Chapter 30: The Monster Beasts’ Attack

Night.

Xu Ziyan and nineteen others lay fully dressed in the woods when suddenly the ground trembled. Everyone jumped up at once, rushed to the high ground, and looked ahead into the snowy night.

In front of the road in the snowy night, it was still empty, but the sound like running thunder was getting closer and closer.

“The Monster Beasts are coming!” someone said softly.

As soon as this person’s voice was heard, everyone’s nerves tightened instantly. They strained their eyes to look into the distance on the road.

A swaying mass of shadows suddenly leaped forward in the distance, closing in rapidly, surging like a tidal wave. Deafening beast cries suddenly erupted all around, causing the snowflakes in the sky to scatter in all directions, changing their trajectory.

They were closer now!

Suddenly, the Monster Beasts running in front fell down, followed by a chorus of mournful cries from the beasts. This was the effect of the pre-set traps. Countless Monster Beasts fell into the traps. At the bottom of each trap were sharp wooden stakes. Most of the lower-ranked Monster Beasts that fell had almost no chance of survival, yet some higher-ranked ones managed to jump out and charged forward frantically.

Because many Monster Beasts fell into the traps, all the traps were quickly filled with their bodies. The remaining hundreds of Monster Beasts rushed forward even more fiercely.

The Monster Beasts had not advanced far when the various pre-set mechanisms dealt them another painful blow. Spear rows, nail boards, rolling logs, and giant nets crashed down upon them like a storm. This attack eliminated another half of the Monster Beasts, but still, over a hundred managed to charge forward.

By then, Xu Ziyan could already hear the sounds of battle coming from other paths nearby. She knew that skirmishes with the Monster Beasts had begun on every path.

“Kill!”

The leading Inner Hall Disciple shouted, and everyone raised their weapons as they rushed toward the Monster Beasts. Xu Ziyan had just charged down the slope when an Ice Arrow whizzed past her cheek. A cry of “Ah!” was heard behind her. Xu Ziyan quickly turned her head and saw that the Ice Arrow had struck the forehead of a New Disciple from the Outer Hall behind her. The tail of the Ice Arrow still shimmered with a crystalline glow, but the New Disciple’s eyes were wide and lifeless like a dead fish, blood gushing from between his brows as he fell backward onto the snowy ground.

Xu Ziyan felt her hairs stand on end and broke out in a cold sweat from the shock. She steadied herself and looked ahead. By then, everyone had charged forward, intercepting the Monster Beasts at the path entrance as a fierce battle ensued. Peering through the gaps between the moving figures, Xu Ziyan was inwardly astonished—how could there be so many Monster Beasts?

A dense mass of Monster Beasts surged forward. Some had bodies hard as bronze and iron, clashing head-on with the group, while others spewed Spells from their mouths—Ice Arrows and Fireballs flew everywhere. The group also employed all their skills, wielding swords and blades while hurling the Talismans issued by their Clan at the Monster Beasts. For a moment, the Spells released by the Talismans exploded continuously amidst the Monster Beasts. The rate at which the Talismans released Spells was clearly much faster than the Monster Beasts could cast theirs. Thus, although Xu Ziyan’s side was outnumbered, they managed to fight the Monster Beasts to a standstill.

In her heart, Xu Ziyan knew that they could not recklessly throw the Talismans. Although the Clan had a good supply of Talismans, the number given to each person was limited. If they used them all in one go, they would have to rely solely on their Magical Power when the next wave of Monster Beasts arrived. Even the Inner Hall Disciples, strong as they were, were only at the Qi Refining Stage in terms of Cultivation Level. How could they possibly withstand so many Monster Beasts? Probably none of their twenty—well, now nineteen—would survive. Without the support of Talismans, they likely couldn’t hold back over two hundred Monster Beasts.

“Boom—”

A dozen or so Talismans suddenly exploded together, their force shaking the ground, scattering sparks, and raising clouds of smoke. Xu Ziyan was startled by the blast. Looking into the darkness ahead, she saw a large crater blown open in the center of the ground, with dozens of Monster Beasts lying inside. Some were not yet dead, still whimpering mournfully amidst the blood.

The explosion stunned the Monster Beasts, causing them to freeze collectively. Even the Inner and Outer Hall Disciples had never witnessed the power of a dozen Talismans exploding at once. Talismans were very expensive luxuries; how often could one see such a spectacular sight? Therefore, they too stood there frozen, just like the Monster Beasts.

“Good opportunity!”

Seizing the moment while the Monster Beasts were dazed, Xu Ziyan stomped her feet and shot forward like an arrow. The smoke from the explosion had not yet cleared, concealing her figure. In an instant, she appeared in front of one Monster Beast, thrusting her sword fiercely into its throat. She pulled the sword out and leaped toward another Monster Beast. Behind her, the first beast spurted a stream of blood from its throat and collapsed heavily to the ground.

As the smoke gradually dispersed, everyone recovered from their stupor. Suddenly, their eyes narrowed sharply as they glimpsed a figure moving swiftly amidst the Monster Beasts. With each pause, a cold gleam from her hand precisely pierced a Monster Beast’s throat. Then she instantly lunged toward another beast, and behind her, that Monster Beast would spray a blood-arrow from its throat before slowly collapsing.

That figure moved very quickly. Behind her, Monster Beasts kept falling one after another, like dominoes.

Everyone suddenly snapped back to awareness, realizing they had missed the best chance to strike at the Monster Beasts. The leading Inner Hall Disciple felt especially ashamed. He was about to order an attack when he heard the Outer Hall Disciples cheer together:

“It’s Sister Ziyan!”

“Follow Sister Ziyan and kill them!”

“Kill!”

“Whoosh—” The remaining nine New Disciples charged madly toward the Monster Beasts. But by then, the Monster Beasts had also recovered from their shock. They roared wildly and charged at the group.

“Kill!”

The Inner Hall Disciple finally gave the order and led the charge against the Monster Beasts. By now, the Monster Beasts had lost dozens to the earlier Talisman explosions, and another thirty or so were killed by Xu Ziyan while they were stunned. Only about forty remained.

However, these remaining forty were extremely ferocious. Though their ranks weren’t very high—the highest being only third-level Monster Beasts, and just five of those—the rest were first- and second-level. But now, smelling blood, they had completely lost their reason. Their savage nature erupted, and they charged at Xu Ziyan and the others fearlessly, ready to die.