Chapter 1514: 【Offensive Like a Tide】 (Part 1)

Li Chang'an burst into loud laughter, but the smile on his face suddenly withdrew: "Zhangming, do you think you have the ability to oppose me?"

Xia Zhangming calmly looked at Li Chang'an and said: "At most it's just death; Senior Brother, do you think you can escape unscathed?" He spread his arms, and his body slowly rose, supported by the flock of birds. Li Chang'an gazed at Xia Zhangming, his eyes showing appreciation, nodded and said: "Being able to snatch half of the birds from my hand is already quite rare!" These bird flocks were all summoned by him; despite his prior control of the birds, Xia Zhangming actually exerted all his strength and managed to seize half of the control, though he paid the price of vomiting blood, but among all under heaven, those who can seize control of the birds from the Feather Demon's hands, he is still the first.

Li Chang'an raised his right arm, the metallic palm slowly clenched into a fist in the air; the birds behind him surged forward like a huge wave, then gathered along the direction his arm pointed into a long serpent formation, each bird fearlessly charging toward Xia Zhangming's camp.

Before Xia Zhangming, the birds gathered into the shape of a shield, not rushing to attack but waiting for the opponent's move; far away in the night sky, it looked like a black spear stabbing at the shield at astonishing speed, also formed of birds, the clash of spear and shield unfolded in the air; amid the birds' mournful cries, feathers flew everywhere, mixed with the night rain, drifting down from above like black snow falling in the night sky.

Hu Xiaotian and the others, while clearing away the scattered attacking monkeys, also kept an eye on the battle above.

Birds kept dying in the fight, their corpses continually falling, the mournful horn sounded again, and from the dark mountains a mass of beasts came rushing this way; Hu Xiaotian saw that it was hundreds of wild boars, unlike the monkeys that had just arrived. He was actually less tense, after all monkeys are good at climbing and could charge up the boulder to attack them, while no matter how capable the boars are, they cannot climb onto the boulder.

Hundreds of wild boars arrived in neat formation at the base of the boulder, just as Hu Xiaotian had expected; although they kept grunting nonstop, their short limbs could never climb the boulder, but soon the boars began their attack, targeting the ground beneath the boulder—a single boar is just a boar, but a herd becomes a super excavator.

Long Xi Yue felt both a little afraid and curious: "What do these wild boars intend to do?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "They're digging the ground, trying to upend this rock!" He didn't think the boars had that ability; the rock they were sheltering under was enormous. Its top surface was about two zhang square, the bottom narrower but still about one zhang in diameter, not to mention how deep it went into the ground—it might even be rooted in the mountain itself. And yet these boars dared to dream of overturning the rock?

The wild boars, like waves, dug in shifts, frenziedly excavating around the rock; their tusks scraping against the stone pillars produced a shrill squeaking sound, especially eerie to hear.

Hu Xiaotian had thought this boulder shouldn't be so easily split by the boars, but not long after he felt the boulder tremble slightly; Long Xi Yue let out a startled cry, her face paling. The five warriors also changed expression, and everyone turned to look at Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Bad, the boulder's roots are too shallow and it's not attached to the mountain; it might really be dug through." Just now their ability to resist the monkey attack was mainly due to the terrain—being high ground made it easy to defend and hard to attack—but if the boars overturn the boulder, they'd lose that advantage and would surely be swallowed by a sea of beasts surrounding them.

Hu Xiaotian immediately made up his mind: he must slaughter these boars, not let them continue their frenzied digging; once the boulder loses balance, it will surely topple, and then the situation will only become worse for them.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian's expression, Long Xi Yue already knew what he was thinking; this couple, having endured hardship together, had grown ever more in sync. Hu Xiaotian smiled at her and said: "After we get through this, I must have a big meal."

Long Xi Yue smiled sweetly: "This time I won't stop you!"

Hu Xiaotian drew Slashing Wind, looked up at the sky, and saw countless birds still wildly fighting in the night sky, with no sign of Xia Zhangming or Li Chang'an; although he worried about Xia Zhangming's safety, he knew further worrying was useless—he could do nothing in such an aerial battle, so he turned to deal with what he could handle.

Hu Xiaotian leapt vertically from the boulder and planted a foot on the back of a stout wild boar; the force of that step plus his falling weight was tremendous, and the boar let out a wail as its spine shattered, dying an unnatural death.

Hu Xiaotian had already swung Slashing Wind, "Damn!"—this time it failed, yet even without effect it still cleaved a boar charging head-on in half, blood spraying across the scene. Six boars surrounded Hu Xiaotian at the center, glaring with their scarlet small eyes, howling wildly, their snow-white tusks flashing with a cold light; the boars' tremendous impact force and their two sharp tusks are their most lethal weapons.

Hu Xiaotian did not immediately activate it; seeing the six boars rush toward him, he had just leapt into the air and suddenly darted up to a height of three zhang. The boars suddenly lost their target, but it was too late to stop; their great inertia caused their sturdy bodies to collide, inevitably resulting in broken heads and blood, the two most severely injured boars having their tusks shattered, flying upward with sparkling saliva.

Hu Xiaotian's descent was faster than his ascent; his Slashing Wind traced an arc of light in the void, this time the sword aura successfully projected outward—puff! puff! puff…—the aura pierced through the boar herd one after another, and more than a dozen boars cried out and collapsed.

Just as Hu Xiaotian laughed in triumph, a startled cry came from behind—it was the boars having dug a pit beneath the boulder, making its center of gravity unstable, and it began to tilt slowly to the northwest.

Hu Xiaotian dared not linger; he tapped the back of a boar with his toe, turning the poor creature into a stepping stone, its four short legs snapping simultaneously. Long Xi Yue and the five warriors had already leapt down from the toppling boulder in time.

Hu Xiaotian arrived late but struck first, repeatedly slashing to clear the boars at their landing spot; the few regrouped, the mournful horn sounded again, and several hundred boars reassembled into a massive formation, charging at them with the force to crush rotting wood.

Hu Xiaotian roared: "Everyone, stand behind me!" Long Xi Yue took cover behind him first, and the remaining five warriors followed his order, lining up one behind another behind Long Xi Yue.

Hu Xiaotian raised his long saber with both hands, faced the ferociously surging boar herd, let out a heart‑shaking roar, and brought the blade down in a mighty chop; the boars were still more than ten zhang away, and such long‑range killing requires invisible sword aura, but his success rate in projecting aura now was clearly lower than when he slaughtered the monkeys—though the momentum was huge, this chop came to nothing.

Hu Xiaotian realized that if he couldn't hold them off, the six people behind him, including Long Xi Yue, would stand no chance either; he swung and missed, swung again and missed, but his unyielding spirit immediately showed itself in full measure—within a short time he unleashed three more strikes, and the boar horde had already closed to within less than five zhang of him. His first two blows were still downward chops, trying to carve a blood‑filled path through the herd with sword aura, but both failed; on the third he switched from a chop to a slice, and unexpectedly this horizontal cut took effect: the aura flew sideways off the blade into the boars, and because it was low, it cleanly severed dozens of short legs. The front two ranks of boars toppled, hit by the blow, while those behind couldn't stop in time and tripped over their fallen comrades, leaving a scene of boars overturned everywhere.

Hu Xiaotian would not miss this chance for a follow‑up strike; he brandished his saber repeatedly, and apparently his earlier error rate had been exhausted—now his sword aura projected successfully every time, slaughtering the boars with flesh and blood flying, screams echoing; the five warriors moved in to finish them off, for if you don't kill the boar, the boar will kill you. Although Long Xi Yue hated to strike, she followed behind Hu Xiaotian, her green bamboo staff swinging back and forth; the tripping technique of the Dog‑Beating Staff worked wonders on these short‑legged boars. Despite the boars' furious charge, Long Xi Yue wielded her bamboo staff with ease, effortlessly tripping the massive beasts weighing hundreds of jin to the ground.

In an instant, hundreds of boars had been slain, more than half; the remainder posed little threat, yet just then the mournful horn sounded again, and from the woods countless green glows drifted along the ground toward them.

Wolves!

Wolf howls rose and fell; this was the main force of tonight's assault. Hearing the howls, Hu Xiaotian's face twitched slightly. Though they had repelled the monkey troop and shattered the boar charge, they had lost their most advantageous terrain. Facing the wolf pack, they no longer had any terrain to rely on. Estimating from the tide‑like surge of beasts all around, the wolves must number at least several thousand, while they themselves totaled only eight persons. The only one skilled in beast‑taming, Xia Zhangming, remained locked in battle with Li Chang'an in the sky, unable to withdraw, and thus could not attend to them here.

All Hu Xiaotian could rely on was his indestructible sword aura. He glanced at Long Xi Yue; her pretty face showed no fear, her beautiful eyes shining with unprecedented resolve: "You don't need to worry about me—I know the Dog‑Beating Staff Technique, enough to look after myself!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled; Long Xi Yue's thirty‑six forms of the Dog‑Beating Staff Technique are the bane of mad dogs, and just as effective against evil wolves. After two fierce battles, he has come to trust her staff technique.

Hu Xiaotian proclaimed loudly: "Although there are many evil wolves, their nature is cruel; they will first notice the corpses of these beasts—we are not without a chance!" The seven formed a circle, gazing at the evil wolves surging from all sides; a great battle is about to erupt! (To be continued~^~)