With hundreds of symbols glowing red at the same time, it only went to intensify the severity of the situation, especially when all of these cities were being defended by a Martial Lord Ninth Realm expert at the very least, with about thirty percent of them being guarded by Martial Kings.
As for those symbols marked in blue, it meant that a cultivation force was on their way to defend that particular city.
Ace and Alice studied the entire map and decided on the first city they were going to travel to. The Arctic City that was covered in snow all year long and defended by a Martial King. The Arctic City was one of the cities with the strongest defence system and for them to request help, it could only mean that they were being invaded by a large group of Demon Kings at the same time.
"Alice, shall we make our way to the Arctic City right away?" Ace sought her permission as he glanced towards Cidd, who returned his gaze with a complicated expression on his face.
"Of course, what else are we waiting for?" Alice answered as the group made their way towards the Arctic City, arriving at the Arctic City within a few hours.
The invasion of the Demon Beasts had only just started, yet there was already a considerable amount of casualties and resources that were exploited.
"Sect Master, I'll be taking my leave to lead my army personally, please take care of the others while I'm away. As long as my army doesn't perish in battle, I ensure that none of the Demon Beasts below the Martial Lord Realm can affect the battlefield."
Ace nodded his head and patted Alexander on the shoulder, "Stay safe," those were the only words Ace had for Alexander when the words left his mouth.
"Senior, return alive, all of us will be waiting for you." Ray gave his regards as well, followed by the others who have already accepted Alexander into their family.
"Don't worry everyone, I can't afford to lose my life here, not when, there's still someone waiting for me. I'll make sure to return alive, take care." Alexander said towards everyone as he turned around and left on his stallion, Abby accompanying by her side as they grouped up with their army.
"There's not much I can do for everyone else, but this is an armour I've crafted for each of you, as long as all of you avoid the Demon Kings, this armour will be able to protect all of you." Arith took out six sets of armour and passed one to each of the disciples, each armour customised to be a perfect fit for each of them.
Each armour was a deep red in colour with hidden thorns that would reflect the attack of the Demon Beasts if the disciples were to get hit by them. It was an offensive mechanism that was carved into armour and even though it was Arith's first attempt, he was sure that the thorns would come in handy.
"I have also prepared some elixirs that should be able to help all you replenish your spirit energy if needed, the elixirs are contained into bottles and in each bottle, there would be twelve elixirs," Clarissa explained briefly as she passed each of the disciples hree bottles of elixirs.
"Thank you Elder Arith and Elder Clarissa for the gifts." Lancelot and the rest thanked them as they put the armour on and kept the recovery elixirs in their spatial rings.
Cidd on the other hand did not prepare any gifts for the disciples, instead, he was going to step onto the battlefield himself. In fact, no one knew Cidd's true cultivation base right now except for the fact that he's a Martial Lord.
"Elder Arith and Elder Clarissa, the two of you should remain in the Arctic City in the meantime and find alternatives to assist the battlefield." Ace suggested as the two of them agreed with him and made their way into the Arctic City after stating their intentions of providing through their own crafts.
"Lancelot, I need you to lead the rest while I'm away, I have to assist the main army and if they fall in battle, it would be the demise of the Arctic City and everyone else who's around to help."
"I understand, you can trust me," Lancelot assured as he took out his spear, his cultivation aura slightly stronger than how it was during the Annual Cultivation Forces Tournament, the same applied to the rest, without a doubt, all of them could contend against the weaker Demon Lords and even slaughter them.
"Sect Master, you don't have to worry about us, even if the strongest Demon Lords were to come after us, Garen would be able to warn us in time so that we can make a safe retreat while the army clears a path to us." Ray assured as he led the way, balls of light gathered in his hand as he scattered them across the battlefield.
*Boom!*
The Demon Beasts charging in the frontlines exploded instantly while those behind stumbled on the corpses of the Demon Beasts that had just fallen in battle, affecting their initial charge, giving the army and cultivators enough time to cause a huge impact to the Demon Beasts without sustaining any injuries.
"I'm counting on all of you."
Ace made a beeline to the main army that consisted of the Arctic City Lord and his three loyal aides. The Arctic City Lord was a Martial King Second Realm cultivator while his three loyal aides were around the Martial King First Realm with a noticeable difference between their cultivation aura, which was most likely affected by the comprehension of their cultivation laws.
"Arctic City Lord, I have received your request for assistance, could you share the current situation with me?" Ace asked the moment he arrived, dropping the formalities as he unsheathed the Phoenix Sword, that represented his identity.
"A young Martial Lord First Realm cultivator with a crimson sword, would you be Sect Master Ace?" One of the loyal aides asked as he murmured to himself, shocked by the fact that someone of such capability was actually assisting them right now.
Ace nodded his head and looked at the Arctic City Lord, his eyes demanding an answer.
The Arctic City Lord regained his composure quickly and explained the current situation of the battlefield.
"Given enough time, our army would be able to defend against the Demon Lords and the invasion without much difficulty using the advantage of the terrain, with the assistance of the Nirvana Sect and the other cultivation forces, it would only be a matter of time before we slaughter each and every of those Demon Beasts." The Arctic City Lord explained quickly but furrowed his brows at the mention of the Demon Kings.
"Based on my initial deductions, there are at least three Demon Kings with one of them being the Third Grade Demon King, the other two are mere Second Grade Demon Kings (Martial King Second Realm), that my loyal aides and I should be able to handle.
"I see, I'll take care of the Third Grade Demon King, I'll be leaving the other two Demon Kings to the four of you." Ace said as he made his way towards the Third Grade Demon King, confidence on his face as the energy of the Astral Blades was infused into the Phoenix Sword.
"Relentless Ignition!" Unlike the past times when Ace made use of this move, the comprehension of the Nirvana Flames Law had greatly enhanced the destructive power of this move.
The sword slash pierced through the air and cut through the skin of the Demon King that took on the appearance of a ferocious tiger, but before it could penetrate any further, the Tiger Demon King had already leapt away from the attack and crushed it, but before it could celebrate its victory, the sword slash manifested again and cut through its skin.
Again and again, swiftly and rapidly, the Tiger Demon King soon ran out of energy as Ace finished it off by slicing its head off.
Only half a minute had passed since Ace's arrival, yet he had already ended the battle.
The Arctic City Lord and his three loyal aides opened their mouths, shocked by what they were seeing. The opponent, which none of them was a match for, was nothing but an ant in the eye of a young man that was much younger than them.
Raising his sword over his head, Ace slashed towards the air and drew a beautiful crescent that pierced through the air and through the body of the two Demon Kings before dispersing.