Forty Millenniums of Cultivation Chapter 3523: Side Story: city of trapped beasts (Ⅻ)

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk!"

The Hyena detected the crackle of electric arcing right behind her.

"Watch out!"

He was shoved to the earth by a girl from the Bug tribe with the strength of an ox before he could even process the danger.

Simultaneously, a massive surge of purple plasma roared through the air, detonating precisely where the Hyena had been standing moments before.

The Hyena remained unharmed.

However, Ding Bell was caught in the violent aftershock and sent tumbling backward.

"Suzu!"

The Hyena’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets.

It was the Purple Thunder Beast!

That monster was still clinging to life!

Wu Yi’s suicidal attack had successfully obliterated most of its jaw, yet it hadn't managed to destroy the critical organs responsible for its plasma discharge.

Possessing terrifying vitality, the creature had practically turned itself inside out like a detonated firecracker. Driven by excruciating agony and pure malice, its mangled, bloody form had pursued them once again!

Disregarding the sharp pain in her fractured left leg, the Hyena scrambled over to Ding Bell’s side.

The young girl looked as though she had been struck by a localized lightning storm. Her body was severely scorched, wisps of smoke rose from her skin, and there wasn't a single patch of uninjured flesh to be seen.

Her hands were in a particularly horrific state.

In a desperate reflex, she had likely tried to shield herself from the plasma. Faint arcs of electricity still danced between her fingers. Her blackened palms appeared to have been charred through by the lightning, leaving the internal blood vessels and tendons in a ruined state.

The only silver lining was that because Wu Yi had destroyed most of the beast's mouth and esophagus, the range and destructive force of the corrosive plasma had been significantly diminished.

Furthermore, Ding Bell had only been clipped by the edge of the blast. If she received immediate medical attention, there was still a chance for survival.

The grim reality, however, was that such devastating injuries on a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl meant a shattered Spirit Root was almost certain.

Regardless of her innate talent or physical power, awakening her Spirit Root to become a Cultivator would now be an uphill battle.

She could never become a Refiner, a profession demanding extreme manual dexterity, nor could she become a combat master capable of wielding swords, spears, or halberds!

"Suzu..."

Trembling, the Hyena pulled Ding Bell close, hot tears of blood welling up and dripping onto the girl. "Why did you do it?"

"I... I don't want to be the one always being protected by Uncle Yang and the others."

Ding Bell's will to live was even more stubborn than the monster's; despite the severity of her wounds, she remained conscious.

Her eyes glittered as a small smile crossed her face. "Didn't you say we were comrades fighting together? Just this once, I wanted to be the one protecting my comrades and everyone else!"

"..."

The Hyena’s mind was a burning mess, unable to form a coherent thought.

Ding Bell’s eyes strained wide, watching as the dark clouds began to break and the sky grew brighter.

A vibrant, multicolored light reflected in her pupils.

Two more crystal battleships from the vanguard were descending from the heavens. They tore through the smoke and shadows, unleashing brilliant plumes of Spirit flame.

"The reinforcements are finally here."

Ding Bell laughed, her teeth appearing even whiter against her charred, blackened face. "Uncle Yang, you weren't lying to me. We actually made it."

She tried to get a better look at the crystal battleships.

However, her eyelids began to sag under an irresistible weight.

It felt as though an unseen hand was dragging her consciousness down into a dark abyss.

The Hyena pressed his ear close to the girl's lips to catch her fading whisper before she drifted off. "Uncle Yang, tell me... do you think Mom and Dad are angry with me?"

The Hyena felt something deep within his mind—a void wider than the stars that he had never noticed before—shatter under the weight of her words.

He felt himself transforming into something else, something far beyond the identity of the Hyena.

"No, your parents could never be angry with you."

Listening to her faint breathing, he whispered an assurance to the unconscious girl. "Trust me, you are their greatest source of pride, just as they are yours!"

Squinting, the Hyena surveyed the battlefield.

The majority of the monsters were being held back by the Federation troops and the Cultivators who were constantly dropping from the sky.

A relentless storm of attacks crashed against the defensive line made of human flesh and bone, only to be repelled in disgrace.

Near the mining technical school, Hammerhead Shark transports were deploying, and crystal chariots roared onto the shore to establish and widen a beachhead.

Many survivors had already reached the safety of the fortified zone held by the trainees and Federation soldiers.

Now, only one obstacle remained.

The Purple Thunder Beast.

Having missed its previous strike, the creature was frantically gathering energy for another burst of corrosive plasma.

It crawled forward with desperate speed, closing to within fifty meters of the Hyena and the children.

At such a short distance, a direct hit from the beast's plasma would turn Ding Bell and the others into nothing but a puddle of gore.

Three Federation soldiers opened fire.

However, their standard-issue weaponry was incapable of piercing the Purple Thunder Beast's hide.

The heavy artillery and the powerful Cultivators were too far away to intervene in time.

There was only one way left to protect Ding Bell and the children.

"No, Suzu, you aren't going to die here."

The Hyena watched as his own body rose slowly. On mangled, twisted legs, he began to stride toward the Purple Thunder Beast.

"You are going to live a long, happy life. You will practice the Martial Dao, awaken your Spirit Root, and become a true Cultivator. You'll become a world-renowned Alchemist and a master Sword Cultivator of the Federation!"

The Hyena felt himself moving step by step, walking with unwavering resolve toward the monster.

"Even if you can't be a Refiner or a Sword Cultivator, it doesn't matter. Your natural strength is so immense that you could be peerless even with your bare hands!"

An unprecedented radiance suddenly erupted around the Hyena.

Wherever this Spirit flame touched, the various chain-swords, vibration blades, and thermal axes embedded in the beast's corpse began to tremble and were pulled toward him.

"Just as your mother said, not being a Cultivator isn't the end of the world. There are many paths to take. Even as an ordinary person, you can lead a magnificent life!"

The Hyena saw his own blood—red and human like anyone else's—flowing from his wounds and snaking toward the discarded chain-swords and thermal axes.

It was as if he had resonated with the lingering battle intent of the Federation soldiers who had fallen while wielding these weapons. The broken blades began to emit the thunderous, soul-shaking roars of dragons and tigers once more.

"One day, you'll grow into a beautiful young woman. You'll find the love of your life. You'll have your own career and a family. You'll have children, and they will have children of their own, continuing the cycle forever."

The Hyena watched as a new sphere of corrosive plasma formed within the Purple Thunder Beast's maw.

The orb of dark purple lightning expanded to its limit, filling the air for hundreds of meters with the scent of impending doom.

Yet, as that destructive light seared his vision, he saw a vision of a magnificent wedding.

He saw himself and his wife walking beside a girl who looked like Ding Bell down a red carpet, surrounded by flowers, cheers, and the bittersweet nervousness of a father.

The Purple Thunder Beast was infuriated by the Hyena's presence.

It could not comprehend why this exhausted, "bug-like" human appeared so calm and dignified.

With a hysterical, guttural roar, the beast unleashed the full force of its corrosive plasma.

"That day is far off, but it will come. It definitely will!"

The Hyena lunged directly into the path of the plasma.

Amidst the electrical discharge and the raging Spirit flames, countless weapons stained with the blood and souls of the Federation—swords, sabers, and halberds—merged into one with him.

The clashing of the steel sounded like the joyful laughter of a little girl's wind chimes.

Guided by that laughter and wearing a look of pure happiness, the Hyena charged toward the most glorious victory of his life.