Black Cloud Border City.
Under Wang Xuanyi's care, the critically injured elder, who had been on the verge of death, was mostly recovered and was now only waiting to wake up.
City Lord Jin Sha had also recovered quite a bit, and his strength had even made a breakthrough in the midst of battle.
Outside the city-protecting formation, tens of thousands of demon beasts tirelessly slammed against the barrier, attempting to tear open a gap. However, the formation was too resilient, leaving them with no way to break through.
The five Shapeshifting Great Demons were not idle either, constantly channeling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to bombard the formation. Various magic treasures and secret techniques were used in turn, yet they failed to shake the formation in the slightest.
The long-awaited reinforcements had also arrived.
Three Nascent Soul Realm cultivators and five Golden Core Realm elders from the Yuhui Immortal Sect.
As soon as these powerhouses arrived, everyone on the city wall finally found their pillar of support, and their constantly tense minds completely relaxed.
“Senior Brother Jingming, you've arrived.”
Yu Linglong stepped forward to greet them.
“Yes, after receiving your message, we rushed here without a single moment of delay, fearing that something might have happened to you all,” a man with a heroic air between his brows said. He then looked at the dozen or so frightened disciples and asked, “How is Elder Huang?”
“Elder Huang was severely injured, but he was healed by a fellow Daoist from the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect. He is currently still unconscious,” Yu Linglong answered truthfully.
She had no intention of hiding Wang Xuanyi's contribution.
At this moment, another Nascent Soul Realm cultivator stared at the dark, dense swarm of beasts and said angrily, “It seems they intend to fight to the bitter end.”
“If we don't crush these beasts' spirits this time, our human race will truly be looked down upon by the other races.”
The third Nascent Soul Realm cultivator spoke, his face carrying an equally unpleasant expression.
Humans and demons were ancient enemies.
Beasts fed on humans, and humans fed on beasts.
The grievances between them could no longer be resolved through negotiation; unless it was a fight to the death, neither side would cease fire.
“Senior Brother, you and the elders have traveled a long way. Please rest a bit before attacking,” Yu Linglong said with concern.
“Very well,” Jingming replied.
Demon beasts were naturally stronger than humans, especially in terms of their physical bodies. At the same realm, no human's physical body could compare to a demon beast's, except for those absolute monsters.
Just as everyone was gathering their strength and preparing to go all out, the dark, dense army of demon beasts began to retreat like an ebbing tide, a scene that left everyone dumbfounded.
Outside the city.
In the thunderclouds, that pair of purple eyes opened once more. Sensing the sudden arrival of several powerful auras in Black Cloud City, a cold voice commanded, “Retreat!”
Upon receiving the order, the five Shapeshifting Great Demons immediately issued commands without a second thought, forcing the army of tens of thousands of demon beasts to fall back.
They did not need to think; they only needed to obey.
As the demon beast army retreated, the thundercloud in the sky also dissipated.
No one could have expected such an outcome.
“What's going on?” Jingming and the others immediately leaned over the city wall to look.
The sudden turn of events left them utterly bewildered.
An army of tens of thousands of demon beasts had retreated just like that, without giving them any time to react.
It wasn't just Black Cloud Border City; the beast tides appearing across all the border regions of the Great Xia Dynasty had all retreated the moment their respective reinforcements arrived.
It was as if they had agreed upon it beforehand.
Watching this, Wang Xuanyi frowned slightly, thinking of something.
The figure in the thundercloud was undoubtedly an Earth Demon, and its strength was not below that of the three Nascent Soul Realm cultivators beside him.
The five Shapeshifting Great Demons were not pushovers either.
But why did they retreat so suddenly?
“An advance force?”
This thought popped into Wang Xuanyi's mind.
The Earth Demon in the thundercloud had no intention of making a move from the very beginning. Even when Wang Xuanyi used his Equinox Immortal Pupils to seal its movements for a moment, the opponent had not rushed forward to fight.
“But that doesn't make sense either.”
If they really were an advance force, they shouldn't have retreated so hastily. They should have seized the opportunity to probe Black Cloud Border City's defensive strength, gathering sufficient intelligence for the main army that would follow.
Moreover, as soon as the three Nascent Soul cultivators arrived, the enemy withdrew.
Could it be...
“Have they evolved a Heavenly Eye that can see through everything?”
Wang Xuanyi stared at the fleeing demon beast army in the distance, his expression turning a bit solemn. If that was truly the case, it would not be good news for the human race.
In the original novel, an unprecedented war would break out between the human and demon races in the future, and both sides would ultimately pay a devastating price.
There was a description of this in the book.
A certain tribe of the demon race had evolved the “Heavenly Eye,” which could not only see through illusions and perceive everything but also possess the ability to glimpse fragments of the future.
For the human race at the time, this was nothing short of a dimensional strike.
Of course, the war between humans and demons was merely a plot device to deepen the bond between the male and female protagonists—a series of inexplicable, mysterious maneuvers like emotional push-and-pull during the war, fostering romance, dashing rescues, and so on.
“Forget it. Anyway, the male lead has the ability to solve it. I'm not his father, so why should I care so much? I'm just worrying over nothing.”
Thinking of this, Wang Xuanyi's furrowed brow relaxed, and he shrugged indifferently.
He wasn't a masochist; he didn't like being abused.
Since he already knew his ending, he would just work hard to change it, and then slack off and lie flat, watching the male and female leads love each other and ascend together in love.
“Fellow Daoist Zhu Huai, what are you thinking about?”
At this moment, Yu Linglong's inquiry interrupted Wang Xuanyi's drifting thoughts.
“Nothing. Since the matter is resolved, it's time for me to head back,” Wang Xuanyi replied.
Calculating the time, the Little Purple Realm trial was also about to end, so it was indeed time to return.
“Young brother, please, you must attend the celebratory banquet. Not only did you save us, but you also helped tens of thousands of citizens in Black Cloud Border City, making you a great contributor to the Great Xia Dynasty. Please, do this old man a favor,” City Lord Jin Sha immediately spoke up to persuade him.
The great battle had just ended. As the host, how could he not properly feast these heroes? Otherwise, it would be incredibly impolite.
“Indeed, Fellow Daoist Zhu Huai, we haven't properly thanked you yet.”
“Fellow Daoist, please stay and join us.”
Everyone chimed in, pleading with Wang Xuanyi to attend the banquet. Only Gu Hao, standing in the corner, was gnashing his teeth in jealousy.
Such popularity naturally attracted the attention of Jingming and the others. After hearing some of the disciples explain, they finally understood the full picture of what had happened.
Repairing the city-protecting formation, charging into the beast swarm, saving Elder Huang, and resisting the beast tide.
Every single one of these actions was a massive favor to the city.
“No need. I am used to being a loner and do not care for lively crowds,” Wang Xuanyi declined.
What a joke. The original novel explicitly stated that this old bastard Jingming fancied the delicate flower Yu Linglong. In the book, just because Yu Linglong had shown some care to an outer sect disciple, this guy had gone and slaughtered the disciple's entire family.
His level of jealousy... and his sheer pathology was downright twisted.
Wang Xuanyi had no desire to hang around such a dangerous element.
“Fellow Daoist...” Jingming was about to speak and persuade him, but Wang Xuanyi cut him off. “Everyone, there is no need to persuade me. My mind is made up.”
With that, Wang Xuanyi leaped down, landing outside the city wall. He mounted his green ox, then waved his hand with his back turned to them, saying, “Farewell, everyone. Until we meet again!”
The green ox ambled along slowly, gradually fading from everyone's sight.
“What a strange person,” Yu Linglong murmured.
To say he was unreliable, he understood formations and could make correct judgments in the rapidly changing situation of the battlefield.
To say he was reliable, the man had a bizarre personality.
Whether it was saving people, repairing the formation, or treating the severely injured, he did everything alone, never relying on outsiders.
Watching Yu Linglong stare intently at Wang Xuanyi's departing back, Jingming's expression couldn't help but darken slightly. However, he quickly returned to normal and teased, “Linglong, what are you thinking about?”
“Ah.” Yu Linglong finally snapped out of it, her face reddening slightly. “I was thinking that after we return to the sect, perhaps I should visit Fellow Daoist Zhu Huai at the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect.”
“Oh? That fellow Daoist just now was from the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect?”
Yu Linglong replied, “Yes, he is a disciple of Tianzhu Peak in the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect. His name is Zhu Huai.”
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