An Qian's face lit up with joy at the words, a smile of relief spreading across her features.
Those on the city walls, however, were unaware of Qin Shi Lei's plan. As the approaching swarm of Feng Mei drew nearer, their faces turned pale, and their bodies trembled.
Had it not been for their City Lord, An Qian, still standing on the wall, they would have already fled in disarray.
"City Lord An, perhaps we should retreat into the city. Relying on buildings and other obstacles, we might still be able to eliminate this flock of Feng Mei," Wen Zhi Yuan suggested with a grave expression.
"Yes, City Lord, let's quickly retreat into the city," everyone chimed in.
"Hush now!"
An Qian raised her hand, stopping their pleas. "Watch as my husband and I utterly crush this swarm of Feng Mei!"
The Feng Mei flew ever closer, less than three seconds away from breaching Bei'an City.
The crowd scanned their surroundings, as if searching for cover. Some even quietly retreated towards the stairs, ready to make their escape at any moment.
Three... two... one...
The Feng Mei were about to fly over the city walls. Countless wind blades formed around them, poised to strike the people on the walls.
"Seal!"
A crisp voice suddenly rang out, startling everyone. As An Qian pointed her hand towards the sky, the Feng Mei plummeted downwards along the edges of the city walls, like dumplings being dropped into water. It was as if an invisible barrier hung above the walls, preventing the Feng Mei from advancing any further. Regardless of whether they were bronze or silver realm Feng Mei, or how fast they flew, their momentum was rendered useless as they fell vertically once they reached the airspace above the walls.
The onlookers were stunned by this spectacle.
"What happened?"
"Did these Feng Mei all get cramps?"
"I think the City Lord just said the word 'Seal,' and then the Feng Mei started falling like dumplings."
"Is this the power of the Six-Character Mantra, or is it 'words become law'?"
"This is too powerful. I'm still struggling to reach the silver realm, and the City Lord can already use laws to kill monsters."
"Not only is our City Lord stunningly beautiful, but her strength is also unmatched. From now on, she is my sole idol."
As more Feng Mei continued to fly towards Bei'an City, the area below the walls quickly became piled high with them, all dazed from their fall.
"Kill!"
Now was the perfect time to strike the fallen. An Qian shouted and flew down, unleashing her ultimate technique, Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix. Fierce flames erupted, instantly igniting the wings of the Feng Mei. The Feng Mei attempted to extinguish the flames with wind, but the more wind they used, the fiercer the fire burned. Clad in red armor, An Qian was like a fire god, her flaming advance along the city walls extending eastward. The Feng Mei in her path were ignited, quickly turning to ash.
"Kill!"
Qin Shi Lei let out a mighty roar, stamping his right foot and leaping over the city walls. He then charged towards a Feng Mei King several hundred meters away. It was only then that the people on the walls reacted, drawing their crossbows and unleashing volleys of arrows at the Feng Mei below.
Having lost their aerial advantage, the Feng Mei were even less capable than worms or claw beasts, becoming mere targets for the defenders, constantly being slain.
"Ying Ying!"
Upon sensing the anomaly in Bei'an City, the Feng Mei King let out a sharp cry. Hearing their king's call, the swarm of Feng Mei halted their charge, stopping in mid-air before converging on Qin Shi Lei.
"Come on then!"
Extinguishing Thunder! For such a dense swarm of mutated beasts, area-of-effect ultimate techniques were the best way to eliminate enemies. Lightning flashed, and the Feng Mei once again began to fall to the ground.
The Feng Mei King, witnessing its subordinates being slaughtered by the rampant lightning, felt not anger but fear. It turned and flapped its wings, rapidly flying back the way it came.
"You came, but you think you can leave?"
Qin Shi Lei used several rapid teleports to appear beside the Feng Mei King and lightly poked it. Stiffening, the Feng Mei King, filled with terror, plummeted towards the ground.
Lightning Chain Slash! Qin Shi Lei circled the Feng Mei King, delivering ten consecutive slashes. Sword energy crisscrossed the air, instantly dismembering the Feng Mei King into dozens of pieces. It was utterly dead. For mutated beasts that were unprepared for Qin Shi Lei's teleportation ultimate and possessed weak defenses, even a single successful strike meant instant annihilation.
After collecting his spoils, he and An Qian pursued the remaining Feng Mei. The air filled with the scent of blood and roasted meat. The attacking swarm of Feng Mei, numbering nearly a hundred thousand, was annihilated. The survivors fled in disarray, never daring to appear near Bei'an City again.
When Qin Shi Lei and An Qian returned to the city walls, thunderous cheers erupted from all sides.
"City Lord is mighty!"
"City Lord is heroic!"
"City Lord is peerless!"
The ordinary survivors had few complex thoughts; their greatest hope was simply to survive. Having a peerless expert as their City Lord, especially one willing to fight and bleed for them, undoubtedly increased their chances of survival. Thus, at this moment, they were all sincerely grateful that An Qian was their City Lord. Of course, there were also many female evolvers shouting slogans like "Qin Shi Lei is invincible, I want to have your babies."
As everyone rejoiced at repelling the beast attack once more, Jin Qiao Qiao quietly sidled up to Qin Shi Lei and whispered, "Mr. Qin, City Lord An, I've recorded everything that just happened. I plan to upload it to the chat channel. Do you mind?"
A truly intelligent woman! Qin Shi Lei smiled approvingly at Jin Qiao Qiao. "Of course not. Just don't exaggerate the facts and be mindful of your words." Qin Shi Lei naturally wouldn't refuse something that could boost An Qian's reputation. As for whether it would incite jealousy, Qin Shi Lei stated he didn't care in the slightest.
"Understood," Jin Qiao Qiao replied, nodding. "I'll go back and edit it now, and you can review it before I post."
Jin Qiao Qiao was efficient. Less than twenty minutes after returning to the Jin residence, an edited video was uploaded to the national chat channel. In the video, An Qian appeared like a deity, uttering a single word, "Seal!", causing thousands of Feng Mei to lose their ability to fly in unison. This scene deeply shook the people of Da Xia.
"Is this real? Is it a trick?"
"Of course it's real, I was there. That scene was unforgettable."
"Are the Golden realm beings truly this terrifying? The destructive power and range of that fire and lightning are astonishing!"
"City Lord Qin, City Lord An, when will you come to Ji City? We need you too."
"My Goddess An, quickly dump Qin Shi Lei. He doesn't deserve you; I am your true destiny."
"Get lost, Goddess An is mine."
The chat channel quickly devolved, transforming into a large-scale confession session. After the video was released, the survivors of Bei'an City also gained a deeper appreciation for An Qian, who was soon to become their City Lord, and a spark of anticipation grew within them. They all posted in the chat channel, urging An Qian to take up her position as City Lord as soon as possible.
Just as Qin Shi Lei was about to discuss the inauguration date with Tan Anguo and the others, they brought him some unwelcome news.
The city was out of food!