On the four tiers of the city wall, the most powerful, the Second Elder and Nie Qingsong, finally snapped out of their stupor, their faces etched with utter horror. Gazing at the colossal, fiery-red mass dominating the sky, they felt a suffocating pressure, utterly devoid of any thought of resistance.

"Kill!"

High above, the massive, crimson serpent suddenly opened its maw and unleashed a chilling, resonant sound.

The very next instant, "Wèinán!"

A chorus of shrill, piercing cries erupted around Jiyang City. Everywhere, the hordes of snakes began to writhe violently, and the four Heavenly Spirit powerhouses of the Snake Spirit Clan, along with four Cave Spirit masters fully merged with their inner essence, rocketed toward the city walls. In that moment, everyone—whether on the battlements or within the city—was consumed by looks of helplessness and despair.

"Who dares cause such a disturbance!"

Suddenly, a powerful, resonant shout exploded over Jiyang City. Accompanying this voice, a terrifying surge of force rippled outward from deep within the city. The streams of serpents winding their way up the city walls were thrown back as if hit by a massive tidal wave, dissolving into fine dust in mid-air.

By the time the voice faded, not a single serpentine shadow remained thirty meters outside the walls of Jiyang City. Even the four colossal serpents clinging to the ground were violently shoved back several dozen meters.

"Jing!"

The Snake Lord's eyes flickered subtly. Below, the serpent swarm halted instantly. The four Heavenly Spirit experts of the Snake Spirit Clan looked up in astonishment at the figure before them. Especially the black-robed elder stationed outside the eastern gate—he never expected that after dealing with Lord Nie Shen, such a terrifying entity would emerge from within Jiyang City.

On their journey here, the Snake Spirit Clan had taken care to investigate Jiyang City’s background, knowing it only housed one Heavenly Spirit expert: Lord Nie Shen. Their reconnaissance upon arrival confirmed this fact. So, where had this current powerhouse materialized from?

This abrupt turn of events brought immeasurable joy to the people of Jiyang City. The relief of escaping certain death surged through their hearts uncontrollably.

On the ramparts, Nie Qingsong and Nie Xing exchanged bewildered glances. They had never known that the place they grew up in harbored such a hidden master. Forget them; even Lord Nie Shen might have been unaware... otherwise, why would he risk his life, leaving his secluded little apothecary, to negotiate with the Snake Spirit Clan?

Thinking of Lord Nie Shen, whose fate was now unknown, Nie Qingsong and Nie Xing were consumed by anxiety, yet the current situation made it impossible for them to investigate.

"This old man is Xutuo!"

That powerful voice echoed across Jiyang City once more.

Xutuo?

Hearing that name, the entire city plunged into a sudden, deep silence. But immediately following, the metropolis erupted in earth-shaking cheers: "Xutuo! It’s Master Xutuo!"

"Heavens, Master Xutuo disappeared three hundred years ago! We thought he perished trying to break through to a higher realm, and now he was hidden in our very own Liyang City!"

"We are saved! We are truly saved... With Master Gūtuo here, I doubt these Snake Spirit brutes dare act so arrogantly anymore?"

"Exactly! Those cowards only bully the weak. Nie Kong killed their Heavenly Spirit Master, and they dared not seek revenge from him, so they come to Jiyang City to slaughter the helpless."

"............"

Spirit Masters from other nations might not know who Xutuo was, but among the Spirit Masters of the Great Accomplishment Empire, very few were ignorant of him. Xutuo was a figure of astonishing genius and unparalleled natural talent, not merely because he entered the inner city of Spirit Imperial City while only at the fifth rank of Spirit Communication, but because he was a dual-elementalist of Wind and Thunder.

In just sixty years, Xutuo achieved the Heavenly Spirit Master realm, and in another ten years, he broke through to the ninth rank of Heavenly Spirit. Such a prodigy was rare in history. However, after reaching the ninth rank of Heavenly Spirit, Xutuo abruptly vanished from Spirit Imperial City, and his trail went cold across the entire Heavenly Spirit Continent thereafter.

As time passed, some assumed he died, soul and body, during his Spirit Tribulation, while others whispered he was in hiding somewhere... Regardless of the rumors, Xutuo’s deeds were continuously lauded throughout the Great Accomplishment Empire.

Xutuo was the pride of almost every citizen of the Empire.

Now, facing a life-or-death crisis in Jiyang City, Xutuo’s voice ringing out brought the citizens a wave of disbelief mixed with the ecstatic joy of grasping a final, life-saving straw. They believed that as long as Xutuo was present, the Snake Spirit Clan would never be allowed to commit mass slaughter.

Because Xutuo was compassionate and vehemently hated injustice! Otherwise, why had so many Heavenly Spirit powerhouses from the Great Accomplishment Empire vanished into the river of time, while only Xutuo remained enshrined in memory? Why was he held up as the ultimate role model when Spirit Masters instructed their juniors, and why was his name known even among common folk?

With Xutuo here, how dare the Snake Spirit Clan continue their wanton aggression?

"Xutuo? When the Snake Lord heard those two syllables, a flicker of surprise crossed his enormous, crimson eyes. "I have heard of you! Three hundred years of silence, I assumed you perished in the Spirit Tribulation, but to think you hid in this insignificant Jiyang City—that is quite surprising."

"This old man resided here when the Nie family of Jiyang first appeared."

Xutuo's voice returned to a calm like an ancient well. "Snake Lord, I share a deep connection with the Nie family. Could you grant me some face and let this matter rest?"

"Absolutely impossible!"

The Snake Lord’s massive head lifted high. "Nie Kong murdered seven of my Snake Spirit Clan's Heavenly Spirit Masters. Such deep enmity cannot be so easily dismissed. However, since you have spoken, I shall grant you a measure of respect: all Spirit Masters of the Nie family at the Spirit Imperial rank or above must commit suicide. If they comply, my Snake Spirit Clan will retreat immediately."

"..."

Silence descended upon Jiyang City.

Moments later, Xutuo’s voice sounded again: "Since it was Nie Kong who killed your seven, your Snake Spirit Clan should seek revenge from him directly. Why redirect your anger toward the entire clan residing in this city? Snake Lord, your terms are impossible for this old man to accept. Not a single member of the Nie family in this city will die today!"

"Xutuo, I'd like to see how you intend to protect them!"

The Snake Lord’s gaze turned ice-cold. With a sneer, his mouth suddenly opened, and a blood-red void, perhaps a hundred meters wide, seemed to tear open in the empty air. Then, the giant serpent gave a slight sway, and an overwhelmingly ferocious hurricane roared out from that cavernous mouth, sweeping across the entirety of Jiyang City.

"Go!"

An ancient sound permeated the void. A purple whirlwind ascended from the west side of Jiyang City. Within its churning waves seemed to be embedded countless arcs of lightning, crackling brightly. Wherever it passed, the world was filled with sharp snapping sounds. In an instant, the purple and red whirlwinds collided in mid-air.

"Boom!"

The void continuously fractured, and patches of black fissures appeared. After about ten seconds, both whirlwinds vanished without a trace. The Snake Lord stared intently toward the west side of the city, his eyes narrowing.

"I understand now!"

Suddenly, the Snake Lord chuckled with sinister malice... "Xutuo, if I guess correctly, you are currently under severe constraint, barely able to move half a step from the west side of the city! You can protect the west side, but can you guard the east, south, and north? Snake Weng, spare the west, but Snake Jun, Snake Sai, Snake Na—kill!"

"Leave no Spirit Master alive!"

By the final words, the Snake Lord's tone was drenched in killing intent.