After being reborn, the villain comes with a spoiler tag.

Huo Yu, along with the Spirit Clan army led by Chi Shao, had been marching for two days and two nights.

The black soil beneath our feet is barren, its cracked surface crisscrossing like a dried-up riverbed, with only a few withered shrubs occasionally twisting and reaching towards the sky.

Chi Shao seemed to deliberately avoid all the places where the Spirit Clan lived.

Along the way, all I could see were vast, boundless wastelands and rugged Gobi deserts. I didn't even see a decent village. It was as if the whole world was shrouded in desolation and loneliness.

The toad-like demon beast under Chi Shao's seat was enormous, yet it moved as fast as the wind. The mixed-blood grain dragon that Huo Yu rode on was originally taken in as a spirit pet by Huo Yu because of its speed. Although its speed was not as fast as Huo Yu's own flying speed, it was not slow either.

What surprised Huo Yu the most was the way this army marched. The vast majority of the soldiers in the army led by Chi Shao were at the Golden Core stage, yet the thousands of Spirit Race members formed a single unit after forming a battle formation.

Their steps were perfectly synchronized, each step seemingly resonating with the earth.

The demonic power emanating from each soldier, like strands of silk, intertwined and coiled above the army formation, eventually converging into a visible mass of blood-red malevolent energy.

With the support of this combined power, the army's marching speed was not to be underestimated, not lagging behind the speed of the toad monster and the hybrid grain dragon.

After a relentless march day and night, the outline of a city finally appeared on the distant horizon before sunset on the third day.

The setting sun, like blood, dyed the eastern horizon crimson.

Huo Yu's divine sense spread out around him, and long before his naked eyes could even catch a glimpse of the city's outline, he had already seen a winding, ink-black river stretching across the edge of the wasteland.

The eerie blackness did not originate from the river water itself, but rather from the black rocks beneath the riverbed, which gleamed with a metallic sheen under the setting sun, turning the entire river into a bottomless pool of ink.

Chi Shao's voice came from beside Huo Yu, maintaining its calm tone and the marching speed not slowing down at all:

"Ahead lies the Blackwater River; beyond this river lies Blackwater City."

Huo Yu nodded slightly, his gaze passing over the mysterious black waters and looking towards the city that was faintly visible in the distance.

Beyond the meandering, python-like river, a majestic and imposing black city seems to rise from the depths of the earth. The once turbulent river is split in two by an external force, becoming two tributaries that circle the city before rejoining it in the distance.

Although the walls of Blackwater City are not as towering as those of Xuandu, they are all made of the same black stone, making them appear particularly solemn in the twilight.

The city is surrounded by water on all sides, with the rivers flowing around it forming a natural defensive barrier. The city has only two main gates, one to the north and one to the south, while a black spire stands on the east and west sides, emanating the same demonic energy fluctuations, clearly part of the city's protective formation.

From time to time, spirits would rise from within the city, transforming into streaks of light and flying out of the city, disappearing into the twilight. But all demons wishing to enter the city had to obediently cross the drawbridges in front of the north and south city gates.

It was nearly dusk, and as twilight descended, the sunset painted the Black Rock City Walls with a blood-red hue.

At the south gate, a long line of Spirit Race members patiently waited to enter the city. The north gate, however, remained tightly shut, with heavy iron gates hanging high and the drawbridge retracted and spanning the moat.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chi Shao stood atop the toad-like monster, her posture upright like a javelin, leading the army behind her straight toward the North Gate.

Heavy footsteps echoed across the ground like muffled thunder. The army of thousands of Elven warriors, like a giant beast that had been lying in wait for a long time, slowly approached the city gate with an overwhelming momentum.

Upon arriving at the city gate, Chi Shao raised her hand and made a simple yet powerful gesture. The army behind her stopped in their tracks and fell silent.

A streak of crimson light shot out from her palm like lightning, so fast it almost tore through the air, and flew towards the city wall.

Huo Yu had excellent eyesight and could see that it was a token that was very similar to the identity token on his body, except that the words on it were red, with "Xuan Du" and "Chi Shao" written on the front and back respectively.

The token flew to the top of the city wall, and the soldiers guarding the city made a move in no time.

With a dull thud of chains turning, the heavy drawbridge slowly lowered, spanning the dark moat.

Immediately afterwards, the two heavy city gates, cast from a single piece of black iron, slowly opened under the activation of the mechanism, emitting a thunderous roar.

Chi Shao raised her hand again, making a forward gesture. The toad-like demon beast slowly began to move, like a moving mountain, towards the city gate.

The army behind her followed like a tide, their formation perfectly aligned and their steps perfectly synchronized as they crossed the suspension bridge. The bridge surface did not sway at all as they stepped across.

Beneath the heavy city gate, a squad of black-armored guards stood ready, lined up in neat rows to greet them.

The leading guard commander was a burly and robust man. His armor was engraved with tree-shaped patterns, which exuded a murderous aura and gleamed with a cold light in the twilight.

Upon seeing Chi Shao lead her army into the city, his gaze sharpened, and he immediately strode forward three steps, presenting Chi Shao's identity token with both hands, and bowing his head in salute.

"Welcome, General Chishao!"

His voice echoed like a resounding bell inside the city gate.

As he moved, all the guards on and off the city wall simultaneously placed their left hands on their chests, and hundreds of black-armored guards bowed their heads in salute, the clanging of their armor resounding powerfully.

Chi Shao raised her hand and gestured, and the token transformed into a streak of crimson light and flew back into her palm.

She remained atop the six-eyed toad, looking down at it and asking:

"You've worked hard. Where is the city lord?"

The guard commander maintained his salute and replied in a loud voice:

"General Chuanqiong is currently holding a meeting at the City Lord's Mansion and has specially ordered his subordinates to come and respectfully welcome General Chishao."

Chi Shao nodded slightly, gestured to the army behind her, and then spoke:

"Settle my people in, and then take me to see Chuan Qiong."