A thick stench of blood permeated the air. Inexperienced cultivators couldn’t help feeling nauseous.

Prior to this, everyone thought that Li Qiye was being a suicidal fool, choosing to oppose Sword Hero and the Praetor. He didn’t even need to get his hands dirty; just his pets alone killed those two.

It seemed that in reality, they weren’t qualified to even challenge Li Qiye, being nothing more than ants.

“Our Sacred Lord has no equal.” The experts from the holy ground felt a deep respect for their new lord.

They once attributed his success to sheer luck. This was no longer the case since he suddenly became the ultimate being in their heart and mind.

Thus, his pets killing two top cultivators wasn’t surprising in the slightest. This only increased their respect for him.

“Of course he is unbeatable, that’s why he inherited our system.” Another said with admiration: “Few in this world can be uttered in the same breath as him.”

The members of the holy ground couldn’t contain their excitement. On the other hand, those from Righteous and the eight kingdoms were shaken.

None dared to say that Li Qiye wasn’t worthy of his current post. They admitted that the new Sacred Lord of the holy ground was unfathomable.

“Are we done here, gentlemen?” Li Qiye asked the crowd. Lil’ Black and Lil’ Yellow were back behind him now.

They didn’t have a fierce expression or anything but their arrogant expression said it all - oppose Li Qiye and be eaten by them.

Who would dare to say anything at this point? Li Qiye was the supreme lord of the holy ground and had absolute sovereignty; all needed to obey his commands. This was before taking into account his actual power and abilities.

Anyone with a little sense knew that going against him was suicidal.

“My wise lord, we obey your command.” A member of the holy ground prostrated and shouted. Everyone else copied him.

Some found this unbearable because just recently, the majority of the crowd disliked Li Qiye. Numerous experts and ancestors schemed against him secretly. Now, they had no problem kneeling.

Of course, they had no other option. To go against the mass right now could be considered disrespectful or treacherous.

Even those from Righteous and the eight kingdoms bowed, the ancestors and high elders included. Showing respect to someone of his status was necessary even though they weren’t under his jurisdiction.

“Rumble!” By this point, a fair number of monsters have come and began slamming the wall.

In fact, the assault had already started during the previous battle. Their number had only increased, so did the pressure on the wall.

The crowd began paying attention and became frightened after seeing the endless horde.

“Rise.” Li Qiye glanced at the monsters and told Wei Qianqing: “Evacuate to your camp and start the defense there.”

Wei Qianqing lowered her head and shouted: “Follow me, everyone! We’re defending the camp, not Black Wood Cliff.”

The crowd didn’t hesitate and followed her into the military camp. The ones in charge also evacuated the mortals from Black Wood. Fortunately, the encampment was right outside the city so this didn’t take long.

The camp was large and had favorable strategic geography. Nonetheless, the population of Black Wood still densely packed the camp.

However, there was something different about the camp - a particular statue at the center. It was brought back by Wei Qianqing from Minor Sacred Mountain.

This statue depicting Dhyana Dao Lord was brimming with Buddhist affinity and great prestige. The newcomers immediately bowed after seeing it.

“Buzz.” After the evacuation was complete, everyone heard a chant, “Amitabha”. The Buddhist affinity erupted and bathed everyone in its light.

“Oh great dao lord!” They felt as if the statue was coming back to life. Both mortals and cultivators got on their knees. Dhyana Dao Lord had a special position in the holy ground and was loved by all.

The light poured down along with Buddhist laws. They looked like supreme chains firmly locking the camp, turning it into a mighty fortress.

“We should be fine under the protection of the dao lord. No wonder why the Sacred Lord told us to come here. He cared about our wellbeing.” Many heaved a sigh of relief, no longer being as nervous as before.

Meanwhile, they heard loud explosions coming from the cliff. Too many monsters have gathered outside the wall.

These strange creatures began attacking with all of their might. The wall shook violently, seemingly unable to stop the continuous beatings. The collapse wouldn’t be long now.

“The wall’s going down!” Someone shouted after seeing the entire wall disappear.

Due to a lack of empowerment, the wall couldn’t last any longer. Black Wood became exposed to the invaders.

“Raa!” A monstrous skeleton let out a deafening roar, scaring the hell out of the listeners.