Chapter 67

The two continued leading civilians toward the suburban safe zone, encountering several more waves of aberrant beasts along the way, all of which they dealt with smoothly.

By the time they finally delivered the civilians to the safe zone, night had fallen.

The safe zone was brightly lit, filled with injured civilians and soldiers.

Jiang Xia and Wang Teng found the local garrison commander—a middle-aged Colonel at the early stage of the Sage Realm.

The Colonel hurried over upon seeing Jiang Xia and Wang Teng and said, “Itachi’re the reinforcements sent by the Night Watchers? Excellent—with Itachi here, our burden is much lighter.”

Jiang Xia nodded and asked, “Colonel, what’s the current situation in Canglan City? How large is this beast tide?”

The Colonel sighed and said, “It’s dire. This beast tide isn’t just massive—it includes a wide variety of aberrant beasts, many of them high-rank.”

Our defenses have been breached multiple times, with heavy casualties.”

According to our estimates, the number of low-rank aberrant beasts has already reached several thousand and continues to grow; there are three Wang-rank beasts, and one Disaster-class Beast King holding position.”

“Several thousand?” Wang Teng exclaimed. “There’s no way we can eliminate all these aberrant beasts.”

Jiang Xia frowned and said, “Colonel, can we contact reinforcements from Shanhai Pass?”

The Colonel shook his head. “This is the time of great calamity—every checkpoint at Shanhai Pass is short on personnel.”

Even our own local strongholds sent their strongest to reinforce other fronts, which is why the beast tide slipped through.”

Jiang Xia spread the map on the table, his fingertip pressing firmly on the marked location of “City Center Square,” his voice resolute.

“Based on the aberrant beasts’ movement patterns and residual energy signatures, the rift must be here.”

The map was covered in dense red dots representing beast concentrations, and City Center Square was the epicenter, the most densely packed.

Several bright red lines extended from the square toward every corner of the city, tracing the claw marks that had torn through the urban landscape.

Wang Teng leaned over the map, the black runes on his knuckles faintly glowing: “No wonder the outer beasts can’t be wiped out—they’re being continuously replenished from a source.”

The Colonel stood beside them, hands clasped behind his back, his uniform still stained with fresh blood.

Hearing their assessment, he immediately grabbed the radio on the table, his voice hoarse but commanding.

“All units, consolidate your lines! Assemble at City Center Square in thirty minutes. Objective: destroy the aberrant beast rift! Repeat: objective—destroy the rift!”

The radio crackled with a chorus of responses, mixed with the roar of gunfire and the howls of aberrant beasts, yet not a single hesitation.

Jiang Xia looked out the window; flashes of artillery fire lit up the night sky beyond the safe zone—soldiers buying time for the assembly.

He exchanged all his points for detonation talismans, then retrieved every single one stored in his system space and placed them into his storage ring.

“These detonation talismans will help the soldiers clear out the common aberrant beasts,” Jiang Xia handed the storage ring to the communications soldier beside him.

“Tell the frontline troops to stick them on dense clusters of beasts and detonate—keep a safe distance.”

The communications soldier took the ring, saluted with perfect military precision, and turned to sprint out of the command post.

Wang Teng stepped beside Jiang Xia, the black runes on his wrist now spread to his forearm: “Three Wang-rank beasts—Itachi and I take one each, and we handle the third together?”

Jiang Xia shook his head, his left Sharingan activating silently, the red tomoe spinning rapidly within his pupil.

“I’ll lead the assault. Itachi restrain it with your ability.”

“Wang-rank beasts have extreme defense—single combat takes too long. We must eliminate them quickly to support the Colonel against the Beast King.”

Thirty minutes later, hundreds of soldiers had assembled outside City Center Square.

They wore heavy armor, their spirit-energy rifles loaded and ready, heavy artillery on the platforms aimed at the square’s center.

Jiang Xia and Wang Teng stood at the front of the formation; the Colonel led a dozen psychics on the flank, every face etched with resolve.

They all knew this battle wasn’t just for Canglan City—it was to hold the first human barrier behind Shanhai Pass.

“Attack!”

At the Colonel’s command, the heavy artillery opened fire first.

The roar was deafening; searing shells hurtled toward the beast Qun in the square’s center.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Continuous explosions ripped through the square, dust billowing—many low-rank aberrant beasts were instantly shredded.

Soldiers charged forward, their spirit-energy rifles firing in rapid succession, blue energy beams lancing toward the beasts.

Several soldiers quickly affixed Jiang Xia’s detonation talismans to the backs of a few iron-armored rhinos, then retreated swiftly.

“Boom!” The talismans detonated, blue flames instantly engulfing the rhinos; the massive shockwave flung nearby beasts into the air.

The beast Qun at the square’s center descended into chaos, thousands surging toward the soldiers, claws and fangs glinting with cold light.

Earth-ability soldiers formed a line, earth walls and shields flaring to block the assault.

Blood dripped from the shield edges; many soldiers were clawed and wounded, yet they gritted their teeth and held their ground, not retreating an inch.

At that moment, three ear-splitting roars echoed from deep within the square.

Three massive figures burst from the smoke—a fifteen-meter-long giant-toothed crocodile, its body covered in dark-green scales, jaws gaping to reveal razor-sharp fangs.

A thunder-feathered eagle with a ten-meter wingspan, its wings crackling with purple lightning, talons like steel hooks.

And a golden-furred lion, its entire body covered in golden hair, a black rune on its forehead, eyes fierce and cruel.

“Jiang Xia, the thunder-feathered eagle on the left is yours!”

Wang Teng shouted, black runes exploding from his body into countless chains that lashed toward the golden lion.

The golden lion roared, swiped its claw, snapping the chains, and lunged at Wang Teng.

Jiang Xia didn’t hesitate—he leapt into the air, his left Sharingan shifting into the Mangekyo form.

“Kamui!” he muttered, his body instantly phasing out of existence, evading the thunder-feathered eagle’s dive.

The eagle, missing its strike, flapped its wings, firing three bolts of purple lightning toward Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia’s gaze hardened; his right hand condensed a Chidori, blue electricity flickering in his palm.

He leapt upward, flying toward the eagle’s wing, driving the Chidori straight into its flesh.

“Zzzzt!” Blue electricity surged through the eagle’s entire body; it shrieked in agony, its feathers charred and falling in a rain of ash.

Enraged, the eagle turned its head, mouth opening to unleash a massive lightning beam at Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia instantly activated Susano’o; a blue skeletal frame materialized, its arm clenching the lightning beam and splitting it in two.