The moment the ear-piercing shriek from the beasts resounded, let alone the situation on the battlefield, even Wang Zhan and his two companions on the city wall couldn’t help but stumble back several steps, their faces pale.
When the noise finally stopped, Wang Zhan subconsciously looked around and found that almost everyone had been affected by it.
Only the old man with the goatee standing beside him remained unmoved, a smile still on his face.
"Beasts can talk?" After Wang Zhan recovered, he found it incredible.
"Of course, they can." The old man chuckled. "The one that just spoke in human language is most likely the mastermind behind this Beast Tide! Only high-ranking beasts can command these lower-ranking beasts, which only act on instinct, with such precision."
"High-ranking beasts? How high?" Song Dongming, at his side, asked in surprise. "Aren’t the soldier-level and General-level beasts down there considered high-ranking?"
The old man chuckled. "Hehe, soldier-level beasts correspond to human Warriors and Martial Masters, and General-level beasts correspond to Martial Generals. Indeed, they aren’t considered low-ranking. But," he added, "compared to even higher levels, the so-called soldier-level and General-level are merely uncivilized ferocious beasts."
"So, the owner of that voice just now...?" Wang Zhan was curious.
The old man didn’t beat around the bush and said calmly, "Leader-level."
Then, the old man explained, "Leader-level or stronger beasts possess wisdom comparable to humans. They recruit lower-ranking beasts as subordinates and claim a part of the wilderness as their territory. Due to the strict hierarchy among beasts, only the presence of a leader-level or higher beast can trigger a true Beast Tide."
While the old man was speaking, a black shadow suddenly appeared in the sky. The shadow descended rapidly, finally hovering in mid-air.
It was a black, dog-like beast with three heads. Its eyes glowed red, and it had a ferocious appearance. The three heads faced different directions, and it exhaled scorching breath.
"The Hell’s Three-Headed Hound, a major Beast Clan." The old man sighed. "No wonder it can cause a Beast Tide of this scale. Truly troublesome."
Meanwhile, moments after the Three-Headed Hound appeared, a figure from Chang’an City also soared into the sky.
It was Taiyuan, a Martial Grandmaster from the City Defense Army, at the Superior Grandmaster realm, just one step away from becoming a Grandmaster!
"Three-Headed Hound, take your minions and get out of here! Do so, and I’ll spare your life!" Taiyuan’s face was cold as he hovered in mid-air, confronting the Three-Headed Hound.
"Hehe, you humans still love to boast."
"This one is a Grandmaster; you all deal with him. I will fight the Grandmaster."
"No, the Grandmaster is mine! You all deal with this one!"
The three heads of the Three-Headed Hound surprisingly contained three separate minds. Facing Taiyuan, they actually began to quarrel amongst themselves.
Taiyuan’s expression turned extremely grim. The enemy clearly didn’t take him seriously!
"Stubborn fool, die!"
As his voice fell, Taiyuan’s figure caused visible ripples in the air. He shot towards the Three-Headed Hound like a launched arrow.
But just as he got close, the three heads of the Three-Headed Hound, which had been bickering, simultaneously turned to look at him.
Then, three different breaths appeared: freezing ice, molten lava, and a ferocious wind!
Ice and fire intertwined, and aided by the wind’s power, the three breaths merged into one, instantly dyeing the sky red and blue.
A large amount of steam billowed out, whipped around by the fierce wind, momentarily obscuring the entire scene.
A short while later, Grandmaster Taiyuan was sent flying, defeated. Frostbite and burn marks were clearly visible on his body.
Defeated in a single exchange!
Witnessing their Grandmaster’s defeat, worry spread across the faces of many.
"What a ruthless beast!" The old man’s eyes turned cold.
However, when he saw Taiyuan quickly stabilize himself in mid-air, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Fortunately," he said, "it’s just a superficial injury. Although it will affect his combat power somewhat, it won’t lead to his immediate defeat."
By this time, Wang Zhan had figured it out. The old man was likely a powerful expert on their side, merely waiting for the right moment to act.
So, he took the opportunity to ask, "What was that just now?"
"That’s the innate ability of the Three-headed Dog Clan. Its three heads have three different minds and can emit three different types of breath: ice, lava, and wind. These three attributes complement each other and should not be underestimated."
Wang Zhan immediately asked, "Is the Three-headed Dog Clan a major Beast Clan? Like the Deer Song Beast Clan?"
This was mainly because Wang Zhan recalled information he had recently learned. Beasts were also divided into races and clans, and races ranked above clans. Clans were simply groups of the same type of beast. Races, on the other hand, much like humans, had a distinct hierarchical system.
"Little guy, you sure know a lot," the old man said. "The Three-headed Dog Clan and the Deer Song Beast Clan are both races among beasts, but there are some differences between them."
"The Deer Song Beast Clan is a true major clan. Under normal circumstances, they rarely appear on Earth..."
At this point, the old man seemed to realize he had misspoken and paused.
"The Three-headed Dog Clan, on the other hand, is a vassal of another major clan. Although its strength cannot be underestimated, it is, after all, merely another clan’s guard dog."
After saying this, the old man noticed Wang Zhan seemed to want to speak again and promptly shook his head. "Alright, it’s too early for you to know about these things. Don’t ask anymore. I won’t answer even if you do. Just concentrate on watching the battle."
Hearing the old man say this, Wang Zhan could only let it go for now.
But the old man’s words had made Wang Zhan thoughtful. What did he mean by ’rarely appear on Earth’? Where did the Deer Song Beast we saw earlier come from? Wang Zhan knew there were probably many top secrets hidden here, but he was still too weak and not yet qualified to know them.
While they were talking, another Grandmaster appeared from Chang’an City.
Lu Feng, the Vice Principal of Chang’an Martial Arts Academy and a Grandmaster, now stood beside Grandmaster Taiyuan, confronting the Three-Headed Hound.
"Be careful, it’s not easy to deal with," Taiyuan said gravely, having just suffered a setback.
"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing," Lu Feng responded. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novelFirｅ.net
The next moment, both of them charged at the Three-Headed Hound almost simultaneously.
The great battle in the sky was about to erupt.
While the experts battled, the situation on the battlefield below gradually became clearer.
The Warriors, Martial Masters, and Martial Generals had separated the soldier-level beasts from the common beasts. They focused on dealing with the soldier-level and General-level beasts, leaving the ordinary beasts to the martial artists and soldiers.
Seeing this, Wang Zhan turned to Song Dongming and Xin Xiaoyan. "Let’s go. It’s our turn."
"I’ve been itching for a fight!" Song Dongming nodded emphatically.
Xin Xiaoyan’s small face was a little pale. The battle below was too brutal; the ground was already stained dark brown with fresh blood.
But seeing Wang Zhan and Song Dongming’s expressions, she suppressed her discomfort and agreed.
Wang Zhan was the first to leap down from the city wall, with Song Dongming and Xin Xiaoyan following closely behind.
"Dongming, Xin Xiaoyan’s mental energy will be very useful here. You’re responsible for protecting her," Wang Zhan said as he sprinted towards the battlefield.
"No problem. What about you?"
"I’ll operate alone, of course, but I won’t stray too far. The three of us still need to watch out for each other."
As his voice fell, Wang Zhan’s gaze locked onto a level 9 beast.
When he was within a hundred meters of the level 9 beast, Wang Zhan’s speed suddenly surged again. He gripped the soldier-level dagger tightly.
"Military Way Killing Fist!"
An immense killing intent enveloped an area roughly twenty meters around him. Any human or beast within this radius felt a sudden, chilling drop in temperature.
At the same time, Wang Zhan reached the level 9 beast.
With a swift slash, the level 9 beast’s head hit the ground before it could even react.
"Awesome!" Wang Zhan couldn’t help but roar, already searching for his next target.
There was an overwhelming number of ordinary beasts; even level 9 beasts seemed countless. Just by scanning his surroundings, Wang Zhan spotted at least a dozen within a few hundred meters.
A short while later, Wang Zhan had locked onto another target and charged towards it without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Song Dongming and Xin Xiaoyan also found a suitable battle strategy.
Song Dongming wasn’t as strong as Wang Zhan, so he couldn’t charge in and out of the Beast Tide as freely.
So, he and Xin Xiaoyan joined forces with some ordinary martial artists. Xin Xiaoyan used her mental energy for reconnaissance and to harass the enemy, while Song Dongming focused on frontal assaults.
Although their efficiency wasn’t as high as Wang Zhan’s, it was still considerably better than most martial artists.
With the three of them joining the fray, two distinct breaches were torn open in the lines of ordinary beasts.
On the city wall, Lin Yin, seeing that the situation had temporarily stabilized, quickly walked over to the old man’s side.
Wang Zhan and the others didn’t recognize this old man, but Lin Yin naturally did.
This old man was the strongest combatant on the human side: Shi Jingtian, the Principal of Chang’an Martial Arts Academy and a Grandmaster.
Seeing Lin Yin approach, Shi Jingtian nodded.
"Little Lin, you’ve done very well. It seems your decision to pursue further studies at Yanjing Martial Arts Academy instead of staying at Chang’an was indeed the correct one."
Lin Yin shook her head slightly. Now was not the time for such talk. Shi Jingtian could afford to be relaxed, but she couldn’t share his leisurely mood.
She watched the two Grandmasters battling the Three-Headed Hound in the sky and asked anxiously, "Principal Shi, do you think the beasts have more powerful enemies in reserve?"
"Of course, they do." Shi Jingtian said lightly. "A Beast Tide of this magnitude isn’t something a single leader-level beast can manage. It wouldn’t be enough to control these tens of thousands of beasts."
Lin Yin’s expression tensed noticeably. "Then..."
Shi Jingtian patted Lin Yin’s shoulder, his relaxed smile full of infectious confidence.
"Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, Chang’an City won’t fall."