Zhao Xuanqi didn’t offer any further explanation and simply asked a question.
"Five comrades from the various sects have fallen. Seven more are severely injured and probably won’t be able to participate in the coming battles. As for the rest, almost everyone is wounded, and their Primordial Qi is depleted by at least sixty to seventy percent," Zhuang Li reported.
Everyone who heard this couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath.
There were only about fifty disciples from the various sects gathered here in total. To have nearly a fifth of their number already become casualties was a truly startling figure.
"And you? What’s your condition?"
Zhuang Li asked.
"My Primordial Qi is about fifty percent depleted, but I can hold on. It’s not a problem," Chi Li said in a low voice. His voice sounded strange and hoarse; even when speaking normally, it carried a low growl that was almost hysterical. A red glint was faintly visible in his eyes.
The Yin Mountain Sect’s Secret Techniques always came at a price. This was especially true for a Spirit Body as ferocious as the General’s Spirit. The more completely it was manifested, the more its wielder would be influenced by its ferocity, even to the point of losing their sense of self.
After a series of intense battles, Chi Li was not in good shape.
"My Primordial Qi is eighty percent depleted, but I haven’t used ’Infinite’ yet. I’m still young and have enough Destiny. You don’t need to worry about me," Ren Fei said.
"I’ve also used up sixty percent of my Primordial Qi."
"I’m about the same..."
"..."
As they all shared their conditions and injuries, a heavy silence fell over the group.
Everyone’s Primordial Qi and Physical Ability were severely drained. Even with enough rest, it would be difficult to recover to over eighty percent within an hour without the aid of medicine.
What’s more, they still had to deal with scattered attacks from random Evil Spirits, so they couldn’t relax completely.
If even they were in this state, the condition of the other disciples could only be worse.
It seemed they had overcome the crisis, but in reality, their safety was only temporary. Greater danger still lay ahead.
’There are still two more Night Parades of Hundred Demons... In our current state, can we really survive?’
"One of the intelligent Evil Spirits is dead, and the others were wounded. They probably can’t pose too much of a threat anymore. We’re not without a chance. And with so many Evil Spirits killed this time, their numbers in the Ghost City can’t be infinite. The next Night Parade of Hundred Demons might not be as dangerous as this one," He Xijun said.
"It’s hard to say. I’ve already asked Pu Xiangrong to take a few disciples from the Five Elements Gang to scout ahead. He should be back soon," Zhuang Li said, shaking his head. He didn’t seem as optimistic.
As they were speaking, a shadow flickered, and Pu Xiangrong—who had left earlier—appeared. His expression was grim.
"Those Evil Spirits have retreated into Anyuan Street. At the same time, a continuous stream of Sword Soldier Ghosts is appearing from within the street. Furthermore, the last battle caused a huge commotion. Even though the Night Parade of Hundred Demons has ended, all the Evil Spirits in the city were drawn by the fighting. They’ve left their original districts and are now unconsciously approaching our position. Right now they’re just wandering, but once the Night Parade begins, they’ll likely converge on us again quickly."
"I also saw a dense, bloody light flickering deep within Anyuan Street. It seems to be Blood Food Power. I’m afraid all the living people who died earlier have been converted into Blood Food Power and gathered by the Ghost City’s source. This power is likely why Sword Soldier Ghosts are still pouring out of Anyuan Street. I also speculate that with enough Blood Food Power to nourish them, the Evil Spirits’ injuries can heal quickly. Those special Evil Spirits probably retreated into Anyuan Street to use that power to recover. There’s no telling when they might show up again."
Pu Xiangrong spoke in a low voice, his words only audible to the leaders of the various sects, as if he feared the intelligence would leak and cause despair and panic among the other disciples.
Hearing this report, everyone’s faces turned incredibly ugly. A dark cloud settled over their hearts, refusing to dissipate.
They had broken the siege once, but an even greater crisis was looming.
This was practically a hopeless situation.
And that was indeed the truth. The two cloaked figures had gone to great lengths, risking exposure to manipulate the Ghost City’s operations, all to ensure that every last person from the sects was buried here. Their preparations had been exhaustive.
If not for Zhao Xuanqi’s sudden burst of power, their original predictions held that it would have been difficult for the disciples to survive the third Night Parade of Hundred Demons.
However, Zhao Xuanqi’s current cultivation realm was still a step too low. While he could break the immediate predicament, he couldn’t completely reverse their fortunes.
"If this continues, we won’t survive the fourth Night Parade of Hundred Demons," Zhuang Li said quietly.
"Agreed. Those intelligent Evil Spirits won’t be caught off guard twice. My guess is they won’t even show up to fight in the third Night Parade. They’ll just let the other Evil Spirits wear us down further. By the time the fourth Parade begins, they’ll attack alongside all the other spirits, and our defeat will be certain. Few of us will survive."
Even the usually flippant Pu Xiangrong felt a heavy weight on his heart.
He couldn’t think of any way to break this stalemate, to escape this crisis.
"Actually, there might be a way to break this deadlock," Zhao Xuanqi, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said.
Hearing this, everyone immediately turned to look at him.
"What is it? Please, Zhao, speak freely," Chi Li rasped.
"First, let me ask a question. Without those special Evil Spirits, if the number of people present was reduced by a third, would you be confident in handling a Night Parade of Hundred Demons?" Zhao Xuanqi asked.
"Of course. If it were just ordinary Evil Spirits, we’d only need half the people here to hold the line. By coordinating with the other disciples, we’d have more than enough to handle the tide of common spirits," Lu Dong said, nodding without a second thought.
The greatest threat in the Night Parade of Hundred Demons was the special Evil Spirits. Without them, even if only half of the experts present were free to act, they and the other disciples could easily fend off the tide.
However, how could those special Evil Spirits just disappear for no reason?
"The earlier intelligence mentioned that the source of the Evil Spirits has an ability called ’Ghost Gate.’ Once the source is attacked, the Gate opens, and all the Evil Spirits in the city are drawn to its side, correct?" Zhao Xuanqi continued.
"Yes, that’s right. And the first to be pulled over are usually the strongest, special Evil Spirits in the city... Wait, are you saying...?!" He Xijun nodded, then her expression changed abruptly as she seemed to understand.
"Right now, the Sword Soldier Ghosts and special Evil Spirits in Anyuan Street have been mobilized, leaving its defenses relatively empty. A small team of three to five from our group could sneak into Anyuan Street before the fourth Night Parade begins. Once the Parade starts, we attack the source of the Ghost City. At that point, it will surely open its Ghost Gate and pull the special Evil Spirits to its side. The pressure on everyone else will be drastically reduced, giving them a chance to survive," Zhao Xuanqi explained slowly.
"That plan is insane! The people on that strike team... how is that any different from a suicide mission?!" Deng Mingseng’s face paled.
The original plan had been to clear out the special Evil Spirits within the city first before attacking the source, precisely to avoid its Ghost Gate ability.
In the past, the sects hadn’t known about this ability and had suffered catastrophic losses from a rash attack.
Now, with so many special Evil Spirits still active, if the Ghost Gate opened, the source would be surrounded by more than a dozen of them. It was indeed no different from suicide.
"We’re not trying to attack and destroy the source. We just need to hold on for a Quarter Hour. Once the time limit for the Ghost City is up, we can escape it. Holding out for just a Quarter Hour isn’t impossible," Zhao Xuanqi said, his expression calm.
"That plan... actually has a chance. In fact, it’s the plan with the highest hope of success we have right now. Do we choose a path where everyone faces the danger and likely only a few survive, or one where a few face the danger so that more of our comrades can live? I, Ren Fei, choose the latter. Count me in on this operation."
"Before we left, I promised my Master that I would take the top honor in this operation. I’m not thinking about that anymore. But if all my brothers from my sect die in this Ghost City, I won’t be able to face my Master or anyone else back home, even if I escape with my life," Ren Fei said calmly, his eyes filled with unwavering resolve.
"Count me in too. It would be a real shame for so many beautiful, delicate ladies to die in this godforsaken place. Besides, without my Escape Technique to support you, sneaking into Anyuan Street won’t be easy. But I probably won’t be much help in a head-on fight."
Just then, the normally flippant and unreliable Pu Xiangrong also spoke up.