Chapter 749: Pacifying Dongjiang

The commander of the Dongjiang Battle Group had changed into a dark gray combat suit today. With an antique-looking Long Saber strapped to his waist, he appeared much more solemn than yesterday.

“How did you sleep?” Qiao Tongyu walked up to him, his gaze also fixed on the Rift.

“Alright.” Xu Wuyi took a sip of water. “When does it start?”

Qiao Tongyu checked the time. “We’ll wait another half hour for the technicians to finish their final adjustments. This time, we need to precisely control the rhythm of the Beast Tide. It can’t be too fast, and it can’t be too slow. We have to draw out those Great Commanders one by one.”

He paused, turning to look at Xu Wuyi with a serious expression. “Don’t be in a rush to make a move later. Wait until I force all six Great Commanders out before you strike. The remaining one should be their boss, and it will only come out at the very end.”

Xu Wuyi nodded without saying much. Qiao Tongyu had explained this plan to him in detail last night, and he understood the intention behind it. If he struck right at the beginning, the Great Commander Level Star Beasts might sense the danger and retreat deep into the Rift, refusing to emerge. If that happened, they would have to painstakingly go inside to clear them out, which would be far more troublesome.

Therefore, the Battle Group had to escalate the pressure layer by layer. This would make the Star Beasts feel that while the enemies outside were strong, they were still within a manageable range. Once the beasts had mobilized all their available forces, Xu Wuyi would strike and wipe them out in one fell swoop.

Half an hour passed quickly.

The sky gradually brightened, and the thin mist began to dissipate. In the distant valley, the technicians were making their final adjustments, the faint hum of various instruments carrying through the air.

Qiao Tongyu raised his hand and spoke into his walkie-talkie, “Begin.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a low rumble echoed from deep within the valley. It was the sound of the Energy Neutralization Device starting up. It was similar to the one used at the Profound Abyssal Rift, but its power output was much lower. Its purpose was not to close the Rift, but to create an Energy Fluctuation that would make the Star Beasts feel uneasy. This fluctuation would make the Star Beasts behind the Rift feel that the outside environment was changing and that their territory was being threatened, triggering their instinct to rush out and investigate.

Sure enough, not long after the rumbling began, the Qing-gray Rift started to twist violently. The light on its surface flickered madly as ripples surged from the depths of the Rift and spread outward. Immediately after, the first Star Beast charged out.

It was a Blade-toothed Beast. It was a full size larger than a normal one, and its entire body was covered in Qing-gray scales. The moment it burst out of the Rift, its blood-red eyes scanned its surroundings as it let out a low snarl. Then, it spotted the Battle Group’s defense line in the distance. It paused for a second before unleashing an even more ferocious roar, stretching its four thick, long legs to charge at the defense line.

But it had barely made it fifty meters before being struck by an energy beam. It was fired from an automated turret, cleanly piercing through its skull. The Blade-toothed Beast didn’t even have time to scream before it crashed headfirst into the ground, completely dead.

But this was just the beginning.

The death of that Blade-toothed Beast actually stimulated the Star Beasts behind the Rift. Immediately after, more Star Beasts flooded out. Blade-toothed Beasts, Red Fang Beasts, and Bone Spike Beasts swarmed in densely packed hordes, tumbling over each other to get out.

The Battle Group immediately sprang into action. The Martial Artists stationed behind the defense line began to strike. The brilliant lights of Martial Techniques illuminated the morning dawn, accurately slaughtering the surging Star Beasts. The automated turrets fired continuously, weaving their energy beams into a dense web of firepower that held the majority of the Star Beasts outside the defense line.

However, the Star Beasts kept pouring out, growing both in number and speed. Those Low-tier Star Beasts possessed low intelligence and only knew how to instinctively charge at their enemies. When the ones in the front were killed, those in the back simply trampled over their comrades’ corpses to continue the assault, wave after wave, seemingly without end.

Standing at the edge of the camp, Xu Wuyi watched all of this quietly. He could clearly sense the stronger auras deep within the Rift. The Great Commander Level Star Beasts were observing the battle outside. They were evaluating—assessing the strength of these outside enemies, determining whether they should intervene, and calculating the most opportune moment to strike.

This was exactly what Qiao Tongyu had planned for. He wanted those Great Commanders to believe that although the outside enemies could fend off ordinary Star Beasts, they were not all that strong. If the Great Commanders struck, they could easily shatter the defense line and tear those pesky humans to shreds.

Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, the first Great Commander appeared.

It was a Rock Armor Commander, standing over five meters tall and covered from head to toe in thick, grayish-brown rock armor. The moment it burst out of the Rift, the surrounding air seemed to stagnate. It unleashed an earth-shattering roar and took heavy strides, charging toward the defense line. With every step it took, the ground trembled violently. The Low-tier Star Beasts blocking its path were mercilessly knocked flying, crashing to the ground where they rolled and wailed.

The Battle Group immediately adjusted their firepower. Several automated turrets locked onto it simultaneously, firing energy beams frantically. However, when the beams struck its heavy rock armor, they only left faint scorch marks, completely failing to harm it in the slightest.

From behind the defense line, a middle-aged Martial Artist stepped forward to meet it. He was an Innate Martial Artist of the Dongjiang Battle Group, specializing in frontal assaults. Gripping a massive War Axe with both hands, his Qi and Blood surged wildly, making him look like a moving mountain.