The people at the banquet were also thrown into chaos by the impact. The shockwave was so violent that buildings collapsed and houses toppled; the entire palace roof behind them was ripped off and sent flying.
Along with the roof, the entire banquet was swept up—plates, bowls, wine, jade tables—all blasted high into the air by the terrifying gust!
Whoosh—
A large tree was snapped in half and spun into the sky. Outside the estate, several people were swept up by the gale, flailing as they clung desperately to the tree, only to be hurled away and vanish without a trace by an even more terrifying blast.
Quinn Shepherd and the others, thanks to their formidable cultivation, managed to steady themselves.
Felix White raised his hand, and dragon pearls floated into the air. He shouted sharply, "Fix!"
Over the White estate, everyone and everything swept up into the air was frozen in place. But outside, entire houses and towering trees were uprooted and surged toward them, putting Felix White under immense strain.
Felix's face flushed red as he stomped the ground. Behind him, his true dragon primordial spirit emerged, making the dragon pearls blaze with light—but even then, he couldn't hold back the pressure.
"Felix!"
A woman, cradling a child, hurried over with a group of White family experts. Everyone activated their dragon pearls. Felix immediately felt the pressure ease and quickly said, "Mother, uncles, aunts, great-uncles—why are you all here?"
"I've received word that Northfall Gate has already been breached!"
The woman said urgently, "The ones attacking are the vanguard of the outer-domain fiends. Baillong City can't hold. You must leave the city immediately for the Heavenly Court! We elders will hold them off here! Take the city's commoners and go—we'll catch up later!"
The other young men and women froze, then exclaimed, "Northfall Gate has fallen? What do we do? Let's hurry back to our estates and warn the adults!"
"No need!"
The woman raised her voice, quelling the panic. She shoved the little boy in her arms into Queena White's embrace, pressed a dragon pearl into her hand, and said sternly, "Your elders already know—you don't need to warn them! Leave the city for the Heavenly Court now! Don't pack anything, just go! The Dragon God Pearl in Queena's hands can help you drive back the darkness!"
Felix White knew how dire things were and quickly turned to Quinn Shepherd. "Brother Quinn, come with us!"
Quinn felt a flicker of emotion. The box sprang to its feet, Ben Coates scrambled onto it, and Bruno the Dragon-Qilin perked up and leapt aboard as well.
They rushed straight for the rear gate. Just as they arrived, a deafening boom rang out. Quinn looked back and saw the giant body of Baillong City's guardian deity, flung high into the air from the south gate, crashing down toward them.
As the deity was sent flying, a chain-draped, bull-headed giant appeared outside the city gate. Its massive body towered over the city walls, and it swung a chain ending in a black iron ball as large as a mountain, smashing it down toward the guardian deity!
Quinn's hair stood on end. If that black iron ball hit the guardian deity, it would land right here—how could they possibly survive?
At that moment, a melodious dragon chant echoed from the White estate. The woman from earlier, along with the elite experts of the White clan, revealed their true forms—transforming into giant dragons that soared into the sky to intercept the falling iron ball.
Meanwhile, the experts from other noble mansions across Baillong City also surged forth, rushing toward the southern gate.
Outside the southern city wall, towering half-man, half-beast giants battered the fortifications. The massive walls collapsed with a thunderous roar, and countless 'outer-domain demons' flooded into the city like a tide, quickly submerging buildings and clashing with the defending armies.
"Move, quickly!"
Quinn, Felix, and the others rushed toward the north gate, but it was already packed with desperate refugees—so crowded that not a single person could squeeze through, bodies pressed and trampled everywhere, making escape impossible.
Atop the city tower, the city god guarding the gate unleashed his divine power, transforming his hands into giant palms that reached down and relocated the crowd outside. He shouted, "Stand in the light beyond the city—do not leave the light!"
Quinn and his group leapt out of the city, only to see many who landed outside immediately dash into the darkness, where they were stripped to bare skeletons in an instant—flesh and bone gone.
The city god managed to relocate tens of thousands, but countless more continued to surge toward the north gate, their cries filling the air as the outer-domain demon army closed in.
Gritting his teeth, the city god soared out of the city and barked, "Gather around me! I'll lead you to the Heavenly Court! Follow me! The strong and able, form the rear guard—hold off the outer-domain demons!"
He could no longer care for those still surging inside the city; he could only safeguard those already outside.
As Quinn and the others landed, Felix quickly led the group to follow the city god into the darkness. Ben Coates shouted angrily, "Come back! If you want to survive, don't follow the city god!"
Felix froze, looking at the man with no legs. Queena White, cradling the child in one arm and holding the Dragon God Pearl aloft in the other, asked in confusion, "Why shouldn't we follow them?"
The baby began to cry. Felix's sister-in-law took the child and gently soothed him.
That was Felix's son, still nursing.
Quinn said gravely, "That city god is protecting tens of thousands—the target is too big and will definitely attract attacks! Everyone, it's right to listen to Ben. He's the best escape artist I've ever met—his survival skills are unmatched! Ben, you have the most experience; you decide which way to go!"
Ben Coates hurriedly asked, "Which way is the Heavenly Court?"
Felix raised his hand and pointed west of Northfall Gate. Ben immediately said, "We head east! Move!"
The city god and his mass of refugees soon vanished into the darkness, but the light around Quinn's group naturally drew hundreds more fleeing citizens, with more continually gathering.
Ben grew vicious. "Move! Kill these dead weights slowing us down!"
"How can we kill our own people?" the crowd erupted in anger. Queena White also stopped, preparing to lead more refugees away.