Chapter 34: Who Is the Last Donkey

At this moment, as team after team launched their counterattacks, a great number of challengers also found their rhythm in battle. No matter how many of those horned demons surged forth, they could only become numbers added to the tally of kills. Clearly, the immortal overseeing the trial had not made things impossibly difficult; the first hour’s demon assault was the simplest, the easiest to survive.

Yet, as more and more horned demons clambered onto the city walls, the situation grew troublesome. Wei Cheng possessed seventy-two cycles of internal energy, an exceptionally deep reserve, and by deliberately lowering his defenses, he could still manage the drain on his energy. Others, however, were beginning to falter. Economizing one’s internal energy was not something just anyone could achieve. Even when Wei Cheng reduced his own defense to a mere fifth of its strength, the horned demons still could not break through. Who else dared to do the same? No one dared relax their Golden Bell Shield for even an instant; every clash required their utmost effort.

Save energy? One misstep, and you’d be killed instead.

It had been less than twenty minutes of fierce fighting when Wei Cheng had expended only a twentieth of his Moving Mountain energy. In his team, aside from Cheng An, who also had sixty cycles of internal strength and remained at ease, the rest were already showing signs of fatigue. Heavy casualties seemed inevitable.

"Form ranks! Take turns activating the Golden Bell Shield!"

No longer acting with reckless abandon, Wei Cheng began to provide deliberate cover for the others. After all, though their task was to defend the wall, the horned demons still had no way of charging into the city itself. The white light of the overseer’s execution, which could kill both challengers and horned demons, ensured none could cross the threshold.

In fact, on the north city walls, every team was exploiting this loophole—abandoning most of the defensive line, clustering together, with Moving Mountain practitioners taking turns activating the Golden Bell Shield while other professions supported from the flanks. Only the southern wall, it seemed, could truly sweep the horned demons with overwhelming force.

This strategy greatly eased the pressure, but Wei Cheng still sensed something amiss. Still, there was no time to ponder further; surely they could endure even a single hour. Passing this stage was his minimum requirement.

Time slipped by. The horned demons seemed endless, a minority assaulting the teams, the majority rushing toward the city, only to be annihilated by the executioner’s white light—none could pass. The teams found themselves with far less to do; it seemed this stage would soon be over.

“No, this white light must have a limit. If it’s depleted now, it’ll be gone for the second hour, and then the city’s defenses could change drastically.”

Just as this thought struck Wei Cheng, he saw a practitioner of the Swift Swallow profession, with sixty cycles of internal strength, darting across the battlefield like a celestial swallow—none other than Xu Shan, a famed expert from Zhou Wu’s southern city team. For her to master the Swift Swallow discipline to such a degree showed how much Zhou Wu valued her. Not a single horned demon even brushed her sleeve as she moved—demonstrating the unique strengths of her profession.

“All of you, listen! Kill as many of these demons as you can—don’t let them drain the city’s defensive array! Otherwise, the consequences will be dire!”

Xu Shan’s voice rang out as she leapt lightly, a mere tap on a demon’s head propelling her a hundred meters away—so agile, so extraordinary. Wei Cheng could only watch in envy; he hadn’t even managed to assemble a complete set of three professions for his own team yet.

In a flash, Xu Shan vanished into the distance. On the northern wall, a few ambitious teams quickly caught on; it was easy to understand. The first hour was a basic stage—not difficult, most people could pass. But to earn double rewards, you had to last two hours. By then, the defensive array would be crucial.

Wei Cheng thought the same. “Cheng An, stay here!” After giving the order, Wei Cheng resolved to unleash his full power. Compared to the top-tier challengers like Zhou Wu, he was already far behind; he could not afford to fall further, or he would never catch up. He refused to be just another ordinary person.

“Kill!”

Wei Cheng’s fists flew like the wind, holding nothing back. With the advantage of the city wall and his formidable defense, and with so many horned demons, he fought with brute force—technique be damned. So long as his punches landed, his foes were either dead or maimed.

His rampage was as devastating as the “Little Tyson with the Jade Face.” In fact, that famed fighter had already withdrawn, limited by only thirty cycles of internal energy; no matter how strong his late-stage kingly aura, his energy was simply too shallow.

But Wei Cheng’s Moving Mountain energy let him act with abandon. No longer limited to his own sector, he charged from east to west and back again—wherever demons clustered, he bulldozed through them.

Such dazzling action even relieved some pressure for other teams. But this wild pace came at a price: in just an hour, Wei Cheng had burned through more than half his energy and was forced to retreat to his own sector to play it safe.

Without his “bulldozer,” the northern defense quickly deteriorated. Only a few sectors could still suppress the demons; the rest were forced into passive defense, taking turns with the Golden Bell Shield, unable to attack, simply enduring the time.

Now and then, shrill screams and pleas for help rose up—some weaker challengers were dragged away by the little demons, torn to pieces and devoured on the spot.

Wei Cheng’s own sector became an island. He himself was relatively untroubled, but as he tried to look after the others, casualties began to mount.

“Bang!” Wei Cheng smashed a demon to pieces and rescued Yu Liang, whose Golden Bell Shield had just shattered. Yu was already a sorry sight, his Moving Mountain energy nearly gone, his body covered in bloody wounds from demon claws.

“Cheng An!” Wei Cheng called, and Cheng An, shield blazing, rushed over. Wang Wei dragged the incapacitated Yu Liang to safety.

There were only a few minutes left according to the incense on the transmission stone stele.

But Wei Cheng’s team was down to just seven. Of those, three had exhausted their Moving Mountain energy and lost the ability to fight. Without Wei Cheng’s constant firefighting—one punch, one demon—they would have been wiped out half an hour ago.

By now, more than twenty teams along the north wall had perished entirely; those still holding on were suffering heavy losses. Now and then, curses against Zhou Wu and Xu Shan could be heard—if not for their earlier urging to strike out, leading to wasted energy, things wouldn’t be so dire.

Why didn’t the invincible southern defenders come help them?

Once the energy was gone, they were utterly powerless.

Now, with just a few minutes left, this was the most dangerous, grueling time of all.

“Bang!” “Boss Wei, save me!” To the left, a challenger named Wang Chao had his shield broken by three horned demons; he barely managed to shout before being torn apart, entrails flung everywhere.

Wei Cheng was too late to save him. All he could do was plug the breach, killing the demons responsible. Immediately after, Wang Wei’s shield was broken as well, but with her four cycles of energy and Cheng An’s timely help, she managed to recover and reactivate her shield.

Everyone now just hoped the time would pass faster.

It was agony—even Wei Cheng felt numb. He dashed back and forth, pushing himself to the limit. Cheng An was nearly spent, able to protect only Wang Wei and Yu Liang.

As for the others, there was nothing more he could do.

But with fewer people, Wei Cheng could respond even faster, and despite the constant danger, he managed to keep these last few alive.

A sudden hum—on the north wall, the transmission stone stele shook violently. At last, the time was up. A gentle divine radiance spread forth; everyone still alive, no matter how gravely wounded, so long as a breath remained, was bathed in its light.

Their wounds healed rapidly, and they regained half their internal energy. But the divine light lasted only three seconds before fading, and there was no reward of martial skills.

“This reward is rather poor,” Wei Cheng thought. The north wall had suffered over half its defenders lost, and for all that, they received only three seconds of healing light—it seemed almost comical.

Unless, perhaps, the reward was based on the strength of the survivors. In other words, the first hour had been a free pass, but they’d ruined it themselves.

Wei Cheng looked sharply toward the south wall; if he was correct, casualties there would be almost nonexistent, as all the elite among the five thousand had been concentrated there.

But was this truly the right way?

Now, Wei Cheng saw many challengers on the north wall leaving without a word, including some from his own team. They simply could not go on. Lacking elite core members, the mid- and lower-tier challengers were being forced to bear an impossible burden—it was sending them to their deaths.

It was bitterly ironic.

Like that old tale of two donkeys carrying loads: if you refuse to help your companion and watch as it collapses under the weight, can you really laugh in the end?