After a peaceful day, itās morning.
In the main hall of the Martial Venerable Hall, Wang Zhifan holds the Demon Sealing List, focusing on the increasingly frequent updates about the Calamity Realm.
In front of him, there are three players: a strange freckle-faced white woman, a young man wearing sunglasses from Xia Country, a young woman from the island nation, and his chief disciple He Kuang, all on high alert, waiting for their leader to issue orders.
"Boss, how is it? Has the Demon Realmās army attacked?"
Feeling the atmosphere was a bit heavy, the young man from Xia Country wearing sunglasses was the first to ask Wang Zhifan, who was still looking at the Demon Sealing List in his hand.
"The Demon Realmās army hasnāt come yet... but many signs indicate they are about to enter."
Wang Zhifan replied while consulting the Demon Sealing List in his hand.
"Since about an hour ago, roughly two hundred Demon Venerables and tens of millions of demons have dispersed into various parts of the Calamity Realm. This is a situation that hadnāt occurred in recent days, and can be inferred as a precursor to a major invasion by the Demon Realm."
He then added a few more words, letting the four people in front of him know that the situation was rapidly changing, and the atmosphere in the hall became even more somber.
"Master, I want to know how Qinzhou is currently doing?"
The only local, He Kuang, soon asked this rather special question with a worried expression.
But Wang Zhifan understood why his chief disciple was asking because Qinzhou was his hometown, where his family and friends lived, so he quickly replied:
"Two Demon Venerables appeared in Qinzhou not long ago, but they have been swiftly eliminated, and only a few ordinary demons are left."
"Thatās good..."
He Kuang seemed to breathe a slight sigh of relief.
"You still donāt plan on going back? Although the journey is quite long, if the battle extends, thereās a chance youāll make it in time with some luck."
Seeing He Kuangās state, Wang Zhifan asked again.
In fact, just yesterday, when the situation was already tense, Wang Zhifan had asked He Kuang if he would like to go back to help his hometown, but after some thought, He Kuang decided against leaving.
One reason is that Qinzhou is very far from Celestial Essence City, not a trip that can be made casually, and Wang Zhifanās Demon Sealing List could not help in teleportation, making it impossible for He Kuang to arrive in time.
Another reason is that He Kuang believes his younger brothers and sisters need their senior brotherās protection, otherwise, when Wang Zhifan, their master, goes out to fight the Demon Venerables, there would be no one to guard the Martial Venerable Hall.
Of course, there are other reasons why He Kuang decided not to leave.
For example, his strength is not enough to deal with Demon Venerable levels, so hurrying back wouldnāt change the actual situation.
Additionally, his closest parents have long passed away, and he hasnāt seen other relatives for many years, so the emotional ties arenāt very deep.
"Master, I have decided to protect the Martial Venerable Hall; although I am somewhat attached to my fellow folks in Qinzhou, the journey is too far, and I am truly helpless."
He Kuang solemnly stated to Wang Zhifan again, and Wang Zhifan nodded, deciding not to dwell on the issue any longer.
And right at this time, outside Celestial Essence City, enveloped by a layer of azure radiance due to the activation of the City Defense Array, countless rifts of varying sizes ripped through the air, and a terrifying array of demons emerged furiously, while two massive entities descended from rifts in the sky, alerting everyone in the city with even the slightest perception of the enemyās arrival.
"You all stay here! Iāll be back soon!"
Wang Zhifan immediately reacted, shooting out of the hall like a streak, rushing towards the outside of Celestial Essence City at incredible speed.
In fact, currently in Celestial Essence City, only he and three other transcendental Daoists have permission to pass through the City Defense Array. Everyone else, whether cultivators or civilians, are locked within Celestial Essence City, and beyond itās a barren void without any human presence.
These were policies recently promoted by the scholars to protect human compatriots by dispersing them around different areas, not hoping every shelter will survive the catastrophe, but to ensure that a fortunate few can endure. Given humanityās rapid reproductive capability, regaining vitality would not be too difficult.
Just as Wang Zhifan became the first to rush beyond Celestial Essence Cityās array to face the enemy, three other robust figures followed closely; they were the three transcendental Daoists of Celestial Essence City: Huayangzi, Qingyangzi, and Zhenxu.
"Fellow Daoist Martial Venerable! Itās only two Demon Venerables and some small fry; weāll eliminate them all!"
The ordinarily nondescript middle-aged Daoist figure of Qingyangzi flew swiftly to Wang Zhifanās side and boisterously spoke to him.
He was donning a golden Daoist robe, entirely different from his usual attire, riding on a gentle breeze, exuding a majestic aura, completely different from his usual unassuming appearance.
"Hmm, these demons are quite ordinary, likely just the vanguard before the Demon Realmās true invasion, but they still need to be slain."
While observing the approaching mass of enemies, Wang Zhifan replied. The reason he hadnāt rushed into action was that he was analyzing the situation.
For now, the demons appearing outside Celestial Essence City are the same as those in other parts of the Calamity Realm, just appetizers meant to exhaust them energetically.
"Iāll handle those two Demon Venerables! Everyone else, attack them from the flanks!"
"Iāll clear out some Demon Generals and lesser demons first! Otherwise, the array will be unnecessarily depleted!"
"Friends, remember not to overexert your energy!"
...
In an instant, the four transcendental human cultivators engaged in combat with the two Demon Venerables leading the demon army.