Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Soft, earthy yellow light slowly rose from different positions around Huai Mountain City.

A huge magical dome covered the entire county city; the defensive drums arranged on the Drum Tower automatically sounded, their echoes reaching a hundred miles around.

Suddenly, plumes of black smoke shot up from several houses within the city, then dissipated without trace.

These were the Evil Wraiths lurking in the city, directly vanishing into nothing under the dual suppression of the City-Protecting Staves and the defensive drums.

At the same time, a streak of light shot towards the northwest!

The Battle Cultivators guarding the city walls could not help but reveal looks of concern as they watched this light recede into the distance.

Zhao Hongyi had left.

As the Guarding Envoy of Huai Mountain City and the only Purple Mansion Cultivator within the city walls, his presence was like a sea-calming needle, deterring Evil Wraiths and the unruly.

Previously, Zhao Hongyi had stayed in the Guarding Mansion, and although many acts of evil had occurred in the city, the situation remained relatively stable—at least the county's residents could still live normally.

But his sudden departure undoubtedly cast a shadow over everyone's hearts.

An ominous feeling pervaded!

It should be noted that the City-Protecting Array, although powerful, could only exhibit its greatest might under the leadership of high-tier cultivators.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Moreover, the consumption of the City-Protecting Array was enormous, and it was not possible to operate at high intensity continuously, lest the Spirit Stones not be able to sustain it.

Should the Array become unsustainable and Zhao Hongyi not return in time, the entire county city was bound to fall into great danger.

The hidden evils would undoubtedly take the opportunity to create chaos!

Yet Zhao Hongyi was well aware of the consequences of his departure, but he had no choice; he could not stand idly by and watch his beloved son lose his life and his ancestral land become a realm of evil.

No sooner had the Guarding Envoy left than Huai Mountain City swiftly entered a state of heightened alert.

The city's inhabitants were ordered to stay indoors and not go out; the number of patrols on the streets greatly increased, and dozens of cultivators appeared on the city walls to assist the Armored Soldiers in guarding this homefront.

A tense scene as if in an enemy invasion emerged!

As time ticked by, both inside and outside of Huai Mountain City remained quiet; no abnormalities appeared.

It was as if all the Evil Wraiths in the city had been thoroughly driven away.

Yet the cultivators and Armored Soldiers guarding the city dared not be even slightly negligent or careless, still maintaining vigilance.

Without Zhao Hongyi, Huai Mountain City was at its weakest!

"Alert!"

At dusk, a cultivator suddenly focused his gaze and shouted in a deep voice, "Load the crossbows!"

At the end of the Chi Path leading to the South City Gate, there appeared a long procession.

Leading at the forefront were those beating drums and gongs, followed closely by dozens of flag bearers, then over a hundred Knights escorted a Yunluan, moving unhurriedly towards the city.

The sounds of drums, suonas, and bamboo flutes wafted ethereally, reaching everyone's ears.

Accompanied by an annoyingly persistent chant.

Upon closer observation, one could see that the entire procession, including the mounts, moved with feet not touching the ground, all floating.

Bathed in the dying light of the sunset, the scene was eerily sinister to the extreme.

Evil Wraiths!

Only Evil Wraiths exhibited such characteristics!

The Armored Soldiers guarding the city wasted no time, swiftly pushing the Heavy Crossbows to the crenels.

Crossbow Arrows, engraved with runes, were loaded into the grooves; the constant creaking of the winding made an unending chorus.

These Crossbow Arrows possessed the special might to penetrate armor and vanquish evil, specially crafted to deal with Monster Beasts and Evil Wraiths. Their high cost meant that they were usually treasured within the secret armory of the Guarding Mansion.

But due to the recent Evil Wraith disturbances, they were distributed to the guards.

The gleaming arrowheads were aimed at the approaching Evil Wraiths.

The cultivator commanding the city defense stared intently at this eerily strange group, sweat seeping from the palm clutching the Talismans.

He had seen many Evil Wraiths, but never one such as this, feeling a pressure like a mountain bearing down on him.

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Although the City-Protecting Array was activated, and a large number of weapons to deal with Evil Wraiths were prepared, the cultivator still did not have much confidence, merely forcing himself to remain calm and showing no signs of it on the surface.

In order to avoid losing composure and disturbing the military's morale.

He did not dare to take action rashly, thus he could only watch helplessly as the Evil Wraiths' troops approached the city gates.

Meanwhile, at the back door of the Guarding Mansion in the city, a servant dressed in gray clothes quietly appeared.

He looked around and then gently knocked on the courtyard door.

After a moment, the heavy wooden door creaked open, revealing a head crowned with graying hair.

"Uncle Fu."

The servant in gray greeted him with a nod and bow, "Sorry to trouble you."

"What time do you think it is to come back!"

The now visible Uncle Fu said fiercely from behind the door, "Don't you know the city is under curfew now? Hurry up and get lost. Your death is of no concern to me, but if you bring trouble upon me, I won't spare your entire family!"

The servant in gray, whose face was sprayed with spittle, did not get angry but instead smiled apologetically, "Don't be angry, please. You are generous, please don't bother with someone as insignificant as me."

While speaking, he secretly passed over a piece of jade.

Uncle Fu was very greedy by nature, and it was impossible to solve the problem without bleeding in his hands!

Uncle Fu subconsciously caught it and then realized it was actually a Spirit Stone!

His face immediately softened a lot, skillfully pocketing the Spirit Stone while he snorted coldly, "This time you are lucky. Don't leave the mansion on your own next time, otherwise, if you're discovered, no one can save you."

With that, Uncle Fu opened the house door.

The servant in gray slipped into the mansion, saying with a laugh, "Understood, understood."

He headed straight for the small path on the right.

"Agui, where are you going?"

Uncle Fu, who had just closed the back door, shouted immediately, "You've only been out for half a day, and you don't know which path to take when you come back?"

"Then which path should I take?"

The servant in gray stopped in his tracks and turned around, his smile becoming eerily strange, "Hurry up and tell me."

Uncle Fu shuddered, feeling as if his entire body had plunged into an ice cellar, his blood freezing.

This was not Agui!

He shakily wanted to shout loudly, but when he opened his mouth, he could not utter a word, his throat making crackling sounds, his eyes full of terror and pleading.

The next moment, an ice-cold hand clutched his throat tightly.

Crack!

Uncle Fu did not even have time to react and was killed on the spot in an instant.

The servant in gray looked around and opened his bloodied mouth wide.

His mouth expanded to two feet wide in an instant, and he violently swallowed Uncle Fu's corpse.

A gulping sound as it went down his stomach!

Shaking his head, the servant in gray stuck out his long tongue to lick his nose and mouth, returning to his original appearance.

He patted his distended belly, swollen like that of a woman nine months pregnant, and kneaded it vigorously.

The bloated stomach immediately deflated.

"Ergh~"

The servant in gray let out a satisfied burp.

He boldly walked down the path on the left.

This path led directly to the Law Enforcement Hall and the Celestial Pivot Pavilion, which controlled the City-Protecting Array!

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The second update is delivered.

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