Chapter 348: Neglect of Duty
In this particular beast horde, there were some Demonic Beasts with innate magical abilities. These Demonic Beasts could unleash their magical arts to attack the cultivators defending the city walls.
One by one, the cultivators on the city walls were falling, putting even more strain on the already limited manpower.
Facing nearly ten times their number in Demonic Beasts, many of the cultivators on the city walls had lost their composure. They could only attack frantically, their eyes fixed on the ceaseless onslaught of Demonic Beasts.
Suddenly, with a deafening roar, a segment of the city wall, about fifteen feet long, collapsed under the relentless assault of countless Demonic Beasts.
Some of the cultivators on the wall couldn't escape in time and were buried beneath the fallen wall.
Countless Demonic Beasts poured through the breach in the city wall, charging towards the stronghold.
In this dire moment, Wang Hong rode Little Peng, flying towards the breach.
Before he even arrived, Wang Hong unfurled a massive net that descended upon the breach in the city wall.
The net ensnared hundreds of Demonic Beasts crowded at the breach, and then it tightened, binding them tightly.
Wang Hong placed this net full of Demonic Beasts in the gap of the city wall, using them as a temporary replacement."As you've damaged the city wall, you can compensate with your bodies," Wang Hong muttered to himself as he left.
Another group of cultivators quickly took their place on the temporary wall made up of Demonic Beasts. Despite the struggling and writhing beasts beneath their feet, it didn't hinder the Immortal Cultivators from continuing their fight.
After leaving the breach, Wang Hong rode Little Peng and flew above the Beast Tide. The flying Demonic Beasts had already been wiped out, leaving the sky open for him.
From his Storage Bag, he retrieved a small bottle containing a precious substance. It was sealed with numerous talismans for protection.
After breaking the seals one by one, he opened the bottle, releasing a delightful floral fragrance into the air.
Wang Hong held his breath, not daring to inhale even a tiny bit, for it was the pollen of the Red Powder Skull Flower he had collected.
Although he and Little Peng had taken a specially crafted antidote, he still didn't want to breathe in too much of it.
He carefully and evenly sprinkled the small bottle of pollen onto the Demonic Beast horde below. With meticulous control, he spread the pollen over a large portion of the horde.
During his poisoning efforts, another section of the city wall was brought down by the Demonic Beasts.
Fortunately, reinforcements from Yuan Jin's stronghold, over two thousand strong, had arrived and secured the breach with a thousand defenders.
At the same time, Luo Zhongjie and his team, who had gone to call for reinforcements, had returned. They patrolled the city walls, slaying any Demonic Beasts that managed to breach them.
Wang Hong's poison began taking effect within moments. Some Demonic Beasts that were charging forward suddenly stopped in their tracks, entrapped in a hallucination. It was unclear what they experienced in that illusion, but some even emitted pleasurable moans.
However, those Demonic Beasts that weren't poisoned in the rear continued to advance. Under the crush and trample of their fellow beasts, some of them unwillingly woke up from the illusion.
Some who remained asleep became stepping stones for the other beasts and could never get back up.
Due to Wang Hong's poison, the strength of the Demonic Beasts' attacks had decreased by at least half. On the other hand, the defense of the Human Clan had improved due to the reinforcements.
With this ebb and flow, even though the Demon Clan still outnumbered the human cultivators several times over, the battle was gradually stabilizing in favor of the Human Clan.
Moreover, even after the Demonic Beasts passed through Wang Hong's poisoned area, many of them remained poisoned. Even if they were awakened, they would eventually succumb to the poison.
They were simply awakened to a less joyful end.
After a day of continuous battle, though the defending cultivators on the city walls were exhausted, they launched a counterattack against the Demonic Beasts.
Everyone could see that the Demonic Beasts were not in their best condition now, so it was the perfect opportunity to strike while they were weakened.
Just as the battle at this stronghold was finally turning in their favor, about tens of thousands of Demonic Beasts were approaching Bai Yikui's stronghold.
Meanwhile, Bai Yikui was frolicking with a Foundation Building female cultivator inside his cave mansion.
"Bai Ge! Are you really not planning to reinforce the defenses? Aren't you afraid of consequences later?" The female cultivator, wrapping her arms around Bai Yikui's neck, asked seductively.
"Of course, I must go! The Demon Clan is attacking, and how can we, cultivators, stand idly by? I'll gather my forces and rush to Feng Chang's stronghold for reinforcement," Bai Yikui replied solemnly, giving off the impression of a righteous cultivator to those unaware of the situation.
"Hehe! Then, how long will you take to gather them all?" The female cultivator asked playfully.
Bai Yikui, pretending to count, plucked a small tuft of curly hair from the female cultivator's body and began counting it.
"Am I not counting right now? One, two, three, four..."
Just then, a Transmission Talisman flew into his cave mansion from outside.
Bai Yikui, irritated by this sudden interruption and the fact that it disrupted his mood, angrily channeled his spiritual power to shatter the Transmission Talisman.
After crushing the Transmission Talisman, he continued to indulge in the activities he enjoyed.
However, only moments later, another Transmission Talisman flew into his cave mansion.
Bai Yikui paid it no attention and once again angrily shattered it.
In just a few breaths, yet another Transmission Talisman entered his cave mansion.
Bai Yikui, infuriated at having his private affairs repeatedly interrupted, was now fuming. He snatched the Transmission Talisman and listened to the familiar voice that came from it.
"Commander! A massive horde of Demonic Beasts is approaching us rapidly. There are at least fifty thousand of them, and they are less than a mile away!"
The voice in the Transmission Talisman sounded urgent, indicating a critical situation that warranted disturbing Bai Yikui. Otherwise, they wouldn't have dared to contact him.
Bai Yikui didn't even have time to adjust his robe. He rushed out of his cave mansion in a state of panic.
Inside the stronghold, people were running in all directions, chaos reigning supreme.
He also noticed that some had taken advantage of the chaos to flee, while others were packing their belongings in preparation to escape.
Bai Yikui grabbed a Foundation Building subordinate whom he had been close to and demanded loudly, "Why are you leading the retreat?"
This subordinate, clearly flustered, explained, "Commander Bai, the Demonic Beasts are too ferocious, and there's no way we can stop them. Moreover, they're already at the base of the city walls. Even if we seek reinforcements now, it's too late."
Bai Yikui looked out toward the stronghold's walls and saw the sea of Demonic Beasts, just moments away from leaping onto the city walls.
Inside the stronghold, the cultivators were in disarray, unable to organize an effective defense.
"Qingxu Sect is using us as cannon fodder. Staying here now means a certain death. If we can escape this dangerous place, there's the whole world out there, where can't we go?" His subordinate continued, trying to persuade Bai Yikui who was still hesitating.
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