He Xingping ran through the manor and arrived at the front courtyard. The servants and guards were already there, lined up, and looking quite scared.
"Be calm. Follow your training." He said, "Lockdown the manor. Nothing, man or beast, comes in unless I am the one that allows it. Understand?"
"Yes, master!"
"Protect the madam and the mistress with your lives. I will take care of your families if anything happens."
"Yes, master! Thank you, master!"
He gave them a noble salute and leaped onto his horse that was already prepared. He charged out of the gate and onto the packed city streets. It was chaotic but people were not yet in a complete state of panic. The commoners were doing their best to obey the emergency orders and rush home to their families. Mortal cultivators and soldiers were rushing down the mountain to man the city walls and defense lines. The elders and executive elders were the only ones heading towards the lord's castles.
The crowds in the streets made way for him as he galloped up the mountain. They all saluted as he passed with determined and hopeful faces. This was the sign of a well-disciplined and well-organized sect. Despite the questionable leadership, Beast God Sanctum was still an impressive feat of human organization and human prosperity. It would really be a shame to see it destroyed in this battle. However, there was always a chance it would not come to that…
He Xingping arrived at the mountain peak to find that the two lords and their six lieutenants were already here. They were floating in the sky above and conversing urgently among themselves.
In the large open ground between the castles, there were already over a hundred elders gathered with scores more arriving every second. It was an impressive sight. All of them were at the 10th Level of the Spirit Initiate Realm. Although many were old and had no chance of making any more progress, they were still peak fighters in the mortal realms. They were called to defend their home and the sect that raised them and it was their duty to fight.
A wave of spiritual energy surrounded He Xingping and he heard a spiritual voice message from the lion lord, He Zicheng.
"He Xingping, you shall be in charge of the Hound's Gate."
"Yes, my lord! I shall not disappoint you!"
He Xingping understood the command and rode over to a column of ten or so elders who were also on horseback. They were also assigned to defend the Hound's Gate and they were all under his command.
"Executive Elder He Xingping reporting!" He called out.
"Elder He!" They all greeted him with a bow of respect.
The rest of the elders arrived within a few minutes and there was not a single one missing. The formations of men and women in the plaza filled out and took shape. There were twelve long columns, one for each gate of the main city walls. Each gate was named after a beast from the zodiac and would be guarded by an executive elder from either faction.
There were eight more columns standing separate from the twelve, each headed by executive elders that had more seniority. There were four gates of the inner walls that needed guarding but it was unclear what the other four groups would be responsible for.
"Now that we are all here…" He Zicheng voiced boomed across the mountaintop, "The defensive battle of Beast God City will now begin. An assault force of insect beasts from the Glittering Forest has overrun the Giant Stone Forest. Since the death of the Snake Lord, we have been at a disadvantage, and therefore, we have long since pulled our core forces back to the city…"
He Zicheng voice trailed off and was replaced by Qu Shen, "Because of foresight, our losses so far have been minimal but what comes afterward will be a harsh battle. For some reason, all three beast kings have joined forces and heading here as we speak. They will be here in less than half an hour, along with the vanguard for their hordes as well as immortal beast subordinates."
"We are at a disadvantage but the eagle lord and I have also foreseen this." He Zicheng spoke again, "This situation is the exact reason that the Grand Beast God Formation has constantly been repaired and improved since the Snake Lord died. We have committed a vast amount of resources and as a result, we are now able to support the formation with only two Spirit Kings and the six Spirit Lords gathered here today."
There were murmurs of amazement at this piece of news. The Grand Beast God Formation was something created jointed by the three lords when they first reached the Spirit King Realm. It was a huge shield array that protected the entire mountain from top to bottom. It was supported by the massive combined spiritual energy of the three human kings and was impenetrable even if all three beast kings attacked it together.
Qu Shen silenced everyone with a wave of his hand, "We can cast the formation and it can repel the three beast kings but it is much weaker than before. The enemy will no doubt figure this out and send their Spirit Lords to probe for weak points. They will most likely succeed in forcing open holes to allow their mortal forces to attack the city directly. That is why it will be a bloody, difficult battle on the ground for you all."
"Do not worry, my lord. We will fight to the death!" A vigorous howl came a random executive elder.
"We will fight to the death!" All of the gathered subordinates all yelled out in unison.
"Good, good." He Zicheng said, clapping his hands, "But that is not all. We are not alone in this monster invasion. We have sent out messages for help to the other immortal sects and the Immortal Association. Help will arrive soon, I'm sure of it. As long as the teleportation array holds, we shall be victorious. That is why four executive elders and their divisions are going to protect it."
"Good. That is all. You all have your orders. Protect the city, protect your families!" Qu Shen said.
"Yes, Eagle Lord, Lion Lord!"
"Beast God Sanctum shall be victorious!" The immortals all chanted as one.
Their spiritual energy spread through the elders and down through the whole mountain.
"Beast God Sanctum shall be victorious!" The elders all chanted and there was also a united roar of voices from everyone in the city.
After the round of rousing speeches, the eight immortals flew away to finish setting up the formation. It was now up to the executive elders to do the rest.
"Hound's Gate Division, gather to me!" He Xingping cried out and pulled his horse around.
"Follow Elder He!"
"Kill the beasts!"
The twelve elders under his command followed and they charged down the mountain. The other nineteen divisions also roused themselves and left the mountain peak in different directions.
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