Who Let Him Cultivate?!
Chapter 1161 - 1160 Swordsmanship Supreme (Extra for Monthly Votes)

"City Lord, terrible news! The third scout team reports that a Great Demon King is attacking from outside the city, likely heralding a beast tide!"

"What did you say?!" City Lord Zhang's pupils constricted sharply, and he abruptly stood up, knocking over the table with his vigorous movement.

"Quickly summon the captain of the guard, the other two vice city lords..."

The attack by the Great Demon King and the outbreak of a beast tide quickly alarmed the entire upper echelon of Muxue City.

The atmosphere in the city lord's council hall was as heavy as leaden clouds, and the maid who was serving tea and water was extremely cautious, fearing to offend and incur the wrath of these great figures.

"According to what the captain of the third scout team said, are the scant numbers of demon beasts outside Muxue City due to them being summoned by the Great Demon King?"

"And not just one Great Demon King, but including the Frost Elephant Demon King and the White Snake Demon King, plus two other Great Demon Kings that were not clearly identified?" Vice City Lord Yao was deeply moved.

"Is the information confirmed? Why isn't the captain of the third scout team here to report this?"

"After he reported to the gate guards, he fell into a severe coma from his injuries. What, does Vice City Lord Ma have a way to awaken him?" Commander Gongsun squinted his eyes and asked, detecting Vice City Lord Ma's unpleasant tone.

"How could it not be possible? There are four Great Demon Kings, led by the Frost Elephant Demon King who has ravaged the ice plains for over a thousand years, trampling numerous Unification Cultivators to death. It is rumored that it has long advanced to the Integration Late Stage. Facing the Frost Elephant Demon King, how could a mere scout team manage to escape?"

"I suspect that this captain has been bought by another city and is a spy fabricating false information to deceive us into chaos!"

Commander Gongsun angrily said, "Nonsense, you even suspect that the man I chose is a fraud!"

Suddenly, the council hall became tense, with the two Unification Cultivators seeming ready to clash at a moment's notice.

The city lord, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. He possessed absolute authority in the city; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he built Muxue City himself: "Enough, Ma. This matter must be true. Although demon beasts lack spiritual wisdom, the Frost Elephant Demon King, being a seasoned demon of the Integration Late Stage, could be cunning, which is not strange."

"Letting the scout team captain escape was probably done on purpose to let us know of this in advance and provoke us."

Everyone fell silent. The city lord's words were like the final verdict. Despite all five present being in the Body Integration Realm, facing four Great Demon Kings, along with the fierce and fearless beast tide, they still felt powerless.

"We can only face battle now."

The city lord stood up and spoke in a solemn voice; Muxue City was his life's work, he couldn't just give it up.

"Put the entire city on alert. Vice City Lord Ma, gather cultivators from the city's sects, academies, and factions, regardless of their cultivation levels; all must join the battle!"

"Commander Gongsun, deploy the guard forces for citywide defense."

Commands were issued, and though the battle had not yet started, everyone felt the tense atmosphere, as if a storm was about to break.

"Vice City Lord Yao, take a few people to scout out the enemy situation and determine the scale of the beast tide. Remember, do not approach the Great Demon Kings!"

"Yes!"

...

Amidst a raging blizzard, Vice City Lord Yao took responsibility in a crisis, readying his gear and leading a few particularly brave confidants in silence.

The confidants were trembling with fear; though bold, they were not dead soldiers. If detected by the Great Demon Kings, not even Vice City Lord Yao could protect them, let alone fend for himself.

"Vice City Lord Yao, why don't we send a few Nascent Soul Stage cultivators to scout, and maybe we shouldn't go ourselves?"

"Nonsense, what could Nascent Soul Stage cultivators discern? Are you thinking of deserting in the face of battle? If we can't withstand this beast tide, we might have a chance to escape, but what about our families—will you abandon them?"

Truthfully, Vice City Lord Yao was also afraid, but what good would being afraid do? Sooner or later, they had to face the beast tide; gathering early intelligence and preparing could offer a sliver of hope.

"But..."

"Silence, we are approaching the beast tide!"

Several confidants were so frightened that they dared not speak.

They approached quietly, their brows furrowing gradually, their hearts uneasy.

Why was this beast tide so unusually quiet, so silent that it made their hearts chill?

They summoned their courage to approach and saw an unbelievable scene, their hearts skipping several beats.

Demon Beast corpses were piled up like mountains, and the large snow, like goose feathers, almost covered the bodies and masked the smell of blood. The Demon Beasts died with their eyes wide open, as if they had encountered unspeakable terror.

"Could it be, could it be that the Great Demon Kings are fighting among themselves?" one confidant asked shakily, finding his own question somewhat amusing.

What kind of being killed these Demon Beasts, and was it still here?

Thinking of this, their hearts rose to their throats, and they dared not breathe.

They landed quietly, carefully observing their surroundings, fearing to disturb that terrifying powerful enemy.

Several huge figures blocked their way; the north wind blew, dispersing the chill enveloping these figures, and the people saw clearly what the huge figures looked like, a chill running from their feet to the top of their heads.

The corpses of the Great Demon Kings.

"Look quickly, it's the Northern Realm Whale King, said to be a side branch of the Kunpeng Clan, swimming in the snow! It's been split in two!"

"That's the Sword-toothed Tiger King, which had once stirred up a beast tide that devastated Yong'an City, guarded by two Combined Great Abilities, including Vice City Lord Ma, who then escaped to our Muxue City!"

"That's the White Snake King, reputed to have unparalleled Invisibility Technique. Even Combined Great Abilities have been assassinated to death by it!"

Suddenly a confidant fell to the ground with a thump, shivering and pointing at the huge obstacle, "The, the Frost Elephant Great Demon King has been beheaded!"

Even after death, the Frost Elephant Great Demon King was still emitting a cold air, showing how terrifying it was in life.

But no matter how terrifying its legends were, today it too lay dead outside the city in the icy snowy wilderness.

Vice City Lord Yao, emboldened, examined the wounds, his expression growing more solemn.

The wounds were as neat as a mirror, whether it was the Little Demons or the Frost Elephant Great Demon King, all were cut down by one sword stroke, no second move needed.

"Swordsmanship... supremely honored."

...

"Quick, go save Teacher Lu! He must still be alive!" The students stood at the city gates, urgently persuading the guards.

The guards exchanged wry smiles; if a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage encountered a Chewing Demon Rabbit, how could he possibly survive? Probably by the time these kids got here, that Teacher Lu had already been gnawed to bones by the Demon Rabbit.

Even if they had the ability to save him, with the current beast tide, and with the strict orders from above not allowing anyone to leave the city without the commander's token, it was impossible for them to save anyone.

Fang Zhige, who originally had great confidence in Teacher Lu, turned pale upon hearing of the beast tide.

No matter how powerful Teacher Lu was, he could not possibly survive in the beast tide; they of the Nine Ghosts Alliance also faced the beast tide like trying to stop a car with mantis arms.

Gong Che looked towards the snowy wilderness outside the city, suddenly excited, "Look, is that Teacher Lu?"

Fang Zhige shook his head, "How could it be..."

"Classmates, Teacher is back." Lu Yang, carrying a sack of spoils, all rabbits.

"Though there were quite a few enemies, luckily I have more life-saving techniques and managed to survive by luck," Lu Yang said with lingering fear.

(Added for Alliance Hierarch Shen Ying Lei Ming)