Seven Lord-rank fierce beasts were slaughtered in the blink of an eye. Their corpses, each dozens of meters long, sprawled across the beach, striking dread and terror into the countless fierce beasts remaining.
Beneath the blazing sun, Huang Tian brandished his saber once more!
*Buzz—*
The blade gleamed against the sun, its light biting and cold. A streak of blade aura hundreds of meters long surged forth with the rolling might of wind and thunder, cleaving straight toward the countless fierce beasts across the beach and the shallows near the shore!
*Boom!*
The instant the blade aura struck the ground, a trench of flesh and blood hundreds of meters long blew open across the sands!
Severed limbs flew wildly, blood showered down like a torrential downpour, and shrill shrieks and wails filled the air without pause.
Huang Tian's expression remained cold and stern. Without pausing for a single beat, a second strike and a third followed in rapid succession!
*Boom, boom, boom!*
The saber light unfurled like bolts of silk, wave after wave falling as dense as a torrential squall. Each descending slash mirrored the radiant sunlight, and the crisscrossing blade auras wove into a frost-white net that swept through and purged everything in its path!
*Wuuu—*
The sea beasts broke down completely. They stampeded madly back toward the ocean, crashing into and trampling one another in utter chaos.
Huang Tian said nothing. He simply focused on swinging his saber, repeatedly unleashing blade auras. Any slow-footed sea beast lagging behind was shredded by the blade aura, some crushed directly into pools of minced flesh—
In less than a minute, the countless sea beasts that had choked the coastline were nearly all gone, scrambling over one another to retreat into the vast ocean.
Left behind on the beach were innumerable carcasses. Blood pouring from the dead formed massive pools, staining the inshore water a deep crimson. The crimson grew thicker and more viscous by the moment, sending a reeking stench of blood billowing into the sky!
"So... so strong!" In defense positions several kilometers to over a dozen kilometers away, countless soldiers gazed at that distant silhouette, their hearts quivering in awe.
"We're too far to see his face, but aside from that man, no one in this world could kill Lord-rank fierce beasts head-on!"
"Using a saber and possessing such terrifying strength—it has to be Divine Huang, Huang Tian! But didn't he just reach the War General rank? How could he be this strong? Did he break through again?"
"I just got a good look through the binoculars—it really is Director Huang! I know that face too well; I've watched his Spiritual Energy Guidance Technique video at least thirty times!"
"Diving into the sea to slay a Lord-rank fierce beast, and even hauling it up and hurling it with one hand... A War God-rank martial artist is just too terrifying!"
"I beg to differ on that. Even though I'm not even a Warrior-rank martial artist yet, I can say with certainty that while War God martial artists are strong, they definitely aren't this strong.
"Logically speaking, since War God martial artists and Lord-rank fierce beasts share the same tier, a clash between them would be a hard-fought stalemate in the short term. It would never be a one-sided slaughter like this. So in my opinion, it's not War God martial artists that are overpowered—it's Big Boss Huang Tian!"
"..."
Without orders, the soldiers could not leave their positions without authorization. They could only huddle together and whisper in low voices. Seeing this, the officers made no move to stop them; in truth, they too wanted to know why Huang Tian had suddenly appeared in Fuxia City.
Unlike the ordinary soldiers and officers, Yun Yan, the overall commander of the coastal defense operation against the beast tide, knew the full picture. When Huang Tian ended his livestream and raced thousands of li to their aid, Yun Yan had already received word. However, he had kept quiet, his heart a tangle of anticipation and apprehension.
The anticipation came from having Huang Tian—who had just advanced to the War God rank—on their side, vastly improving the odds of holding the line. The apprehension was the dread that if the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon suddenly showed up and defeated or even killed Huang Tian, the entire world would be shaken to its core!
*Fortunately! Fortunately, that Twin-Winged Giant Dragon didn't show up this time—*
Breathing a huge sigh of relief, he stepped out of the command center at once, had a vehicle readied to drive to the beach, and ordered the defense positions to assemble personnel to join him in clearing away the mountainous piles of sea beast carcasses.
A moment later, he was the first to arrive near the beach. Spotting Huang Tian standing by the shore with a war saber slung across his back, he hurried out of the car, jogged over, and extended both hands with intense gratitude and respect. "I am Yun Yan, the overall commander of this coastal defense operation. I cannot thank you enough, Director Huang, for coming thousands of li to our rescue. If not for you, we would never have repelled this beast tide. Even if we didn't suffer total annihilation, we would have lost several positions at the very least, and our casualties would have been catastrophic."
Huang Tian withdrew his gaze from the vast, boundless sea and shifted it onto the man named Yun Yan. Wearing a military uniform with golden stars on his shoulders, he had a square jaw and resolute features, exuding an air of stubborn tenacity.
Huang Tian reached out and shook his hand. "No thanks are needed. Resisting the invasion of fierce beasts is part of a martial artist's duty."
That was the principle, yet those truly willing to risk their lives to rush to the front lines remained extraordinarily rare. Filled with immense emotion, Yun Yan glanced at the sixty-to-seventy-meter-long marine iguana not far away and the other six Lord-rank fierce beasts, clicking his tongue in marvel. "Just facing their corpses stirs an instinctive dread inside me. And these are only Lord-rank fierce beasts. If it were the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon beyond the Lord rank... Fortunately, this beast tide likely had nothing to do with it, which is why it didn't appear."
"No. Though it did not show itself, this beast tide was likely incited by it. This was merely a probe. Next time, the scale will be far greater, and it will act in person." Huang Tian shook his head slightly. "This judgment comes from my intuition—a martial artist's intuition."
Yun Yan's expression turned solemn at once. He had heard ancient legends telling of extraordinary masters who would suddenly experience a flash of premonition before momentous events—the cicada sensing the chill before the autumn wind stirs. In the past, he had never put much stock in such tales. After all, everyone was just a mortal body of flesh; where in the world could real masters exist?
How many bullets could a so-called master withstand?!
But now...
Huang Tian went far beyond any mere master. With his current realm and strength, he would qualify as an immortal in ancient times!
When someone like him spoke of intuition, Yun Yan had no reason to doubt it. Taking a deep breath, he spat, "That beast really holds a grudge!"
After cursing, he looked at Huang Tian, hesitated for a few seconds, and then said, "Director Huang, you... you are different from us. As soldiers, we have a duty to protect our homeland and defend the nation. Laying down our lives in a national crisis is only right. And besides being soldiers, we are ultimately ordinary people. If we sacrifice ourselves, so be it.
"But you are far, far more important than us. In talent, strength, comprehension—in every aspect, you are indisputably the world's foremost figure. If anyone can bring an end to this era of rampaging fierce beasts, you undoubtedly have the greatest chance. For that very reason, preserving your own safety must be your top priority—"
"Are you trying to convince me to leave Fuxia so I don't run into the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon one day and get killed by it?"
"Well..."
"Rest assured. Since I volunteered to come support this front, I have confidence in my own strength. In fact, not seeing that Twin-Winged Giant Dragon this time felt like a missed opportunity. Still, it will reveal itself sooner or later. I'll remain stationed here in Fuxia for a while and see if it comes knocking on my door."
Yun Yan hesitated for a few seconds upon hearing this. Seeing Huang Tian's calm and composed demeanor, he pursed his lips and said, "This matter is far too grave. I need to ask for instructions—"
With that, he stepped aside and dialed an encrypted phone line. The call was not short, lasting a full twelve minutes. It only ended as squads of soldiers began hauling and clearing the nearby beast carcasses. Yun Yan walked back over and said solemnly, "Director Huang, the authorities in the capital respect any decision you make. Furthermore, over the next couple of days, they will send a large batch of spirit plants here to supply your cultivation needs. The capital has no demands of you, except one: they earnestly hope you will prioritize your personal safety above all else and avoid taking unnecessary risks.
"Strong as the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon may be, our Great Yan is not without ways to deal with it. If five nuclear bombs can't kill it, we can drop fifty, five hundred, or even a thousand onto its head—there's no fear it won't die. Your life is far more important than that Twin-Winged Giant Dragon!"
"I understand." Hearing the words "a large batch of spirit plants," a smile broke out on Huang Tian's face. Although consuming fierce beast meat could increase spiritual energy, the refining efficiency was far lower than that of spirit plants. If he had a large quantity of spirit plants for cultivation, he could easily climb several minor realms in a short time, or even ascend another major stage!
From Huang Tian racing thousands of li to his routing of the beast tide, barely half an hour had elapsed. Half an hour later, the Fuxia City Hall issued a new announcement: *The threat of the beast tide has been eliminated; zero casualties.*
Such a simple announcement caused an uproar across the internet.
"Holy crap, the two announcements are barely half an hour apart! Did the beast tide retreat just like that? Or did it never even show up?"
"I can confirm the beast tide definitely happened. Just a dozen minutes ago, I could hear gunfire and artillery echoing from the outskirts of Fuxia City, and the explosions were massive. The military was definitely engaged with the sea beasts."
"So you're saying this beast tide was repelled, and repelled easily at that, without a single wounded soldier!"
"It had to be Big Boss Huang Tian stepping in!"
"+1, I think so too."
"Sweeping aside an entire beast tide single-handedly?!"
"Huang Tian: *A piece of cake, don't sweat it~*"
"If Heaven had not brought forth Huang Tian, the martial path would be an eternal night!!!"
"..."
While netizens were excitedly discussing the news, a video suddenly went viral online, showing footage of Huang Tian slaying the Lord-rank fierce beasts.
In the video, his saber cleared its sheath, the blade light falling like snow. In the blink of an eye, several Lord-rank fierce beasts lay dead. Then, the marine iguana fled madly into the sea like a sixty-to-seventy-meter-tall child, with Huang Tian following right on its heels. In just a few seconds, Huang Tian grabbed its tail with one hand, violently hauling it out from the ocean and slamming it onto the beach, shaking the very earth!
The video was very short, ending right there, but it left countless viewers dumbfounded.
"This defies the heavens! Is Big Boss really just a War God martial artist on the same level as Lord-rank fierce beasts? How does he cut them down in a single blow each?"
"A true genius is always invincible within their rank, okay? Not surprising in the least!"
"I can't imagine what would become of me if I took a slash from Big Boss."
"Huh? Lost your mind? Why would you want someone to hack you with a saber?"
"My hubby is the best!! (Screaming wildly)"
"Everyone's singing his praises—am I the only one worried? Don't you guys think Big Boss Huang Tian's actions this time were incredibly risky? Of course I know he went to Fuxia to protect the people, but what would have happened if he crossed paths with the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon right then? A life-and-death struggle!
"Separated by a full realm, Huang Tian's chances of winning are simply too slim. And if he lost, he would be severely wounded at best, or dead at worst! If he dies, to be honest, I really wouldn't know where humanity's hope lies—"
"I think it was a bit risky too, but neither of us is Divine Huang himself. We don't know what trump cards he holds. Maybe he has some hidden ultimate technique to counter the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon?"
"Without enduring blazing flames, how could true gold be forged? The reason Huang Tian cultivates so fast, aside from his extraordinary natural talent, largely comes down to his fearless heart! He dares to fight, dares to struggle, and never shrinks back!
"For instance, he took the initiative to purge the fierce beasts in Shangyuan City and the Mangyuan Mountains, sweeping through everything in his way and fostering an invincible conviction of supremacy!
"It was precisely this conviction that allowed his cultivation to progress by leaps and bounds! Still, that's his unique path of cultivation—mediocre folk like us shouldn't try copying it."
Amidst the bubbling clamor of the internet, two days passed. Stationed in Fuxia, Huang Tian finally received the express delivery from the capital: a total of 126 spirit plants!
Every single one was a spirit plant that enhanced spiritual energy!
"It really is a massive batch..."
Huang Tian was quite pleased. Over a hundred spirit plants was no small sum even for the Great Yan authorities—it could practically be called emptying their coffers! After all, not much time had passed since the heavenly transformation, and spirit plants were scarce across the globe. Furthermore, places where spirit plants were prone to sprout, such as wildernesses and lakes, were dominated by fierce beasts. The Great Yan authorities had to expend tremendous effort to obtain them. Supplying over a hundred plants at this time was truly doing everything within their power.
*Once I refine these spirit plants, stepping into the peak of the second rank won't be difficult. And once I reach completion, advancing further will follow as a matter of course!*
Feeling a glimmer of joy, he declared a period of closed-door cultivation without hesitation, refusing all visitors to focus wholly on his practice.
In the blink of an eye, another half a month went by.
On this day, leaden clouds hung low, and waves rolled across the boundless sea. A giant dragon over three hundred meters long bobbed half-submerged in the seawater, its colossal frame resembling a meandering mountain range rising and falling amidst the swells.
Along its underbelly, a wound dozens of meters long had just healed. The newly grown flesh was pale pink, undulating gently with its breathing.
*Hoo—*
Sensing that its injuries had completely healed, its gaze turned icy. It slowly raised its massive head and, with a sudden surge of motion, burst roaring out of the sea. The wings pinned against its flanks spread wide, carrying it effortlessly into the sky—soaring into the clouds, then diving back beneath them.
Coiling its body high in the sky, it gazed toward the Great Yan Federation. The memory of being bombarded by nuclear bombs flashed through its mind once more, and a flicker of rage flared in its eyes. It abruptly threw back its head and opened its maw.
*Roar—*
A long roar tore through the air. Clear, sonorous, and intensely penetrating, the sound stirred howling gales and sent the drifting clouds scattering in disarray, while hundreds of water spouts surged up from the churning sea!
The roar carried farther and farther. Soon, from every direction, sea behemoths dozens of meters long began swimming toward it like subjects paying homage to their emperor. And led by these colossal monstrosities, sea beasts gathered toward the giant dragon by the swarm and the school.
Once an innumerable host of sea beasts had gathered under its command, the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon gazed coldly toward Fuxia City of Great Yan and let out another long roar.
With the roar fading, countless sea beasts surged forward together, racing through the waters toward Fuxia!
Chapter 266