Chapter Ninety: Another Hunter! (Please recommend, please add to favorites!)

With a sharp clang, the long spear and the thick staff collided, their weapons locked in a tense stalemate mid-air. At that moment, Feng Shouming realized how foolish he had been; anyone bold enough to taunt and challenge at the frontlines of two armies could not possibly be weak.

In the blink of an eye, the merged form of Feng Shouming split apart, reverting to the original trio in the air. The staff, locked with Zhang Daoyi, was suddenly struck by overwhelming force; while the combined strength of the three had matched Zhang Daoyi, once separated, the disparity was clear.

Zhang Daoyi’s beard and hair flew wild, radiating confidence, as he swept his spear through the void. Changfeng and Changming barely had time to retreat before danger descended upon them.

Behind Zhang Daoyi on the battlefield, Li Tian continued to slash his blade, raining blood through the air. Five strikes—Po Jun and Li Sheng had already fallen from the sky, and the aura arrows of Huang Yuetian were shattered.

Broken bodies plummeted toward the ancient ground below, and, farther off, Yu Tian and Cui Li were fast approaching.

Li Tian stood tall in the void, slashing backward without looking. The staff that had just been knocked aside by Zhang Daoyi was cleaved in two, a line of blood appearing from head to toe, before the body fell to earth.

Changfeng and Changming, still locked in combat with Zhang Daoyi, felt their hairs stand on end. Zhang Daoyi’s spear was nearly upon them, and behind them lurked an invincible presence, one who slaughtered tenth-rank cultivators without hesitation.

This was a death trap. They had sensed it ever since leaving Po Bei City, but the presence of three eleventh-rankers on their side had always reassured them. They’d hoped that, at worst, their own experts could protect them, but now, it was clear they’d been too optimistic.

Yu Tian and Cui Li roared in fury, their attacks striking before their arrival.

Li Tian gently touched his chest, then gripped his blade in one hand and cleaved forward. No dazzling technique, no brilliant aura—just a simple, straightforward strike.

Three powerful presences clashed in mid-air, instantly shattering the void and tearing black rifts in space.

...

At this moment, Yang Fan was carrying the unconscious Li Xianyi on his back, leading his team toward Ju Bei City at breakneck speed.

Behind them, the ground was fracturing inch by inch, the aura from the battles of mighty cultivators sweeping across heaven and earth. Even without direct targeting, the tiniest aftershock was enough to overwhelm their group, who were mostly below the third rank.

Hu Dao was at the rear, his third-rank peak aura surging as he spat blood repeatedly. After Li Xianyi’s warning, Hu Dao dared not face the aftershocks head-on, using his body to absorb as much of their force as possible, easing the pressure on the first- and second-rank cultivators behind him.

But even so, Hu Dao was at his limit.

They were still fifteen li from the city gates.

...

Suddenly, a rainbow of auras soared from the city, ascending toward Yang Fan and his group. The remaining six tenth-rank martial emperors in the city were coming.

A burly man Yang Fan didn’t recognize waved his hand, and Yang Fan felt as if he were riding clouds and mist, flying toward Ju Bei City.

Within seconds, Yang Fan and his squad landed atop the city walls.

Looking back, thirty li away beneath the dark curtain, a dozen spheres of light intertwined, powerful auras erupting one after another. Blades flashed across the sky, spears pierced upward, and spheres of light fell!

The battle was raging once more. Even with his mutated eyes, Yang Fan could not make out the details of the battlefield thirty li away. He could only sense aftershocks powerful enough to crush him spreading outward, then being neutralized by the eighth- and ninth-rank guardians inside the city.

The fighting continued, the mighty clashing.

The weaker ones watched helplessly from the rear, unable to take part.

Staring into the distance, for the first time, Yang Fan felt a burning determination to grow stronger. He had always wanted to advance and become stronger since embarking on the path of cultivation, but never with such urgency.

Now, Yang Fan understood clearly what he wanted. Ideals had subtly changed; it was no longer merely about surviving and living well, but surviving, living well, living strong—so that he could protect.

To protect those around him, powerless as he was against the distant battlefield. That was meaningful. That was what he finally wished to do.

Yang Fan began to tremble, arcs of electricity flickering across his skin. Li Xianyi, slung across his back, convulsed, hair standing on end.

...

Ten minutes later, the battlefield shifted. A violet sphere of light burst from underground, streaking toward the blade-lit battleground.

From afar, Yang Fan didn’t know what had happened—only vague shouts and wails reached his ears.

Then the brightest rainbow sphere plummeted, and the dozen spheres scattered, flying in different directions.

The war was calming.

The deadly aftershocks vanished.

The eighth- and ninth-rank guardians inside the city breathed sighs of relief. The sixth- and seventh-rank warriors were flushed with excitement.

When the human protectors returned from outside the city, Yang Fan saw Li Tian carrying a corpse. Yang Fan recognized the face—it was the eleventh-rank expert who had unleashed the rainbow aura, though Yang Fan didn’t know his name. But seeing this, he understood: they had won.

Li Tian was covered in blood, his blade riddled with countless cracks. Beside him stood a burly man, whose rough face showed a sickly pallor—strangely at odds with his vigor.

As they entered the city, a roar of celebration erupted. Cheers resounded through the air!

Shouts of joy soared skyward!

At that moment, the rear gates of Ju Bei City swung open, and squads of cultivator reinforcements marched in.

Among them were faces familiar to Yang Fan.

The reinforcements from the Academy had arrived—or rather, the reinforcements from the Academy, who had long been waiting at the rear, finally entered the city!

Yang Fan now understood more. His team’s mission to pierce the dark curtain had merely been a pretext—to lure the Dark Realm’s forces out.

Zhang Daoyi, who had already reached the ruins, tunneled underground to lie in wait, then wiped out the Dark Realm cultivators who emerged. He then began issuing challenges, forcing the Dark Realm to send more.

When the Dark Realm continued to dispatch forces, Li Tian appeared, exterminating another wave and forcing the three wounded eleventh-rankers to come forth. Then, when the two sides’ tenth-rank and above experts were locked in a deadlock, the hidden eleventh-rank expert emerged, deciding the fate of the battle.

Afterward, the Academy’s reinforcements, who had already arrived at the rear, entered the city, marking the official start of the defense.

Now, the enemy would not dare attack again. According to the sixth-rank and above warriors, the Dark Realm had lost one eleventh-rank and eight tenth-rankers. Though some on their side were wounded, none had fallen—a resounding victory!

News spread throughout the city, sweeping away the gloom caused by the recent disaster, and giving the newly arrived reinforcements a surge of confidence.

...

Humanity is not powerless; if you dare to come, I dare to kill!

From the start, Li Tian had never intended to abide by the rules. As an eleventh-rank, he repeatedly slew warriors below the tenth rank, breaking an unspoken pact.

According to Li Tian, there was no choice. If the sides were evenly matched, then the rules would be followed—soldiers facing soldiers, generals facing generals. But now, with one side holding overwhelming advantage, he could not allow himself to be bound by conventions.

Relentless assault, annihilation without hesitation, no matter who the enemy was.

Let the Dark Realm know that those with nothing to lose have no fear. There was nowhere left to retreat; one more step back, and it would be their homeland.

With no retreat and facing ruin, what reason was left to adhere to rules?

Though the tacit understandings of war had been shattered, there were advantages: Cui Li had fallen, Yu Tian and Huang Yuetian escaped but were badly wounded, and the ambush by Dongfang Kui had surprised everyone.

For quite some time, Yu Tian and the others would not dare return.

But the time left for humanity was short; everyone knew the next war would be far more perilous.