Forty Millenniums of Cultivation Chapter 3522: Side Story: city of trapped beasts (Ⅺ)
Previously on Forty Millenniums of Cultivation...
The Hyena felt as though he had been struck by a bolt of lightning.
For a long duration, he remained speechless.
“Even though Ding Jingdang’s parents perished in battle, they remained faithful to the creed of Cultivators and completed their duty as humans. Throughout her life, they will be her greatest source of pride!”
Wu Yi spoke with deliberate emphasis, enunciating every syllable. “Thousands have fallen in Razor City, and their names shall forever radiate within the hearts of their families and fellow citizens.
“But what about you, Hyena? When you tuck your tail between your legs and crawl back home to your wife and daughter, what will you tell them? How do you think they will look at you?
“Let me give you some advice: if you possess even a spark of conscience, you should stay far away from that innocent woman and the daughter you are betraying.
“Because having a husband and a father like you is the ultimate tragedy and disgrace of their lives!”
The Hyena’s complexion turned as pale as a sheet of paper.
The man known as the Bug collapsed into a heap of despair, losing all will to stand beside Wu Yi.
“Be quiet and just kill me.”
He surrendered completely. “Make it quick.”
“I have no desire to take your life.”
Wu Yi glared at him intensely. “You might go by the name ‘Hyena,’ but you are still a human being. This gun of mine is reserved for beasts; it has never executed a man.”
“The lightning storm has only just eased. Word will spread soon, though it will take time for the primary reinforcements to arrive. Until then, the demons will surely launch a desperate, frenzied counter-attack before they are wiped out.
“Our numbers are few, so we must gather every bit of available strength.
“I cannot guarantee you’ll leave Razor City alive to see your family again, but at the very least, you can—”
Wu Yi’s speech was as forceful as a metal storm from a six-barreled rotary gun, carrying a powerful conviction.
However, before he could finish his sentence, the debris beneath their feet rose up without warning.
“Crack! Crash!”
Accompanied by a terrifying sound, a vortex capable of pulverizing anything erupted from deep within the rubble!
Wu Yi had just finished slaughtering a massive horde of monsters; his Psionic energy was drained, and his veins, muscles, and nerves were in a critical cooling phase after near-overheating.
Before he could react, a streak of purplish-red lightning snaked around his legs and snared him.
The mounded ruins collapsed inward again, revealing a bottomless pit surrounded by arcing electricity.
From that dark hole, a gargantuan monster lunged upward, its maw wide open as it clamped down on Wu Yi’s legs!
Like a rising cyclone, the creature breached the surface, knocking the Hyena aside as it surged out.
The Hyena’s hair stood on end as a chilling name surfaced in his mind:
“Purple Pole Thunder Beast!”
At first glance, the titan resembled an earthworm magnified a million times over.
Its hide was a hundred times more durable than an earthworm’s, patterned with purple stripes and as tough as a reinforced combat suit.
Its entire body was covered in fleshy protrusions similar to snail tentacles, which lashed out wildly, spitting crackling arcs of electricity.
The front of the beast, measuring over two meters in diameter and ten meters in length, lacked a traditional head. Instead, it featured a massive gullet that could split into six segments, lined with rows of jagged teeth.
This maw was capable of devouring rock harder than diamond to excavate tunnels stretching for hundreds of miles.
It could also ruthlessly crush and swallow a human’s crystal chariot or even their crystal armor.
Most terrifyingly, this cursed creature possessed venom glands, acid sacs, and an electrical discharge capacity a hundred times greater than an electric eel.
Once it finished charging its energy, the skin beneath its mouth would turn a translucent purplish-red. It could then fire a glob of highly toxic, corrosive plasma over a range of a hundred meters.
A single sphere of that plasma was enough to dissolve a crystal chariot!
Thus, even though the Purple Pole Thunder Beast lacked high intelligence, its combat prowess was equivalent to a Demon General. It was one of the most dreaded monsters in the wilderness!
The beast’s circular teeth acted like a high-speed meat grinder against Wu Yi’s legs.
Blood sprayed and shards of crystal armor flew as Wu Yi’s lower limbs were visibly mangled.
The Purple Pole Thunder Beast seized the opportunity to wriggle its body upward, its gnawing teeth moving from the legs toward Wu Yi’s waist.
Wu Yi released a sound that was half a scream of agony and half a roar of fury.
A shimmering dagger extended from his gauntlet, and he plunged it into the front of the beast, carving hundreds of jagged holes into its flesh.
Yet, the creature was thick-skinned and its regenerative abilities were immense; it completely ignored these minor injuries.
On the contrary, it became enraged. The area beneath its mouth swelled rapidly, the skin turning clear to reveal a molten purplish-red glow. It was preparing to unleash a blast of plasma that would incinerate everything!
The Hyena’s mind went blank.
Only one thought remained:
“I can’t win!
“The Purple Pole Thunder Beast is on par with a Demon General, which is the equivalent of a Foundation Establishment stage Cultivator!
“I am merely at the minor Qi Refining stage, and I’m gravely wounded. My Psionic powers are spent; I have no way to fight back!
“Even Wu Yi in his crystal armor was overwhelmed. I have nothing—nothing at all!
“Wu Yi is doomed. There’s nothing I can do. I…”
The Hyena scrambled to his feet, turned, and bolted.
Behind him, he heard the crackle of electricity, the crashing of ruins, the shattering of crystal armor, and the sound of fangs grinding through bone and flesh, punctuated by Wu Yi’s relentless shouting.
It was unclear if Wu Yi’s rage was directed at the beast or at the man fleeing.
After sprinting nearly a hundred meters, the Hyena suddenly felt a razor-sharp killing intent lock onto the back of his head.
He shuddered and glanced back, seeing that the Purple Pole Thunder Beast had already swallowed Wu Yi up to his chest.
Wu Yi still gripped his six-barreled gun tightly, but it was aimed directly at the Hyena’s head.
The Hyena’s heart skipped a beat.
He expected Wu Yi to pull the trigger and execute the coward who was abandoning him.
But Wu Yi did not fire.
Instead, after a brief struggle, he let out a thunderous war cry. Using his final reserves of strength, he flipped the weapon around and jammed it deep into the throat of the Purple Pole Thunder Beast.
The beast’s plasma blast and Wu Yi’s final barrage of bullets erupted simultaneously.
Two unstoppable forces collided deep within the creature’s narrow gullet, right against Wu Yi’s battered body.
Boom!
A sphere of purple lightning and flame instantly consumed Wu Yi’s remains and the exposed torso of the Purple Pole Thunder Beast.
The resulting shockwave kicked up a massive cloud of dust that blanketed the area.
“...”
The Hyena didn't look back.
He ran like a stray dog.
Ahead of him, hovering thirty meters above the technical school’s playground, was the Hammerhead Shark transport.
A large contingent of Federation troops was jumping down, attempting to secure a landing zone.
More monsters, sensing the arrival, surged forward like a tide in a frantic counter-attack.
Survivors—mostly children—gathered in small groups under the protection of the soldiers, rushing toward their only hope of escape.
Finally, the Hyena caught up with Ding Dang.
At that moment, the girl was like a protective mother hen, spreading her arms wide to shield over a dozen children younger than herself.
Only three of the soldiers who had parachuted in with Wu Yi were still standing.
All three were severely burned and bleeding heavily.
The monsters were numerous.
Far too many.
When the Hyena arrived, Ding Dang’s eyes lit up with a radiance brighter than the sun.
“Uncle Yang is here to help us!”
She cheered, encouraging her young companions. “Uncle Yang is a Cultivator! A Cultivator has arrived!”
The words “A Cultivator has arrived” possessed a magical quality.
The panicked children fell silent instantly.
Even the three exhausted and desperate soldiers seemed to find a new wellspring of strength.
Confronted by those hopeful gazes and the approaching monsters, the Hyena had no choice. He snatched a chainsaw sword from a monster's corpse and charged forward, teeth clenched.
For perhaps the first time in his life, he was fighting while being watched and relied upon by others.
Strangely, despite thinking he was too weak to even lift a finger, a change occurred.
When he thought of Ding Dang and the other children—
When he pictured their eyes, which were too young to hide emotion, wide and shimmering with light—
When he imagined them holding their breath and praying for his victory—
The Hyena felt a rift wider than the galaxy open in his mind. An indescribable power surged forth, filling every cell, vessel, nerve, and muscle fiber.
The Hyena was a veteran of countless battles.
He had been a scavenger in the tomb of talismans, fighting just to survive.
He had been a lone thief, infiltrating heavily guarded Sects to steal treasures.
He had escaped after being surrounded by hundreds of pursuers.
He had walked the line between life and death many times, pushing his limits.
But he had never felt a surge of power quite like this.
This force allowed him to transcend his natural limits, reaching a peak of speed and strength he had never known.
From the two-meter chainsaw sword, he unleashed a blade of spiritual flame seven or eight meters long.
Techniques he had long forgotten or never fully mastered flowed perfectly now. They transformed into a dense web of sword shadows that enveloped the surrounding monsters.
Fiery Rats, Ghost Wolves, Black Armored Beetles, Big-Horned Demon Pigs… none could stand against him.
No matter how many came, they couldn't extinguish his burning spirit!
Even when the chainsaw sword shattered, unable to withstand the intensity of his Psionic power after slaying hundreds of foes, he didn't stop.
He continued to pour out his vitality and Psionic energy like a flood breaking through a dam.
PFFT!
Gripping the broken hilt, the Hyena drove his flaming fist deep into the throat of a Big-Horned Demon Pig, crushing its heart from the inside.
The rhinoceros-sized beast shuddered and collapsed before him.
“Huff… huff… huff!”
Only then did the blood-soaked Hyena realize he had cleared every monster near the children.
Though more were approaching from the distance, he had bought them time.
Precious, life-saving minutes!
The Hyena turned back. Ding Dang was smiling as brightly as the Federation soldiers.
She and the other children let out a triumphant cheer.
The Hyena was merely a Qi Refining stage practitioner.
The monsters he had slain weren't even considered "Demon Soldiers."
Yet, the reaction of these innocent children made it seem as though they had just witnessed a world-shaking battle between a Nascent Soul expert and a Demon Emperor.
The Hyena felt a sense of shame, unable to meet their intense, admiring gazes.
His left leg, bitten by a Ghost Wolf the day before, had become swollen and infected due to the constant fighting.
He suddenly realized his toes were twitching from the agonizing pain.
That was surely the reason he hesitated and stumbled. He felt unworthy of walking toward them as "Uncle Yang" or as a "Cultivator."
Ding Dang ran toward him, wanting to support the exhausted hero.
But in the next instant, the little girl’s face twisted into an expression of pure horror.