Peering in the Shadows

The cultivators, who had long been prepared, immediately sprang into action. Grouped in small teams, they quickly rushed to the spiritual energy cannons. They continuously poured their own spiritual power into the injection ports at the rear of the cannons. The spiritual energy fluctuations around them were intense, and the spirit-gathering runes instantly lit up, emitting a dazzling red light.

Moments later, dozens of spiritual energy cannons were fully charged simultaneously. The muzzles glowed with a blinding red light, and a violent wave of spiritual energy erupted from them.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Countless beams of red spiritual light blasted from the muzzles, carrying a heaven-tearing momentum as they bombarded the distant beast tide.

Wherever the light beams passed, the air was scorched and distorted, emitting a sizzling sound.

In the blink of an eye, the beams smashed into the beast horde, triggering a series of violent explosions. Countless beasts were blown to pieces on the spot, their black blood splashing everywhere.

Agonizing howls echoed endlessly. The originally surging beast tide was instantly torn open with numerous gaps.

Atop the city walls, the generals led their respective subordinates and quickly moved outside the city gates.

According to past experience, they needed to guard the gates to prevent the beasts from breaking through or climbing the walls.

But now, with an extra barrier set up by Gu Changyuan, their defensive line could be moved forward.

They arrived at the area between the barrier and the city wall, standing in strict formation, ready for battle.

Through that translucent barrier, they could clearly see the hideous appearances of those beasts.

Massive fangs, scarlet eyes, razor-sharp claws, and a maddening, bloodthirsty aura.

Every time a beast slammed into the barrier, their hearts would clench.

Yet, the barrier remained as steady as a boulder.

Hold steady! a general shouted loudly. Our mission is to strike the moment the barrier shatters. We cannot let a single beast rush into the city.

Yes, sir! tens of thousands of guards replied in unison, their voices unified and resolute.

The Outer Realm was a place fraught with danger and filled with slaughter.

However, it was also a place where countless cultivators with nowhere else to go could find a glimmer of hope and seek infinite opportunities.

They had been ostracized by their respective factions in the Jiuxiao Realm, or were unable to continue their cultivation due to unfair resource distribution, or were hunted down for offending those they could not afford to provoke, or simply had the talent but lacked the background, drawing unwanted enmity.

Thus, they resolutely came to the Outer Realm.

Here, under the protection of the Outer Realm City, they had a stable place to settle down.

They could venture and explore the Outer Realm, risking their lives in exchange for cultivation resources, fortuitous encounters, and legacies.

Even if it meant a narrow escape from death, it was better than lingering on their last breath and being at the mercy of others in the Jiuxiao Realm.

Just like that, a group of like-minded cultivators gathered in the Outer Realm City. Sharing similar experiences and the same obsessions, they were drawn to each other, supporting one another until they gradually formed a force that could not be underestimated.

The former eight City Lords were no exception. Driven to a dead end back then, they came to the Outer Realm and fought their way up step by step, ultimately becoming the rulers of the Outer Realm City.

Many of the cultivators who were willing to become generals and soldiers shared similar pasts.

They deeply understood the preciousness of the Outer Realm City and were willing to give their all to protect this hard-won sanctuary.

Although this place was filled with entanglements of interests and life-and-death crises, where every day carried the risk of perishing...

At the very least, it gave them a chance to catch their breath, a refuge, and an opportunity to grow and change their destinies through their own efforts.

Gu Changyuan sat on his throne, resting his head on his right hand, his calm gaze sweeping over the arrayed cultivators below.

The barrier he had cast was merely a casual effort, and he had not provided it with a continuous supply of spiritual energy.

Therefore, its shattering was only a matter of time.

Furthermore, the number of beasts surrounding the barrier had reached a terrifying level.

They were densely packed, layered upon one another.

Countless beasts surged forward relentlessly to smash against the shield, each impact causing violent ripples to spread across its surface.

No matter how resilient the barrier was, without a supply of spiritual energy, it would eventually break.

Gu Changyuan's gaze extended forward, passing through the translucent barrier to land on the beasts.

He noticed that beneath the massive beasts, countless smaller ones were scurrying about.

These small beasts seemed to realize that a frontal assault on the barrier would be difficult to break through. They actually changed direction, using their sharp claws and fangs to dig frantically into the ground.

In just a few moments, a long, bottomless trench appeared all around the outer perimeter of the barrier.

Clearly, they intended to breach the barrier from underground and bypass it to launch a sneak attack behind the cultivators.

Unfortunately for them, they had ultimately underestimated the ward Gu Changyuan had laid down.

This barrier appeared to be only a hemispherical dome on the outside, but it actually extended hundreds of feet underground, forming a complete, spherical ward.

It covered all directions with no blind spots, making it absolutely impossible to breach from below.

However, to think these beasts actually possessed sentience?

His gaze fell upon the pack of small beasts, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

Looking at the appearance of these beasts, they did not seem to have the brains capable of such tactical thinking.

Gu Changyuan looked up slightly. His divine sense spread out silently, instantly enveloping the entire battlefield and even the depths of the distant dust storms.

In just a fraction of a second, he caught a highly concealed, prying gaze.

That line of sight was hidden so well that, had he not deliberately searched for it, it would have been nearly impossible to detect.

To be able to hide its gaze so well... I am afraid that beast is far from simple.

However, Gu Changyuan paid it no further heed.

He withdrew his divine sense, his gaze returning to the barrier.

Because countless fine cracks had already appeared on the shield.

The cracks started from the top of the barrier, spreading in all directions like a spiderweb, growing more numerous and denser by the second.

Finally, a crack.

A soft sound echoed.

The sound was not loud, yet it acted as a signal, instantly igniting the entire battlefield.

The moment the barrier shattered, the beasts that had been pressing against it instantly lost their support. They were ruthlessly crushed and trampled by the surging horde behind them, letting out agonized shrieks.

But just as they struggled to crawl back up, the beasts behind them stepped on their bodies without hesitation.

Completely ignoring whether they lived or died, the horde trampled over the corpses of their kin and charged madly toward the heavily arrayed cultivators, their ferocious aura skyrocketing.

Kill!!!

Tens of thousands of guards roared simultaneously. Their figures soared as they fiercely charged at the beasts.

Weapons were drawn, spiritual energy erupted, and they instantly engaged in a bloody melee with the beast tide.

Seeing this, the spiritual energy cannons on the city walls immediately adjusted their range, aiming further away to avoid the cultivators fighting in the vanguard.

Thick pillars of red light blasted toward the even more massive beast horde in the distance.

This continuously thinned the numbers of the beasts while preventing friendly fire. The deafening roar of the cannons echoed endlessly.

By the time the third wave of the beast tide arrived, four Half-Immortal tier beasts had already appeared.

Seeing this, the eight City Lords did not dare to delay for even a moment. They immediately leaped into the air and fanned out.

Pairing up, two Lords locked onto one Half-Immortal beast each and moved in for the kill.