More than half a double-hour later, banners snapped in the biting sea wind atop Xuanchi City's walls.
Lin Changsheng stepped through the crusted blood covering the ground, climbing the gate tower one step at a time.
Behind him, the clang of iron armor surged like a tide as the Demon Guards advanced in orderly, heavy steps, clad in thick Dharma Artifact battle armor.
After more than a dozen double-hours of slaughter, fewer than two thousand remained.
Eighteen hundred Demon Guards stood in formation, radiating a chilling aura.
Dark red patterns crisscrossed their black battle armor. These were no ordinary decorations, but signs left behind after devouring too much mortal flesh and blood.
Of the four Gold-Armored Corpses, one had now been completely destroyed, while another two were gravely wounded, their armor shattered and unable to fight again.
One of the Nether Star Devil Envoys had also fallen, unfortunate enough to be killed when a Lineage detonated its formation.
Though the remaining Demon Guards had endured many ordeals, their overall bearing and strength seemed to have improved somewhat.
They were all devils who practiced the Qi-Blood Inner Elixir Art, a technique that could devour mortals' qi and blood and soul essences to advance their cultivation.
After all, they had slaughtered no small number of mortals.
For these Qi Refining Stage cultivators, enough mortal corpses were also miraculous elixirs for advancing their cultivation.
Meanwhile, Qing Chen's Nine-Luminaries Glazed Vidyaraja Pagoda had taken in more than ten thousand additional mortals in successive batches.
Several dozen among them possessed Spiritual Roots and had been knocked unconscious before being abducted.
Standing at the very front atop Xuanchi City's walls was King Yanluo, Lin Changsheng.
"King Yanluo, the Demon Guards have finished assembling." A voice rang out as Duan Tianya stepped steadily forward to report.
Duan