Forty Millenniums of Cultivation Chapter 3515: Side Story: city of trapped beasts (Ⅲ)

The current situation is too volatile, and we are surrounded by demonic beasts. Charging out blindly would be nothing short of suicide.

Yang Yi clarified, "Furthermore, I need to understand your capabilities and how you can assist me, don't I?"

"I am skilled in the maintenance of magical equipment!"

Ding Lingdang’s gaze was brimming with self-assurance and pride as she surveyed the scrap Yang Yi had amassed. "Since I was a child, I have watched my father refine magical equipment. All my playthings were magical equipment and weaponry. Standard storm bolters, chainsaw swords, vibration sabers, and heat axes are child's play to me!"

"Is that so?"

Yang Yi’s interest was piqued.

In this desolate war zone littered with wreckage and debris, the ability to maintain magical equipment was a critical skill that could mean the difference between life and death.

The results soon confirmed that Ding Lingdang was telling the truth.

Disregarding the grime and blood, she disassembled the components of the broken magical equipment with practiced ease. After meticulous polishing and lubrication, she integrated functional parts from various devices. Her work caused the attack runes on an explosive arrow spear to glow once more and brought a chainsaw sword back to a humming life.

Even Yang Yi had to concede that the young girl was a truly competent magical equipment mechanic.

"Impressive. What exactly is your father's rank within the federal Army? He certainly raised you well. Do you intend to become a master of refining like him?"

Yang Yi asked casually while testing the storm bolter Ding Lingdang had just finished repairing.

"Not particularly. My ambition is to become an unbeatable martial artist!"

Ding Lingdang declared, brandishing her small, round fists.

Ding Lingdang's first kill

"..."

Yang Yi found her logic difficult to follow.

"My mother serves as an instructor in the combat Department of the Grand Desolate War Institution. She is a powerhouse who once dominated the entire institution. Her fist is larger than my head, and she can take down a demonic beast with a single strike!"

Ding Lingdang’s hands continued their repairs without pause, and her chatter was just as relentless. "I have idolized my mother since I was little. I always dreamed of being a fearless, invincible female warrior and heroine just like her!"

"However, my mother claims the path of Cultivation through martial arts is too grueling and unsuitable for girls. She also says my temperament is too wild, and that I cause enough trouble even without martial training. She worries that if I became a martial artist, I would end up punching a hole in the heavens!"

"Consequently, she refused to teach me and even banned the Elders and instructors in the combat Department from showing me anything. Instead, she tried to force me to study the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, hoping to mold me into a culture-type cultivator. It was like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole!"

"I had no desire to be a culture-type cultivator, but I didn't want to openly defy her. After much thought, I came up with a compromise. I told her I would give up martial arts, but only if I didn't have to learn those four arts either. I told her I wanted to be a refiner like my father!"

"While refining has its dangers, it isn't as physically punishing as martial arts. Seeing that I wasn't built for scholarly pursuits and that I possessed my father's talent for refining, she eventually relented and agreed."

"Hehe, she had no idea that was my plan all along!"

"Even if I cannot practice martial arts directly, the principles of refining—especially regarding combat magical equipment—are inextricably linked to the martial Dao."

"By following my father and the experts like Uncle Mo and Aunt Yuan in our Grand Desolate War Institution's refining Department, I get plenty of chances to observe the techniques of various martial powerhouses and secretly mimic a move or two."

"Furthermore, if I truly become a master refiner, I will forge thirty or fifty divine weapons for myself. If I encounter an enemy, I'll just hurl them all at once. Even if they don't die from the strike, the weight alone will crush them. That is the martial path I, Ding Lingdang, intend to follow!"

The girl’s face beamed with arrogance.

Hearing this, Yang Yi couldn't suppress a sudden burst of laughter.

Living as a fugitive was a dangerous and exhausting ordeal.

Whether one was the hunter or the hunted, the constant tension was draining.

Over the years, both sides had been pushed to their limits. It had been a long time since Yang Yi had encountered such a spirited girl capable of telling such an amusing story.

However, in the next instant, his laughter died and his blood ran cold.

Looking past Ding Lingdang, Yang Yi spotted a Nether Wolf, skeletal and gaunt, perched atop the nearby ruins. It had seemingly emerged from a spatial rift without a sound, watching them with a tilted head.

The air seemed to freeze instantly.

In a flash, Yang Yi moved with the speed of a lightning strike.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Without pausing to aim, he opened fire. A volley of rune bullets, crackling with electricity, tore through the air like a blade through butter, severing half of the Nether Wolf's head.

Yet, the vitality of a demonic beast was ten times that of a normal creature.

Even with its skull shattered and brain matter exposed to the searing air, the dying beast managed to let out a piercing, blood-curdling howl from its mangled maw.

"Aowu!"

Nether wolves were pack hunters.

A single cry could draw dozens of them to the location within seconds.

Yang Yi’s expression darkened.

"Help me with the reloading and swap the crystal cells!"

There was no time to soothe Ding Lingdang. Yang Yi used his foot to flick up the second storm bolter she had just fixed. Surging his Qi into the weapon, he toggled it to 'extreme mode' for maximum firepower and continuous discharge.

Just as he gripped the weapons, the howls of seven or eight more wolves echoed from the surroundings.

Even faster than the sounds were the shadows already leaping from above!

Yang Yi unleashed a dual-wielded barrage, giving it everything he had.

Seven or eight Nether Wolves were blown apart mid-air, erupting into a grotesque display of gore.

Attracted by the cries and the scent of blood, more wolves continued to swarm their position.

After several seconds of sustained fire, the heat and recoil of the twin launchers became nearly unbearable.

Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed from within one of the storm bolters as an internal component gave way. The torrent of metal driven by spiritual energy ceased instantly.

Only a trail of smoke drifted from the barrel.

Yang Yi spat out a mouthful of blood-flecked saliva.

He knew the failure wasn't Ding Lingdang's fault.

"Thunderclap-1" explosive arrow guns were the most basic, mass-produced magical equipment used by the federal Army.

The prevailing philosophy among the Federation's refiners was to focus on the elite.

Led by the refining Department of Deep Sea University, most master refiners preferred crafting godly weapons for high-level cultivators at the Nascent Soul or Core Formation stages.

They believed the conflict between the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector would be decided by top-tier experts and their legendary tools.

The lower-level cultivators in the Foundation Establishment or Refinement stages, along with the ordinary soldiers of the federal Army, were viewed merely as frontline fodder.

There was little interest in perfecting the gear for these "low-level troops."

Because of this mindset, the cheaply made "Thunderclap-1" had a notorious failure rate. One usually had to choose between power and reliability.

To ensure lethal force, Yang Yi had pushed the weapon into an overloaded "extreme mode."

The consequence was that it could jam or explode at any moment.

"Swap!"

Without looking, Yang Yi tossed the broken gun to Ding Lingdang.

Simultaneously, she threw him a freshly repaired storm bolter.

He didn't have a moment to marvel at the girl's speed as more wolves lunged forward.

Yang Yi’s focus was absolute; his world narrowed down to the snarling pack and the wall of fire he was creating.

He lost track of how many times they swapped guns, how many crystal cells they exhausted, or how many beasts he had put down.

It was only when the movement stopped and his weapons were charred husks that he finally slumped over, gasping for air. His hands were blistered and black.

Only then did it sink in that his partner in this slaughter wasn't a seasoned soldier, but a child barely twelve years old.

"Xiao Ling, you did great!"

Yang Yi turned to offer his praise.

In that moment, he saw a final Nether Wolf that had stealthily circled behind the girl.

"Look out!"

Yang Yi tried to lunged, but a sharp pain from an earlier bite on his calf caused him to stumble.

Falling to the ground, he could only scream a warning.

The wolf leaped, its jaws aiming for Ding Lingdang’s throat.

The girl spun like a whirlwind. The damaged bolter in her hand rotated 180 degrees, the barrel pointing directly into the beast's path.

BOOM!

She pulled the trigger by reflex.

A blast of flame erupted from the muzzle directly into the Nether Wolf's open mouth.

The creature expanded like an overinflated balloon before shattering into pieces.

The recoil sent Ding Lingdang flying. She tumbled backward like a ball, rolling several times before landing in a pile of rubble.

"Xiao Ling!"

Yang Yi scrambled toward her, his face pale.

Even a low-grade "Thunderclap-1" wasn't meant for an ordinary person to fire. The spiritual energy discharge used to propel the bolts caused massive internal shockwaves that could damage organs or the brain.

Even Yang Yi, a Qi Refining stage cultivator, felt the effects of a concussion after the intense firefight. How could a young girl withstand it?

However, when he pulled her from the debris, he found her heart beating strongly and her breathing steady, despite the scratches and the shock.

"Is she some kind of demonic beast in human form?"

Yang Yi was stunned, unable to explain it as anything other than freakish natural talent.

"Xiao Ling, speak to me! Are you okay?"

He waved a hand in front of her face.

"No... I'm fine. I'm perfectly okay."

Ding Lingdang’s face was white, splattered with wolf blood and gore.

Her eyes were glassy as she whispered, "I'm okay. I'm not afraid. I am the brave Ding Lingdang. I won't bring shame to my parents, the federal Army, the Grand Desolate War Institution, or the Star Glory Federation."

Yang Yi placed a hand on her shoulder.

He could feel her frame shaking violently, her skin covered in goosebumps.

He realized this was likely the first time she had ever killed a demonic beast.

At such close range, the sensory overload and the spiritual shock of a "headshot" were immense. This girl, who acted so fearless, wasn't actually as tough as she pretended to be.

She was just a child, terrified after being lost and facing a nightmare.

She was scared to death.

But while some are paralyzed by their fear, others stare it down. Even with trembling legs and a pale face, they grit their teeth and push forward.

Ding Lingdang was the latter type.

"She wasn't talking just because she's a chatterbox," Yang Yi realized. "She was talking to keep the fear at bay."

His gaze softened as he prepared to comfort her.

But before he could speak, he saw the reflection of flickering flames in her wide eyes.

Yang Yi’s heart plummeted.

Fierce Flame Rats.

Like the wolves, these were demonic beasts from the Blood Demon Sector. Though only the size of a hand, they were incredibly aggressive. Their skin produced an oily secretion that they could ignite by grinding their teeth, turning themselves into living fireballs.

The true horror was their numbers; they moved in swarms that turned every location into an inferno.