Isn't This a Game? Why Are You All Cultivating for Real!

Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Where Did These Demon Beasts Come From?

Just as the system had said, Song Jiulai was rushing back as fast as she could, but she could only pray the players would manage to hold off the first wave of the assault.

After all, she was the one who had gone to the Netherworld Sect, the farthest destination.

Even if she chugged potions the whole way without stopping to breathe, it would still take her half a day to return.

If the demon beasts were vicious enough, they could wipe out Wang’an County completely.

Song Jiulai wasn’t there in person, but she could watch the situation live through the system.

The players were in a frantic mess, barely managing to follow Zhou Xiao’s commands as they prepared to face the demon beasts.

Night had completely fallen.

The sky in the game was indistinguishable from the real one.

Except for the air here...

Zhan Sheng took a deep breath. The air felt incredibly fresh, but it was tinged with a faint, foul reek.

The source of the reek was, for now, unknown.

But every sight was deeply astounding to her.

"Have all the civilians taken shelter?"

"They’re all in shelter! I told them not to come out for any reason..."

Players zipped about in every direction on the main street. Everyone looked rushed, but they maintained a fragile sense of calm.

After all, there were a few skilled combat players present who could keep the situation under control.

Once you killed your first demon beast, there was nothing left to fear.

Their cultivation was a known factor. If the first wave consisted entirely of First-rank Demon Beasts, those at the Qi Refining Middle Stage could completely suppress them.

These people were so vivid and lifelike. Aside from the occasional shimmer of Spiritual Energy, this place was truly no different from the real world.

’And this place was supposed to be a game.’

"Huh?"

Gu Yunxi spotted Zhan Sheng on the side of the road and instantly recognized her as a new player.

After all, only new players had that puppet-like aura and a complete lack of Spiritual Energy. She was also wearing the basic system-issued cotton clothes they all started with—the very definition of simple.

"You’re a new player? Quick, go back! This is no place for you right now. You’ll be safest at the spawn point."

The game required players to develop resources, so the veterans were always very protective of the newcomers.

Zhan Sheng didn’t listen, simply asking, "Where are the demon beasts now?"

Gu Yunxi paused, thinking this must be a new player who had read the strategy guides. "On the outskirts of Wang’an County, within a one-li radius. Some demon beasts have started to break through, but we sent people to deal with them. For now, it doesn’t seem to be a major problem."

Zhan Sheng pressed on, "Have you determined the full extent of the demon beast appearances?"

Gu Yunxi thought for a moment before replying, "The veterans have already taken people to scout. It looks like they’re mostly coming from the direction of First Mountain."

Large hordes of demon beasts were only ever active in the direction of First Mountain.

The opposite direction leads to Liu Xian City, and demon beasts are almost never found there.

’First Mountain?’

Zhan Sheng hadn’t read any of the game info, so she didn’t know what First Mountain was. She could only guess it was some kind of centralized spawn point for demon beasts.

That meant it shouldn’t be too hard for the players to intercept them.

Assuming the players could actually defeat them.

"What’s your cultivation level?"

Seeing Zhan Sheng’s calm expression, Gu Yunxi found this new player to be rather strange.

Most new players were stuck in a loop of ’Holy shit, this game is real!’ when they first joined. It was rare to see one calm down so quickly.

But that wasn’t important. Gu Yunxi said, "I’m at the Qi Refining Middle Stage, but I’m busy right now and don’t have time to explain everything. Find a safe place to hide. If you really want to watch, do it from near the city walls. The demon beasts haven’t broken through this far yet."

Hearing this, Zhan Sheng said, "I’ll go take a look."

They had started building city walls around Wang’an County.

Though city walls were largely useless in the Cultivation World, the players had their own plans.

It was called a city wall, but it was really just a simple concrete wall, and not a very tall one at that.

The dusty gray expanse was a stark contrast to the rows of quaint, traditional houses within the county.

Zhan Sheng hadn’t expected them to have produced concrete. This finally gave her a sense of the absurdity of being in a game world.

One had to admit, the players had foresight. It was unlikely a First-rank Demon Beast could climb this wall.

The concrete wall was also somewhat water and fire-resistant. Blocking low-level demon beasts would be no problem at all.

The players were mainly fighting outside the county, so the wall where Zhan Sheng stood was quite safe.

Outside the county, players had planted vast Spirit Fields. The Spirit Grass within them shimmered, emitting a faint glow. It was all very unscientific, yet beautiful.

The moon here was full, too.

’A world like this has a moon?’

In the distance, Zhan Sheng could only see dozens of Cultivators flying up and down through the night.

Zhou Xiao led Zhen Weida and the others, charging to the front lines of the demon beast assault.

Beyond the initial wave of First-Rank Toad Snakes and other First-rank Demon Beasts, even more First and Second Rank Demon Beasts waited in the distance.

Zhou Xiao was a stronger fighter, so she charged to the front of the encirclement. When she saw the teeming mass of Second-tier Demon Beasts beyond, her face instantly paled.

’This is bad!’

The worst-case scenario had come to pass.

A large horde of Second-tier Demon Beasts had yet to make a move.

They were gathered about a li away from Wang’an County. Though demon beasts were supposedly mindless, they seemed to be under someone’s control, holding their position without attacking.

There were dozens of Second-tier Evil Wolves—a species that rarely traveled in packs!

Dozens of Second-tier Demon Horned Snakes had also appeared...

Dealing with a single demon beast wasn’t hard for Zhou Xiao. But dozens of them? How could she and the other players possibly handle that?

’If all the players were here, it wouldn’t be so bad. The scary part was the thought of more appearing in a continuous stream.’

"Zhou Xiao."

Someone called her name as she was rushing back. Zhou Xiao looked up and was surprised to see Zhu Xiangchen.

An Outer Sect procurement disciple from the Feique Sect.

Zhou Xiao was surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"

Zhu Xiangchen glanced at the situation behind them, his face also paling. "We sensed the demon beast invasion. All the senior disciples have descended the mountain, and we were all ordered to come down as well."

A demon beast invasion was a major event, but it was also a prime opportunity for disciples to gain experience.

If they couldn’t hold the line, everyone would be done for, so the Feique Sect had ordered every available disciple to descend.

Zhou Xiao’s eyes lit up instantly. "How many of you are there?"

Zhu Xiangchen gave a bitter smile. "Aside from the forty-odd of us Outer Disciples, there are only about ten senior disciples."

The Feique Sect wasn’t large to begin with; they had called out everyone who could fight.

The rest were over at First Mountain and couldn’t possibly make it back in time.

The Longevity Sect had a communication method that was practically an exploit; they could log off to alert everyone and report back through the system at any time.

The Feique Sect disciples probably didn’t even know the full situation.

A sudden, ominous premonition struck Zhou Xiao. "If they’re at the border of Demon Cave Valley and there’s no activity there... does that mean these demon beasts aren’t coming from the valley?"

Logically, the Foundation Establishment Stage disciples over there should have definitely sensed an invasion of this scale.

And Foundation Establishment Stage disciples could travel back incredibly fast.