Chapter 43: Mm! I Saw It!

The earth rumbled like rolling thunder. At the end of the valley, a huge dark mass of Monster Beasts suddenly appeared. They charged toward Tongyou Valley, which was defended by the Xu Clan.

These were a group of Monster Beasts that had earlier left Fang Tian City to raid in other directions, much like the first wave that Zhongdu City encountered. After these Monster Beasts had swept through the villages outside the city and returned to Fang Tian City, they found all the Monster Beasts around Fang Tian City had vanished without a trace.

Instinctively, the Monster Beasts sensed the presence of their kind coming from the direction of Zhongdu City. However, there was no Beast Luring Talisman this time. Following their usual habits, the Monster Beasts surged toward Tongyou Valley, intending to pass through it to reach Zhongdu City and reunite with the main Monster Beast horde.

The Xu Clan knew nothing about these events. As soon as they saw the Monster Beasts appear, they thought Xu Haobo’s prediction had come true. They believed a massive horde of Monster Beasts had gathered and was launching a full-scale assault on Tongyou Valley. Fear gripped them one by one, and their faces turned pale. Xu Ziyan’s face also paled. She absolutely never expected Monster Beasts to actually appear on their side. She had thought all the Monster Beasts were gathered at Zhongdu City’s walls.

There was no time to wonder why now. Right before Xu Ziyan’s eyes, Xu Clan disciples were already suffering casualties under the Monster Beasts’ Spell attacks. Just the first wave of the Monster Beasts’ Spell assaults had cost the Xu Clan over ten disciples. The Outer Hall Disciples, whose Cultivation Level was too low to cast Spells and couldn’t help fight for now, started carrying the wounded and dead away.

The dead were set aside, and the injured began receiving treatment. Actually, the Outer Hall Disciples weren’t entirely unable to help. When they left Zhongdu City, the Clan had given each of them ten Talismans. But considering the limited number of Talismans, Xu Haobo had not yet ordered the Outer Hall Disciples to use them. He wanted to wait until the Inner Hall Disciples had nearly exhausted their Magical Power. Then the Outer Hall Disciples could step up, using the Talismans to block the Monster Beasts while the Inner Hall Disciples seized the chance for Meditative Rest.

Xu Ziyan climbed onto a large rock and peeked over it, watching the Monster Beasts attack relentlessly. Inside Tongyou Valley, a dense, seemingly endless mass of Monster Beasts stretched as far as the eye could see. Now the benefit of building those defensive fortifications earlier became clear. The Xu Clan disciples hid behind the defenses, continuously casting Spells, dealing significant damage to the Monster Beasts.

Xu Ziyan’s gaze swept over the crowd. She saw her Second Uncle calmly directing the defense and attacks. Her heart felt a little more at ease. After all, this was Xu Ziyan’s first experience with a Beast Tide; she hadn’t even known what a Beast Tide was before. As her eyes searched, she spotted Xu Lin among the crowd. Xu Lin was currently performing Sword Flight, slaying Monster Beasts. His fingers traced Spell Hand Seals in the air, his body moving with effortless grace.

The fierce battle lasted nearly two hours. When the Inner Hall Disciples had almost depleted their True Essence, the Monster Beasts finally retreated, leaving behind a field of their own corpses. Xu Haobo immediately ordered the Inner Hall Disciples to withdraw for Meditative Rest. The Outer Hall Disciples moved forward into position, ready to use their Talismans to block the Monster Beasts’ second wave.

Xu Ziyan stood behind the defensive fortifications. Seeing the valley opposite still packed with so many Monster Beasts, she couldn’t help but frown slightly. She thought to herself:

“There are so many Monster Beasts, yet each Xu Clan disciple only has ten Talismans. Even if we just try to outlast them in a battle of attrition, with just over a thousand people on our side, can we really hold Tongyou Valley?”

Lost in thought, she couldn’t help feeling worried.

Soon, the Monster Beasts’ second wave began. The Outer Hall Disciples split into five teams, each defending a section of the fortifications. Xu Gan, Xu Wen, Xu Tianxiao, and Xu Dongxue had already taken their positions with their respective followers. Xu Ziyan, leading her only fifteen remaining New Disciples, guarded a small section of the defenses. They watched warily as the Monster Beasts surged toward them.

“Release!”

Xu Gan, Xu Wen, Xu Tianxiao, and Xu Dongxue yelled out in succession. Their subordinate Outer Hall Disciples tore the Talismans in their hands and threw them at the Monster Beasts. Instantly, explosions roared, and Spells of various kinds and colors lit up the scene. Monster Beasts fell in droves. Seeing the Monster Beasts swarming into the area her team defended, Xu Ziyan shouted sharply:

“Release!”

She was the first to throw her torn Talisman. Her fifteen followers also hurled their Talismans one after another. A tremendous blast erupted in the defensive area before Xu Ziyan, sending severed limbs and chunks of flesh flying everywhere.

The effect of one Talisman lasted about fifteen minutes. By the time Xu Ziyan and the other Outer Hall Disciples had thrown their fifth Talisman, Xu Haobo led the Inner Hall Disciples back to the fortifications, replacing the Outer Hall Disciples so they could rest.

To be fair, the Outer Hall Disciples hadn’t expended much of their internal True Essence. But their complexions looked poor, as if they had drained all their True Essence. This was because the Outer Hall Disciples had never experienced such an intense battle before, never been so close to danger. The mental strain had taken a physical toll. So, the moment they heard they could go down to rest, they immediately felt their arms and legs go weak.

While the fifth Talisman was still active, the Outer Hall Disciples and Inner Hall Disciples quickly swapped places. As Xu Ziyan withdrew from the defenses, she met Xu Lin coming up. When Xu Lin reached Xu Ziyan, he shoved a stack of Talismans into her hand and said in a low voice:

“Take these. For protection!”

Xu Ziyan glanced at the Talismans in her hand and hurriedly tried to push them back into Xu Lin’s hand, whispering:

“I don’t want them! You keep them for your own protection!”

Xu Lin quickly shoved the Talismans back into Xu Ziyan’s hand and said urgently in a hushed tone:

“Don’t argue. I usually save some up. I’m going up now. Take care of yourself!”

Having said that, he strode away hurriedly, rushing up to the defenses. Watching Xu Lin’s retreating figure, a warm feeling flowed through Xu Ziyan’s heart. Suddenly, a thought flashed in her mind:

“The feeling of being cared for… it’s really nice!”

“Pfft!”

A light, girlish laugh came from beside her. Xu Ziyan snapped out of her daze. She quickly stowed the Talismans in her hand into her Storage Pouch. Turning her head, she saw Xu Li looking at her with a knowing smile. Pretending not to understand, Xu Ziyan asked:

“What are you looking at me for?”

Xu Li pursed her lips and smiled, saying: “Looking at you getting cared for, feeling happy for you!”

Xu Ziyan’s face flushed slightly red. Seeing Xu Li open her mouth as if to say more, Xu Ziyan reached out and pinched Xu Li’s waist, saying:

“Little girl, what nonsense are you spouting?”

Xu Li giggled, dodging while pointing at Xu Qingxue, who was on Xu Ziyan’s left. “I’m not the only one who saw. Qingxue saw it too. Sister Ziyan, don’t try to hide it!”

Xu Ziyan turned to look at Xu Qingxue. Seeing Xu Qingxue’s cool, detached expression made Xu Ziyan feel a bit relieved. She thought to herself that someone with a personality like Xu Qingxue’s surely wouldn’t pay attention to such things. What Xu Ziyan didn’t expect was for Xu Qingxue to open her pure, big eyes wide, nod seriously, and say:

“Mm! I saw it!”

Xu Ziyan completely collapsed inside!