Xu Daoyuan heard the news, his expression turned serious, and he couldn't help but ask, "One hundred thousand demonic beasts. Apart from the Violet-Striped Wolf King, are there other Purple Mansion demonic beasts?"
"In this demonic beast army, there are at least four Purple Mansion-level beasts."
"Besides the Violet-Striped Wolf King, the Wolf Clan has another demonic wolf at the early Purple Mansion stage. Additionally, there's a Thunder Roc at the mid-Purple Mansion stage and a Green Flame Fox at the early Purple Mansion stage," Elian said gravely, then added, "Apart from these, there should be other Purple Mansion demonic beasts hidden among the horde, yet to be discovered."
Everyone nodded. Elder Yang Zheng stroked his long beard and said,
"The Demon-Slaying Sword Formation in Yuyang Market is a bane to demonic beasts. Although the second-tier high-grade spiritual vein cannot unleash its full power, it should still be able to hold against Purple Mansion-level beasts."
"Even if the spiritual energy in the spiritual spring runs dry, we still have over a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators and five thousand Qi Refining cultivators. With so many cultivators channeling their power, we should be able to hold out for at least a month even if the demonic beasts attack."
"In a month, we would have enough time to mobilize Foundation Establishment and Purple Mansion cultivators from Yu County and Ling County. We might even be able to bring in Qi Refining cultivators."
"Moreover, we've prepared one hundred thousand spirit stones to power the formation. At a critical moment, using these spirit stones could hold off the beasts for another month. Therefore, it should be difficult for the demonic beasts to easily take Yuyang Market."
Hearing Elder Yang's words, the crowd heaved a sigh of relief.
Xu Daoyuan smiled slightly and said, "Spiritual veins are rare within the Hundred Thousand Mile Wasteland."
"Low-level demonic beasts are dim-witted. Without the direct command of the Sky Python King, a significant portion of the demonic beast army might get lost in the wasteland. At most, sixty or seventy thousand might actually reach Yuyang Market."
"Let's wait and see if their real target is indeed Yuyang Market."
The crowd sighed upon hearing this. The Hundred Thousand Mile Wasteland—a region even larger than Bianzhou region.
The wasteland was mostly plains, an ideal terrain for mortals to live and thrive.
Yet after every demonic beast upheaval, tens of thousands of demonic beasts would lose their way in the wasteland, settling there and producing countless offspring.
This was the main reason the Hundred Thousand Mile Wasteland was never suitable for mortals to inhabit—it was impossible to eradicate the demonic beasts entirely.
...
Time passed quickly in their anxious waiting.
Three months flew by in the blink of an eye. On this day, the demonic beast army had traversed most of the Hundred Thousand Mile Wasteland, and something shocking happened.
The demonic beasts split their forces. Half continued toward Yuyang Market, while the other half activated a third-tier magical treasure to conceal their presence, disappearing into the vast wasteland.
"What's going on?"
In Yuyang Market, the news of this split unsettled everyone.
Elder Yang personally summoned the Foundation Establishment cultivator in charge of tracking the beasts and repeatedly pressed for information about the other half of the army.
The Foundation Establishment cultivator, sweating profusely, wiped his forehead and nervously said,
"The Violet-Striped Wolf King is incredibly powerful. To avoid being discovered, I didn't dare get too close. I could only use the Thousand-Mile Star-Gazing Technique to observe them."
"I didn't expect them to activate a magical treasure to hide their movements. I couldn't determine where they went."
"Damn it!"
Xu Daoyuan's expression darkened, and his face showed concern.
If the demonic beasts launched a direct assault, they might be able to respond. But if the beasts staged a surprise attack, the consequences could be disastrous.
"This is troublesome," Elder Yang frowned and stroked his beard, then gave an order.
"Inform Fengling County and the neighboring counties to increase patrols and keep an eye out for that demonic beast force. Be ready to counter any surprise attacks."
"For now, let's focus on dealing with the enemy in front of us."
The crowd nodded reluctantly.
After crossing the Hundred Thousand Mile Wasteland, the demonic beast army had already suffered a thirty percent loss. Now, only seventy percent remained—still numbering over seventy thousand.
Even after splitting, the remaining demonic beasts attacking Yuyang Market still numbered over thirty thousand.
This was no small force. The cultivators of Yu County had to respond cautiously, or the situation could spiral out of control.
...
Half a month passed.
Amid the mounting tension, the thirty-thousand-strong demonic beast army finally crossed Tianxu Mountain and entered Yu County, directly encircling Yuyang Market.
Yuyang Market was less than eight thousand miles from the Hundred Thousand Mile Wasteland. Its original purpose was to act as a defensive stronghold against demonic beasts.
The location was critical. The demonic beast army had no choice but to deal with Yuyang Market first unless they scaled the sprawling mountain ranges of Tianyuan.
However, for the dim-witted low-level demonic beasts, traversing such a vast mountain range would lead to significant losses. Most of them would likely scatter before making it out.
Purple Mansion demonic beasts, whose intelligence rivaled humans, wouldn't make such a mistake. They would either bypass the mountains or conquer Yuyang Market first.
Within the market, the cultivators stared at the overwhelming horde of demonic beasts, their expressions grim.
Clan Leader Mu Xuanming looked serious as he turned to the two elders and said,
"Seniors, what should we do now that the demonic beasts are at our doorstep?"
Xu Daoyuan pondered for a moment before replying, "I see four Purple Mansion demonic beasts among the horde."
"The leader is a Thunder Roc from Thunder Valley, at the mid-Purple Mansion stage. The other three are the Green Flame Fox, the Six-Winged Golden Butterfly, and the Ice Python, all at the early Purple Mansion stage."
"I also counted over a hundred Foundation Establishment-level demonic beasts. However, I didn't spot the Violet-Striped Wolf King. It seems to be hiding."
Elder Yang frowned and stroked his beard.
"It appears the Violet-Striped Wolf King is leading a hidden force. We have no idea where it has gone."
"That seems to be the case," Xu Daoyuan nodded and said, "Without the Violet-Striped Wolf King, there are only four Purple Mansion beasts. I believe we have enough strength to confront them."
"Should we take the initiative and strike while they are divided to crush them?"
Elder Yang hesitated, carefully calculating the strength of both sides, and ultimately shook his head.
"The Thunder Roc is at the sixth level of the Purple Mansion stage, with cultivation equal to mine. Moreover, it is extremely fast."
...
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