Black clouds rose early in the sky. A few sparse stars showed through, yet they brought not the slightest glimmer of light to the earth. The north wind roared like a gluttonous maw, and the vast ice plains of the day were now swallowed entirely by the even greater expanse of dusk.

Within this immense canopy of night, those who should have been nestled asleep walked onto the battlements, armed with tools prepared long in advance, awaiting someone's command.

The rumbling tread of countless giant bears echoed across the ground, and as the distance closed, it brought with it an increasingly chilling sensation.

Unlike battles against humans, the creatures arriving this time were overwhelmingly powerful, possessing physiques and strength far surpassing those of mankind. Even ordinary cultivators would struggle mightily against these adult bears.

The people could only rely on the high, thick city walls, but everyone knew that repelling this horde would certainly demand a vast outpouring of blood to fill this bottomless pit of war.

Yi Zhongtian’s eyes gleamed brightly; he fixed his gaze ahead, meticulously calculating the distance to these ferocious beasts.

Among the masters of the Innate realm, only he possessed the experience to manage such a scene; fifty years of defending Peng City could not be matched merely by profound martial cultivation.

Of course, a heaven-defying existence like a Divine Path Blood Condensation realm expert could naturally annihilate such a beast tide without leaving a single survivor. However, He Yiming, as he was now, had no desire to excessively disrupt the survival laws of the Northern Frontier.

"Release..."

A clear, unwavering voice issued from Yi Zhongtian’s lips.

Almost the instant that sound resonated, countless similar voices erupted from the ramparts. It was as if they had rehearsed the moment a thousand times beforehand, inspiring great resolve.

Following this, dozens of fireballs soared into the air, tracing graceful arcs. Upon descent, every single one smashed into the ranks of the giant bears.

Dozens of bears were instantly felled by the immense concussive force. The raging flames appeared to spread, igniting the bears' fur and rapidly consuming them.

Though these giants were the elite among wild beasts, they held an innate, intense dread of fire. Instantly, the entire formation descended into chaos, especially those bears engulfed in flame, who screamed in agony, thrashing wildly in every direction.

He Yiming's gaze flicked momentarily, having spotted the ballistae upon the wall. He nodded inwardly; while these contraptions were not inherently useful against spiritual beasts, they possessed significant deterrent power against such large-scale beast assaults. Furthermore, Yi Zhongtian’s timing was impeccable; he had calculated the range of the ballistae perfectly, ensuring that under his command, the massive stones struck precisely the front and middle sections of the bear line, wasting not a single shot.

Naturally, the greatest threat to these bears was the flaming oil coating the stones; once afflicted by it, the damage inflicted upon the wild beasts was devastating.

Peng City had clearly suffered greatly from these beasts in the past to have prepared such defenses.

Suddenly, more than ten immense roars echoed from the depths of the bear formation. Several massive bears leaped high into the air. Their movements were astonishingly swift; their enormous frames moved as if weightless, lightly bounding through the horde until they reached the bears engulfed in flames.

Thick palms slammed down, and the wounded bears, who had been screaming in agony and rolling frantically on the ground, instantly fell silent, never to move again.

The largest of these bears charged forward like a streak of lightning, its speed so extreme that it broke away from the main body and hurtled directly toward the city wall.

A powerful aura, one of no return, soared heavenward, as if what it faced was not a formidable stone barrier but a fragile wooden railing.

Though the guards on the ramparts did not visibly panic, the sheer terror etched on their faces was unmistakable.

Yi Zhongtian roared, "Brother Xu, let's go!"

Xu Jun responded without hesitation. The two Innate masters from the Ice Palace leaped down in unison, charging toward that single monstrous bear.

They had already drawn their weapons. Yi Zhongtian wielded a broad saber, while Xu Jun’s armament was exquisitely small—a pair of double-edged swords that flashed with an uncanny, eerie light, dancing like sprites of the deep night as they spun toward the exceptionally massive bear.

Zhang Bailin’s face had turned ashen. He muttered, "Impossible. The intelligence stated there were only five Innate spirit beasts above five hundred years! How did those people from the Ice Palace gather their intelligence?"

He Yiming glanced at him, shaking his head inwardly. This old man had just praised the Ice Palace’s intelligence network, only to immediately start complaining.

However, perhaps he couldn't be entirely blamed, as the number of spirit beasts that had emerged now exceeded ten. While most were ordinary spirit beasts, there were six Innate spirit beasts at the five-hundred-year mark, not to mention that single, terrifying thousand-year spirit beast.

For the three of them—Zhang Bailin’s group—combining their martial power to hold off four would be their absolute limit. If six attacked simultaneously, even escaping would prove a severe challenge.

Chen Linxi’s expression was equally grim. He said in a low voice, "Brother Zhang, what shall we do?"

Among the three, the white-haired elder, Zhang Bailin, appeared to be the leader, given his far longer tenure hunting in the Northern Frontier than Chen Linxi and the others. In this situation, seeking his counsel was natural.

Zhang Bailin’s eyes darted around, and he lowered his voice. "Gentlemen, the intelligence was inaccurate this time; it is not a matter of us refusing to exert ourselves. When we engage later, perhaps hold something back. If we truly cannot withstand them, it is best to withdraw early." He paused. "Retreating when victory is clearly impossible and death certain—no one will fault us for that. This is a rule passed down through millennia in the Northern Frontier."

Chen Linxi and his wife secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Yu Xueying’s gaze shifted. "Brother He, what is your view?"

He Yiming merely waved his hand dismissively. "Act according to your ability."

He was neither surprised nor disgusted by the choice made by Zhang Bailin’s group, because if their positions were reversed, he would have made the same decision. These men had come from the distant Da Shen realm for Innate inner cores, not to throw their lives away. Although there were many human compatriots in the city, they had no connection to them.

Zhang Bailin and his two companions simultaneously relaxed. For some reason, ever since He Yiming arrived on the battlements, they had all felt a strange, subdued pressure. He Yiming’s aura was not overwhelmingly strong, resembling that of a novice who had just entered the Innate realm, yet they dared not underestimate him in the slightest.

This was not only due to Yi Zhongtian’s deference toward him, but also because of the man's extraordinary composure. Upon seeing Innate spirit beasts whose strength far exceeded their own, he had remained utterly impassive.

Therefore, when they heard He Yiming also agree with their course of action, the anxiety they held unexpectedly eased.

"Boom..."

A tremendous collision echoed between the giant bear and the two men, Yi Zhongtian and Xu Jun. This bear was, in fact, a thousand-year spirit beast; the strength it possessed was certainly no less than that of a top-tier human expert. Yi Zhongtian, who met it head-on, was immediately thrown backward, but the charging bear also came to a halt because Xu Jun’s strange and unpredictable sword techniques had enveloped the beast’s entire body.

This was the power of human combat skills: although vastly inferior in raw power, momentarily entangling a superior opponent was not impossible.

The gap in their true strength was significant. Xu Jun managed to hold the beast for only a few breaths before immediately retracting his sword and retreating, fleeing with Yi Zhongtian toward the ramparts.

The giant bear let out an excited cry and began to give chase. However, by this point, it was too close to the wall to generate the same terrifying momentum it had previously possessed, lacking that overwhelming, world-conquering aura.

He Yiming paused slightly, instantly grasping the intent of Yi Zhongtian and Xu Jun: they had never intended to kill the thousand-year spirit beast, only to delay it momentarily so it could not smash into the city wall with its full force.

When the beast reached the base of the wall, it raised its two thick paws high and slammed them down violently upon the stone structure.

A deep, resounding boom echoed across the ramparts, shaking even those standing atop them clearly, yet the wall stood firm, not even showing a crack.

He Yiming’s eyes brightened. He finally understood why Yi Zhongtian and Xu Jun had risked their lives to intercept it. This city wall was clearly extraordinary; perhaps it couldn't withstand a long-distance charge from a thousand-year spirit beast, but a close-range battering like this, it handled without issue.

The giant bear roared in fury, completely stymied.

In a mere moment, the vast bear horde slammed into the fortifications. Although the impact caused a series of tremors like an earthquake, making it difficult for the defenders to keep their footing, the wall bore the assault completely, not revealing even a single fissure.

"Pour the oil! Fire..."

A calm command cut through the entirety of the ramparts. Yi Zhongtian, having safely returned, passed the order down with a stern voice.

He Yiming glanced at him; Yi Zhongtian had sustained minor injuries from the direct clash with the bear, but he concealed it well enough that no one noticed. Perhaps only Xu Jun, who stayed close beside him, could have guessed.

The guards on the wall expertly drew their incendiary oil and poured it down from the top. Immediately following, torches, symbols of death, were thrown down, igniting a massive wall of fire beneath the battlements.

Countless bears howled below the wall, but as long as the structure stood, they could not breach it. Their immense strength was rendered useless.

At the rear of the bear formation, a low call sounded. As if receiving a supreme pardon, the bears turned tail and fled backward. Moments later, all that remained were piles of corpses, and the air was thick with a stench of scorching.

He Yiming watched the retreating bears with suspicion, a question forming in his mind: Had these creatures truly withdrawn just like that?