Getting Stronger By Fighting-Chapter 665 - 663 Mayor Ju Tian’en_1
Moreover, Wang Zhan had witnessed too much death and separation. Although Han Xue before him was young, she still needed to experience certain trials to mature.
After deciding to keep Han Xue by his side, Wang Zhan led the assembled villagers in a large procession towards Tianxiong City.
Since none of these villagers possessed cultivation, their journey was extremely slow. Even after a full day of travel, they were still tens of miles from Tianxiong City. Furthermore, their stamina had waned along the way, forcing Wang Zhan to call for a temporary rest.
However, just as they were resting, the sound of approaching footfalls reached them. Wang Zhan's expression quickly turned grave. He hastily rose, motioning for everyone to be silent, then swiftly descended the mountain.
The footfalls sounded distant, yet he could sense something approaching their position. Judging by the heavy thuds, they were clearly from beasts.
Realizing this, Wang Zhan quickened his pace, rapidly exiting the mountain forest. Sure enough, a few beasts were pacing back and forth nearby.
Wang Zhan squinted slightly and swiftly approached them. Raising his hand, he rapidly eliminated several of the beasts. Then, his Deep Fire Blade came to rest on the neck of the last one.
"Speak! Why are you here? What are you plotting, lurking around?"
Wang Zhan's face was grim. This area was a major thoroughfare, not a place beasts usually frequented. Unlike humans, beasts didn't need to stick to established routes. Their sudden appearance here was clearly ominous.
The beast eyed Wang Zhan fearfully for a moment. It then recalled the great battle in the mountain forest—it had been one of them. However, it had fled early, which was how it had survived. Seeing Wang Zhan again, how could this beast not be terrified?
Lowering its head, it stammered, "The leader… ordered us to attack Tianxiong City. We are all nearby, preparing."
"Attack Tianxiong City?" Wang Zhan paused, his brows knitting slightly. He pressed further, "As far as I know, isn't Tianxiong City a major fortress? The city lord of Tianxiong City is highly capable. Therefore, it hasn't been disturbed by beasts for years. Why target Tianxiong City all of a sudden?"
The beast quickly explained, "Precisely because Tianxiong City hasn't been attacked for many years, we've gathered considerable energy. Many other beasts from the surrounding areas have also converged here, aiming to conquer Tianxiong City in one decisive blow. Their city lord is indeed extremely formidable, but we are well-prepared this time. We believe even he won't be able to stop our advance." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Wang Zhan's expression shifted. This meant their plans had to change. War was imminent in Tianxiong City. Even if the city lord could mount a defense, the beasts' intentions were clearly hostile. A great battle was unavoidable, and even if the beasts failed to conquer the city, there would still be heavy casualties.
At this thought, Wang Zhan's expression tensed. Clenching his fist, he asked, "What is the strength of your leader?"
The beast hesitated, but seeing Wang Zhan's fiery red pupils, it dared not withhold anything. "Our leader has reached the cultivation of a level 7 Beast, and several of his protectors are at the level of level 6 Beasts."
The color drained from Wang Zhan's face. Admittedly, such a lineup was extremely formidable. He would be hard-pressed to win even if he used all his trump cards. After all, a level 7 Beast was considered a peak existence, at least on this current plane.
Reflecting on this, Wang Zhan frowned slightly. "Is this information reliable?"
The beast quickly replied, "I know who you are. We just fought you a few days ago, so how would I dare deceive you? Everything I said is the truth."
The beast was already scared out of its wits; it wouldn't dare utter a single falsehood.
Wang Zhan stared at it for a long moment, then swiftly raised his hand and brought it down hard on its neck. In an instant, the beast before him was finished.
Then, wielding his Deep Fire Blade, he summoned Fire Dragons to obliterate any trace of the slain beasts. Afterwards, he rapidly made his way back towards the villagers.
A few minutes later, Wang Zhan reappeared before them.
Xiang Tian and Luo Xue quickly approached him. Xiang Tian immediately asked with concern, "How did it go? Nothing happened, right?"
Wang Zhan frowned slightly as he relayed everything he had learned down the mountain to the assembled group.
Almost instantly, the villagers' faces turned grim. Even those who had been resting stood up one after another.
A villager stood up abruptly. "If that's the case, things have become truly troublesome."
"If even Tianxiong City can't be a refuge, why should we continue there? Besides, with a great battle looming, if we enter Tianxiong City now, we'd just be courting death."
Everyone nodded in agreement, apparently abandoning the idea of proceeding to Tianxiong City.
Wang Zhan gestured, and all eyes immediately focused on him. He was their mainstay, their only hope for survival on the Star War Battlefield; they knew they had to follow his lead.
"Hear me out," Wang Zhan said. "We may not go into Tianxiong City for now, but we have nowhere else to go either. For the moment, the best place for us is just outside Tianxiong City. We can wait until the battle between the beasts and the city's defenders is over. Then, we can look for another place to go."
Everyone nodded. Though worries lingered, Wang Zhan's presence among them made those fears seem less significant.
Without wasting time, Wang Zhan led the group to set out again. Time was life, and they didn't know when or where more beasts might appear. If they delayed and got caught in another fight, it might buy some time for those in Tianxiong City, but it would plunge these villagers into difficult times.
The group quickened their pace, traveling through the night. By daybreak, they had arrived at the outskirts of Tianxiong City.
Indeed, Tianxiong City's location offered some advantages. Beyond its walls, numerous forests served as natural barriers, allowing Wang Zhan and the villagers to hide and stay out of the beasts' line of sight.
However, what would happen once the battle truly began remained uncertain.
"Mr. Wang, do we intend to stay here?" a village elder asked respectfully, approaching Wang Zhan.
All the villagers were crouching low, using the forest for cover, careful not to make a sound.
Wang Zhan nodded slightly. "Let's stay here for now and observe the situation in Tianxiong City. If they can hold off the beasts, we'll try to join them. Of course, if they can't, we'll do our best to help them. In that case, they would be less likely to leave us stranded."
Clearly, Wang Zhan had considered all possibilities. The others nodded, ready to follow his lead.
「Meanwhile, inside Tianxiong City.」
Although the demonic beasts were preparing to attack Tianxiong City, the city itself was also making preparations, having received word of the impending assault.
Inside the City Lord's Mansion, City Lord Ju Tian'en sat proudly at the head of the main hall, flanked by the city's foremost experts.
Ju Tian'en's gaze swept over them. "I presume you've all heard about the beasts' intentions. It won't be long before they launch a full-scale attack on us. Our most urgent task is to devise a foolproof plan; otherwise, we'll stand little chance against those ruthless creatures."
The experts' faces fell. Though Tianxiong City was reputed to be the largest and one of the most fortified cities in the vicinity, it had faced considerably fewer tough battles in recent years. The cultivation of its experts had stagnated. If they encountered powerful demonic beasts and Ju Tian'en himself was tied down, Tianxiong City would become a dead city.
All eyes turned to Ju Tian'en. Everyone was waiting for his decision, knowing that only by following his lead could they hope to ensure Tianxiong City's survival and protect their own lives. Their families had lived in Tianxiong City for years; if the city fell to the demonic beasts, the consequences would be dire.
"Can't any of you think of something?" Ju Tian'en demanded, his face grim. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Does everything have to be done by me personally?"
"City Lord," one of them said, "we can't think of a good plan at the moment. When the beasts attack, apart from fighting to the death, what other countermeasures can we possibly take?"
Most inhabitants of Tianxiong City were ordinary citizens. Although many warriors guarded the city walls, and the experts gathered here were meant to defend the city, everyone knew their current fighting strength was utterly insufficient against an endless horde of beasts.
This was a futile effort – like throwing an egg against a rock.
