It was morning. Kankal City was still immersed in the deep sleep of peace. There was not yet any hustle or bustle in the streets of the city. The cool breeze carried with it the moisture of dew and the fresh fragrance of grass, spreading it in every direction. Everything appeared extremely calm and pleasant.
But— this peace was not destined to last much longer. Suddenly, a slight tremor emerged in the earth. Then a second. And after that, a third. As though some enormous force was advancing toward the city.
Within a few moments, the tremors became so distinct that the land began to shake far and wide. Along with them, thousands of screams and roars tore through the air and spread around Kankal City from all sides. Nearly one thousand wild beast cultivators and one thousand human cultivators had already surrounded the city from all four directions.
Most of them were Second Stage and Third Stage cultivators. They were still ignorant of the great mysteries of the world. But at this moment, they considered themselves part of a mighty army.
There was excitement in their eyes. There was terrifying frenzy in their voices. And the center of that frenzy was a single person— Jury Yakshini. Many of those cultivators were so captivated by her beauty and charm that they had lost their reason.
They looked at her as though they were gazing upon a goddess. Every word spoken by Jury was not an order to them, but a blessing.
They were prepared to lay down their lives for a single command from her. And all of their eyes remained fixed upon her, as though they were waiting only for her signal.
At that moment, Jury stepped forward. A cold smile appeared upon her face. She looked toward Kankal City and said in a loud voice—
"Go, destroy this city."
"No one should remain alive."
The moment her words ended, noise erupted from every direction. Roars. Screams. Cries of war. Thousands of cultivators and wild beasts charged toward the city.
At the same time— inside Kankal City.
The eyes of Lily, who was immersed in cultivation, suddenly opened. The expression on her face changed instantly. She already understood that a major problem had arisen.
On the other side— Master Jins was also seated within his chamber.
His eyes slowly opened. He spread his spiritual awareness outward. Within a few moments, the scene outside the city entered his perception. No particular change appeared on his face.
He said in a calm voice— "Some insects have surrounded the city..."
Then his gaze fell upon Jury, Lith, and Shon standing in the distance. His eyes narrowed slightly. "But it seems that this time, those insects have someone to guide them."
The peaceful morning of Kankal City had come to an end. The Crimson Dawn— Had truly begun.
The soldiers stationed upon the city's walls had suddenly become completely alert. Seeing the terrifying situation spread in every direction, the color drained from their faces. But they did not waste any time.
Arrows were nocked onto bows.
And in the very next moment— thousands of arrows shot outward, tearing through the sky. Screams echoed everywhere. Hundreds of enemies were wounded and fell to the ground. But not a single one retreated. It was as though they did not care about their lives at all.
Some enormous wild beast cultivators began uprooting a large tree. A few moments later— that massive tree rested upon their shoulders. Roaring loudly, they charged toward the main gate.
Boom!
The enormous tree slammed into the city's gate. The soldiers standing upon the walls continuously rained arrows down upon them. The enemies were constantly being wounded. But no one stopped.
Everyone knew— as long as the main gate remained intact, the city remained safe.
At that moment— three figures appeared in the sky. Lith, Shon, and Jury.
Their divine presence sent a wave of fear throughout the entire city. The citizens who had already awakened looked upward, and their bodies began to tremble. On one side was the noise of war outside the city. On the other side were three Yakshinis in the sky. Fear forced many people to hide inside their homes.
At the same time— another figure appeared in the sky. Lily!
She stopped directly in front of Jury, Lith, and Shon. There was no fear on her face. Instead, there was a faint smile.
In a teasing tone, Lily said— "Did only the three of you come?"
"Humbha didn't come with you?"
Hearing this, Jury's face hardened.
With anger, she said— "The three of us are more than enough to kill you."
Stretching lazily, Lily said— "Oh?"
"Fine... come on."
"It won't take long for the three of you to become my servants."
At the same time— down on the battlefield, Master Jins appeared among thousands of enemies with his sword in hand.
Smiling, he said— "It seems this old man will have to offer many sacrifices today."
The very next moment— his body became blurred. His speed was so great that ordinary eyes could not even see it. Only screams began echoing across the battlefield. And showers of blood started flying through the air.
Wherever his sword passed— Corpses fell one after another.
Seeing this scene, the morale of Kankal City's soldiers increased several times over. They began firing arrows with even greater speed.
On the other side— in the sky.
The three Yakshinis simultaneously formed a black formation and launched an attack toward Lily. A faint glow of fire appeared within Lily's eyes. She merely raised one hand.
In the very next moment— thousands of fireballs appeared around her.
Boom!
The two forces collided with each other. The roar of explosions spread across the sky. The flames engulfed the three Yakshinis. Lith, Shon, and Jury could smell the scent of burnt flesh and blood rising from their own bodies.
Their expressions changed. They had already understood— Lily was far stronger than them.
And the foundation of their cultivation had already become unstable.
But then— Boom!
A tremendous explosion rang out. The main gate of Kankal City had finally been broken. Seeing this scene, both Lily's and Master Jins' hearts pounded violently. They knew exactly what it meant.
A massacre could now begin within the city. And that was Jury's true objective.
Seeing this, Jury began laughing like a madwoman in the sky. Her laughter was so twisted and terrifying that even the clouds themselves seemed disturbed by it.
Thunder rumbled. Dark clouds gathered across the sky. And it was as though even they had been forced by that insane laughter to shed their own tears.