Chapter 69: City Annihilation

A muffled boom echoed as the Susano’o’s arm cracked; Jiang Xia felt his internal organs churning.

The Colonel’s blood dripped from his chin, his palm surging violently with blue spiritual energy—he was badly wounded too.

Yingshao’s crimson pupils locked onto him; his tiger-patterned wings flared violently, stirring black mist.

Cracks on the ground widened with each tremor, more low-tier beasts surging forth like a tide.

“Fatty, hold those beasts off!”

Jiang Xia’s right eye glowed with the Rinnegan; his left hand shot up—“Jibakutensei (Planet Burst)!”

Countless shards of rock rose from the ground, coalescing into a massive stone sphere above the fissure, crushing the emerging beasts back into the crack.

He turned to Yingshao, his left Mangekyo Sharingan spinning rapidly—“Susano’o—Fourth Form!”

Instantly, blue Susano’o armor enveloped his entire body, extending downward, while the Jukenken and Hachisakagami materialized in his hands.

Jiang Xia propelled the Complete Body Susano’o into the air, raising the Hachisakagami before him to block another black energy wave from Yingshao.

The energy wave struck the mirror, sparking violently; the Susano’o’s arm trembled slightly, Jiang Xia’s throat turned sweet, but he gritted his teeth and swung the Jukenken down hard at Yingshao’s skull.

Yingshao roared, dodging sideways; feathers from its wings instantly transformed into countless black blades, firing toward Jiang Xia.

“Wood Seal: Entangling Threads!”

Wang Teng’s seal flared violently; hundreds of wooden vines erupted from the ground, weaving into an impenetrable net midair.

The blades struck the vines with piercing clangs; though several vines were severed, all attacks were successfully blocked.

“Colonel, now!”

Wang Teng shouted, his seal surging again, forming two colossal scythes that slashed toward Yingshao’s wings.

Yingshao sensed the attack from behind, swiping its claws backward; black energy met the scythes, jolting Wang Teng’s arms numb, sending him sliding meters back, his feet carving deep grooves in the ground.

Jiang Xia seized this fleeting chance; the Complete Body Susano’o dove downward, Jukenken aimed straight at Yingshao’s tiger pattern.

Yingshao sensed the danger; its human face twisted in fury, spitting a ball of pitch-black energy toward Jiang Xia.

“Shinra Tensei!” Jiang Xia muttered; his Rinnegan erupted with intense gravitational force, sucking in nearby rubble and mist to form a thick barrier before him.

The energy ball shattered the barrier, but its power had been halved, and the Hachisakagami held firm.

Meanwhile, the Jukenken pierced deep into Yingshao’s tiger pattern; blue spiritual energy surged through the blade, causing Yingshao to shriek in agony, flapping its wings wildly to fling Jiang Xia away.

“Now!”

The Colonel’s eyes flashed with resolve; he raised both hands above his head, condensing blue spiritual energy into a water dragon dozens of meters tall—“Azure Dragon Break!”

The water dragon surged forward with crushing force, slamming into Yingshao’s chest.

As Yingshao tried to wrench free from the Jukenken, the water dragon struck, pinning it to the ground; black mist gushed wildly from its wounds.

Jiang Xia seized the moment, amplifying spiritual output through the Susano’o; the Jukenken drove deeper, Yingshao’s body convulsing, its blood-red pupils dimming.

Wang Teng activated his seals, transforming them into countless chains that wrapped around Yingshao’s limbs, locking it to the ground.

Yingshao let out one final, furious roar—its body suddenly swelled, clearly preparing to detonate.

Jiang Xia’s face darkened; he yanked the Jukenken free.

“Fujutsu: Chakra Absorption!”

A blue shield materialized before Jiang Xia, frantically absorbing Yingshao’s internal energy.

The Colonel immediately directed the water dragon to form a massive water prison, encasing Yingshao entirely.

The explosion’s force was suppressed layer by layer by the Chakra Absorption and the water prison; Yingshao’s body withered, finally dissolving into a wisp of black mist.

The black mist within the fissure lost its source and rapidly dissipated; the remaining beasts, deprived of support, were swiftly cleared by the soldiers.

Jiang Xia disbanded the Susano’o, stumbling to the ground; Wang Teng rushed forward to support him.

“We must destroy the fissure!”

“Shōmon—open!”

Jiang Xia drew a deep breath; his right Rinnegan and left Sharingan both activated.

“Susano’o!” he muttered, guiding the Susano’o forward, Jukenken and Hachisakagami in hand, toward the fissure.

Wang Teng unleashed his full power; black seals covered his body, forming a colossal scythe as he followed Jiang Xia.

Though wounded, the Colonel rose, again gathering blue spiritual energy in his hands, ready to assist Jiang Xia and Wang Teng.

Jiang Xia channeled all his spiritual energy into the Susano’o’s blade and slashed it down hard upon the fissure.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The blade pierced the fissure instantly; crimson sealing energy erupted, causing the fissure to shake violently.

Wang Teng swung his massive scythe at the fissure; his seals merged into the crack, intensifying its tremors.

The Colonel poured all his spiritual energy into the fissure.

Water and sealing techniques intertwined, forming a colossal energy wave that surged into the depths of the fissure.

“Boom!” A deafening explosion shattered the fissure; black mist vanished completely, leaving only a vast crater on the ground.

The moment the fissure collapsed, the beasts in the square lost control and scattered in panic.

Soldiers charged after them; the crackle of spiritual-energy rifles and the thunder of heavy artillery erupted once more.

Jiang Xia and Wang Teng stood beside the crater, watching the fleeing beasts, finally exhaling in relief.

The Colonel walked over, pale-faced but smiling.

“Great! The fissure is destroyed! Canglan City is saved!”

Jiang Xia staggered and collapsed, his face ashen: “This was just one small battle in the great calamity. Every city near Shanhai Pass is now facing the same fight.”

Wang Teng also slumped to the ground: “We barely managed one disaster-level beast. I can’t imagine how Senior Xia endured a destruction-level and a horde of disaster-levels back then.”

After a night’s rest, Jiang Xia and Wang Teng walked the streets, gazing at the ruins and citizens clutching their dead loved ones; their victory’s joy faded.

The Colonel, wrapped head to toe in bandages, approached them: “Canglan City owes its survival to your help.”

He paused, his voice heavy with unmaskable sorrow.

“We just received word: Linglin City to the east has erupted in a beast tide—two disaster-level beasts have appeared.”

“All city defenders perished, but reinforcements arrived in time and destroyed the fissure.”

Jiang Xia’s hands trembled slightly; the battlefield’s brutality churned within him.

“We barely survived one disaster-level,” Wang Teng clenched his fists. “If Shanhai Pass falls… the cities behind it…” He didn’t finish, but all knew what it meant.

【The next few chapters will begin the main Shanhai Pass storyline】