"You see."
"There lies Lanfeng City."
Upon the majestic mountain range, the City Lord of Lanfeng City pointed towards a grand city nestled halfway up the mountain.
Chen Yu gazed into the distance.
Lanfeng City’s geographical location was truly advantageous, embraced by mountains on three sides, offering natural ramparts.
The entire city only needed to guard one side.
While it was uncertain how this location affected agricultural development, mountainous cities would undoubtedly lag behind plains in farming. However, for defense, this was an unassailable fortress.
"Lanfeng City, where I once held command."
"The city walls stand fifty meters high and twenty meters thick, constructed entirely from high-purity obsidian."
"I dare not claim how formidable the city's defenses were."
"But at the very least..."
"Even if our Royal City dispatched a large army, without the involvement of Saint realm experts, I could guarantee they wouldn't breach it within two years."
The City Lord of Lanfeng's eyes were filled with emotion.
This city, surrounded by mountains on three sides, had once given him immense confidence.
Regardless of the changes in surrounding cities.
He remained steadfast.
He had unwavering trust in Lanfeng City's defenses, its shell-like resilience making it impervious to assault. Other city lords knew this as well, and none sought to provoke him.
Although grain in mountainous regions was indeed a problem.
His city had enjoyed years of peace, developing smoothly.
Backed by the mountain range, it possessed abundant mineral resources.
Should grain be scarce, he could acquire it through trade. For decades, or rather, for centuries since his ancestors took over this city, it had been a period of tranquility.
Yet, such a formidable city was breached.
Even more ironically,
It was the first city to fall!
"This city is truly not bad." Mi Ye placed her fair hand over her eyes, gazing at the distant Lanfeng City, now wreathed in smoke and overrun by demons. "A city surrounded by mountains on three sides, with defenses like these, even my Mi Ye City might not be able to match it. No wonder you were so arrogant. Had I not seen your city myself, I wouldn't have known how solid it truly was."
"City Lord Mi Ye, please don't mock me."
The City Lord of Lanfeng City's face was etched with bitterness.
In the past, relying on his formidable city, he had indeed been somewhat proud.
No one could shake his position.
To speak of it now...
"You needn't overthink it; my admiration is genuine. Had it not been for the emergence of the demonic creatures, perhaps your city could have endured for a thousand years," Mi Ye narrowed her eyes slightly. "Yet, such a sturdy city was conquered by these demonic creatures. How long did it take those creatures to capture your main city?"
"Less than two days."
"So quickly?"
A look of shock spread across Mi Ye's delicate face.
Her admiration for Lanfeng City's defenses was sincere. For such a city to last only two days against the demonic horde, she wondered if her own Mi Lu City would fall in just one day.
Mi Ye, who had been so relaxed until now,
Showed a rare solemnity, biting her finger with her teeth, revealing her inner anxiety.
"Two days."
"This means, before you and I arrived, your people were constantly fleeing with you?"
"Or perhaps you had established a temporary encampment for some time?"
Chen Yu murmured softly, and the City Lord of Lanfeng City shook his head.
"It's not quite like that. The outer city took two days to breach, but my Lanfeng City also has an inner city. When the outer city fell, I had people guide the citizens to a refuge deep within the mountain range. Only yesterday, when the refuge became unusable, did I lead them out through tunnels to encamp in the wilderness."
"You were indeed prescient," Chen Yu commented.
Being surrounded by mountains on three sides was a natural barrier, but it was also a dead end.
Lanfeng's foresight in constructing escape tunnels.
This was a blessing for Lanfeng City!
Otherwise, with the fall of the inner city, all its citizens would have been slaughtered by the demonic creatures.
Hearing this,
Chen Yu understood that the citizens of Lanfeng City had not fought their way out directly with the city's forces. Chen Yu had initially considered that if Lanfeng City's army could have broken through head-on, it would indicate that the demonic creatures' strength was not particularly high.
"Were there many demonic creatures lurking around your Lanfeng City?"
Chen Yu frowned.
The swift destruction of Lanfeng City suggested a massive number of demonic creatures had attacked.
Otherwise, how could a city that had been safe for centuries fall so easily?
"No!" To Chen Yu's surprise, Lanfeng shook his head. "My Lanfeng City is situated on a plateau halfway up the mountain range. While the entire mountain range is rich in high-purity ore, there were not many demonic creatures lurking there. City Lord Chen, if you had been paying attention to the situation within our Fengqi City, you would have noticed that our territory indeed has many demonic creatures, but they are mostly concentrated in the rainforests, hills, and plains, with the plains having the most. High-purity mineral veins do attract demons, but not in large numbers."
Chen Yu nodded upon hearing this.
He had indeed observed this point; the number of demonic creatures in high-purity mining areas was not large, and their strength was significantly less than those in the rainforests.
Perhaps demons also considered their living environment.
High-purity mineral areas were indeed energy-rich, but the abundance of ore made them unsuitable for their survival, unless they were creatures that fed on minerals and preferred such locations.
"From my father's generation, we have controlled the number of demonic creatures."
"We would never allow demonic creatures to threaten the safety of the city. After I took office, the clearing of surrounding demons became even more frequent."
"To put it this way."
"Just before the incident, I had led my men to clear the surrounding demons. I can guarantee that within my entire Lanfeng City territory, the number of demonic creatures did not exceed a dozen."
The City Lord of Lanfeng City spoke with conviction.
"If that's the case, the demonic creatures appeared suddenly," Mi Ye furrowed her brow. "If that were true, you should have received advance warning if demonic creatures were surging towards your city."
"It was impossible to receive any warning!"
The City Lord of Lanfeng City shook his head with a concentrated gaze.
"There is a beacon tower every five li around my city. If demonic creatures had come, how could I possibly not have known? When the demonic creatures attacked, I was still patrolling within the city. Then there was a 'dong' sound, and the entire city trembled. People inside rushed to inform me of the demonic attack, and that's when I learned of it."
"The guards at the city gate also did not detect anything."
"Nothing."
"The demonic creatures simply appeared before them. They didn't even see how they arrived."
"Precisely!"
"Without any warning, they appeared suddenly!" Mi Ye frowned.
"Yes!"
The City Lord of Lanfeng City's eyes widened as he clenched his fists, and Mi Ye's brows knitted together.
"Could the demonic creatures have emerged from the ground?"
As she spoke, Mi Ye's eyes shimmered, gazing towards Lanfeng City several li away.
"It doesn't seem like it."
"I believe these demonic creatures descended from the sky!" The City Lord of Lanfeng City clenched his fist and said solemnly, "Like... demons from heaven!"