Chapter 717: Continuing the Charging Herd

Chapter 711: The Beasts Continue Their Rampage

She had just fallen when the Thunder-Clap Behemoth trampled over her. He Lingchuan only saw a cloud of blood mist explode.

At a time like this, the behemoth had, paradoxically, given her a swift end.

"Humans, huh, fools!" Zhu Erniang, who had watched the entire event, scoffed, "I've never understood why anyone would willingly offer themselves as a vessel for a Heavenly God."

One of her eyes noticed He Lingchuan's pale face. "What's wrong with you?"

He scratched the back of his head, feeling a surge of irritation. "Is this always the fate of those who become vessels for Heavenly Gods?"

"Nonsense!" Zhu Erniang sneered. "The power of a Heavenly God is simply not something mortals can withstand. Even if the compatibility is perfect, Heavenly Gods will inevitably wear out and destroy their vessels sooner or later!"

"Are there no Heavenly Gods who can remain in the human world for a long time?" The Hundred-Battles Heavenly God's attitude toward vessels was indeed cold and brutal, treating them purely as disposable items. He Lingchuan now knew that there were many Heavenly Gods, each with a thousand faces, so surely not all of them shared this attitude?

"Basically, no," Zhu Erniang explained to him. "Even in a non-combat state, a Heavenly God's avatar, when confined to a mortal body, feels like wearing shoes several sizes too small—extremely uncomfortable and constricting. What's more, any use will cause wear and tear, no matter how careful they are."

Zhu Erniang scoffed, "Besides, why would they be careful?"

"I thought they might enjoy life in the human world," He Lingchuan said, self-mockingly. "I heard the conditions in the Divine Realm aren't great."

"One man's meat is another man's poison," Zhu Erniang eyed him askance. "In their own small heavens, they are supreme overlords, and those worlds are born according to their will. Could they possibly be worse than the human world?"

"Oh?" He Lingchuan asked, surprised. "They can create their own small heavens?"

"Of course. Can't you arrange your own mansion however you wish?" Humans, these creatures focused only on the present, had such limited insight. "They merely arrange the space they inhabit."

Dong Rui suddenly interjected, "Hey, look at the Thunder-Clap Behemoths! Where are these giants going now?"

At that moment, the Thunder-Clap Behemoth below had already killed Lu Shishi and exacted its revenge. He Lingchuan had originally thought it would turn back then and return to the Fu Realm through the Eye of the Storm.

After all, Duonao beasts didn't like the human world.

However, the herd showed no intention of returning home. After the leading Thunder-Clap Behemoth trampled Lu Shishi into a pulp, it briefly paused to sniff the air, and then suddenly resumed its furious rampage southward!

To the south lay Lingxu City.

With their leader forging ahead, the other beasts naturally followed suit immediately.

This made no sense, unless—

He Lingchuan understood. "Someone wants to expand tonight's outcome and make Lingxu City even more chaotic."

That person, of course, was still Fang Canran.

He had already committed murder, arson, and explosions, so he wouldn't mind making things bigger, even bigger, right?

"He's too greedy."

Dong Rui let out a strange cry. "Doesn't that mean we'll take the blame for him?"

From Lingxu City's perspective, wrongs have their perpetrators and debts have their debtors; this disaster was entirely caused by the Xu Mountain invaders. He Lingchuan and Dong Rui would have no way to argue that they only committed the first half of the misdeeds, merely vandalizing and burning Xu Mountain, and that releasing giant beasts to attack Lingxu City was not their doing.

Fang Canran's actions were a scheme within a scheme.

He Lingchuan, however, let out a cold laugh. "It's still too early to say who will take the blame for whom."

The Grass Sea defenders, who had previously been scattered by the rampaging behemoths, had finally managed to regroup, and reinforcements from Lingxu City had also just arrived—on this point, the Hundred-Battles Heavenly God had not been boasting—although the Xu Mountain invaders and the Spider Immortal they were looking for had vanished, they couldn't possibly ignore the herd of rampaging, out-of-control Duonao beasts at the scene, could they?

They wanted to force the herd back, but the Duonao beasts were already in full stride. How could they be stopped so easily?

Several great demons attempted to kill the Thunder-Clap Behemoth. Once the herd was headless, it would naturally cease its advance.

But how could it be that simple? The Thunder-Clap Behemoth was also an overlord in the Fu Realm, incredibly thick-skinned and tough-bodied, and the fiery lightning around its body could negate most divine abilities; even primal energy couldn't harm it. It had just charged through a barrier; a solid gate wall, one and a half zhang thick, shattered like paper upon its touch.

The disturbances from the various mighty cultivators only made the Thunder-Clap Behemoth even more furious. Its rapid roars could be heard even within Lingxu City.

Indeed, the herd was now charging directly towards Lingxu City, getting closer and closer.

By this point, Lingxu City likely understood that the reason this Thunder-Clap Behemoth was able to pass through the Eye of the Storm was likely because it had laid its eggs previously, and then engaged in successive brutal battles with the beast tide, sandstorm, and leaderless beasts, leading to a significant drop in its strength.

Its weakened strength, paradoxically, allowed it to pass through the space-time barrier.

However, even a downgraded leader still possessed strength that could not be underestimated. Driven by rage, the Thunder-Clap Behemoth at this moment was unleashing the last vestiges of its life force, proving unstoppable by anyone.

Over twenty spellcasters arrived and jointly set up a battle formation.

Their efficiency in responding to the deployment was remarkably swift. Before the Thunder-Clap herd arrived, they collectively cast a mud swamp spell on its inevitable path.

These creatures were bulky and had poor jumping ability. Once trapped in the mud, they would lose speed.

Without momentum, their charge and destructive potential would decrease by at least eighty percent.

From this, it was also evident that the authorities had excellent emergency response capabilities for sudden crises, especially considering that Lingxu City was already in chaos, yet they still managed to deal with the rampaging Duonao beasts outside the city.

Events unfolded exactly as they had anticipated. The Thunder-Clap herd did not notice the large expanse of mud swamp directly ahead, and led by the Thunder-Clap Behemoth, plunged headfirst into it.

By the time they realized it, the soft, wet mud had already reached their haunches, extending up to their bellies.

With no leverage underfoot, the Thunder-Clap beasts could only roar in frustration, trapped in the mud.

The people of Lingxu City breathed a sigh of relief.

Dong Rui, watching the spectacle from Apricot Mountain, couldn't help but feel a touch of regret. "Alas, is this all there is?"

No sooner had he spoken than the Thunder-Clap Behemoth suddenly turned its head to look at the small grove, as if it knew the spellcasters who set the formation were hiding within.

With a low growl, several thick, bluish-purple lightning bolts descended from the sky, crashing into the small grove with several loud cracks.

Too far away, He Lingchuan couldn't tell what was happening in the grove, but he assumed it wouldn't be pleasant.

However, the vast mud swamp remained, and the Thunder-Clap herd was still trapped within it.

Lingxu City's army arrived. Taking advantage of their immobility, they quickly began slaying them.

For a moment, purple blood flowed everywhere, almost dyeing the entire mud swamp red.

The Thunder-Clap Behemoth saw its subjects being slaughtered, its small eyes blazing blood-red, and suddenly let out several whistle-like roars.

These roars were exceptionally loud, audible even to residents in northern Lingxu City.

He Lingchuan recalled something. When the Fu Realm faced the encroachment of the beast tide and giant sandstorms, the Thunder-Clap Behemoth had also emitted such roars, like a declaration.

Immediately afterward, lightning burst forth from the body of every Thunder-Clap beast.

The herd members were huddled very close together, and lightning snakes crackled and slithered among them, as if tying each behemoth together.

Then, the Thunder-Clap Behemoth, as their leader, surged forward with all its might, its other members following closely.

At first, they were deeply mired, struggling to move. But as the lightning on the behemoths' bodies grew brighter, these flesh-and-blood machines actually began to move forward.

First, they shuffled forward little by little, and then their speed rapidly increased!

Dong Rui couldn't help but rub his eyes, but Zhu Erniang watched closely. "These things are floating!"

The foremost Thunder-Clap Behemoth had already climbed out of the mud. He Lingchuan, squinting against the blinding electrical light, looked closely, and found that the behemoth was not actually four-legged on the ground, but rather maintaining a small distance from it.

Good heavens, floating?

Because of the high gravity in the Fu Realm, Thunder-Clap beasts weighed far less than human world creatures of similar size, and they also possessed a special substance within their bodies—levitation stones.

This substance had originally evolved in Duonao beasts to counteract gravity, and combined with the Thunder-Clap Behemoth's innate mastery of lightning—

Under its leadership, hundreds of Thunder-Clap beasts in the entire herd astonishingly lifted off the ground, traversing and charging through the entire mud swamp while suspended.

Other types of Duonao beasts were not so lucky.

He Lingchuan on Apricot Mountain murmured, "That's possible too?! Being able to control lightning is truly advantageous!"

Dong Rui, meanwhile, let out a gasp, his eyes gleaming. "Amazing, simply amazing! Worthy of study!"

He Lingchuan had personally entered the Fu Realm and had even acquired information about Thunder-Clap beasts, but he had never heard of them possessing such a trick.

Lingxu City's army likely hadn't heard either, as they watched the Thunder-Clap herd resume its rampage, looking somewhat at a loss.

Perhaps Lingxu City's hunters had never provoked the Thunder-Clap Behemoth lord before, and consequently, had insufficient knowledge of it. They didn't know that this "locomotive" could actually pull its fellow beasts out of the mud.

This was the true power of a lord-level behemoth—oh, even if it had been downgraded now.

In short, the herd once again thundered towards Lingxu City.

Fan Long, the Grand Commander of the Unity Guards, arrived from an unknown location. His mount, a black dappled beast, was incredibly fast, and after several sprints, it overtook the Thunder-Clap Behemoth and reached the front, to see who was leading the rampaging herd.

He knew very well that someone had deliberately lured the Thunder-Clap Behemoth out of the Eye of the Storm to cause trouble for Lingxu City.

He found that hundreds of Grass Sea defenders were galloping madly, chased by the behemoths, and among them, twenty to thirty stragglers were fleeing towards Lingxu City.

"Turn around!" he roared, giving the command. "All of you, turn west!"

As soon as he arrived, the soldiers gained a rallying point, and indeed, turned their horses westward.

But the behemoths did not turn with them, still charging straight towards Lingxu City.

Fan Long's heart sank. Were the troublemakers not among these scattered soldiers?

But there was no leader in front anymore.

What exactly was attracting the Thunder-Clap Behemoth, making it continuously charge towards Lingxu City?

He searched ahead for a long time, his gaze fixed on the sky, and his heart sank into an icy abyss.

Could it be a bird demon holding the bait? This would be troublesome.

When the Duonao herd ran, the ground shook more violently than an earthquake, and flocks of birds from nearby mountains and forests were startled into flight, cawing and circling in mid-air. Thus, the sky was no calmer than the ground.

Now, with the night sky pitch black, it would be impossible to precisely distinguish the one causing mischief from thousands of birds!

He Lingchuan and the others remained on Apricot Mountain, watching as the herd advanced like a bulldozer. They flattened houses they encountered, snapped trees they came across, and ran into people...

In any case, they were carving a broad path directly for themselves.