This is a cultivation game, but the operation is bad

After giving his haphazard orders, Jiang Liu stopped caring and simply closed his eyes to rest, trying to avoid getting caught up in the chaos, figuring he'd have to make his move sooner or later anyway.

We can't just let him AFK until the end, can we?

Before he could even sit down cross-legged, the sounds of battle coming from outside the city grew increasingly fierce. The barely audible sound of sword energy cutting through the air was gradually drowned out by the roars of the demon soldiers and the screams of the cultivators.

Jiang Liu's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly flew out to take a look. What he saw made his pupils shrink.

The demonic army outside the city didn't attack in batches at all; instead, they surged forward wave after wave like an endless tide.

From the human shield formation of demon soldiers in the Nascent Soul stage, to the demon general in the Integration stage personally leading the team to break through the formation, and then to the demon general in the Tribulation stage floating in mid-air, constantly releasing large-scale demonic powers to bombard the city walls.

The dense, dark shadows blocked out the sunlight, and crimson demonic energy seeped into the city walls through the cracks. Even the city lord's mansion could smell a pungent stench of blood.

The overseas demonic NPCs he had previously killed were nothing compared to the force before him.

"Did the developers spawn all the demonic monsters in the server outside Demon Suppression City?"

Jiang Liu couldn't help but mutter, "This isn't a battle for supremacy; it's clearly a war to exterminate the righteous path!"

You have to understand, there are nine main cities in the Central Plains Hegemony War. If this one is like this, won't the other eight be doomed too?
Demonic Path players: Please, please buff Demonic Path!

Planner: Received, strengthen the NPCs in the Demonic Path!

Although the righteous NPC Ling Xuan Zhenren was at the Great Perfection of the Tribulation Transcending Realm, the golden light emanating from his whisk could barely block the combined attack of several Tribulation Transcending Demon Generals.

However, most of the other NPCs around him had already perished, and blood kept seeping from the wound on his shoulder, turning his white robe into a blood-stained one, and even the fluff on his whisk was charred black by the demonic energy.

The arrow towers on the left flank, which were already more than half destroyed, have now been completely demolished by the assault team led by the Demon Commander. The Nascent Soul cultivators guarding the left flank fought desperately, but fell like wheat being harvested.

The array base on the right flank was even more precarious. The array base, which was covered with demon-suppressing patterns, had been blasted into several cracks by demonic power, and its golden light had dimmed.

Several Nascent Soul stage cultivators responsible for guarding the array base used their own spiritual energy to infuse the array base with their own spiritual energy in order to repair the cracks.

Those cultivators who were originally fighting separately were now surrounded and divided by the demon soldiers. Even the NPCs in the Tribulation Transcending stage were entangled by several demon generals of the same level and had no time to take care of themselves, so they had no way to take care of other defense zones.

The once orderly defensive line is now in disarray, riddled with gaps, and demonic energy is spreading into the city through these gaps, causing the light of the demon-suppressing pillars at the city gate to dim.

"No way? They couldn't hold on that quickly?"

Jiang Liu clicked his tongue in amazement. He thought these NPCs in the Tribulation Transcending stage could hold out for a while longer, but he didn't expect them to be in such a miserable state in less than half an hour.

He subconsciously gripped the Righteous Qi Sword in his hand, his body surging with golden sword energy, eager to rush out and wreak havoc.

However, the system dog won't allow it!

Just then, a system notification exploded in his mind without warning.

[System Notification: Multiple breaches detected in the Demon Suppression City defense line; cultivator casualty rate exceeds 20%; array base durability is less than 30%; player Jiang Liu's command strategy has been deemed flawed; 1000 Guardian Merit Points will be deducted for the first time.]

[System Prompt: If the defense line continues to deteriorate, an additional 500 Guardian Merit Points will be deducted every ten minutes. If the cumulative deduction exceeds 10000 points, the prerequisite for the mission penalty will be triggered directly. If the main city ultimately falls, your cultivation level will drop by an additional major realm!]

Jiang Liu: “????”

Jiang Liu: “!!!!”

Upon hearing the system notification, he was stunned. It took him a full three seconds to realize what the system had said, and he immediately exploded.

"Fuck your mother!"

"What does this mean?!"

Jiang Liu was so angry that his face turned green.

It was you who wouldn't let me make a move!

You said the lead guardian would be stationed at the city lord's mansion to coordinate and command!
Now that we're about to lose, you're blaming me?
And you're deducting my merit points? Do I even have any merit points to deduct?!
It's day!

Jiang Liu grew angrier the more he thought about it. So, they weren't allowed to take action, and if they didn't command well, they would lose merit points. If they lost too many, they would be punished. This mission was simply outrageous!

Just as Jiang Liu was getting furious, his cheat code finally finished loading!
next second.

A semi-transparent blue interface suddenly popped up in front of Jiang Liu's eyes, with the words "Demon Suppression City Defense Fortification Control Panel" displayed on it.

[System Notification: The main city's defenses are on the verge of collapse. Emergency construction permission for defensive works has been unlocked. You can consume spirit stones to build arrow towers and set up immortal arrays to strengthen your defenses.]

Jiang Liu: “.”

He didn't understand any of the nonsense; he only understood four words.

Consume spirit stones!
Jiang Liu's eyes lit up immediately, and he looked over.

The interface is divided into two sections: the left side is the arrow tower construction area, and the right side is the formation deployment area. Each section lists defensive works of different levels, with prices ranging from low to high and effects varying greatly.

[In the arrow tower construction area]

[Tier 1 Demon-Suppressing Arrow Tower: Priced at 100,000 spirit stones, fires three golden arrows at a time, dealing instant-kill damage to Nascent Soul stage and below demon soldiers, and 30% damage to Fusion stage demon soldiers]

[Tier 2 Demon-Slaying Arrow Tower: Priced at 500,000 Spirit Stones. The arrows have a piercing effect and can attack five targets simultaneously. It deals instant-kill damage to Nascent Soul stage demon soldiers and 20% damage to Tribulation stage demon generals.]

[Tier 3 Demon-Burning Arrow Tower, priced at 2 million spirit stones. The arrows are imbued with Demon-Burning True Fire, which burns demonic energy and deals 40% damage to Demon Generals in the Integration Stage. It can clear large-scale hordes of demon soldiers.]

[Tier 4 Immortal Slaying Arrow Tower, priced at 10 million spirit stones. Each arrow can condense ten thousand golden rays, ignoring 50% of the defense of demonic units, and dealing 50% damage to demonic units in the Tribulation Transcending stage.]

"It's here! It's here!"

Upon seeing this familiar pay-to-win feature, Jiang Liu couldn't help but grin.

He wasn't happy; he was just thinking that the planned pressure to spend money was finally coming, albeit late!
There are four types of arrow towers, the cheapest costing 1000 spirit stones and the most expensive costing 10 million spirit stones!
As long as we build these arrow towers, and build more of them, we will definitely be able to hold back the demonic tide!
Okay, so here's the question: who pays?
Damn, who else could it be but me!

Jiang Liu grinned. "The most expensive arrow tower costs 1000 million spirit stones. What about the formation?"
He then looked towards the formation area.

The formation deployment area is also divided into four levels.

[Tier 1 Demon-Suppressing Array: Priced at 150,000 spirit stones, covering a range of 100 meters, it can suppress demonic energy within the circle and increase the defense of righteous cultivators by 10%]

[Second-Tier Demon-Slaying Array: Priced at 600,000 spirit stones, covering a range of 500 meters, suppressing demonic energy and continuously damaging demonic units within the circle]

[Tier 3 Demon-Burning Array: Priced at 2.5 million spirit stones, covering a range of 1000 meters. The Demon-Burning True Fire continuously burns, quickly clearing out clumps of demonic soldiers. It has a suppressive effect on demonic units below the Integration Stage.] [Tier 4 Immortal Array: Priced at 10 million spirit stones, covering a range of 5,000 meters. Righteous cultivators within the array have all attributes increased by 50%, and damage against demonic units is increased by 50%.]

[Note: All arrow towers and immortal formations constructed are only effective during the Central Plains Domination War and will automatically dissipate after the war. Spirit stones will not be refunded.]

"Good heavens, I'm such a good heavens."

Jiang Liu stared at the prices on the interface, especially the two top-tier projects costing ten million spirit stones. His lips twitched violently, and he felt terrible.

Are these arrow towers and formations expensive?
It's really not expensive.

But it's really not very effective!

A single arrow tower or formation is almost useless unless you build a dozen or more at once.

One costs 1000 million spirit stones, so ten would cost 1 million spirit stones!
That adds up to an astronomical price.

"You're such a damn swindler, planner!"

Jiang Liu couldn't help but curse. They were just waiting to swindle his spirit stones by not letting him make a move, weren't they?

With his combat prowess, he alone is worth at least several hundred fourth-tier arrow towers and formations!
If you seal him away, then the only option is to spend money.

"Sigh, forget it, I'm awesome. I'll accept my 'Krypton King' title, okay?"

Jiang Liu sighed, but there was nothing he could do.

If the defenses collapse and the main city is lost, the punishment is far more severe than using kryptonite.

He couldn't bear losing any of his merit points, dropping two major realms, having his Haoran Demon-Suppressing Armor sealed, having his jewelry set's attributes halved, and being stripped of his status as a director of the Taiyi Immortal Alliance.

In contrast, spirit stones can be farmed again, but losing your realm and equipment is truly a return to square one.

He opened his storage ring panel and counted the spirit stones he had accumulated from fighting monsters overseas.

I've spent the past month killing demonic NPCs overseas, and I've managed to rack up several hundred million spirit stones here and there, but it seems I can't keep them all.

"Alright, alright, let's just consider it offering incense to the planner!"

Jiang Liu gritted his teeth, cursing under his breath, but his hands didn't slow down at all.

He first glanced at the breach in the city wall. The left wing arrow towers were completely destroyed, the right wing array base was damaged, and the demon-suppressing pillar at the city gate was still being bombarded. He immediately decided to defend these three key positions first.

"First, build ten Tier 3 Demon-Burning Arrow Towers and five Tier 4 Immortal-Slaying Arrow Towers at the gap on the left flank!"

Jiang Liu's fingers flew across the interface, and with each tap, the spirit stones in his storage ring dwindled, causing him considerable pain.

[System Notification: Consume 20 million spirit stones to construct 10 Tier 3 Demon-Burning Arrow Towers, and consume 50 million spirit stones to construct 5 Tier 4 Immortal-Slaying Arrow Towers]

As the system notification sounded, golden light suddenly burst forth from the gap on the left wing outside the city, and ten Demon-Burning Arrow Towers, entirely made of Demon-Suppressing Stone, rose from the ground. The towers were carved with Demon-Burning Patterns, and golden true fire burned at their tops.

As soon as it took shape, it began to operate, shooting arrows imbued with true fire towards the tide of demon soldiers below. Each arrow that fell could kill a group of Nascent Soul stage demon soldiers. Even demon generals in the Integration stage would be scorched by the true fire and forced to retreat repeatedly, screaming in agony.

Immediately afterwards, five Immortal Slaughtering Arrow Towers, several times taller than the Demon Burning Arrow Towers, slowly took shape. The towers shone with golden light, and thick golden arrow beams condensed at their tops, locking onto the Nascent Soul stage demonic NPC who was carving the array.

Five golden beams shot out from the sky, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound that tore through space, instantly piercing the chests of the three fusion-level demon generals!

In an instant, the demonic path suffered heavy casualties!
This is the power of krypton gold!

Under the onslaught of 7000 million arrow towers, a large portion of the demonic army on the left flank was instantly wiped out. The demonic soldiers who were about to rush into the city were firmly suppressed outside the city by the arrows from the towers and could no longer advance.

Upon seeing this, the righteous cultivators who were fighting a bitter battle on the left flank were first stunned, then overjoyed. Their previously low morale instantly soared, and they brandished their magical weapons to charge at the demon soldiers, quickly stabilizing the defenses on the left flank.

"Holy crap, my 7000 million spirit stones are awesome!"

Jiang Liu was overjoyed at the sight, and then looked at the damaged array base on the right flank. Without saying a word, he spent money on the array again.

【系统提示：消耗500万灵石布设2座三阶焚魔阵，消耗1000万灵石布设1座四阶万仙阵，剩余灵石200万】

On the right flank outside the city, two golden array light curtains suddenly enveloped the damaged array base. The true fire within the Demon Burning Array raged, and the demon soldiers who rushed in were burned to ashes as soon as they stepped into the array.

The Ten Thousand Immortals Formation shone with golden light, not only protecting the damaged formation base but also enveloping the surrounding righteous cultivators. The cultivators felt their spiritual energy surge, their attributes greatly improved, and the situation was instantly reversed.

The Demon-Suppressing Pillar at the city gate was still being bombarded by several Tribulation-Transcending Demon Generals. Upon seeing this, Jiang Liu took out 3000 million spirit stones and built three fourth-tier Myriad Immortal Towers, specifically targeting the Tribulation-Transcending Demon Generals who were bombarding the Demon-Suppressing Pillar.

Even Jiang Liu felt a pang of pain at having to spend 1 million spirit stones in one go. He couldn't help but curse, "You damn game planner! I worked hard to farm spirit stones for a whole month, and you just empty my pockets like that. Next time, can you just say it's for real money? Stop with all these roundabout ways. You're driving me crazy!"

Despite his cursing, Jiang Liu breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the situation outside the city gradually stabilize.

Arrow towers continuously fired arrows, clearing away the endless waves of demonic soldiers. The array covered the key defense area, protecting the cultivators and the array base. The originally fragmented defense line was actually repaired little by little and even became stronger than before, thanks to the defensive fortifications built with real money.

When the demonic army outside the city saw their offensive suddenly halted, and with the arrow towers and formations proving so powerful, the demonic soldiers suffered heavy casualties, with many Nascent Soul stage demon generals being severely injured, and their morale gradually plummeted.

The leader, a demon general at the peak of the Tribulation Transcending stage, was surrounded by surging demonic energy. Looking at the arrow towers and formations on the city wall, his eyes were filled with ferocity. He hadn't expected the righteous path to have such a trump card. He roared, "Damn it! These righteous cultivators actually have such bizarre defensive methods! Keep charging! At all costs, dismantle those arrow towers, break those formations, and raze Demon Suppression City to the ground!"

With the roar of the demon general who had reached the Great Perfection of Tribulation, the demon army launched another fierce attack, rushing towards the Immortal Slaughtering Arrow Tower on the left flank. Once the arrow tower was destroyed, the defensive line would naturally collapse again.

Dozens of fused demon generals led the way, followed closely by several tribulation-crossing demon generals. Their demonic energy condensed into giant demonic blades, which they slashed at the Immortal Execution Arrow Tower, attempting to forcibly destroy it.

"Well done!"

Jiang Liu could see everything clearly from the city wall, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

The Tier 4 Immortal Slaying Arrow Tower he built with real money isn't so easily destroyed. If a Tier 4 tower costing 10 million spirit stones could be destroyed so easily, he'd be cursing.

As expected, when the demon general and demon commander's demonic blades struck the Immortal Slaughtering Arrow Tower, they only sparked a few fireflies and didn't even leave a scratch. Instead, they triggered the arrow tower's counterattack mechanism.

The five Immortal Slaughtering Arrow Towers simultaneously locked onto one of the Tribulation Transcending stage demon generals, and five arrow beams condensed with ten thousand golden rays were shot out at the same time, reaching the demon general in an instant.

Swish!
The five lights converged into one, instantly killing the demonic NPC in the Tribulation Transcending stage!

This is the power of 5000 million spirit stones!

Terrifying indeed! (End of Chapter)