Divine Tang Era

Chapter 126 True Phoenix Immortal Music

"roar--"

"Eek—"

Suddenly, the demonic beasts and birds seemed to go mad, charging frantically towards the city walls. Their eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty red light, and they roared and howled in a frenzy.

The earth-shattering roars of beasts and the piercing cries of birds intertwined, and the order of heaven and earth seemed to collapse at this moment.

Horned beasts rammed their massive, hard horns against the city walls; hornless beasts stretched out their razor-sharp claws and tore at them frantically; some even bit with their sharp fangs; and some trampled them with their heavy hooves. It seemed they would not stop until they had crushed the city walls.

Above, a monstrous bird, its wings covering the sky, pressed down like a dark cloud.

They flapped their enormous wings, creating gusts of wind, and swooped madly towards Jingning City. Previously, these demonic birds had only focused their attacks on the people on the city walls, but now they were acting like madmen, not even sparing the people inside the city.

The peaceful life in Jingning City was shattered.

The people in the city never expected that the demonic bird would break through the city walls and invade the city.

Panic spread like a plague, and people fled in all directions, searching for places to hide.

However, the demonic birds were too fast. Some people didn't even have time to dodge before they were attacked by the demonic birds that swooped down from the sky, their heads bleeding profusely. Some had their eyes pecked out. Others had several bloody holes torn into their heads. Some were even picked up by the demonic birds and thrown high into the air, their internal organs ruptured and blood flowing from their seven orifices.

Upon seeing this, the archers on the city wall immediately turned around and aimed their arrows at the dense swarms of demonic birds in the air.

"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—"

Arrows shot out like meteors, flying towards the demonic bird with a whooshing sound.

In an instant, the demonic birds fell like rain.

Unfortunately, there were simply too many demonic birds. Even though the archers tried their best, many civilians were still scratched and pecked.

Beneath the city walls, without the archers' powerful suppression, the monster horde's offensive grew increasingly fierce. The runes originally carved on the city walls gradually dimmed under the monsters' relentless assault, eventually disappearing completely like a candle flame about to be extinguished.

With the runes no longer blocking their way, the clawed monsters immediately grabbed onto the city wall and began to climb; those without claws used the gaps between the bricks to quickly ascend; and some even used the bodies of the larger monsters to leap directly onto the city wall.

Seeing the monster charging at them, the archers dared not linger and quickly retreated.

The soldiers Xu Dan had seen earlier, dressed in heavy armor and wielding strong shields and spears, stepped forward and formed an impregnable defensive line.

Their armor gleamed coldly in the sunlight, their shields were tightly joined together like a tortoise shell, and their spears stood like a forest, pointing straight ahead. The local garrison of Jingning City stood solemnly behind them, forming a second line of defense, ready to provide support at any moment.

The civilians who spontaneously came to defend Jingning City, though not as well-equipped as the government soldiers, stood firmly behind them, forming a third line of defense.

Behind them were Xu Dan and his archers, and finally a group of Confucian scholars, Taoists, monks, and other people who were not known for their strength.

By that logic, Xu Dan has essentially retired to the fourth tier.

Ha, he'd only ever heard of second-tier cities, never fourth-tier ones. He figured they were places even more remote than retirement homes.

Although he was in a relatively safe position, his bow and arrows never stopped. One after another, the demonic birds that were rampaging through the city were shot down and fell unwillingly from the sky. But there were just too many demonic birds in the air. As soon as one batch died, another batch came. They covered the sky and seemed endless.

The city of Jingning was in complete chaos, filled with groans, screams, wails, and cries of pain.

These sounds intertwined and echoed throughout the city, making the entire Jingning City look like a living hell.

Under the eaves of a two-room house, a beautiful woman in palace attire quietly looked up, her brows furrowed as she watched the demonic birds swooping down from the sky.

She was around thirty or forty years old, with a straight nose, cherry-colored lips, and skin as smooth as jade. Her eyebrows, like distant mountains shrouded in mist, were slightly raised, carrying a sense of dignity and authority; her eyes, as clear and deep as autumn water, revealed a hint of composure and wisdom gained from experiencing the world.

She wore an extremely gorgeous palace dress, with a dark silk base, and was intricately embroidered with auspicious clouds and phoenixes in gold thread. Each phoenix was so lifelike that it seemed ready to take flight at any moment.

The sleeves are wide, and the cuffs are adorned with stunning embroidery. The stitches are fine and the patterns are exquisite, making it look like a meticulously crafted work of art.

A wide ribbon, embroidered with intricate patterns in gold thread, was tied around her waist, perfectly outlining her slender figure. A gentle breeze stirred, and the layers of her skirt swayed softly, like a blooming peony, exuding an air of unparalleled elegance and nobility.

Her hair was piled high in a bun, resembling a delicate little mountain.

Adorned with several exquisite gold hairpins and pearl flowers, the gold hairpins gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight; the pearl flowers, as round as pearls, exuded a soft luster. A pair of crystal-clear jade pendants dangled from her ears, swaying gently with her movements, adding to her delicate and elegant charm.

She stood there, like a peerless beauty who had stepped out of an ancient painting, possessing both the charm of time and an unparalleled beauty.

Suddenly, a demonic bird spotted her, a bloodthirsty glint in its eyes, and swooped down.

The woman remained calm, and with a gentle flick of her sleeve, an invisible force surged forth like a raging wave, enveloping the demonic bird. Before the bird could even utter a cry of agony, it was reduced to ashes by this powerful force, scattering with the wind as if it had never existed.

"Niu Niu, come back... Niu Niu, my Niu Niu..."

The woman next door wasn't paying attention and didn't keep an eye on her little boy, who ran out of the house.

This scene was witnessed by a demonic bird circling high in the sky. Like a hungry tiger, one of the birds swooped down from the air, grabbed the child with its sharp claws, and flew into the sky. The child cried loudly in fright, his voice sounding particularly desolate in the chaotic city.

"You beast, how dare you!"

Upon seeing this, a flash of anger crossed the woman's eyes.

With a slight movement of his hand, an ancient zither appeared out of thin air. The zither was simple and elegant, exuding a mysterious aura.

With a gentle pluck of her right hand, a pure and ethereal melody suddenly rang out. The music seemed to transcend the boundaries of time and space, carrying boundless majesty and power, transforming into an invisible arrow that pierced the head of the demonic bird.

The demon bird's head exploded like a watermelon, spraying white fluid and blood, and its body fell headfirst from the air, powerless.

The child also fell down, and was so frightened that he flailed his arms and legs and cried his heart out.

With another flick of her sleeve, a gentle yet powerful force, like a pair of invisible hands, steadily supported the child and gently placed him on the ground.

The woman rushed over, hugged the child, ran back into the house, knelt on the ground, clasped her hands together, and gratefully bowed in all directions to thank the unknown benefactor who saved her son.