Chapter Thirty-Six: Hurry and Close In on Him!

In the world of Tianxuan, savage beasts are classified into nine ranks.

The Earth Howler is a common beast in this realm, not of high grade. According to the conventions of the cultivation world, it is a second-rank beast; a typical adult is only as powerful as a human cultivator at the first level of the Qi Refining stage. They are fond of living in packs, with their leaders capable of evolving to the fifth rank, matching the power of a cultivator at the Golden Core stage. Under certain conditions, they might even evolve to the sixth rank or higher.

Compared to human cultivators, beasts generally take the path of bodily cultivation—their skin is thick, their flesh tough, and their physical strength far surpasses that of humans at the same level.

Moreover, the higher the rank of the beast, the greater its intelligence. By the seventh rank, the difference in intellect between a beast and a human is negligible.

The Earth Howler is no exception.

A lone Earth Howler is nothing to fear; a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage can easily slay one with spells and spirit tools. But when they gather in packs, they become much harder to deal with, for a large group of Earth Howlers is sure to have a leader directing them. Organized beasts are a different breed entirely from scattered, unruly ones.

The Earth Howler leader will command the lower-ranked beasts with tactical coordination.

This makes things truly vexing.

The cultivators in the sky, upon seeing the number of Earth Howlers in the ruins below, all felt their scalps go numb.

The vast sea of beasts, numbering at least ten thousand, filled them with dread—for who could tell what rank of leader lurked among them?

Worse, they had only just arrived and had yet to grasp the situation, only to be confronted with such a daunting predicament. For a moment, they were at a loss.

Under normal circumstances, such a horde would be troublesome but not insurmountable; the ten thousand cultivators present could still organize and resist.

But they were unprepared!

Their only solace in this crisis was that most present were from the Pure Yang Temple, sharing a certain camaraderie. If someone would step up and organize them, they could form a united front against the beasts.

In times of panic, people instinctively flock to the strong. Jiang Yu was no exception, nor were the others.

Wang Li was the first to ascend, riding a superior-grade earth-level flying sword, soaring far higher than the rest. His groom’s attire was dazzling, instantly drawing all eyes.

More importantly, his ceremonial robes sent a clear message: he held the highest status among them.

“It’s Wang Li! He's the Teaching Deacon—quick, gather around him!” someone shouted.

“Yes, hurry! With a deacon to command, we won’t fall into chaos!”

“Deacon Wang, stay where you are—I’m coming!”

Hearing the calls from below, Wang Li cursed to himself: “You really overestimate me!”

But they had already fixed their hopes on him, and he knew there was no escaping it. He hovered in the air and shouted,

“Hurry! Bring your fellow disciples at the Qi Refining and Body Tempering stages with you; fly skyward and break away from the Earth Howler horde!”

Cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage could not fly on swords at all. Those who had come to the ruins were all under a hundred years old, many still stuck at the Qi Refining or even lower Body Tempering stages, unable to leave the ground unless others carried them.

Initially, everyone had looked out only for themselves, instinctively seeking their own safety, paying no mind to others. Many Body Tempering and Qi Refining disciples, unable to fly, had been ignored.

But upon hearing his call, those below seemed to find their backbone; they sprang into action, grabbing nearby disciples who could not fly and lifting them skyward.

Those unable to fly clung to this lifeline, calling frantically to their fellows for help.

“I’m Wu Hao, an outer disciple—will any senior brother take me along?”

The first plea went up, and soon the air was filled with desperate cries for aid.

“I’m Liu Liang, an inner disciple—please, take me!”

“Sister Liu, save me!”

“Brother Shi, over here! We’re here!”

Amidst this chaotic chorus, a thunderous voice rang out:

“I have a flying boat—can carry three hundred! Hurry!”

As the words fell, a massive “plank”—like a doorboard—descended from the sky, landing with a cloud of dust.

Those nearby immediately swarmed towards him.

“It’s Senior Brother Zhou Qian from the outer sect—thank you, brother!”

“Thank you, Senior Brother Zhou!”

Standing atop his doorboard, Zhou Qian was filled with satisfaction.

He’d long been mocked for the appearance of his artifact, but now, in an emergency, he was finally vindicated. Let’s see who dares laugh at him again!

He called up to his fellows in the sky, “Anyone cultivating wood-attribute techniques, lend a hand! With help, I can carry five hundred up!”

“I’ll help!”

“Me too!”

Two figures descended to his side, placing their hands on his back. As waves of wood-attribute spiritual power surged into him, Zhou Qian formed hand seals, and the “doorboard” beneath his feet instantly grew larger.

Seeing this, more people leapt aboard. When the board began to hum, Zhou Qian shouted, “Rise!” and the flying boat—what others thought a doorboard—wobbled towards Wang Li’s position.

Wang Li’s eyelid twitched at the sight of this outrageously overloaded “flying boat.”

What a character!

But there was no time to complain. He waved his right hand, sending a streak of light towards Zhou Qian: “Spirit Source Pill—take it if you start to falter!”

Zhou Qian was a bit stunned: “Are all the big shots so generous?”

Though the upper echelons of the Pure Yang Temple had a poor reputation, the disciples themselves were responsible and united. Many, like Zhou Qian, would help carry those who could not fly.

In just a few breaths, more than half the crowd had taken to the air, temporarily escaping danger below.

But the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators was limited; those able to carry many others were even fewer, leaving two to three thousand stranded on the ground.

Those airborne were relieved, while those left behind despaired.

“We’re doomed! All that slacking off, and now we’re just fertilizer!”

“Someone carry me—I don’t want to die!”

…

As the Earth Howler horde drew ever closer, those on the ground grew deathly pale, resigned to their fate.

Wang Li, too, was overcome with helplessness.

These were his own sect brothers and sisters; to watch them be swallowed by the horde, powerless to help, was agonizing.

“Master Sheng, can you save them?” Wang Li pinned his hopes on the old master.

But Sheng’s reply dashed his hopes completely.

“I’m not omnipotent, you know. Scaring people is one thing—saving them is quite another!”

With that, Wang Li’s spirits plummeted, the chill of lost hope settling in.

He cursed the one who had sent them into these ruins.

“This isn’t some chosen trial—it’s a slaughter!”

Perhaps sensing his mood, Sheng said, “A man can only do what his strength allows. Work hard at your cultivation; without power, you’ll always be helpless when it matters most.”

“But don’t grieve too much. My Heavenly Calculations tell me not many here will die. Someone may yet step forward.”

“Really?” Wang Li was unsure whether to believe him.

Just as he was about to shout encouragement to those below, an unexpected commotion broke out.

A short, stout cultivator stood atop a crumbling wall, a black flying sword hovering behind him. His gaze burned as he looked out at the surging tide of Earth Howlers, a smile tugging at his lips.

“I’ve endured for a full sixty years—waiting for this very day!”

Turning to the panicked crowd below and glancing at his airborne fellows, he threw back his head and bellowed to the heavens, “I am Ling Xiao, outer disciple of the Pure Yang Temple! I have long admired Sister Xiao Rou of the inner sect. If I survive this battle, I ask you all to bear witness—when we return, I shall propose to her! I hope you’ll all lend me your support!”

…

At these words, the desperate scene below abruptly fell silent.

Many secretly rolled their eyes.

“Another lovesick fool!”

“Is this really the time for that? Brother, are you out of your mind?”

Even Wang Li found the man’s comedic timing impressive.

Sheng added, “This one’s got a serious case of hero syndrome. Wang Li, don’t you dare copy him—you’d die of embarrassment, never able to show your face again.”

Wang Li replied, “Is this really the time for jokes?”

Sheng said, “I’m not joking. That chubby fellow holds a protagonist’s template. Just watch—he might really save everyone.”

“Him? A mere Foundation Establishment?”

“Never underestimate anyone, Wang Li.”

Wang Li was about to retort when his eyes went wide as saucers, as if he’d witnessed something miraculous.

Many others reacted the same way; some with weaker cultivation nearly tumbled from the sky.

That same Ling Xiao, after his impassioned declaration, stood with hands clasped behind his back, his aura surging, the full might of a Foundation Establishment peak cultivator sweeping the walls and sending clouds of dust swirling.

“Rise, sword!”

With a soft command, the flying sword behind him shot into the air, splitting in two, then again and again, until in a blink, the heavens above his head were filled with tens of thousands of sword shadows.

He raised his right hand, pointing toward the charging horde below. “Attack!”

At his word, the sword shadows shot forth like a rain of meteors toward the Earth Howlers.

The spectacle of tens of thousands of swords sweeping down was overwhelming—a sight that stunned all who watched.

Yet the expected carnage, the blood and gore of flying swords piercing bestial flesh, did not occur.

Countless sword lights flashed—and then… vanished. Truly vanished.

People looked at one another, at a loss to describe this anticlimactic display.

All that commotion, and… that was it?

Wang Li muttered, “Master Sheng, is this really the protagonist’s template you spoke of?”

Sheng replied, “Patience—let the bullets fly a bit longer.”

“Bullets? What’s that?”

Sheng did not answer; instead, it was Ling Xiao below who delivered the real surprise.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Thousands of charging Earth Howlers, without warning, collapsed in their tracks, their massive bodies tumbling forward under their own momentum, raising clouds of dust as countless plants were flattened and broken.

The remaining beasts, seeing their comrades inexplicably fall, panicked and ran amok among the ruins.

Roars echoed, deafening and wild.

Before the stunned crowd of cultivators could react, several thunderous howls rang out. The panicked Earth Howlers retreated toward the city center.

Faced with this bizarre turn, the ten thousand cultivators looked at each other, the same burning question rising in every heart:

What in the world just happened?