NOVPUBAlthough everyone had temporarily seized the breach, the number of Monster Spirits gathering here was increasing.
The Monster Spirits had regained their senses and began to counterattack.
"City Lord, hurry up as much as you can—we can’t hold on for much longer," someone shouted nearby.
Gao Zelong nodded and promptly got busy with several Array Masters.
The Monster Spirits on the outskirts seemed to have been enraged and howled as they charged towards the crowd.
As time passed, whether it was the Monster Spirits outside or the ones in the Phoenix Perching Demon Forest, their numbers grew more and more, enveloping everyone like an iron barrel.
As the clash between the two sides continued, it seemed they both got seriously involved in the fight.
Xu Zimei slightly raised his hands, and in the moment when endless Spiritual Energy surged, a large number of Monster Spirits fell.
He had already been very restrained, and basically, no Monster Spirits could approach within a few meters around him.
The battle on both sides lasted for a while, and there were casualties on each side.
At that moment, a fierce "roar" came from behind.
This roar sounded incredibly enraged and was somewhat deafening.
And the Monster Spirits around stopped their attack, all arching their bodies, seemingly expressing their submission.
"What’s going on?" someone from Safety Sky City asked curiously.
As the words had barely left his lips, the army of Monster Spirits in front of them automatically parted to create a wide path.
A Monster Spirit of an even more enormous size walked out.
This Monster Spirit was twice the size of normal ones, and its color was blood-red.
The air of nobility and dominance it exuded was much stronger than that of the others.
"What is that thing?" an uninformed city resident asked curiously.
"Monster Spirit King," Gao Zelong said with a frown.
The Phoenix Perching Empire had dealt with these Monster Spirits for tens of thousands of years, so they knew much about them.
Monster Spirit Kings were extremely rare creatures; among the thousands of Monster Spirits, there was only one Monster Spirit King.
The chance of encountering one was very small, and it was unexpected to encounter one this time.
"Is it strong?" someone asked.
"Strong, but manageable. Without the Monster Spirit King, the army of Monster Spirits is just like sand scattered in a tray—numerous but disorganized in their attacks. However, the Monster Spirit King can command them to exert their strongest power," someone explained.
"Then let’s capture the king to capture the thieves."
"How do we capture it?"
Everyone looked at the Monster Spirit King, now surrounded on all sides, and fell silent.
The atmosphere turned somewhat somber, but at that moment, sword light suddenly descended from the sky.
This sword light was clear and powerful, slicing through the quiet firmament, and ultimately, with a "boom,"
it struck heavily, killing dozens of Monster Spirits and creating a large pit on the ground.
Everyone was shocked and all looked up.
They saw a man wearing a blue robe, holding a Longsword, standing in the sky.
The man’s aura was overwhelming, and the Longsword in his hand emitted a soft, competing hum.
Sword Qi whirled around him, dancing wildly in the firmament.
"Who is this person?"
"I don’t know, but it seems like he’s here to save us," someone muttered nearby.
"Could it be, him?" Gao Zelong pondered for a moment, suddenly recalling something.
Finally, he sighed deeply and said, "King Anding has been good to us!"
...
The man in blue looked at the surprised crowd and said indifferently, "Hold the line, I will take care of the Monster Spirit King."
Hearing the man’s words, everyone’s confidence was restored.
"Thank you, my lord, for helping Safety Sky City," everyone bowed and thanked.
"It’s merely my duty," the man in blue shook his head slightly and didn’t say much else.
He tore through layers of void, wielding his longsword and carrying endless sword qi behind him, as the Sword Prison surged like an ocean, charging at the Monster Spirits’ King.
Xu Zimei glanced over and noticed that this man was a Saint Vein Realm cultivator.
Although there were many Monster Spirits, none of them was a match for him.
"It seems the waters run deep in Safety Sky City," Xu Zimei stroked his chin, thinking silently.
This small city actually had a Saint Vein Realm expert for its protection, and the citizens didn’t even recognize him, which definitely meant it wasn’t that simple.
But with the man in blue pursuing the Monster Spirits’ King, the pressure on everyone else had eased a lot.
Finally, a bit longer than the time it takes an incense stick to burn.
From the gap, an Array Master shouted with joy, "It’s repaired, the formation is repaired."
"Then we should retreat," the nearby citizens quickly said.
Although everyone had desperately withstood the Monster Spirits’ attacks, two-thirds of those who had come had already died.
The survivors all had injuries and probably wouldn’t last much longer.
"I’ll take care of the aftermath, you all go first," Gao Zelong frowned as he looked at the Monster Spirits swarming in from all around, shouting loudly.
No one objected, and the people began to fight and retreat, gradually getting farther from the stronghold.
Meanwhile, the man in blue also stepped on air and followed after them.
His clothes were stained with some blood, and then he tossed a head onto the ground.
Everyone looked closely and realized it was the head of the Monster Spirits’ King.
"You killed it," someone said in surprise nearby.
"If they dare to come out of the stronghold and violate the Phoenix Perching Empire’s territory, they must bear the consequences," the man in blue replied indifferently.
"Well killed," Gao Zelong said from the side.
Looking at the man in blue, he spoke with a slight respect, "Thank you, sir, for your timely arrival this time.
Had that Monster Spirits’ King started commanding, we probably would have been completely wiped out."
"Just doing my duty," the man in blue continued shaking his head.
Gao Zelong was silent for a moment before finally asking, "How is King Anding, is he well?"
The man in blue pondered for a bit, then looked up and said, "His Excellency has retired from state affairs.
He now lives a secluded life, quite a good one."
"That’s good, that’s good," Gao Zelong quickly nodded.
As they spoke, the people headed towards Safety Sky City.
Upon arriving at the city gates of Safety Sky City, everyone felt something was off.
It was quiet, the city gates were wide open, and the city was eerily silent.
This peculiar feeling lingered in everyone’s hearts.
The people rushed into the city and were instantly stupefied by the sight before them.
Corpses, a whole street filled with them.
Most of them were the elderly, weak, women, and children.
While these people fought desperately outside, the entire city behind them had been massacred.
"Mother."
"Li."
...…
With each cry of anguish, the survivors ran crazily into their own homes.
Even Gao Zelong, trembling, made his way towards the City Lord Mansion.
Cries of grief came from a distance.
Only Xu Zimei and the man in blue were left at the scene.
The man in blue looked at Xu Zimei with a trace of surprise.
Xu Zimei explained, "I’m just passing through; my home isn’t here."
Hearing Xu Zimei’s words, the surprise on the man in blue’s face grew stronger.
"What are you here for?" the man in blue asked, puzzled.
