shen Yanrong's side and cherish her, whether or not she could see his sacrifices and devotion.
"All right!"
Zhao Changfeng advanced with his saber, flashed past the distraught Qin Hui, and immediately delivered a slash.
"Crack!"
Shen Yanrong possessed a natural grace and heroic bearing, yet her air was as misty as smoke and dreams. Zhao Changfeng split her slender, beautiful body in two from head to toe.
Blood splattered over Zhao Changfeng's body and face, staining the Crippled Demon Sect's already vivid scarlet robe an even deeper red.
A Demon Core with sharply defined markings appeared and dropped into the blood covering the ground.
Zhao Changfeng crouched to pick up the Demon Core. With his back to Qin Hui, he said flatly, "I don't have the ability to draw a third-tier Demon Spirit into myself and kill it. Please don't blame me, Brother Qin."