Every Man for Himself

Dates or no dates, give the branch a whack anyway. If he stayed, who knew if an opportunity might present itself? Watching the battle from inside the temple, he could not help but admire the sheer might of the Heavenly Palace contingent. Facing a siege of nearly ten to one, they were still able to dispatch their opponents swiftly and effectively. *Sigh. If only the elites under my command possessed such caliber.* Amid the chaos, another sudden change occurred. A melee raged around the pool-well, and before anyone could seize a chance to venture inside, something unexpectedly emerged from within the crimson light. It was a colossal white claw, its palm larger than a millstone. Shooting out from the red glow, it snatched a Heavenly Palace attendant and dragged him straight inside! The cultivators with their backs to the pool-well were still locked in combat; how could they have expected an attack from behind? The Blackwater City troops inside the temple, however, saw it clearly. He Chunhua froze. "What on earth is that?" Immediately afterward, another creature burst from the red light, lunging straight at the people of Baling. This time, everyone finally caught a clear look at the beast in its entirety. It was covered head to toe in white fur and stood a zhang and a half tall. Its body resembled an ape's, capable of walking upright or crouching on all fours, yet it bore a short-snouted pig's face, with two tusks protruding from its cheeks. The Baling man it had singled out was startled, but he reacted with sharp reflexes, leaping aside in the nick of time. Yet the monster exhaled a gust of white mist straight at him. Caught off guard, the Baling warrior took the blast full in the face. A moment later, he turned into frozen meat straight out of cold storage, even the hems of his clothes frozen stiff. The monster pounced, pinning him down and smacking its lips as it crunched on him like a popsicle. Divine arts, spears, and lances from the others rained down upon the beast, making it stagger back a couple of steps and roar loudly, dark-red blood spurting from its wounds. If it bled, it could be killed. Everyone felt a wave of relief. Just what kind of place was inside the pool-well? Yet immediately afterward, more monsters leaped out of the crimson light. Their shapes and sizes varied, though most possessed white coats, some dappled with spots. No one knew whether the first beast's roar had summoned them. When the second monster sprang forth, the crowd similarly swarmed to attack it. This creature somewhat resembled an oversized flying squirrel, but its long tail bristled with spikes. Once enraged, it could unleash hundreds of tail quills at people in an instant! It was truly an indiscriminate, wide-area barrage like a torrential storm. Several squads were caught unawares, and many men were wounded. Furthermore, once these spikes pierced flesh and blood, frost instantly spread from the wounds. The victim's muscles and blood quickly began to freeze; without prompt treatment, they would turn into an ice statue within two quarters of an hour. These quills were not as potent as the cold ice talismans He Lingchuan carried—those, after all, had been crafted from frost pellets, capable of freezing even the glazed gold shroud over the formation core of Mount Xu—yet their overwhelming numbers made them deadly, and some victims had been struck by multiple quills. Not only did the groups around the pool-well scramble to dodge, but the Blackwater City troops watching the spectacle from inside the temple also hastily ducked behind cover, for two ice quills had struck the stone crevices right beside He Chunhua, instantly frosting over with a layer of rime. Then came a third, a fourth... By the time the tenth monster leaped out of the red light, the open space around the pool-well was completely packed, and even the formation erected by the Heavenly Palace contingent was smashed apart from the inside out. The humans' faces turned grim. Just how many monsters were going to leap out of the red light? The pool-well was more than willing to answer with reality: Endless! He Chunhua and Zhang Lianhai barked out orders almost simultaneously: "Retreat!" The primary conflict had shifted, and their opponents naturally changed with it. There was no need to keep butting heads with the other human forces now. The moment they began to pull back, the pressure shifted onto the remaining contingents. Seeing things turn sour, the other factions also fell back step by step. Yet by then, thirty to forty monsters had surged from the pool-well. Seeing the mortals, they seemed consumed by deep-seated hatred, relentless in their pursuit and savagery. Everyone knew that when caught in a stampede of monsters, all you had to do was run faster than your companions. Thus, the battle formations of the various forces could not hold for long, collapsing in disarray under the monsters' charge. Monsters gushed continuously from the pool-well like a fountain, their numbers already swelling past a hundred, showing no signs of stopping. The other contingents combined numbered barely three hundred men; they held no advantage against the beasts. Had they fought together from the outset, they might have maintained a steady defense and made an orderly withdrawal. Unfortunately, with the Heavenly Palace and Blackwater City troops slipping away early, the rest lacked the strength to stand firm and had no choice but to fend for themselves. Man after man was overtaken and mobbed by beasts, their shouts turning to shrill screams, their wails fading into silence. Fresh blood splattered across the ancient stone walls, belonging to humans and monsters alike. He Chunhua had ordered an immediate retreat, and because the Blackwater City troops had been stationed farther away, the monsters' attention was drawn by the other groups, sparing them from immediate pursuit. He said urgently, "To the South Gate!" The nearest gate lay to the south. With the other contingents acting as bait, they had to seize the moment to escape Panlong City. None dared object. The entire army sprinted southward. He Lingchuan glanced back several times, seeing flashes of golden light near the temple—likely the lamp spirit unleashing its power. The Heavenly Palace's lamp spirit excelled at fighting many opponents at once and could freely switch between tangible and intangible forms, perfectly suited to handling those hulking beasts. Consequently, the Heavenly Palace's retreat appeared far more composed. Yet the more beasts they slew, the more relentlessly the creatures streaming from the pool-well pursued them, as if utterly maddened and devoid of fear. Fear was among the deepest instincts of living things. Given how powerful the lamp spirit was, the monsters should have turned their attention toward easier prey. Why, then, were they only further provoked, charging forward in waves with utter disregard for their lives? Roars shook the heavens. Monsters continued to spout endlessly from the pool-well, but seven or eight out of ten charged straight at the Heavenly Palace's lamp spirit, leaving far fewer to chase the other factions. Zhang Lianhai realized something was amiss. Had his side ended up drawing all the monsters' attacks away from the other factions? Powerful as the lamp spirit was, it consumed enormous energy. He could only rally his subordinates and fall back to a five-story stone pagoda behind them. The pagoda stood thirteen zhang tall and remained largely intact, its body constructed almost entirely of hard rock and rammed earth, exceptionally sturdy. Crucially, the doorways on each level were quite narrow—exceedingly unfavorable for enormous beasts. Sure enough, once they retreated into the pagoda, the monsters' assault slackened. The Heavenly Palace contingent scrambled to adjust their formations on the spot. Once the monsters lost line of sight, their hatred faded, and they turned back to hunt the other groups. *** By this time, He Chunhua's forces had reached South Gate Square, with only four or five beasts hot on their heels. The troop merely cast a few slowing spells; none were willing to turn around and get bogged down in combat. If they stopped mid-stride, the army of beasts would surely overtake them in no time. He Chunhua ran at the very front of the line. But when he finally caught sight of the South Gate, his vision darkened: The city gate was actually shut! Panlong City's southern entrance featured triple gates, and looking from their vantage point, even the innermost barbican gate was firmly closed! No matter how good He Chunhua's usual restraint was, he cursed on the spot: "Which son of a bitch did this piece of work?!" The Blackwater City soldiers rushed beneath the wall, and dozens of men surged forward to open the gate. Yet even with the bar lifted, the doors would not budge from the inside. It was as though something on the outside was barricading the gate, blocking it completely solid. "A few more of you, get over here!" No matter how many men shoved, it was entirely futile. The gate did not move a hair, rooted to the spot as if grown into the earth. Some men drew their sabers and hacked at this inner gate, but they could not leave behind so much as a scratch. After all, Panlong City's South Gate had endured countless baptisms of war; even this third gate possessed a sturdiness far beyond imagination. Beads of sweat broke out on He Chunhua's nose. "What is going on here?!" If they could not get out, they would be turtles in a jar, soon to be butchered alive by the monsters! Qiu Hu pointed toward the gate tower. "Take the high ground and defend the chokepoints, then figure out our next move!" The monsters would catch up at any moment; if they did not find a place to hole up, none of them would have a 'next move.' Qiu Hu's suggestion was sound. In this dire crisis, He Chunhua said without hesitation, "Up to the gate tower! Move the sandbags to block the stairwells!" The third gate tower of the South Gate was towering in height, with three stairwells leading up and down; the Blackwater City troops only had to hold those passages. Moreover, there were hollow mezzanine compartments within the wall that could shelter men. Such mezzanines were too cramped for oversized beasts to enter. By scaling the wall, the Blackwater City troops secured a position that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Naturally, there were downsides: they were essentially trapped here by the monsters, unable to go anywhere. Yet considering that the horde of monsters continued pouring endlessly from the red light, every faction in the city would suffer a similar fate. Comparatively speaking, the Blackwater City troops were in a slightly better position. There were even ample military supplies scattered above and below the wall, such as largely intact sandbags and discarded crocodile-tooth stakes, which could be moved directly to build barricades blocking the passages. He Chunhua hurried up the city wall and ran along the walkway atop it toward the outermost gate of the gate tower, with He Lingchuan and the others close behind. When they had entered the city, everyone had clearly seen that of the outermost iron fir gates, one was half-open and the other lay flat on the ground, preserved just as it had been when breached in antiquity. Yet now, as they peered down, this gate was likewise shut tight, seam to seam! Wasn't it broken? How could it be closed? He Chunhua ground his teeth. "What is going on?!" A shattered gate restored and sealed—could this really be within human power? Could it be an illusion formation? Yet the army possessed origin power; how could ordinary illusion formations fool their eyes? Dense fog drifted below the wall, swirling around the midsection of the gate. Everyone's vision was obstructed by the roiling vapor, unable to see the ground or moat below. The Panlong Desert was no longer what it once had been; after several consecutive downpours recently, a nighttime mist seemed reasonable enough. Yet when Zhao Qinghe casually picked up a pebble and tossed it down, he waited a long time without hearing it hit the ground. Frowning, He Chunhua ordered two thaumaturges to cast the Clear Wind Incantation. A brief, powerful gust of wind immediately swept below the gate. By all logic, mist should have been easily dispersed by strong winds. Yet the dense fog beneath the gate went its own way, entirely unmoved by the gale. This was not right. A trusted guard hurled a broken spear down. This object was far larger, yet after being thrown down, it too vanished into dead silence. Even if dropped into water, wouldn't there at least be a splash? The outer wall of Panlong City's South Gate was only five zhang high—roughly sixteen meters—not exceedingly tall. Reasonably speaking, if they climbed down from here, they could still escape the city. He Chunhua immediately singled out a personal guard. "Climb down!" The man hooked one end of his flying cable onto a battlement and scaled down the outer wall with exceptional agility. He Lingchuan did not recognize his face and guessed that He Chunhua must have recruited this expert from somewhere during his absence from home. The guard's figure was swiftly swallowed by the dense fog, vanishing from everyone's sight. A few breaths later, the rope stopped moving. Zhao Qinghe gave the rope a shake, his voice tightening: "It's empty!"