Chapter 164: Blazing Inferno

Every one of these Wind Snow Demon Beasts possessed terrifying strength, capable of hurling a boulder weighing several hundred jin over a dozen meters. With rocks raining down from the sky like this, things were going to get ugly.

Seeing this, Ye Zong and the others felt their faces go pale. As Black Gold-level powerhouses, they could manage — even if a boulder came flying at them, they could shatter it to pieces. But the City of Radiance simply didn't have enough experts to cover every stretch of wall. The fortifications spanned dozens of li!

"What do we do?" The various family heads were riddled with anxiety.

Shen Hong's heart was pounding too. If the demon beasts had gained intelligence, they were truly done for! Fortunately, he had been wise enough to ally with the Dark Guild. Once the City of Radiance fell, the Sacred Family could slip away quietly and follow the Dark Guild into the Dark World. He didn't know whether the Dark Guild had lied to him about the Dark World's existence, but he had no other choice.

He hurried over to find Nie Li. "Nie Li, what do we do? Once they start their attack, we're finished!"

"It seems we have no choice but to use this one." Nie Li turned to Ye Xiu. "Lord Ye Xiu, how many giant crossbows do we have with a range of over five thousand meters?"

"Giant crossbows? We've got plenty, but they're generally only good for dealing with ordinary demon beasts. At best they can wound them — killing one outright is rare. Once the range exceeds two thousand meters, the penetration power drops off sharply!"

"It doesn't need much penetration power. Five thousand meter range, and then strap one of these on." Nie Li produced a Blood Burst Demon Vial. Over the past few days, the Alchemist Association had manufactured tens of thousands of them — more than enough to put to use.

"Those are that powerful?" After witnessing the chain detonations earlier, Ye Xiu no longer dared underestimate anything Nie Li produced.

"Quite powerful, yes. A single small vial can take out several Wind Snow Demon Beasts at the Silver level or below," Nie Li said.

"Several?" Ye Xiu's eyebrows shot up. That was downright terrifying. He immediately turned and shouted to the Wind Snow Family experts behind him, "Quick — bring the giant crossbows up here!"

Before long, one massive crossbow after another was hauled onto the wall. While the Wind Snow Demon Beasts were still busy hauling rocks, they hurried to load them.

Seeing a cluster of Wind Snow Demon Beasts close to within roughly a thousand meters — preparing to hurl their boulders — Ye Xiu rapidly drew back a giant crossbow and loosed a bolt into the distance.

Whoosh!

The bolt traced a long arc through the sky. As a Black Gold-level Demon Spirit Master, this level of aim was child's play for him. The bolt landed among the group of Wind Snow Demon Beasts, and the Blood Burst Demon Vial detonated with a thunderous boom. In an instant, a pillar of crimson light surged skyward.

The terrifying thing about the Blood Burst Demon Vial was that after killing a few beasts, it caused their blood to detonate as well, triggering further chain explosions. The larger the beast, the more devastating the effect.

In a flash, several Wind Snow Demon Beasts were blasted to scraps — not a single one left intact. However, these Blood Burst Demon Vials were unable to harm the Gold-ranked beasts.

Seeing this, everyone was stunned. These things were even more terrifying than the earlier explosions.

If the Wind Snow Demon Beasts wanted to hurl boulders, they had to close to within roughly a thousand meters. But the giant crossbows had a range of five thousand meters — or even further.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Bolt after bolt soared into the sky, raining down upon the Wind Snow Demon Beast army and setting off a chain of bloody detonations.

The Wind Snow Demon Beasts, suddenly under attack, were enraged. Roaring, they charged forward in a frenzy. Some Gold-ranked Wind Snow Demon Beasts that had survived the Blood Burst Vials rushed to the fore and began hoisting boulders, hurling them at the City of Radiance.

Boulders came hurtling toward the city walls. The Gold and Black Gold-ranked experts quickly drew their great swords and slashed at the incoming rocks, smashing many to dust mid-air. Some boulders still made it through, crashing down and sending city guards tumbling.

Fortunately, only a small number of boulders made it through. Without the terrifying Blood Burst Vials, the City of Radiance would likely have been buried under a sky full of rock within moments.

The battle raged in a fierce stalemate. Wave after wave of Blood Bursts detonated throughout the Wind Snow Demon Beast army, one after another, instantly wiping out tens of thousands of the creatures.

After several rounds, the Wind Snow Demon Beasts could hold their ground no longer. They retreated several thousand meters once more.

For the first time, the City of Radiance held an absolute advantage in a direct confrontation. In the past, when facing demon beast tides, the city walls were often breached, leading to brutal street fighting inside the city. Countless buildings were destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of casualties were considered light. Yet this time, the death toll stood at only a few thousand, with roughly ten thousand more gravely wounded. It was almost unbelievable.

This was all thanks to Nie Li. Without his inventions, whether the City of Radiance could even hold the line was anyone's guess.

Roar!

The Black Gold-ranked Demon Beasts in the Wind Snow army could no longer hold back. They charged at full speed toward the city walls, their colossal bodies stomping the ground into trembling.

The ordinary Demon Beasts couldn't even get close to the walls — only they could lead the assault themselves.

Massive beasts, each standing ten to twenty meters tall, charged like mobile fortresses. Several Blood Burst Vials landed on their bodies and detonated with muffled booms, yet they remained completely unscathed. These Black Gold-ranked creatures sprinted at terrifying speed, reaching the base of the city walls in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, Ye Zong, Ye Xiu, Hu Yan Xiong, and the other leaders of the great families drew their greatswords, ready to engage at a moment's notice.

Boom!

One Black Gold-ranked Demon Beast launched itself into the air and slammed down onto the wall, tearing away a massive chunk. Several city guards screamed as they were sent tumbling. Five Black Gold-ranked experts immediately charged at the beast, swords raised.

Bang, bang, bang — a savage melee erupted atop the wall.

One Black Gold-ranked Demon Beast after another soared into the air and came crashing down. Some landed on the walls, while others flew directly into the city itself.

The Black Gold-ranked experts of the City of Radiance rushed to meet them, five or six fighters surrounding each beast. Savage battles broke out everywhere.

"Fall back! Get back now!"

Those with weaker cultivation were knocked dozens of meters through the air by the pressure alone, coughing up blood as they flew.

The walls crumbled in several places, and buildings inside the city collapsed one after another as the enormous bodies of the Black Gold-ranked beasts smashed through them.

These Black Gold-ranked Wind Snow Demon Beasts were extraordinarily tough, their bodies like forged iron. Even the attacks of Black Gold-ranked experts could only manage to wound their hide slightly.

"Lure them toward the City Lord's Mansion!" Ye Zong ordered in a deep voice. "Ye Xiu, you stay here and coordinate the defense!" With that, Ye Zong launched himself forward.

Shen Hong hesitated for a moment, but raised his sword and flew out as well. Though the Sacred Family had been betrayed, they hadn't yet openly torn ties with the Wind Snow Family. The Wind Snow Family still hadn't found a pretext to destroy them, so Shen Hong had to maintain appearances.

A dozen or so Black Gold-ranked Demon Beasts, like mobile fortresses, rampaged through the city, leaving devastation in their wake.