Chapter 1209 -54: Winter Snow Arrives (3)
This is the most terrifying aspect of the War of Dao and Demons.
Mang State, closest to Envy Heaven Ridge in the west, was the first to bear the brunt of the Demon Race’s army.
The border Prefecture of Beacon Tower, including its Prefectural City Beacon Tower City and more than a hundred other small cities, saw fifty thousand cultivators and over seven million commoners slaughtered under the blades of the Demon Race.
Then came the Changqi Prefecture, with over two hundred cities and more than forty thousand cultivators, every place seeing blood splattered into the sky, every place engulfed in smoke, entirely sacrificed.
The Chuanlian Prefecture, bodies strewn everywhere.
But except for a small handful of cultivators, most of the human cultivators died before the commoners.
To the Demon Race, it was just a matter of sooner or later, no significant difference or meaning, completely unable to comprehend the fearless determination of the human cultivators.
They couldn’t understand that without this moment, anyone witnessing the stark contrast in strength between Dao and Demons would shake their heads, deeming the Central Spirit Domain completely hopeless.
But precisely because of this sacrifice made in that moment, the Human Race still has hope.
This moment in time is like a crimson rose blooming amidst ruins.
Vividly dripping.
In the thirteen prefectures of western Mang State, apart from Tiangu Prefecture at the very edge, all were broken through by the Demon Race army.
Tiangu Prefecture temporarily avoided annihilation.
It wasn’t because this prefecture had anything special that would make the Demon Race dare not take a single step further.
It’s simply because the Demon Race’s current strategy is to carve out a battle line connecting the east and west of the Central Spirit Domain within the shortest time, then expand from this point, radiating outward along this line.
And the border location of Tiangu Prefecture was thus marked as a future radiation area by the Demon Race, so for now, they leave it alone.
This is an extremely bold and arrogant strategy.
Because if not advancing comprehensively, it means the Demon Race army is battling in the front, while the rear could at any moment face a human cultivator attack from cities at both ends of the battle line.
But the Demon Race still went ahead with it.
For no other reason.
Confidence.
They don’t believe that, in face of such a stark contrast in strength, those human cultivators in the small cities aren’t trembling with fear, fleeing at the earliest opportunity, but instead dare to come forward willingly to die.
Summer insects cannot speak of ice.
When has the Demon Race ever understood the Human Race?
The greatest weapon of the Human Race is their unwavering resolve.
……
The Prefectural City of Tiangu Prefecture.
The Demon Race army roared past them “by the side”.
The City Lord of Tiangu City gathered all the Great Xia cultivators within the city and the cultivators of various sects and family forces.
The number was over eight thousand.
All could see the sky filled with demonic qi and the black smoke rising from the burning city, their hearts filled with anger and panic.
The City Lord of Tiangu, a Sixth Realm cultivator, already very old, had long lost his fighting spirit after living a life of ease, spending years as a mediocre, error-free city lord.
But now the City Lord of Tiangu, suddenly and unprecedentedly serious, emitted a long-absent vigor and spirit.
Standing atop the city wall, he surveyed the gathered cultivators and said in a deep, chilling voice: “Cultivators of the Fourth Realm and above, step forward.”
Among the more than eight thousand cultivators, fewer than two hundred stepped forward.
In other words, out of more than eight thousand cultivators, only two hundred were Nascent Soul cultivators.
This was still in a resource-rich prefectural city.
The City Lord of Tiangu looked around, suddenly his face flushed red with excitement, pointed at a young cultivator and shouted angrily: “You brat, I called for cultivators above the Fourth Realm, what are you Golden Core cultivator joining for!”
The young cultivator pointed at him, similarly red-faced, stubbornly raised his neck and shouted: “Father, I have achieved Golden Core Perfection. In last year’s trial, even Nascent Soul Early Stage Lin Lao only drew with me, so I certainly count as a Nascent Soul cultivator.”
Yes, this young cultivator was the only son of the City Lord of Tiangu.
“That was merely Lin Lao suppressing his strength, using only Golden Core cultivation to compete with you, you really think you’re someone special?” The City Lord continued to scold.
The young cultivator, just as when he made mistakes in childhood, though beaten so hard he cried to the heavens, refused to admit his error, said: “If you don’t let me go now, I’ll go myself when you leave.”
“You!” The City Lord raised his hand, acting like he was going to slap the young cultivator.
The young cultivator bowed his head, muttered softly: “Father, you are the City Lord of Tiangu, you must fight for the people, that is your responsibility.”
“But I am your son, to fight alongside you is also my responsibility.”
“You must fulfill your duty; I must fulfill mine.”
“You…” The City Lord suddenly paused in mid-air, his expression constantly changed.
Finally, his hand dropped down helplessly.
After a moment of silence, the City Lord sighed deeply and said: “Then let’s go together.”
The young cultivator cautiously raised his head, finding the City Lord’s eyes already red and bloodshot.
The City Lord turned away, no longer looking at his son, spoke in a deep voice to all the cultivators in the city: “The Demon Race is strong, we are nothing but ants to them.”
“Yet the Demon Race is currently rampaging within my human domain, asking me to stand by idly and I find no peace day or night.”
“This time, fighting demons outside the city is my personal decision. I’ve lived most of my life, my worthless life means nothing, many of you possibly haven’t lived enough and may choose not to go, I won’t blame you, even ants try to live.”
“I’ll be honest, once everyone leaves the city, consider your life forfeit.”
“Those willing to leave, come with me; those unwilling, stay!” The City Lord shouted, leaped from the wall.
His son, the young cultivator, followed closely behind.
Then, the total of one hundred eighty-seven great cultivators who stepped forward, all left the city, none stayed behind.
On this day, two hundred cultivators from Tiangu City went outside the city, seeking death voluntarily.
The young cultivator, with merely Golden Core cultivation, was the first to die, but he used his own life to take down a Fourth Grade demonic cultivator.
The City Lord of Tiangu died last.
Before dying, he took down two Sixth Grade demons.
“Still too old, if only I were younger, I could at least kill one more demon scoundrel.” This was the City Lord’s last thought before his death.