Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 744

The next morning, the roars of wolves and the shouts of soldiers echoed through the city. The monster horde had begun their second siege. This battle was even more intense than the previous day, continuing from early morning until late at night, with reserve soldiers being called out frequently. In just one day, three or four groups of soldiers from the plaza where Han Li was stationed had been sent to reinforce the city walls. As night fell, the monster horde retreated again. When Han Li stepped outside the building, soldiers were returning to the plaza, but only about 20 to 30 percent of the original number had survived. Most of them were covered in blood and had minor injuries. ‘Hmm.’ It was a more tragic outcome than the previous day when Han Li had fought. Not only Han Li, but others near the plaza also came out to ask about the day’s battle. It turned out that during today’s siege, small, cat-like wolves had appeared among the horde. They moved as swiftly as swallows, and they shot out their fur like porcupine quills. These stiff quills were coated with a potent poison. Those hit would immediately lose their combat ability, and if they didn’t receive emergency treatment, the poison would spread, leading to death. These small wolves were unheard of before, and they were presumed to be a new type of mutated wolf monster. Although rare, such occurrences were not uncommon. Fortunately, these new mutated demon beasts were quickly eliminated, and only one or two types of mutated beasts remained among the wolf horde. Today, the unexpected appearance of the small wolves had killed off most of the soldiers defending the city, and it was said that if the Spirit Captain hadn’t deployed several times to provide support, the situation would have been dire. The people in the plaza who heard the stories from the relieved soldiers were disheartened. They felt that this demon beast uprising was more serious than they had heard before, and some began to panic. Han Li narrowed his eyes and glanced at the city gate before returning to his building. Even if Anwon Fortress were to fall in this demon beast uprising, he was confident that he could escape safely with his skills and the two Nirvana Pills. Even if he wanted to save the people in the city, he didn’t have the power to do so right now. ‘The monsters’ momentum is great, so the soldiers who fought on the first day won’t be able to rest for two days.’ Han Li’s prediction was correct. On the third morning, as soon as the sun rose, someone outside the door shouted loudly, calling for the Cheondong Merchant Guild guards to assemble. In the plaza, there were hundreds of brave men gathered, in addition to the Cheondong Merchant Guild guards. More than half of them were Spirit Practitioners [cultivators who use spiritual energy], equipped with spirit tools such as spirit rings and spirit tablets. Cavalrymen riding Mountain Wolves were also lined up on one side. It seemed that they had gathered the elite forces. Han Li frowned for a moment but calmly walked into the group. After a while, nearly a thousand people had gathered in the plaza, and then one person stepped forward. It was a middle-aged man wearing silver armor. With a grim face, he spoke a few words and unexpectedly said that there was a problem on the other side of the city wall’s defense line, and they had to go there quickly to help. The people gathered in the plaza were shocked by the news. They were already struggling to deal with the Blue Wolves for two days, and now the situation on the other side was even worse! Fortunately, those gathered here were all experienced in battle, so after a brief murmur, they boarded beast-drawn carriages and moved to another part of Anwon Fortress. Except for the patrolling cavalry, there were no pedestrians on the streets. After several hours of the monster carriages speeding along, they arrived at another city wall of Anwon Fortress. There, more than a dozen military officers were already waiting, and as soon as Han Li and the others arrived, they immediately rushed over and divided them up, leading them to their respective watchtowers. The Cheondong Merchant Guild members, about seven or eight of them, followed their squad leader, Han Li, while Jang Gyu, Du So, and the rest disappeared towards other watchtowers. The man who took Han Li was a burly military officer with a thick beard, who seemed to be of the same rank as the low-ranking military officer Cho they had seen before. He was particularly courteous to the Spirit Practitioners, and especially to Han Li’s group, as there were three people with spirit tools, so he was even more respectful. And since no one except the Cheondong Merchant Guild members knew about Han Li’s skills, he didn’t particularly catch the attention of the burly military officer. Han Li was not one to boast, so he silently followed the group up to the city wall they were assigned to. Everyone’s faces changed drastically at the sight before them. The low walls where they could hide, and the watchtowers built in the shape of multi-story houses, were all destroyed, with nothing intact. Even more strangely, the floor, which was originally grayish-white, had turned dark and was filled with the stench of rotting corpses. “It’s snake venom.” A giant wearing a spirit bracelet examined the black ground closely and muttered in a low voice. “That’s right. Because of this, 400 to 500 of my men have died,” said the burly man with a bitter smile. “The Redscale Snakes shouldn’t have poison, though?” asked an old man, also wearing a similar spirit tool, with a puzzled look. “As this brother said, ordinary Redscale Snakes definitely don’t have poison. But the mutated snake monsters have wings and can fly short distances, and they also spew black poisonous mist. When the poisonous mist touched the soldiers’ skin, their flesh immediately rotted, and when it touched the city wall, it seeped into the stone and emitted poisonous fumes. If we hadn’t poured clear water on it several times to wash it away, we wouldn’t have been able to stand here for long because of the poisonous mist.” “This is a difficult situation. Mutated monsters are already hard to deal with, and now there’s poisonous mist.” One of the reinforcements muttered worriedly. “Since we are struggling against the Redscale Snakes, that’s why the higher-ups sent you here. I heard that a new mutated monster has also appeared on the Blue Wolf side.” “With the situation this serious, why haven’t the cultivators stepped in yet? If they used large-scale destructive magic, they could stop the monsters from rampaging.” “You all must not forget that the Feathered Beasts have not yet appeared. They must conserve their strength for the most difficult avian demon beasts. If the Feathered Beasts appear when their magical power is depleted, Anwon Fortress will truly be finished,” the burly military officer explained with a sigh in response to someone’s outcry. The people who heard this exchanged glances and fell silent. They all knew that it was unlikely that Anwon Fortress would survive this demon beast uprising. “Everyone, don’t worry too much. The mutated monsters that spew poison and fly have to rest for a while after spewing poison. So, these new mutated monsters have almost lost their attack power. The higher-ups sent you here to ask you to deal with the giant mutated monsters. The giant mutated Redscale Snakes are difficult for ordinary soldiers to injure. The reason the city wall is so damaged is all because of the giant Redscale Snakes. If you can stop them, I and the soldiers will take care of the other Redscale Snakes.” The burly military officer shouted loudly to boost morale as the expressions of those gathered darkened. “Of course, we will fulfill our responsibilities even if you don’t order us to. But…” The giant wearing the spirit bracelet was about to say something when suddenly a strange cry of a flying beast was heard from the sky above the city wall, causing everyone’s blood to boil. The giant also stopped speaking, his face changing, and he showed signs of distress. “Feathered Beasts! The Feathered Beasts have appeared.” One of the Spirit Practitioners pointed to the sky, tightening his grip on the weapon in his hand. At that moment, Han Li was standing alone on one part of the city wall, holding a low-grade spirit stone in his hand, his leisurely face making him seem like he hadn’t heard the sharp cry of the Feathered Beasts. Indeed, not long after, hundreds of black dots rapidly approached. The people on the city wall immediately blew horns to signal the appearance of the Feathered Beasts, and the commanders prepared for battle, waiting for the right moment. At the same time, from the tall buildings in the center of the city, more than a hundred different colored lights rose and flew towards the city wall where the black dots had appeared. These were the cultivators who had been waiting inside Anwon Fortress. Most of them were in the Foundation Establishment stage [a stage of cultivation], and their speed of flying on magical artifacts was fast. They arrived at the city wall before the avian monsters. The two people at the front were a bald giant riding a disc and the golden-robed man from the Golden Jade Sect they had seen a few days ago. Both of them were in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, just before breaking through to the Core Formation stage [another stage of cultivation], making them the most powerful cultivators among them. The black dots stopped a few miles from the city wall and circled in the air. The people on the city wall could now see the true forms of the black dots. They were all demon beasts with leopard heads and hawk bodies. The demon beasts spread their yellow and white wings, their red eyes gleaming, and they emitted colorful auras from their bodies, making them look quite beautiful. The Feathered Beasts, with their elegant figures and size of a few feet, didn’t seem very intimidating, but the cultivators on the city wall all showed cautious and tense expressions. As the Feathered Beasts let out sharp cries from afar, the ground below vibrated, and a cloud of dust rushed in from the distance. It was a swarm of bright red serpents that rose from the ground, flicking their tongues and endlessly surging forward. The Spirit Practitioners who had just arrived on the city wall were terrified and swallowed hard. ‘To face a combined attack of Feathered Beasts and Redscale Snakes as soon as we arrive!’ It was fortunate that the cultivators were blocking the most troublesome avian monsters. Otherwise, they would not have been able to handle it. But suddenly, two Feathered Beasts broke away from the flock that had stopped in the distance. One was small, surrounded by a blue protective barrier, and a faint sound of thunder could be heard every time it flapped its wings. The other was several times larger than a normal Feathered Beast, and it exuded an eerie aura as it flapped its purple wings. As the two Feathered Beasts emerged, the Redscale Snake horde below stirred, and three serpents stepped forward. One was about fifteen feet long, with scales the size of bowls covering its entire body, and it had a pair of blood-red coral-like horns on its head, making it look very similar to a red dragon. Another was about seven or eight feet long, completely black, and had three triangular heads, making it look like a poisonous snake at first glance. The smallest one had a human head and a snake body, and it held a spear made of bone in its two outstretched arms. It was the same snake demon beast that had attacked Han Li in the Green Oasis Desert. These three snake monsters were the highest-ranking demon beasts. They hissed at each other before disappearing back into the ranks of their own kind. After that, the Feathered Beasts in the sky and the Redscale Snake army on the ground charged towards the city wall simultaneously, as if they had received an order. The Feathered Beasts arrived near Anwon Fortress before the serpents, and they let out strange cries, creating a green demonic aura and hiding within it. The demonic aura filled an area of about one mu [a Chinese unit of area, approximately 667 square meters], and their momentum as they rushed towards the city wall was ominous. “You vile creatures, die!” shouted the bald giant among the cultivators in the air, and he rushed forward first, followed by the other cultivators wielding their magical artifacts. Before they made contact with the green mist, they spread their hands and threw talismans. Boom! Bang! Explosions erupted one after another, and various colored lightning bolts covered the sky, striking the green mist. As the explosions continued, the green mist scattered considerably. The human cultivators took this opportunity to take out their respective spirit weapons. Flying knives, flying swords, beads, staffs, hand axes, and various other items appeared densely and flew towards the green mist. At the same time, the green mist writhed and shot out countless demon beast feathers. The feathers, transformed into green streaks of light, covered the sky and clashed with the spirit weapons, not giving way at all.