A Moment of Life and Death, Outside Qingyan Town

Outside Qingyan Town, a vast, pitch-black tide of beasts surged toward the town, and the villagers who had yet to enter could only watch in despair as the wave swept over them.

Roars shook the heavens, and the stampeding beast tide quaked the earth.

On the walls of Qingyan Town, Wei Zhan stared at the distant tide of beasts rushing in, his face somewhat pale.

Beside him, Xie Feng, Xie Jingjiang, and their group, along with the remaining families still in town, wore grim expressions.

Some were even beginning to have second thoughts.

"Dire tigers, wolf packs, wild boars, leopards..."

"First-Order Ironclad Beasts, Gold Saber Beasts, Man-eating Eagles..."

"Second-Order Dazzling Beasts, Two-headed Apes..."

How could this be! How could a late Second-Order Dazzling Beast appear in this tiny Qingyan Town!...

But the beast tide had already surrounded Qingyan Town; even if they wanted to flee, it was too late—where could they escape to...

In this wave of beasts, Wei Zhan caught sight of the Dazzling Beast lurking behind the tide.

Just as he had expected, there were only three Second-order Mutant Beasts.

Two Twin Ape Beasts and one Dazzling Beast, but the Dazzling Beast was a late Second-order Mutant Beast, its head bearing multiple eyes that could emit blinding, mesmerizing light, seizing one's mind.

Even a Late Inner Qi or Perfection Realm Martial Artist would not want to encounter it.

Glancing back at Qingyan Town behind him, Wei Zhan closed his eyes and quickly opened them again, issuing an order.

"Hold Qingyan Town to the death, brothers—behind you are your families..."

"We have nowhere left to run; we can only fight with all we have..."

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" A unified, stirring cry rang out.

What Wei Zhan saw were faces of unwavering resolve.

Since there was no retreat, they would fight with their backs to the wall!

"Head of the School Xie, young brother Jingjiang, it seems we'll be walking together down below—though it's a pity for young Jingjiang."

"Town Chief, say no more; death is nothing more than that! If I were to flee today, I fear I would spend the rest of my life haunted by this shadow, living in constant dread—better to die here today!"

"Good! At least we'll have company in death!"

At this moment, the Martial Artists on the wall struggled to suppress their fear, knowing they could not hold out and what the outcome would be.

Those who remained, now standing on the wall, all understood they had no way out.

Death was nothing more than that!

A pity, they thought, looking toward the direction of their families...

A few Body Tempering First Level Martial Artists of the Chen Clan stood with Chen Qingshi in the Iron Sword Martial Arts School's sector.

Their hearts were also trembling with fear; Linhe Village had been lost a day ago, but members of the Chen Clan were still inside Qingyan Town.

No matter how afraid, they had to step up.

The beast tide drew closer...

Defenders on Qingyan Town's walls drew their bows and loosed arrows; a rain of arrows fell, striking down flying birds and raptors from the sky.

Meanwhile, a group of mid-to-late Body Tempering Martial Artists fixed their eyes on the ranked Mutant Beasts and flying creatures, trying to block them outside Qingyan Town.

If these flying beasts got inside the town, it would be disastrous!

Outside the walls, the traps they had dug did little to slow the tide; the beasts trampled over the corpses of their own kind and surged forward, while a group of Ironclad Beasts rammed the walls, shaking them.

They couldn't let them keep ramming like this!

Some Martial Artists began leaping off the walls to intercept them, but their weapons could not break through the iron armor.

Gold Saber Beasts followed, their arms slicing down like blades; ordinary blades were instantly severed—only divine-grade weapons could withstand ranked artifacts.

One by one, Martial Artists fell bleeding beneath the walls.

Wei Zhan quickly stopped the impulse to jump down, relying on the wall's defense to hold out longer.

Flying raptors reached the walls and began attacking the defenders.

Some even flew into Qingyan Town, starting to assault the townsfolk.

The Martial Artists watched with blazing fury, their eyes bloodshot from killing.

Fortunately, Wei Zhan had stationed a squad of Martial Artists inside the town, who shot down the raptors that broke through the defensive perimeter.

They ordered the townspeople to hide in cellars as much as possible, increasing their chances of survival.

But this was not the worst of it. As time passed, the city gate, battered by relentless Ironclad Beast charges, was on the verge of collapse.

Meanwhile, Wei Zhan and the father-son pair Xie Feng and Xie Jingjiang immediately engaged the Twin Ape Beasts, preventing them from slaughtering the other Martial Artists.

The Twin Ape Beasts resembled apes but had two heads, possessed immense strength, and each wielded an Iron Tree over five zhang tall.

If left unchecked, they would have made short work of the Body Tempering Martial Artists and soldiers on the wall.

Behind the beast tide, the Dazzling Beast watched this scene, a flicker of cunning gleaming in its many eyes as it stood upright like a human.

It was clearly a beast with intelligence, or rather, one that had demonized.

Its form resembled a fox, with a fox head bearing three pairs of eyes and three bushy tails swaying behind it.

After observing for a moment, the Dazzling Beast quietly slipped back into the Beast Tide, heading toward the battlefield where Wei Zhan, the other two, and the Twin Ape Beasts clashed.

On the battlefield, the three of them faced off against the two Twin Ape Beasts, giving their all with everything they had learned.

After nearly half an hour, they seized the moment when the two Twin Ape Beasts separated.

Wei Zhan barely managed to hold one of them back.

Xie Feng and Xie Jingjiang briefly joined forces, unleashing sharp and fierce Sword Qi at the Twin Ape Beast, only for the beast to smash it down with a massive Iron Tree.

It shattered their Sword Qi and swung its club at Xie Jingjiang.

Seeing this, Xie Jingjiang struck with all his might, but it was no match for the Twin Ape Beast's strength.

He was sent flying, and the iron club slammed into the city wall, crushing the nearby Martial Artists and soldiers into pulp.

With no time to dwell on Jingjiang's condition, Xie Feng seized the opening and executed the final move of the Iron Sword Sword Art, 'Sweep Across the Mountains,' severing one of the Twin Ape Beast's heads and one of its arms.

But before he could press the advantage, a blinding light appeared, and a claw shot toward him.

Not far away, Xie Jingjiang staggered back to his feet, watching the scene in despair, unable to intervene in time...

"Old Xie!..."

"Master!..."

"Father!..."

Xie Feng's mind was seized, and he had no way to dodge.

Just as he was about to be torn in two by the claw...

Whoosh!... Chirp!...

An arrow pierced the sky, striking the approaching beast shadow and pinning it to the ground.

Before anyone could see clearly, a Divine Green Eagle circled overhead, and a Green-robed Figure emerged from it, unleashing streaks of sword light.

The Sword Qi swept through, and the Twin Ape Beast by Wei Zhan was split in two, along with its Iron Tree and body.

The Dazzling Beast, pinned to the ground, pulled out the arrow, its three pairs of eyes emitting a dazzling light.

But the newcomer ignored it completely, closing in swiftly, and a flash of azure light so fast it seemed boundless passed by, and the Dazzling Beast ceased to think.

The sword light pierced through the Dazzling Beast without stopping, continuing to slash at the beasts behind it—grazing meant injury, striking meant death.

In an instant, a clear space appeared among the beasts that filled the city and fields. The Green-robed Figure stood still, and only then did anyone see his face.

The Dazzling Beast's head, with its three pairs of eyes, only then fell from its body...

Saving Xie Feng and killing the Dazzling Beast happened in a single moment, and everyone was still immersed in grief.

For a time, no one reacted.

Xie Feng himself was shaken with lingering fear—who wants to die when they can live?

With no time for idle talk, the sword light once again charged into the Beast Tide.

Wherever the Azure Sword Light appeared, the beasts bowed their heads, and ten thousand beasts wailed in sorrow!

Kill, kill, kill! His fury was vented fully, the sword light sweeping across, no beast could stand against it!

With this figure joining the fight, the Martial Artists of Qingyan Town regained hope and fought back with all their strength!

Half an hour later, the beast horde was gradually wiped out.

Qingyan Town then began post-war coordination and other matters.

But none of this concerned Chen Qinglin.

The one who had arrived was Chen Qinglin. He had set out yesterday afternoon, encountering many strange beasts along the way that blocked his path, and he killed them one by one.

Thus, he was a bit slower, but fortunately, he still made it in time and saved Xie Feng.

"Are you alright, Eldest Senior Brother?" Looking at Xie Jingjiang, he took out some healing pills and gave them to him.

"I'm fine, cough, cough. Thanks to you, Junior Brother, arriving in time, or else..."

Xie Jingjiang had been on the verge of despair, but luckily Chen Qinglin arrived in time.

As for his injuries, a period of rest would heal them.

"Junior Brother, how long can you stay?" Xie Jingjiang asked. This was something Wei Zhan was too embarrassed to ask himself.

It was crucial for Qingyan Town right now.

"Until the Beast Tide is eliminated, I'll stay here. After all, my family and all of you are in Qingyan Town," Chen Qinglin said firmly.

"I believe Senior Sister Xie will arrive soon as well."

"Is that so? That's wonderful. If you couldn't stay long, the town chief was preparing to organize our retreat to Dingyuan County," Xie Jingjiang said, his face pale.

"Younger Sister will also be returning. In such conditions, will she be able to arrive safely?" Hearing that Xie Jingyun was coming back, he spoke with some worry.

"Eldest Senior Brother, rest assured. With the Green Feather Eagle, at worst it'll be a bit slower—nothing serious." Chen Qinglin said. He himself had the Jade Token given by Fu Shenxing, and Meng Yunling would surely have prepared some trump cards for her disciples as well.

"That's good, that's good."

"Senior Brother, take your time recovering. I want to go back and take a look!"

"Junior Brother, wait. Your parents are with my grandfather. When we heard about the Beast Tide, we moved both your and Qingshi's parents over."

"It's nothing serious, Junior Brother, rest assured."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

"Junior Brother, what are you saying? If not for you today, not only would my father and I have perished, but the entire Qingyan Town would have been wiped out in this Beast Tide. It is we who should thank you."

"Since that's the case, I'm relieved."

"I won't see my parents for now. I'll go check the surroundings for anything left behind."

"Help me tell my father and mother not to worry."

Then he called the Green Feather Eagle and flew out of Qingyan Town...