I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

"What?!" The Blackrock City Lord abruptly stood up, his refined face revealing undisguised shock and anger for the first time. "That demonic shadow is moving this way? And there are demonized beasts and monsters charging in?"

The hall erupted in chaos.

"How is this possible! Didn't that monster just manifest? How could it act immediately?"

"The mutated monsters... must be due to the leakage of the evil energy from that cursed formation, corrupting the creatures of the desolate hills!"

"What should we do? The demonic shadows are in front, and the demonic tide is behind; Blackrock City is in grave danger!"

"City Lord, immediately activate the highest-level city defense array and summon all cultivators to the city walls to defend against the enemy!"

"Evacuate! An immediate evacuation is necessary! Get as many people as possible out!"

The crowd was in an uproar, with some panicking, others insisting on holding out to the death, and still others suggesting evacuation. It was a complete mess.

"Silence!" The Black Rock City Lord slammed his hand on the table, unleashing the oppressive aura of a Pseudo-Core Formation cultivator that instantly silenced all the noise. His face was ashen, and his gaze swept over the crowd before finally settling on Lu Zhao. He said in a deep voice, "Young friend Lu, the news you brought has been confirmed. The situation is urgent. I wonder if you would be willing to lend a helping hand to Black Rock City? The Earth Origin Sect and Black Rock City have a long-standing relationship. At this critical moment, we hope you will not hesitate to lend a helping hand."

What he valued was not only Lu Zhao's peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, but also his identity as a disciple of the Earth Origin Sect who had personally experienced the Desolate Hill Incident, which might provide more useful information.

Lu Zhao hesitated for a moment, then clasped his hands and said, "You flatter me, City Lord. The Netherworld Sect is acting against the will of Heaven, and as a disciple of the Earth Origin Sect, I should do my part. But I wonder what strategies you and the other seniors have to defend against them? That demonic shadow is incredibly powerful and far beyond our ability to defeat."

Seeing Lu Zhao's statement, the Black Rock City Lord's expression softened slightly. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and quickly said, "Young friend Lu is absolutely right. The true form of the demonic shadow will be dealt with by the two True Immortals from the Xuan Tian Sword Sect and Yun Meng Sect who have arrived. The most urgent task is to resist the impending tide of demonized beasts and investigate the demonic shadow's movements. I, the City Lord, have decided: First, immediately activate the city's protective array, the 'Black Rock Profound Light Array,' at its highest alert level and operate it at full capacity, sparing no expense in supplying spirit stones! Second, conscript all cultivators above the fifth level of Qi Refining within the city and incorporate them into the city's defense sequence, taking turns to stand guard on the city walls. Those who disobey will be executed! Third, organize manpower to quickly transfer and evacuate the mortals and low-level cultivators within the city to 'Maple Forest Town' in the rear through secret passages. Fourth, dispatch elite scout teams to the edge of the desolate hills to investigate the demonic shadow's movements and the scale of the demonic tide, and be sure to bring back accurate intelligence!"

He acted with clarity and decisiveness, displaying the composure of a city lord. Although the heads of the various families and the leaders of the merchant guilds still looked grave, none of them objected; clearly, this was the safest strategy at the moment.

"Young friend Lu," the Black Rock City Lord looked at Lu Zhao, his gaze sincere yet pleading, "you possess profound cultivation and have some understanding of the situation in the Desolate Hills. I would like to request that you lead an elite scout team to investigate the movements of the Demon Shadows and the Demon Tide. This mission is extremely dangerous, but crucial to the overall defense of the city. Are you willing to undertake this task? I am willing to personally offer three 'Jade Marrow Pills,' a high-grade defensive magic weapon, the 'Mystic Turtle Shield,' and five thousand low-grade spirit stones as a reward!"

The Jade Marrow Pill is a top-grade healing and recovery elixir, greatly beneficial to Foundation Establishment cultivators. A high-grade defensive magic artifact is even more precious. Five thousand low-grade spirit stones are no small sum either. The Black Rock City Lord has truly spared no expense.

Lu Zhao's mind raced. The reconnaissance mission was indeed dangerous, but it didn't involve directly confronting the terrifying demonic shadow; rather, it involved observing from the perimeter. With his divine sense and agility, as long as he was careful, the danger was relatively controllable. Moreover, he genuinely needed to personally confirm the situation outside, to see the extent of the demonic shadow's power and the scale of the demonic tide, as this was crucial to the next move. More importantly, staying in this chaotic city might not be safer than being outside. Fortune favors the bold, and the reward offered by the Black Rock City Lord was quite tempting.

"This junior is willing to go." Lu Zhao nodded in agreement without much hesitation.

"Good!" The Blackrock City Lord's spirits lifted. "Without further ado, I'll arrange the men immediately. Meet at the West Gate in an incense stick's time!"

Soon, a scout team of ten was assembled. In addition to Lu Zhao, there were two mid-Foundation Establishment captains from the Blackrock City Guard, and seven experienced late-Qi Refinement veteran scouts. The Blackrock City Lord personally prepaid half of the reward (one Jade Marrow Pill, a Xuan Turtle Shield, and two thousand spirit stones) to Lu Zhao, and gave him a "mother-child communication talisman" that could be used to contact the main array plate in the city at any time and transmit simple messages.

After an incense stick has burned, at the West Gate.

The heavy city gates were not fully opened, only a crack allowing a few people to pass through. Lu Zhao led his nine team members, slipping out of the city as silently as cats.

Outside the city, the atmosphere was completely different from inside. A faint, unsettling chill permeated the air, a thin wisp of demonic energy drifting from the direction of the desolate hills. In the distance, the enormous, writhing, terrifying demonic shadow was still clearly visible, radiating a chilling pressure. And, at an extremely slow pace, imperceptible to the naked eye but detectable by divine sense, it seemed to be "drifting" towards Blackrock City. Below the demonic shadow, in the forests surrounding the desolate hills, billowing dust rose, and the faint roars of countless monstrous beasts echoed, along with… a chilling, eerie sound, as if countless people were wailing simultaneously.

"So that's... mutated monsters and... zombies?" A veteran at the late stage of Qi Refining swallowed hard, his voice hoarse.

"Silence!" The leader, a mid-Foundation Establishment stage captain surnamed Zhao, a stern-faced middle-aged man, barked, "Conceal your auras and stick close to Senior Lu! Our mission is reconnaissance, not combat! Try to avoid the main force of the demonic tide and ascertain their routes, scale, and the movement speed of the demonic shadows!"

"Yes!" the crowd responded in hushed tones, following closely behind Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao unleashed his full divine sense, covering an area of ​​several miles. At the same time, he fully activated the "Turtle Breathing Technique," suppressing his aura to the extreme. He even released a wisp of annihilating dragon energy to simulate the "dead stillness" of the surrounding environment, minimizing the risk of being detected by the demonized creatures. Like a ghost in the darkness, he led his team, using the terrain and vegetation for cover, cautiously stealthily making their way towards the direction from which the demonic tide was approaching.

The closer one gets to the barren hill, the denser the demonic energy in the air becomes, carrying a corrosive and mind-disrupting power. Unnatural withering and decay begin to appear on the ground. Some weak insects and plants either die quickly under the erosion of the demonic energy or undergo bizarre transformations, such as vines growing mouthparts or beetles growing bone spurs.

Along the way, they encountered several small, scattered groups of mutated demonic beasts. There were demonic wolves with bloodshot eyes, missing fur, and protruding muscles; demonic boars with bloated bodies, protruding tusks, and who had lost their minds; and even a few mutated birds with all their feathers gone and their flesh rotting, yet still able to fly. They had completely lost their intelligence, possessing only the instinct to devour and destroy, and were frantically attacking any living thing in their sight.

Lu Zhao didn't make a move; he simply led his squad to keep a safe distance. These scattered demonic creatures would be handled by the Blackrock City guards. Their targets were the main force of the demonic tide and the demonic shadow.

After traveling about thirty miles, they could clearly hear a rumbling sound like muffled thunder coming from ahead—the sound of countless demonic beasts galloping about, mixed with various frenzied roars and eerie whimpers. The air was filled with a strong stench of decay and putrefaction.

Lu Zhao signaled his team to lie in ambush behind a rocky slope. He cautiously extended his divine sense forward.

Several miles ahead, in a relatively open valley, a dense swarm of demonic beasts, like a black tide, surged toward Blackrock City, accompanied by billowing dust! Their numbers numbered well over ten thousand! Among them were many already ferocious first and second-tier demonic beasts, now demonized. Even more terrifying, mixed in with the beast tide were many twisted, stiff, and rotting "human figures"—human cultivators and mortals corrupted by demonic energy, devoid of their minds, and transformed into walking corpses! They mingled with the demonic beasts, exuding the same savage aura.

Behind the beast tide, in the distant sky, the terrifying demonic shadow became even clearer. It wasn't a complete dragon form, but rather a gigantic monster constantly twisting and tumbling, composed of dark red blood light, gray-black malevolent energy, rotting flesh, and grotesque bone spurs; the general outline of a dragon could barely be discerned. It seemed to be slowly "growing," or rather, "adapting" to this nascent demonic body. Its movement was slow, but every step (or rather, every wriggle) shook the earth, radiating a chilling pressure that sent shivers down one's spine.

"The demonic tide numbers... over ten thousand, including numerous first and second-tier demonic beasts, mixed with a large number of demonic human corpses... The demonic shadows are moving slowly, but their direction is definitely towards Blackrock City. It is estimated that... around noon tomorrow, the vanguard will reach the city." Lu Zhao quickly and concisely transmitted the information he had gathered back to Blackrock City via a mother-child communication talisman.

As soon as the information was sent out, a sudden sense of alarm arose in his mind!

"Watch out! Take cover!" Lu Zhao shouted in a low voice, and at the same time, he retreated rapidly, pushing away two veteran scouts who were a little slower to react.

"Hey——!"

A sharp, piercing cry, filled with madness, rang out. Suddenly, three enormous black shadows pounced out from a dense forest shrouded in demonic energy to the side! They were three demonic birds with wingspans exceeding two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters), most of their feathers missing, revealing black, rotting flesh, and crimson ghostly flames burning in their eye sockets! They moved with lightning speed, carrying a thick, pungent stench of demonic energy, and charged straight at the scout team!

"It's a second-tier demonized 'Iron Claw Eagle'! Form the formation!" Captain Zhao's expression changed drastically, and he shouted sharply. He and another captain instantly summoned their magical artifacts, a sword light and a bronze mirror, to meet the attacking demonic bird.

However, these three demonized iron-clawed eagles were too fast and fearless. Two of them entangled the two captains, while the other swooped down, its sharp claws flashing with dark light, and grabbed at a veteran scout who had just been pushed away by Lu Zhao and was still unsteady on his feet!

"No!" The veteran stared in horror at the claws that were rapidly enlarging in his eyes, but it was too late to dodge.

At this critical moment—

"laugh!"

A highly refined gray-gold finger strike, arriving after the attack, landed precisely on the demonic bird's claws.

"Pfft!" The claws shattered instantly, spraying out dark red, putrid blood. The demonic bird let out a shrill scream, its attack momentarily halted.

Lu Zhao's figure appeared in front of the old soldier like a ghost. He stretched out his right hand, and his palm, covered with the phantom of gray-gold dragon scales, grabbed the other claw that the demonic bird was grabbing. The annihilation dragon energy surged into him!

"Destroy!"

The massive body of the demonic bird trembled violently, the crimson ghost fire in its eyes dimmed instantly, and then, as if all its strength had been drained, its massive body plummeted straight down from the sky, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust before falling silent.

The other two demonic birds, who were fighting the captain, seemed to sense the death of their companion. They let out an even more frantic shriek, abandoned their opponents, and pounced on Lu Zhao!

Lu Zhao's eyes turned cold. Instead of retreating, he advanced, unleashing both hands simultaneously. His Annihilation Finger Force crisscrossed, instantly enveloping the two demonic birds.

A few breaths later, the dust settled. The three second-tier demonic iron-clawed eagles had all turned into corpses, and their remaining demonic energy rapidly dissipated under the erosion of the Annihilation Dragon Qi.

The two captains and seven veteran scouts stared in awe and shock at the rapidly dying, rotting carcasses of the demonic birds on the ground, then at Lu Zhao, whose expression remained calm as if he had merely swatted a few flies. This Senior Lu was far more terrifying than they had imagined! He had dealt with three ferocious second-tier demonic birds so easily!

"Thank you so much for saving my life, senior!" The rescued veteran knelt down with a thud, tears of gratitude streaming down his face.

"Get up! This place is no place to stay any longer. The appearance of the demonic bird means that we may have been discovered or have approached the warning range of the demonic tide. Retreat immediately and return to Blackrock City!" Lu Zhao said in a deep voice, but his gaze went past the demonic bird's corpse and looked at the sky in the distance.

There, more and more powerful demonic flying creatures seemed to be faintly visible in the demonic energy.

What's more troublesome is that he vaguely sensed that the slow-moving, enormous demonic shadow seemed to... rotate extremely slightly in their direction.