Chapter 126: High-End Spirit Swallows (Bonus for Alliance Leader Wuliang Mountain Dormitory Lao Wu 4/10)

This was not something these trial-takers could withstand at this moment.

Even Wei Cheng could not stop it, yet he stood there like a nail driven into the ground. He did not even activate his Immovable Golden Bell, choosing instead to face this terrifying scene head-on.

Because this was also excellent training.

On the ramparts, others were doing the same; this was no secret. The Demon Shadow Curse could be used to temper mind-method visualization diagrams—a fact discovered by many during the sixth stage, from which they had benefited greatly.

However, knowing was one thing, but being able to do it was quite another.

Within just a few seconds, eighty percent of the veteran trial-takers gave up. Another second passed, and ten percent more abandoned the attempt.

When the thousands-of-feet-high wall of fire crashed down like an overturning sea, Wei Cheng was the only one left standing.

"Boom!"

A massive bell toll suddenly rang out from within Cangwu City. A terrifying sound wave instantly shattered the towering wall of fire; the City Lord’s mansion had intervened.

But this was inherently part of the trial mechanism. Forces that exceeded the trial's difficulty threshold would be neutralized by a narrative kill.

As the fire waves were pulverized, the aura of the Demon Shadow Curse shifted from its peak to a decline. It seemed as if everything was over, but this was only the beginning.

Amidst sharp, piercing shrieks, hundreds of giant flaming birds suddenly flew out from the countless magma pits. They were even more powerful than the flaming birds Wei Cheng had slain in the sixth stage.

"Hold steady! Defend! Veteran Mountain-Movers, activate your ultimate!"

Wei Cheng’s voice exploded once more, rousing countless trial-takers from their state of chaos and panic. The Demon Shadow Curse had not yet faded, and the demons had already begun their assault, leaving them at a severe disadvantage.

Fortunately, by this day, any Mountain-Mover worthy of the title "veteran" could activate the ultimate form of the Immovable Golden Bell.

In an instant, at least a hundred veteran Mountain-Movers along the entire eastern rampart activated their ultimate Immovable Golden Bells, firmly shielding the defensive line.

The next second, countless flaming feathers, like spears of fire, tore through the air with shrill whistles and sonic booms, sweeping downward.

In an instant, the entire eastern city wall turned into a sea of fire. The shockwaves from the roaring explosions reached high into the sky, affecting residential areas hundreds of meters inside the city.

This sight left the trial-takers in the South, North, and West cities stunned, cold sweat pouring down their backs.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

In the South City, Liu Wenli cursed several times, his whole body trembling, his heart sinking.

Previously, when Chen Ce had come to ask him to send reinforcements to the eastern defensive line, he had been dismissive and skeptical. But now, after just this one wave, he feared that even if Zhou Wu and his people weren't completely wiped out, they would be severely crippled.

Damn it, going back and forth, they were heading down the same path as Fuyun City.

If the East City fell, this would no longer be a mere demon army siege; it would immediately become the final showdown.

Still hoping for a perfect clear? Still hoping for a high-level clear? Forget it!

"Qi Laosan, you take people to guard the South City! Everyone else, follow me to support those weaklings in the East City. Damn their ancestors, is Zhou Wu really that cowardly?"

Liu Wenli hurriedly rounded up two thousand elite trial-takers to provide support. Regardless of personal grievances or team competition, those had to be set aside.

They absolutely could not let the trial mechanism judge the city walls as fallen; that would be the end of everything!

At the same time, Zhao Xiong in the West City was also rushing over with three thousand of his most elite trial-takers.

It had nothing to do with justice; they just wanted a high-scoring clear. Anyone who still wanted to look out only for themselves at this point was a complete fool.

However, Liu Wenli and Zhao Xiong were too late.

Because it was unnecessary.

After all, the current trial-takers were not that weak, and the massive volley of flaming feathers fired by those hundreds of giant flaming birds was not as powerful as imagined.

Furthermore, Wei Cheng would intervene.

He did not release the ultimate form of the Immovable Golden Bell. Instead, he blanketed the entire field with his incredibly powerful mental energy, deploying an Immovable Golden Bell exactly where it was needed. That was enough to ensure his side remained unscathed.

Although this would instantly drain the inner energy of some Mountain-Movers, it did not matter.

Because the other professions would strike.

When the first wave of explosions subsided and those hundreds of giant flaming birds dived down, they were met by a heaven-shattering roar from Wei Cheng.

Following that, over a thousand Mountain-Movers, who lacked the qualifications to unleash the ultimate Immovable Golden Bell, also let out roars of their own.

Perhaps their individual strength was meager, but the collective power was enough to change the very winds and clouds. Even if they could only slightly alter the diving trajectory of those flaming birds, it was worth it.

The next second, Chen Ce, Xu Shan, and over a hundred Nine-Jiazi Spirit Swallows struck. Their bodies moved like lightning, utilizing the Ladder-Cloud Talisman Seal to leap hundreds of meters into the sky in an instant, "colliding" head-on with the hundreds of giant flaming birds.

Of course, it was not a mere collision. As Nine-Jiazi Spirit Swallows, they had essentially mastered the Ladder-Cloud Vertical to perfection, allowing them to release over a dozen Ladder-Cloud Talisman Seals in a single breath; the most formidable among them could release over twenty.

They were like Wei Cheng among the Mountain-Movers. After all, every profession had its elites.

With the help of the Ladder-Cloud Talisman Seals, they could easily perform gravity-defying, reverse-leaping dodges while flying at high speeds.

They made Einstein’s coffin lid rattle time and time again.

Unless they were truly unlucky and instantly ground into mincemeat by a flaming bird, most of the Nine-Jiazi Spirit Swallows could easily brush past the birds and slay them.

Chen Ce and Xu Shan, who had obtained the mid-grade Dharma artifact Crimson Blood Scimitar, were particularly dazzling.

The two moved left and right, their flight like curved blades and their dodges like drifting clouds. Every time they struck, a giant flaming bird was decapitated.

While the other Nine-Jiazi Spirit Swallows struggled to kill one or two, they had already slain dozens.

Of course, the price was that their Spirit Swallow inner energy was rapidly exhausted, forcing them to flee the battlefield immediately.

They were met with heroic cheers, and as soon as they landed, they were showered with all kinds of supplies to rapidly restore their inner energy.

But this was only one corner of the battlefield, for the entire eastern defensive line was now a battlefield everywhere.

There were still many flaming birds diving down, but while the Nine-Jiazi Spirit Swallows could use the Ladder-Cloud Talisman Seals to circle and engage them at high altitudes, the remaining Spirit Swallow-class members could only coordinate with the Purple Haze and Mountain-Mover professions to launch sieges from the ground.

Casualties were inevitable, especially among the Six-Jiazi and Seven-Jiazi Mountain-Movers, most of whom were new trial-takers who were smashed into puddles of meat before they could even react.

There were those who collapsed and wailed, and those who fled in panic.

But there were also those who stood their ground, engaging and maneuvering against these flaming birds.

In the midst of this chaotic melee, the fresh reinforcements led by Liu Wenli and Zhao Xiong finally arrived. With a single push, they stabilized the situation.

In just a short time, the hundreds of flaming birds were annihilated.

"Where is Wei Cheng? Where is Wei Cheng? He’s so damn powerful, why didn't he strike?"

Zhou Wu, who had just finished fighting a flaming bird head-on and hammered it to death with his bare hands, roared hoarsely. He knew his legion was ruined, and his dream of a legion was completely shattered.

No one answered him, as everyone's attention was drawn to a scene further away.

Outside the eastern city wall, a twenty-meter-tall flaming giant was clutching a giant flaming bird in one hand, devouring it frantically.

Bai Han, Chen Ce, Liu Sui, Xu Shan, Tang Yuanshan, Yu Liang, Mei Renli, and others were glaring at the surroundings, ensuring no one would be accidentally injured.

Well, this was Wei Cheng.

In this short span of time, he hadn't used his standard Mountain-Mover form to fight; instead, he had directly activated the auxiliary ability of the Flaming Ring, transforming into a flaming giant to intercept those flaming birds.

Relying on his height and strength, he had downed over a dozen flaming birds in one go.

Together with Bai Han, Chen Ce, Xu Shan, Liu Sui, Yu Liang, Mei Renli, and others, their team had slain at least a hundred flaming birds!

"Wooooo!"

A low, mournful horn suddenly sounded from the depths of the earth. Before anyone could react, the ground shook violently. Following a series of massive roars, dozens of magma giants crawled out from the enormous abysses, but even more numerous were the thousands of smaller magma monsters.

Some were flaming giant wolves, some were flaming giant apes, some were screaming, rampaging flaming boars, or deer-antlered demons treading on flames, purple-skinned demons like great fireballs, and bone demons covered in flames.

They swarmed in from all directions, attacking not just the eastern rampart, but the South, North, and West walls as well.

It was as if the Battle for the Defense of Cangwu City had begun ahead of schedule.

But the veteran trial-takers knew that this was merely the appetizer.

"Kill!"

Zhou Wu, Qin Douzi, Liu Wenli, Zhao Xiong, and others led their teams out first. None of them bothered to scramble for the corpses of the flaming birds, because this was a full-scale campaign, and those minor individual spoils were truly insignificant compared to the final campaign rewards.

The trial mechanism would not leave loopholes.

One look at "Wei the Fool" was enough—they had abandoned the corpses of over a hundred flaming birds to turn around and charge back into the fray.

With veteran trial-takers leading the charge, the newcomers were no less courageous.

They could not reach the very front, but it was easy for small squads to coordinate and slay the lesser magma monsters individually.

There were those who fled, those with ulterior motives, and those who desperately dug for the hearts of the flaming birds in the back, but in the end, they could not shake the courage and fighting spirit of the majority of the trial-takers.

They were even willing to abandon the advantage of the city walls, leaping out, cloaked in flames, to fight the demons hand-to-hand.

"Ao!"

High in the sky, a heaven-shaking dragon roar erupted, accompanied by a sky full of purple palm shadows and countless purple clouds, which transformed into a purple divine dragon. With a single strike, it descended and killed a magma giant on the spot!

This was Xu Guoliang, a subordinate of Zhou Wu. With the coordination of Mountain-Movers like Zhou Wu and Qu Xiong, he had achieved the first kill of a magma giant.

Xu Guoliang was currently a Seven-Jiazi Purple Haze user, but he had clearly chosen the second fine-tuning path. Combined with the second level of the Purple Haze Mind Method—obtained from an unknown source—and the perfected Roaming Dragon Palm technique, his combat effectiveness was formidable.