96: Chapter 96: A Single Man Forms an Army! The Supreme Sword Bone Displays Its Power for the First Time, A Bloodbath Shatters the Seven Fiends!

The Pig Demon King's first counterattack was fiercer than everyone had anticipated.

He did not charge directly at the city wall.

More than thirty Black-Armored Pig Demons split into five groups, pressing in from the east, west, and north simultaneously.

The front row of each group consisted of thick-skinned, heavy-armored soldiers, while three to five smaller, faster Sharp-Tusked Pig Demons were hidden in the rear.

The heavy armor crashed into the formation, while the sharp tusks flanked from the rear.

"It's splitting its forces?" Qin Yu's voice came from the left flank.

Chu Feng stood on the eastern section of the city wall, his fingertips pressing against the formation core, his teeth clenched tightly.

"This beast has fought in wars before."

You didn't reply, spreading all eighteen silk threads of the Spider Web Array to intercept the Sharp-Tusked Pig Demons flanking on the west side.

The silk threads had just touched the hind leg of the first demonic beast.

That Sharp-Tusked Pig Demon exploded.

His entire body was blown open from the inside by ignited demonic energy, sending flesh and blood flying, as a thick, poisonous miasma mixed with bone fragments surged toward the defensive line.

Three silk threads were corroded by the poisonous miasma and snapped on the spot.

"They're suicide-charging the formation!" Qin Yu cursed.

On the northern section of the wall, two more demonic beasts recklessly crashed into the Eight Desolations Thick Earth barrier maintained by Mu Qing, crashing and exploding, causing a palm-wide crack to appear on the barrier.

Mu Qing channeled spiritual energy in a low voice to repair it.

The Pig Demon King crouched behind the ruins, his two murky little eyes locked onto the city defenses.

He was using cannon fodder to trade for your spiritual energy.

An incense stick of time later.

The silk threads of the Spider Web Array had been reduced from eighteen to nine.

Qin Yu's Four Symbols Rotating Array had consumed nearly half of her spiritual energy, and the density of the ice spikes was visibly thinning.

After consecutively shifting the heavy-armored Pig Demons seven times, Chu Feng's Star-Shifting, Battle-Changing slowed down.

He braced his hands against the battlements, his chest heaving violently.

"I have less than forty percent of my spiritual energy left."

The usually arrogant Senior Brother Chu, whose chin could hang a kite, was now twitching at the corners of his eyes.

Ling Qingmeng's situation was equally dire.

Large-scale lightning techniques were naturally mana-draining beasts; that previous round of lightning stomp had drained thirty percent of her reserves, and the subsequent Thunder-Binding Lock and sporadic lightning strikes had consumed another twenty percent.

She sheathed her sword and landed on the city wall.

The knuckles of her right hand, which was gripping the sword, were trembling.

Qin Yu retreated to your side, her voice extremely low: "Shen Ji, at this rate of consumption, we can hold out for at most two more incense sticks of time before the formations completely collapse."

You looked up at the area outside the city.

A dark mass of demonic beasts was still gathering, with at least a hundred more around the Pig Demon King.

You walked to Mu Qing's side.

"Senior Brother."

Mu Qing turned his head to look at you.

"Concentrate the defensive formation onto me alone. Everyone else stop and focus on recovering spiritual energy."

Mu Qing was silent for a breath: "You're holding it alone?"

"The Formation Hall dared to take this mission not because we have many formations."

You drew the jinhong sword.

Golden light flowed across the blade, and the First Rainbow Sword Intent bloomed silently on the edge.

"It's because there is still one more sword in our hall."

Mu Qing stared at you for three breaths and nodded.

"Eight Desolations Thick Earth—Shrink Formation!"

The massive city defense barrier suddenly retracted, and all spiritual energy condensed into a three-foot-square golden light shield, clinging tightly around you.

The defensive density increased threefold instantly.

"Senior Brother Chu, Senior Sister Qin, Senior Sister Ling, stop. Take your pills and meditate."

You stood on the highest point of the city wall.

The group of demonic beasts outside the city roared and surged forward again.

"Hmph." Chu Feng braced against the battlements and straightened his body, "Don't show off too much; I'll come to replace you once I've finished adjusting my breath."

Qin Yu grabbed his collar and pulled him back, stuffing a spiritual recovery pill into his mouth.

Ling Qingmeng sheathed her sword and sat cross-legged, glancing at you before closing her eyes.

"Don't die."

The jinhong sword was unsheathed.

You leaped off the city wall and landed in the midst of the demonic beast horde.

Phantom Raid—Activate!

Your figure vanished into thin air. When you reappeared, you were already pressed against the neck of a heavy-armored Pig Demon.

A golden sword flash streaked by.

The pig's head fell to the ground.

Greased Soles—Activate!

Your speed increased by twenty percent, and you bounced off the spine of the headless corpse, twisting your body in mid-air as the jinhong sword carved an arc.

With one sword sweep, you struck down three lunging Sharp-Tusked Pig Demons.

The sword energy, augmented by the Supreme Sword Bone, sliced through both armor and flesh, sending a rain of blood into the air.

You didn't stop upon landing, dodging a tusk charge from a demonic beast by turning sideways, and with a backhand strike, you pierced through its eye socket.

Withdraw sword, turn, slash, parry, thrust.

Every sword strike landed precisely on a vital point.

Sword Mastery—Passive Effect Active.

The sword path became increasingly concise; the straight line was the shortest, the direct thrust was the fastest, and the direct slash was the most ruthless.

Six, eleven, seventeen.

Corpses paved a bloody path behind you.

On the city wall, Qin Yu secretly opened her eyes during a pause in her meditation and saw that golden light darting left and right through the beast horde below, with demonic beasts falling in droves.

"Is this really a formation cultivator?" She muttered.

In one breath, you slaughtered twenty-three demonic beasts.

Forty percent of your spiritual energy was consumed, and the pressure of the battlefield was borne by you alone.

The twenty-fourth one.

You slashed open the Black-Armored Pig Demon in front of you, and just as you were about to pursue, dark green formation patterns lit up on the ground beneath your feet.

Seven demonic beasts simultaneously stepped into the positions of the Big Dipper, the formation patterns spreading from beneath their feet and connecting with each other.

An aura of slaughter and virulent poison instantly dispersed.

Seven Kill Formation.

That was the formation used on the day the six elders of Xuanyin Valley led a team to surround and kill you.

The secret techniques of the Eastern Region's cultivation world had actually flowed to the demon race.

The seven demonic beasts combined their strength to release a torrent of purple-black poisonous gas, crushing forward head-on.

You did not fight it head-on.

Utilizing the speed advantage of Greased Soles, you flanked to the side of the formation, and the jinhong sword cut in from an angle.

Lingxi Finger—Activate!

That wisp of Sword Intent, condensed to the extreme at your fingertip, pierced through the demonic energy protection of the beast at the formation core and struck its crown.

The formation core collapsed.

The light of the Seven Kill Formation instantly dimmed, and the formation of the remaining six demonic beasts fell into disarray.

The jinhong sword swept across, and within three breaths, six corpses fell to the ground.

You tapped your toes lightly and retreated to a relatively safe open space, your spiritual energy having been consumed by seventy percent.

Behind the ruins outside the city, the Pig Demon King stood up.

His body was fully three zhang tall, covered in dark red demon hide, and his two tusks were wrapped in intense, blood-colored demonic energy.

The demonic pressure of a Foundation Establishment ninth-layer realm poured out without reservation.

He let out a low roar, kicked his four hooves violently, and the earth cracked.

His massive figure stirred up a gale, charging straight at you.

A third-grade Profound Light Shield popped out from your waist, and a light screen unfolded before you.

The Pig Demon King's tusks crashed into the Profound Light Shield.

The light screen of the third-grade magical artifact held for less than half a breath before shattering into pieces from the center.

"Shen Ji!" Mu Qing shouted from the city wall, pushing his palms forward.

The golden light shield of the Eight Desolations Thick Earth blocked the majority of the remaining impact.

You had been prepared and did not take this remaining impact head-on.

Greased Soles—Running at the limit.

Your figure retreated violently at the moment of impact, flying backward with the force, and you tapped your feet seven times against the base of the city wall, unloading most of the force.

However, the aftermath of the Foundation Establishment ninth-layer demonic energy still shook you, causing your blood to surge and your internal organs to tremble slightly.

You swallowed the surging breath and steadied yourself by leaning on the jinhong sword.

The Pig Demon King stopped his charge, halting thirty zhang away.

A pair of small eyes, filled with coldness, locked onto you.

On the city wall, Chu Feng and Qin Yu opened their eyes simultaneously.

The short sword in Ling Qingmeng's hand hummed incessantly.

The Pig Demon King slowly raised his front hoof.

Scarlet demonic energy condensed between his two tusks, even more intense than before.

The second strike was charging up.

You appeared ready for battle on the surface, but inwardly, you were quickly calculating the time.

The time for the three on the city wall to recover their breath was still eight breaths away.