Chapter 71: Silver Light

As a member of the human race, benefiting from the collective support of the entire group, there were responsibilities he simply could not avoid.

If he had the ability to help, he wouldn't hesitate to do so.

Although the ferocious Beast before him was formidable, Su Hao was confident enough in his ability to protect himself.

After a moment's thought, he shouted, loudly, "I am Wu Xiangwu, I can provide assistance."

Instantly, all eyes turned toward Su Hao.

Hua Hongyi, the commander leading the battle, glanced over. Upon seeing that the voice belonged to a mere boy, his bloodshot eyes filled with rage. He glared and snarled, "Where did this little brat come from? Stop causing trouble and get the hell out of here!"

Su Hao opened his mouth to respond, but Hua Hongyi cut him off with a bellow. "Get lost!"

Su Hao fell silent, knowing there was nothing he could do. He reluctantly stepped back a couple of paces, showing a symbolic retreat, then withdrew even farther.

In team battles, if someone wasn't trusted by their comrades or the commander, they wouldn't just fail to help—they'd become a burden. Being called "troublesome" was putting it kindly.

Since he couldn't gain their trust, rashly joining the battle would only lead to more chaos. Su Hao could only stand by and observe for the time being.

He understood that this was not just an act of aggression from Hua Hongyi, it was actually protecting him—a protection for the younger generation.

At this moment, the Bearded Beast retracted five tendrils one by one, each holding a human, and fed them into the gaping maw beneath its body. The tendrils wriggled rapidly, ignoring the guards surrounding it, and slid quickly toward the densest crowd of people.

To the beast, the surrounding soldiers were just morsels, insufficient to fill its belly, whereas not far away lay a feast of fresh food.

Hua Hongyi charged forward, leaping into the air with his massive war hammer raised high. He smashed it down toward the beast's glowing green eyes.

As the hammer descended, it was quickly coated in a thick layer of ice, growing to the size of a small truck by the time it reached its target.

"Boom∼!"

The enormous war hammer slammed into the Bearded Beast's closed eyelid, sending ice shards flying in all directions, and the hammer, once colossal, immediately shrank back to its original size.

Yet despite the power behind the blow, the Bearded Beast barely flinched. Its hulking body paused momentarily, frost spreading across the impact site—but the ice did little against its thick, armored scales covering the beast.

Suddenly, several thick tendrils, each as wide as a man's arm, shot out from beneath the beast, their tips gleaming with a deadly sharpness as they lashed toward Hua Hongyi.

"Tch!" Hua Hongyi clicked his tongue in frustration. With practiced ease, he dodged, and at the same time swinging his hammer to deflect the unavoidable tendrils.

Even as a Grandmaster-level warrior, he knew that a single strike from those tendrils could mean death. No matter one's rank, no one could easily survive being pierced by the Bearded Beast.

Even a Grandmaster was naturally at a disadvantage when compared to the massive and ferocious beasts of the same rank. It was their armor and weapons that helped even the physical odds.

Hua Hongyi's main goal was to stop the Beast from wreaking further havoc on the town. His hammer strike, at least, had stalled its advance.

He quickly distanced himself from the beast and commanded loudly, "The plan is to attack from three sides and leave one side open! Herd it out of Lingyun Town the way it came."

"First Battalion, take the left flank—your mission is to herd it. Second Battalion, take the right—same mission. Third Battalion and all remaining masters, attack with me head-on to push it back."

"First Battalion, ready!"

"Second Battalion, ready!"

....

After issuing the orders, Hua Hongyi gave the signal, and the coordinated assault began. While the flanking battalions worked to hold the beast in line, the frontal assault team unleashed their attacks on the Bearded Beast.

The creature staggered back under the barrage. Furious, it scanned the encircling warriors with its small, glowing green eyes, its body trembling with rage.

"Whoosh∼ whoosh∼"

Suddenly, a massive number of tendrils shot out from under the Bearded Beast, attacking the surrounding warriors.

"Retreat!"Hua Hongyi shouted, holding his ground as he deflected the incoming tendrils with quick, precise movements.

Reaching behind his waist, he drew a long blade.

"Swish∼ swish∼!"

Two tendrils were severed in the blink of an eye, their bloody remains falling to the ground.

However, not everyone could match Hua Hongyi's skill. Several were caught by the tendrils, their armor pierced as they were dragged, screaming, toward the Beast's maw.

A novice master managed to dodge the first strike but was caught by a second tendril, which wrapped around his waist, pulling him toward the beast.

The master screamed in terror, drawing his long sword and channeling all his blood Qi into a desperate slash.

"Clang∼!"

The sound of metal striking hardened flesh filled the air. His attack barely scratched the Beast's tendril.

Hua Hongyi lunged to save him, but several tendrils blocked his path, forcing him back. He could only watch helpless as the young master was dragged beneath the Beast, disappearing from his view.

Hua Hongyi recognized the young man—it was someone from his Guards, recently promoted.

Surveying the battlefield, Hua Hongyi realized the grim reality: his attacks were among the only ones that truly hurt the Beast. But even his blows barely penetrated its scales.

Even the higher-level masters present had little effect. All they could do was slow the creature, preventing more destruction and buying time to protect the civilians.

He clenched his teeth and resolved to hold the line until the town mayor, Lu Zhenchang, and Master Xiao Jixuan returned from their expedition. Only then could they hope to drive the Beast out for good.

"HOLD THE LINE" Hua Hongyi roared.

Seizing the moment when the Bearded Beast retracted most of its tendrils to feed on the fallen, Hua Hongyi launched another attack. His war hammer, now encased in thick ice once more. Leaping twenty meters into the air, he found himself face-to-face with the Beast's glowing eyes.

"Strike it!" he yelled.

Without hesitation, the warriors with renewed determination, surged forward once again, unleashing everything they had on the beast.

‹Armor-Break!›

‹Penetration!›

‹Shockwave!›

‹Impact!›

‹Corrosion!›

The masters each unleashed their beast veins along with their attacks, knowing this might be their last stand. Such was the duty of a warrior.

Hua Hongyi's massive ice hammer struck the beast, forcing it back. The other warriors' attacks rained down on the beast, each blow landing with a resounding impact, but the Beast continued to resist, its massive tendrils lashing out in every direction.

"Whoosh∼"

No one knew just how many tendrils the Bearded Beast had...

In this round of attacks, more warriors were dragged toward the beast's maw—elites and Masters alike. Their screams echoed across the battlefield, but no amount of struggling could save them.

Yet, no one retreated. Under Hua Hongyi's command, the Bearded Beast was slowly but surely being pushed back the way it had come.

Yet with every step the beast took backward, it claimed the lives of over a dozen men.

Su Hao silently watched as the warriors—one after another—unleashed their most powerful attacks against the beast. Despite the looming threat of death, none of them backed down. He looked around, his resolve solidifying.

"Am I also a warrior? Or am I a coward?" Su Hao questioned himself as he slipped into the maze of buildings.

"Yes," he whispered, "I, too, am a warrior of the human race."

....

As the number of elite warriors in the front line dwindled, more men from the flanking battalions were pulled in to fill the gaps.

Even if their attacks couldn't harm the Bearded Beast, the role of these warriors was simple: use their bodies to divert the deadly tendrils attention, lessening the burden on the masters and Hua Hongyi.

No one had any complaints.

Soon, the elite warriors were nearly spent, their numbers thinning rapidly, the number of master-level fighters reduced sharply, and the Beast's scales were covered in scars and a thick layer of frost. Yet it continued to launch its deadly tendrils without pause.

The remaining warriors were under immense pressure.

The breached town walls, though still standing, were far off in the distance, the only fortunate aspect of the battle was the Beast's territorial nature—no other creatures accompanied it.

And yet, the warriors' battle cries rang out, defiant and undeterred!

Su Hao moved swiftly through the empty streets, eventually coming upon an abandoned weapon shop. Finding it deserted, he swapped out his armor for a new set and chose a helmet with a visor that covered his face, revealing only his eyes.

Drawing the long blade at his waist, he picked up speed, racing toward the Bearded Beast.

He was determined to attack the beast with all his might and contribute in whatever way he could.

But no one could know who he was.

He knew he possessed knowledge far beyond what most understood. That knowledge might one day bring disaster to those around him.

....

Another master was dragged beneath the Bearded Beast.

Feng Man'er, weakened after using her battle techniques, was also caught by the beast's tendrils.

Bald Liu's eyes widened in fury, and he roared, "Man'er!!"

Ignoring everything, he charged toward Feng Man'er.

"Whoosh∼"A tendril shot toward Bald Liu, but he paid it no heed, his eyes fixed solely on his long blade and the tendril that had captured Feng Man'er.

"Pfft∼"

"Slash∼!"

The tendril pierced Bald Liu's back, but at the same moment, his blade severed the one holding Feng Man'er.

Feng Man'er stared, stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Her eyes met Bald Liu's, and she saw relief flood his gaze.

Then the tendril that had impaled Bald Liu began to pull him toward the Beast.

At that moment, a streak of silver light shot across the sky from afar, arriving in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, within a newly crafted Formation Disc made from materials gathered from a grandmaster-level giant eagle, one rune after another was prepared. ‹Barrier›, ‹Hardening›, ‹Deflection›, ‹Blinding Flash›, ‹Vibration›, ‹Impact›, ‹Sharpness›, ‹Penetration›, ‹Explosion›, ‹Shockwave›, ‹Corrosion›, ‹Shock›, ‹Drill›, …"