In the afternoon.
Shen Hanbing and several other top-ranking members led thirty thousand troops and arrived at the main city of Yuanzhou in the southwest.
Above the main city of Yuanzhou, there was a dense canopy of dark clouds, giving the impression of an impending storm.
Looking into the distance, they could see the entire city had become a scene of devastation.
More than half of the buildings had collapsed, corpses littered the streets, and blood flowed like rivers.
Within the lifeless city, a group of humanoid monsters moved about.
They appeared similar to ordinary people, even wearing human clothing but their skin was severely decayed, and their eyes were filled with bloodshot red veins which gave them a terrifying and ferocious appearance.
“What kind of creatures are those?” Bronze-armored Iron Man squinted.
“They should be infected humans,” the Medicine Master judged.
“Infection?” Ye Gucheng asked in confusion.
The Medicine Master nodded, and then explained, “According to my research, there is a rare demon called the Blood Curse Demon.”
“This kind of demon carries a terrible corpse poison in its body. Any creature infected with this poison will turn into these semi-lifeless monsters!”
“Can you cure this poison?” Ye Gucheng asked.
The Medicine Master shook his head and said, “The mechanism of this poison has not been fully understood yet so even I cannot cure it.”
Upon hearing the Medicine Master’s words, Ye Gucheng sighed helplessly.
As a grandmaster of alchemy, both in refining medicine and poison, no one in Zhongzhou could compare to him.
If even he couldn’t cure the poison, it was likely that no one in Zhongzhou could.
The Medicine Master continued, “These infected humans have lost their autonomy and have completely become tools for the demon’s slaughter. In a sense, they are no different from the dead.”
“The only difference is that even after death, they still retain their former strength, able to use the techniques and martial skills they had in life, and even become stronger under the influence of the poison!”
Before the Medicine Master could finish speaking, a scout came to report to Ye Gucheng, “Reporting to the city lord, Yuanzhou City has fallen, and there are no more survivors in the city.”
“How many enemies are there in the city?” Ye Gucheng asked immediately.
The scout replied, “Preliminary estimates suggest at least three hundred thousand.”
After pondering for a moment, Ye Gucheng immediately ordered, “All soldiers stay in place, wait to rendezvous with the Xizhou army, and then discuss countermeasures together.”
As soon as Ye Gucheng’s order was given, crisp hoofbeats sounded in the distance.
Everyone turned to look, only to see a knight in golden armor rushing towards them from afar.
The knight’s aura had reached the fifth level of True Martial Realm, clearly indicating he was a formidable figure.
The knight reined in his horse in front of Ye Gucheng and asked, “Are you the reinforcements from Zhongzhou?”
Ye Gucheng nodded and replied, “Yes, I am Ye Gucheng, the lord of Zhongzhou.”
“I am Liang Long, commander of the Yuanzhou Patrol Army and concurrently a top-ranking member of the Yuanzhou Faction. My title within the Faction is the Golden Knight,” the Golden Knight introduced himself.
Ye Gucheng hurriedly asked, “How is the situation in Yuanzhou?”
The Golden Knight shook his head and smiled bitterly, “The Faction has been overrun by demons, and the main city of Yuanzhou has fallen completely. Most of the top-ranking members have already sacrificed themselves.”
“That is truly unfortunate,” Ye Gucheng lamented.
The top-ranking members only number a little over a hundred in the entire Southern Xia Kingdom. Every loss of a top-ranking powerhouse is a tragedy for the kingdom.
The Golden Knight continued, “However, due to the desperate efforts of the top-ranking members, the entire city’s populace and the main force of the patrol army have safely evacuated to Nanyun City.”
Ye Gucheng breathed a sigh of relief, “As long as the civilians are safe. When the reinforcements from the Xizhou arrive, we will unite the forces of the three states and recapture the fallen Yuanzhou.”
The Golden Knight said, “The reinforcements from Xizhou have already arrived, and they have been waiting in Nanyun City for some time.”
“In that case, let’s hurry and go there,” Ye Gucheng said hastily.
“All the top experts from Zhongzhou, please follow me,” the Golden Knight said, then turned and led the group towards Nanyun City.
Nanyun City is twenty miles away from the main city of Yuanzhou and is the nearest city to it.
Half an hour later, the group successfully arrived at Nanyun City.
Nanyun City has now been requisitioned by the military.
There are heavy guards at the city gate, and almost no civilians can be seen on the streets. The entire city is on high alert, and the atmosphere is extremely oppressive.
After entering Nanyun City, Shen Hanbing and the other top-ranking members headed straight for the city lord’s mansion.
The one who came to greet them was an old man wearing a black gauze hat.
This old man is the city lord of Yuanzhou, Zhuge Jin.
At the same time, he is also the top-ranking member of the Yuanzhou Faction, with the title of Divine Wind Hermit within the Faction.
“Welcome, top experts from Zhongzhou. We have been waiting for you for a long time. Let’s discuss our strategy in the mansion,” Zhuge Jin immediately invited the group.
Under Zhuge Jin’s lead, the group quickly entered the main hall of the city lord’s mansion.
At this moment, there were more than ten powerful warriors sitting in the hall. All of them with cultivation levels above the True Martial Realm, obviously members of the top-ranking factions from Southwest Yuanzhou and the Xizhou.
Among them, the leader was an old man with a spirited appearance, carrying a golden longbow on his back.
This old man is named Huang Jizhong, the lord of the Xizhou, and also the top-ranking member of the Xizhou Faction. Due to his unparalleled archery skills, he has been bestowed the title of “Heaven-Breaking Arrow God” by the Martial Arts Alliance.
After Shen Hanbing and the others took their seats, Zhuge Jin stood up and said, “Now that everyone is here, let’s get straight to the point.”
“First, let me introduce our enemy this time.”
Zhuge Jin walked to the center of the hall and took out a portrait of a demon beast.
The demon beast in the portrait looks very similar to a human.
Human limbs, human features, and human hair. However, its whole body is withered, and its skin is pale without any trace of blood.
In addition, it also has two long fangs and a pair of black bat wings.
Pointing to the demon beast in the portrait, Zhuge Jin introduced it solemnly, “The demon beast attacking our Yuanzhou this time is a Blood Curse Demon that has been cultivating for thousands of years.”
“It is a top-tier high-level demon with strength at least equivalent to that of a True Martial Ninth Level human warrior, and may even surpass the True Martial Ninth Level.”
Upon hearing Zhuge Jin’s words, everyone’s expression turned serious.
They were all very clear about how difficult it is to deal with a demon beast that has reached the True Martial Ninth Level.
Compared to humans, demon beasts have many natural advantages.
Whether it’s strength, physical defense, or vitality, demon beasts are far superior to humans.
The only advantage humans have over demon beasts is speed.
So generally speaking, human warriors of the same level are not opponents of demon beasts of the same level.
