Danwu Refining Spirit

Chapter 257 The Lonely Figure in the Night

Ten thousand miles away, in the city of Wuyou.

Having just repelled an enemy attack, Sheng Xueyan sat on the city wall, utterly exhausted.

She is now a Martial Saint, but she has only recently entered the realm and is not yet familiar with the various changes that occur to a Martial Saint.

At the outset of the war, she was ordered to form a combat unit and lead a team of soldiers in a bloody charge against the enemy.

The soldiers in the war department changed wave after wave, but she relied on the help of the Sheng family to stand firm throughout the war.

As the war escalated and the fighting intensified, Sheng Xueyan also grew rapidly.

Over the course of three years, in order to prevent the death of this beloved daughter of the family, the Sheng clan invested countless cultivation resources in her.

With the infusion of massive resources and unparalleled secret techniques, several months ago, Sheng Xueyan finally broke through to the Grandmaster level and transformed into a Martial Saint.

However, the Martial Saint realm came far too late and at the worst possible time.

In peaceful times, a martial artist like Sheng Xueyan, who has reached the Martial Saint realm at a young age, would undoubtedly have a bright and limitless future.

But now we live in a chaotic world, where people are treated worse than dogs, and everyone is living hand to mouth.

Don't say you're just a newly promoted Martial Saint. Even if you're a seasoned Emperor-level Martial Artist, who can guarantee you'll live a peaceful and stable life?

The task of guarding Wuyou City was accomplished by the Sheng clan through the efforts of various forces, which secured a relatively safe position for Sheng Xueyan.

After all, without a stable base, it would be too dangerous to lead the troops to fight in the wilderness year after year.

To provide Sheng Xueyan with an extra layer of protection, the Sheng clan mobilized its entire resources, dispatching several Martial Saints to escort her.

Furthermore, they made a solemn promise to recruit several more martial saints from other families with whom they had long-standing ties, bringing the total to ten, and sent them to Worry-Free City as well.

Among them was Heng Duan Yue, the martial saint of the Heng family in Tiannan. Accompanying Heng Duan Yue was another young talent of the Heng family, Heng Feng, whose martial arts cultivation had reached the peak of the Grandmaster level, only one step behind Sheng Xueyan.

However, the Sheng clan did not expect that sending Sheng Xueyan to Wuyou City with all their strength would instead send her to a dead end even faster.

Having a fortified city has many advantages, but it also means losing the advantage of flexibility and mobility.

After receiving news that the Sheng family's beloved daughter was in Wuyou City, the Martial Elders' Association mobilized a large number of people, led by nearly a hundred Martial Saints, to surround Wuyou City completely, vowing to capture Sheng Xueyan alive and use her as leverage to incite the Sheng family to rebel.

It was precisely for this reason that, although the Martial Elders' Association launched several attacks on the city with astonishing momentum, they did not exert their full strength. In addition, the more than ten Martial Saints inside the city fought desperately, which bought everyone a brief respite.

However, for some reason, Sheng Xueyan discovered that since the day before yesterday, the Wu Lao Hui's offensive had suddenly become more intense, showing no signs of holding back.

This sudden change put immense pressure on everyone in the city, forcing them to fight back with all their might. At the cost of two Martial Saints dying and five others being seriously injured, they finally managed to temporarily repel the enemy with the help of the city's protective formation, thus saving Wuyou City from fall.

"But is it any use? You can only hold on for so long, not forever. Will you be so lucky next time?"

Sheng Xueyan sat atop the city wall, her thoughts swirling.

In the darkness of night, her delicate figure appeared so lonely and helpless.

"The fall of the city is inevitable. If I were to fall into the hands of the treacherous members of the Martial Elders' Association, then..."

Sheng Xueyan tried hard to banish this terrible thought from her mind, daring not to think about it anymore.

"If Xiao Chong were here, that would be wonderful. He's someone who's good at creating miracles!"

"But... even if Xiao Chong were really here, would he have a way to help?"

"No... Under the frenzied attack of nearly a hundred Martial Saints, even multiple Xiao Chongs would only add another soul to the tangle..."

Never once did Sheng Xueyan miss Xiao Chong. She deeply regretted passing on her situation to Helian Tieshu.

"Fortunately, Songcui City is thousands of miles away. By the time Xiao Chong arrives, the Wu Elders' army should have already withdrawn..."

The night breeze ruffled Sheng Xueyan's hair, and the heavy night dew quietly dampened her shoulders, but she seemed oblivious.

……

Outside the city, in the camp of the Martial Elders Association.

Elder Liu was extremely displeased, feeling like a volcano was about to erupt in his heart.

As the one with the lowest cultivation level among the twelve elders, he entered the Martial Emperor realm much less quickly than the other elders.

Oh, that's really short, only a little over a hundred years.

He was promoted to Martial Emperor at the age of three hundred, so he is now over four hundred years old.

According to the most accomplished elder, Elder Liu spent the first three hundred years of his cultivation cultivating on a dog.

Elder Liu did not want to supervise the battle in Wuyou, but because of Xu Puti's matter, the Grand Elder had already said at the last high-level meeting that if Xiao Chong could not be defeated, he would be sent to the front line to suffer.

They originally thought that with the Martial Saint leading the team, taking down Xiao Chong would be an easy and straightforward matter. Who would have thought that the Martial Saint Liu Guang was so unreliable, actually betraying them on the battlefield and joining the Longhua Sect.

When the devastating news arrived, none of the twelve elders dared to speak out. The First Elder, enraged, dispatched him to Worry-Free City without further ado. He issued a strict order: if he failed again this time, he should be forced to slit his own throat and hang himself, so that he would never have to live again and be disgraced.

Elder Liu arrived just two days ago, his heart filled with shame, remorse, fragility, and extreme sensitivity. Upon arriving in Worry-Free City, he immediately issued a general attack order, determined to take Worry-Free City in one fell swoop, regardless of the lives of those within.

As dawn approaches and a faint light appears on the horizon, the army, having just returned from a battle, has yet to capture Wuyou City.

This infuriated Elder Liu.

"Useless! You're all useless! Two days have passed, and you still can't even conquer a small city like Wuyou. Is all you do just eat?"

Elder Liu's roar shook the camp: "Listen up, all of you! Pass on my order to attack Wuyou City again immediately! This time I will personally lead the team. If we still fail to take this city, you will all be executed!"

"I am willing to serve the elders, even unto death!"

"The elder's divine skills are unparalleled; with a single strike, he will surely reduce Worry-Free City to ashes!"

The Wu Lao Hui's army had just finished a siege and was exhausted; no one wanted to fight again.

But the elder had given the order, and the crowd had no choice but to muster their spirits and flatter him vehemently, hoping that the elder would feel a pang of pity and take more care of the soldiers' hardships.

However, upon hearing such blatant flattery, Elder Liu not only showed no compassion for the people, but became even more excited, shouting, "Everyone, get ready, let's go!"

The army left the camp and marched once again towards the city of Wuyou.

"Didn't we just have a battle? How come they're back so quickly?" Sheng Xueyan was sitting on the city wall, recalling her past with Xiao Chong in Lianxin City, when she saw this and was immediately shocked.

But when thieves come, we must strike; this is absolutely not the time to reminisce about romance.

Sheng Xueyan suddenly stood up and shouted urgently, "Enemy attack! Prepare for battle!"

The Wuyou City warriors, who were still resting under the city wall, leaped onto the city wall and stood ready for battle, each with a solemn expression on their face.

Everyone knew in their hearts that this might very well be the last battle!