Chapter 47: Helplessness

Zhongdu City.

During a temporary lull when the Monster Beasts retreated, Xu Haoran, Li Wanpeng, Xiao Rugui, and Wu Meng gathered together. Each wore a gloomy expression, and you could see the tension and unease in their eyes. None of them knew if these Monster Beasts had reinforcements. They had also noticed that although this Beast Tide was quite large in scale, there weren’t any particularly powerful Monster Beasts among them.

If things stayed like this, they were still confident they could hold Zhongdu City. But if this was just the vanguard of the Beast Tide, with mid-level or high-level Monster Beasts following behind, then it was something they would not be able to defend against. This was the reason for their grim expressions and inner tension.

The four of them discussed for a while, but they did not come to any conclusion. The beacon fire for aid had already been lit, but there was no response at all. Actually, this wasn’t unexpected. When Fang Tian City lit its beacon fire for help, didn’t their own Zhongdu City also refuse to send troops to rescue them, instead sending soldiers to intercept the Monster Beasts heading towards Zhongdu City? It was easy to imagine that the City Lords of other cities were now doing the same thing Li Wanpeng had done back then.

After the brief meeting ended, Xu Haoran, Li Wanpeng, Xiao Rugui, and Wu Meng each returned to the sections of the city wall they were defending. When Xu Haoran returned to the wall, he saw Xu Haoliang standing far away on the battlements, leaning on the parapet and looking down. Xu Haoliang was covered in blood and his face was full of exhaustion.

Xu Haoran let out a light sigh. He knew in his heart that Xu Haoliang had always resented him and secretly competed with him for the position of Clan Leader. But the clan’s current situation was very perilous, and he did not want to continue the internal strife with Xu Haoliang.

He walked over to Xu Haoliang. Seeing his utter weariness and the blood covering him, Xu Haoran felt slightly comforted in his heart. At least his Ninth Brother wasn’t confused when it came to matters of greater righteousness. He called out softly:

“Ninth Brother!”

“Big Brother!”

Hearing Xu Haoran’s voice, Xu Haoliang did not turn around. He continued to look down from the city wall, only replying softly in response.

Seeing Xu Haoliang’s attitude towards him, Xu Haoran suddenly felt very weary. He lost his desire to speak, sighed deeply in his heart, and for a moment, they stood in silence.

Neither of them spoke. The Xu Clan Disciples on the wall were all taking Meditative Rest at that time. The Monster Beasts below the wall also seemed to be gathering their strength. For a while, both on and below the wall, only the sound of wind and snow could be heard. There was no more human speech, and the atmosphere became extremely oppressive.

At Changri Valley, Luofeng Ridge, and the Imperial Highway, three Xu Clan Inner Hall Disciples stared dumbfounded at the empty, snowy night. The countless corpses of disciples from the City Lord’s Manor, the Xiao Family, and the Wu Family littering the ground left them utterly shocked. Suddenly, they shuddered, snapping out of their extreme shock. Though they didn’t understand why the City Lord’s Manor, the Xiao Family, and the Wu Family had suffered such huge losses, they hurriedly turned back towards Tongyou Valley, wanting to report this news to Xu Haobo as quickly as possible.

“Roar~~”

A beast roared!

“Roar~~”

Ten thousand beasts roared together! The Monster Beasts outside Zhongdu City began their assault on the city again.

The two silent figures on the city wall, Xu Haoran and Xu Haoliang, abruptly looked up, their eyes flashing with sharp light. Without looking at Xu Haoran, Xu Haoliang said in a deep voice:

“Big Brother, rest assured! Before we drive back these Monster Beasts, and before we dismantle the conspiracy of the alliance between the City Lord’s Manor, the Xiao Family, and the Wu Family, I will not compete with you anymore. I was wrong this time, but that doesn’t mean I will give up.”

“Good!”

A trace of relief flashed across Xu Haoran’s face. The two brothers fiercely brandished the long swords in their hands and shouted in unison:

“Kill!”

“Kill~~”

All the Xu Clan Disciple raised their arms and cheered, then began to counter-attack the Monster Beasts.

Standing atop the city wall, Xu Haoran’s eyes suddenly narrowed slightly. He saw that the Monster Beasts’ attack this time was different from the last. The previous attack, though fierce, was chaotic, with each beast fighting on its own. But the current attack was very orderly and methodical. Xu Haoran felt a warning in his heart, thinking to himself:

“It seems a Monster Beast is commanding this battle! I wonder what rank it is!”

Xu Haoran and Xu Haoliang exchanged a glance. A flicker of fear passed through both their eyes. Instinctively, they felt something was wrong. They both lifted their heads and strained to see into the distance. The wind and snow were heavy, obscuring the Monster Beasts further away, but the ones nearby had already begun their orderly siege.

Behind the Monster Beasts, in the air amidst the wind and snow, a figure was Flying on a Sword towards them. It was the Inner Hall Disciple sent back by Xu Haobo from Tongyou Valley. From far away, he could already hear the earth-shaking roars of the Monster Beasts.

His flying figure in the air paused slightly, stopping its swift flight. In the dense wind and snow, he couldn’t clearly see the situation ahead. He proceeded cautiously, slowly Flying on his Sword towards the direction of Zhongdu City. Finally, a magnificent and fierce scene unfolded before his eyes.

Looking down from the air, the ground was covered with endless Monster Beasts, a dark mass covering the white snowy fields. The sky was also filled with Flying Demon Beasts, attacking Zhongdu City.

That Inner Hall Disciple instantly turned pale with fright. He didn’t dare fly forward another step. Ahead, not only were there nearly ten thousand Monster Beasts on the ground, but the sky was constantly filled with flying ones. If that Inner Hall Disciple flew forward another few dozen meters, he would likely be surrounded by the Flying Demon Beasts.

His whole body trembled uncontrollably. He turned around and hastily flew back in the direction of Tongyou Valley. He needed to report the news here to Xu Haobo as soon as possible. But as he flew, he pondered with confusion:

“How could Zhongdu City be under attack by Monster Beasts? Our defended Tongyou Valley hasn’t fallen! Could it be… could it be that the other three defensive positions have fallen!”

“Boom~~”

The people of the three great families and the City Lord’s Manor on the walls of Zhongdu City finally clashed with the Monster Beasts again. The battle instantly became extremely fierce and brutal.

Tongyou Valley.

Xu Haobo stood on the high point of the defenses, staring blankly in the direction where Xu Ziyan had disappeared. He felt pain not only because the clan had lost a genius, but also because he didn’t know how he would face Xu Ziyan’s father, his own Eleventh Brother Xu Haoguang, when he returned.

The snowflakes in the air suddenly parted to both sides as a figure hurriedly came Flying on a Sword. With a “Whoosh!” he landed and quickly ran up to Xu Haobo.

“Second Uncle!”

Xu Haobo turned to look. It was the Inner Hall Disciple he had sent to Changri Valley. His mood had not yet recovered from the desolation of losing Xu Ziyan. He asked in a heavy voice:

“How is the situation at Changri Valley?”

“Second Uncle, Changri Valley has fallen!” that Inner Hall Disciple said in a trembling voice.

“What?” Xu Haobo’s body jolted. He stepped forward, grabbed the disciple’s collar, and shouted sharply, “You said Changri Valley has fallen?”

The other disciples who heard this were also stunned. The fall of Changri Valley meant that the Monster Beasts could charge straight towards Zhongdu City through it. That was their home, where their parents, wives, and children were. For a moment, everyone looked at each other in dismay. Some of the disciples already had looks of terror on their faces. But none dared to suggest abandoning Tongyou Valley to return to Zhongdu City for rescue. They could only cast their anxious gazes towards Xu Haobo, who was standing on the high ground.