68: Your opponent is me.

Seeing the sudden appearance of Xie Ning and Li Zhi, everyone's reactions varied.

On the side of the Fallen Demon Tamers, their expressions changed as if by magic; they knew very well what the appearance of Xie Ning and Li Zhi implied.

Meanwhile, the powerhouses of Flower City were mostly filled with joy and confusion.

Lin Yangqiu looked at Li Zhi and asked in surprise, "Isn't this child dead?"

The Garrison Commander smiled and said, "This is all thanks to Young Friend Xie."

Everyone looked toward Xie Ning simultaneously, even the Fallen Demon Tamers were no exception.

Xie Ning shrugged and replied with a smile, "It couldn't be helped. Wang Jin and a Fallen Demon Tamer... well, you, the two of you were conspiring right under my nose about how to kill someone and frame me. Naturally, I couldn't let you have your way."

The Fallen Demon Tamer Xie Ning pointed at felt everyone's gaze and flushed with shame.

"So that's how it is, so that's how it is..."

Li Yongchang muttered to himself, tears streaming down his face.

The joy of regaining what was lost caused this man, who was over fifty years old, to weep bitter tears.

Only now did the group from Flower City understand the reason for Li Yongchang's betrayal.

The Fallen Demon Tamers clearly realized that Li Yongchang could no longer be used by them. Several of them suddenly lunged, but not outward—instead, they attacked Li Yongchang, who had been surrounded at some unknown point.

However, this sudden move did not succeed. Li Yongchang summoned a Smoke Monster to merge with his body, turning into smoke and vanishing, only to reappear a second later within the Flower City camp.

Ignoring the Fallen Demon Tamers, Li Yongchang faced the Garrison Commander and bowed his head. "Lord Garrison Commander, I hope it is not too late for me to repent."

"I've been waiting for you," the Garrison Commander replied.

Li Yongchang nodded, looked at Xie Ning, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood before."

"I forgive you, but there are conditions for saving your son. You can talk to him about it."

"Fine."

After those few words, the Flower City side was overjoyed.

Li Yongchang's joining was not just as simple as adding an ally to their side and removing one from the enemy. More crucially, without the suppression of the Prison Tiger, the Ice Lion King could exert its Platinum Rank strength. This was the decisive factor for victory or defeat.

On the other side, the Fallen Demon Tamers' expressions were incredibly grim.

Their leader's face was dark, eyes filled with sharp killing intent, but he didn't move yet. Instead, he said, "Member of the Xie Family, you are indeed impressive to have escaped from Wang Jin's hands."

Xie Ning replied, "Escaping is nothing. Not just Wang Jin, but those hundred or so subordinates of yours all died in the Secret Realm. If the underworlds of both sides are connected, you'll see them soon."

Xie Ning then gave a brief account of what had happened within the Secret Realm.

Upon learning that over a hundred Fallen Demon Tamers had entered the Secret Realm to hunt the examinees, everyone was even more enraged. Their Auras surged and intertwined, forming an invisible tornado that kicked up dust and sand, creating a tense atmosphere.

"But don't worry, those hundred or so enemies are all dead. The examinees are mostly fine and are heading toward Flower City to support the fight against the beast tide. Reinforcements from other cities will also arrive shortly."

"Good, good, good. As long as they are fine," Lin Yangqiu said repeatedly, letting out a long sigh of relief.

The others felt the same.

"Young Friend Xie, there should be hidden signal jammers in the city. I'll have to trouble you to go and destroy them. Leave things here to us."

Xie Ning nodded, then rode the Poison Flame White Wolf away from the battlefield.

The leader of the Fallen Demon Tamers erupted at that moment, charging straight for Xie Ning, while his Demon Tamers Beast, a Golden Python, also attacked him.

Clang!

Cling!

The Garrison Commander and General Bian Hu blocked them together, saying decisively:

"Your opponent is me!"

...Flower City North Gate.

Looking down from the city walls, an endless stretch of Yao Beast corpses lay scattered across the ground. The entire land was stained red with blood. Some corpses were piled together, with broken bones and severed claws discarded haphazardly on the ground.

The City Defense Force had already slain no less than ten thousand Yao Beasts, yet even so, the beasts continued to charge forward one after another, completely oblivious to fear.

"Dammit! These beasts never seem to end!"

"Sir, a new wave of Yao Beasts is gathering a thousand meters away. It's a pack of Gale Wolves, mostly Black Iron levels 6 to 9, with a Bronze level 4 leading them."

"Continue scouting. Keep an eye on the flanks; don't let any of those bastards climb the walls."

As he spoke, the City Defense Force commander, Money Dragon, brandished a long spear that kicked up rolling dust, piercing through a dozen Yao Beasts that had just climbed the wall. Then, with a horizontal sweep, the yellow sand killed the remaining dozen or so beasts within a hundred meters in front of him.

"One minute! Rest quickly! You'll be busy in a moment."

As soon as Money Dragon finished speaking, the Soldiers on the wall collapsed where they stood, not wasting a single second. They drank water while applying ointment to their hands.

Against the Yao Beasts, they had to use demon hunting guns. Although the specially made demon hunting guns were powerful, their recoil was also immense. Just now, over a hundred Soldiers had been knocked unconscious by the shock. Even those who weren't unconscious had numb hands and heavy heads; a few veterans who had used guns for years were even vibrating to the point of vomiting.

Though one minute was short, it was enough for them to recover slightly.

The minute ended quickly, and the Soldiers stood up again. With indomitable determination, they once more hoisted their demon hunting guns and aimed at the Gale Wolf pack that had charged within three hundred meters.

By now, Money Dragon had cleared the battlefield below. He leaped back up and continued his watch.

Just as he was about to give the order to attack, he heard a lion's roar from the forest.

"Roar—"

Then, visible to the naked eye at a distance of about a thousand li, a powerful blast of frost erupted at the Gale Wolf pack's gathering point, freezing the wolves within a hundred-meter radius. Following that, a troop of people and mounts charged through, shattering the frozen Gale Wolves into pieces as they surged grandly toward the North Gate.

Money Dragon narrowed his eyes, watching this troop closely.

At that moment, a Heavenly Star Bird and a Thunder Dragonfly flew out from the troop, heading toward the wall ahead of the rest.

"Don't fire!"

With Money Dragon's order, the two Demon Tamers Beasts successfully landed on the wall. Two students jumped down from them; they were Lan Yu and Zhan Yingying.

Zhan Yingying said, "We are the examinee group from the Secret Realm Trial, here to support Flower City."

"The current group consists of 3,541 people, and more examinees are on their way," Lan Yu reported the numbers.

Hearing this news, Money Dragon was overjoyed.

Although the students hadn't been tempered by much gunfire and blood, every one of these examinees was a Demon Tamer. Against a relatively weak beast tide, they could play a significant role. Moreover, coordinating with the Soldiers would relieve much of the Soldiers' pressure.

"Excellent! You are all wonderful! On behalf of the City Defense Force, I thank you for coming!" Money Dragon gave a solemn salute and then shouted, "Aim at the Yao Beasts! Cover the troop's entry into the city!"

"Yes!"

The arrival of reinforcements greatly boosted the Soldiers' morale; everyone was full of energy!

The troop of over three thousand examinees, led by Lu Bingyun, quickly returned to the city and onto the walls.

Except for a few who needed a moment to recover after vomiting, the others immediately joined the battle, replacing some of the Soldiers who were exhausted to their limits.

Some examinees were also assigned to clear out any stragglers within the city.

"I didn't expect you to be the one leading the team, Young Lu. You truly have your father's style from when he was young. Good, good..."

Money Dragon looked at Lu Bingyun, who was commanding the examinees' actions, and couldn't help but sigh with admiration.

Hearing this, Lu Bingyun smiled and replied, "Uncle Money, you flatter me. I am only assisting with the command; I am not the captain."

"Oh? In this younger generation of Flower City, there's actually someone who can make you willing to play second fiddle? I'm even more curious to know who that person is."

"Him? You should have met him already," Lu Bingyun said. At this point, she caught something out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but smile, gesturing with her chin. "Look, there he is."

Money Dragon turned to look. "Hey! It's actually that little rascal who ignores people!"