Chapter 1283: Tide of Savage Beasts (IV)

“Brother Han, your Vajra Art isn’t just at the third layer, is it?” The scar-faced man’s voice carried this question.

“Why does Brother Zhang ask such a thing?” Han Li’s eyes flickered slightly as he countered without changing his expression.

“Nothing much. It’s just that the third layer of the Vajra Art doesn’t seem capable of repelling a demon wolf. It appears Brother Han truly has a bright future ahead!” Zhang Kui spoke with deep meaning before immediately turning and leaving, showing no intention to continue the conversation.

Han Li watched the scar-faced man’s retreating figure, stroked his chin, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

This man seemed to be hinting at something!

Before long, a large number of Anyuan City soldiers and a group of able-bodied men, led by another low-ranking officer, ascended the city walls. The Tian Dong Trading Company’s group finally had the chance to descend from the battlements.

However, they naturally couldn’t return to the inn. Instead, they were uniformly arranged to rest in a cluster of stone houses near the square where they had gathered earlier that day.

Most of them, upon entering the stone houses, collapsed onto their beds without a second thought.

Though Han Li felt no fatigue, he had no intention of venturing out in such chaotic circumstances. He immediately sat cross-legged on the bed, regulating his breath and silently contemplating the techniques of the Vajra Art.

The night passed uneventfully, and soon it was dawn.

At daybreak, the deafening sound of war drums suddenly erupted once more, echoed by distant wolf howls. Before long, the clamor of battle rose from the direction of the city walls, marking the beginning of the beast horde’s second assault.

This battle seemed even fiercer than the previous day. The sounds of combat persisted from morning till night, with squads of reserve soldiers and able-bodied men frequently being pulled from the stone houses and hastily sent to reinforce the walls. In just one day, three or four batches of people from the square where Han Li was stationed had been dispatched to the battlements.

Only when night fell again did the beast horde retreat once more.

When Han Li stepped out of the stone house, his heart stirred at the sight of the rotation personnel withdrawing from the walls onto the square.

Of the many who had gone to reinforce the walls, only twenty to thirty percent remained. Most were covered in blood, missing limbs, and grievously wounded.

Compared to Han Li and the other guards from the previous day, their condition was far more tragic.

Not just Han Li, but many others emerged from the stone houses around the square, equally shocked by the scene. Some immediately went forward to inquire about the details of the day’s battle.

They learned that among the attacking wolf beasts today, a new type resembling a wildcat had appeared. These small wolves were not only agile but also had fur that could shoot out like porcupine quills. These quills were highly venomous; a single hit would render a victim incapacitated within moments, and without timely treatment, death would follow.

These small wolves had never been seen before and were likely a newly mutated variant of the green wolf beasts. While such occurrences weren’t common during beast tides, they weren’t unheard of either.

However, the emergence of new mutated beasts always inflicted heavy casualties on the human side. Yet, these new variants were quickly eliminated and disappeared. Otherwise, the current wolf packs wouldn’t have just one or two types of mutated beasts.

But for now, the sudden appearance of these mutated small wolves had caught the defenders off guard, resulting in heavy losses. If not for the commanders’ relentless deployment of reserves and the repeated interventions of the “Spirit Teams,” today’s battle would have been extremely perilous.

Hearing the accounts of those who had withdrawn, the hearts of those present grew heavy.

Everyone vaguely sensed that this beast tide was far more vicious than the rumors suggested. Doubts about whether the city could hold began to creep in.

Han Li stood at the doorway, his eyes slightly narrowed, watching for a while before silently returning to the stone house, his expression unreadable.

In truth, he was indifferent to all this.

Even if Anyuan City were to fall, with his skills and the two Immortal-Slaying Beads he carried, breaking through the beast horde wouldn’t be difficult.

As for the others in the city, even if he wished to help, he was powerless to do so now. Naturally, he wouldn’t make plans beyond his capabilities.

However, given the ferocity of the beast horde, it was likely that the first batch of rotated guards wouldn’t get their full two days of rest. They might be called back into action the next day.

Han Li’s prediction proved correct. At dawn on the third day, as the sun had just risen, loud shouts outside summoned the Tian Dong Trading Company’s guards to gather in the square.

When he calmly arrived at the square, he found not just the Tian Dong Trading Company’s men but also several hundred other formidable individuals standing there. Among them, a significant portion were body refiners, many adorned with “Spirit Rings” or “Spirit Bracelets,” wielding spirit tools. The riders mounted on Suan Wolf Beasts were also present, lined up to the side.

These were clearly the elite forces of the city.

Frowning slightly, Han Li unhurriedly joined the crowd.

Soon, nearly a thousand people had gathered in the square. Then, a figure appeared before them—the silver-armored middle-aged man.

With a grim expression, he spoke a few words, essentially stating that another section of the defense line was under heavy pressure and required their reinforcement. With a wave of his hand, he ordered the troops to move out.

This news naturally shocked everyone present.

Over the past two days, they had only heard about the difficulties posed by the green wolf beasts. They hadn’t realized the situation on the other front was even worse. Fortunately, those gathered here were seasoned individuals, so there was no uproar. After a brief commotion, most boarded a convoy of beast-drawn carriages and headed straight for the other side of Anyuan City.

The streets were empty except for a few patrolling knights, allowing the carriages to race unimpeded. In just over an hour, they reached the opposite city wall, where everyone disembarked.

A dozen or so officers were already waiting nearby. Upon seeing Han Li and the others, they rushed forward, quickly dividing the newcomers among themselves after some argument, then leading them to various sections of the wall.

Thus, the Tian Dong Trading Company’s members were scattered. Apart from seven or eight regular guards who followed Han Li, their deputy leader, Zhang Kui, Du Xiao, and the others were all separated.

Leading Han Li’s group was a bearded middle-aged officer, his iron armor indicating the same rank as Officer Xiao.

This man was exceptionally friendly toward the body refiners, especially the three among Han Li’s group who carried spirit tools, treating them with particular respect and relying on them heavily in his tone.

As for Han Li’s prowess, only those from the Tian Dong Trading Company knew of it, so the bearded officer paid him no special attention.

Han Li, of course, didn’t volunteer any information, silently following the crowd as they ascended the wall they were to defend.

What they saw there left everyone pale.

The once neat and smooth battlements and towers were now utterly ruined. Stranger still, the originally bluish-white ground had turned pitch-black, emitting a foul, rotting stench that made one nauseous.

“This is snake venom,” a man wearing a “Spirit Bracelet” said gravely after examining the blackened ground.

“Indeed, it is. Over four hundred of my men have been incapacitated by it,” the bearded officer replied with a bitter smile.

“Unless I’m mistaken, Crimson Python Beasts aren’t venomous, are they?” an elderly man with a spirit tool asked, his eyes flickering with confusion.

“You’re not wrong, Brother Li. Ordinary Crimson Python Beasts are indeed non-venomous. But among the mutated pythons this time, a new variant has appeared—winged flying pythons. Though similar in size to ordinary Crimson Pythons, they can fly short distances with their wings and spew this black venomous mist. A mere touch of this mist causes skin to rot, and it can even penetrate stone. I’ve had the walls washed repeatedly with water; otherwise, the lingering poison would make it unbearable to stay here long,” the bearded officer explained.

“This complicates things. The original mutated pythons were already immensely powerful. Now, with venom-spitting ones added, defense will be even harder,” someone in the crowd muttered anxiously.

“If the Crimson Python Beasts weren’t so formidable, the higher-ups wouldn’t have summoned you all here. I hear new mutated wolf beasts have appeared on the green wolf front as well,” the bearded officer said, stroking his beard with a grave expression.

“The green wolf beasts are no pushovers either. Why haven’t the cultivators intervened yet? Their large-scale destructive spells are usually the primary counter to such beast hordes,” someone else couldn’t help but ask.

“Don’t forget, the Leopard Hawk Beasts haven’t shown themselves since the tide began. The cultivators must be reserved to deal with those more troublesome creatures. If they exhaust their mana now and the Leopard Hawks suddenly appear, Anyuan City will surely fall,” the bearded officer sighed in response.

Hearing this, the others exchanged uneasy glances. The city’s prospects seemed increasingly bleak.

“Alright, no need to worry too much. Those venom-spitting flying snakes can only release their mist once before needing to rest. After the past two days of battle, most of them have been neutralized. The reason you’ve been called here is primarily to deal with the giant mutated pythons. Ordinary soldiers can hardly harm them; only body refiners stand a chance. The damage you see here was caused by those beasts. If you can keep the giant pythons at bay, I’m confident we can handle the ordinary Crimson Pythons,” the bearded officer said, trying to bolster morale as he noticed the group’s somber mood.

“Heh, no need for instructions, sir. Since we’re here, we won’t stand idly by. But—” The man with the Spirit Bracelet was about to continue when a series of bizarre cries, neither fully beast nor bird, echoed from the distant sky, causing everyone’s blood to churn uncomfortably.

The man’s words cut off abruptly, his face darkening.

He wasn’t alone; everyone who heard the cries reacted similarly.

“Leopard Hawk Beasts! They’ve finally appeared!” a body refiner murmured, gripping his weapon tightly as he stared at the distant sky.

Meanwhile, Han Li stood alone in a corner of the wall, idly toying with a low-grade spirit stone, his expression utterly serene, as if he hadn’t heard the cries at all.