"Both of you stay at the Defense Division, don't run around!" Shen Mo instructed, then summoned his Flying Sword, which transformed into a streak of light and dashed toward Wolf Howling Ridge.

WHOOSH!

Augmented by the special characteristics of the Thunderstroke Sword, his majestic Mana, the Sword Body Skill, and the Violent Speed method, Shen Mo's Sword Escape speed was already comparable to that of an early-stage Spirit Sea Realm cultivator! Like a meteor streaking across the sky, he moved with the speed of wind and snow.

Shortly after, Shen Mo caught up with Chen Mengze, Xu Tong, and the others. They too had noticed the anomaly in the northwest and were hovering in mid-air on their magic artifacts, hesitant to proceed. Seeing Shen Mo fly in, they hurriedly gathered around him.

"Master Shen, it seems a Heavenly Demon Portal has appeared in Wolf Howling Ridge. What should we do?" Elder Xu Tong from the Gold Toad Tower asked first.

Everyone else also looked at Shen Mo, hoping he had a plan.

Observing the scale of the Demonic Qi, it seemed likely many Heavenly Demons had invaded from the Lower Realm. If they rushed over recklessly, they might be surrounded and devoured alive by a horde of Heavenly Demons. However, they couldn't just ignore it either. If the demonic flame wasn't suppressed immediately, and the demon heads were allowed to scatter and feast on countless living creatures, they would grow even more powerful and become incredibly difficult to contain!

"The current situation isn't clear. Let me investigate first before we discuss further!"

"Senior Sister Chen, you return to Hongye City first. Arrange for the cultivators in the Defense Division to spread out... and be ready to evacuate and settle the mortals outside the city at any moment!"

Unlike Tianshan City, Tianshan Mountain was in a relatively desolate area, with few ordinary mortals nearby, and the number of demonic beasts was also quite limited. However, near Wolf Howling Ridge, in addition to Hongye City, there were several towns and numerous mortal villages scattered like stars in the sky, with a population numbering in the millions. If the Heavenly Demons grew too strong, the priority would be to evacuate these mortals into fortified towns for protection. This was to prevent them from becoming fodder for the Heavenly Demons, which would, in turn, nurture numerous high-class demon heads!

Fortunately, the last Demon Calamity had ended just over twenty years ago, so many older cultivators had experienced such demonic incursions and were reasonably experienced. The Defense Division also had contingency plans for such events. If it truly came to that, things wouldn't devolve into complete chaos!

However, the current blizzard would undoubtedly add countless difficulties to any evacuation, and it was unknown how many would freeze or starve to death. Unless absolutely necessary, such measures were to be avoided!

"You take care of yourself," Chen Mengze advised before turning around and returning to Hongye City.

Shen Mo nodded.

Then, he turned to Xu Tong and the others who remained and said, "Everyone, the situation is urgent, so I'll dispense with the pleasantries!"

"Follow behind me. If the situation becomes untenable, I will send word to you all."

"If there's a chance to contain this demonic scourge... I hope you all will not spare your Mana and will act decisively!"

Xu Tong, Qingfeng Master, the Elder of the Thriving Gold Sect, and about ten other Qi Gathering Realm cultivators from the Defense Division all roared their assent.

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH!

Shen Mo took the lead, transforming into a streak of light and rushing towards Wolf Howling Ridge. The others' Flying Escape speeds naturally couldn't match Shen Mo's. They trailed far behind him, which also gave them more time to react to any sudden developments.

Within the range of his Flawless Dharma Eye, Shen Mo could already see tens of thousands of Heavenly Demons, accompanied by a vast and turbid wave of Demonic Qi, howling as they emerged from beneath the earth. But with this method alone, he couldn't discern the strengths of these Heavenly Demons.

If it's like Tianshan City, where the initial wave consisted entirely of Class II Heavenly Demons, then just being able to defend Hongye City and the major towns would be a considerable achievement for our cultivators from the Defense Division.

Halfway there, Shen Mo's spiritual sense could finally extend to the area.

The next moment, his expression eased slightly.

Thank heavens! Most of them are Class I Heavenly Demons, with only a few hundred Class II. We won't be completely defenseless.

Among the Cultivating Families, minor immortal sects, and rogue cultivators under Hongye City's jurisdiction, although Qi Gathering Realm cultivators weren't numerous, there were still over a hundred of them. If they gave their all, they should be able to withstand the first wave of the Demon Tide!

However, a few powerful auras emanating from the Abyss that had fissured open in the mountain ravine still made Shen Mo quite uneasy.

Those could very well be Class III Heavenly Demons!

At this moment, two streaks of light flew over from the directions of the Gold Toad Tower and the Thriving Gold Sect. After circling briefly, they landed beside Shen Mo.

"Fellow Daoist Wei! Fellow Daoist Jiang!"

The arrivals were none other than Wei Ye, the Sect Master of the Gold Toad Tower, and Jiang Sheng, the Sect Master of the Thriving Gold Sect. Both were Spirit Sea Realm cultivators with extremely fast escape speeds. As soon as the Demonic Qi had erupted from Wolf Howling Ridge, they had rushed over to investigate, not expecting Shen Mo to arrive before them.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, please quickly inform the Riverside Sect about the appearance of the Heavenly Demon Portal here!"

As long as the portal existed, a ceaseless stream of Heavenly Demons would cross over from their realm. Even if they repelled the initial Demon Tide, unless formations and prohibitions were established around the portal to confine the Heavenly Demons to this area, the demonic scourge would never truly be abated! These tasks were far beyond the capabilities of the local powers alone; the intervention of the Five Great Sects was required.

"Rest assured, fellow Daoists, I have already relayed this information to the sect!"

"It won't be long before powerful experts from the sect arrive to reinforce us!"

Hongye City was located within Qing State, not excessively far from the Riverside Sect, so the sect would surely not stand idly by. Shen Mo and the others only needed to withstand the initial onslaught of the Demon Tide and buy some time. Then, the situation could be brought under control and prevented from deteriorating too severely.

BUZZ!

As they were speaking, the Sound Transmission Talisman in Shen Mo's robe began to vibrate. Shen Mo took it out and looked at it, his expression instantly becoming grave.

"A Heavenly Demon Portal has appeared by the Golden Sand River, eighty li outside Blood Maple City, which Senior Brother Li Zhong is garrisoning."

"And also at Rosy Cloud City, Taiyu City, Mushroom City... In Qing State alone, over ten sources of the Demon Tide have appeared!"

This was information shared by his friends within the sect via the talisman network.

Besides...

In addition to Qing State, where the Riverside Sect was located, there were You State, home to the Ghost Corpse School; Jing State, home to the Heaven Sword Sect; Yu State, home to the Seven Stars Altar; and Yue State, home to the Profound Moon School. Furthermore, in other major states jointly governed by the Five Great Sects—such as Zhong State, Sea State, Light State, and Gold State—countless Heavenly Demons were also pouring in from their realm!

Instantly, the entire Red Flame Country was plunged into chaos, with signals of invasion flaring up everywhere!

"A Heavenly Demon Portal has appeared at Wolf Howling Ridge, 150 li northwest of Hongye City."

With a flicker of his Divine Sense, Shen Mo quickly relayed this information through his group of friends.

At the same time, Elder Huang's message arrived: "Reinforcements from the sect will require the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before they can arrive. During this period, you must impede the spread of the demonic scourge!"

Shen Mo wasn't surprised by this. Even if a Peak Master himself came to their aid, the journey would take time. Not to mention, the sect also had to assess the demonic incursions in various locations and dispatch personnel accordingly; a response time equivalent to one incense stick burning was already remarkably swift.

When Shen Mo relayed this news to the two Spirit Sea Realm cultivators, Wei Ye and Jiang Sheng, their expressions also became exceptionally grave.

"I have already dispatched my sect's disciples down the mountain. The stronger among them will rush to exterminate the demon heads, while those with insufficient strength will evacuate the mortals near our mountain gate," Wei Ye stated.

Jiang Sheng, the Sect Master of the Thriving Gold Sect, had made similar arrangements.

Shen Mo nodded. His Flawless Dharma Eye could already see that, aside from the Defense Division cultivators, Qi Gathering Realm cultivators from all directions were already flying towards them on their swords.

Then, he said in a grave voice, "There's no more time to wait. We will go first to eliminate a wave of Heavenly Demons and delay them for a moment!"

As his voice fell, he commanded the Thunderstroke Sword and charged thunderously into the Demon Tide.

"The Big Dipper Array, Conversion!"

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