Ch. 431 - Seizing The Fortress

For the residents of Tranquil Heaven City, it was just an ordinary day.

But just then, a melodious flute sound drifted over from the distance.

The sound of the flute seemed to have a special kind of magic, melodious yet low and deep.

No one knew who was playing it.

Soon after the flute began, a strange rumbling sound followed.

At first, the rumble was soft, like the beat of a drum.

But as time went on, it grew louder and louder, eventually sounding like thunder crashing down from the sky.

Not just the sound, even the ground seemed to tremble and shake.

The morning breeze blew gently. For those living in Tranquil Heaven City, life here was far from the imperial capital, slow and peaceful.

At this hour, except for a few early risers, most residents were still asleep.

But as the outside noise grew louder, no one could continue sleeping.

Including Xu Zimo, who walked out of his room to see what was going on.

“What’s happening out there? Why is it so loud?”

“No idea. Sounds like it’s coming from the fortress.”

Others who came out of the inn with Xu Zimo were all chattering.

“The fortress? Could something have gone wrong at the Phoenix Perch Demon Forest?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Ever since the defensive formation was built at the fortress, how long has it been since anything happened?”

Countless citizens went up to the city wall, looking northward.

In the north, dust billowed into the sky like rising smoke from flames.

Due to the distance, they couldn’t see clearly.

But at that moment, a few people came running over in panic, seeming to be residents of Tranquil Heaven City.

Before anyone on the wall could ask, the panicked people began shouting.

“Demon spirits! Demon spirits are attacking!”

“Quick, notify the City Lord, there’s no time!”

……

As the shouting continued, panic began to spread throughout the city.

Demon spirits, everyone knew what that meant.

“No need, I’ve already been over there,” just as panic was spreading, a man in a green robe stepped out from a nearby building.

A few high-ranking officials of Tranquil Heaven City came out with him; they had seemingly just finished a discussion inside.

“City Lord Gao!” the surrounding citizens quickly greeted the man in green.

Gao Zelong’s expression was stern, his brows tightly furrowed, worry clearly written on his face.

“Everyone, the situation is urgent, so I won’t hide anything.” Gao Zelong raised his voice and said, “There’s a small breach in the fortress’s defensive formation. The demon spirits that have always stayed inside the demon forest are now pouring out like mad. Right now, our top priority is to repair that breach and stop the demon spirits from getting through.”

The people around him immediately started talking among themselves.

“City Lord, just tell us what needs to be done. This is our home, we will protect it.”

“Yeah, let’s band together and kill all those demon spirits!”

Seeing the people’s determination, Gao Zelong seemed to calm a little.

He finally laid out the plan.

Most of the guards would stay to defend the city. There could be no mistakes here.

Gao Zelong would lead the city's cultivators, anyone with meridian power, to the fortress to repair the formation.

It was dangerous. They’d have to face the demon spirits head-on. Casualties were expected.

After finishing his explanation, Gao Zelong quickly began assigning roles.

Xu Zimo had already planned to check out what the demon spirits looked like.

Eventually, once everything was arranged, Xu Zimo realized there were actually quite a few cultivators in the city.

More than three hundred people were heading out to fix the formation.

No one dared to delay. After giving final instructions to the city, Gao Zelong led the crowd out.

They didn’t take the main road, doing so would mean running directly into the demon spirits.

That would bring heavy losses. Their goal was only to repair the defensive formation.

If successful, the demon spirits would be trapped like fish in a barrel.

……

When the group took a detour and reached the fortress, they were stunned by the scene before them.

There were over a thousand demon spirits gathered here. Even the fortress was covered with them.

They were currently destroying the fortress, and more demon spirits were continuously pouring out from the breach.

“What is going on?” Gao Zelong frowned.

“As far as I know, demon spirits are usually timid as long as you don’t invade their territory. Why are they so aggressive now?”

“Are we still going in?” someone beside him asked.

“Yes. I’ve already requested help from the empire. The envoy should arrive soon,” said Gao Zelong.

“But before that, we must hold the city. Otherwise, Tranquil Heaven City will be destroyed.”

“City Lord, just give the order, we’ll follow it,” someone replied.

“In a moment, I and a few formation masters will go to the breach to repair the formation. The rest of you will form a circle around us.”

Gao Zelong paused, then said, “We’ve checked the breach. It only takes one or two incense sticks’ time to fix it. I’m counting on all of you.”

With that, Gao Zelong bowed deeply to everyone behind him.

“City Lord, no need for that. Our families and children are still in the city. We’re not going to just sit and wait for death.”

After a brief discussion, everyone carefully approached the breach.

Xu Zimo stayed near the back of the group, observing the scene ahead.

These so-called demon spirits actually looked quite similar to humans, except their skin was deep blue.

They had very pointed ears and short hair.

They wore no clothes and didn’t seem to have male or female distinctions.

Their strength wasn’t particularly high, around the True Meridian Realm, but their numbers made them difficult to handle.

As the group got closer, one of the demon spirits at the front suddenly let out a sharp screech.

At the sound, all the surrounding demon spirits swarmed toward them.

“We’ve been spotted,” Gao Zelong said grimly.

“Don’t get caught up in fighting them. They outnumber us. Head for the breach and form a circular defense!”

“Charge!”

With Gao Zelong’s furious roar, he charged forward, the power of an Imperial Meridian Realm cultivator surging around him.

He stepped into the air, aiming to seize the breach first.

The others shouted as well and followed him into the fray.

The demon spirits were caught off guard and taken by surprise.

Some were already retreating in panic.

The group quickly took control of the breach.

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