Forty Millenniums of Cultivation Chapter 3517: Side Story: City of Trapped Beasts (Ⅴ)
Previously on Forty Millenniums of Cultivation...
Deep within the abyss.
Yang Yi sprinted desperately through the murky, profound depths of the sewer system.
Fortunately, Leizhe City’s construction had only recently reached completion, meaning the subterranean network had seen little use. Aside from shallow runoff, the air lacked any acrid stench; there was no clogging silt, and the usual nuisances of serpents, vermin, or insects were nowhere to be found.
However, the violent tremors from the surface battle continued to pulse downward, causing the tunnels to shudder dangerously. A collapse seemed imminent at any moment.
Numerous junctions appeared ahead.
The layout was as intricate as a labyrinth.
But Yang Yi had already etched the entire schematic of Leizhe City’s underground pipes into his memory. He moved with unwavering certainty, never pausing to second-guess his path.
BOOM!
A massive detonation rocked the world above once more.
Yang Yi stumbled, nearly losing his grip on Ding Lingdang.
The young girl began to cough incessantly as she slowly regained consciousness.
Before her eyes could even fully focus, she started to thrash with all her strength.
Yang Yi instantly felt the small girl on his shoulder transform from a docile kitten into a fierce cub.
No, she wasn't just a tiger.
She felt more like a juvenile Tyrannosaurus Rex.
“Let me go! I have to go back and fight alongside everyone! Even if death is the end, I want to die with them!”
“Be quiet and suppress your childish impulses!”
“Uncle Yang, how can you do this? You are the Hunter Police, a Cultivator! How can you just flee?”
“Because I carry a duty far more vital than throwing my life away in a futile struggle. My mission is to deliver you safely from this city. To see this through, I am prepared to surrender everything—even my life and my honor!”
“But why? I am just a normal child. Why does everyone recognize me? Why do they look at me so strangely? Why is everyone so determined to protect me and help me escape?”
“How should I know? That is a question you must ask yourself!”
“I don’t understand, and I don’t want this special treatment! I am just an ordinary person from the Grand Desolate Plateau. I should be facing those Demon Beasts and fighting to the bitter end like everyone else from the wilderness!”
“Enough! Stop being so self-righteous. If you were truly just an ordinary person, you would have been dead a long time ago!”
Yang Yi’s patience finally snapped.
He dropped the girl into the murky water before him.
He was certain his features were twisted into a terrifying scowl.
Deep in the sewer, the only illumination came from the dim glow of the light stick attached to his shoulder.
Terrified by his expression, Ding Lingdang scrambled backward using both her hands and feet.
“Uncle Yang, look out!”
Suddenly, Ding Lingdang’s face paled in horror.
Simultaneously, Yang Yi caught the deafening roar of a localized flood erupting behind him.
Perhaps a high-level Cultivator on the surface, cornered by the beast tide, had chosen to self-destruct.
Or perhaps a Crystal Tank’s fuel cell had been detonated.
It was even possible that an ammunition magazine had been ignited.
The cataclysmic blast did more than just shatter miles of subterranean piping; it pulverized the tunnels themselves.
The shockwave, saturated with the searing flames of Qi, lunged at Yang Yi’s back like a high-speed Crystal Train.
The sewer was already cramped.
With the ground above buckling, the space had become warped and constricted.
Yang Yi had no room to maneuver.
In that split second, he only had time to channel the remnants of his Qi into a fragile spiritual shield at his back.
BOOM!
It felt as though a Crystal Train had slammed into him.
He coughed up a spray of blood and was sent flying forward.
He barely managed to use his torso and arms to shield the terrified Ding Lingdang as they fell.
...
The man drifted back into that recurring dream.
It felt like returning home after a grueling journey to fall into a heavy slumber. He was nudged awake by the familiar, savory aroma of his wife’s hearty soup. He blinked at the scent and the golden winter sunlight, which felt like an amber stream washing over him.
“Daddy, daddy...”
He caught the faint sound of a little girl’s voice.
It mimicked the gentle tinkling of glass wind chimes hanging by a door.
He fluttered his eyelids, desperate to turn and see his daughter’s face.
But his battered body felt as though it were mired in a swamp; he was paralyzed, unable to move an inch.
“Dad, wake up! The sun is already high!”
The girl’s shouts continued.
He strained to open his eyes, his face flushing and tears welling from the effort, yet he remained motionless, sinking further into the darkness.
Eventually, the girl took it upon herself to pounce on him. She beamed down at him with wide, sparkling eyes, giggling with the ferocity of a little tiger.
That girl was, of course, Ding Lingdang.
Yang Yi jolted awake.
His entire body felt as if it were on fire, with a hundred different wounds throbbing in unison.
Luckily, the majority were superficial injuries that hadn't damaged his brain, spinal cord, or vital organs.
Judging by the state of the scabbing, at least three or four hours had elapsed.
He was no longer in the collapsed sewer, but in a different underground area—warm, humid, and pitch black.
Yang Yi squinted, surveying his surroundings until he identified the place as an unfinished subterranean storehouse.
With great effort, he looked down at the bandages swathing his body. They carried the faint, clean scent of medicinal herbs.
Several opened Military First Aid Kits lay discarded in the corner.
The supplies and instruments inside showed clear signs of recent use.
It was evident that this medical intervention was why he had regained consciousness so quickly after such a devastating blast.
“Uncle Yang, you’re finally awake!”
Ding Lingdang’s joyful cry echoed from behind him.
The girl had somehow managed to cook a mixture of Demon Beast meat and compressed military rations into a thick, fragrant porridge.
Seeing him awake, she abandoned her cooking and rushed over, hovering anxiously to check his wounds. She finally let out a dramatic, sweeping sigh of relief.
Yang Yi furrowed his brows.
He noticed that Ding Lingdang’s own body was covered in scrapes and bruises.
Her face, usually bright, was now smudged with soot and dried blood.
“Don’t worry, Uncle Yang. I’m alright.”
Noticing his concerned gaze, Ding Lingdang quickly explained, “Just a bit ago, I slipped up to the surface to scavenge some food and medical kits. On my way back, a few Demon Beasts spotted me, but I managed to drive them off!”
“...”
Though she spoke casually, Yang Yi could sense the harrowing reality behind her words.
A girl of only twelve or thirteen had navigated a burning city overrun by monsters just to find him medicine?
Yang Yi didn't want to imagine the perils she had faced.
He wasn't sure where her bravery came from.
He only knew one thing for certain.
Ding Lingdang had risked everything on the surface to save his life.
“Thank you,” he murmured, his heart heavy with complex emotions.
“Don't say that. I should be thanking you, Uncle Yang. You’ve already put your life on the line twice to save me.”
Ding Lingdang’s face turned scarlet. She hesitated for a long moment before bowing her head. “I’m sorry, Uncle Yang. This is my fault. I was being stubborn and insisted on making trouble in the sewer. I nearly got you killed.”
“Don’t think like that. You did nothing wrong.”
Yang Yi managed a weak smile. “As children of the Grand Desolate Plateau, the blood of Cultivators runs through us. Naturally, we must uphold the code of standing united and marching forward with courage!”
“Eh?”
Ding Lingdang looked puzzled. She seemed to want to ask, ‘Then why are we running away—I mean, retreating?’
“There is no contradiction between bravery and assessing the reality of a situation. Life presents many paths, and it is rarely easy to distinguish the right one from the wrong.”
Yang Yi tested his arm and found it functional.
Taking the bowl of porridge from Ding Lingdang, he inhaled the rich, meaty scent and remarked, “You’ve got a talent for cooking!”
“My mom taught me. She was always too occupied with her Cultivation to cook proper meals, so she just prepared military canned food for me. She claimed it was fast, healthy, and would make me strong, but really it was just easy for her. I guess I’m this strong because of all that canned food!”
Ding Lingdang forced a small smile, though a shadow of doubt remained in her eyes. After a short silence, she asked softly, “Uncle Yang, back then... was there truly no way we could have broken through the front?”
“Trust me, there was no chance.”
Yang Yi began to analyze the situation. “It was clear the enemy commander—likely a Demon General or even a Demon King—had orchestrated a trap. They were herding the scattered survivors into a localized killing zone to wipe them out efficiently.”
“There was undoubtedly an ambush lying in wait behind the main force. They wouldn't have let a single soul through.”
“Then...”
Ding Lingdang contemplated this. “What if we had warned everyone? What if we asked them to follow us into the underground?”
“It wouldn't have worked.”
Yang Yi shook his head with conviction. “Time was too short and the chaos was too great. How could we have convinced everyone to trust us in that moment?”
“Initially, if everyone had charged as one, they might have at least taken a significant portion of the beast tide with them in death.”
“But if half the group wanted to attack while the other half tried to retreat, the slaughter would have been even worse.”
“Furthermore, the underground tunnels are narrow. It’s too easy to get trapped from both ends. If we had drawn a large crowd, even we wouldn't have made it out alive!”