Demonic Invasion

"Winged Cang Wolf!"

Lin Lan watched as the Winged Cang Wolf flew straight to the top of the Bocheng Tower, looking down upon all living things. The powerful muscles beneath its enormous fleshy wings, its savage face, and its terrifying aura bore down on everyone.

Hundreds of Bone Spur Wolves and One-Eyed Demon Wolves also crawled out of the demon beasts' tunnel, beginning to ravage the city and slaughter humans as they gazed up at the Winged Cang Wolf.

"Even taking care of two demon beast passages wasn't enough..." Lin Lan sighed helplessly. Fortunately, over the past few hours, most Bocheng residents living near the Safe Zone had successfully evacuated. The sealed tunnels would keep the creatures trapped for a while, and once reinforcements arrived, even a mid-level commander like the Winged Cang Wolf would have to die in Bocheng. Yet the rain had not stopped, and demon beasts would only continue pouring into the city.

"That Wu Ku really was a bastard. Why would Heaven give an animal like him the ability to make it rain wherever he went? It ought to send down a bolt of lightning and strike him dead," Lin Lan muttered. He knew Wu Ku and Salang were outside the city, stirring up wind and rain, but he was still far too weak. Even knowing it, there was nothing he could do...

"I should go to the school first. The senior students still need to be evacuated. Go back, big eagle."

Lin Lan stroked the Crimson Wind Eagle, opened the door to the Summoning Plane, and sent it back. His Summoning Element level was still too low to keep it summoned for long. It was just as well—he could kill his way there himself. Seeing the growing number of demon beasts on the streets, blazing fury rose in Lin Lan's heart, and fighting spirit burned in his eyes.

"Awooo! Awooo! Roar!"

"Aahhh!"

The moonlight was dim, while the rain grew heavier and heavier beneath dense, dark clouds. Demon beasts' low growls constantly echoed through the streets. Faced with these terrifying creatures, humans fled in all directions with screams, running desperately into houses and supermarkets.

"No... don't! Don't... kill me!" Several young men huddled in the corner of an alley, crying out without pause. A One-Eyed Demon Wolf's sharp claws were about to pierce their throats and tear them apart. Who could have imagined that they had merely come here to race their cars, only to run into demon beasts...

"Sky Flash—Lightning Seal—Frenzied Charge!" In an instant, a streak of brilliant white lightning struck the One-Eyed Demon Wolf. Electricity instantly spread across its entire body, piercing it alive and killing it.

"Hurry and find somewhere to hide. Don't come back out and get yourselves killed." Lin Lan urged them to take cover before searching for his next target.

"Bro, I want to become a mage too..." One young man stared at Lin Lan's departing figure with envy in his eyes. "I want to as well! Damn it, stop standing around and run! What if we run into more demon beasts?" Their leader angrily kicked him, then immediately fled for his life, ignoring them.

"There still aren't that many demon beasts, but ordinary people are simply too vulnerable. Once they encounter one, there's only death waiting for them." Lin Lan hurried anxiously toward the next location. Along the way, he casually eliminated several One-Eyed Demon Wolves that had failed to find targets with a few Lightning Seals.

Four One-Eyed Demon Wolves stood beside the street, eyeing a married couple hungrily. Drool dripped from the corners of their mouths onto the ground.

"Wife, take our child and hide in the restaurant across the street. I'll lure these demon beasts away." The man was utterly resolute. Before his wife could respond, he ran in front of the demon beasts and provoked them.

"Da Hai!" Tears filled the woman's eyes. Though reluctant to leave him, she helplessly ran into the shop. The shop was packed with people, their bodies trembling as they watched tensely while the man lured the demon beasts away.

"Come on! Come on!" The man turned and ran at once. A One-Eyed Demon Wolf bit at him, and he dodged aside in a flash—but how much longer could he keep dodging? One of the One-Eyed Demon Wolves suddenly pounced and ripped him apart with a single claw.

"Ahhh..." Blood and intestines spilled across the ground, staining it red. The man let out a heart-rending scream as the four One-Eyed Demon Wolves began to feast, gnawing on his face and body and drinking his blood.

"Mind Control—Repel." Lin Lan's psychic force blasted the four One-Eyed Demon Wolves apart. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" The wolves were slammed into cars and walls by the psychic force, left dazed and disoriented. Cars were crushed beneath them, and huge cracks appeared in the walls. They slowly rose to their feet, their scarlet eyes fixed viciously on Lin Lan.

Lin Lan looked regretfully at the man. More than half of his face had been gnawed away, and his intestines lay on the ground. He was still barely breathing, but clearly beyond saving. The man's trembling hand lifted, pointing toward the shop across the street, before he died. Lin Lan glanced over and used his psychic power, discovering that the shop was crowded with people, all of them watching this way.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!" One One-Eyed Demon Wolf howled, seemingly realizing that Lin Lan was not easy to deal with. It began calling for other One-Eyed Demon Wolves to come and reinforce them.

"Sky Flash—Lightning Seal—Raging Strike!" A cold glint flashed through Lin Lan's eyes as he fired a Lightning Seal directly at the One-Eyed Demon Wolf. Violent, bright-white lightning pierced straight through it from the crown of its head.

"Awooo! Awooo! Awooo!" The other three One-Eyed Demon Wolves roared and lunged straight at Lin Lan, determined to tear him to pieces with incredible speed.

"Mind Control—Shield." A silver shield lit up around Lin Lan. The One-Eyed Demon Wolves' powerful claws and fangs struck it without having any effect, leaving them to rage helplessly.

"Sky Flash—Thunderbolt—Heavenly Strike!" Lin Lan traced a star pattern in his hand. The power of lightning descended from the sky, turning all three One-Eyed Demon Wolves into charred corpses. Their remnant souls transformed into firefly-like lights and drifted into the Soul Vessel, where they were stored.

Lin Lan turned and walked toward the shop. Before he even reached the entrance, the people inside impatiently opened the door. At a glance, he saw several dozen people—students, elderly people, office workers, and young women—all looking at him excitedly. They had witnessed him killing the demon beasts just now.

"Great mage, what should we do? We only came out to buy something, and demon beasts appeared outside. My friend was bitten to death right in front of me."

"Yes, great mage, can we still be saved? I don't want to die. I want to live..."

Voices rose one after another, making Lin Lan's head ache. He immediately called out to reassure them, "Quiet! I'll escort you to the Safe Zone." Lin Lan's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. They looked at him as though they had seen the dawn, as though they had seen hope for survival.

"Great mage, my grandson is still studying at Tian Lan Magic High School. Please, could you save him on the way? I'll kneel before you." An elderly man dropped to his knees in front of Lin Lan and pleaded endlessly. The others immediately became unhappy when they saw this.

"You damned old man! Tian Lan Magic High School is out of the way, and you want us to detour to save your grandson? Are you trying to get all of us killed?"

"If you want to save him, go yourself. Don't drag the rest of us into it. If anyone has to die, it should be you!"

Several people cursed furiously. The others remained silent, merely watching the old man kneel there. Not a single person spoke up for him.

"Enough. I'll go to Tian Lan Magic High School later. Old sir, get up first. I'll get all of you to the Safe Zone." Lin Lan helped the old man to his feet. The old man did not make any more trouble, only repeating, "Thank you," over and over.

Lin Lan had no choice. Since he had encountered these people, he could not simply stand by and watch them die. The demon beasts had not fully arrived yet. If they all came through the demon beast passages into Bocheng, there would be nothing he could do. This was only the first wave of servant-level demon beasts. There were still hundreds of Warrior Rank demon beasts to come. By then, he would not be able to look after anyone else.

The crowd followed Lin Lan forward slowly. He continuously used his psychic power to search for demon beasts nearby. Bocheng's streets were now littered with corpses and covered in blood, while there were plenty of demon beast corpses as well. It seemed that the Magic Association was also clearing a route toward the Safe Zone.

Windows shattered and doors were breached by demon beasts. Lin Lan saved person after person, and the group continued to grow until it numbered more than a hundred people. The demon beasts also noticed them and began gathering there without pause.

They were about to leave the city when a Bone Spur Wolf, accompanied by dozens of One-Eyed Demon Wolves, lay in ambush on the street around the corner ahead, waiting for prey to arrive. They had seen that many people would pass through here, which was why they had chosen to hide in wait.

But Lin Lan's psychic power discovered them first. "All of you, stay back. Don't get too damn close to me! Spatial Rhythm—Compression!" Lin Lan ran straight to the corner, using spatial gravity to restrain every demon beast. The Bone Spur Wolf was crushed beneath the pressure and struggled desperately to break free, its body straining until its muscles bulged.

"Space Annihilation." Lin Lan fired an annihilation spell, separating its head from its body. Blood burst from its severed neck. The other One-Eyed Demon Wolves tried to flee at top speed, but it was merely a dying struggle.

"Sky Flash—Thunderbolt—Heavenly Strike!" A violent bolt of lightning wiped them all out.

"One, two, three... Looks like one is still missing. No matter. A Spatial Mark is already on it—it can't get away."

Lin Lan counted the demon beasts and confirmed that one was indeed missing. At that moment, a golden glow emerged from the Bone Spur Wolf and flew toward him, along with the remnant souls of the other One-Eyed Demon Wolves. "It dropped loot!" Lin Lan was excited as he looked at the refined soul.

There were no more demon beasts along the rest of the way. After escorting these people to the Safe Zone, Lin Lan summoned the Crimson Wind Eagle and headed for Tian Lan Magic High School.

I was too busy today and had classes all day. I read all of your suggestions. Anything I can change, I'll change later, and wherever I need to learn, I'll go learn. Thank you all for your suggestions and for reading. This book should remain free until around 200,000 words, so feel free to keep reading and offering feedback. I can improve my writing experience too.