Chapter 235 - 126: Bloody Battle (Part 2)

Before Liang Cheng could answer, a sarcastic voice cut in from the side:

"So what if he’s a Disciple from the Main Courtyard? Just a wet-behind-the-ears brat. How is someone in the True Essence Realm fit to be a captain? He’ll just lead his men to their deaths."

The speaker was a young man with triangular eyes, dressed in a brocade robe. His aura was that of the True Essence Late Stage Realm.

Ye Zhiqiu’s expression darkened. "Yang Xian, what’s the meaning of this?"

Ye Zhiqiu explained in a low voice.

He was Yang Xian, a member of the Yang Family and Yang Chen’s older cousin.

"I mean exactly what I said."

Yang Xian scoffed. "Defending the city isn’t a child’s game. A captain needs strength, not a powerful backer. Some people just swagger around using the Main Courtyard’s name. When a real fight breaks out, I bet they’ll piss their pants."

A few people nearby chuckled softly.

Liang Cheng ignored him. "I’m fine with just working under Senior Brother Ye."

The Steward said flatly, "Are you sure? A squad leader can lead ten men, arrange their own defensive duties, and receive a thirty-percent bonus on their combat merits."

"I’m sure," Liang Cheng said.

Yang Xian sneered from the side but said no more, though a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

...

「Canglan Island, Main Courtyard, Instructor Hall.」

Chen Xuanfeng sat cross-legged on a Jade Couch, his eyes shut tight. The aura around him was profound and mysterious. Suddenly, a purple Jade Pendant at his waist vibrated gently, emitting a soft halo of light.

He opened his eyes and tapped it with a fingertip. An urgent voice came from the Jade Pendant:

"Elder Chen, please come to the council hall. An urgent report from Bibo City: The Barrier in the High Seas is fluctuating abnormally. A Sea Beast Tide has been confirmed. The entire city is under lockdown."

Chen Xuanfeng’s brow furrowed. When he arrived at the council hall, the upper echelons of the Main Courtyard were already seated. After a round of discussion, they all began to make their own preparations.

Chen Xuanfeng’s expression was grim.

The initial assessment was a medium-scale Sea Beast Tide, but the reason for the Barrier’s fluctuation was unknown, and there were even signs of it expanding. Bibo City had already activated its City Defense Array, and the City Lord’s Mansion was conscripting all Martial Artists in the city to aid in the defense.

’I can’t believe Liang Cheng ran into this after returning to Bibo City with Ye Zhiqiu for a celebration. Now they’re trapped. But with the shipping lanes cut off, it will take some time for the Main Courtyard to send reinforcements.’

’Liang Cheng, Zhiqiu, you have to hold on.’

...

「Yunhai City, Treasure Pavilion.」

In a secret room on the fourth floor, Qian Wanjing sat behind a Black Sandalwood Table, clutching a Jade Slip that had just arrived. The expression on his pudgy face was constantly shifting.

Across from him, a black-robed Steward stood with his head bowed, not daring to breathe too loudly.

"Bibo City... Sea Beast Tide..."

Qian Wanjing repeated in a murmur, a glint in his eyes.

After a long moment, he suddenly burst out laughing. His laughter grew louder and louder until he was roaring, rocking back and forth, almost crying.

"Excellent! A truly timely rain!"

The black-robed Steward kept his head bowed in silence.

Qian Wanjing wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes, his voice abruptly turning cold. "Is Liang Cheng in Bibo City right now?"

"Yes. According to our informant, he went out to sea with Ye Zhiqiu, was attacked by a Fierce Beast, and is now trapped in the city. He’s been assigned to the city defense roster."

"City defense..."

Qian Wanjing tapped his fingers on the table. TAP. TAP. TAP. ’Swords have no eyes, and Demon Beasts have no mercy. Dying in battle while defending the city... nothing could be more normal.’

The black-robed Steward’s heart went cold.

"How many people do we have in Bibo City?" Qian Wanjing asked.

"On the surface, we have a Shopkeeper and seventeen clerks. In the shadows, we have a Medicine Collection Team. That’s forty-two people in total. The highest cultivation among them is the True Essence Late Stage Realm."

’Ah, Liang Cheng. If you had died in the Main Courtyard, that old bastard Chen Xuanfeng would have launched a full investigation. But if you die in the Beast Tide... that’s just bad luck.’

He took a sip of tea, the corners of his mouth curling up.

’If you have to blame someone, blame your own rotten luck.’

...

「Dusk. Bibo City’s Outer City, the seventh section of the East City Wall.」

This section of the wall was about a hundred feet high and thirty feet wide. Behind the crenellations, a Crossbow Carriage was positioned every ten paces, its bolt channel loaded with an Armor-Piercing Crossbow bolt as thick as a man’s arm.

At the base of the wall, boulders and flaming oil were stockpiled. Dozens of Martial Artists bustled about, making preparations.

As the company commander, Ye Zhiqiu’s unit consisted of twenty-eight local Martial Artists from Bibo City, in addition to Liang Cheng. Ten were in the True Qi Realm and eighteen were at the Transformation Force level. Their ages ranged from twenty to forty.

The twenty-eight men looked at Ye Zhiqiu with solemn expressions.

"I am Ye Zhiqiu, a member of the Ye Family, a Disciple of the Main Courtyard, and I am in the True Gang Realm."

Ye Zhiqiu got straight to the point. "For the foreseeable future, we will defend this section of the wall together. My rules are simple: follow orders and do not desert your post. Merits will be rewarded together, and mistakes will be punished together."

His gaze swept over the other twenty-eight men. "If anyone objects, you can request a transfer now."

No one spoke.

"Good." Ye Zhiqiu nodded. "Introduce yourselves, then familiarize yourselves with the defensive equipment. We will defend this wall together."

After the introductions, the men dispersed according to their assignments.

...

「After nightfall, a fog rolled in from the sea.」

A thick, white fog spread from the ocean, gradually blanketing the city wall. The mist carried a salty, fishy smell, along with a faint scent of blood.

Torches lined the top of the wall, but their light became dim and hazy after penetrating the thick fog, illuminating only an area of a few dozen feet.

Liang Cheng stood behind a crenellation, his gaze piercing the fog toward the pitch-black sea.

Suddenly, his ears twitched.

From the distant sea surface came the dense sound of splashing water, like countless schools of fish leaping from the water at once.

It was immediately followed by a sharp screech that tore through the night sky!

"Enemy attack—!"

The warning bell exploded with sound!

The moment the bell rang, all the Martial Artists on the wall tensed up.

Through the thick fog, the dense splashing from the sea surface grew closer like a torrential downpour, interspersed with piercing screeches.

"Get ready—!"

Ye Zhiqiu’s voice boomed across the top of the wall, infused with his True Gang, it reached the ears of every person in the squad with perfect clarity.

Liang Cheng gripped his Zhenxian Saber, standing three paces to Ye Zhiqiu’s left. This was the squad’s vanguard position.

The first dark silhouette broke through the fog.

It was a grotesque, gray-black fish covered in Bone Spikes, nearly two meters long. Its mouth was filled with fine, sharp teeth, and its eyes were scarlet.

It shot up from the sea’s surface, lunging straight for the top of the wall!