Above the walls of Stormwind City, Ye Jingyu stood beside Luo Ruofeng, gazing out at the dense, monstrous army before them, and both sucked in a sharp breath.

Stretching as far as the eye could see, the demons were a bizarre host: some were ox-like creatures with three heads and scales covering their entire bodies; others resembled tigers with eight eyes and flames licking their hides; and some were mere clumps of black mist, their forms indistinct as man or ghost.

Just the sight of them was enough to inspire dread, let alone their sheer numbers.

The smallest demons were no larger than chicks, but the larger ones towered dozens of zhang high, with some behemoths easily exceeding a hundred zhang.

These giants possessed human torsos and tiger heads, backed by massive bat wings, their entire bodies sheathed in thick scales. Simply standing there, they resembled mountain ranges. Ordinary soldiers, even those who had achieved the Master realm, were filled with terror when facing such titans, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, all will to fight extinguished.

Most imposing were the seven figures standing at the very forefront of the demon horde, each figure towering over a thousand zhang. They were shrouded in black mist, giving the impression of being engulfed in dark flames.

Seven emanations of crushing, despair-inducing power radiated from these seven figures. It wasn't just the common soldiers; even Lin Xiaoyi and the others felt their hearts quail under the pressure.

Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke exchanged looks of grim understanding. These were undoubtedly experts of the Zhou level—demon war generals. Seven of them had arrived at once. Could their Master possibly hold them off?

Xuan Yuanjing, who should have appeared, was nowhere to be seen, and the figures of Ying Kongshi and Yan Senxu were also absent. Everyone currently on the wall was Ye Jingyu's most trusted inner circle.

Surveying the boundless army, their brows furrowed tightly.

Just then, one of the demons towering over a thousand zhang took a single step forward. Though he trod upon empty air, everyone felt the entire space shudder.

"I am Xiao, the Third War General under the Destruction Lord. Today, I offer you a chance at survival. Surrender to us, or die!" This demon was currently a thousand zhang tall, possessing the body of a scorpion and the head of a man, complete with a wickedly sharp tail. The sight was utterly terrifying.

Faced with such might, most people couldn't resist; soldiers began collapsing to their knees before the battle had even begun. Luo Ruofeng frowned, preparing to strike down the wavering soldiers, but Ye Jingyu stopped him.

"At this level of conflict, they possess no resistance at all..."

"Then should we summon Lord Fang Zhuguo and the Iron Legion?" Luo Ruofeng ground his teeth, his voice grave.

Ye Jingyu was about to nod when his brow suddenly twitched. The silver moon wheel within flashed, and he glimpsed a fragmented image, causing a jolt in his mind.

"No, under no circumstances should they be brought out!" A strange feeling gripped Ye Jingyu; he sensed a crucial future role awaiting Fang Zhuguo and the others.

Hearing Ye Jingyu's firm directive, Luo Ruofeng quietly nodded his assent.

It was at this precise moment that a gaunt figure slowly materialized above the city wall. In his hand, he clutched a stone blade, seemingly carved from rock itself, emitting no light whatsoever. His slender frame appeared minuscule compared to the thousands of zhang stature of the seven war generals—less than an ant. Yet, inexplicably, upon his appearance, the crushing, despair-inducing pressure vanished completely. Everyone on the wall felt an instinctive certainty: this man was a mountain, an unyielding peak. As long as he stood there, they would be safe.

Dugu Bacheng's emergence caused astonishment among the seven war generals. When they learned the eight Legion Commanders had been slain, they had estimated the opponent possessed beings on their level. But Dugu Bacheng's instantaneous appearance, unnoticed by any of their senses, proved his power surpassed theirs individually. None of the seven believed they could defeat him in a one-on-one fight.

The seven great demons exchanged glances. Their colossal bodies slowly shrank back to normal human size, forming a semicircle that subtly encircled Dugu Bacheng. However, none of the generals made an immediate move.

They had no desire to lose their lives carelessly...

"I did not expect such a master still existed in the mortal realm. Was it you who slew Xie?" After surrounding Dugu Bacheng completely, Xiao cautiously inquired.

Dugu Bacheng ignored Xiao completely. He slowly lifted his gaze, his icy eyes fixing upon Xiao. With a slight flick of the stone blade, a blinding flash of light erupted, soaring toward Xiao.

Sensing the aura of the blade, the complexions of all seven demons drastically changed. Xiao and the other six recoiled rapidly backward.

That aura was all too familiar to them. The Abyss held many perilous zones, and the canyon where Dugu Bacheng had inherited the blade's power was certainly a forbidden place—one even the seven Demon Lords avoided easily. But the blade energy emanating from that region, they knew intimately.

Seeing Dugu Bacheng radiating such an energy now, retreat was their only option. They even suspected that the master of that desolate place might be Dugu Bacheng himself.

The dazzling blade light illuminated the entire world. Xiao drew the silver spear granted by the Destruction Lord and thrust it with all his might against the light. With a sharp crack, his silver spear was cleaved in two, and the massive blade energy grazed past his body.

Xiao broke out in a cold sweat.

But before he could regain his footing, another blade of light flared above his head. Moreover, the other six demon generals were also caught within the glow of the light. Before they could react, they were swept into the blade's vortex.

The lesser demons were struck with horror as their seven strongest generals vanished in the blink of an eye. Ye Jingyu and his company felt a surge of elation; they hadn't realized Dugu Bacheng's strength had reached such a terrifying height. However, before their smiles could fully bloom, Dugu Bacheng's voice resonated in their minds:

"I can only occupy these seven for now. The rest of the demons are left to you..."

(More later [Ti: Dear reader, the current chapter has reached the final page of this book])