Lu Yun and the little fox had withdrawn from the battlefield. All available force within Redbud City had been mobilized, and everyone waited with orderly readiness for the beasts to come again.
It wasn’t Zhuo Bufan commanding the cultivators, nor was it the useless fool of a city lord. The true heavyweights of the city had taken control. They’d been suppressed by the bumbling buffoon before and had been unable to display their skill. Now that Lu Yun and the others were here, the city lord no longer dared throw his weight around, making way for the powerhouses to assume the reins of command.
Redbud City sat at the edges of the Redbud Plains. Though it wasn’t a large city, the forces that dwelled within were no minor ones. Legends of beast tides had always existed within the plains and the city did indeed fend them off with surprising regularity.
Only, one of this scale had never occurred before.
……
“The tide of beasts is far beyond my expectation. I need to make use of this time to etch some more formations.” Lu Yun settled down into meditative thought when he returned to the abode that Jian Wenhe had prepared for them.
He’d wanted to send out Oddmoon and kill everything in his path, but the arcane beast that’d destroyed several of his sky curtains gave him pause. It didn’t seem to be the leader of the operation.
“Zhuo Bufan, who’s stronger—the lizard-dragon or that beast?” He asked as Zhuo Bufan had come back with him. Being in the common realm, he’d just be cannon fodder in the tide of beasts.
“The lizard-dragon!” Zhuo Bufan answered confidently. “The lizard-dragon is one of the premier powerhouses of Dragonhollow Mountain. It has the potential to be king, so it’s not anything that that reptile can measure up to.
“That reptile outside is a steelback golden armored dragon—one of the best among the superior realm arcane beasts. However, there’s no possibility for it to ever become a king or even progress in that direction!”
“What the fuck,” Lu Yun cursed. “Shit like that broke my Nineturns Sky Curtain Formation?”
Zhuo Bufan shrank in on himself and didn’t dare say another word, though he spoke only the truth.
“Lu Yun.” The little fox suddenly hopped in front of him and cupped her lily-white hands around his face, turning his gaze toward her. “Those arcane beasts are intelligent and possess their own thoughts!”
“Mmhmm.” Lu Yun nodded.
“Having thoughts and wisdom also means fear!” she continued seriously. “When we first saw the beasts, they didn’t have death wishes or want to take down Redbud City at all costs. But now, they’ve forgotten fear and death.”
“…the drum!” Lu Yun and the little fox exclaimed in unison.
“That’s right, the drum! What level treasure is that drum?” The little fox turned around to look at Zhuo Bufan.
“In response to the young mistress, this humble one doesn’t know either.” Zhuo Bufan shook his head blankly. Though he knew a few things about the Redbud Plains, he only possessed surface level knowledge.
“How useless,” grumbled the little fox.
Zhuo Bufan smiled wryly in response. He couldn’t refute that assessment, nor did he dare to.
“Little fox, take this Oddmoon treasure and try to stall for as much time as possible. I’m going to think of something I can refine to battle the drum.” Lu Yun handed Oddmoon to the fox.
Since Oddmoon had been tamed by the abyss, no one needed to refine it. The abyss’ power was enough to compel the moon to release its full power.
Since the little fox was with him, he’d naturally had her refine the shard of Mount Tai in the abyss. She could now come and go from the abyss at will and call upon its strength as well.
“Will do!” She nodded and accepted the treasure. “Don’t think of going anywhere, you’re coming with me!”
She flicked a glance at a rueful Zhuo Bufan. He knew that there was nowhere he could go.
He’d thought that his new masters would become burdens after arriving in the Hongmeng and attract trouble to him, but each was stronger than the last, and Lu Yun was a supplemental grandmaster!
It was rather he who was in the way.
He’d originally planned on first escorting and helping them settle in at Starcloud City. He would then return to headquarters to take care of his matters so that his affairs wouldn’t affect them. But now he could tell that even if he and Du Guxun decided to fight to the death, that still wouldn’t affect his new masters. If Lu Yun revealed his identity as a supplemental grandmaster, Du Guxun would have to get on his knees and call him daddy.
“Wait!” Lu Yun called out to the little fox. “Take this, just in case!”
He shoved a tiny jade slip into her hands.
“What is…?” she blinked.
“This is a Resurrection Talisman. After you refine it into your body, you’ll be instantly reborn even if you’re blown to pieces and your true spirit scattered!” he transmitted.
The little fox’s eyes went wide and she stared incredulously at him.
“I have many trump cards, this is only one of them.” Lu Yun grinned broadly. His greatest trump card was the Bridge of Forgetfulness!
If worst came to worst, he’d bring out the bridge. Even kings would have to kneel down to him then, much less a tide of arcane beasts.
However, if he did so, then Jin Naluo would sense his presence in the realm. Lu Yun’s identity would be a secret no longer. Though there was an agreement between the two of them, someone on Jin Naluo’s level wouldn’t mind ripping up a toothless agreement if Lu Yun was on his doorstep.
Thus, he wouldn’t utilize the bridge unless he really had no other choice.
“Okay!” The little fox carefully put away the jade slip and refined it into herself. This was the equivalent of a second life!
“Let’s go!” She acted decisively and returned to the city, where a ghastly battle had broken out.
Countless beasts raced up the walls and threw themselves at the city defenders. The treasures that Lu Yun had refined—like the crystal cannons of the world of immortals, blasted forth tempestuous pillars of light at the approaching beasts.
When the cannons eventually melted from continued deployment at full power, the city guards took up arms and engaged the beasts in close combat. While they were no less than the beasts one-on-one, and most of them actually stronger than the enemy, there were too many beasts to contend with.
As it was several thousand or tens of thousands of beasts against one cultivator, they swiftly ripped apart any defender they met. It seemed only a matter of time before the city fell.
The defensive formation that Lu Yun had enhanced teetered dangerously. Many locations were damaged and even the city walls began to crumble.
“We can’t hold on!” Teeth gnashed, despair reappeared on everyone’s faces.
“Where are the three noble lords? Have they gone?”
“They can’t leave because the city transportation formation is broken. The three lords should still be thinking of strategies!”
“That’s right, we still have the three noble enforcers!”
Some confidence trickled back to the people when they thought of the Nineturns Sky Curtain Formation and the domineering Detonation Talisman. However, that reassurance seemed much too feeble in front of the unending hordes.
The arcane beasts and the drums of war had penetrated the city.
Hummm.
A faint hum echoed through the air as a silver moon rose from the city, illuminating everything if touched. The little fox stood beneath the moon, dressed in long, black enforcer robes and wearing a black veil over her face.
Moonlight spilled out, sharp as blades, instantly slaying all of the beasts within the city with its gentle luminescence.
