65: a desperate battle

The dire news of the City Guard's defensive line being torn apart spread like a plague among the surviving soldiers and the terrified citizens within the city. Watching the ferocious barbarian soldiers pouring through the gaps, despair flooded everyone like a cold tide, nearly drowning them.

"The city is about to fall..."

"The Barbarians are in! We're finished!"

Panic began to take root.

Right then, an old general, covered in blood and with his left arm severed at the shoulder, raised his war blade with his remaining right hand and roared hoarsely. His voice sounded like a broken gong, yet it carried a soul-shaking power that echoed across the collapsing battlefield:

"Brothers! Fellow villagers! Look at these Barbarians! If the city falls, our parents, wives, and children—every single one of them—will die! They will be disgraced! They will be slaughtered!"

"I don't care if you're a Martial Artist or a Martial Apprentice, or even a farmer who only knows how to swing a hoe! If you're a man, pick up a weapon for me!"

"Our home is right behind us! There's nowhere left to retreat! Today, even if we have to use our teeth to bite, our heads to ram, or our lives to fill the gaps, we must block these sons of bitches for me! Kill—!!"

This roar, filled with grief, indignation, and determination, was like a spark falling into a fuel depot!

After a brief moment of deathly silence, a response erupted like a mountain's roar and a tsunami's crash!

"Kill! Fight the Barbarians to the end!"

"For our parents! For our children!"

"Damn them! Even if I die, I'll splash them with my blood!"

At the edge of collapse, they were forcibly pulled back by their most primal survival instinct and the urge to protect their loved ones!

The next moment, a shocking scene unfolded.

The remaining soldiers, their eyes bloodshot, let out beast-like howls and threw themselves recklessly at the incoming Barbarians.

Even more people, who had been shivering in ruins and alleys, rushed out! Among them were Martial Artists in simple leather armor, Martial Apprentices with only basic combat skills, and countless ordinary farmers, craftsmen, and merchants holding kitchen knives, firewood axes, hoes, carrying poles, or even just broken spearheads they had scavenged from the ground!

They had no training, no formation, and many didn't even know basic parrying. But what burned in their eyes was the madness of mutual destruction and the deepest hatred for the invaders!

"Stop them!"

"Charge!"

A tide of people! A tide formed of flesh and blood surged from all directions toward the gaps where the Barbarians had achieved a Breakthrough!

An old farmer swung his hoe, smashing it hard into the back of a barbarian soldier's head, only to be run through by another barbarian's blade.

A young Martial Artist roared as he grabbed a barbarian Martial Master's leg, biting down hard with his teeth, before being kicked away with his ribs shattered.

Several men who looked like merchants brandished tables and chairs, frantically smashing them at the Barbarians, only to be cut down by a flurry of blades in an instant.

But more people surged forward, one after another! They used their bodies as shields and their lives as ramparts!

There was no strategy, no technique—only the most primal and tragic war of attrition!

A barbarian soldier had just cut down a defender in front of him when he was struck by three or four different weapons simultaneously!

A barbarian Martial Master roared as he sent several lunging civilians flying, only to have his leg deathly gripped by a heavily wounded soldier on the ground. Immediately after, countless feet and "weapons" rained down upon him!

The incoming barbarian soldiers discovered with horror that they were no longer facing a structured army, but the frenzied counterattack of the entire city! These Qianyuan people seemed impossible to kill off or scare away! They used several times, or even ten times the lives, to forcibly block their advancing steps!

Despite the heavy casualties—where killing a single barbarian might cost several or even a dozen lives—the numerical advantage of the defenders and the citizens was displayed in the most brutal fashion at this moment.

Under the desperate resistance of this wall of flesh and blood, the offensive of the barbarian vanguard was forcibly halted! They were split up, surrounded, and drowned by the frenzied crowds, eventually being wiped out bit by bit near the city wall gaps!

The crisis on the city walls was actually stabilized for the time being through this most tragic method!

...Meanwhile, on another street within the city, Qin Feng and Xia Xue encountered the strongest force of barbarian resistance since entering the city.

Three barbarian Grand Martial Masters, leading five personal guards at the Late Martial Master stage, were clearly a complete combat squad. They had just slaughtered a shelter and were about to find their next target when they happened to run head-on into Qin Feng and Xia Xue's squad, who were clearing the area.

"Kill them!" The leader of the barbarian Grand Martial Masters ordered without hesitation, a fierce light flashing in his eyes.

Instantly, the battle erupted!

Qin Feng and Xia Xue were given special attention as the three Grand Martial Masters surrounded them directly, while the other five Martial Masters pounced on the City Guard elites Xia Xue had brought.

"Back to back!" Xia Xue shouted urgently.

Qin Feng understood immediately, and the two of them pressed their backs together, their swords dancing to form a simple defensive circle.

*Clang, clang, clang!*

The sound of clashing weapons rang out like popping corn! The three barbarian Grand Martial Masters coordinated perfectly, their offensive fierce and wild. Blade qi, axe shadows, and spear light attacked from different angles, creating immense pressure!

Qin Feng pushed the Qingfeng Sword Art to its limit, his sword light dense and coupled with the occasional flick of paralyzing poison powder, barely holding off the onslaught of two Grand Martial Masters. However, the opponents' strength was overwhelming. In one head-on clash, his chest felt as if it had been struck by a heavy blow, his blood churning. The clothes he wore over it shattered, revealing a piece of inner armor shimmering with a faint golden light—it was a Gold Silk Inner Armor he had obtained from a previous Opportunity, and it now showed clear cracks and dents!

Xia Xue was having an equally difficult time. She was fighting the strongest Grand Martial Master leader alone. Although her swordsmanship was exquisite, her opponent was an experienced veteran whose strength slightly surpassed hers. Several clashes left her arms numb, putting her in a perilous situation.

This couldn't continue! Constant defense would eventually lead to failure!

A flash of determination crossed Xia Xue's eyes. She suddenly pulled a small jade bottle from her robe and quickly poured out two crimson Medicinal Pills. She swallowed one herself and handed the other to Qin Feng behind her: "Qin Feng! A qi burst pill! Hold on!"

Qin Feng didn't hesitate for a second, taking the Medicinal Pill and swallowing it!

As the Medicinal Pill entered his stomach, it instantly transformed into two scorching, violent torrents that surged through his limbs and bones! It felt as if his Meridians had widened slightly, and his Internal Energy began to gallop with unprecedented speed and power!

*Hum!*

The Auras of both individuals surged almost simultaneously! They climbed from the Early-stage Great Martial Master to the Mid-stage Grand Martial Master level! Although they knew there would be severe side effects once the medicine wore off, at this moment, only power could buy them a chance at survival!

"Kill!"

Feeling the surging power within him, Qin Feng let out a long whistle, and his sword stance suddenly shifted! It was no longer the defensive parrying from before, but had transformed into a thunderous offensive!

"Qingfeng Sword Art — Thundering Lightning!"

The sword light was like a bolt of electricity, more than twice as fast as before! Carrying a desperate and fierce Aura, it pierced directly toward the throat of an axe-wielding barbarian general opposite him!

The barbarian general was shocked and raised his axe to block, but his arm went numb—the power contained in the opponent's sword far exceeded what it had been before!

*Squelch!*

The sword tip bypassed the axe blade by a hair's breadth, instantly piercing his throat!

Three moves! To slay a Grand Martial Master!

On the other side, Xia Xue's sword light also flourished. Seizing the moment of shock her opponent felt at his comrade's death, she executed an exquisite thrust that directly pierced through the Grand Martial Master leader's heart!

In the blink of an eye, two of the three Grand Martial Masters were gone!

The last spear-wielding barbarian Grand Martial Master experienced his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering from fear, and he turned to flee!

"Where do you think you're going!" Qin Feng snorted coldly, waving his left hand to throw out his last bit of precious, potent hallucinogenic poison powder.

The barbarian general inhaled the powder, his figure suddenly stiffening as a momentary daze appeared in his eyes.

In that brief moment of hesitation, Xia Xue's sword and Qin Feng's sword arrived almost simultaneously from behind, piercing him right through!

All three Grand Martial Masters were slain!

Seeing their leaders wiped out in an instant, the remaining five Martial Masters lost their courage. They were swarmed by the City Guard elites, whose morale was greatly boosted, and were hacked to death.

The battle ended.

Qin Feng and Xia Xue let out sighs of relief almost at the same time. As the effects of the qi burst pill began to fade, a wave of intense weakness and stinging pain in their Meridians hit them. Both couldn't help but lean on their swords for support, gasping for breath with pale faces.

Looking around, nearly half of the City Guard they had brought were casualties, but they had won in the end.

About an hour later, the sounds of fighting and explosions throughout the city gradually subsided.

A City Guard officer dragged his exhausted body over to report, his face showing a mix of relief from surviving and deep sorrow: "Young Miss, Qin... Young Hero Qin. All the barbarian airborne troops that entered the city have been wiped out! The soldiers and civilians... they fought with one heart against the enemy. The casualties... are extremely heavy, but we held!"

Xia Xue took a deep breath, suppressing the grief in her heart and the weakness in her body, and nodded: "Good, very good. You've worked hard. Have the brothers take some time to rest and treat the wounded."

She turned to look at Qin Feng, whose face was equally pale, with a complex gaze. This mysterious young man had once again made her see him in a new light. Without his qi burst pill and his decisiveness at the critical moment, they might not have made it through just now.

"The rest," Xia Xue looked up, her gaze passing over the ruined houses toward the high altitude where terrifying energy fluctuations were still coming from, her voice grave, "depends on my father and the two Seniors."

The crisis within the city was temporarily resolved, but the true fate of Star South City remained firmly tied to the duel between those seven Martial Kings.

The battle in the sky had already reached a white-hot stage, deciding the final destination of this city with its over three million soldiers and civilians.