Chapter 2337: Wind Carefree

Xuanguang City is one of the border cities where humans defend against foreign tribes.

Outside the city, a scene of devastation unfolded. Earth and rocks were shattered, vegetation flew everywhere, and the ground was pockmarked with craters. A large number of corpses lay scattered, including those of humans, foreign tribes, and, most abundantly, demonic beasts.

Numerous magical artifacts, formation flags, and formation disks lay scattered across the ground. Some demonic beasts, not yet dead, emitted mournful cries. Corpses piled up like mountains, and the ground was stained red with blood.

Many cultivators were collecting the bodies, while a team of cultivators stood guard on the tall city walls.

Inside the city stood a magnificent palace with upturned eaves, elaborate bracket sets, and intricately carved beams and painted pillars. A plaque on it bore the characters "Xuanguang."

True Monarch Jinding sat in the main seat, his gaze solemn.

Li Yan and seven other Integration-stage cultivators were seated on either side, their expressions serious. Over thirty Void Refinement-stage cultivators stood nearby, their expressions respectful; the lowest cultivation level among them was Mid Void Refinement.

A large teleportation array was built within Xuanguang City, allowing several Integration-stage cultivators to quickly teleport in for support.

"The Blazefire Tribe has come with great force this time, gathering as many as eight Integration-stage cultivators," True Monarch Jinding said, his tone grave. Humans had managed Xuanguang City for many years; even if there were ten Integration-stage foreign tribes, breaking through Xuanguang City would not be easy. However, they faced immense pressure.

"The foreign tribes are still in the probing stage; their Integration-stage cultivators have only engaged in skirmishes. From what we can see, they haven't made a serious move yet and might be waiting for someone," suggested a ruddy-faced elderly man in white robes. "Before that, we must teach them a lesson. By killing a few more Void Refinement-stage foreign tribesmen, we can blunt their morale." The old man's face was benevolent, and he sported a goatee, making him appear approachable.

This was Feixue Hermit, an early Integration-stage cultivator.

Feixue Hermit looked towards a plump young woman in a red dress and said, "Fellow Daoist Xie, Young Friend Lin and his companions are quite strong. They collectively killed a late Void Refinement Bone Tribe member. We can encourage them to kill a few more Void Refinement foreign tribesmen. By selecting a group of experts from among our Void Refinement cultivators to specialize in eliminating the foreign tribes' Void Refinement cultivators, we can boost morale."

The young woman in the red dress had delicate features, her long dark hair styled into a high bun. Her slender waist was cinched with a cloud-patterned belt, and her chest was prominent.

This was Xie Ying, an early Integration-stage cultivator from the Nine Flames Sect.

Xie Ying listed the elite disciples of the major sects as if counting her own treasures. "Fellow Daoist Jiang," she said, "your Coldflame Sect also has promising talents, such as the Coldflame Immortal Couple. Three of the Nine Sons of Zhenhai are here, and three of the Twin Beauties of Xuanqing and three of the Seven Prodigies of Ten Thousand Spirits have arrived. Organize them, and they will certainly be able to kill more Void Refinement cultivators."

A plump elderly man in yellow robes snorted coldly, his face full of confidence. "Hmph, the outcome of this war will still depend on us old-timers. Those youngsters can't make much of a difference. The sect leader instructed me to bring the Heaven Suppressing Net. With this treasure in hand, we won't fear a few more Integration-stage foreign tribesmen."

This was Huang Yilong, a Mid Integration-stage cultivator from the Divine Weapon Sect.

"The Heaven Suppressing Net! Excellent, Fellow Daoist Huang," True Monarch Jinding said with a smile. From his words, it was clear the Heaven Suppressing Net was immensely powerful. "If we engage the foreign tribes again, with the Heaven Suppressing Net's assistance, we might be able to eliminate an Integration-stage foreign tribesman."

Huang Yilong said with a frown, "I believe all of you fellow daoists have also brought many powerful killing artifacts. Don't hold back. If we don't defeat the Blazefire Tribe quickly, and the Lizard Tribe joins their ranks, we'll be in trouble." The Lizard Tribe is one of the five major races on Xuanling Continent, highly skilled in stealth techniques. In terms of resilience, they are not much worse than the Yaksha Tribe, and in terms of supernatural abilities, they are comparable to the Blazefire Tribe. Fortunately, the Lizard Tribe has difficulty procreating, so their numbers are not large.

During its peak, the Lizard Tribe had three Grand Ascension cultivators and many experts, overpowering other major tribes. This, however, sowed the seeds of their downfall. Other major tribes secretly incited discord, leading to internal strife within the Lizard Tribe, while simultaneously suppressing them. With both internal problems and external threats, the Lizard Tribe quickly declined. If not for the Grand Ascension cultivators still presiding over them, the Lizard Tribe would have long been absorbed by other major tribes.

"Defeat the Blazefire Tribe quickly? I'm afraid that's not possible," True Monarch Jinding said, shaking his head. "The Yaksha Tribe is leading over a dozen smaller tribes to attack Xuanling City, and the Golden Scale Tribe might attack us by sea. It would be a good outcome just to hold off the Blazefire Tribe's offensive." He certainly wanted to defeat the Blazefire Tribe as soon as possible; if other foreign tribes weren't causing trouble, they could focus entirely on the Blazefire Tribe.

A clear male voice suddenly rang out: "If I were to join, would our chances of victory increase?"

A gust of wind whistled past, and a nine-foot-tall young man in a red shirt appeared in the hall. The red-shirted youth had sharp eyebrows and bright, star-like eyes, which gleamed with spirit. A white jade belt was cinched at his waist, giving him the appearance of a dashing young master.

He carried an exquisite red sword-box on his back. Judging by his aura, he was clearly an early Integration-stage cultivator.

True Monarch Jinding was filled with surprise and joy upon seeing the red-shirted youth. "Fellow Daoist Feng, why are you here? Has Senior Lin also arrived?"

The red-shirted youth was no ordinary Integration-stage cultivator. He was Feng Xiaoyao, the second disciple of Sword Venerable Tianhe.

Sword Venerable Tianhe was a Grand Ascension cultivator. Like Xuanqingzi, he was a protector deity of the human race on Xuanling Continent. However, he had not appeared for tens of thousands of years, and his whereabouts were uncertain.

Sword Venerable Tianhe was a rogue cultivator. He did not establish a sect and wandered the four seas as his home. However, he had taken several disciples, and Feng Xiaoyao was one of them.

Feng Xiaoyao explained, "I heard that foreign tribes were invading the borders, so I came uninvited. My master did not come, and I am unaware of his whereabouts."

Li Yan let out a hearty laugh, his face full of smiles. "Haha, with Fellow Daoist Feng joining the fight, our chances of victory have increased greatly."

Xie Ying said gravely, "We still cannot be careless. The Blazefire Tribe has also dispatched experts, and the Integration-stage cultivators from other minor tribes should not be underestimated."

Feng Xiaoyao nodded and said, "I heard that the Blazefire Tribe has an Integration-stage cultivator named Baixuan. This person possesses considerable supernatural abilities."

Huang Yilong nodded, his expression solemn. "Indeed. Madam Xie also suffered a minor setback at his hands."

Baixuan is a newly rising expert of the Blazefire Tribe, possessing significant supernatural abilities. While still in the Void Refinement stage, Baixuan eliminated multiple Void Refinement cultivators, which greatly enhanced his reputation.

True Monarch Jinding gave a few instructions, then led Feng Xiaoyao away. "Fellow Daoist Feng, you must be tired from your journey. Please go rest first! Everyone, go back and select elites to specifically deal with the Blazefire Tribe's Void Refinement cultivators. Additionally, mobilize a group of high-level cultivators from the rear to support the front line."

Inside Xuanguang City, Wang Qingshan and others strolled along the bustling streets. The Wang family disciples gazed at their surroundings with curious eyes.

Wang Qingshan had visited many grand cities, but compared to Xuanguang City, they paled significantly.

Simply in terms of area, Xuanguang City far surpassed those grand cities.

The Lan family and the Wang family did not belong to the same faction. After entering Xuanguang City, Lan Fukong parted ways with Wang Qingshan to report to his patron.

As they walked, Wang Qingshan saw many Void Refinement cultivators, but he didn't recognize any of them.

After arriving in the Xuanyang Realm, Wang Qingshan spent most of his time on Qinglian Island and rarely ventured out. He had met some Spirit Transformation cultivators during his travels, but many years had passed, and few of those old acquaintances had advanced to the Void Refinement stage.

This was not surprising; Wang Qingshan had mostly befriended Spirit Transformation cultivators from minor sects or small families. He knew very few Spirit Transformation cultivators from major sects or large families.