Chapter 1598: City of Southwind's Tragic Song

City of Southwind, in the area a thousand miles outside the city, welcomed wave after wave of Other attacks over the next few days. Countless strange and unnerving creatures rushed the defensive line like an endless tide, attempting to break through and sneak into the city to cause even more chaos and death. On the City of Southwind's side were the combined forces of the royal court, Astral Sage College, House Duze, House Luolan and some other powers. They did their best to prevent the Other's incursion from penetrating through their defenses. Merciless and brutal battles erupted all over the area.

Sounds of slaughter and roars intermingled like a symphony, representing heroism and death.

A depressing atmosphere shrouded the place.

Although the Other Disaster was far inferior compared to the ones experienced by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and Qin in terms of scale and level, the feeling of despair amongst the human defenders was much greater. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had been trapped in a stalemate due to the strong foundation of the lineage. Even if the Stygian Rain Other Disaster was exacerbated, no one even fathomed the possibility of the entire bloodline being forced into extinction. At most it would be dragged into a never ending quagmire, constantly consuming resources and lives. For the Xia Kingdom on the contrary... Once the City of Southwind fell, then that would spell the end of the Xia Kingdom. At that point in time, there would be no more forces that could be marshalled to resist the Other Disaster. The territory of the Xia Kingdom would turn into an Other's nest where all living creatures would meet their end in the most horrifying of ways.

Thus there was no path for retreat.

They had to muster up every last ounce of strength.

...

A day of fighting dragged on and it gradually came to an end with the booming of drums. Outside the City of Southwind, countless injured squads retreated like a receding tide into the areas the city had prepared for recovery and recuperation. Cai Wei, Yan Lingqing, Bai Mengmeng brought the specially selected medical personnel from House Luolan to treat the critically injured. The area was filled with cries of pain and suffering.

This tragic scene caused the soft hearted Bai Mengmeng's eyes to well up as they turned red. Cai Wei's expression was also heavy. Just by looking at the overall casualty situation, she could tell that the Other's attack had been far more ferocious than before.

"Elder sister!" Bai Mengmeng suddenly looked ahead, where a black robed squad returned to the city. Their bodies reeked of blood and perhaps the battle with the Others had been too intense, leading to their expressions being terrifying to behold.

However the crowd around them did not show any hints of disgust of fear, and on the contrary, only respect. This was the Devil Hunting Squad of the Astral Sage College who were constantly at the tip of the spear, fighting desperately against the Others. Those who were able to join were not only strong but often had loved ones who had fallen to the Others. Thus they were the most fearless when facing their enemies.

Such individuals were thus most deserving of respect in the current situation.

Bai Mengmeng saw Bai Doudou's figure, as well as the blood splattered Yu Lang who was also radiating a slight aura of corruption.

She hurriedly rushed up, but was then rebuffed by Yu Lang. Cai Wei then directed the bodyguards to sprinkle the light energy infused holy water over them, causing the corruption that afflicted the Devil Hunting Squad to dissipate. Only then did Bai Doudou wave to Bai Mengmeng, as the latter jumped into her embrace.

"Elder sister is fine." When she sensed the girl trembling in her arms, Bai Doudou consoled her.

Bai Mengmeng's eyes looked as though she had been crying and she knew that Yu Lang and the rest had definitely experienced a perilous battle. Deep down, she worried if she would still get to see her sister return every time she went out.

"Mengmeng, don't be scared. Your sister's husband is powerful and everyone in the City of Southwind knows that. The Others are nothing to worry about." Yu Lang grinned. Meanwhile the Devil Hunting Squad members gave him an idolizing smile. "Squad Yu managed to kill a second-grade True Devil this time. That's truly impressive."

The others also burst out with heartfelt praise. A second-grade True Devil was comparable to a second-grade Duke and in the old Xia Kingdom, was strong enough to establish a house of their own. Amidst the chatter, large numbers of troops were returning in waves.

There were golden armored troops at the very front, each equipped with a halberd as resonant power undulations arose into the sky, giving off a strict and imposing demeanor.

Within the golden armored troops were three individuals riding atop Tiger Beasts. The middle of which was the First Princess Gong Luanyu who was garbed in her own suit of armor, giving off a sharp and regal aura.

Even though she was the master of the royal court, during this crisis of life and death, she would ride into the battlefield and fight alongside her men. No matter what, she had relied upon the large amount of accumulated cultivation resources to reach the first-grade Duke stage. This wasn't the inner divine continent and even a single first-grade Duke was considered a first class combatant, comparable to thousands of ordinary troops.

On the left of Gong Luanyu was a middle aged man with a burly body. His arms were bare and riddled with hideous scars, resembling an iron-blooded knight.

This was General Qin Zhenjiang and when Li Luo had left all those years ago, he was a fourth-grade Duke. Now with Gong Luanyu's support, he had entered the fifth-grade Duke stage, becoming the true pillar that held up the royal court in the southern region and also the mightiest combatant. On her right was a similarly well built youth, who resembled Qin Zhenjiang in looks. His face was stoic and his eyes were sharp, clearly beginning to come into his own.

It was Qin Zhulu. Over the last few years, Qin Zhulu had already entered the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage and his reputation had soared through his participation in repeated battles. Everyone said that he had his father's style and would definitely become the new Heavenly Tiger General of the southern region in future. At this point Qin Zhulu's gaze swept across Yu Lang's group as they lit up. He bellowed, "Yu Lang! Bai Doudou!"

His figure then vaulted off his Tiger Beast as he clenched his fist and punched towards Yu Lang.

Weng!

Mighty resonant power undulations exploded outwards, causing the air to shake.

Meanwhile when faced with Qin Zhulu's sudden attack, Yu Lang only yawned as he breathed out, causing a violent gust of air to blow out from his nostrils and sending the former flying dozens of feet away. "Qin Zhulu, on account of once being fellow students, I'll forgive you for offending the majesty of a Duke." Yu Lang proudly spoke as his hands were placed behind his back. The pride and arrogance in his eyes could not be concealed as they were clear for all to see. That said deep in his heart, he was greatly satisfied with this perfect display. A single yawn had sent Qin Zhulu tumbling! In the past, Qin Zhulu was equally domineering, only concerned with Li Luo and never taking him seriously. In the end, he was completely suppressed by Yu Lang without much effort!

What did it mean to be a late bloomer and achieve success after years of hard work? This was it! Qin Zhulu then rushed over as his desire to do battle burned in his eyes. "I'll surpass you sooner or later!"

Yu Lang smirked, "Then you clearly need to open your eyes when you charge. If it was like the last time, running straight into the midst of the Others, you'd have died if you didn't stumble upon me."

Qin Zhulu pouted upon being reminded of that particular incident.

"Squad leader Yu Lang is truly awe-inspiring." At this point, an amused but dignified voice sounded out from behind. First Princess then walked over with Qin Zhenjiang flanking her. As she looked at Yu Lang, she couldn't help but to sigh. When they were both still in the same Sage College, Yu Lang had yet to demonstrate his brilliance. Furthermore he was always lumped together with Li Luo and that fellow shone even more resplendently. With the exception of Jiang Qing'e, everyone else was overshadowed. However in the last few years after Li Luo had left, Yu Lang had gradually started to reveal his luster. In the last two years, he had made monstrous improvements, directly reaching the third-grade Duke stage.

Others were not aware of the real reasons and even more suspected tha Pang Qianyuan had played a part in this.

Regardless, the current Yu Lang was now a peak expert in the Xia Kingdom.

"Greetings Senior Gong." When faced with Gong Luanyu, Yu Lang hurriedly reined in his wild attitude as he greeted her with a chortle.

Hearing his casual greeting which others might have taken to be presumptuous left Gong Luanyu smirking as well. After all, the years she had spent in Sage College were the best years of her life.

Everyone else after that time only bowed in her presence.

The City of Southwind was now under the jurisdiction of the royal court and in the last few years, the First Princess had already won over the hearts of the people. The other powers were also solidly within her control.

Her ability to rally the people even left Pang Qianyuan full of praise, saying that she had surpassed her father. If the Other Disaster had not befallen the Xia Kingdom, the entire kingdom would have been elevated to a new flourishing era. "It must have been tough on you. I represent the royal court to thank everyone for their contributions. I hope that our Xia Kingdom can weather through this crisis and return to a more peaceful and tranquil times. Even if I have to give up my life for it, I wouldn't mind."

First Princess then bowed after sweeping her eyes over the countless injured.

Her humble attitude left everyone moved, with respect and fanaticism seen in their expressions. Clearly after ruling for so many years, she had mastered the art of winning over the people.

"I didn't expect to meet your Majesty here." At this point two figures had arrived. The first was a beautiful lady garbed in a red dress, giving off a winsome charm.

It was the Xia Kingdom's Golden Dragon Bank President, Yu Hongxi. Beside her was a middle aged man with a severe expression. It was House Duze's House lord, Duze Yan. During the tumultuous change to the Xia Kingdom, Duze Yan had led House Duze to follow the First Princess to the south, withdrawing his forces to support her.

Behind him was a male and a female with familiar faces. The female was tall and slender, with fiery red long hair and an indifferent expression. From afar, she resembled a bright rose with thorns.

It was Duze Honglian. Beside her was a tall and thin youth with feminine features. It was her brother, the one who had clashed with Li Luo multiple times, Duze Beixuan. "President Yu, House lord Duze." First Princess then greeted the two newcomers happily. Because of the fight against the Others, she had also maintained a very friendly relationship with all of the peak powers present in the Xia Kingdom.

Furthermore the First Princess revealed very intimate behaviour towards Yu Hongxi, having stepped forward to take her hand, guiding her gently like how she would treat an elder.

During the period where the royal court was stabilizing its foothold, Yu Hongxi had greatly supported the First Princess, allowing her to gradually gather all of the other powers and establish their base.

Thus the First Princess greatly respected and was very close to her.

"Being able to see everyone return safely brings relief to me." She said,

Duze Yan then sighed, "Who knows what tomorrow's battle will be like? If President Yu had not saved me, I might have fallen to a True Devil Other in the battlefield."

"So long as we are able to survive, there will be hope." First Princess pursed her lips before turning to Yu Hongxi. "President Yu, do you have any news about Li Luo?"

Once these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the small circle fell silent as everyone couldn't help but to focus on Yu Hongxi's next words. After all, they were all vaguely aware of his true identity.

Clearly the First Princess had laid her hopes upon him.

Yu Hongxi frowned as she coldly spoke, "Hmph, who cares about that brat. He can come if he wants."

Although on the surface she was just the Xia Kingdom's Golden Dragon Bank President, she held a very unique position in the Golden Dragon Bank. After all, her husband was the leader of the Lu Family of the Golden Dragon Mountain. Thus in the entire Xia Kingdom, if there was someone who was unconcerned about the Other Disaster being capable of threatening their life, it would be her. After all, the Golden Dragon Bank had already prepared a way out for her and even if the Xia Kingdom collapsed, she would be safe.

The reason why her attitude towards Li Luo was so bad was because she had received news from the Golden Dragon Mountain, that her precious daughter had assimilated the Permafrost Sacred Seed and had her emotions sealed away. This caused her great sorrow and naturally she didn't have any good feelings towards Li Luo either. "That damned brat actually caused Qing'er to turn out this way. It was a waste of my time and efforts to help him all those years ago! There isn't a single good thing in the entire House Luolan!" Yu Hongxi angrily fumed to herself. After all, Jiang Qing'e had once tricked her by offering to cancel the engagement in exchange for her help. Seeing her attitude caused the First Princess to no longer dare to ask further.

Weng!

As they spoke, the skies above the City of Southwind roared with energy and as everyone raised their heads, they could see a stream of light headed towards them. At the fore were two individuals, Pang Qianyuan and Lan Lingzi.

Behind them were the mentors of the Astral Sage College.

This included Mi Er, Chi Chan, Cao Sheng and the rest.

What was most surprising was that there were also several other familiar figures present, namely people from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College like Sheng Qiao'er, Ning Meng and Yue Zhiyu! When Lan Lingzi was about to return to the Xia Kingdom to rescue them, she recruited squad members from the Academic Federation. These familiar friends immediately volunteered when they knew of the situation.

They were clearly very interested in the place where Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e had grown up. Sheng Qiao'er, Ning Meng and Yue Zhiyu then appeared with Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing. They knew that House Luolan was Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e's old home and thus they put aside their status as individuals from the inner divine continent, taking the initiative to warm up and befriend these individuals. "Principal Pang, how is the situation on your side?" First Princess then asked respectfully.

Pang Qianyuan's expression was slightly gloomy, "Vice principal Lan Lingzi and I forced the Ichythian King and the Cadaverous King into retreat. We had originally wanted to join forces to kill one of them but we stopped in the end."

"Why?" The First Princess was taken aback by his words. If they could kill one of those Other Kings, the pressure they would face would drastically decrease.

Lan Lingzi calmly replied, "This is because we could sense a third Other King observing us from the shadows. The moment we gave chase, it would ambush us."

These words immediately caused everyone's expressions to change.

"There is a third Other King outside the City of Southwind? Could it be the one of the remaining two Four Pestilence Kings? Haven't they been in hiding for a while?" First Princess turned a little pallid upon hearing those words. Other Kings were terrifying existences and were capable of destroying all of their defenses with just a simple motion. Only King stage experts could resist them.

Pang Qianyuan, "Just because they didn't reveal themselves, doesn't mean they can't. I only hope that this was just a misperception of the two of us. Otherwise considering how their ambush failed, they may choose to attack us head on tomorrow."

Everyone's heart sank. If a third Other King had arrived, then how could the City of Southwind possibly hope to resist?

Could they even survive by relying upon the two Kings Pang Qianyuan and Lan Lingzi? If the defensive lines were shattered, the entire city would succumb to the claws of the Others, all life would suffer under the influence of the immense corruption. "Let's shrink the defensive line tomorrow and see how the situation develops." Pang Qianyuan didn't have any other solutions either as he made his suggestion. The place turned silent as gloomy looks spread across the group.

Pang Qianyuan's depressing news caused the pressure in the city to intensify. Many were unable to sleep that night, staring blankly until the sun began to rise. Dong! Dong!

As the sound of pounding drums resounded through the city, the numerous experts who stood atop the thick and sturdy walls looked into the distance with dismal and dreary eyes. They could see monstrous amounts of corruption unfurling across the skies like a banner. Pang Qianyuan, Lan Lingzi, Vice principal Su Xin, First Princess, Yu Lang and the rest of the strongest experts were standing atop the walls as well. They knew that the moment when the corruption surged forth would be when the Others initiated their next round of attacks. Pang Qianyuan and Lan Lingzi glanced at the corruption which was slowly blotting out the sun as their eyes shrunk. They could sense two terrifying sources of corruption emitted in the distance.

Two figures then appeared in the sky with vast amounts of corruption spilling out of their bodies, as though a black sea was raging behind them.

Ichythian King!

Cadaverous King! Pang Qianyuan and Lan Lingzi were not unfamiliar with them.

However two new figures then walked out of the sea of corruption which roared behind them.

One of them was a beautiful and alluring woman wearing an erotic gauze outfit, revealing its voluptuous figure. Behind it swayed a black fox tail. The other one was a burly man but instead of a head, he had a skull burning with green flames. Pang Qianyuan and Lan Lingzi's expressions changed whereas the rest on the walls felt as though they were plunged into icy water.

"Enchanting Fox King, Demon Witch King! Weren't they supposed to be hiding in the depths of the Other Disaster? How could they all appear here?" First Princess' usually serene and authoritative expression was turning pale as she couldn't help but to slam her fist onto the wall as she lamented. When pitted against such overwhelming force, she wouldn't be able to resist, no matter how much she plotted and planned.

They had still held some hopes from yesterday that it might have just been a mistake of Pang Qianyuan. That there wouldn't be a third Other King but alas, reality was cruel!

There indeed weren't three Other Kings... no, there were four!

The Four Pestilence Kings had once again appeared together after many years! A commotion began to kick up atop the city walls as everyone revealed expressions filled with terror. They no longer had the courage to fight back in such a dire situation.

Even some Dukes were starting to tremble in fright.

Cai Wei bitterly smiled as she sighed, tightly holding Yan Lingqing's shaking hands. She didn't even plan to escape as it was pointless. "All of the Four Pestilence Kings are out." Pang Qianyuan glanced at the figures emanating terrifying corruption fluctuations as he gave a wry smile. "It looks like we can't hold on anymore. Everyone, prepare to retreat."

The First Princess had a pained smirk on her face. Where could they even retreat to? Once the City of Southwind was breached, the morale of the people would plummet. The entire Xia Kingdom would only exist in name after that. "I refuse to retreat!" Yu Lang drew his blade as he roared, his gaze focused upon the countless Others which were gathering in the spreading corruption as he shouted, "To die is to live. We die in battle, without retreat!"

"To die is to live. We die in battle, without retreat!" The rest of the Devil Hunting Squad bellowed out as well.

Bai Doudou tightly clutched her spear as she stood by Yu Lang's side, refusing to retreat. With Yu Lang's declaration to fight to the end, the other experts suppressed the rising fear in their hearts. They knew that there was no path of retreat already and the only choice they had was to struggle to the bitter end.

"To die is to live. We die in battle, without retreat!"

The tragic warcry resounded throughout the City of Southwind, shaking everyone within.

Weng!

Across the horizon, corruption billowed out and surged like a tide, before an earthshaking roar was heard.

An endless number of Others pounced towards the City of Southwind.

The entire world seemed to rumble. Before everyone's eyes, the distorted and warped shapes of the Others were revealed as they approached.

They were all shocked to see that the number of True Devils present had surged in number. In addition, their grades were also higher than before.

Was this the end of days for the Xia Kingdom? Yu Lang tightly clutched his dagger as all of the resonant power within his body erupted. His previously unruly countenance transformed into one filled with feral savagery as he raised his blade and shouted.

"Charge!"

"Charge!"

"Charge!"

Pillars of resonant power shot into the air as all sorts of resonance arts flooded towards their enemies.

However, at that very moment before the Others were about to reach a hundred feet away from the walls, Pang Qianyuan and Lan Lingzi suddenly raised their heads as they looked to the west. An unfamiliar but vast wave of resonant power had erupted in the distance.

This was accompanied by a draconic roar that shook the heavens. The roar was weak at first but a few moments later, it had transmitted through the void and rumbled into the area around them. It was like thunder so loud it could shake the nine heavens.

Roar!

The roar spread through the skies above the City of Southwind. Everyone shuddered, completely shocked by the immense might of the roar.

"What's that?!" Everyone glanced towards the west in trepidation where a violet gold beam of light was streaking towards them at unimaginable speed. A gigantic violet gold dragon that was hundreds of thousands of feet long had appeared! It swept across the sky emitting an unmatched draconic aura as it opened its bottomless maw, spewing out a torrent of dragonbreath that fell upon the world like a massive waterfall. Bang bang bang!

The torrent of dragonbreath was like a divine blade, carving a swathe through the earth and obliterating the horde of Others.

The crowd was then treated to an unforgettable scene. The terrifying Other Tide seemed to have frozen in their tracks at that instant as everything struck by the dragonbreath was turned into crystalline statues. This was irregardless of whether they were True Devils or ordinary Others. All of them had become lumps of shiny stone. This sort of extraordinary power left the experts standing in a daze as their weapons fell from their grip, their mouths ajar. No one had imagined that the Other Tide which was about to overwhelm the City of Southwind would have been transformed into gorgeous crystals instead.

The entire battlefield had fallen silent as the wave of Others halted.

Everyone raised their heads in disbelief as they glanced at the skies above. There, a violet dragon the size of a mountain range was bathed in glorious sunlight, gradually descending towards them like a god. The dragon's head, which was larger than the city walls, appeared right outside as the faces on the wall were reflected in its humongous eyes. Other than Pang Qianyuan, Lan Lingzi and a few others, everyone else was frightened silly by this titanic creature as the aura emitted from it was truly frightening. The walls were silent with the exception of the sounds of breathing.

Yu Lang's palm which was gripping his blade was filled with sweat. It was to his horror that the mysterious violet gold dragon was staring right at him. Damn it, this was too scary! Had his previously heroic declaration moved this dragon? Perhaps it valued his bravery and courage and wanted to become his half brother? This should be a good thing, right? After all, when compared with the Others, this unknown dragon would be much easier to deal with.

Whilst Yu Lang's mind was wandering all over the place, a hint of human-like disdain could be seen in the dragon's eyes.

This didn't go unnoticed by Yu Lang either as he realized the dragon was teasing him? A thought suddenly struck him as his pupils contracted violently. Two moments later, he blurted out in surprise. "You! You!!! Are you Li Luo?!" Hua!

On the wall, First Princess, Yu Hongxi, Cai Wei and the rest felt as though they had been struck by a bolt from the blue. Their eyes were a little dazed as they glanced at the monstrously sized dragon. This... this was Li Luo?