Chapter 56: Chaotic Battle between Magical Beasts
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Sometime later, a green fog had expanded to a kilometer radius around Yang Ling. The green fog got thicker the closer it was to Yang Ling.
Wild beasts discovered that their wounds would miraculously close and stop bleeding when they touched the green fog, and so they began to instinctively charge toward the area where the fog was thickest. Slowly, more and more wild beasts and Magical Beasts gathered in the area, all devouring the rarely-seen green mist.
At the start, the beasts mostly ignored each other as they sought to consume the green mist as quickly as possible. Even natural enemies such as pythons and forest rats, Cloud Leopards and Twin-headed Deer, minded their own business. But the scene turned chaotic with the arrival of a group of Wind Wolves.
Like Evil Eyes and Horned Bee Beasts, Wind Wolves were Magical Beasts that moved together in packs, several hundred of them often appearing at the same time. They were also low level Magical Beasts, but their individual offensive and defensive capabilities were much more powerful than those of the Evil Eyes. The wolves were not only nimble and fast, they also possessed wind dagger spells.
Seeing the hordes of Magical Beasts blocking their path, the leader of the wolf pack let out a howl before instructing the five hundred odd Wind Wolves under its command to scatter and howl as they moved. Experienced wild beasts knew that this was a prelude to an attack by the wolves. It was a threatening move frequently used by the wolf pack.
After hesitating for a moment, a few lone wild beasts like the Twin-headed Deers and antelopes had no choice but to leave as they saw the pack of wolves slowly approaching them. Even though the green fog was immensely beneficial for their bodies, their lives were of more importance. Only a few powerful Magical Beasts and wild beasts that moved in packs refused to leave, counting on their numbers advantage.
Aooo…
Seeing that there were still several wild beasts blocking their way, the leader of the wolf pack finally lost its patience. It let out a long howl and led five hundred Wind Wolves to charge toward a group of Arrow Pigs.
Even though Arrow Pigs were not Magical Beasts, they had sharp teeth and could shoot out the hard, sharp fur on their bodies when threatened. This, coupled with their massive numbers, made them rather powerful. If the Arrow Pigs were not the weakest of all the wild beasts present, the leader of the wolves wouldn’t have been willing to engage them in direct combat.
Indeed, seeing the wolf pack pounce ferociously toward them, the Arrow Pigs were not willing to display weakness. They quickly got into a tight circular defensive formation and shot out their long fur following a long squeal from their leader.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Following the sounds of the fur slicing through the air, the concentrated rain of arrows turned the dozens of Wind Wolves in front into porcupines. But with the distance closed, it was time for the Wind Wolves to display their might. They opened mouths full of sharp fangs and shot out sharp wind daggers, massacring the Arrow Pigs.
Seeing that they were outmatched in close combat, the calf-sized leader of the Arrow Pigs let out a loud roar before leading dozens of muscular Arrow Pigs to charge forward, hoping to disrupt the Wind Wolves’ battle formation. But it was to no avail. They had not even got near to the Wind Wolves when their bodies were cut by the barrage of wind daggers. Following that, the leader of the wolves charged forward with a group of ferocious Wind Wolves, tearing the advancing Arrow Pigs into shreds in the blink of an eye.
Seeing that they were no match for the wolves, the Arrow Pigs could only give up and try to escape. However, the Wind Wolves did not pursue the Arrow Pigs like they usually would have. In order to occupy an area where the green mist was thicker, they started to attack a group of Gold Thread Pythons not far away from Yang Ling.
The body of each Gold Thread Python was thicker than a milk pail, and the longest of them was almost twenty meters in length. They had alternating black and white bands on their bodies, their backs adorned with a gold pattern. They not only had immense physical strength, they also possessed a lethal poison. Prey that they poisoned would turn black and be rendered unable to breathe in the blink of an eye.
The Wind Wolves were unable to gain an advantage over the three hundred Gold Thread Pythons that were retaliating with all their might, even though the wolves outnumbered the snakes almost two-to-one. The wolves could avoid the poisonous fangs of the snakes, but they would often be flicked away by the snakes’ powerful tails. The two groups were evenly matched, with no clear victor. At the same time, the other Magical Beasts also tried to take advantage of the commotion and press forward.
Unlike the average day, their wounds would slowly stop bleeding as long as the injury was not fatal. In fact, they could regain their stamina within a short span of time. Thus, some Magical Beasts were not afraid to launch attacks on the more powerful beasts blocking their way. Slowly, the battles became more and more chaotic.
Buffeted by the roaring sounds of the massacre, Yang Ling slowly came to his senses. He opened his eyes to see the war around him, countless Magical Beasts fighting with each other like manic dogs. He was shocked, almost falling from the top of the tree.
A great competition between Magical Beasts?
Watching the crazed massacres unfolding outside the Maze Formation, Yang Ling could not help but feel his skin crawl. After observing coldly for a minute and seeing several weaker Magical Beasts hiding further away to devour the green fog, he gained a general understanding of why the Magical Beasts were slaughtering each other.
Just as Yang Ling was watching the spectacle of the Magical Beasts entwined in combat, a black cloud flew in suddenly from the horizon. It was immensely fast, arriving above the green fog in the blink of an eye. Looking at it, Yang Ling discovered that the black cloud was actually made up of a group of black Lightning Birds.
According to the memories of the Unicorn, the Lightning Birds had great offensive capabilities and could release bolts of powerful purple lightning despite being level six Magical Beasts. Also, they often appeared in large groups. Even a Sword Saint would have to find another path when he encountered a large group of Lightning Birds.
After circling around the thick green fog, the Lightning Birds quickly dove toward the Wind Wolves and Gold Thread Pythons on the ground. Yang Ling heaved a sigh of relief as he confirmed that his location had not been exposed for the time being.
With a screech, the horde of Lightning Birds released bolts of thick lightning, electrifying several Wind Wolves and Gold Thread Pythons to a crisp. They then flashed forward, grabbing with their half-inch long sharp talons, digging out even the internal organs of their prey.
In their frenzy, some Lightning Birds even carried their struggling prey into the air and split them apart with both their talons. Internal organs and fresh blood rained down onto the ground, creating a gory sight.
The Lightning Birds not only attacked the Wind Wolves and Gold Thread Pythons, they even attacked the Short-legged Horses and the Komodo Cloud Leopards that were hiding in the thinner areas of the fog. It looked like they were prepared to monopolize this rare green fog. Understanding the motive of the Lightning Birds, the rest of the Magical Beasts were unwilling to back down, and they all joined forces to launch a counter attack. In that moment, the battle between the birds and the other Magical Beasts raged, their roars filling the air. Luckily, due to the effects of the Maze Formation, the Magical Beasts did not notice Yang Ling’s presence for the time being.
In the chaotic battle, none of the Magical Beasts noticed that the green fog was slowly becoming dull since Yang Ling had stopped his training. The Lightning Birds and the various Magical Beasts let their bestial instincts take over, their eyes turning red as they fought to the death, as if forgetting their original aim of consuming the green fog.
The Lightning Birds attacked fast and sharp while the alliance of Magical Beasts had the numbers advantage. Despite their insanity, the two parties were evenly matched!
Even though the Lightning Birds were powerful, they were unable to gain a significant advantage against the wind daggers of the Wind Wolves, the poison of the Gold Thread Pythons, the exploding fireballs of the Komodo Cloud Leopards, etc. Instead, some of the weaker, yet rather intelligent beasts, secretly hid near the edge of the battle and consumed a good amount of the green fog. They started to leave silently when they noticed the green fog growing duller.
Defeat on both sides?
Seeing the increasingly injured group of Lightning Birds and Magical Beasts, Yang Ling had a thought. He recalled how he managed to luckily tame the Unicorn while it was heavily injured.