129: Lao Deng! I'm here to help you!

Shanhai Pass, a northern border city.

Li Mu watched with a serious expression as the tide of fierce beasts retreated like a flood.

His strategist, Old Fan, came to his side, shaking his feather fan, and said in a deep voice, "From last night until now, the beast tide has launched suicidal attacks for nearly a day and a night, killing tens of thousands of fierce beasts, but there are still so many fierce beasts Outside the Pass. I'm afraid all the fierce beasts Outside the Pass have moved south..."

"If it were just a Second-Grade Beast Emperor, it wouldn't be so crazy!"

"You mean..." Li Mu frowned, looking at Old Fan.

Old Fan nodded and said, "The Demon Barbarians of the Demonic Sect are behind this!"

"How can the Demonic Sect have all sorts of people, even being able to control brutal fierce beasts?" Li Mu cursed angrily.

Old Fan smiled helplessly and said, "There's no shortage of various talents in this world. The Demonic Sect isn't like Great Qian; it doesn't have so many prohibitions. As long as it can enhance their strength, there are plenty of immoral and unscrupulous talents to offer advice!"

"Perhaps they and the Demon Barbarians have been planning the beast tide's attack on the city for a long time. Shengyuan killing Mu Yunxiao made them start using this move."

Li Mu's face was grim, but when he heard Li Shengyuan's name, his expression softened slightly, revealing a hint of pride.

Old Fan also smiled and said, "Madam sent back news yesterday; Shengyuan has successfully broken through to Third-Grade in both systems, and even triggered a triple heavenly tribulation of thunder, strong winds, and fierce flames. Now, he's probably stronger than both you and I!"

Li Mu listened, unable to hide the smile on his lips; it was almost reaching his ears. He cursed with a laugh, "Old fellow, don't flatter yourself. My son could fight Mu Yunxiao to a standstill when he was Fourth-Grade. How can you still compare yourself to him? Your old face is too thick!"

"Look at you, all proud. That's Shengyuan, not you. Why don't we spar?" Old Fan snorted in dissatisfaction.

"He's my son, that's enough. You don't have one, old fellow, aren't you mad?"

Watching Li Mu's smug, smiling face, Old Fan truly wanted to slap his shoe sole onto his face.

These past few days, this fellow has been incredibly arrogant. As Li Shengyuan's deeds spread to Shanhai Pass, he's been strutting around, acting as if he's the Emperor himself!

Whenever he heard someone discussing and praising Li Shengyuan, he would first hide and listen for a while, then walk over with a smile, pat their shoulder, and encourage them with a "Well done, keep up the good work."

Was that 'keep up the good work'? It should have been 'keep up the good praise', right!

He had had enough!

Old Fan said irritably, "Stop being so smug. Rest a bit. It won't be long before the next wave of beast tide arrives!"

"Just waiting for these beasts to come!"

Li Mu's expression turned serious as he nodded, then said gravely, "How is the progress of the armies rushing here from various places? Most importantly, when can the Imperial Observatory's spellcasters arrive? Without them to repair the city-protecting formation and city-protecting artifacts, we won't last long!"

Although the fierce beasts Outside the Pass were not high-grade, mostly low-grade or even unranked, their numbers were too vast, and fierce beasts were continuously rushing here!

Even though the city-protecting formation was Second-Grade, if left unmaintained, it would eventually be depleted.

Without the formation's defense, the ten thousand or so defending soldiers, most of whom were not even Ninth-Grade, simply couldn't hold them back!

Just like the tens of thousands of fierce beast corpses Outside the Pass, if it weren't for the city-protecting artifacts dealing damage, it would take more than a day and a night for people to hack them all to death!

If the city fell, high-grade cultivators might survive, but ordinary Shanhai Pass would certainly be gone, and the fierce beasts entering the city would be a massacre!

Old Fan also replied in a deep voice, "Don't worry, the garrisons from various parts of the Northern Territory have already assembled here. Shengyuan has also gathered many experts from various parts of the Northern Territory, and they departed before noon. Most importantly, Chancellor's disciple Ye Hangzhou is also here, bringing dozens of spellcasters of considerable cultivation."

"With Ye Hangzhou, a Third-Grade spellcaster, maintaining the formation, the city-protecting formation will be fine. If nothing unexpected happens, holding back the beast tide won't be a problem!"

"That's good." Li Mu nodded, slightly relieved.

He was in charge of the front line, while Old Fan managed logistics; all these messages from the rear were relayed to him by Old Fan.

Without Old Fan, his strategist, he didn't know how much more he would have to worry about.

"Awooo~~~"

Just then, a wolf howl suddenly echoed from Outside the Pass.

The piercing wolf howl spread across the city walls of Shanhai Pass, causing the already exhausted defending soldiers to quickly perk up, stand up, and nervously look into the distance.

Under the setting sun of dusk, everyone could barely make out a pack of blue and white snow wolves rapidly galloping towards them in the distance.

Everyone immediately stood ready, controlling their respective city-protecting artifacts and turrets.

The wolf howls continued. Li Mu and Old Fan went to a high point and stared across the distance at the Ice Soul Wolf King, who was howling at the sky!

Li Mu said with a grave expression, "The Ice Soul Wolf King... isn't it supposed to live in the Far North? What are they doing coming south?!"

The distance from the Far North to Shanhai Pass was even greater than from Shanhai Pass to the Central Plains, hundreds of thousands of miles. Even the extremely fast Ice Soul Wolf pack would take a very long time to travel!

The Ice Soul Wolf tribe was also one of the few pack-dwelling creatures among fierce beasts. Most Ice Soul Wolves had little intelligence, only instinctive ferocity and slaughter.

But after uniformly obeying the command of a Third-Grade Wolf King, the Ice Soul Wolf tribe's combat power was extraordinary!

Most importantly, the fierce beast Ice Soul Wolf tribe mainly lived in the ice plains; moving south had no meaning...

Old Fan also said in a deep voice, "Who knows what this thing is going crazy about. Prepare for battle. The situation Outside the Pass is confusing; we'll only know by investigating."

"The Ice Soul Wolf King is Third-Grade; we cannot let it disrupt our defense. We must stop it!"

"Yes, I'll do it!" Li Mu nodded with a grim face.

With that, he gripped his long spear, flew out of the city, and met the Ice Soul Wolf King who had arrived nearby.

"Beast, not staying in your Far North, daring to come south, then die!"

Li Mu roared, then gripped his long spear and tangled with the twenty-meter-long Ice Soul Wolf King.

The aftermath of the battle between one person and one beast could easily kill an Ice Soul Wolf!

Besides them, Shanhai Pass also had a Third-Grade general dispatched by the imperial court to cooperate with Li Mu. He was originally the Grand General in charge of the Imperial Blade Guards in the capital, also having fought his way up from the bottom ranks of the army.

However, he had already fought two battles, consumed a lot of energy, and suffered some injuries, so he had gone to rest.

Originally, Shanhai Pass also had two Third-Grade strongmen who were Mu Yunxiao's confidantes.

But in recent years, the Empress had transferred them to the capital and the Western Regions of Great Qian, respectively, under various pretexts.

Now that Mu Yunxiao was dead, they were probably taken down by the Empress as well.

After all, they hadn't truly rebelled yet. If they were sensible, they might still have a chance to keep their lives...

Old Fan stood atop the city wall, shaking his fan with his right hand, his left hand behind his back, his eyes fixed on Li Mu.

His heart sank slightly, always feeling something was off...

Just as he was deep in thought, the ground suddenly cracked open, and a huge chasm appeared beneath Li Mu!

Immediately after, a giant flesh worm suddenly surged out from it, opening its gaping maw to bite at Li Mu in mid-air.

"Oh no, Old Li, dodge quickly!" Old Fan's face changed in horror.

But at this moment, Li Mu was entangled with the Ice Soul Wolf King; if he dodged, he would surely be attacked by the Wolf King's sharp claws!

Just then, a spatial fluctuation suddenly appeared above the city wall, and a hundred-zhang colossal ship, obscuring the sky, suddenly appeared above everyone's heads!

Just as Old Fan was stunned, a thick beam of energy shot out from it, instantly striking the giant flesh worm.

The flesh worm, in pain, could not continue to swallow Li Mu. Instead, it fell heavily to the ground, its massive body crushing a patch of Ice Soul Wolves, and the flesh worm let out painful wails.

At this moment, a golden-armored figure flew out from the hundred-zhang colossal ship and laughed loudly:

"Old geezer, I'm here to help you!"

... ...

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