Lu Yin and the others had managed to gradually get closer to the Forsaken Soldiers with the help of the sourcebox array. Even after they bulldozed their way through the second city, they still did not attract the attention of any of the powerhouses stationed on the array bases in the sky above them because every single one of the five array bases was suffering from a large-scale assault from the monsters. However, when Lu Yin and his group approached a third city ten days later, whether it was Aeternus’s Twelve Marquises or the various generals of the array bases, someone would definitely notice the commotion being kicked up in the New World down below.
This was not only because the third city was absolutely massive, but also because it was at a strategic location, which caused all five of the array bases to focus on the city no matter what else happened. Also, this was the city that lay closest to the Forsaken Soldiers, which made it the single most watched location in the entire New World.
Atop the second array base, Xia Yan had only just returned to the headquarters. He asked in complete disbelief, “What did you just say? Long Qi and the others are still alive?”
Liu Jing stood across from the general and enthusiastically replied, “Yes, General! According to a report from a reconnaissance team, they have spotted the Red Beam.”
Xia Yan’s eyes positively glowed from joy. The Red Beamwas the sourcebox array from the second forward basecamp that only Master Song had been capable of repairing. However, when the second forward basecamp had been abandoned and fallen down to the New World, Master Song had followed him back to headquarters and had not fallen down with the sourcebox array. In that case, who else possessed the ability to repair the sourcebox array?
The only possibility was Long Qi. He had managed to repair the second array base headquarter’s defensive sourcebox array, so it was not completely inconceivable for him to have done the same for Red beam.
“How many of them are still alive?” Xia Yan asked.
Liu Jing shook his head. “I’m not sure about the details, but I’ve heard that the estimate of survivors is a few millions.”
“That’s impossible. There weren’t even that many that fell down to the New World with the second forward basecamp. Where did a few million come from?” Xia Yan instantly refuted the report.
Liu Jing replied, “From the intel that we’ve gathered, the red sourcebox array is currently somewhere close to Xiang City, and if our guesses on their startpoint and path are correct, then Long Qi and the other survivors must have already passed by two cities. Both cities most likely had humans who had not yet been converted into corpse kings.”
Xia Yan gasped.
Liu Jing anxiously asked, “General, should we go down to rescue them?”
Xia Yan looked up and sighed. “How can we rescue them? All five of the array bases are entrenched in an ongoing battle, and even if that weren’t the case, it’s basically impossible to save anyone from the New World.”
“But…”
Before Liu Jing could say anything, Long Laogui arrived. The old powerhouse appeared to be in quite a sorry state, and he had clearly fought against some formidable opponents of his own. Despite his exhausted condition, he immediately said, “Xia Yan, Long Qi is still alive, isn’t he?”
Xia Yan replied, “Red beam is still active, and it’s currently full of millions of people as they make their way towards the Forsaken Soldiers. As for whether or not Long Qi is still alive, we can’t confirm anything yet.”
Long Laogui sullenly retorted, “Other than Long Qi, who else down there has the ability to repair that sourcebox array? We need to get him back up here!”
Xia Yan was put in an awkward position. It was not that he did not want to save Long Qi, but rather that he was unable to do so. However, if news that Long Qi was still alive had already spread, which was likely why Long Laogui had raced over to headquarters to ask about it, then Qing Chen was most likely already on his way over as well.
Just as Xia Yan thought of Qing Chen, the communication crystal on his wrist started vibrating. Xia Yan let out a sigh before answering.
“General Xia, if possible, I ask you to please save Long Qi. However, if this is truly asking for the impossible, then Humility’s Gate will not force the matter. The war takes precedence,” Qing Chen said openly, clearly with no intention of making things difficult for Xia Yan.
This amply demonstrated the difference between Humility’s Gate and the White Dragon Clan. Long Laogui hoped to use Lu Yin to improve the clan’s relationship with Master Deng Guo, as doing so would be a great benefit to the White Dragon Clan. In order to achieve that goal, the old man would not mind lowering himself. In contrast, while Qing Chen was obviously more personally concerned about Long Qi’s fate, he would not jeopardize the battlefield to save Long Qi either.
Xia Yan fell deep into thought. Even if he was an experienced commander on the battlefield behind the Mother Tree, this battle was still a difficult obstacle to overcome. Long Qi was undeniably extremely important, but that was not because of his position as a member of the White Dragon Clan. Rather, it was because he had accomplished so many things for humanity while working with Humility’s Gate. If word leaked out that they did not intend to send reinforcements down to rescue him, everyone would suffer a major blow of morale. However, the worst part of it all was that the youth could not be saved even if Xia Yan was willing to try.
“General, Long Qi and the others are already approaching Xiang City.” Liu Jing quickly updated Xia Yan after receiving the latest reports from the reconnaissance team.
Xia Yan was caught off guard, and he immediately said, “Contact the Forsaken Soldiers! Tell them to launch an attack on Xiang City and to prepare to receive Long Qi and the others.”
As soon as he finished delivering that order, Xia Yan raised his hand and contacted the generals of the other four array bases. “Everyone, I believe you have already caught wind of the events progressing down in the New World. It is time for us to take action and hold down the Twelve Marquises.”
Xiang City was Aeternus’s northernmost city, and further north of the city, the Forsaken Soldiers could be found.
Xiang City was one of the few major cities that Aeternus controlled, and countless corpse kings lived within the city. The strongest of all of them was Marquis Xiang of the Twelve Marquises, and the city had been named after him.
Xiang City had been established for the sole sake of countering the Forsaken Soldiers, and it was also the primary reason why the Forsaken Soldiers were unable to venture deeper into the New World.
The space between Xiang City and the Forsaken Soldiers served as the most active battlefield out of anywhere on the entire New World.
As far as those in the Perennial World were concerned, and also according to what was recorded in the history books, there was a human city known as New City that stood in the New World. The Ever-Victorious Army which allowed nothing to stand in their way was based out of New City. That army was supposed to be humanity’s sharpest blade in advancing through the New World, but in reality, it was completely different from common knowledge.
There was no Ever-Victorious Army, and nor was there even a New City. The only ones in the New World were the Forsaken Soldiers who faced a continual siege from atop the Stacking Mountain Range.
The Stacking Mountain Range, where the Forsaken Soldiers were based out of, was actually connected to the Perennial World. It was considerably higher in elevation than the New World, and that was exactly why they were known as the Stacking Mountain Range. The closer one moved to the Mother Tree, the higher the ground was. This made the location easier to defend, though it was also difficult to attack from. The mountain’s existence as a rather impregnable fortress was the sole reason why the Forsaken Soldiers had been able to survive for so long.
One day, a pair of eyes opened within the Stacking Mountain Range. They looked over towards Xiang City, and their owner asked, “Receive? It looks like some big-shot fell down here with us. They were quite lucky to survive, and they’ve even made it all the way to Xiang City. Liu Hua, wanna attack together?”
“I’ll pass. All twelve of the marquises have gone up to attack the five array bases, and they’re being held down up there. At the moment, Xiang City doesn’t have any Semi-Progenitors, so you can handle things there on your own,” an echoing voice replied.
“Xiang City has a sourcebox array, and it won’t be easy to take down. You should consider this carefully. This mission came straight from a general, so there has to be some kind of VIP in the group that we’re supposed to greet. It has to be someone from one of the four ruling powers, and if anything happens to them, your sentence here might actually get extended.”
After a short pause, the same voice answered in a reluctant tone, “Fine. Who would have thought that this day would come for me? I, Semi-Progenitor Liu Hua, actually have to play escort for some VIPs. What a joke!”
“This person got all the way here from where the second forward basecamp fell down and is even willing to force their way through Xiang City. These are people worthy of being rescued.”
As the man spoke, many people emerged from within the Stacking Mountain Range and started making their way down towards Xiang City.
From the south of Xiang City, Red beam was drawing closer and closer to the city.
Lu Yin’s expression grew solemn as he looked at the massive city standing tall and proud off in the distance. He commented, “There should be a sourcebox array there.”
The city that they were looking at was easily over ten times larger than the previous two cities that they had run into. It was practically impossible for such a metropolis to not contain a sourcebox array.
In a serious tone, Mr. Guo replied, “That’s Xiang City. As long as we make it past here, we’ll be at the Stacking Mountain Range where the Forsaken Soldiers are based out of. Getting past here means success.”
The crowd grew excited. They had overcome their fated doom, and now, a chance at survival was before them. They could almost see their future laid out for them, and all they needed to do was grasp it.
“However, this will also be our greatest obstacle to surpass. Xiang City exists in order to defend against the Forsaken Soldiers, and Marquis Xiang, one of the Twelve Marquises, is the master of this city. He’s a Semi-Progenitor level powerhouse,” Mr. Guo’s somber voice spoke up once more.
Everyone felt their hair stand on end at his words. A Semi-Progenitor? Such an expert was absolutely unsurpassable for them. They had no way of standing up to such an opponent.
Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. “Seeing how big the battle raging overhead is, it’s likely that Marquis Xiang isn’t in Xiang City.”
“Let’s hope that that’s true,” Mr. Guo replied.
Innumerable corpse kings had already moved to surround the humans, approaching from the city up ahead. They clearly intended to exterminate the humans, but every single one of the monsters was destroyed by a red beam of light.
If possible, Lu Yin and the rest would have preferred to take a detour around Xiang City, but the city stood right below the Stacking Mountain Range. No matter what they wanted to do, they had to push through the city for even a possibility of meeting up with the Forsaken Soldiers.
From Xiang City’s geographic location, Lu Yin was able to see that the Forsaken Soldiers held absolutely no power in the New World. Xiang City was essentially intended to block humanity’s route to the rest of the New World, and that was the only reason for its location.
The red sphere continued to approach Xiang City, but all of a sudden, the ground began quaking. An enormous corpse king rose up and began charging towards Lu Yin and the others.
Lu Yin clenched his fists, and Zhou Tang stepped forward from behind the youth. The Envoy’s aurelian force seeped through the void, covering hundreds of miles and incinerating the void. Zhou Tang leaped and began his dash towards the giant corpse king.
“Mr. Guo, retreat one thousand meters. Che Zhan, move forward…” Lu Yin continued to give orders to the people carrying the sourceboxes. A red beam fired at the ground, and in the blink of an eye, the ground had been blasted through, revealing what lay beneath. As expected, they found humans in the process of being transformed just like all the other cities.
Several million people moved along inside the sourcebox array, and they prepared to strike Xiang City head on.
Suddenly, something inside the city itself changed. A conical sourcebox array smashed into Zhou Tang, forcing him to cough up blood as he was sent flying from the impact. The man had not even made it close to the massive corpse king before he was sent flying.
Lu Yin and the others stared in shock. Was that the same sourcebox array as what protected the second array base?
It turned out that Xiang City really did contain a sourcebox array, and it was even identical to the second array base’s defense system.
An ugly expression appeared on Mr. Guo’s face. “After endless years of war, these monsters have managed to comprehend that sourcebox array and have even set it up in Xiang City.”
The giant corpse king continued charging towards the crowd of humans, one step at a time. But also blocking their path forward was the sourcebox array. Even with the power of the red sphere around them, Lu Yin and the others would not be able to brute force their way through. Additionally, the humans emerging from the underground space were being slaughtered by the city’s sourcebox array.
Reaching Xiang City turned out to be a dead end for Lu Yin’s group.
Lu Yin cursed Shaman God for such negligence; could that puppet have forgotten to switch off the sourcebox array?
With the sourcebox array blocking their path, how could they ever manage to force their way through the city?
Just as despair started to well up within the survivors, the void off in the distance began to twist and churn. Everyone was struck by an inexplicable feeling that made them all feel as though they had passed through to the other side of the world. The sourcebox array’s cones smashed into the ground, and right after that, a strange power suppressed the sourcebox array, stopping it from functioning. This did not happen to just one of the array’s cones, but rather all of them at the same time.
An elderly man emerged from the void and looked at Lu Yin and the rest of them in awe.
Lu Yin and the others soon noticed the elderly man, and the first thing that came to their minds was that this person was a Semi-Progenitor. Only a Semi-Progenitor could possess such a terrifying level of strength that could isolate an entire region of the world.
“This one is Ji Feng, and I have come forth to assist all of you in reaching the territory of the Forsaken Soldiers.” As the elderly man spoke, the giant corpse king opened its large mouth behind the elderly human.
Though no one saw the old man do anything at all, the massive body of the corpse king that had been charging towards them suddenly froze as strange noises came out from within its body. Suddenly, its body exploded, and its entrails splattered across the ground.
The surviving humans all let out shouts of joy; a Semi-Progenitor had appeared, which meant that they were saved!
To the north of Xiang City, cultivators raced into the city one after another and began fighting against the corpse kings. Every single human was a member of the Forsaken Soldiers.
The Forsaken Soldiers had never managed to gain anything from launching a battle against Xiang City through all these years, but at this moment, Marquis Xiang was absent, which meant there was no Semi-Progenitor guarding the city. On the other hand, the Forsaken Soldiers had two Semi-Progenitors on their side. So while one of them dealt with the sourcebox array, the other smashed through the city, almost instantly crushing the corpse kings inside.
Only a Semi-Progenitor could possibly defend against such a large-scale attack, and with the absence of one, Xiang City essentially had no means of retaliating.
After seeing Xiang City’s forces swiftly collapse, the Forsaken Soldiers did not show any desire to advance further and continue on a crusade. Instead, they slowly withdrew from Xiang City behind their two Semi-Progenitors.
Lu Yin was confused by their actions. He was nearly completely certain that no more powerful enemies would appear in this place, and yet, the Forsaken Soldiers were stopping their attack and ignoring such a rare opportunity. It almost felt as if an agreement had been made in the past, as the entire situation felt very odd.
However, the destruction of Xiang City also caused a vast number of cultivators to escape from their fate of being transformed into corpse kings beneath the city. Xiang City was incredibly vast, and the number of captured humans naturally scaled according to the city’s size. An estimated six million people or more were rescued. The red sphere was inevitably forced to expand yet again, but luckily, nearly 10 million cultivators were eventually able to pass through Xiang City under the protection of the two Semi-Progenitors.
Everyone entered the Stacking Mountain Range. They had managed to escape from Xiang City, which was a place described in the legends of the Perennial World, and all of the survivors followed behind the Forsaken Soldiers.
