An hour later, the fields before the western gate of Autumn Harvest City had transformed into a grim landscape of carnage. Frozen carcasses of Horned Wolves and Iron Skinned Hogs lay shattered or piled like cordwood. Hanyuan exhaled a breath that turned into mist, his body still humming with the high octane vibration of battle. With a casual wave of his hand, the Cold Cloud Spear dissolved into light, returning to the safety of his storage ring.
He turned and walked toward the City Lord, who was descending from the ramparts with a group of trembling officials.
"T-Thank you, Benefactor! You have saved our people from a gruesome fate," the City Lord stuttered, performing a deep, sweeping bow that nearly touched the stone.
"Rise," Hanyuan said calmly, his voice carrying the natural authority of his rank. "There is no need for such formalities. This was a mission issued by our Sect. We are merely doing our duty."
The old man straightened his back, but his expression remained grave. "Benefactor, I must warn you... those were only the vanguard,the weaklings driven forward by the main force. Our scouts reported that the core of the tide will arrive tomorrow morning. They have a true king as their leader, a Silver Moon Ape. It stands seven meters tall and possesses the strength of a Mortal Core expert."
Hanyuan's obsidian eyes didn't flicker with fear. Instead, a sharp light of anticipation ignited within them. "A Silver Moon Ape? Interesting. Do not worry, City Lord. We will take care of it."
The green haired official stepped forward, gesturing toward the city's interior. "Please, allow us to show you to your quarters. We have prepared an estate for you near the mansion so you may rest before tomorrow's fight."
The estate was massive,a complex of gardens, guest houses, and a private training yard. As the officials left them to their privacy, Qin Yu let out a dry chuckle, wandering through the spacious main hall. "Isn't this a little too big for just the two of us? I feel like I could get lost just trying to find the washroom."
Hanyuan sat at a low table, pouring himself a cup of tea. He could feel his Dantian replenishing itself at a rate that would have been impossible months ago. "The Mortal Core Realm is truly a different world, Brother Yu. Our Qi reserves are enormous now. Even after that slaughter, I've barely used twenty percent of my energy, and I can absorb the ambient Qi so much faster."
Qin Yu nodded, sitting across from him. He flexed his fingers, visualizing his sword forms. "I noticed it too. My Spiraling Water techniques were so much smoother... the resistance from the air seems to have vanished. I finally understand why the gap between us and the Qi Refining stage is considered an abyss."
The two friends chatted lightly for a while, the tension of the upcoming battle softened by the luxury of the estate. Then, Qin Yu leaned in, his expression shifting to one of desperate pleading.
"Listen, Hanyuan... after this mission is over, I have to visit my family for a week. You're coming with me, right? Please tell me you're coming."
Hanyuan looked away, hiding a smirk, and let out a forced cough. "Actually... I really need to get back to the Sect. I have a new spear drill I need to polish. Training wait for no man, you know?"
"Hey! You can't leave me alone!" Qin Yu shouted, slamming his hand on the table. "If I go back alone, my sister will drag me across every shopping district in the city for the entire week! She'll treat me like a pack mule!"
"Then just stay in the Sect peaks with me," Hanyuan suggested with a shrug.
"Then I'll be scolded by the Elders for 'forgetting my roots'!" Qin Yu wailed. "It's a trap, Hanyuan! A social trap!"
Their banter was interrupted by a knock at the courtyard door. The City Lord entered, but he wasn't alone. Walking beside him was a young boy, perhaps eleven years old, with short cropped white hair and eyes full of shy curiosity.
"Is everything to your liking, Benefactors?" the City Lord asked with a hopeful smile.
"Everything is fine, thank you," Qin Yu said, quickly regaining his dignity.
The City Lord hesitated, looking at his son before speaking again with an embarrassed smile. "I know this is far too much to ask, but... could you take my son back with you to the Sect after the tide is suppressed? He has a decent foundation and desperately wants to try the Outer Disciple Trials."
Hanyuan looked at the boy. His senses scanned the child's meridians. "He's already at the 4th Layer of Qi Refining at eleven years old? That is quite impressive for a border city."
The boy's face turned bright red as he bowed to Hanyuan. "I am not nearly as talented as you, Mister. You are so powerful, even though you look so young. I want to be a hero like you."
Hanyuan chuckled, but his gaze turned pensive as he patted the boy's shoulder. "Well... I advanced quickly because I took many risks that a normal cultivator wouldn't dare to take. Speed has a price, little brother."
As the boy looked at him with hero worship, Hanyuan reflected on his journey. He thought of the freezing agony of the Thousand Frost Tempering Pill, the violent invasion of the Macaque King's blood, the searing heat of refining his bones with beast essence, and the soul tearing pressure of the Nine-Revolution Qi Gathering Fruit.
Most cultivators sought a peaceful path, a steady rise. Hanyuan had chosen the path of the Pain, intentionally breaking himself again and again just to be forged into something harder.
"Rest well tonight, City Lord," Hanyuan said, his voice dropping into a serious register. "Tomorrow, we'll see if the Silver Moon Ape is really that strong."
The first rays of the morning sun pierced through the mountain mist, illuminating the frantic preparations atop the stone ramparts. Thousands of soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder, their palms sweaty as they gripped their spears. At the center of the wall, the City Lord stood with the four leaders of the local clans. These five men, all at the Peak of the 9th Layer of the Qi Refining Realm, were the strongest defenders of the region,yet their faces were ashen.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
A rhythmic, calm footfall silenced the murmurs of the nearby guards. Hanyuan and Qin Yu walked toward the edge of the wall. They had shed their travel cloaks, revealing the pristine amethyst and silver robes of the Mystic Sky Inner Sect. The heavy, pressurized auras of two Mortal Core experts radiated from them, acting like an anchor that momentarily steadied the soldiers' trembling hearts.
"ROAR!"
A deafening, primal howl tore through the air, vibrating the very stone beneath their feet. The horizon seemed to boil as the main body of the beast tide finally came into view. Trees were flattened like grass as thousands of monsters charged.
At the very rear, towering above the rest, was a seven meter tall behemoth. It was a Silver Moon Ape, its fur shimmering like polished mercury under the morning sun, its eyes glowing with a malevolent, crimson light. With every step it took, the ground shook with a mini earthquake.
"That Ape... its aura is roughly at the 2nd Layer of the Mortal Core," Qin Yu noted, exhaling a long sigh of relief. "It's strong, but not invincible."
Hanyuan nodded, his obsidian eyes calculating. "If it reaches the gates, the wall will collapse in one strike. We have to intercept it before it hits the line. You, I, Lingxiao, and your Crane,four Mortal Core combatants should be enough to take it down."
Behind them, the five local leaders stood frozen. To them, a 2nd Layer Mortal Core beast was a god of destruction. Hearing these two teenagers discuss "taking it down" so casually made the City Lord feel a sudden, sharp pang of inadequacy.
Hanyuan let out a sharp, piercing whistle.
From the high clouds, a streak of metallic blue and a flash of pure white dove down. Lingxiao and the White Crane landed with a heavy impact on the wall's edge, their massive wings buffeting the soldiers backward.
Hanyuan and Qin Yu mounted their beasts in one fluid motion. Hanyuan turned his head slightly, his long black hair whipping in the wind. "City Lord, Clan Leaders,listen well. Your only job is to hold this wall against the smaller beasts for as long as possible. We will deal with the King. If we give it a chance to rush these gates, your city is finished."
"We understand! May the heavens protect you, Benefactors!" the City Lord cried out.
"Let's go," Hanyuan commanded.
The Eagle and the Crane took flight, soaring over the heads of the thousands of smaller beasts. The Silver Moon Ape noticed the aerial intruders and stopped its march.
"ROAR!"
The behemoth beat its barrel like chest with fists the size of boulders. BUMP! BUMP! BUMP! The sound was a war drum that drove the lesser beasts into a frenzy.
"Lingxiao, dive!" Hanyuan roared.
As the beasts dove into the range of the Ape, Hanyuan and Qin Yu didn't stay in their saddles. They leaped into the open air, plummeting toward the silver giant like falling stars.
"Spiraling Water,Heavenly Drill!" Qin Yu screamed, his sword becoming a high pressure blue vortex as he descended toward the Ape's head.
Hanyuan, falling slightly faster, gripped the Cold Cloud Spear with both hands.He triggered the first strike of the Nine Thunderbolt Spear Manual.
"1st Thrust!"
Violet lightning erupted from his spear tip, illuminating the battlefield as he and the Ape collided in a storm of silver and jagged electricity.