Kang Siran had been languishing at the Void King Stage Three level for several hundred years. Without the aid of a Dao Source Pill, it was impossible for him to advance in this lifetime. The Dao Source Pill bearing pill patterns that Yang Kai possessed was truly a godsend.
Because of Kang Siran, Yang Kai had gained tremendous benefits at the base of Yuan Ding Mountain. On top of that, at the auction, Kang Siran had been willing to lend him several million Source Crystals. Yang Kai remembered this kindness well, which was why he had unhesitatingly given that Dao Source Pill to Kang Siran.
When others showed him a foot of respect, he returned it with ten. Yang Kai had never been a stingy person.
Although Mo Xiaoqi was also at the peak of Void King Stage Three and could potentially advance to the next level with the help of a Dao Source Pill, her situation was different from Kang Siran's.
Mo Xiaoqi had achieved such a level of cultivation at such a young age, and her origins were mysterious and extraordinary. Setting aside whether she even needed a Dao Source Pill, even if she did, she likely had the means to obtain one on her own.
Using a Dao Source Pill to break through to the next level might not have a major impact on a cultivator, but it could potentially affect their future prospects.
For this reason, no cultivator would choose to rely on pills to break through unless absolutely necessary. Yang Kai himself had not taken a Dao Source Pill when he broke through to the Dao Source Realm—it was precisely for this reason.
When Yang Kai emerged from the cave dwelling, not only was Mo Xiaoqi following at his side, but the old woman from the Zhang family and the beautiful woman had come out as well.
The two women were unwilling to hide in the cave dwelling and wait for their doom. After all, there were other descendants of the Zhang family here. If the city was truly breached, the Zhang family would certainly be destroyed. No matter how Yang Kai tried to persuade them, the old woman and the beautiful woman from the Zhang family insisted on going out to face the enemy, to contribute their part in defending the city.
Yang Kai could only acquiesce.
Fortunately, although their strength wasn't particularly high, both were at the Void King Stage One level, which wasn't too bad. If they were merely helping the city garrison on the walls maintain the defensive formations, that shouldn't be a problem.
A streak of light enveloped the four of them, darting swiftly through Maple Forest City. In a short while, they arrived at a certain section of the city wall.
Looking outward, the area beyond the city was pitch black. Boundless Demonic Qi rolled and writhed as if it were a living thing, sending chills down one's spine. From time to time, eerie wails and howls drifted out from within—sounds that seemed to dredge up the most painful memories buried deep within a person's heart, forcing every cultivator to circulate their energy to resist.
On the city wall, Duan Yuanshan was distributing Clear Mind Jades. Any cultivator who came to the wall to help defend the city could receive a Clear Mind Jade to carry on their person as a precaution.
Upon seeing Yang Kai arrive, Duan Yuanshan's face lit up with joy, and he quickly called out, "Brother Yang, over here!"
Yang Kai's figure flickered as he brought Mo Xiaoqi and the two Zhang family women before Duan Yuanshan. He glanced at the situation outside and found that while the Demonic Qi was fierce enough, Maple Forest City appeared to be holding steady for the time being. On every section of the city wall, a considerable number of cultivators stood their ground—some maintaining the defensive formations, others unleashing martial techniques to bombard the areas where the Demonic Qi surged.
"City Lord, if there's anything I can help with, just give the order." Yang Kai cupped his fists.
"Since Brother Yang has said so, then Duan won't stand on ceremony. The situation is this—right now, there are very few Dao Source Realm experts in the city. Counting you, Brother Yang, there are fewer than ten. The others have each taken up a section of the wall to defend. For the moment, we can hold, but we mustn't let our guard down. Brother Yang doesn't have any particular assignment—feel free to act as you see fit. Go wherever support is needed. How does that sound?" Duan Yuanshan said with a grave expression.
"Works for me." Yang Kai nodded.
Duan Yuanshan hastily produced a message compass and handed it to Yang Kai. "Brother Yang, take this. If anyone needs reinforcements, they'll send a message through this. When that happens, please ride to their aid immediately!"
Yang Kai took it but didn't put it in his spatial ring, simply tucking it into his robe instead.
He turned to look at Mo Xiaoqi and the two Zhang family women and said, "You all stay here and follow City Lord Duan's orders for now. I'll go take a look around."
The moment he finished speaking, he transformed into a streak of light and began patrolling along the city wall.
On the walls, countless Maple Forest City cultivators were fighting with all their might. The majority were at the Void King Realm level, working in groups of three to five or fighting alone. Whenever they exhausted their strength, they would retreat from the wall, and others would step in to take their place.
After observing for a while, Yang Kai found that the situation was holding up reasonably well.
After the initial panic and confusion, the cultivators of Maple Forest City had steadied their minds. They no longer thought of fleeing and were instead truly united in their resolve to resist the Demonic Qi together.
The glow of numerous martial techniques struck into the churning Demonic Qi. Although the light was quickly extinguished, Yang Kai's keen Divine Sense could detect that the Demonic Qi was being worn away as well.
One person wearing it down was just a drop in the bucket, but when hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, or even a hundred thousand people did the same, the effect was entirely different.
Whenever the outer Demonic Qi attempted to launch an assault, powerful secret arts or martial techniques surged forward to disperse it, breaking apart what seemed to be an invincible force.
Yang Kai tried casually launching an attack of his own and found that this was indeed a crude but effective method for breaking the Demonic Qi siege.
However, the Demonic Qi harbored an extremely potent corrosive force, so ordinary cultivators didn't dare deploy their artifacts. They could only use their own secret arts and techniques to attack.
For a time, Maple Forest City actually seemed as solid as a fortress. This greatly encouraged the cultivators on the city walls, boosting their morale enormously. At the same time, some began to grow a bit dismissive of the Demonic Qi, thinking it was nothing more than that.
Time trickled by.
After being besieged by the Demonic Qi for an entire day, Maple Forest City had not suffered a single casualty.
This abnormal phenomenon set off alarm bells in Yang Kai's mind. After all, back in the mine, he had personally experienced the terrifying nature of this ancient Demonic Qi. Although he hadn't directly clashed with it, the violent will that emanated from the Qi alone was not to be underestimated.