Chapter 265 - 264: The Demon Race Retreats

After rescuing the residents of the southwest Outer City, armored vehicle convoys from the Inner City soon arrived, transporting waves of evacuees inside.

Jiang Qiu and the other visiting Martial Artists who had participated in the relief effort returned in an organized fashion to the Hundred Machines Giant Kite, which was parked in a safer area, and headed for the Inner City’s Martial Arts Building.

Although most of the Martial Artists had just been supporting the main battlefield and had gone to besiege the [Mountain King], a number of them had also been preparing to reinforce General Mo and eliminate the threat of the top-tier Demon General, [Jie].

When they first sensed that the target was [Jie], many of the Martial Artists felt their hearts palpitate. After all, he had a record of slaying two Grandmasters in a row, and his strength was considered top-tier among Demon Generals.

Even his Second Senior Brother, Zhao Qian, who had long since entered the Peeping Dao Realm, wasn’t confident he could defeat him. In his view, the best possible outcome was that the enemy, wary of the overwhelmingly strong reinforcements, would retreat for fear of an unfavorable battle.

But unexpectedly, a Dragon Roar Spear Intent erupted, the world changed color, and the top-tier Demon General, [Jie], fell!

’To possess such strength right after entering the Peeping Dao Realm... if Jiang Qiu were given enough resources, could he have a chance to catch up to [Chen] and fight him?’

The thought popped into Zhao Qian’s mind. He brushed off his blood-stained collar from the earlier battle, his profound gaze sweeping over Jiang Qiu’s impassive face.

Although Xia Country was currently facing a simultaneous invasion from the Kunlun Demon Clan and the forces of Sang Island, the entire Northwest Province and some of the higher-ups in the Capital City believed that Xia Country’s greatest future enemy was undoubtedly [Chen]!

After all, he was the only Ancient Demon Emperor to have publicly revealed his identity. The commotion he caused with his Blood Sacrifice Rebirth in Kunlun City was enormous, yet he made no effort to hide who he was. With no theatrics, he had stated bluntly, "My name is [Chen]."

And according to the ancient texts that Xia Country had deciphered, it was easy to find records about [Chen]. In ancient times, he was the top Demon Emperor during the final era of the Celestial Profound Great Realm. He constantly traveled through Other Realms, and while his exact strength was unknown, he was rumored to be renowned as the "number one demon beneath the True Dragons."

Demon Emperors are all experts at the Harmonization Realm level. The Harmonization Realm comes after the Peeping Dao, Dao Entry, and Fusion Dao realms. Currently, the highest Martial Arts Realm in the entire world stops at Dao Entry; no one has even caught a glimpse of the Fusion Dao Realm. The gap is unimaginable.

Furthermore, the ancient texts rarely described these realms. Let alone Harmonization, there weren’t even any records of how strong the Fusion Dao Realm was; it was merely mentioned in passing in one of the texts.

With such an ancient expert reborn, the pressure Xia Country faced was immense. As soon as the college entrance exams ended, the entire Northwest Province mobilized experts to study the abilities of the Ancient Demon Emperor [Chen] and deduce his weaknesses.

Although they had made some progress, given the Northwest’s current conditions, it wasn’t enough.

The Kunlun Demon Clan led by [Chen] was developing too quickly, and he himself had yet to make a move. It was uncertain what level his power had recovered to!

The Kunlun Demon Clan was now rising meteorically. The Northwest Province wasn’t without its own geniuses, but their rate of improvement was far too slow. Only Jiang Qiu gave Zhao Qian a glimmer of hope for resisting [Chen].

’But [Chen] is the reincarnation of an Ancient Demon Emperor, after all. He has already reached heights unattainable for any other Martial Artist. For him, advancing from the Peeping Dao Realm to the Dao Entry Realm must be as easy as drinking water.’

’Jiang Qiu’s rapid realm progression before was all thanks to a stroke of great fortune, like the Enlightenment Fruit from the Northern Wilderness Great Secret Realm. If he has to rely on comprehension alone, who knows how many years it will take to get from the Peeping Dao Realm to the Dao Entry Realm...’

At this thought, Zhao Qian took a deep breath, and the light in his eyes dimmed slightly.

As Dean Wu Hong’s second direct disciple, he had long understood the power of a Dao Entry Realm Grandmaster. Facing such a powerful mentor, he felt as insignificant as a speck of dust, unable to make even the slightest ripple.

The key to reaching the Dao Entry Realm lay in one’s personally comprehended Mental Realm erupting from within, beginning to substantively affect the surrounding environment. This is called—a Realm.

Within their Realm, a Dao Entry Realm expert is the king who rules that space. After all, they have already incorporated the Great Dao, and have begun to use their personal Spirit Power to manipulate it.

Under the immense power of the Great Dao, someone who has just begun to peep into the Dao is like an ant trying to climb Taishan Mountain. The distance between the two is vast!

Moreover, the more powerful the Mental Realm, the harder it is to comprehend one’s Realm. The strong are destined to walk a difficult and tyrannical Great Dao, not one that can be broken through with just a few words.

Judging from how Jiang Qiu killed [Jie] in one strike with his spear, his Mental Realm was something Zhao Qian had never witnessed before in his life!

’To comprehend a Realm and enter the Dao Entry Realm from that... I can’t imagine how difficult a Great Dao he will have to walk!’

Harboring such thoughts, Zhao Qian couldn’t help but marvel again at Jiang Qiu’s Mental Realm. ’They’re both spears, so how come his has a Dragon’s Roar when he thrusts it?’

...

In the Inner City of Gao Yuan City stood the Martial Arts Building. A towering structure in the very center of the city, it resembled a steel titan looking down on its surroundings. Even compared to the other skyscrapers that filled the area, it stood out like a crane among chickens.

This was the most important Martial Arts hub in Gao Yuan City, housing extremely crucial Martial Arts Resources and various classified documents. The higher-ups from the Martial Education Department and the Military Department were now gathered here, not even having had the time to clean the tattered corners of their clothes or wash away the foul stench of blood.

"The Kunlun Demon Clan armies from every direction have halted their invasion and retreated to the Outer City’s border. This is too abnormal."

A white-haired old man wearing reading glasses spoke in a deep voice. His murky yet profound eyes, set in their narrow sockets, seemed unable to grasp the Kunlun Demon Clan’s intentions.

In this city-breaking battle, the enemy’s assault had been incredibly swift. The Outer City was breached on all sides, and the Inner City walls collapsed in three locations. The fighting nearly reached the Inner City residents. It could be said that if the battle had continued, it might have been the tipping point for Gao Yuan City’s destruction!

But at such a critical moment, the Demon Marshals leading the armies began to retreat. They gave up the chance to tear through the Inner City’s defenses and decisively pulled back.

This didn’t just happen in the sectors that had reached the Inner City. Even in the areas where fierce battles were still raging within the Outer City District, there were large-scale retreats.

Of course, they didn’t retreat very far. They were still within Gao Yuan City’s limits, their presence a continued threat.

"Could it be that you, Grand General Luo, have slain a few more Demon Marshals?"

As these words, tinged with anticipation, fell, over thirty Grandmasters and two Grandmasters all turned to look at Luo Beixing in the chairman’s seat.

He had held the title of the number one Grandmaster in the Northwest Province for half a century. Everyone vividly remembered his last great feat of saving Gao Yuan City.

Although he now had a full head of scattered white hair and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and his black jacket was stained with purplish-black blood, his eyebrows were still sharp and angled, and his eyes held the condensed sharpness of a spear.

He was the key to whether Gao Yuan City could hold on. Everyone there had, to some extent, fought against the Demon Generals and even Demon Marshals of the Kunlun Demon Clan, and they had all deeply felt the enemy’s terrifying power and the immense pressure they exerted.

Only Grand General Luo had a chance to prop up a collapsing skyscraper.

Feeling everyone’s fervent gazes, Luo Beixing took a shallow breath, his expression turning serious. "No. They have more tricks up their sleeve than we imagined. As I am now, it is already very difficult for me to slay them."

"There is another reason for their sudden halt to the offensive."