New chapter 18

# Chapter 18 — The Silver Resonance

# Sun City — Eastern Wall

The giant crimson hand remained pressed against the mountainside.

Ancient black chains wrapped around it endlessly while crimson mist flooded from the gate like an ocean swallowing the eastern forest.

And across the entire city—

people panicked.

---

“Move!”

“Protect the civilians!”

“Get the children away from the eastern district!”

Guards shouted desperately while formations illuminated across the city walls one after another.

Golden light barriers rose into the sky.

Formation towers activated.

Spirit cannons turned toward the mountains.

Sun City had officially entered war preparation.

---

Xu Yuan stood atop the eastern wall beside Xia Yu while the silver light surrounding both their bodies slowly faded.

But the atmosphere around them had already changed.

Several nearby elders quietly stared toward the two with complicated expressions.

Because everyone saw it clearly.

The moment the chained hand appeared—

Xu Yuan and Xia Yu’s spiritual energies resonated naturally.

---

Lin Hao slowly looked between them.

Then after several seconds—

he quietly said:

“…You two really are strange.”

Xu Yuan glanced sideways.

“That’s your conclusion after seeing a giant chained demon hand?”

Lin Hao looked completely serious.

“Yes.”

“That feels incorrect somehow.”

---

Even in the middle of chaos—

Xia Yu almost smiled slightly.

Almost.

---

Suddenly—

BOOOOM!

The chained crimson hand moved again.

This time—

one of the massive black chains cracked apart violently.

CRAAAAACK!

The sound echoed across the entire region like thunder.

Every cultivator on the wall instantly turned pale.

---

Third Elder Xu Jian’s expression changed drastically.

“Impossible…”

One nearby elder clenched his fists tightly.

“Those chains are ancient sealing formations…”

“If they break completely…”

Nobody finished the sentence.

Nobody wanted to.

---

Far below the wall—

terrified civilians continued flooding deeper into the city.

Some cried.

Some prayed.

Others desperately packed belongings trying to escape before the eastern gate fully collapsed.

---

Meanwhile—

cultivators behaved exactly as expected.

Half prepared for war.

The other half prepared to steal treasures from ancient ruins.

---

Xu Yuan watched several younger rogue cultivators arguing near the lower stairs.

“You’re insane if you enter that gate!”

“And you’re stupid if you ignore ancient inheritance opportunities!”

“That giant hand is larger than a mountain!”

“Which means the inheritance is definitely valuable!”

Xu Yuan sighed quietly.

“Cultivators truly lack survival instincts.”

Lin Hao immediately nodded.

“I’ve been saying this for days.”

---

Then suddenly—

a loud voice echoed across the eastern wall.

“All city factions report immediately!”

The city lord finally appeared.

---

An older man wearing dark crimson robes slowly stepped onto the wall surrounded by multiple high-level cultivators.

His pressure instantly suppressed the chaotic atmosphere nearby.

Sun City Lord — Zhao Tianhe.

Peak Spirit Core Realm.

The strongest cultivator inside Sun City.

---

The moment he appeared—

everyone became quieter.

Even frightened civilians finally calmed slightly.

Because as long as the city lord stood there—

Sun City still had someone protecting it.

---

Zhao Tianhe slowly looked toward the mountains silently.

Even from far away—

the pressure from the gate visibly affected him.

His expression darkened.

“This is not a normal ruin.”

One elder answered bitterly.

“That much became obvious already.”

---

Suddenly—

another pulse erupted from inside the gate.

BOOOOOOM!

Crimson mist exploded outward again.

This time—

multiple shadows moved within the forest below.

Fast.

Too many.

---

Several guards immediately shouted.

“Movement in the eastern forest!”

“Spirit beasts are approaching!”

Everyone atop the wall instantly focused downward.

And then—

they saw them.

---

Hundreds of spirit beasts rushed from the forest desperately.

But they weren’t attacking the city.

They were fleeing.

---

Massive horned wolves.

Crystal-scaled serpents.

Iron-backed bears.

Normally deadly beasts now ran wildly through the forest in terror.

Some were even injured already.

Like something behind them hunted everything alive.

---

Lin Hao stared blankly.

“I suddenly feel bad for the beasts.”

“That’s concerning,” Xu Yuan answered honestly.

---

Then—

the forest exploded apart.

BOOOOM!

A massive black creature crashed through the trees violently before grabbing one fleeing spirit beast instantly.

CRUNCH.

The beast disappeared into its mouth immediately.

---

Several cultivators turned pale.

The thing looked humanoid—

but wrong.

Its body appeared stretched unnaturally.

Black crystal spikes grew across its skin.

And multiple crimson eyes covered its chest.

---

“What IS that thing?!”

“No spirit beast looks like that!”

“It came from the gate!”

---

The creature suddenly lifted its head toward the city walls.

Then screamed.

The sound alone shook spiritual energy violently throughout the region.

Several weaker cultivators instantly coughed blood.

---

Then—

more creatures emerged from the forest.

One.

Three.

Ten.

Dozens.

---

Xu Yuan’s expression finally became serious completely.

Because these creatures weren’t random monsters.

They looked transformed.

Corrupted.

Like living beings twisted by whatever existed beyond the gate.

---

Zhao Tianhe immediately raised his hand.

“All formations activate!”

Golden light erupted across the city walls instantly.

Massive formation barriers covered the eastern district while spirit cannons began gathering energy.

---

The corrupted creatures charged.

And the battle began.

---

BOOOOM!

Spirit cannons fired first.

Golden beams crashed into the approaching creatures violently.

Several exploded apart immediately.

Others kept running despite losing limbs.

---

“Why are they still moving?!”

“They don’t feel pain!”

“Attack their heads!”

Cultivators atop the walls released attacks continuously while guards desperately maintained formation lines.

The peaceful Sun City from weeks ago had vanished completely now.

---

Xu Yuan watched the battlefield carefully while gripping the wall tightly.

The resonance inside his chest continued reacting violently to the gate.

Almost like it wanted something.

---

Beside him—

Xia Yu suddenly narrowed her eyes.

“They’re avoiding us.”

Xu Yuan blinked.

“What?”

The nearest corrupted creatures charged toward the walls wildly—

yet every single one instinctively avoided the section where Xu Yuan and Xia Yu stood.

---

Lin Hao slowly stepped backward.

“…That somehow feels worse.”

Xu Yuan honestly agreed.

---

Then suddenly—

one massive corrupted wolf leaped directly toward the wall.

Guards immediately attacked together.

BOOOM!

The beast crashed onto the eastern wall anyway.

Several disciples screamed before scattering instantly.

---

The corrupted wolf looked horrifying up close.

Black crystal growths covered half its face while crimson veins pulsed beneath its skin.

Most terrifying—

its eyes looked intelligent.

---

The beast suddenly lunged toward nearby disciples.

One younger cultivator froze completely in fear.

Too slow to dodge.

---

Before anyone else could react—

Xu Yuan moved instinctively.

BOOM!

He grabbed the disciple and threw him aside just before the beast’s claws crashed downward.

Stone exploded apart beneath the impact.

---

“RUN!”

The disciple instantly scrambled away pale-faced.

Meanwhile—

the corrupted wolf slowly turned toward Xu Yuan.

Then froze.

---

The crimson eyes across its face suddenly trembled violently.

Like it recognized something terrifying.

---

Xu Yuan himself froze too.

Because the resonance inside his chest suddenly synchronized perfectly with the beast.

For one brief moment—

he heard countless whispers inside his mind.

Hungry.

Ancient.

Mad.

---

Then—

the beast lowered its head.

And retreated.

---

Everyone nearby stared blankly.

Even the corrupted creature itself looked unstable before suddenly leaping back off the wall toward the forest.

---

Silence spread briefly across that section of the battlefield.

Then Lin Hao quietly spoke.

“…I would like to officially stop being friends with mysterious people.”

Xu Yuan slowly looked toward him.

“That feels emotionally hurtful.”

“I just watched a demon wolf bow to you!”

“…Fair point.”

---

But while everyone focused on the battlefield—

far beyond the gate—

inside the endless darkness—

countless crimson eyes slowly opened wider.

Watching Xu Yuan silently.

Waiting.