Crisis Averted

The rumble of the hovering armored vehicle grew louder as it approached, and it soon stopped at the canyon entrance. The door opened, and a middle-aged commander in silver armor with a resolute face stepped out first. He was none other than Zhao Gang, the commander of the reinforcements sent by Li Jianguo.

Zhao Gang strode up to Fang Yan and gave a standard military salute. "Captain Fang Yan, under General Li's orders, I've brought five hundred Martial Masters and twenty Great Martial Masters to reinforce you!"

"General Zhao, thanks for the effort!" Fang Yan hurriedly returned the salute, a warm current surging through his heart. With these reinforcements, the defensive strength of Black Wind Canyon immediately multiplied several times over.

Zhao Gang surveyed the battlefield inside the canyon. Seeing corpses strewn across the ground and wounded Martial Masters everywhere, his expression turned grim. "How's the situation? Have the Dark Demon Race made any follow-up moves?"

"We just repelled a wave of attacks and killed one Qi Transformation Realm leader and dozens of exotic beasts, but the main force of the Dark Demon Race should still be outside the canyon." Fang Yan's voice was solemn. "They're numerous, and with exotic beasts aiding them, their strength is not to be underestimated."

"I understand." Zhao Gang nodded and immediately gave the order. "All personnel, listen up! The first squad will take over defense of the canyon entrance and reinforce the fortifications. The second squad will treat the wounded and clear the battlefield. The third squad will follow me to deploy defensive lines on the cliffs on both sides of the canyon, preventing the Dark Demon Race from launching a flank attack!"

"Yes!" the reinforcements answered in unison and immediately began moving in an orderly fashion.

Watching the reinforcements bustle about, Fang Yan breathed a sigh of relief. He walked over to Chu Feng, Lin Mengyao, and Li Hao and asked, "How are you? Are your injuries serious?"

Chu Feng shook his head. "I'm fine. They're just superficial wounds. I'll be all right after resting for a while."

Lin Mengyao also said, "I'm fine too. Just a little tired."

Li Hao, however, grimaced. "The Ironclad Bear smacked my arm, and it's still numb. But don't worry, it won't affect my fighting!"

Fang Yan smiled and patted them on the shoulders. "Thanks for the effort, everyone. Now that the reinforcements are here, we can rest for a while, but we can't let down our guard. The Dark Demon Race won't give up just like this. They could launch another attack at any moment."

Just then, a scout came running over in a panic. "Captain, General Zhao! We've spotted a large number of Dark Demon Race troops outside the canyon. They seem to be gathering their forces for another attack! And... and this time there are even more of them than before, along with several larger exotic beasts!"

"What?" Fang Yan and Zhao Gang's expressions changed at the same time.

Zhao Gang immediately said, "Fang Yan, lead your squad and stay in the middle of the canyon to handle the frontal defense. I'll lead the Great Martial Masters in supporting you from the cliffs. Once the Dark Demon Race attacks, we'll strike them from both sides. We must drive them back!"

"Understood!" Fang Yan replied and immediately assembled his squad, returning to the defensive position in the middle of the canyon.

Soon, earth-shaking roars and footsteps came from outside the canyon. Fang Yan peered through a gap and saw a dark mass of the Dark Demon Race surging forward like a tide, numbering at least ten thousand. At the very front of their formation, several Giant Ironclad Bears—each a full circle larger than ordinary Ironclad Bears—advanced toward the canyon with heavy steps. Even thicker shells covered their bodies, making them look utterly indestructible.

"Are those... King-level Exotic Beasts?" Li Hao asked, his face pale.

Fang Yan's heart sank. The strength of a King-level Exotic Beast was equivalent to that of a human at the Martial King Realm, several times stronger than an ordinary Ironclad Bear. Dealing with them would be extremely difficult.

"Don't be afraid, everyone!" Fang Yan said solemnly. "The Giant Ironclad Bears are powerful, but their movements are slow. We can use the terrain to avoid their frontal attacks and target their weaknesses. Chu Feng, aim your arrows at their eyes and throats. Lin Mengyao, use the Flowing Water Sword Technique to harass their joints. Li Hao, lead some people in setting traps at their feet to slow their advance!"

"Yes!" the three answered in unison.

"Boom!"

With a deafening explosion, the Dark Demon Race's attack began again. The Giant Ironclad Bears charged at the forefront toward the canyon. Their massive paws slammed into the ground, making the entire canyon tremble.

"Loose!" Chu Feng shouted.

The archers on the cliffs immediately loosed their arrows. The dense rain of arrows shot toward the Giant Ironclad Bears, but the arrows struck their shells without causing the slightest damage. Instead, they only enraged them.

"Roar!"

The Giant Ironclad Bears let out furious roars and suddenly pounced toward the archers on the cliffs. Seeing this, Zhao Gang immediately led the Great Martial Masters forward, engaging the Giant Ironclad Bears in fierce battle.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The Great Martial Masters' attacks landed on the Giant Ironclad Bears, producing muffled thuds. Although they could inflict some damage, it was still nowhere near enough to bring them down.

The battle inside the canyon was also exceptionally fierce. The Dark Demon Race poured in without end, engaging the human Martial Masters in a fight to the death. Fang Yan wielded the Little Black Sword, continuously killing the Dark Demon Race members who drew near. Profound Ice True Qi circulated around his body, freezing the approaching dark energy one strand at a time.

But there were simply too many members of the Dark Demon Race. Even with the reinforcements supporting them, the human Martial Masters gradually began to feel powerless. Several Martial Masters were struck by the Dark Demon Race's weapons and fell to the ground.

Fang Yan grew anxious. He knew that if this continued, the defensive line would eventually be breached. He glanced at Zhao Gang, who was battling the Giant Ironclad Bears, and an idea formed in his mind.

"Li Hao, lead some people and hold this position. I'm going to support General Zhao!" Fang Yan shouted.

"But Fang Yan, it's too dangerous for you to go alone!" Li Hao said worriedly.

"Don't worry. I have a way!" Fang Yan said, then leaped into the air and charged toward the Giant Ironclad Bears on the cliff.

At that moment, Zhao Gang was being forced backward step by step by a Giant Ironclad Bear. The Giant Ironclad Bear possessed tremendous strength, and every attack made Zhao Gang feel as though a mountain were pressing down on him.

"General Zhao, I'm here to help!" Fang Yan shouted. The Little Black Sword in his hand, wrapped in Profound Ice True Qi, stabbed toward the Giant Ironclad Bear's abdomen.

Sensing the attack from behind, the Giant Ironclad Bear immediately turned and slapped at him. Fang Yan had been prepared. His body flipped nimbly in midair, evading the attack while his sword pierced the bear's abdomen.

"Pfft!"

The Little Black Sword sank into the Giant Ironclad Bear's abdomen, and Profound Ice True Qi surged into it in an instant. The Giant Ironclad Bear let out a pained howl and staggered.

Zhao Gang seized the opportunity and immediately unleashed his strongest attack, smashing a fist into the Giant Ironclad Bear's head.

"Bang!"

With a tremendous boom, the Giant Ironclad Bear's head suffered a devastating blow. Its massive body crashed to the ground and fell utterly still.

After taking down one Giant Ironclad Bear, Fang Yan and Zhao Gang both breathed a sigh of relief. But they had no time to rest and immediately charged toward another Giant Ironclad Bear.

With Fang Yan joining the battle, the situation gradually began to turn around. Working together, the two soon took down the second Giant Ironclad Bear as well.

Once the Giant Ironclad Bears' protection was gone, the Dark Demon Race's offensive momentum weakened considerably. Zhao Gang seized the opportunity and ordered, "Everyone, attack! Drive the Dark Demon Race out of the canyon!"

"Charge!"

The human Martial Masters' morale soared, and they launched counterattacks against the Dark Demon Race. Seeing this, the Dark Demon Race no longer had any inclination to fight and fled toward the outside of the canyon.

This time, Zhao Gang did not order a pursuit. He knew that the Dark Demon Race's main force was still present, and it would be unwise to pursue them relentlessly.

"Clear the battlefield and count the casualties!" Zhao Gang ordered.

After counting, the human side had suffered heavy casualties. More than a hundred Martial Masters alone had died, while the number of wounded was beyond counting. The Dark Demon Race's losses were even more severe: at least several thousand had been killed, along with dozens of exotic beasts.

Fang Yan stared at the corpses covering the ground, his heart weighed down with sorrow. He knew that this war was far from over. Even more challenges awaited them in the future.

Zhao Gang walked over to Fang Yan and patted him on the shoulder. "Fang Yan, we owe this one to you. Without you, it would have been extremely difficult for us to hold Black Wind Canyon."

Fang Yan shook his head. "It was what I should have done. But the Dark Demon Race won't give up just like this. We must prepare ourselves for the next battle."

"You're right." Zhao Gang nodded. "I've already sent people to report the situation here to General Li and request more reinforcements. Until they arrive, we must hold Black Wind Canyon."

Fang Yan gazed toward the direction outside the canyon, a trace of resolve flashing in his eyes. He knew that no matter the cost, they had to hold this place and buy humanity more time to survive.