“Immortal ladies, please wait!” Yun Hui caught up from behind, slightly out of breath. “Where are you two headed?”
They exchanged a glance, looking puzzled. “Isn’t there an enemy attack?”
Yun Hui was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, yes…”
“Then let’s hurry! If we’re late, there’ll be nothing left to kill!” Su Mo tossed him those final words before he and Li Xiaomu swiftly disappeared into the distance like the wind.
Yun Hui stood dazed for over ten seconds, then his eyes suddenly lit up. “Makes sense!”
Immediately, he too rushed toward the East Gate, where the enemy had appeared.
In the darkness, Su Mo and Li Xiaomu took a winding route, spending twice as much time to reach their destination. By the time they arrived, Yun Hui was already there directing the battle.
“Sorry, it’s my first time here—I got lost,” Su Mo said, slightly embarrassed, a faint blush on his cheeks as if genuinely remorseful for being late.
Behind him, Li Xiaomu’s jaw dropped slightly. This guy’s acting skills are really something, she thought.
Yun Hui was too busy directing the battle to engage in lengthy conversation and got straight to the point: “Immortal ladies, Yun City is under attack by a large horde of demonic beasts, including many Tier 3 and Tier 4 ones. Most of the city’s cultivators are only Tier 2, with very few at Tier 3. I fear we won’t be able to hold them off. We hope you can lend us your aid and help us through this crisis.”
He quickly added, “The divine artifact has been unsealed and is ready to choose its master.”
Su Mo glanced at the overwhelming tide of beasts outside the city—both their numbers and varieties had increased significantly since he first spotted them.
“Alright. If you can’t hold them off, I’ll step in,” Su Mo said without making a direct promise.
For one, he needed time to assess the situation; for another, he had to determine whether someone was behind this.
The truth was, ever since arriving in Yun City, the people here had been almost excessively polite to him, which made him uneasy.
Li Xiaomu looked at Yun Hui and said, “Same here.”
Yun Hui’s expression stiffened briefly before he continued directing the battle, shouting encouragements: “With the two immortal ladies here, fight with all your might! These beasts will be driven back just like before!”
Su Mo found a spot with a good vantage point to observe the enemy’s combat patterns. If he had to engage later, it would be better to leverage his strengths against their weaknesses.
From the city walls, giant crossbows and pots of burning oil were launched into the beast horde, but the creatures seemed pumped with adrenaline, fearlessly charging ahead.
At the forefront were the large monkeys he’d seen earlier, incredibly powerful. They had smashed open the city gates several times, and if not for the guards sacrificing their lives to reinforce the defenses, the city would have already fallen.
Close behind were all sorts of wild animals—wolves, tigers, leopards—you name it, all larger than what Su Mo remembered.
But the most troublesome weren’t these; it was the swarms of insects for whom the city walls might as well have been flat ground.
“At this rate, Yun City is doomed. Everyone inside will end up as food for these beasts,” Su Mo muttered to himself. He turned around and noticed Li Xiaomu had already disappeared.
She probably ran for it…
The thought crossed Su Mo’s mind too, but he pushed it down almost instantly.
Even if it wasn’t necessary…
Su Mo stood up and walked toward Yun Hui. The City Lord’s steward was an excellent commander and no slouch in combat himself—he sliced through a beast that had climbed the walls, blood splattering all over him.
“Where’s your City Lord?” Su Mo asked. The battle was raging, and even ordinary citizens had come out to help with logistics, yet Yun Fei was nowhere to be seen.
“The City Lord has gone to the South Gate. They’re under attack there too.”
Su Mo frowned. “Your City Lord is Tier 5, right?”
(In Chu Yuan’s system, Tiers 1 to 6 correspond to the Body Refinement, Qi Refinement, Energy Sea, Snow Mountain, Haoran, and Heavenly Realm stages, respectively.)
“That’s correct.”
Tier 5—the Haoran Realm, equivalent to B-Class. Given that Yun City had stood firm for years under his leadership, it was likely the beast horde had no A-Class entities, with B-Class being the highest.
Forget it, I’ll help them hold off the beast horde for now, Su Mo decided. He didn’t want to gamble with so many lives on the chance of a possible conspiracy.
As long as he wasn’t pinned down by a B-Class opponent, everything would be manageable.
Su Mo’s eyes sharpened as he materialized his magic staff.
“Immortal Lady Su Mo, what are you…”
“Going to kill—well, beasts!” Su Mo leaped off the wall, descending directly into the midst of the beast horde.
Yun Hui stared in astonishment, urgently calling out, “I’ll send a suicide squad to assist you!”
“Focus on commanding your troops. Leave the rest to me,” Su Mo replied coldly, though his words sounded incredibly reassuring to Yun Hui.
The commotion drew the attention of soldiers on both sides. Someone on the wall asked, “What’s happening over there?”
“Not sure. Probably someone fell off. Hey, nothing to make a fuss about—it’s hard to see clearly at night, easy to… ugh—”
Someone caught sight of Su Mo landing amid the beasts by the torchlight and exclaimed, “Look! She’s surrounded by a pack of Ghost Howlers! Those beasts are Tier 3—vicious and ruthless. They’ll tear her apart!”
“Hey, can you focus? We’re in a life-and-death battle here!”
“Alright, alright, no need to shout. Ouch, these bugs bite hard!”
Outside the city walls.
Su Mo was surrounded by several Ghost Howlers, pummeled relentlessly until she was lost from sight.
Yun Hui covered his face with a sigh. The hope that had briefly flickered within him was extinguished once again.
She really was a fake immortal lady. My suspicions were right.
But just then, a dazzling light erupted outside the city walls. A powerful wave of cold energy spread in all directions, quickly freezing a large number of beasts and insects in its path.
Beasts closer to the epicenter were directly ignited by Yin flame, writhing in agony as they fled in all directions, spreading the flames to their companions.
Thanks to the Yin flame’s strong adhesion and difficulty to extinguish, it quickly spread through the beast horde.
Su Mo moved along the city wall, releasing bursts of Yin flame one after another. The pressure on the defenders eased significantly.
However, while the Yin flame was powerful, its extremely low temperature meant it lacked explosive force. It couldn’t vaporize enemies instantly, only corrode them gradually.
Chaos broke out at the vanguard of the beast horde. Many smaller creatures were trampled by larger beasts like bears and apes, creating a scene of “self-inflicted chaos before the enemy was fully defeated.”
Seizing the opportunity, Yun Hui ordered archers to fire. Arrows as thick as fingers rained down on the beasts.
The city walls enjoyed a brief respite. Melee soldiers caught their breath, watching Su Mo—encased in a dark cyan glow—wielding a staff in one hand and a blade in the other, cutting through the beast horde as if it were无人之境 (no one’s land).
“Heavens, who is that girl? How is she so powerful? Even our City Lord couldn’t take on an entire beast horde alone, could he?”
“Huh, that figure looks somewhat familiar.”
“Me too.”
“Wait, I remember—it’s the immortal lady! I was even tailing her earlier today.”
“Shh, be careful she doesn’t hear you! She’s an immortal lady, you know. If she finds out you were following her, your life might as well be over.”
“Wouldn’t that be something? I’ve got nothing tying me down anyway. Dying at the hands of such a beautiful immortal lady is better than being devoured by demonic beasts.”
“Well, that’s true…”
On the battlefield, Su Mo’s blade continuously reaped the lives of the beasts. As he fought, he instilled fear, making the enemy believe he was overwhelmingly powerful to intimidate them.
Just then, three powerful auras emerged from the rear of the beast horde. Su Mo frowned slightly. “C-Class?”
He stopped killing and stood with his blade held horizontally. Not a single beast dared approach, all fearing the human was preparing a major attack. Some of the more timid ones even seized the chance to flee.
Wait around to die? No thanks!