Tiger Beast

That beastly roar came without warning.

Sharp and abrupt, as though it had been forcibly squeezed out of some unseen fissure deep underground, carrying a tremor that made one's spine prickle.

It left everyone stunned.

The roar had shaken Cheng Yang into a slight daze. The fingers gripping his saber hilt tightened faintly as he looked over the stockade wall toward the source of the sound.

At the edge of the dense forest, several clumps of brush were trembling softly. The movement was slight, as if something were moving rapidly close to the ground, forcing the leaves apart from below before they closed again, over and over.

Then came the second cry.

Then the third and fourth, rising and falling in succession as they erupted from different parts of the forest.

The sounds drew closer and denser, as though an entire mountain forest were being shoved outward from within by something.

Several thick shadows darted between the trees at incredible speed, their forms blurred. Yet Cheng Yang caught part of one silhouette—a long, thick, scaled body shaped like a serpent, slithering close to the ground.

Beasts.

At some point, more than a dozen beasts had gathered outside the stockade wall, and their numbers were still growing.

They poured out from every direction in the forest. There were no roars, no howls; they simply converged on the stockade wall in silence and at speed.

Many faces changed color.

Wei He reacted faster than anyone.

His voice abruptly rose, sharp as grinding iron. "Everyone, form up! Fall back inside the stockade wall! Load the crossbows!"

The City Guard moved with crisp efficiency. The soldiers in the front row raised their iron shields before them, locking their edges together into a defensive line.

The crossbowmen in the rear instantly drew their crossbows taut, rows of arrowheads pointing toward the forest.

Almost at that same instant, the brush outside the stockade exploded. A Gray-Scaled Giant Python shot out along the ground, its bucket-thick body crushing gravel and broken branches. Its dark yellow vertical pupils had already locked onto the nearest City Guard soldier.

"Fire!" Wei He gave the command.

Dozens of arrows shot out at once, the sound of iron shafts piercing the python's body as dense as rain striking sheet metal.

The giant python slithered forward another two zhang or so before its enormous body finally toppled onto its side. Dark red blood seeped from the gaps between its scales, and after its tail twitched several times, it lay still.

But no one relaxed.

There were more outside.

The second, third, and fourth beasts continuously surged from the forest's edge. The thunderous sound of Green-Armored Rhinos shattering the ground beneath their heavy hooves mixed with the low grunts of Mountain Demons, forming an unceasing, deep, dense rumble beyond the stockade wall.

Wei He began assigning everyone to the defense. The City Guard held the front, the martial halls filled the gaps on both flanks, Cheng Yang led the Chen Clan Martial Hall members on the stockade's left wing, and Shadow Wolf Martial Hall held the right...

The next few minutes felt like an ordeal stretched unbearably long.

Cheng Yang could no longer remember how many times he had swung his saber. He only remembered the sensation each time his blade cut into a beast's body: the hardness of scales and armor, the toughness of fur, the softness between bones—every one of them was different.

His arms were beginning to ache from the continuous chopping, yet his feet had never retreated a single step.

The nine Chen Clan Martial Hall disciples followed behind him. Some had been wounded, some were gasping for breath, but their line had not broken.

The corpses of dozens of beasts lay strewn before the stockade wall, and the muddy ground had been soaked with blood until it was sticky and slick.

Yet the number of beasts outside showed no sign of dwindling.

As one wave fell, another trampled over the corpses of its own kind and surged forward, as though they could never be killed clean.

Taking advantage of a brief pause to catch his breath, Cheng Yang swept his gaze around. Dozens of beasts densely packed the open ground outside the stockade wall, all different in shape, yet without exception facing toward the wall.

"This can't go on." Wei He's voice came from within the formation, several degrees lower than before, though that unquestionable authority remained.

He mounted his warhorse and drew his long saber. Its blade gleamed cold white in the morning light.

He swept a glance across the inside and outside of the stockade wall, his gaze pausing briefly upon the surging horde of beasts. Then he suddenly raised his voice. "Everyone, charge with me! Break out! Return by the way we came!"

The order left many people stunned.

With so many beasts blocking the way outside, charging out now was no different from throwing themselves into the beast horde.

But what about staying in the stockade? Once the beasts completely smashed down the walls, they would not even have a path of retreat left.

Charging was a dangerous road; not charging was a road of death.

Besides, the City Guard was the backbone of this group. If Wei He intended to leave, what could the rest use to hold this ruined stockade?

Cheng Yang's heart tightened.

He turned to glance at the nine Chen Clan Martial Hall disciples behind him. Some had pale faces, while others were gripping their saber hilts with trembling hands.

He drew a deep breath, his gaze sinking as only one thought turned in his mind.

At a time like this, no one could look after anyone else. He had to keep himself alive first.

Only by surviving could he possibly turn back to take care of the others after breaking out.

"All Chen Clan Martial Hall disciples, listen up!" He raised his voice, his saber tip pointing toward the stockade gate. "Follow the City Guard! Don't fall even one step behind! Don't look back, don't stop!"

"The same goes for Shadow Wolf Martial Hall! Follow them!" On the other side of the stockade wall, Shadow Wolf Martial Hall's leader issued the same command.

Wei He's warhorse was the first to charge out through the stockade gate.

The long saber in his hand was like a stream of white light. The two Mountain Demons pouncing toward him were cleaved apart before they could even get close, their blood splashing into a fan-shaped mist in the air.

The City Guard followed close behind. The torrent of iron armor poured from the stockade gate, forcibly smashing open a narrow passage through the beast horde.

Cheng Yang followed at the City Guard's rear flank, his blade flashing left and right as he drove back the beasts trying to pounce from either side.

He heard hurried footsteps and ragged breathing behind him. The Chen Clan Martial Hall members were still following.

The stockade wall receded farther and farther behind him, while ahead, the City Guard had cleared a barely passable road of blood along the mountain path.

Wind rushed head-on from the far side of the mountain hollow, carrying a stench of blood and a chilling cold.

Cheng Yang stepped over severed limbs and beast blood covering the ground, running with all his strength toward the way they had come.

Just when everyone thought they were about to escape alive.

An enormous tiger-shaped beast blocked their path.

This tiger-shaped beast was covered from head to toe in dark golden fur, streaked across with ink-black stripes. Its shoulders stood level with an ordinary adult man's chest, and the character for king was stamped upon its forehead.

Of course, the most striking thing was its pair of eyes.

Blood-red and bewitching, they made people afraid to meet its gaze.

Cheng Yang swore that this was the largest tiger he had ever seen in either his past or present life.

Wei He narrowed his eyes slightly. Staring at the great cat, he reached a conclusion.

"Looks like everything just now was this beast's handiwork behind the scenes!"