Chapter 99: Three Men Defending One City

Chapter 99: Three Men Hold a City

Zhang Sheng and Chen Jiao climbed the city wall, panting heavily.

Both harbored countless questions in their hearts.

“You’ve been holding this post?” Zhang Sheng asked, his face flushed with excitement.

This was the land of life-and-death struggle in the Central Plains!

Of the one hundred and eight thousand cities, a third had already fallen into absolute peril.

No Return City was half a perilous place as well.

For over ten years, Great Xia had never been able to muster an army to send here.

Qi Yuan held his broken sword, a hint of regret in his voice: “Some time now… pity I haven’t encountered any demonic scourge.”

“You’re not from Great Xia—are you a wandering knight?” Zhang Sheng glanced at the city wall, which bore no Great Xia military banner, and understood at once.

In this world, there were still many wandering knights who generously came to the Central Plains to fight.

And most of these knights were cultivators.

Zhang Sheng and Chen Jiao were not true cultivators; they barely qualified as third-rate.

Of those who had come with the army this time, only half were cultivators.

Pity they all died at the hands of the demonic scourge.

“I suppose I’m a wandering knight,” Qi Yuan did not deny it.

“May I plant Great Xia’s military banner here?

This would show that No Return City is still under Great Xia’s control.” Zhang Sheng looked at Qi Yuan with hope.

“You may.” Qi Yuan gazed at these two NPCs, his expression unreadable.

Clearly, the auras of these two NPCs were already very weak, close to death.

Yet neither showed any fear of dying; instead, they were excited.

Hearing Qi Yuan’s permission, Chen Jiao, with his one arm, pulled from inside his bloodstained, crumpled shirt a military banner, carefully smoothing it out.

Zhang Sheng helped him, and the two worked as if performing a solemn ritual.

Simply planting the banner atop the city wall left them both breathless from exertion.

The wind blew hard, raising dust, and the banner flapped loudly.

They stared at the banner, longing in their eyes: “I wonder how long this banner will stand.”

“Pity that General Yuan cannot see the banner planted on No Return City’s wall,” Zhang Sheng sighed.

General Yuan was the commander of the Song Character Battalion.

When surrounded by over a hundred demonic scourge, he slew dozens before dying of exhaustion. Even in death, his eyes remained open, staring toward No Return City.

Zhang Sheng knew that General Yuan was a noble of Great Xia, a man who had seen the emperor.

Before coming, General Yuan had said that if the banner could not be planted atop No Return City,

and if Great Xia lost No Return City for twenty years, Great Xia would cease to exist.

Great Xia would be fully absorbed into Great Sui, and together with Great Sui, guard the city of Qielan.

The two sighed, then turned to Qi Yuan: “Sir, what about the demonic scourge in No Return City?”

“There were many wanderers; I killed them.” Qi Yuan sat on the city wall, as if idly passing the time.

In truth, he was also carefully studying and deeply contemplating the cultivation techniques he had obtained from the Canglan Realm.

One day in the Canglan Realm equaled ten years here—he had to make good use of this time difference in the game.

His newly stitched-together “Qi Yuan Sutra” was riddled with problems, except that it could be cultivated without becoming nourishment.

Not only would it impair memory, but it also caused mental confusion.

He was deepening his understanding to reduce the flaws in the “Qi Yuan Sutra.”

He would only act when demonic scourge appeared; otherwise, he seemed to sit on the wall all day.

“There must be over a hundred demonic scourge roaming No Return City, right? Are you a cultivator?” Chen Jiao couldn’t help asking. “What realm?”

Zhang Sheng quickly shot Chen Jiao a glare.

Chen Jiao realized he had been too forward; one should not ask a cultivator about their realm.

“Level 49, very weak,” Qi Yuan did not hide it.

Chen Jiao was stunned for a moment.

Zhang Sheng thought Qi Yuan was unwilling to reveal his true identity and strength.

Night fell swiftly.

The whole world was about to turn pitch-black.

Qi Yuan looked up at the sky; the night was utterly dark.

“Hey, in your world, why are there no stars in the sky?”

Since arriving at No Return City, Qi Yuan had noticed that once night came, the world was as black as ink.

There were no stars, no starlight.

“Stars in the sky? What do you mean?” Zhang Sheng was confused, not understanding Qi Yuan’s words.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan roughly understood.

In this world, there were no stars in the sky.

Could it be that all the stars had been eaten by someone?

At this thought, Qi Yuan grew excited.

“Nothing. It’s dark now. You’re not cultivators; you can’t see in the dark. Go find a place to sleep.” Qi Yuan was kind-hearted and gave them a friendly reminder.

“Alright.” Zhang Sheng and Chen Jiao descended the city wall.

As they stepped off the last stair, they turned in unison, looked up, and gazed deeply at the Great Xia banner in the night.

…

The next day, just after dawn.

Qi Yuan still sat on the city wall, contemplating the techniques of the Canglan Realm.

Sometimes he would glance sideways into No Return City, where he could see two panting men moving and burying the bleached bones that lay within.

Both were severely wounded and seemed to have only a few days left to live.

Yet here they were, endlessly moving the corpses.

By dusk, Zhang Sheng and Chen Jiao climbed the wall again, panting, carrying a large wooden chest.

“Sir, would you like some wine?” The chest was packed full of wine jars.

When a jar was opened, the aroma of wine wafted out, mingling a sour scent with the fragrance of liquor.

Back on Blue Star, Qi Yuan never touched a drop of alcohol due to his illness.

He had no habit of drinking regularly either.

“Thank you both, but I don’t drink. If I drink, I go mad,” Qi Yuan refused the two.

“Ah, this wine is our Great Xia’s exclusive Daughter’s Fragrance.

Usually, when a daughter is born in Great Xia, the family buries a few jars of Daughter’s Fragrance.

It’s only taken out when she marries.

Ordinarily, you can’t get it at all. Only we soldiers who come to this Wugui City, at the place of departure, have some folks lining the road to offer wine.” Chen Jiao said, then poured a jar of Daughter’s Fragrance into his mouth, “If we don’t drink now, we won’t get to.”

Zhang Sheng also lifted a wine jar and gulped it down: “If we don’t drink now, no one will drink it.”

The entire city wall was thick with the smell of wine.

After drinking, Zhang Sheng walked over to Qi Yuan: “Young hero, I searched the city and found many good things.

These are Blood-Activating Pills, Blood-Nourishing Pills, and Healing Medicine. They should be useful to you, young hero. I brought some up.”

Qi Yuan looked at the bottles and jars Zhang Sheng had taken out and said, “Your injuries are severe. If you use this healing medicine, you might live another day or two.”

“Thank you for your kindness, young hero.” Zhang Sheng smiled shyly upon hearing this, “But we two are worthless lives, probably only worth one or two demon fiends. These pills are better used by you, young hero.”

Qi Yuan reached out and took the Blood-Nourishing Pills: “Keep the rest. I have no use for them.”

“Young hero…” Zhang Sheng wanted to persuade further.

“Hmph, you’re up to no good. Giving me healing medicine—are you cursing me to be injured?

Can these demon fiends actually hurt me?” Qi Yuan dismissed the demon fiends with contempt, “You fear them, but I find them utterly adorable—all experience points.”

Zhang Sheng and Chen Jiao, hearing this, found his words hard to grasp and no longer forced the medicine on him.

The two could only cough and say, “The young hero is indeed the young hero.”

The two sat on the city wall, drinking and chatting.

“I wonder when the demon fiend army will appear here.”

“What a pity—I don’t know how long Great Xia’s war flag can hang.”

“Young hero, since the demon fiends aren’t coming now, why don’t you leave?

With your strength, you’re at least a high-level Commander. Leave Wugui City for another city, and you might still have a way to survive.”

In the Drifting Wind Realm.

The classification of cultivators is simple: they are divided into Unranked, First Realm, Second Realm, Third Realm, Fourth Realm, and Fifth Realm.

The First Realm is called Commander;

The Second Realm is called Overlord, a regional hegemon;

The Third Realm is called Nation-Suppressor, one man can suppress a nation;

The Fourth Realm is called Terrestrial Myth, a figure like an immortal;

The Fifth Rank is called Supreme, the most powerful existence in the world.

Rumor has it that among the hundred and eight thousand cities, some are guarded by Supremes.

Such cities are truly impregnable, and demon fiends cannot enter.

“I am the Warden of Wugui City, so naturally I won’t leave.”

Qi Yuan certainly wouldn’t leave.

The longer he guarded, the higher the rewards.

Back on Wangyue Continent, killing monsters earned him experience.

But to obtain treasures like fragments of the Heavenly Dao, he needed to clear dungeons.

The demon fiends here were tempting, but they only provided Qi Yuan with experience.

For greater rewards, he had to guard Wugui City.

“Once Great Xia’s war flag is planted on Wugui City, the demon fiends will learn of it within a day, and within five days, their army will arrive here,” Zhang Sheng said.

Of course, even without the flag, the demon fiends would learn of Wugui City’s situation, just later.

Qi Yuan was stunned: “Without the flag, won’t the demon fiends send new ones here?”

He had waited so long for demon fiends and hadn’t seen any—was it because the flag wasn’t planted?

“They will, but it’s slower.” Zhang Sheng was puzzled that the young hero was so ignorant of these matters, then he explained in detail.

“So, as long as the flag is here, the demon fiend army will come within five days?” Qi Yuan murmured to himself.

That way, he could control the timing of the demon fiend army’s arrival by using the flag.

“That’s about right,” Zhang Sheng replied.

Qi Yuan looked at the two, a hint of greed in his eyes.

Their hearts suddenly raced as they heard Qi Yuan say, “Do you have any extra war flags here? The more, the better.”

“Yes… yes.” Zhang Sheng didn’t understand but still took out a few war flags.

These flags had been found in the city, so he had collected them casually.

“What does the young hero need so many war flags for?” Zhang Sheng couldn’t help asking.

“One flag won’t last long. I’ll be guarding here for a very long time,” Qi Yuan said truthfully.

One day in the outside world is nearly ten years in the game.

He needed to use this time to cultivate well and increase his cultivation. Zhang Sheng fell silent upon hearing this.

The words he wanted to urge Qi Yuan to leave could no longer be spoken.

Chen Jiao beside him didn’t think so much; he drank heavily, and from time to time a heroic expression appeared on his face: “I never thought I, Chen Jiao, would die in this city alongside a figure like the young hero.”

To him, with the demon fiend army pressing in, they would all die in this city.

Qi Yuan shot Chen Jiao a glare: “You two will die, but I won’t.

Where does a player ever truly die in a game?”

As for NPCs… pity they don’t respawn at fixed points.

Zhang Sheng quickly tugged at Chen Jiao’s sleeve: “The young hero’s divine skills are unmatched; he will surely rout the demon fiend army!”

Chen Jiao, seeing this, also joined in the flattery.

Zhang Sheng said this, but inside he deeply admired Qi Yuan.

The demon fiend army was coming fiercely, and the young hero showed no intention of leaving.

This left Zhang Sheng with mixed feelings.

Knowing a city could not be held, yet he stubbornly defended it.

Such boldness was truly admirable.

……

Great Xia.

The Duke Yuan's Mansion.

The emperor was only sixteen, yet he had ruled Great Xia for four years.

In those four years, he strove to balance the four corners, raised an army of cultivators, and finally established the Song Character Camp, led by General Yuan, dispatched to No-Return City.

At this moment, the young emperor's face showed a glimmer of hope: "Duke Yuan has not failed my trust. Great Xia's war banner has finally been planted on the walls of No-Return City."

One hundred and eight thousand cities—these were both cities and formations.

Whenever a war banner was planted on a city wall, the Dragon-Calming Bell in the Great Xia palace would ring nine times.

If a banner fell, it would ring once.

Some days ago, Great Xia's Dragon-Calming Bell had rung nine times.

The emperor, not even bothering to put on his shoes, rushed to the ancestral temple.

Now, No-Return City had returned to Great Xia.

This also foretold that Great Xia would have another twenty years of national fortune.

Otherwise, losing the city for twenty years would mean the destruction of Great Xia, its absorption into Great Sui.

Absorbed into Great Sui, even if it meant resisting the demon horde.

But who would want to be cannon fodder? Who would want to be utterly drained?

The emperor's face was full of excitement, but when he saw the tears in Duke Yuan's wife's eyes, the excitement in his heart faded.

Great Xia's war banner was planted on No-Return City, but when would Great Xia's soldiers return?

In a few more days, the demon horde would again attack No-Return City. How many more days could No-Return City hold?

The emperor of Great Xia did not want his people to hear the bell tolling for the fall of No-Return City again.

...

In the following days, Qi Yuan often saw Zhang Sheng and Chen Jiao staggering as they buried the corpses in the city.

The aura of the two men grew weaker and weaker, almost like a thread of breath.

Yet both seemed to hold onto a single breath, never falling.

"Cough, cough, if the demon horde doesn't come soon, I'll die," Chen Jiao sat on the city wall, cursing.

Zhang Sheng also knew his end was near: "Before I die, I have to kill at least one demon!"

That way, he wouldn't lose out.

In the final days, the two no longer buried the corpses. They kept their last breath, guarding Great Xia's war banner.

After an unknown time, the earth began to tremble.

The two on the wall suddenly perked up.

They struggled to stand, looking out at the yellow sand filling the sky.

In the sand, about seven or eight hundred massive demons were charging toward them.

Like giant elephants stampeding, dust and sand flying.

Such a powerful demon legion, if it charged into a mortal army, would tear it apart in an instant.

Against such demons, No-Return City was indefensible.

Zhang Sheng's face showed no fear. He raised his bowl: "Drink this wine with me!"

Chen Jiao downed his wine in one gulp.

The bowl shattered with a crack, breaking into seven or eight pieces.

"Son of a bitch, these demons finally came!"

Zhang Sheng looked up at Qi Yuan, a flicker of regret in his heart.

This young hero had refused to leave, staying here, and now there was no chance to escape.

Chen Jiao cursed, watching the charging demons, his voice choked with tears: "I want to go home. I came in such a hurry, I forgot to geld the pig I was giving to the widow Li next door..."

Qi Yuan looked down at the demons below, a smile appearing in his eyes.

"Finally here?"

He gazed at the demon army, holding his broken sword, standing on the wall.

After a moment's thought, he shouted: "I am the Warden of No-Return City. Whoever trespasses here shall die!"

His voice rang out, reaching the demon ranks.

The demons paid no heed, charging straight at Qi Yuan.

Seeing this, Qi Yuan's face turned cold: "Though you're mad and can't understand human speech, not giving me face still puts me in a bind."

He leaped from the city wall, broken sword in hand.

The thirty-zhang-high wall was like flat ground to Qi Yuan.

Zhang Sheng and Chen Jiao watched, their hearts stirred.

"A pity we're not cultivators, or we'd jump down and fight to the death with that young hero!" Zhang Sheng sighed.

They were mere low-level practitioners, with only shallow skills.

Jumping from such a height would surely kill them.

"Young hero, slay the enemy! We two will walk the Yellow Springs with you!" Zhang Sheng bellowed at the top of his lungs.

That shout seemed to drain all his strength; after it, his spirit flagged.

"Three as company, we won't be lonely!" Chen Jiao also roared.

Qi Yuan heard them and was inwardly speechless. He said slowly: "Sit on the wall and watch me cut down these little monsters one by one!"

"To see the young hero slaughter demons before I die—this life... is not in vain," Zhang Sheng said, his voice faltering.

Now, Qi Yuan held his long sword.

Seven or eight hundred demons, like stampeding elephants, charged at him.

Dust and sand flew, filling his vision with yellow.

Qi Yuan stood on the sand, his long hair streaming, his sleeves flapping.

Heaven-Slashing Sword-Drawing Art!

In that instant, Qi Yuan unleashed a great skill.

Though he was only level 49 now, his previous great skills and small skills still remained.

He was actually a little curious now.

At every ten levels, every thirty levels, could he awaken other skills?

Pushing aside such thoughts, Qi Yuan threw himself entirely into killing the enemy.

"Kill!"

Qi Yuan leaped up, and the supremely domineering broken sword descended from the sky.

A single stroke fell from above, like a towering divine statue collapsing.

Boom!

Sword aura surged, the yellow sand split in two; hundreds of demonic fiends were swept by the sword aura, their bodies shattered, flesh and blood mangled.

The dead fiends vanished into nothingness in an instant.

One sword stroke, slaying ninety-seven demonic fiends.

Qi Yuan, holding the broken sword, walked slowly toward the fiend army: "Small fry, you should lower your heads and line up for me to cut."

On the city wall, Zhang Sheng and Chen Jiao stared wide-eyed.

What had they seen?

One sword stroke killing nearly a hundred demonic fiends?

Such... strength... was too terrifying.

This was no mere commander—this was clearly a regional overlord!

A regional overlord, going to Great Xia, could be directly enfeoffed as a marquis!

Zhang Sheng and Chen Jiao were utterly stunned.

They had never imagined that this somewhat peculiar young hero was actually a legendary overlord.

The two looked on as Qi Yuan charged into the fiend army.

The broken sword in his hand was like the sharpest divine weapon in the world.

Every fiend he passed received a strike.

"Kill!"

In the Heaven's Peril, Qi Yuan slaughtered thousands.

In the Earth's Peril, he had also fought a bloody battle against nearly three thousand outer-domain demons.

His skill had been honed to the utmost.

Especially his technique for killing monsters.

And now these fiends, formed into an army, were far easier to slay than the scattered fiends that once roamed the city.

His sword moved like a swimming dragon; every fiend it met was doomed!

Kill, kill, kill!

Yellow sand filled the sky, blinding Qi Yuan's eyes.

He, alone with his broken sword, defended the lonely city.

He charged into the fiend army, three times in and three times out.

All who saw him, all who touched him, all who heard him—he slew them all.

The mighty fiend army was utterly routed by him alone.

Dusk arrived; Qi Yuan, holding his broken sword, his robes spotless, looked at the last wounded Bone Fiend trying to flee.

"Don't run, face me in an honorable duel!"

"Oh, wounded, don't want to fight?"

"Here, a Blood Vitality Pill to heal you."

"Forgot, you're a skeleton—can't vitalize blood."

A flash of sword light, and the last Bone Fiend died beneath his blade.

Qi Yuan picked up the broken sword, as he always did, and gently blew off the blood droplets left from the battle.

The wind and sand blew past; Qi Yuan stood on the vast desert, then turned and walked back.

A pity—there was only the vast desert, no lone smoke, no round sun over the long river.

(End of this chapter)