Chapter 125: The Fifth Wave of the Shadow Curse

The East Gate of Cangwu City soon came into view.

Atop the battlements, a large banner emblazoned with the character "Zhou" fluttered in the wind. Roughly three thousand trial-takers stood guard, and at a glance, the scene appeared orderly.

Of course, not a single indigenous soldier could be seen on the walls. Even the city lord and his advisors remained hidden, providing nothing more than the warning tolls of the bells.

"Chen Ce, go to the South and West Gates. Tell Liu Wenli and Zhao Xiong to each send five hundred trial-takers to reinforce the East Gate. Xu Shan, go to the North Gate and have Qin Douzi send one thousand trial-takers here. The East Gate will be the primary battlefield."

Wei Cheng spoke suddenly.

"What?"

The group stood stunned. Brother Wei, you don't actually think you're the leader of the martial arts alliance, do you?

"Go! This outbreak of the Shadow Demon Curse will be accompanied by an army of demons attacking the city. We cannot afford to be unprepared!" Wei Cheng’s tone was stern.

"But—wait, Old Wei, is this true? There’s no proof, and those guys are cunning as foxes. Why would they listen to us?" Xu Shan asked in surprise.

"Whether they come or not is their business, but we must notify them."

"Go at once!"

Without further hesitation, Chen Ce and Xu Shan moved out, their figures vanishing like two wisps of smoke toward the south and north respectively. Wei Cheng then led the others onto the East Gate.

Many on the walls had already noticed them. It was unusual that Zhou Wu himself had come to greet them, a sign of respect that was quite rare.

"Old Wei, long time no see!"

Zhou Wu remained his usual self. Despite taking the initiative to welcome them, he stood firmly at the top of the stairs, forcing Wei Cheng to look up at him.

The petty power play was in full effect!

However, one sentence from Wei Cheng caused his expression to change drastically.

"An army of demons is coming with the fifth wave of the Shadow Demon Curse. Your East Gate is the first target! Furthermore, if I’m not mistaken, of the four walls of Cangwu City, yours is the weakest."

"The tides have turned!"

"You—you bastard—how dare you shake the morale of my troops." Zhou Wu was forced into cursing.

"I am Wei Cheng. Do you think I came to your East Gate for no reason? To seek refuge under you?"

"Besides, I have already notified Liu Wenli, Zhao Xiong, and Qin Douzi to send reinforcements immediately. There should still be time."

After speaking, Wei Cheng’s gaze swept across the area, and the aura he had been restraining suddenly erupted, instantly suppressing the restless morale of the troops.

Within a few hundred meters, everyone felt as if they were being watched by a ferocious beast.

It was his eyes!

Crude, wild, violent, and cruel—everyone who met Wei Cheng’s gaze felt a profound terror, as if they were already being torn and crushed to pieces.

Zhou Wu, Xu Guoliang, Qu Xiong, and the others, who stood directly opposite him, felt cold sweat pouring down their backs and a chill running down their spines, even from their elevated position and with their superior numbers. Their legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

Their minds went blank!

This was the aura Wei Cheng had honed by facing the fourth wave of the Shadow Demon Curse head-on. Combined with the Mountain-Moving Visualization and his mental power—now at least at level 8.0—calling everyone present "trash" would have been an understatement.

By the time they regained their composure, Wei Cheng and his group had already ascended the ramparts. From start to finish, there was no need for silver-tongued persuasion; command of the East Gate’s defense simply fell into Wei Cheng’s hands.

In fact, at this moment, no one dared to flee, and no one dared to resist.

Even Bai Han, Liu Sui, Tang Yuanshan, Yu Liang, and Mei Renli, who had always followed Wei Cheng, were struck mute. They could not imagine how Wei Cheng had suddenly become so powerful. They would have believed him if he claimed he could crush the Magma Giant boss with a single slap.

In truth, it was simple: Wei Cheng had completed his first turn of the Earth Spirit Root. In the world of immortal cultivation, he could now be considered a mediocre, trashy, obscure, and half-baked cultivator. The disparity in strength wasn't because Wei Cheng was exceptionally strong, but because the others were simply too weak.

Soon, Qin Douzi from the North Gate personally led 1,500 trial-takers to provide support. This had nothing to do with Xu Shan; Qin Douzi was a friend of Zhou Wu’s, and even if they had fallen out, he didn't want to see Zhou Wu perish.

On the other hand, there was the reputation of Wei Cheng as a "good guy." If the new trial-takers were unaware, the senior trial-takers in leadership roles certainly knew better. The Fire Demon had been taken down by Wei Cheng’s team. Only a fool would try to offend such power.

Of course, Qin Douzi was also thinking of the overall defense of Cangwu City. He not only came himself but brought 1,500 spirited and capable new trial-takers.

Zhao Xiong from the West Gate also sent three hundred men, with their leader openly stating upon arrival that it was out of respect for "Boss Wei." Liu Wenli from the South Gate sent two hundred as well, effectively silencing any accusations that they were ignoring the bigger picture.

There was no time for pleasantries or complex arrangements. The warning bells that had been tolling throughout Cangwu City suddenly stopped.

At this moment, regardless of direction, everyone’s attention and gaze turned toward the east.

The sky there was still clear, without a single dark cloud.

But suddenly, countless golden lights appeared in the azure sky, resembling a giant golden web straining against something. This web was being pulled violently by an unknown force, and the hearts of everyone below pulled right along with it.

"All Mountain-Movers, activate the Immovable Golden Bell for everyone immediately!"

Wei Cheng roared, his voice louder than the bells, echoing across all four walls.

Qin Douzi, Zhou Wu, Liu Wenli, Zhao Xiong, and other senior trial-takers reacted quickly, issuing layer upon layer of orders. One team after another activated their Immovable Golden Bells.

It was evident then that they had done well over the past twenty days, having at least managed to bring some discipline to the 15,000 unorganized new trial-takers. This was also thanks to the profits from mining Flame Stones and farming magma mobs.

By now, even the weakest new trial-takers possessed four cycles of strength, mostly specializing in Purple Mist, while the others—Mountain-Movers and Spirit Swallows—generally possessed six cycles. Some exceptional ones had even reached seven. The teams were well-equipped and responsive. They remained calm and collected, which was truly impressive.

In an instant, Immovable Golden Bells flickered across the four walls of Cangwu City like countless large golden mushrooms, a spectacular sight. Almost every trial-taker was shielded. Additionally, at least several thousand Flame Shields—powered by Flame Rings—were raised. Since the discovery of the Flame Stone mine, Flame Rings had become quite common.

Among their 16,000-plus trial-takers, over 3,000 were equipped with Flame Rings. It was one of the best passive defensive measures against the Shadow Demon Curse.

However, the situation remained grim. Wei Cheng did not harbor false optimism; he had faced the fourth wave, and no one else present had. Now, they were facing the fifth.

Within seconds, the golden lights in the sky began to flicker and extinguish in large patches. Every time a light vanished, a massive cloud of black fog emerged, looking from afar like thousands of black mushrooms sprouting in the blue sky!

It was hauntingly bizarre.

Undoubtedly, this was the barrier Cangwu City used to intercept the curse. It was thanks to this golden web that they had been able to eat, sing, and develop safely for twenty days. But what was destined to come, would come.

"All trial-takers with mental power below level 5, close your eyes immediately! Regulate your breathing, center your minds, and activate your internal energy and cultivation visualizations! Hold on for at least thirty seconds!"

Wei Cheng’s voice rolled out like thunder again. He was now the commander-in-chief not just of the East Gate, but of all four walls. If anyone refused to listen, that was their own business. If they couldn't even form their own cultivation visualization by now, they deserved to be eliminated.

In fact, less than a second after Wei Cheng’s roar, the number of "black mushrooms" squeezing out of the golden web increased several times over, with over a thousand appearing across the sky.

The most lethal part was that each mushroom seemed to possess a pair of soul-snatching, eerie eyes that stared down without warning.

Piercing screams erupted from the North, South, and West walls—there were always those who were overly curious and reckless. They were weak, troublesome, and addicted to taking risks.

In that instant, gray mushrooms sprouted within their eyes. Accompanied by their howls, mushrooms erupted from their mouths, tongues, ears, noses, and their entire bodies, followed by rapid decay, suppuration, and swelling...

Fortunately, the rational and calm trial-takers were in the majority. Before the corpses could explode, they trapped them within Immovable Golden Bells and threw in a piece of Flame Stone! It had become standard equipment for everyone.

*Boom.*

Flames ignited, and everything ended.

In this wave alone, at least two hundred trial-takers perished. But no one had time to mourn, for as the last of the golden web extinguished, the fifth wave of the Shadow Demon Curse erupted in full force!

The entire sky was instantly blanketed by pitch-black clouds that descended rapidly. A scent of rot and decay gathered, blowing toward the ground like a hurricane of the eighteenth level. Outside the city, trees, grass, mountains, plains, lakes, and streams all withered, sank, and rotted in an instant. Even the air became foul.

Then, as if ten thousand female ghosts were singing in a grand choir, sharp, screeching sounds tore through the distant horizon, splitting the clouds and the earth. Scorching, hot magma demon fire erupted wantonly.

Within a five-hundred-mile radius east of Cangwu City, hundreds of massive abysses cracked open in a few breaths. Countless streams of demon-fire lava flowed out, merging into a torrent of fire that rose thousands of feet high, crashing down upon Cangwu City with a deafening roar!