As the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon drove countless sea beasts toward Fuxia City, the Great Yan authorities had already detected abnormal movements in the deep sea in advance through satellites, various underwater monitoring and observation instruments, and low-altitude aircraft.
Naturally, Yun Yan, stationed in Fuxia City, also received word of the sea beasts' unusual movements. Tension gripped him at once, and he hurriedly ordered all units to high alert, awaiting commands and standing ready to deploy into their designated defensive positions at any moment.
Minutes and seconds ticked past, and the sea's waves grew ever more turbulent.
Hundreds of millions of sea beasts advanced toward Fuxia. An operation on such a colossal scale naturally stirred up even more fierce beasts throughout the ocean; some trailed behind the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon, while others swarmed in packs to invade island nations across the sea.
Feilü Country, for instance—the earliest victim of the dragon's rampages—suffered more than a dozen consecutive waves of beast tides within a brief span. In an instant, emergencies flared nationwide. In Tianzhu, likewise, its eastern coastal cities were invaded on a massive scale by sea beasts.
Nearly every coastal nation in the Eastern Hemisphere came under beast tide attacks on this single day. As for the Western Hemisphere, though spared from massive sea beast assaults, terrestrial fierce beasts continued their rampage. Beast Soldier, Beast General, and Lord-rank fierce beasts rampaged between cities and the wilderness, slaughtering and devouring humans at will.
Truly, beacon fires and smoke rose everywhere; the entire globe shared in the ordeal!
"Through satellite reconnaissance and various monitoring instruments, we've finally located the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon within the beast tide. We can now essentially confirm that it was the one who incited this beast tide!" In a military command center, a staff officer hung up the phone, stepped up to Yun Yan, and reported.
*Bang!*
Yun Yan slammed his palm on the desk and ground his teeth. "I knew it was that beast!"
The staff officer's expression was grave. "The scale of this beast tide is unprecedented. Not only our Fuxia, but farther south, Yangcheng and Nanhai Island, and even Feilü Country, Tianzhu, and Jiaozhi were attacked first! However, what they're facing is actually just the ripples. The real tsunami is crashing straight toward Fuxia..."
Pausing, he added, "Even if every single one of us fights with fearless heroism and falls in battle, we cannot possibly hold them off."
"I know." Yun Yan waved a hand. "The higher-ups will provide support."
The staff officer caught his drift immediately. What kind of support could the higher-ups provide? Naturally, the ultimate sword of civilization—nuclear bombs! Especially when dealing with the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon, nothing short of nuclear weapons would suffice. The crucial question, however, was when to deploy them: they had to ensure a one-hit kill if at all possible!
Yet that would be exceedingly difficult. Once bitten, twice shy; the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon had not long ago been blasted by a nuclear bomb. Showing itself again now, it was bound to be cautious and wary. At the first sign of danger, it would surely retreat immediately—either taking flight or plunging into the sea to evade the blast center.
"As long as there's support..." The staff officer nodded, then hesitated as a thought struck him. "What about Director Huang?"
Yun Yan pondered for a moment before answering, "He is still in closed-door cultivation. Do not notify him for now. The situation is far too dangerous, and we shouldn't make him take such risks. When we are on the verge of falling, we'll notify him to evacuate. With his speed, no one can catch him if he wants to leave, so his safety is assured. Of course, if we can hold the line ourselves, that would be even better..."
The staff officer gave a helpless smile. "It's no use. Martial artists have exceptional hearing, let alone the world's foremost powerhouse. The moment we exchange fire with the fierce beasts, he'll be startled awake even in seclusion."
"Sigh, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Yun Yan couldn't help rubbing his temples. "In any case, we must do our best to persuade him to leave."
The staff officer said nothing. Persuading him was practically impossible; unless Huang Tian chose to leave of his own accord, no one could halt his actions.
"Alright, don't overthink it. Our top priority is to hold our ground as long as possible—every extra minute counts," Yun Yan said gravely. "Notify all units to move into their designated positions."
"Yes, sir!"
When the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon was roughly two hundred kilometers from Fuxia City, almost every coastal city across the Great Yan Federation issued a red beast tide alert one after another. Panic spread rapidly among the populace, sparking an uproar across the internet.
"Why did emergencies flare across the entire front all at once? Has the crisis escalated to such an extent?"
"Something extraordinary has definitely happened!"
"I just saw breaking news—multiple cities in Tianzhu are in dire straits, and in Naijin City, sea beasts have actually breached the urban center! Many citizens didn't even have time to retreat, and the authorities didn't evacuate the public in advance. Casualties must be catastrophic right now!"
"*Hiss*, overrun already?!"
"Anything happening in that land is hardly surprising. Besides, the sea beasts are so numerous and powerful that a sudden assault is indeed hard to defend against."
"What on earth caused a beast tide spanning more than a dozen countries?"
"I can only think of one possibility—the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon! It was injured by a nuclear bomb last time, so it's bound to harbor a grudge. This might be its retaliation, and its primary target is likely our Great Yan. In other words, we're going to face the fiercest onslaught!"
"I bet it's that dragon pulling the strings too. Damned beast!"
"Damn it, if it really dares to show up this time, blast it with ten, a hundred nukes! Blow it to dust, boil the ocean dry!!!"
While the internet was plunged into chaos, an anxious, unsettled mood hung thick in reality as well. Xiu Miluo sat inside a café, leisurely sipping his coffee. Gazing out through the glass window, he saw many pedestrians with knitted brows and tightly pressed lips, heads bowed as they searched their phones for the latest updates on the beast tide.
Whenever they saw bad news, their brows furrowed deeper; when they spotted good news, they let out a gentle sigh of relief.
"Tsk, tsk~ That's how it should be. Living in an era like this, everyone ought to live in apprehension, anxiety, and fear—no one gets to remain a bystander!"
Xiu Miluo chuckled twice, drained his coffee in one gulp, and walked out of the shop. With a leap of his form, he shot straight into the clouds. A gray starship hovered high in the sky with its hatch open. Stepping inside, he spoke, "Yun'an, show me the situation in Fuxia City."
"Understood, Master!"
An electronic voice sounded. The next second, a light screen materialized out of thin air right in front of Xiu Miluo. It rippled like water before displaying a feed of the coast at Fuxia City:
The sea surged boundlessly, and amidst the myriad crashing waves, an immense black line abruptly emerged!
That black line was composed of swimming sea beasts in staggering numbers: shrimp, crabs, fish, serpents, turtles... as well as all sorts of mollusks, flatworms, and nematodes, presenting a thoroughly grotesque and chilling sight.
In the sky above, millions of avian fierce beasts spread their wings in an unbroken expanse, almost completely blotting out the midday sun. The sky darkened in an instant, carrying an ominous weight like black clouds threatening to crush a city, radiating an intense sense of suffocating pressure.
*Roar—*
Farther out, the faint silhouette of a winged giant dragon could be seen soaring. Colossal in size, it deliberately flew at a low altitude, clearly prepared to dive into the deep sea the moment danger appeared.
Meanwhile, facing the menacing onslaught of the beast tide, soldiers across the coastal positions wore grim expressions. Not a word was spoken; they only took deep breaths over and over to ease their nervous tension.
A moment later, as the sea beasts drew closer, the order to open fire was issued. In an instant, a rain of artillery shells erupted into the sky!
*Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—Boom, boom, boom!*
Shell after shell tore through the air, screaming as they crashed into the beast horde. Myriad fiery-orange blossoms instantly bloomed across the sea's surface, and numerous sea beasts were swallowed by the flames. Yet such trivial losses were negligible to the swarm.
They continued to surge forward, their deafening roars and bizarre shrieks shaking heaven and earth, momentarily drowning out even the roar of the cannons...
Xiu Miluo watched with a serene countenance. He cared nothing for the lives of fierce beasts or humans; victory or defeat meant nothing to him. The only reason he had instructed the AI Yun'an to broadcast the situation in Fuxia City was to see how that young man would choose in such a critical moment.
"Huang Tian, oh Huang Tian... as the world's foremost powerhouse and the most talented native on this planet, will you choose to draw your blade and fight, or will you temporarily retreat to preserve your life, waiting until you break through to the Planetary rank before seeking a chance to battle that Little Grey Dragon?"
Xiu Miluo chuckled. "Yun'an, how do you think he'll choose?"
"Based on a comprehensive analysis of existing data, there is a 97.27% probability that he will intervene," the AI Yun'an replied.
"Tsk, stepping forward even while knowing defeat is certain, perhaps even at the cost of his life?" Xiu Miluo shook his head slightly.
Had it been him, he would have devoted himself entirely to cultivation, fighting the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon only after breaking through to the Planetary rank.
To him, survival always came first, followed by dignity, honor, faith, and the like. Once your life was gone, everything was gone!
"Speaking of which, he is a rare prodigy after all; it would be somewhat of a pity if he perished just like this. Should I lend him a hand later...?"
Pondering for several seconds, he shook his head. "Out with the old, in with the new. In this grand era of evolution, geniuses will always step forth. He is the first, but by no means the only one."
It just so happened that every magnificent, turbulent era required someone to sacrifice their life to forge an epic tale, and Huang Tian was the perfect candidate.
Just imagine: the grand, foremost powerhouse of the world, creator of the Spiritual Energy Guidance Technique and multiple secret techniques, the greatest prodigy in New Star's history, heroically sacrificing himself in an ultra-large-scale beast tide to protect the populace! How many successors would such a glorious deed inspire? How many people would lament and sigh with grief!
"Not bad, not bad at all. When the Paradise game officially launches in the future, a native wrapped in such tragic and solemn grandeur should be quite popular among players..."
Xiu Miluo nodded with great satisfaction. "Huang Tian, die a glorious death and add a dazzling stroke to the prologue before the game launches!"
*Boom, rumble—*
Along the coast, the cannons continued their fury. Rockets, thermobaric bombs, and missiles plunged into the beast tide and detonated with earth-shattering blasts. Sea beasts perished in swathes. Though the casualties were tiny compared to their total numbers, it nonetheless slowed their advance slightly. The Twin-Winged Giant Dragon let out an impatient roar, and immediately following, the sea's surface shuddered.
*Crash, splash—*
Suddenly, three colossal behemoths rose from the sea, seawater cascading down their pitch-black carapaces as three moving "mountains" emerged.
Looking closely, they were three giant turtles!
Each stood nearly fifty meters tall, and the waves kicked up by their paddling limbs were enough to capsize naval vessels!
Under the command of the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon, they strode forward at the very vanguard of the beast horde.
*Boom, boom!*
Hundreds of artillery shells landed on one turtle's carapace. Flames erupted, but only a faint white mark was blasted into its shell. Pausing momentarily, it resumed its forward march.
*Swoosh—*
Over a hundred rockets and several missiles plunged in swarms with trailing flames. The giant turtle pulled its head inward and tilted its shell forward.
*Rumble!*
Balls of fire detonated across the shell with deafening thunder. The shockwaves churned up hundreds of water spouts, appearing immensely destructive, yet leaving only a few shallow scars on the carapace. The giant turtle continued to march forward, with hordes of sea beasts following in its wake, charging together toward the shore.
"Their defense is actually this strong?!" In the command center, Yun Yan looked exceptionally grim.
If even artillery shells and missiles couldn't pierce their armor, how were they supposed to fight this battle? There was no need for the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon to intervene; just these three giant turtles leading a contingent of sea beasts could completely rout them!
"Bomb them! Bomb them again!" he roared, his eyes reddening slightly. "I refuse to believe those turtle shells can't be cracked open or smashed to pieces!"
"Yes, sir!"
At his command, a rain of fire erupted simultaneously from multiple defensive positions. Artillery shells, rockets, missiles, and thermobaric bombs rained down in blanket coverage over the three giant turtles!
*BOOM!*
After the earth-shaking blast, the howling sea breeze blew away the smoke of gunpowder to reveal the scene on the ocean: several fractures meters long were finally blasted across the carapaces of the three giant turtles. The sea beasts behind them had either been killed by the blast's shockwaves or shredded by the incoming rockets and missiles.
"Good!" Yun Yan pumped his fist fiercely. "I said that damn turtle shell had its limits no matter how tough it was! Under an all-out barrage, I don't believe it can withstand it! Fire again! Blast the bastards to hell!"
*Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—*
Another salvo was unleashed, blanketing the sky in a curtain of fire!
*Roar—!*
Right then, the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon let out a ferocious roar. The three giant turtles ceased standing in place taking hits and immediately maneuvered to evade. Meanwhile, out from the ocean, more Lord-rank fierce beasts dozens of meters tall emerged: an electric eel crackling with lightning, an octopus brandishing eight tentacles, a crayfish clad in brilliant crimson armor, and a dragonfish with four legs beneath its belly...
"Fifteen Lord-rank fierce beasts!" In the command center, Yun Yan took a deep breath. Just as he was about to give the order, suddenly—
"*Ha!*"
Between heaven and earth, a resounding cry abruptly arose!
The sound tore through the clouds and cracked the stones, as though descending from beyond the firmament, yet also like rising from the abyss of the sea!
The cry had just reached their ears when a streak of brilliant light flashed across the eastern horizon!
That light rose like bright frost, more radiant than a rainbow!
Its speed was blindingly fast—one moment at the edge of the sky, the next already skimming over the boundless ocean and tearing straight through the bodies of more than a dozen Lord-rank fierce beasts!
*Pfft—*
Before they could even let out a shriek of terror, the colossal bodies of the fifteen Lord-rank fierce beasts shuddered in unison. A fine line surfaced across them, and their upper and lower halves split clean in two. Gouts of blood erupted violently, bursting into a mist that veiled the sky under the reflection of that frosty light, appearing extraordinarily magnificent and wondrous...
Chapter 267