Chapter 1232 Three Days of City Defense Yield Shocking Intelligence

"Your Excellency Tang Yun, you must have seen the current situation in Rose City. The beast tide is relentless, the city is suffering heavy casualties, and supplies are scarce. It is on the verge of collapse. I, Xu, am incompetent and have failed His Majesty and the people of the city, but it is my duty to fight to the death! However, the enemy's forces are fierce, and without strong reinforcements, the city may fall in the blink of an eye!"

He looked intently at Tang Lan, his tone becoming more earnest, even pleading.

"Your Excellency's strength is extraordinary, and I dare not presume to ask you to stay any longer. I only beg... I only beg that for the sake of the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in this city, you help me defend the city for three days! Just three days! The Empire's reinforcements will arrive no later than three days! Once the reinforcements arrive, this city can be saved, and hundreds of thousands of lives can be spared from devastation!"

As he spoke, he actually began to bow down.

Tang Lan reached out her hand as if to support Xu Yu, but an invisible force stopped her movement.

Xu Yu was shocked, his assessment of Tang Lan's strength rose even higher, and the light of hope in his eyes shone even brighter. He quickly continued speaking.

"I know this request is unreasonable, and I dare not let you take the risk for nothing. As long as you agree, you can name your terms! Gold Soul Coins? Although the City Lord's Treasury is not abundant, I am willing to offer a million, even if I have to give it my all!"

"A promotion and a higher rank? I, Xu, will immediately send an urgent memorial to His Majesty, declaring that with your merits, you deserve at least a count's title and the imperial stipend! Or... if you have any other requests, I will fulfill them without hesitation, as long as they are within my power! I only ask that you intervene and secure these three days!"

Tang Lan calmly gazed at the city lord before him, who was willing to sacrifice all dignity for the sake of the city's soldiers and civilians. Xu Yu's offers were undeniably generous: gold soul coins, a noble title, and imperial tribute—temptations that would be irresistible to most soul masters. However, Tang Lan's eyes remained unmoved, as if those things that ordinary people dreamed of were nothing more than dust in his eyes.

Xu Yu's heart sank. The calmer the other party remained, the more desperate he felt. Could it be that this unfathomable expert truly did not wish to get involved in the troubles of this place?

Just as Xu Yu was about to plead again, even intending to exchange his help for something more humiliating, Tang Lan finally spoke. Her voice was still calm, but it instantly rekindled Xu Yu's hope.

"Defend the city for three days, that's acceptable."

Those five simple words, like heavenly music, made Xu Yu's tense body relax suddenly, and his face instantly filled with joy.

But Tang Lan's next words made his joy pause slightly.

"But I have a request."

"Please speak, Your Excellency! Let alone one request, even ten or a hundred, as long as I can fulfill them, I will never refuse!"

Xu Yu agreed without hesitation, afraid that Tang Lan would change her mind.

Tang Lan turned her gaze toward the faint smoke of battle visible outside the city and spoke slowly.

"For the next three days, I need you to use all the reliable forces in the city to secretly gather detailed information about the Holy Spirit Cult and the activities of evil spirit masters in the surrounding area."

Any clues, especially their possible hiding places, personnel movements, and any information related to the beast tide, must be collected as thoroughly as possible. Remember, this is clandestine intelligence gathering; you must absolutely avoid alerting them and arousing the suspicion of the evil spirit masters.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yu's eyes flashed with surprise and realization.

He had previously thought Tang Lan was just a passing-by peerless expert, but now he vaguely sensed that the other party seemed to have another purpose, and that purpose was directly aimed at the culprit behind all the disasters before him—the Holy Spirit Cult! Recalling Tang Lan's cold attitude in refusing recruitment from various parties, as well as her strength far exceeding that of ordinary people, a vague guess took shape in Xu Yu's mind.

This "Lord Tang Yun" is probably a powerful figure from some hidden force, specifically targeting the Holy Spirit Cult! He might even be connected to the newly enthroned Emperor in the capital, who also deeply despises the Holy Spirit Cult?

This conjecture startled him, but he was mostly overjoyed. Eradicating the evil spirit masters and purging the Holy Spirit Cult's influence within the empire was a clear decree issued by the newly enthroned Emperor Xu Sanshi in the capital, and also one of his important responsibilities as the border city lord.

Previously, due to limitations in strength and intelligence, effective progress had been difficult. Now, a powerful figure, seemingly there specifically to deal with the Holy Spirit Cult, has proactively made this request, offering to defend the city for three days in exchange. In Xu Yu's eyes, this is simply a risk-free and highly profitable deal! It can solve the immediate crisis and also complete the task assigned by His Majesty—why not?

"I understand!"

Xu Yu immediately responded seriously, a sharp glint in his eyes.

"To be honest, Your Excellency, eradicating evil spirit masters is His Majesty's strict order and also my duty. However, I have been unable to do so before, and it has been difficult to gather in-depth intelligence. Since Your Excellency has this intention, I will do my utmost and mobilize my most reliable confidants to secretly investigate! Within three days, I will compile all the relevant information I can gather and present it to Your Excellency!"

His answer was resolute, not only because he needed Tang Lan's help, but also because the matter itself was highly aligned with the interests of the empire.

Seeing Tang Lan nod slightly, clearly agreeing to the exchange, Xu Yu finally felt a huge weight lifted from his heart. While overjoyed, he also felt that exchanging a promise of intelligence that hadn't yet been fulfilled for three days of bloody battle was a bit too much of a bargain, and a slight sense of guilt arose in his heart. After a moment's thought, he reached into his storage soul tool and took out an item.

It was a bone about the size of a palm, dark gold in color, with fine, scale-like patterns on its surface, radiating a faint warmth and a sharp aura. Although its energy fluctuations were far less than the 100,000-year-old soul bone Tang Lan had previously acquired, it was still quite extraordinary, clearly originating from a powerful metal or fire-attribute soul beast, at least 50,000 years old.

"I am deeply grateful for your noble character, Lord Tang Yun. This item was obtained by chance in my early years. It is the right arm bone of a 53,000-year-old 'Fierce Golden Earth Dragon,' with a fierce attribute, which is quite compatible with the power-attack type of Soul Masters, especially those who use sword-type weapon spirits."

Judging from your magnanimity, I, Xu, believe you might be of use to me. Even if you disdain using me, bestowing this upon my subordinates would be of goodwill. This is but a small token of my respect; I earnestly hope you will accept it to express my gratitude.

Xu Yu presented the soul bone with both hands, his attitude sincere.

This soul bone was quite precious to him, but compared to the hope that Tang Lan's promise to defend the city brought, and the opportunity to eliminate evil soul masters that it might bring, it seemed insignificant.

His actions were both a genuine expression of gratitude and a further gesture of goodwill, hoping to forge a positive connection with this mysterious and powerful figure.

Tang Lan's gaze lingered on the dark golden soul bone for a moment. Without refusing, she raised her hand and put it into her spatial ring, saying calmly.

"Lord Xu is very kind."

Seeing that Tang Lan accepted the gift, Xu Yu's smile became even more sincere. He bowed again to express his gratitude, and they agreed that he would report back immediately if there was any news about evil soul masters, as well as the specific cooperation methods during the city defense, before he hurriedly left.

He needed to immediately arrange the reconnaissance and prepare for the next wave of beasts that might arrive at any time.

As night fell, Rose City fell into a brief silence amidst weariness and vigilance. Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er had a simple dinner in the courtyard of the Guangyan Merchant Guild branch. The food was naturally not very good; resources were scarce in the city, and having some hot food was already a luxury.

The two had just put down their chopsticks and bowls, and hadn't even had a chance to exchange a few words, when suddenly—

"Woo——!!!"

A shrill and urgent horn blast shattered the stillness of the night, coming from the direction of the city walls and instantly spreading throughout the entire city! Immediately following was a deafening cacophony of battle cries, the roars of soul beasts, and the booming sounds of soul skills erupting, all surging in like a tidal wave!

Again!

Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er exchanged a glance, both seeing understanding in each other's eyes. It seemed that Xu Yu's statement about "the endless beast tides" was not an exaggeration.

"Let's go and have a look."

Tang Lan stood up.

Wang Qiu'er nodded, and the two of them flashed out of the courtyard and sped towards the eastern city wall where the shouts of battle were the most intense.

They did not choose to fly, as that would be too conspicuous and would not fit the relatively low-key identities of "Tang Yun" and "Tang Qiu'er" at present.

The closer they got to the city walls, the more intense the atmosphere of chaos and tension became. On the streets, squads of soldiers and low-level Soul Masters, under the command of their officers, hurriedly ran carrying repair materials, rolling logs and stones, or lifting the wounded. The firelight illuminated faces that were tense, numb, or filled with fear.

Along the way, they encountered many acquaintances. Elder Han Song of the Guangyan Chamber of Commerce was directing the guild's guards to assist in moving supplies for the city's defense. Upon seeing Tang Lan and his companion, he quickly nodded in greeting, his eyes filled with awe and anticipation.

Tan Yuan, Yu Sen, and other Soul Douluo and Soul Saints who were still recovering from their injuries also made a point of appearing in the area near the city wall to coordinate and deal with emergencies. When they saw Tang Lan arrive, they were all invigorated and bowed from a distance.

What caught Tang Lan and her companion's attention the most was Yu Ting's team.

They had clearly been conscripted as well, gathered at a street corner, following the instructions of a city defense officer, seemingly to serve as mobile support. Seeing Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er, Yu Ting, Yue Lan, and the others wore complex expressions.

There was tension, but also a sense of relief, as if "the presence of a strong person makes me feel a little more at ease." Yu Ting nodded to them, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only gave them a "be careful" look.

Without lingering, Tang and Lan ascended the city tower on the east side of the city wall in a few leaps.

Upon reaching the top of the city wall, the sight before them caused even seasoned warriors Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er to narrow their eyes slightly.

Below the city, the firelight illuminated a dense, surging mass of soul beasts! At a glance, there were hundreds of them! They were of various kinds, including wolves, leopards, bears, rhinoceroses, and even some flying soul beasts circling low in the air, but without exception, their eyes flashed with a chilling crimson light as they roared and charged madly toward the city wall.

The city wall itself was damaged in many places, especially the corner that had been breached during the day. Although it had been repaired urgently, there was still a considerable gap. At this moment, a large number of the city's defense troops did not simply hold their ground and defend the city. Instead, they rushed out of the city and formed battle formations a hundred feet in front of the city wall, engaging the surging beast tide head-on in battle!

The shouts of battle and the roars of beasts shook the heavens and the earth. The light of soul power flashed, collided, and exploded continuously, and the stench of blood filled the air.

What surprised Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er was the way these city defense troops fought.

They weren't fighting in a chaotic melee; instead, they formed small teams of seven. Surprisingly, each team had a remarkably well-organized and complete structure.

At the forefront are defensive Soul Masters wielding giant shields or wearing heavy armor, holding off the most ferocious attacks of the Soul Beasts; on the flanks and in the gaps are offensive Soul Masters wielding swords, spears, and halberds, responsible for killing and counterattacking; in the center, there are often one or two support Soul Masters, constantly releasing auras or Soul Skills that enhance strength, speed, defense, or weaken the enemy's status.

At the rear of the formation, there is always a healing-type Soul Master, whose hands shimmer with a soft light, ready to heal injured teammates at any time; there are also one or two agile, stealthy attack-type or assassin-type Soul Masters, who roam the edge of the battle formation, specifically responsible for attacking the vital points of Soul Beasts or intercepting any stragglers trying to bypass the battle formation and charge the city walls.

Offense, defense, support, healing, and assassin – five roles, seven members working in a team, cooperating flawlessly, like a unified whole. Each member possesses at least a Soul Emperor cultivation level of 60!

Moreover, there seems to be some kind of simple coordination among these seven-person squads. Adjacent squads will support each other's flanks, and when one squad is under too much pressure, nearby squads will adjust their formation to provide support, vaguely appearing as a larger whole.

These city defense troops were clearly well-trained and trusted each other. Despite occasional casualties under the onslaught of the frenzied beast tide, their formation remained intact, managing to keep hundreds of berserk soul beasts a hundred feet away from the city wall and preventing them from easily approaching the main body of the wall.

"What excellent teamwork, what strong discipline."

Wang Qiu'er praised softly. As a soul beast in human form, her understanding of human armies was not as profound as Tang Lan's, but she could still see the extraordinary nature of this city defense army.

Tang Lan nodded, a hint of approval in her eyes.

"Seven people form a formation, complementing each other's functions and working together as a team. This Lord Xu is indeed quite exceptional in training troops and commanding battle formations."

The fact that Xu Yu was able to train such an elite army of soul masters in a relatively resource-scarce border region, and that they could maintain their formation and combat effectiveness in the face of such a bizarre and frenzied beast tide, speaks volumes about his abilities.

This is by no means something that can be achieved solely through personal bravery.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached, and Xu Yu, surrounded by a group of guards, ascended the city wall.

His face was grave, and his eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating he hadn't rested at all. Seeing Tang Lan and the other person arrive, he quickly stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Your Excellency Tang Yun, Your Excellency Tang Qiu'er, I apologize for the disturbance."

His gaze fell upon the fierce battle below the city, and he spoke in a deep voice.

"As you two can see, this is only the first wave of tonight, a small-scale beast tide. It consists of about three to five hundred beasts, mainly hundred-year-old and thousand-year-old soul beasts, with a small number of ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts mixed in. My 'Seven Star Battle Formation' can handle it."

He paused, his tone becoming even more somber.

"The real trouble is the large-scale beast tide. It will exceed a thousand beasts, and there will definitely be several, or even a dozen, powerful soul beasts with an age of over 30,000 years as the vanguard."

They are tough and thick-skinned, and their attacks are ferocious. Ordinary Seven Star Battle Formations can hardly withstand them. It takes multiple Soul Saints or even Soul Douluos working together, or relying on the defensive soul tools of the city walls to focus fire, to barely resist them.

The reason the eastern city wall was breached during the day was because during a large beast tide, three 'siege rhinoceroses' over 50,000 years old suddenly emerged, along with several flying soul beasts, catching the defenders off guard and causing a breach that resulted in significant losses within the city.