They slaughtered wantonly while the human cultivators defending the city were in disarray.
They stormed into mortal homes, grabbing young men and women by the neck, and began to feast!
Faced with the temptation of food, how could these blood clan members, with their eyes red with hunger, possibly resist?
In an instant, cries of agony echoed everywhere, and rivers of blood flowed.
It was as if humans were slaughtering cattle and sheep, showing no mercy!
The years of peace in Tongguan City were instantly shattered by the blood clan.
Killing everywhere, creating chaos, the blood clan fed on blood, and where they went, black smoke billowed...
The wails of the dying mortals ignited an overwhelming surge of resentment!
...
The human cultivators who had planned to flee were stunned into a daze upon witnessing this scene.
Lu Liang, seeing this, felt as if he had been struck by a blade. His eyes instantly became bloodshot.
He no longer looked like a high-ranking human cultivator but more like a furious demon god.
"Damn blood demons, you bastards, I'll fight you to the death!"
"Human cultivators, if you're real men, all of you come back, kill all these blood demons, kill them!"
The two deputy city lords, Deng Yiping and Zhou Xinglai, also shouted loudly, leading the charge and setting an example for the other human cultivators.
...
"A person's life, sooner or later, ends in death. We men won't run today; we'll die here!"
"Singing while drunk, what is life? Kill the blood demons, protect our homes!"
"My home is here, my family is here. Blood demons, one step forward and you die."
The human cultivators who had been scattering and fleeing, seeing the hellish scene behind them, began to turn back, one after another, to face the blood clan!
A blood clan member who had just massacred hundreds of people, seeing the human cultivators turning back to fight, trembled all over!
Be careful what you wish for!
A human cultivator with bloodshot eyes, rushing back, spotted this stunned blood clan member and, raising his long saber, directly severed his head.
Enraged, the human cultivators killed the blood clan members on sight. With their suicidal fighting style, they actually managed to temporarily push back the blood clan army, which held an overwhelming advantage, and retake a portion of the city walls.
Wu Tao, seeing this, his veins bulged, and his eyes turned red!
Wu Tao, who had been fighting and retreating while holding onto Lü Yuehua, finally stopped.
With a gritted determination, they ignored Lü Liang's telepathic message and charged back in.
However, no matter how fierce the battle below was, it was useless. In the immortal cultivation world, the outcome of a war was decided by the clash of the strongest.
Now, it all depended on whether City Lord Xie Wen could stop the Blood King Xue Shak. If he could, there was still a chance to fight.
If City Lord Xie Wen ultimately failed to stop Xue Shak, even the gods couldn't help. This battle would undoubtedly be lost.
...
Suddenly, the entire sky around Tongguan City became blindingly bright, and all light intensified in an instant.
An extremely terrifying aura enveloped the world once more.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Without much waiting, everyone nearby, both blood clan members and human cultivators, felt an immensely heavy pressure descend from the sky, pressing down on them.
This astonishing pressure came and went quickly, without any foreshadowing or reason!
All the blood clan members and human cultivators could only passively endure it. After a while, they managed to look up at the sky and finally understood the source of this dreadful pressure.
Lava! A sea of lava suddenly appeared in the sky.
At this moment, above Tongguan City, there was a sea of lava tens of thousands of feet deep, emitting a temperature far more powerful than flames, turning the world into a great furnace.
Some human cultivators, tilting their heads back foolishly, stared blankly at the seemingly endless sea of lava!
"This looks like?"
"It's the City Lord's great divine ability!"
"In past battles, the City Lord never summoned such a vast sea of lava. Why has it suddenly become so powerful this time?"
"Could it be that the City Lord is burning his life?"
In the midst of the battlefield, an elder of the Nascent Soul stage from Tongguan City, looking at the boundless sea of lava above his head, seemed to recall something, and his expression turned extremely grim.
As he reacted, a wry smile appeared on his face. "City Lord, at this point, are you still trying to be a hero?"
...
"Life-burning divine ability..."
To both sides of the battlefield, a very familiar voice descended from the sky. It was the Blood King Xue Shak.
Only he dared to speak in such a situation!
"Fool, with your abilities, you could have left on your own. Even if I wanted to stop you, the chances would be slim..."
"But now, you are burning your life for these ants, exchanging it for this temporary power. Know this, after making this decision, you are destined to die today!"
"Though millions stand in my way, life holds no joy, and death holds no fear!"
As Xie Wen spoke, he burned his lifespan, and with this, he finally touched the power of the Law of Fire!
Xie Wen, at the cost of his life, gained temporary power comparable to a cultivator of the Purple Mansion stage!
...
He rapidly formed hand seals, and immense spiritual energy flowed continuously into the low-grade spiritual treasure, the Red Cherry Immortal Spear, in his hand.
On the spear shaft, the characters "Red Cherry Immortal Spear" pulsed with the aura of the Law of Fire.
Following this, Xie Wen, holding the Red Cherry Immortal Spear, roared, "Spear out, Burning Flame! Immortal Fire, Descend, Demon Slayer!"
Xie Wen's body shone with the brilliance of the Law, and the sea of lava behind him spun rapidly. His eyes were devoid of emotion, as if all attachments had been severed, leaving only a trace of fighting spirit!
His essence, spirit, and energy were all consumed. He possessed only the power for a single strike, to display his final glory.
"Xue Shak, though you are a king-level expert, you ultimately do not understand the hearts of men. Anyone who wants to destroy Tongguan City must pay a price, even you."
After speaking, Xie Wen proudly turned his head, his gaze piercing through time, a trace of sorrow appearing in his eyes.
As a great cultivator who was only one step away from entering the Purple Mansion stage, to care so much about a city under his command, to care about the people in the city...
This City Lord named Xie Wen could be considered an extremely rare figure among countless cultivators.
Because, the vast majority of cultivators, after embarking on the path of immortal cultivation, would witness their blood relatives, masters, and friends die one by one. The higher the cultivation level, the more so...
After all, not all humans had spiritual roots to cultivate, and even with spiritual roots, the difference in aptitude determined their future achievements!
When all their loved ones and friends were gone, most cultivators' hearts gradually hardened. Their actions from then on were mostly for themselves!
Generally, cultivators who reached this stage would believe in the saying, "The Heavenly Dao is not benevolent, it treats all things as straw dogs."
However, this City Lord Xie Wen was different from other high-level cultivators in some aspects.
He was the guardian deity of Tongguan City, its ruler!
Yet, even within Tongguan City, few knew that City Lord Xie Wen was actually a native of this place!
Xie Wen grew up in Tongguan City and, after revealing his peerless talent, was sent to the Human Emperor City to cultivate!
Thereafter, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. In just a few hundred years, he became a great cultivator.
However, in the end, he still returned to Tongguan City and became the City Lord of this place.
For this city, he, as its lord, had poured in a vast amount of effort!
Alas, fate is unpredictable. Everything he had protected with all his might was ultimately destroyed by others.
...
Since he knew that his cherished home would be destroyed today, with Xie Wen's spirit and pride, how could he choose to flee alone like a stray dog!
Behind Xie Wen, the manifestation of the Great Dao of Fire seemed to appear. At this moment, he commanded the fires of heaven and earth, and none dared to disobey!
He gazed intently at Xue Shak, the complex emotions in his eyes fading, leaving only resolute determination!
Even if Xue Shak, a king-level expert, had to endure his ultimate strike, he would be injured...
Perhaps, he could secure a sliver of survival for some people in Tongguan City, leaving behind some embers of hope!
This way, he could die with peace of mind!
In an instant, these thoughts ran through his mind.
...
With this in mind, Xie Wen issued his final command as City Lord!
"To all affiliated with Tongguan City, I, Xie Wen, command you to retreat as much as possible and leave behind some embers of revenge for Tongguan City!"
"Remember today's humiliation, and in the future, avenge it a hundredfold, a thousandfold..."
Xie Wen's voice resounded in the ears of all human cultivators and all blood clan members.
The slaughter continued, and because of Xie Wen's words, it became even more brutal!
Wu Tao, who had killed five count-level blood clan members in this short period, could not help but show a trace of shame upon hearing Xie Wen's words!
Other surviving human cultivators, after a few seconds of stunned silence, some chose to flee in all directions, while others chose to fight to the death, to die here.
Xue Shak, clad in armor, gazed solemnly at Xie Wen before him, showing no fear.
He believed in his strength and was confident he would not be defeated by Xie Wen, who was one realm lower than him!
The sea of lava descended, slowly and steadily, as if a world of fire was nurtured within, the Law of Fire slowly revolving!