Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Staring at the massive, illusory figures, Zhang Yanhe was dumbfounded. ’Are they already using the Tier Three Attack Arrays?’

”Kill!”

The giant axe erupted with a brilliant golden light, chopping down with unstoppable force and instantly obliterating three Tier Two Profound Armor Turtles.

The Great Sun Soaring in the Sky radiated a scorching heat, instantly withering a wide swath of vegetation. The corpses of Demon Beasts were charred black.

The shells that the Profound Armor Turtles were so proud of had become cookware, and several heavily wounded Tier Two Profound Armor Turtles, unable to move, were roasted alive.

Watching its clansmen die one by one, Golden Armor let out a furious roar. Every wave of attacks was meticulously calculated, giving it no time to react.

It no longer cowered in place. It opened its mouth and shot out a beam of golden light, which rushed toward Niu Dazhuang’s position with terrifying power.

The next moment, the Thunder God on the city wall unleashed a Thunderstorm, sending down bolts of purple Thunderbolt as thick as an arm. In an instant, Golden Armor was submerged in an ocean of lightning...

”BOOM...”

The golden light arrived in a flash.

Niu Dazhuang’s expression didn’t change; he didn’t even move a single step.

Suddenly, a light-brown barrier of light materialized before him.

The golden light spat by Golden Armor struck it, creating massive ripples before being completely absorbed by the barrier.

For Luoxia City to have stood firm in the Southwest Land for so many years, its defensive capabilities were naturally extraordinary. The first City Lord of Luoxia had paid a hefty price to invite a Tier Four Array Master, who used a Tier Four Spirit Vein as the foundation to construct an enormous Tier Four Top-Grade array that enveloped the entire city.

Even if besieged by several Demon Kings at once, it would be incredibly difficult to breach unless its Spiritual Qi was completely depleted.

’If I can use this opportunity to wipe out the Profound Armor Race, then the massive investment I’ve made will have been worth it.’ Niu Dazhuang stared at the ocean of lightning, a trace of anticipation in his heart.

The Profound Armor Race had once been incredibly glorious, even threatening the supremacy of the Old Flood Dragon in the Black Water Marsh at its peak.

Later, they were sneak-attacked by the Golden Crow Sect. The Profound Armor Race’s Demon King fell, and most of their Great Demons were killed in battle. Golden Armor was now the race’s last remaining Great Demon.

Once it died, the remaining Profound Armor Turtles would be carved up by the other Demon Races without Luoxia City even needing to lift a finger. The law of survival in the Hundred Thousand Mountains was just that savage and cruel.

”AWOOOO...”

Within the ocean of lightning, Golden Armor let out a pained wail.

Its shell was now charred black by the strikes, its defensive power greatly diminished, and the Demon Qi around its body was beginning to dissipate. Yet, it held on through sheer willpower.

Just then, a furious roar echoed as a Six-armed Demon Ape descended from the sky. It stood dozens of zhang tall and charged menacingly into the sea of lightning, ferociously hammering at Golden Armor’s shell.

Golden Armor cried out in agony. It pushed itself to its feet under the crushing thunderbolts, its body radiating a brilliant golden light as it began to fight the Demon Ape.

But its injuries were too severe, and it quickly fell into a disadvantage.

At that moment, the surviving Profound Armor Turtles in the vicinity charged in recklessly. Several of the more heavily injured ones were instantly struck by lightning and turned to charcoal.

But still, they showed no fear, pressing forward in the face of adversity.

Some blocked the bombardment of thunderbolts for Golden Armor, some helped restrain the Six-armed Demon Ape, and others offered their own Essence Blood to help it recover from its injuries...

”Go! Get out of here!”

Watching its clansmen perish one after another, Golden Armor’s eyes burned with fury, and it let out a series of heaven-shaking roars.

”Clan Leader, only if you live does our race have hope! We have no regrets in death!”

an elderly Profound Armor Turtle said to Golden Armor, before fearlessly lunging at the Six-armed Demon Ape...

When the dazzling lightning dissipated, the Six-armed Demon Ape had also been forcibly depleted of its power, dissolving into motes of light.

Not a single one of the dozen or so Tier Two Profound Armor Turtles survived; all had perished. Only Golden Armor was left, gasping for breath amidst a pile of corpses.

Behind the beast horde, Lei Ming watched the barely-breathing Golden Armor and broke into a human-like smile.

This way, not only had it destroyed Golden Armor, a promising candidate who could have broken through to the Demon King realm, but it had also depleted a great deal of Luoxia City’s power. It was truly killing two birds with one stone!

Its eyes swept over the surrounding Great Demons, who all looked unnerved. It roared angrily, ”What are you standing around for? Now’s the time! Full-scale assault!”

”ROAR—”

With a long howl, the beast horde that had been advancing behind the Profound Armor Race surged forward as if they had been injected with stimulants, trampling over the massive bodies of the turtles.

Watching the swarming black mass of the beast horde, a wretched look appeared on Golden Armor’s face. The Profound Armor Race had served Lei Ming loyally for so many years, always acting submissively, yet in the end, they were still treated as sacrificial pawns. How laughable!

On the city wall, Niu Dazhuang, seeing that Golden Armor was not yet dead, slammed his fist on the parapet in frustration. After paying such a heavy price, they were still just shy of finishing it off.

Seeing the rapidly approaching beast horde, Niu Dazhuang gave up on the idea of landing the final blow and began directing everyone to repel the swarm.

The Thunderous Demon King was dead set on a quick victory. It not only sent out waves of cannon fodder but also deployed four Great Demons. Yet, it was still unable to break through, suffering heavy casualties instead.

After being repelled once again, the Great Demon of the Silver Moon Demon Wolf clan could no longer hold back. It advised the Thunderous Demon King, ”My King, this isn’t working. Luoxia City’s defenses are astounding. If we keep fighting like this, we’ll only increase our casualties.”

”Then what do you suggest?” Lei Ming was also extremely irritated. Luoxia City’s Purple Mansion experts and Celestial Ships had yet to be deployed, so it didn’t dare to make a move rashly either.

Although Luoxia City didn’t have a single Golden Core Cultivator, more than one Demon King had fallen before its walls.

”My King, Luoxia City’s Guardian Array is built upon a Tier Four Spirit Vein, so its Spiritual Qi is abundant. To break the array, even if we throw all our troops at it, it won’t be enough.

In my humble opinion, we need to work from inside Luoxia City. As long as we can destroy that Spiritual Vein, breaking the city will be as easy as flipping a palm.”

Hearing this, Lei Ming suddenly recalled that before they set out, the Black Dragon Demon King had found an ally. Since its own subordinates had suffered grievous casualties, it was time for that ally to bleed a little.

”You’re right. Have the boys pull back for now.”

——————

Seeing the beast horde retreat, Zhang Yanhe’s legs gave out, and he collapsed against the parapet. Although the Demon Beasts had been held back by the array and had never reached the top of the wall, their numbers were simply overwhelming, and he had fought until his arms grew weak.

Steward Liu, beside him, was in better shape. He even took out some dried rations and looked at the collapsed Zhang Yanhe. ”Kid, this is just the beginning. Hurry up, eat and drink. Restore your Spiritual Power.”

Zhang Yanhe nodded. While taking out his own rations and chewing vigorously, he asked indistinctly, ”Steward Liu, why do you think the Demon Beasts suddenly retreated?”

”That’s something for the City Lords to worry about. Our job is just to kill the enemy. Why bother with anything else?”

Saying this, he glanced at Zhang Yanhe. ”What, scared?”

Zhang Yanhe immediately shook his head. ”Not scared. It’s my honor to die for Luoxia City.”

”Heh, when you’re dead, you’re nothing. I, for one, still want to live a good long life. It’s better for a person to have a healthy fear of death,” Steward Liu said, tossing a Replenishing Essence Pill into his mouth.

Zhang Yanhe fell silent. He leaned against the parapet and closed his eyes to rest. ’How could I not be afraid of death? But behind me is Luoxia City, my family, and my friends. I have no path of retreat...’

Within Luoxia City, a curfew was in effect. No one was allowed on the streets without a pass-granting Waist Token. A thousand Law Enforcement Disciples, led by Zhuang Yuechan, patrolled every district of the city, preventing anyone from taking advantage of the chaos to cause trouble.

In a dark corner, a shadow stirred, and a slender figure cloaked in a Blood Robe emerged. She toyed with a Waist Token in her hand, a seductive smile playing on her lips. ”This little thing really wasn’t easy to get. Good thing I came prepared.”

She swayed her hips like a water snake as she walked out. Her figure and clothes shifted rapidly with her steps, and she soon transformed into a young male Cultivator wearing the uniform of a Luoxia City Law Enforcement Disciple.

”A Tier Four Spirit Vein... such a pity. Hehehe...” The blood-robed person left a string of silvery laughter behind as she vanished into thin air on the street.

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