Chapter 172: Beast Tide, Population

Eastern Extreme Region.

A medium-sized city on the border of the Star Fall Province—Green Light City—was currently suffering an attack by a group of demon beasts.

In the Eastern Extreme Region, human cultivators view demon beasts as cultivation resources, and most demon beasts view humans as food.

Between the two, it is almost a state of incompatibility.

Therefore, in the Eastern Extreme Region, human cultivators launching sieges and hunts against demon beast groups, or demon beasts launching beast tides against human cities, are very common occurrences.

Not only that, due to the lack of rules and constraints.

Attacks between human factions in the Eastern Extreme Region also occur from time to time.

Therefore, if one wants to establish a foothold in the Eastern Extreme Region, besides needing to guard against the attacks of demon beasts, one also needs to guard against the covetous eyes of other human factions.

Under these circumstances, strong strength is indispensable.

Like the City Lord of Green Light City—Zhou Qingguang—who is a mid-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator.

Zhou Qingguang, with his scholarly attire, gives people a gentle and refined feeling.

At this moment, facing the surging beast tide.

Zhou Qingguang is standing in mid-air, personally presiding over Green Light City's fourth-order city-protecting array, his gaze looking worriedly toward the depths behind the beast tide.

There, Zhou Qingguang felt several auras stronger than his own.

If those few demon beasts hidden in the dark were to make a move.

Even with the help of the fourth-order city-protecting array, Zhou Qingguang had no confidence in blocking the attacks of those few demon beasts while resisting the attack of tens of thousands of demon beasts.

Thinking of this, Zhou Qingguang looked at the three Purple Mansion Realm cultivators below and ordered:

"Heifeng, Qingyu, Watching Xue Yu, lead the guard team to speed up the clearing of the attacking demon beasts."

"Yes, City Lord!"

Zhou Qingguang's move was to try to weaken the power of the beast tide in advance before the fourth-order demon beasts made a move.

The demon beasts currently being driven to launch the first wave of attacks on Green Light City were mostly first and second-order demon beasts.

With the strength of Green Light City's guard team, clearing these demon beasts was not difficult.

It was just that doing so would consume a large amount of their spiritual power, which was unfavorable for dealing with the enemy later.

However, at this point, facing the endless beast tide, Zhou Qingguang had no other choice.

Heifeng, Qingyu, and Watching Xue Yu were all guard commanders of Green Light City, each commanding one of Green Light City's three cultivator guard teams.

The three, who were ready to go, answered without hesitation after hearing Zhou Qingguang's order.

They began to lead their respective guard teams, relying on the city-protecting array, to clear the demon beasts that had already begun to attack Green Light City.

Seeing Green Light City's guard team move.

Other cultivators in the city who did not belong to Green Light City's command also tacitly began to take action, launching attacks on the demon beasts outside the city walls.

When the nest is overturned, are there any intact eggs?

These cultivators who were temporarily trapped in Green Light City by the beast tide were not stupid; they knew that they were now grasshoppers on the same rope as Green Light City.

Without harming themselves, they were also very willing to attack the demon beast group outside the city.

The sound of rumbling resounded across the entire sky in an instant, and spells of various colors emitted dazzling light, fiercely bombarding the demon beast group.

In an instant, it caused huge damage to the demon beast group.

Roar! The stimulation of blood made these attacking demon beasts even more violent.

Various energy attacks, or the sharp claws and fangs of demon beasts, fell fiercely into the barrier condensed by the city-protecting array.

Causing the barrier of the city-protecting array to continuously set off waves of violent ripples.

Inside Green Light City.

Sensing the movement outside the city, many mortals in the city were praying worriedly.

Praying that Green Light City could survive this disaster, praying that they themselves and their relatives could successfully survive.

In the Eastern Extreme Region, conflicts between demon beasts and humans occur from time to time.

If mortals want to survive, they can only attach themselves to the command of cultivators.

Cities or villages composed purely of mortals cannot be said to not exist in the Eastern Extreme Region, but they are extremely rare existences.

The few such cities or villages are mostly far away from demon beast gathering places and are in places lacking spiritual energy.

Therefore, the mortals of the Eastern Extreme Region are basically under the rule of cultivators.

Their living environment and way of life depend entirely on the rules or moods set by the rulers.

Although the foundation of cultivator factions originates from mortals.

Most factions will not be too harsh on the mortals living under their command.

But among cultivators, there is no shortage of scum or moody lunatics.

Inevitably, there will be some mortals who live in dire straits for a lifetime, or even for generations.

Therefore, for mortals, finding a city with stable order that does not treat them harshly to attach to is also an extremely lucky thing.

And Zhou Qingguang, as the City Lord of Green Light City, did not set harsh rules for the mortals in the city.

So now that Green Light City is facing a crisis, these mortals living in the city naturally hope that Green Light City can survive safely.

Only when they are given hope for survival in normal times will they pray for Green Light City to have hope of surviving the disaster when they encounter danger.

"Grandpa, don't be afraid. When Yinyin grows up and can cultivate, Yinyin will protect Grandpa."

In a bungalow in Green Light City, a little girl of seven or eight years old was lying in her grandfather's arms, comforting him.

With her little head tilted, her two big eyes looked at the cultivators flying in the city, not feeling any fear at all.

And her grandfather just gently stroked her little head with his hand and did not speak.

His eyes looking outside the city revealed deep worry in their turbidity.

Suddenly.

Three sharp and ear-piercing beast roars came from outside the city: "Moo!" "Howl!" "Screech!"

After Green Light City's many cultivators cleared the attacking beast group and consumed a large amount of spiritual power.

Two fourth-order late-stage and one fourth-order peak demon beasts, carrying a large number of third-order demon beasts, suddenly descended outside Green Light City.

They launched a fierce offensive against the barrier of the city-protecting array.

The two fourth-order late-stage demon beasts were a giant ox and a wolf, respectively.

That fourth-order peak demon beast was a huge flying bird.

"Not good!"

Facing three fourth-order demon beasts far exceeding his own cultivation, plus thousands of first, second, and third-order demon beasts attacking together, Zhou Qingguang's expression changed drastically.

He subconsciously poured a large amount of spiritual power into the city-protecting array to increase the power of the city-protecting array.

Bang! Bang! Bang... Crack! Crack! Crack... With the sound of dull bombardment, cracks began to appear on the barrier of Green Light City, and gradually spread to the surroundings.

"Unh!"

The city-protecting array encountered an attack far exceeding its own defense, and Zhou Qingguang, who had been presiding over the city-protecting array, suffered a backlash and groaned.

After calming the surging blood in his body.

Zhou Qingguang looked at the two fourth-order late-stage and one fourth-order peak demon beasts outside the city with unwillingness, and said bitterly:

"Could it be that all my hard work is about to be destroyed?"

Looking at the hundreds of thousands of mortals in the city behind him who had no cultivation, Zhou Qingguang gritted his teeth and secretly transmitted his order: "Heifeng, Qingyu, Watching Xue Yu, lead the guard team, prepare to break out!"

He still had a great hatred to avenge; he could only be sorry for the residents of the city who were attached to his command.

Hearing this, Qingyu couldn't bear it and couldn't help but speak:

"City Lord, but what about the people in the city?"

"Give up, we can't protect them."

Responding to Qingyu was only Zhou Qingguang's cold order.

The fact was indeed so; if they stayed, they could only be buried with everyone in Green Light City.

"Qingyu, listen to the City Lord! We are already powerless."

Heifeng, who was on the side, also couldn't help but persuade Qingyu.

Only Watching Xue Yu remained silent, not expressing any opinion. This matter had no right or wrong; staying behind was just a meaningless sacrifice, and the people in the city had very little connection with these cultivators.

Ordinary emotions could no longer control the hearts of cultivators and influence them to make the final choice.

Perhaps this choice did not conform to humanitarianism, but in a situation where nothing could be done, this was the most rational choice.

In the end, Qingyu could only grit her teeth, looking at the residents in the city with shame.

Crack! Crack! Seeing the cracks on the barrier becoming larger and larger, Zhou Qingguang shouted:

"Go!"

Immediately, Zhou Qingguang, Heifeng, Qingyu, Watching Xue Yu, and a small number of guard team members fled toward the other side of Green Light City.

In that direction, although there were also demon beast groups, they were mostly low-order demon beasts.

Breaking out from there had a much higher probability of success.

When Zhou Qingguang fled, the rest of the cultivators in Green Light City also cleverly followed.

As for the remaining majority of Green Light City's guard team members and other small numbers of cultivators, they did not choose to flee at the first opportunity.

They were all born and raised in Green Light City; these guards were not old, and they had attachments in the city that they could not abandon.

So they did not flee at the first opportunity, but returned to their homes, preparing to take their families with them.

At this time, the mortals in the city, seeing the scene of the cultivators fleeing in the high sky, fell directly into despair.

Cultivators could flee, but where could they flee to? Many people, facing the threat of death, began to shout for help: "No! Don't go, City Lord, please take me with you!"

"Erlang, Erlang, I am your distant aunt, save me, take me with you!"

"City Lord, please, take my daughter with you! City Lord..."

There were also many people who lost hope and began to curse unscrupulously:

"Zhou Qingguang, you will die a horrible death!"

"Die! Let everyone die! Why can't I have a spiritual root? Why?"

"Hehehe, Zhou Qingguang, you can't escape, I'll be waiting for you below!"

For a time, all kinds of human states and all kinds of living beings were fully displayed.

Facing the danger of death, the dark side hidden in many people's hearts was completely stimulated.

Bang! With a crisp loud noise, starlight fragments began to fall above Green Light City.

Amidst the clamor of Green Light City, after the barrier of the city-protecting array lost Zhou Qingguang's presiding.

Facing the endless attacks of the demon beast group, it only supported for a moment before it completely collapsed.

"Grandpa, I'm scared, wuwuwu!"

The little girl who had just comforted her grandfather, at this moment, completely broke down.

Burying her little face in her grandfather's arms, she cried out in fear.

"Yinyin, be good, don't be afraid, Grandpa is here!"

The old man's face was also covered in tears; his son and daughter-in-law died early, and his granddaughter Yinyin was his only attachment.

Could it be that this time, the two of them, grandfather and granddaughter, were going to lose their lives in the mouths of demon beasts?

Thinking of this, the old man hugged his granddaughter Yinyin tightly.

Unwilling, he struggled to stand up, closed the door, and looked for everything in the room to reinforce his door.

Even if there was no hope, for the sake of his granddaughter, he had to struggle to the end.

"Moo, Howl, Screech, Roar!"

With the shattering of the city-protecting array, various beast roars rose and fell.

The beast group excitedly trampled through the city walls of Green Light City, preparing to go deep into Green Light City and slaughter the humans in this city to have a full meal.

Various screams resounded through the sky in Green Light City.

At the critical moment, a light but powerful Dao sound rang out: "Suppress the Boundary!"

Immediately, a glazed treasure tower phantom appeared above Green Light City, directly suppressing the beast group that was attempting to start a massacre.

Sensing this change, Green Light City instantly became silent, and the hope of light reignited in the eyes of the people in the city.

The little girl who had buried her head in her grandfather's arms now looked up at her grandfather, sobbing and choking, and asked suspiciously:

"Grandpa, why am I not dead yet?"

"Shh!"

Her grandfather hurriedly covered the little girl's mouth and looked vigilantly at the sky above Green Light City.

At this time.

Ye Qingxuan's external incarnation, Daoist Gui Xuanzi, had already appeared above Green Light City, looking coldly at the beast group below: "A group of evil beasts, courting death!"

His hand formed a spell, and the Boundary-Suppressing Tower nurtured in his dantian automatically flew out and enlarged, overlapping with the glazed treasure tower phantom in the void.

The boundary-suppressing power suppressing the demon beast group suddenly surged.

Demon beasts below the fourth order died directly under this surging boundary-suppressing power.

"Moo!" "Howl!" "Screech!"

Three fourth-order demon beasts roared continuously under the suppression; the ferocious flying bird was now lying on the ground, struggling continuously.

Fourth-order energy slowly fluctuated and gathered, and the three fourth-order demon beasts attempted to gather energy to counterattack.

But the energy they had just gathered was directly dispersed by Ye Qingxuan with a single thought, using the boundary-suppressing power.

"Die!"

Without further ado, Ye Qingxuan took out a flying sword again.

Under the control of his spiritual sense, the flying sword cut through the sky, turning into a stream of light that pierced through the bodies of the three fourth-order demon beasts.

Boom! The three fourth-order demon beasts that were still struggling collapsed with a bang, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Just after Ye Qingxuan finished killing all the demon beasts, Zhou Qingguang, who had fled, sensed the change in Green Light City and brought the guard team members back.

Looking at the corpses of demon beasts all over the ground, Zhou Qingguang cautiously came to a place not far in front of Ye Qingxuan, smiling and bowing respectfully:

"Junior Zhou Qingguang, thank you, Senior, for your life-saving grace!"

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan glanced at Zhou Qingguang and said playfully: "You don't need to thank me. Since the city and the people were saved by me, then this city and the people in the city will naturally belong to my command from now on."

"This?"

The smile on Zhou Qingguang's face stiffened, and he was slightly hesitant.

"Why? Do you have an opinion?"

Ye Qingxuan glanced at Zhou Qingguang coldly, scaring Zhou Qingguang into lowering his head hurriedly: "Junior dares not, Junior dares not, everything is at Senior's command!"

Although he said so, Zhou Qingguang was extremely depressed in his heart.

He was originally unwilling to submit to others, so he ran to the border of the Star Fall Province to build a city, just to avoid those factions in the core area of the Star Fall Province.

He didn't expect that the city was developing well, but suddenly encountered a beast tide, and the city faced a crisis of destruction.

Later, a senior appeared unexpectedly to save the situation, and he didn't expect that this senior had taken a fancy to his city.

Facing this result, although Zhou Qingguang was somewhat unwilling, he had no resentment in his heart.

After all, at the beginning, it was he who chose to abandon the entire city.

"Perhaps this is also good!"

Zhou Qingguang looked at the residents of Green Light City who had been reborn, his eyes were somewhat dim, and his heart seemed to be relieved.

Ye Qingxuan ignored the change in Zhou Qingguang's expression.

Standing in mid-air above Green Light City, spiritual power circulating, he said loudly:

"This seat is Daoist Gui Xuanzi. From today on, this city and the people in the city will belong to this seat's command."

"If there are any who are unwilling, they can leave the city within three days."

The Di Xuan Realm is different from the Xuanmu Realm. In the Di Xuan Realm, building a city requires population to develop for a long time.

Therefore, what Ye Qingxuan took a fancy to was not the city itself, but the population in the city.

The people in this city, he, Ye Qingxuan, wanted them.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 173 =====