Above the thick clouds, more than a dozen giant beasts fought without end.
The beasts were enormous. Plucking up mountains was nothing to them, and blotting out the sky came naturally. Their battle shook heaven and earth. Had mighty practitioners not joined forces to gather nine layers of cloud and veil the sky, the force alone that spilled from their clash would have frightened every person and animal on the ground to death.
Before the battle was decided, half of Yun Province might have seen its plants wither and its people and beasts perish, leaving nothing but scorched earth.
Among the beasts, a crow wreathed in flame fought most fiercely. She did not even need her claws or beak as weapons. A flicker in her eyes brought flames out of the void. Any beast attacking her that moved a little too slowly to dodge found the flames winding around its body like chains.
Once caught, the beasts had to pour out great surges of Primordial Qi to extinguish the flames. Even then, broad patches of their flesh were charred black, and took some time to heal.
Those were the ones who reacted quickly. As for those who did not... the River God of Cloud River Source, killed earlier, was a bloody example.
Yet fierce as the crow was, she could hardly withstand so many foes. Two Azure Dragons were particularly valiant among the beasts besieging her. Their bodies all but became whips, lashing, seizing, coiling, striking... Each blow carried a howling wind and a roar that shook the surrounding void.
Their attacks displayed immense strength, but they also sealed off that stretch of space. The crow could not break through the void and flee. She could only stay and fight to the death.
Even a hero could not fend off