Chapter 64: Strange Beasts Become the Sea

Both old men were shouting commands, silver light erupting from their mouths and noses, forming ripples that spread outwards. Their immense voices echoed throughout the entire mountainous region.

They ran down the mountain peaks, rushing towards their respective camps. Upon receiving the orders, the leaders quickly made arrangements, organizing their forces for battle, and began contacting Lin Nuoyi, Jiang Luoshen, and others who were deeper in the mountains.

***

The mountain air was heavy and stifling, creating an oppressive atmosphere that made people feel suffocated and deeply uncomfortable. Despite a clear sky, the air felt dense, making breathing difficult, as if a heavy stone pressed upon their chests, causing an unbearable stuffiness. It was the calm before a storm, an oppressive and deathly silence waiting to be violently shattered. The area was eerily still, with no rustling of leaves or sounds of life, yet it sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

Two old men stood on separate mountain peaks, their expressions grave. They were on high alert, preparing to receive those returning from deeper within the mountains. On the outskirts of White Snake Ridge, both the wildlife and the extraordinary beings were deeply unsettled, experiencing a profound sense of dread, their very souls trembling under an extreme weight of oppression.

Team after team of people began to move, evacuating the area. "Stay alert!" someone shouted. They couldn't retreat too far, as they still had to guide the people returning from deep within White Snake Ridge.

Suddenly, the two old men's expressions changed. They sensed danger, and even they, powerful as they were, felt their hairs stand on end. Soon, the extraordinary beings also sensed it, shivering as if targeted by primeval beasts, and they frantically looked out.

In the distance, indistinct figures of creatures began to appear. "Oh my god, so many fierce beasts, they're everywhere!" an extraordinary being cried out, shattering the stillness.

Beast after beast appeared silently, slowly approaching the area. It was terrifying; their numbers were vast, yet they advanced in complete silence, systematically encircling the area from all directions. It was this very silence and oppressive atmosphere that unsettled everyone, causing waves of fear to ripple through them. These were mere beasts, yet they advanced with such unity and discipline, aiming to encircle all the extraordinary beings. Moreover, they belonged to different species, yet there was no conflict between them; they didn't harm each other in the slightest, with their sole target being humanity.

A wild, bloody stench filled the air as beast after beast burst from the valleys and pressed in from the forests, a dense, endless wave. As they drew closer, the forms of these beasts became clear: golden-furred monkeys, wild wolves with bodies like cast bronze, boars as massive as armored vehicles, and green snakes as thick as water buckets… These were monsters, unlike any normal species, already mutated and clearly formidable—hordes of mutated beasts.

Everyone knew this was disastrous; the combined appearance of so many terrifying mutated beasts would surely be a catastrophe for the extraordinary beings in Mount Taihang. Each mutated beast exuded a highly dangerous aura, their eyes cold and sinister as they slowly approached, instilling panic.

"Intercept them!" someone gave the order. The distance was ideal for a firearms barrage; otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable once they got closer.

Bang bang bang… Gunshots roared through the mountains, tongues of fire spitting out as boundless firepower was unleashed, and explosions echoed one after another. Boom boom boom… Artillery fire also began, and on the opposite mountainside, giant trees snapped, rocks shattered, and a layer of earth was peeled away.

However, these mutated beasts were incredibly agile; they began to lie low before the gunfire intensified, hiding in depressions and behind large rocks, exceptionally vigilant. Their movements were swift. The eyes of each mutated beast were deep and seemingly intelligent; they remained very calm, showing no panic when bombarded by gunfire.

"Ah…" Screams pierced the air. Someone dropped their weapon, half an arm bitten off. A silver giant rat, a full three feet long, appeared, its mouth filled with blood and sharp teeth, looking incredibly ferocious. It burst from an underground hole, moving with terrifying speed. In just a few leaps, it caused over a dozen more people to shriek in agony, their arms broken or savagely bitten off. The large silver-furred rat was incredibly fierce, darting through the crowd and continuously injuring people. An extraordinary being attacked, striking with immense force, but discovered that the silver rat's body was incredibly tough; a mere shake of its fur could dissipate the force and deflect the blow.

*Crack!* The moment it turned its head, it bit off the extraordinary being's hand, exposing splinters of white bone.

"Snakes! So many venomous snakes!" Soon, someone else cried out from another area. In the grass, not one or two, but thousands of snakes were wriggling and surging forward. People screamed in terror; the sight made their scalps tingle. Machine gun fire cut down many snakes, leaving them mangled and battered. But more snakes surged forward, so dense they seemed endless. And just then, several lightning-fast mutated snakes surged forward with terrifying lethality.

*Thwack, thwack, thwack…* A silver snake, the length of a chopstick, shot through the air repeatedly, piercing directly through people's foreheads, each strike fatal. In an instant, over a dozen people were killed, half of them extraordinary beings. Several other snakes, not much weaker, seemed to ride the wind; wherever they passed, anyone bitten would turn black and die. Thousands of snakes wreaked havoc in the mountain forest, a sight that made people shiver and their skin crawl.

Roar! The fierce beasts from a distance charged forward, taking advantage of the chaos and weakening firepower. Their eyes glinted with savagery as they lunged madly.

"Don't run! Artillery fire! Kill them all!" someone roared. Both Heavenly God Bio and Bodhi Gene's formations were in disarray, enveloped by fear, and people began to flee in panic.

Boom boom boom… Tongues of fire spat and artillery fire was incessant, indeed killing some mutated beasts, with some blasted into mangled flesh, their bodies obliterated. But the firepower quickly weakened, lacking sustained force. This was because various venomous snakes surged forward, and many cunning mutated beasts, hiding behind rocks, crawled forward, killing their way right to the people's positions.

A golden monkey howled; though not particularly large, resembling an ordinary ape, it possessed immense strength and incredible brutality. With a wet tearing sound, it ripped a human being apart alive.

"Awooo..." A wolf howl shook the sky. A bronze-colored wolf, incredibly fierce, forced its way close; bullets striking its body merely sparked, completely ineffective. After its mutation, its flesh and blood body had turned into bronze, making it impervious to firearms. It lunged closer, its ferocity unleashed, and with a single sweep of its sharp claws, it cut two extraordinary beings in half at the waist.

"Run!" People screamed, and panic spread like wildfire. There was also a wolf that seemed carved from stone; wherever it passed, it strangely turned many people into stone statues, possessing a bizarre petrification ability.

*CRASH!* An armored vehicle was sent flying by a wild boar, crashing into the crowd. The scene was horrific, with many people crushed beneath it, their bodies mangled. That wild boar was immensely huge, taller than the armored vehicle, its tusks gleaming like broadswords. It rampaged wildly, unstoppable.

"Run!" The forces on the outskirts of White Snake Ridge could no longer hold on; they had never experienced anything so bloody, and some individuals' minds simply broke. They fled deeper into the mountain ridge. They had originally intended to rendezvous with those inside, but instead, they were forced deeper themselves.

Panic spread, and with a portion of their forces fleeing, how could the others fight with peace of mind? The result was a complete rout; even the leaders' shouts were useless.

"Bomb them! Kill them all!" the old man from Heavenly God Bio roared, his eyes red from killing many mutated beasts. But what could he alone salvage? Left with no choice, he too retreated, ordering the armed helicopters to provide covering fire and bomb the monsters. Bodhi Gene's side fared no better; their old man was covered in beast blood and eventually retreated in disarray.

The two powerful conglomerates had hidden multiple armed helicopters on the outskirts of the mountain ridge. They now roared into action, strafing the forest below with fierce firepower.

*BOOM!* In the mountains, a great snake as thick as a water bucket surprisingly lunged from a mountain peak, rearing upright. With a loud *snap*, it whipped its tens-of-meters-long body, savagely smashing a helicopter in half, which then crashed with a rumble.

"Oh my god!" Upon witnessing this, many people's hearts trembled; these monsters were truly terrifying.

At the same time, bird cries echoed in the air. A massive hawk, six or seven meters long, appeared like lightning across the sky, catching up to a helicopter. With a *snap*, its sharp talons tore the helicopter apart directly; not even steel could withstand it, the aircraft destroyed as if it were made of paper. This scene was utterly shocking to everyone; even aircraft were useless, torn apart by fierce birds.

*THUD!* Not far away, another armed helicopter was also attacked, the sight horrifying. A woodpecker, not very large, only a bit over a foot long, gleamed silver all over as if cast from metal, its body incredibly hard. Especially its beak, long and sharp, glowing with silver light, pierced through the helicopter. It flew directly inside, and then screams continuously erupted from within. Its beak covered in blood, it quickly flew out, and the helicopter crashed to the ground with a *boom*, flames surging tens of meters high.

"It's over! We humans... we face disaster!" Someone trembled, their face ashen, utterly terrified. At this moment, many thought of the future: if so many fierce monsters, appearing in droves, were to attack humanity, the consequences would be unpredictable. Perhaps this was merely a preview, signaling a terrifying future. These monsters had gained intelligence, launching organized attacks: fierce beasts targeted those on the ground, while fierce birds destroyed aircraft.

The Heavenly God Bio and Bodhi Gene forces, originally ambushed outside, suffered a complete rout, fleeing into the depths of White Snake Ridge. Soon, they encountered the people who had been trying to evacuate the area.

"Didn't you say you were withdrawing? Why are you running in yourselves?""No escape, the outside is surrounded by monsters, thousands upon thousands, packed densely.""We're surrounded! Monsters are everywhere, each one bloody and brutal! We're no match for them!"

After the two groups converged and exchanged quick words, an atmosphere of terror spread. Everyone panicked, trapped in the mountain range, with no clear way to escape.

"Don't be afraid," the old man from Bodhi Gene said, his snow-white hair flecked with beast blood. He was awe-inspiring, having just killed a mutated leopard over six meters long and thrown its massive carcass to the ground with a rumble that made the earth tremble slightly. "There are fewer than eight hundred true mutated beasts. The rest are just ordinary wild animals summoned by them. We have thousands of extraordinary beings here; we can easily crush them."

Jiang Luoshen walked to his side, speaking softly to understand the situation, then announced, "Everyone, don't panic. It's nothing major, just some wild beasts. Four or five of us together can kill one and wipe them all out!" The national goddess's words of comfort were highly effective. Many who were still panicking gradually calmed down; if such a charming and beautiful woman could remain so composed and fearless, they too shouldn't be so cowardly. On the other side, with Heavenly God Bio, Lin Nuoyi was also listening as the old man with a youthful complexion and hair like a crane's plumage explained the details.

***

Thousands of extraordinary beings gathered, preparing to counterattack and fight their way out of White Snake Ridge. Chu Feng witnessed all of this firsthand, sensing the gravity of the situation. He knew many people would surely die today, as these mutated beasts had developed human-like intelligence, making them extremely formidable.

Afterwards, he looked into the distance again. At this moment, the big black ox was "educating" the yellow ox. The yellow ox intended to shell all the pine nuts from the entire pine cone, but the big black ox stopped it, advising it to quietly extract only a few dozen nuts. "There's a formidable character behind these mutated beasts," the big black ox said. "We might even have to offer tribute and hand over this pine cone. So, let's shell half the pine nuts and hide them first." It guessed that this pine cone had long been claimed by a terrifying beast king, who had specifically dispatched a silver snake to guard it. However, it seemed the mutated beast king wasn't particularly concerned about the purple-gold pine cone; otherwise, it would have taken it long ago. Perhaps it was more interested in observing human actions and understanding their firearms.

The big black ox remained remarkably calm, swaggering confidently with the yellow ox towards the beast horde, completely unperturbed. Behind them, Chu Feng watched, utterly speechless. These two oxen were far too casual, just slowly and calmly walking away? He wanted to follow but stopped himself. He was human, and if discovered by the mutated beasts, he would undoubtedly face a fierce assault.

The yellow ox, showing its loyalty, mooed a few times to tell the big black ox that a friend was still behind them and should be taken along. "Do you know the saying, 'A clay Buddha crossing a river can't even save itself'?" the big black ox said, casting a sideways glance. "That's you. You might not even get out of here alive yourself, so how can you worry about others?" "Let's leave first and see who exactly is behind these mutated beasts," the big black ox said. "If we can save your friend, I don't mind giving him a hand."

Then, they headed towards the edge of White Snake Ridge, approaching the beast horde. While still quite far away, the big black ox called out, "Brothers, you've worked hard!"

What? That works? In the distance, Chu Feng stared, dumbfounded. The big black ox acted like a charlatan, remarkably calm, swaying casually as it approached. It spoke intimately, saying, "Brothers of all races are one family. You've worked hard in today's battle."

All the mutated beasts stared at it, looking puzzled. Having gained intelligence and extraordinary memories, they were sure they had never seen this big black ox before; it didn't seem like a mutated beast from Mount Taihang. But they also knew this ox was terrifying because it could actually speak human language.

The big black ox was completely at ease, unhurriedly stepping with its hooves. "All within the four seas are brothers," it declared. "No need to be strangers. Passing by Mount Taihang today, I unexpectedly stumbled upon such a grand event, so I came uninvited. Do my brothers need old me to lend a hand?" From behind, the yellow ox secretly scorned it. This great charlatan could really deceive; it was clearly here to steal the purple-gold pine cone, yet it spoke with such righteous grandeur.

Then, the big black ox introduced itself: "I am from the Flaming Mountain in the west, named Ox Demon King." Behind him, Chu Feng was astonished. Could the big black ox from Western Kunlun Mountain truly be the legendary Ox Demon King?

The beast horde stirred. An entity that could speak human language was utterly terrifying, and they dared not treat it lightly. Several particularly powerful mutated beasts nodded towards the big black ox, some even bowing slightly, to show respect. The big black ox held its head high, accepting their homage. Then, it casually strolled, leading the yellow ox, right into the midst of the beast horde. It was simply... leaving!

This actually worked? Behind, Chu Feng clicked his tongue in disbelief; these two oxen were leaving far too easily.

*Hiss, hiss…* Suddenly, a silver snake the length of a chopstick reared up, flicking its tongue on a rock, seemingly communicating something. The beast horde erupted into chaos. The eyes of all mutated beasts turned cold as they stared at the big black ox, radiating killing intent.

"Halt! I am the Ox Demon King! Who dares to be presumptuous with this King!" The big black ox stood there, letting out a sharp roar, glaring at all the mutated beasts.

"Whoosh!" The silver snake was the first to move, rushing forward. Then, the other mutated beasts also attacked; despite some fear, they began their siege.