Three months.
A million-strong demon army has gathered on the border of the Western Prefecture.
Only three months remain to build the three major passes of Jingxi Prefecture.
With each passing day, the demon horde outside the walls grew larger.
The morale of all the monks stationed at the pass would weaken even further.
During this period, a steady stream of cultivators also moved in.
Among the newcomers, some were naive and had curious expressions.
But when they reached the top of the city wall and saw the scene outside the city, they were amazed.
Everyone fell silent...
Hanging Blade Pass, receiving dock.
An old-fashioned French ark, no more than seventy meters long and with a mottled hull, slowly approached.
It stands out inconspicuously among the ancient ship-shaped buildings that stretch for hundreds of meters around, resembling moving hills.
"Everyone, get off the ship! Quickly!"
"Stand by sect or Lineage; those with backup should leave immediately."
" Rogue Cultivator with no connections comes here to register!"
The docks inside the walls were bustling with activity, and sparks of inspiration shone through.
The shouts, the hum of the Dharma boat, and the clanging of metal armor mingled together.
Hua Baichuan, with his youthful face, wore a faded blue Daoist robe.
I followed the crowd and disembarked at the very end.
Many years ago, he, who possessed the aptitude of Four Spirit Root, stumbled upon a fragmented alchemical text at a market stall.
It is not easy for Rogue Cultivator to embark on the path of cultivation.
Resources depend entirely on your own hard work.
Having only recently Foundation Establishment, I have heard of the call to arms for the Prefecture-Breaking War, with generous rewards offered.
With the idea of taking a gamble and accumulating resources to break through to the mid-game, I gritted my teeth and accepted the challenge.
Everything around him was new and fascinating to this Rogue Cultivator.
The towering walls, like mountain ranges, are covered with carvings on their dark blue-green boulders.
A dense array of massive ballistae, gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen.
The crossbow bolts were as thick as roof beams, and their tips were covered with intricate spiritual patterns.
Just one glance at it was enough to pierce my Divine Soul.
Looking up at the sky, one after another, enormous flying ships, some magnificent and others austere, shuttled back and forth, their banners fluttering in the wind.
The cultivator's aura was profound, and the Law Artifact shone brightly.
"How... how magnificent!"
"Such a magnificent city, such a powerful army, accompanied by such a formidable force."
"I'm sure... you'll achieve great things, won't you?"
"Perhaps this time we can earn enough resources for a breakthrough."
"You might even achieve some merit, catch the eye of a powerful figure, and escape the hardships of Rogue Cultivator."
Hua Baichuan muttered to himself, his heart burning with passion.
Following the guided procession, we entered the customs area in an orderly fashion.
The stone steps are long and spiral upwards.
The higher you go, the stronger the faint, bloody smell becomes in the air.
The faint sounds of orderly, heavy footsteps and the clatter of armor could still be heard.
Finally, I stepped onto the last step.
Suddenly, a wide passageway opened up before them, a city wall at least a hundred feet wide.
The biting wind rushed towards us without any obstruction.
Hua Baichuan subconsciously followed the crowd toward the crenellations separated by the thick city wall.
He took a deep breath.
Filled with both anticipation and trepidation for future achievements, they peeked out.
The next second.
All the color in his face, all the excitement, all the anticipation, vanished completely in an instant.
Just one glance.
Let his pupils shrink to pinpoints.
My mind went completely blank.
Beyond the wall, he saw a black lake.
A boundless 'lake' that is constantly writhing.
No, it's 'sea'.
A black sea.
A surging black sea composed of countless ferocious Demon Beast!
It stretches from not far from the wall all the way to the horizon.
It blends seamlessly with the leaden-gray sky.
Tigers, leopards, wolves, apes, pythons, eagles... all kinds of shapes and sizes, densely packed together, countless in number!
A low, guttural roar.
A sharp screech.
The heavy thud of hooves blended into a symphony.
The soaring Yao Qi mingled with the stench of excrement and the stench of death.
A visible gray-black miasma formed, filling the sky and earth.
The sunlight was filtered into a bleak, dim yellow.
Above this despairing sea of beasts.
Even higher in the sky, a dark red blood cloud, covering thousands of miles, floated.
As the blood-red clouds churned, countless crimson threads descended from them, stretching outwards.
A bizarre, grand, and terrifying array was interwoven and drawn above their heads.
It resembles a colossal beast of flesh and blood perched atop the sky.
It lowered its veiny tentacles, licking the earth below.
The sheer despair exceeded the limits of his imagination.
How could a mere Foundation Establishment's Divine Sense withstand such a terrifying spectacle that strikes straight to the soul?
"Heh... heh..."
Hua Baichuan made a hoarse, bellowing sound from his throat.
His eyes were wide open, almost bursting, and his body was stiff as a puppet.
The scene before my eyes began to distort and spin.
A cold, sticky fear instantly gripped his heart, spreading to every part of his body.
"Puff!"
He suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The true essence surged out of control.
Inner demons!
A single glance was enough to terrify him, causing his inner demons to fester and his Dao heart to crumble.
After that, let alone spiritual practice.
This scene will forever remain his most terrifying nightmare, tormenting him for the rest of his life.
In fact, since the demon army was deployed.
More than one newly entered cultivator, such as Hua Baichuan, had their Dao hearts shattered by the apocalyptic scene, coughing up blood and fainting.
Even one or two Golden Core True Lord had advanced through shortcuts were pale and their breathing was unstable.
In response, Guan Qiang could only order lower-level cultivators to seal their Divine Sense.
They operate magical Law Artifact solely by sight, or serve as logistical support personnel.
Of all the three great barriers, those under the greatest pressure are none other than these low-level cultivators.
The one who was truly on the verge of madness was actually the guardian Divine Lord.
The higher one's level, the more one understands the difficulty of this battle.
Inside the council hall at Hanging Blade Pass.
A Nascent Soul Cultivator quickly walked to Hu Lie's side, his voice hoarse, and reported on the recent situation.
" Divine Lord!"
"Since our gathering at Hanging Blade Pass began, we have produced nine Divine Lord and fifty-five Nascent Soul Ancestors."
"There are 517 Golden Core True Lord, over 10,000 Foundation Establishment True Person, and more than 200,000 Qi Refinement cultivators."
Hearing what was said behind my back.
Hu Lie did not turn around.
His gaze was fixed on the undulating Black Sea beyond the pass, peering through the main hall.
Without turning his head, he asked a question.
"How many times larger are the Demon Beast beyond the pass than we are?"
The Nascent Soul Cultivator's apple bobbed.
His tone was even drier, and he spoke with difficulty.
"The demon army is said to number in the tens of millions, but according to our own reconnaissance and estimation... it is likely to be... six million."
"I received over two million from Hanging Blade Pass."
"Ten times more than us!"
Hu Lie's Hu Lie body swayed almost imperceptibly, and he said nothing more.
ten times!
The disparity in troop strength was almost overwhelming.
High-end combat capabilities are no longer advantageous.
Its only advantage lies in the magic boats and the array formations that imprison it.
How long can they hold out like this?
Hu Lie remained silent, outside the closed wall.
The wind suddenly stopped.
The gloom that had lingered for days mysteriously dissipated.
Even the long-absent sun suddenly reappeared, hanging on the edge of the blood-red clouds.
Then, dozens of enormous figures suddenly emerged from the billowing Yao Qi.
It stood upright outside the gate wall.
Its enormous body was almost level with the wall.
The shadow of his body obscured the presence of all the cultivators.
"Roar--!"
A sudden roar served as a signal.
The sound echoed throughout the entire Hanging Blade Pass.
It came abruptly and suddenly.
No, it resounded throughout the entire Three Great Passes.
The Ten Thousand Demons... have knocked on the gate!