My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

The barbarian army was closer to Xuanyang City and arrived before Li Xuancang's army.

"They're here, the barbarians are coming to attack."

"How can there be so many? How are we going to defend ourselves?"

"It's over, we're finished."

"..."

Looking at the vast, densely packed barbarian army covering the mountains and plains, the three thousand soldiers guarding the city wall trembled with fear, their bodies shaking like leaves.

They numbered only three thousand, the vast majority of whom were new recruits who had never been on the battlefield.

Faced with at least 30,000 barbarian troops and several thousand demons, everyone's minds went blank, and they had already given up resisting.

"Lord Zhou, what... what should we do?"

Zhao Jianhai and the other Qi Refining Realm cultivators also changed their expressions drastically, their composure thrown into disarray, and all looked at Zhou Xingzhan.

The gap between the two sides was too great; even if they occupied the city and had the advantage of terrain, they could not possibly be a match for the barbarians.

"Gentlemen, reinforcements from Anzhou City will arrive soon. Now we have no choice but to fight with our backs against the wall."

Zhou Xingzhan also felt despair, but as the commander-in-chief of the Xuan Yang County army, he had to stabilize the morale of the troops. If even he lost his composure, the morale of the troops would collapse immediately.

"How am I supposed to fight this? I'm not playing along."

Jiang Tianqi, a powerful expert in the Gangqi Realm, was terrified and immediately tried to flee the city.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, your sect still exists in the city. Are you truly going to abandon it?"

Jiang Tianqi tried to escape, and everyone's expression changed drastically, with Zhou Xingzhan becoming extremely angry.

If a Qi Refining Realm expert leads the escape, it will inevitably cause the already crumbling morale of the army to collapse completely, and the entire Xuan Yang City will crumble without a fight.

Zhou Xingzhan desperately suppressed his anger and tried to persuade Jiang Tianqi.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tianqi paused. Just when Zhou Xingzhan thought he could finally breathe a sigh of relief, Jiang Tianqi's eyes hardened, and he made up his mind.

"I can't worry about that. At worst, I'll abandon all my assets and start over."

Although he had built a foundation in the city with years of hard work, he couldn't care less about that now.

No matter how great your foundation, it can't compare to your own life.

As long as he escapes alive, with his Qi Refining Realm cultivation, he can make a comeback anywhere.

"Gentlemen, the city can no longer be defended. If you don't want to die, break out with me."

Jiang Tianqi not only abandoned the city himself, but also tried to persuade others to leave with him.

The other two Qi Refining Realm experts, along with other powerful figures from various martial arts forces and wealthy families, were all tempted.

They knew they had no chance of winning against the barbarian army, and even though Anzhou City had sent troops to support them, they might not be able to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

There's still a chance to escape now; there's no need to stay and perish with them.

"Jiang Tianqi, shut up."

Seeing that the situation was about to collapse, Zhou Xingzhan could no longer suppress his anger. He glared at Jiang Tianqi, wishing he could devour him alive.

Jiang Tianqi faced the enraged Zhou Xingzhan without fear.

"Lord Zhou, you should save your energy for fighting the enemy! Let's go."

Jiang Tianqi led his disciples and left without any hesitation.

"What should we do? Senior Jiang has already left, should we stay?"

"The city cannot be defended. Once the barbarians breach the city, we will suffer a fate worse than death."

"Leave now, there's still a chance of survival! Everyone, run for your lives!"

"..."

The various factions were filled with apprehension, and the barbarians were already in chaos even before launching an attack.

As the situation was about to spiral out of control, Zhou Xingzhan's voice suppressed all the noise and panic.

"Gentlemen, the barbarians are already at the city gates. If we leave the city now, we will surely die. The only way to survive is to hold our ground and wait for reinforcements."

Zhou Xingzhan's words were not alarmist, but an indisputable fact.

If they dare to leave the city, the barbarians will hunt them down.

"Jiang Tianqi is at the Qi Refining Realm; he's confident he can break through the encirclement. Are you all also at the Qi Refining Realm? Are you going to follow him to your deaths?"

Zhou Xingzhan's heart-wrenching screams calmed the wavering crowd, sending chills down their spines.

Zhou Xingzhan was right. They were not at the Qi Refining Realm, and without the protection of the city, they would only become prey.

No matter how fast two legs can run, they can't outrun a four-legged monster.

Seeing that everyone had calmed down, Zhou Xingzhan quickly boosted morale.

"We have three thousand soldiers, over a thousand government officials and yamen runners, and tens of thousands of able-bodied men. We are not without the strength to fight."

"Anzhou City has already dispatched troops. If we can hold out for a while, reinforcements will arrive."

As Zhou Xingzhan loudly encouraged them, the morale of the group, which was on the verge of collapse, was restored, and their eyes became firm again.

"I'll give it my all. I'll be a hero again in eighteen years."

"My family is in the city. If anyone wants to harm them, they'll have to step over my dead body."

"At worst, we'll die. What's there to fear? Are we cowards who cling to life?"

"..."

Humans are not lacking in courage, especially in desperate situations, where even ordinary people can unleash power far exceeding that of the past.

Seeing this, Zhou Xingzhan felt a great sense of relief, but before he knew it, his body was soaked in cold sweat.

He was genuinely afraid the situation would spiral out of control, but thankfully he managed to stabilize it.

"Bang!"

At this moment, Jiang Tianqi led more than a dozen elite disciples of his sect to leap off the city wall and head in the opposite direction from the barbarian army.

"Humans want to escape."

The barbarians looked at Jiang Tianqi and the others who were fleeing with a mocking and contemptuous gaze.

Just as Wu Xiaotian was about to order his men to give chase, the demon race had already made their move first.

"Awoo!"

The great blue wolf demon let out a deafening howl, and hundreds of blue wolves followed it in pursuit.

In the eyes of the demon race, human warriors are full of vital energy and blood, and are walking tonics. They will not easily let go of them if they encounter them.

"Damn it, those beasts are coming after us."

Upon seeing the wolf pack approaching, Jiang Tianqi and the others' expressions changed drastically. They trembled with fear, and some even felt their bodies become unresponsive, as if they were frozen in place and unable to move.

"Run!"

Seeing the wolf pack getting closer and closer, Jiang Tianqi disregarded the others and turned to flee.

The Azure Wolf Demon swept past like a storm, moving with the speed of the wind, quickly closing in on the fleeing Jiang Tianqi.

"Damn it, it's got its eye on me."

The great demon of the blue wolf relentlessly pursued him, and Jiang Tianqi's spirits sank to the bottom.

He had assumed that the barbarians and demons were after the city, but it turned out that neither the demons nor the barbarians intended to spare a single person.

The barbarians and demons should eliminate as much of the human race's manpower as possible to reduce the pressure on future attacks on Anzhou City.

The people on the city wall were filled with schadenfreude as they watched Jiang Tianqi being chased.

This person is greedy for life and afraid of death, disregarding the overall situation; he deserves to die.

"Waaaaah..."

A mournful and chilling bugle call sounded, drawing everyone's attention away.

"The barbarians are attacking the city! Prepare to fight to the death!"

"Prepare for battle; do not let them scale the city walls."

"Let's fight the barbarians."

"..."

As the horns of the barbarian attack sounded, the barbarian army surged toward the city walls like a tidal wave.

An overwhelming killing intent coalesced, forming billowing smoke that soared into the sky and surged towards Xuan Yang City like a tidal wave.

The defenders of Xuanyang City trembled, but none of them retreated. They had no way out and could only fight to the death.