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Chapter 225 Even the Strongest Fortress Cannot Withstand the Giant Demon's Calamity; The Moon Goddess Steps into Battle to Purify the Calamity [Part Two]

As they listened intently to Feng Mingyang's words, the group, who had been engrossed in his speech, quickly looked around upon hearing his words.

The sight that greeted them filled them with dread and sent chills down their spines.

All around them, including under their feet, were the skin thieves.

They are no longer in a crystal-walled space beneath a dry well.

Instead, it was a flat crystal bubble, which floated in the depression without any sign of being disturbed.

However, being completely exposed and watched by a group of monsters raised everyone's sense of crisis to its peak.

Tang Hao glanced around, his brows furrowed in a deep frown: 'But… the unsettling premonition didn't originate from this!'

He knew that these "skin thieves" couldn't break through the crystal wall from above, nor could they possibly get in from any other direction.

Could it be...

The monsters, which had completely enveloped the crystal bubble, paused their attack at the top for a moment before launching another attack, seemingly trying to break through the crystal wall's defenses.

Just as Tang Hao had predicted, apart from injecting more Yin energy into the energy circuit, it was no different from before.

Seeing this, all the Nightmare Servants relaxed.

Seeing that the crystal wall had not only not been breached, but had been easily withstood, their sense of security returned.

"The crystal wall's defense is too strong; it can withstand so many monsters working together."

"One, two, three... Wow, just from what I can see, there are dozens of Core Formation stage cultivators. This crystal wall is truly amazing!"

"It's all thanks to the Lord's foresight in arranging for everyone to secure the space early on; otherwise... the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

The last person to speak expressed heartfelt joy, as well as admiration and respect for Tang Hao.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked over and saw that it was Feng Bohan. They couldn't help but think to themselves: As expected of you!

Several more waves of attacks followed, but the crystal bubble remained completely still.

Just then, the monster horde at the top suddenly scattered in all directions with a "whoosh".

A creature called the "Skin Thief," with compound eyes that gleamed with an eerie light in their sockets and lips that stretched to its ears, revealing a dense, whirring breath, flew out.

Upon seeing this impressive appearance, Feng Bohan's gaze sharpened, and he exclaimed, "The captain of the Holy Spring Guard, he has the strength of the early Nascent Soul stage!"

As the "guard captain" opened his mouth, jet-black flames, resembling filthy blood, spewed out.

With a "whoosh!" sound.

The flames landed on the crystal wall and spread outwards like thick, viscous blood.

The skin thieves along the way had already taken the opportunity to avoid it, and in the blink of an eye, the raging black flames enveloped the entire crystal bubble.

Inside the crystal bubble, a swallowing sound could be heard from all around.

Even Yao Guang and the others were quite frightened.

Only Tang Hao remained calm, thinking to himself, 'The warning sign is still not here.'

And indeed, no matter how fiercely the black flames burned, they could not penetrate the crystal wall in the slightest.

Moreover, as time went on, the black flames were absorbed and transferred by the crystal wall, and sent into the Nightmare Kingdom behind the rift passage, revealing the lone [Skin Thief] floating on top of the crystal wall.

Gazing at the lone figure, and recalling Feng Bohan's earlier description of the "Fur Thief," Tang Hao's eyes flickered.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this person is the zeroth infected individual in the Windcaller City calamity.

He pictured the other person in his mind as a tall, upright young man with a resolute and handsome face.

'If he had known this would happen, would he have gone down to investigate without hesitation?' Tang Hao couldn't help but shake his head with a sigh.

Six months ago, the captain of the guard patrolled around the sacred spring, supervising the tribespeople as they drew water from it.

Near the spring, a dim light flickered.

The sacred spring of the Hufeng clan is rich in extremely concentrated yang energy, and its water has a strange, translucent, milky-white color.

There were no spirit fish or similar creatures kept in the water, so the appearance of the dim light and shadow was naturally unusual.

He immediately felt a chill run down his spine. The Holy Spring was not only related to the innate supernatural abilities of high-ranking bloodline members, but also to the activation of the bloodline power of young members. It could not be lost.

It was simply their duty, and the captain of the guard had only recently advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, so he was still quite young and impetuous.

He immediately and decisively jumped into the holy spring and dived to the vicinity of the spring.

After some inspection, it was discovered that a crack had appeared right next to the spring at some unknown time.

After failing to force the rift shut, he gave some instructions to his subordinates and, ignoring any advice, resolutely entered the rift to investigate.

As a result, he stumbled into the narrow crevice where the "Skin Thief" was born.

That's right, these are exactly what Tang Hao saw in the previous video.

Just as Feng Mingyang said, the pure yang energy in the sacred spring is indeed the nemesis of the Skin Thief.

That was almost the end of that long video.

The holy spring water, caught in the rift and squeezed into the narrow crevice, was scattered like rain by the force of space.

The main body of the "Skin Thief"—a constantly writhing, naked, dark red mass of flesh and blood—is trying to evade capture.

Even though it had tried its best to change its shape and wander around, countless raindrops still fell on it.

Then came an indescribable, excruciating pain, no less intense than when the space membrane was forcibly torn off during its birth.

Amidst the rising wisps of smoke and the accompanying hissing sounds of burning, it saw a human cultivator fly into the crevice from the source of the rain.

It had seen humans in the images within the rift, but now, upon encountering them, it felt no curiosity about seeing the real thing, only greed.

'Are humans not afraid of rain because of their physical bodies?'

This is the beginning of its greed, and it stems from the instinct inherent in its own birth defects, so...

A twisted thought exploded within its spiritual core: "I want the stability of that skin! I want the complete shell of my body! The skin of this mortal world... can fill my 'scars'!"

'I want to become like him—a human!' it thought.

While watching the video, Tang Hao, based on the fluctuations of thought emanating from the rift and the other party's subsequent actions, was fairly certain that he could confirm one thing.

That is, the "skin thief" did not initially want to become a "skin thief".

Because it did not immediately choose to parasitize and possess the guard captain's skin.

Instead, it twisted and rolled, struggling to use its viscous bodily fluids to temporarily absorb the scattered fragments of armor, rust, and body parts.

He cobbled together a humanoid framework, dripping with putrid liquid, and stuffed his skinless, fleshy core into it—like a crude, mobile coffin.

But it painfully discovered that it couldn't do that; that wasn't a real shell, and it couldn't create a perfect body on its own.

So... the only option was to rob, steal, and plunder. Thus, the "skin thief" finally set his sights on the guard captain.

"Boom!"

Tang Hao was awakened by a loud noise emanating from the crystal wall.

It turned out that the captain of the guard saw that the flames could not burn through the crystal wall, and based on the analysis of the previous battle, he understood that even energy attacks at the Nascent Soul level would be difficult to achieve.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he drew a giant sword and slashed it fiercely at the crystal wall with all his might.

That loud noise originated from here.

The crystal wall remains unbreakable, unmoved by any attacks.

Finally, under this sword strike, countless cracks appeared on the surface.

Even though these cracks were instantly repaired by the power of the Nightmare Kingdom the moment they appeared.

But this performance still gave the Skin Thief hope. "Fresh...skin..."

"Delicious...flesh and blood..."

"Tear apart...the barrier...parasitize!!!"

A cold, viscous, and overlapping sound penetrated in, but even with the barrier of the crystal wall, it contained no power.

Yet it still made the human cultivators feel physically uncomfortable, as if hundreds of insects were chirping and clamoring in their ears, making their scalps tingle.

"My lord, should we call the soldiers back and thicken the crystal wall?" a Nightmare Servant suggested in a trembling voice.

Tang Hao gave him a strange look, shook his head and said, "The strength of the defense here depends on the power of the nation, not the thickness of the crystal wall."

The fact that it could withstand that sword strike indicates that the spatial carrying capacity has been increased once again, and it can now comfortably accommodate ordinary Nascent Soul spirits.

Therefore, he was no longer too worried about the outcome of the battle. At worst, he could just bring Feng Mingyang to the Nightmare Kingdom. Besides...

Tang Hao glanced at the distant horizon, a smile of ambiguity appearing on his lips.

The Nightmare Servants were unaware of these things, and since they had just died and had not yet adapted to their status as undead, their faces showed expressions of horror and fear.

"Hiss, so that means if this monster attacks any more fiercely, the crystal wall might not be able to withstand it?"

"Why be so aggressive? Just add a few more Nascent Soul monsters and it will break through..."

"Speaking of which, is there only one Nascent Soul stage [Fur Thief] here?"

"Look, the newcomer should also be at the Nascent Soul stage, you jinx!"

Amidst the commotion, several more figures flew over from a distance.

Some of these people have tattered and broken skin, while others are still almost intact, but regardless of their appearance, they are all undoubtedly thieves.

Clearly, even the symbiotic consciousness hadn't expected that these seemingly weak little insects could withstand its encirclement.

After much deliberation, they finally mobilized all available Nascent Soul monsters, preparing to forcibly break through the crystal barrier.

"I never imagined that our ancestral land would have fallen so completely. I wonder how long the Hufeng Clan can survive after today," Feng Mingyang murmured as he watched the scene unfold.

He turned to Tang Hao and said, "Fellow Daoist Tang, let's retreat. You've done your best."

As he spoke, he gestured to the black and gold rift passage.

Although it wasn't said, Feng Mingyang guessed from Tang Hao and his subordinates' performance that he probably couldn't leave through that passage, otherwise, this burden of his would have been transferred away long ago.

As for the reason, it is most likely that it is that peculiar contract that allows cultivators to switch freely between the real and the illusory.

"The fact that you didn't mention this to me must mean that Fellow Daoist Tang's strength is insufficient to sign such a contract with me." Feng Mingyang had no complaints about this.

However, he glanced regretfully in the direction of the Holy Spring and pleaded, "I only hope that after Fellow Daoist Tang and Fellow Daoist Bai Jue have pacified this place, they can help me protect my sister and break the seal. Feng Mingyang will be eternally grateful!"

Tang Hao hadn't responded to the previous words until the other party uttered these words, which sounded like a deathbed entrustment, at which point he turned around with a strange expression.

"Senior Feng, you should protect your sister yourself."

Upon hearing this, Feng Mingyang's eyes flashed with disbelief. He stared intently into Tang Hao's eyes, and after a moment, he smiled and nodded emphatically: "Okay!"

It must be said that the symbiotic mentality of the "skin thieves" has gone a bit too far.

"Rumble--"

The sky above the crystal bubble suddenly darkened.

Thirty-seven Nascent Soul cultivators descended, their intense pressure crashing down like a heavy hammer, causing the foundation of the entire Hufeng City to crack.

The ordinary monsters surrounding the crystal bubble cowered and retreated a short distance.

That was under such heavy pressure, driven by the remaining instinctive will of the skin-formed cultivators.

Even if the Nightmare Servants inside the crystal bubble couldn't sense it, they could imagine the raging storm outside.

'Tsk, the crystal wall's defense is truly amazing. I never expected that an accident could produce such a valuable item. I'll have to study it carefully later.'

Tang Hao couldn't help but marvel at the fact that everyone was completely unaffected.

Then, he asked Feng Bohan, "Are all the Nascent Soul cultivators in the Hufeng Clan?"

To be honest, that's a bit too little.

The Hufeng clan was, after all, one of the eight major clans in the Northern Region.

There are also innate abilities that enhance the survival rate of high-level combatants in battlefield combat.

Why wouldn't there be at least a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators to be enough to see?
"Reporting to my lord, these are only those stationed in Hufeng City, and..." Feng Bohan quickly glanced at the sky.

He then reported, "Based on my previous estimate at the banquet, there should only be slightly more than half the quantity here."

That's more like it... Tang Hao nodded.

In other words, the symbiotic consciousness of the "Skin Thief" is either unable to control such a diverse array of infant beings at once.

Alternatively, controlling a Nascent Soul cultivator involves many more restrictions than controlling an ordinary cultivator.

He looked at Feng Mingyang, who, seeing Tang Hao looking at him, knew what he meant.

He shook his head and said, "At that time, the ones who surrounded me were the five Nascent Soul elders present, as well as some Core Formation and Foundation Establishment monsters. Even so, I couldn't hold out for long and almost died on the spot."

“Perhaps, in the perception of symbiotic consciousness, you people are indeed more troublesome than I am.” Feng Mingyang’s expression was somewhat indescribable.

After a fierce battle, many monsters were killed, but Tang Hao's side suffered no casualties.

The crystal bubbles they created suffered no damage under the siege of the monster horde; in fact, they grew stronger, and it wasn't until a Nascent Soul cultivator intervened that they showed any effect.

The Skin Thief has only recently emerged and has been consolidating his control over the guard captain.

Only when the opponent could no longer escape did it begin to extend its tentacles out of the Holy Spring Barrier.

Its understanding of this world is still shallow, and its knowledge of the various cultivation realms is only superficial, limited to the degree of difficulty in control. It knows that the Nascent Soul stage is strong, but it has no clear concept of exactly how strong.

This last point was deduced by Tang Hao from the information presented in the advertisement video; even if it's wrong, it shouldn't be too far off.

The thirty-seven Nascent Soul figures surrounded the crystal bubble.

However, what surprised Tang Hao was that the symbiotic consciousness of the [Skin Thief] seemed to have some serious illness.

Why not just attack together and solve the problem? Why keep adding more pressure on each one at a time?

This isn't some kind of straightforward skit where the main character fights monsters, levels up, and acquires resources; this kind of thing feels really awkward.

He had no choice but to have Bai Jue, who had already arrived, conceal his presence, as such a good opportunity to test the strength of the crystal wall was rare.

Finally, when the five Nascent Soul monsters attacked together, they nearly destroyed the crystal wall with a single blow.

Seeing this, Bai Jue didn't need Tang Hao to remind him.

With a single movement, she had already taken the initiative to use "Void Walk" to rush into the battlefield.

"Crack!"

Bai Jue's figure appeared on the crystal wall.

As soon as she appeared, a bright moon flashed around her.

The five Nascent Soul monsters were instantly frozen.

then--

"Swish!"

Countless streaks of moonlight pierced the dark, lightless night sky.

Like a galaxy pouring down.

(End of this chapter)