Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil in the Cultivation World Chapter 965 - 452: Soaring Snake Technique Breakthrough, 250,000 Years of Lifespan

Several days had passed.

The fierce clash between the Exotic Beast forces and Demon Flame City finally concluded.

Demon Flame City's power had always surpassed their foes; once the Exotic Beasts endured heavy casualties, they couldn't sustain the toll and withdrew toward the Ice Crystal Mountain Range.

In truth, absent any Body Integration Realm Exotic Beast stepping in, capturing Demon Flame City remained out of reach for them.

Meanwhile, the Exotic Beasts sensed that the Ancestral essence blood's aura had utterly disappeared; they figured the cultivators of Demon Flame City had already consumed it long ago, rendering further combat pointless and sure to rack up even more deaths.

Though the outcome left them seething, lacking backing from their leaders meant the battle couldn't press on, forcing them to yield for the moment.

From every angle, the Body Integration Realm Exotic Beasts slumbered still, making this no ideal moment to launch an assault on humanity.

For now, they simply had to choke down this harsh defeat.

"Hah, those idiotic Exotic Beasts had the audacity to strike at our Demon Flame City, and look at them now—scurrying back to the Ice Crystal Mountain Range in shame. They've bled badly this time around."

"You're spot on; over these last few days, we've slaughtered countless Exotic Beasts, too many to count. Sadly, plenty of our own Demon Flame City cultivators perished too—losses like we've never seen before."

"Who cares about a handful of Demon Cultivators dying? With our City Lord standing firm, Demon Flame City stands unshakeable like Mount Tai, and no other city would dream of coming at us."

"Exactly; shedding a few Demon Cultivators means little. The weak and unfortunate ones fall away; only the survivors rise to become real powerhouses among Demon Cultivators."

Demon Flame City's cultivators chatted with swelling pride.

This showdown with the Exotic Beasts claimed the lives of countless cultivators from Demon Flame City, inflicting brutal damages.

Yet to these Demon Cultivators, such hits barely registered, since the ranks of low-level ones grew like weeds—harvest one wave, and fresh ones would quickly emerge.

Life and death held no sway over them anymore.

Dying merely meant an untimely return to the world's embrace.

"That said, what sparked these Exotic Beasts to lose their minds and charge at our Demon Flame City all of a sudden? Was there some strange event at play?"

"Word is, somebody sneaked into the heart of the Ice Crystal Mountain Range and snatched a Secret Treasure from the Exotic Beasts, driving them berserk. Then, that shadowy intruder slipped into Demon Flame City, leading the Exotic Beasts to suspect we were hiding the rogue cultivator, so they unleashed war on us."

"Could that be legit? If so, didn't we just get dragged into someone else's mess as the fall guys? Who had the guts to hide behind our Demon Flame City like that?"

"Hah, once that tale got out, the elders among the Demon Cultivators flew into a rage and hunted high and low for that elusive cultivator. Too bad, no matter their efforts, they turned up zero hints of the shadowy one, like they'd evaporated into nothing."

"No way; if that mysterious cultivator pulled off such feats, why'd they get hounded by the Exotic Beasts? Bet they bolted ages ago. Maybe the Exotic Beasts cooked it up, using it as a pretext to hit us?"

"That's a solid possibility; you can't trust a word from Exotic Beasts. Either way, this fight's left them too drained to come at us anytime soon."

Demon Flame City's cultivators buzzed with delight as they talked.

They harbored strong doubts about the shadowy cultivator the Exotic Beasts claimed existed, particularly since a bunch of elders teamed up yet failed to uncover even a whisper of the figure—no leads at all.

The City Lord even dove in personally, but to no avail—they drew a blank.

All the same, they'd clinched a hard-fought triumph this round.

For the coming period, human powers in the region would enjoy greater safety, with tranquility holding steady for some time.

...

Meanwhile, the Righteous forces in Profound Abyss City and beyond had caught wind of Demon Flame City's troubles.

Every Righteous Cultivator smirked with malicious glee, downright thrilled by it all.

"Hah! Those Demon Cultivators in Demon Flame City got hit with some rotten luck. Swarmed by hordes of Exotic Beasts—who can say how many died or got maimed this go? Feels like the heavens finally dished out justice."

A Void Refining Cultivator burst into booming laughter, his spirits soaring.

Truth be told, cultivators from other cities nursed bitter grudges against Demon Flame City, with droves of their kin slain cruelly by its hands over the years.

Were Demon Flame City not so overwhelmingly strong, they would've struck back ages ago instead of swallowing the shame.

Thus, witnessing these Demon Cultivators' woes filled them with joy; they yearned to watch the Exotic Beasts wipe Demon Flame City off the map.

"Why not raid Demon Flame City now and pile on while they're reeling?"

"Idiot, Demon Flame City's real nightmare isn't the swarm of low-tier Demon Cultivators—it's the Body Integration Realm ones."

"True enough; wiping out all the low-tier Demon Cultivators wouldn't topple Demon Flame City from its roots."

"Only if those two Body Integration Realm Demon Cultivators drop would Demon Flame City truly crumble."

"Even if their leadership took no hits, Demon Flame City shed so many Demon Cultivators that they can't cause chaos beyond their walls for the foreseeable future. Makes the wilderness a lot less risky for us right now."

"Still, what triggered the Exotic Beasts to swarm Demon Flame City out of nowhere? Any idea on the cause?"