Chapter 135: Those who strike at their own kin shall be executed without mercy!
When Zhang Ze saw the scene before him, he was dumbfounded in an instant.
What on earth were these? Green-skinned, three-headed monsters, six-legged beasts of burden, and some even bore wings that spanned the sky.
Without exception, every one of these creatures charged straight toward Anqing City!
As for the figures ahead of these beasts—Duan Qingkuang and another—they barely caught his attention.
Among the creatures was a four-hoofed killer, its body covered in reddish-brown long fur, its roar shaking the heavens and earth.
Woody sensed the beast's formidable strength and without hesitation raised his greatsword and charged forward.
Commander Qi was equally swift, rallying the soldiers nearby to intercept the beasts.
...
At this moment, Zhuang Ting, a fourth-rank martial artist, did not charge forward. Instead, she stood firmly in front of Zhang Ze and the others.
In a deep voice, she commanded, “Zhang Ze, you two return to the city!”
Within the star beast horde lurked a terrifying presence; Zhuang Ting dared not delay.
Given Zhang Ze and his companion’s current state, staying would not allow them to form an effective fighting force.
As Zhang Ze and his companion were about to retreat, he caught sight of Zhou Yonghao’s disdainful glare not far away.
Disdain!
Almost instantly, Zhang Ze read the contempt in his eyes.
He stopped in his tracks and growled at Zhuang Ting, “Why are these second- and third-rank soldiers allowed to advance?”
Before she could answer, Zhang Ze quickly checked the actual data of several star beasts through the system.
First-rank, second-rank…
Though these star beasts looked terrifying, their cultivation levels were not high.
Only two or three of the more formidable beasts had been intercepted by Woody and Commander Qi.
Zhuang Ting was initially taken aback by Zhang Ze’s words but immediately fell silent.
“Then stay close to me—we must face them!”
No sooner had she spoken than Zhuang Ting charged into the star beast horde.
Zhang Ze and Zhang Yue exchanged a glance and quickly followed.
Boom—
It must be said, though many star beasts appeared ferocious, each swing of Zhang Ze’s iron rod felled a “little friend” with ease.
Within moments, he had smashed five or six four-hoofed beasts to death!
Of course, they were all merely first-rank.
...
The old man inside the affairs building felt the impact of the star beast assault on the garrison clearly.
However, such a small-scale beast tide did not arouse his concern.
His figure appeared above Anqing City, his gaze sweeping the nearby beast tide, his brow furrowing deeply.
“Heh heh…”
“The people of Jiuhua Sect still aren’t behaving properly, even here!”
Muttering to himself, the old man did not hurry to take action.
...
Zhang Ze grew more and more engrossed with smashing.
Everyone had an innate desire to destroy ugly things.
Especially since Zhang Ze had witnessed these star beasts devour many soldiers alive during their assault.
The scene was gruesome and chaotic.
The beasts’ continuous roars quickly stoked Zhang Ze’s fighting spirit.
Yet he was unaware that amid the chaotic battlefield, two figures were searching for him.
...
“Uncle Qingkuang, still no sign!”
Duan Hong was anxious.
Though he had never entered star domain space, he had seen the star beasts devour the garrison.
And all of this was their doing!
If discovered, the two of them were as good as dead.
Duan Qingkuang was equally anxious but helpless.
The chaos was overwhelming, making it nearly impossible to find Zhang Ze here.
Just as they were perplexed, a series of roars sounded.
“Zhang Ze!”
Suddenly, hope sparked in their hearts.
...
Had Zhang Ze known that this star beast horde was summoned to kill him, he would never have lingered.
But now, with his third-rank cultivation unleashed, his iron rod swinging relentlessly, and deliberately plunging into the midst of the first- and second-rank star beasts using the system's aid,
He was having a blast.
He thought to himself, what’s so great about you, Zhou Yonghao?
Just killing a few star beasts?
No longer fearful, Zhang Ze’s peak third-rank cultivation posed little threat in this small-scale star beast tide.
Zhuang Ting noticed this as well and instinctively moved closer to Zhang Yue.
But no one expected that in this chaos, Zhang Ze had long been targeted.
...
“Zhang Ze—”
When Duan Hong saw him, he was almost beside himself with joy.
No sooner had he spoken than he and Duan Qingkuang charged forward with their greatswords.
Seeing Duan Qingkuang’s figure, Zhang Ze felt a wave of exasperation.
Why were these two everywhere?
Though inwardly speechless, Zhang Ze ran swiftly.
These two looked well-prepared; with his third-rank cultivation, facing Duan Qingkuang was already dangerous.
Moreover, star beasts kept rushing at him.
But Duan Qingkuang and Duan Hong were prepared; they would not let Zhang Ze escape so easily.
Duan Qingkuang leapt forward and was before Zhang Ze in the next moment.
“You have brought Jiuhua Sect to ruin—today, child, you shall surely die!”
He sneered lightly, swinging his blade at Zhang Ze.
Zhang Ze was truly brave; seeing star beasts closing in behind, he boldly met the attack with his iron rod.
But Duan Qingkuang’s peak fourth-rank cultivation was no mere boast.
Klang—
The piercing sound of metal clashing.
Zhang Ze felt a sudden bitterness in his throat as blood spilled forth.
Duan Qingkuang knew time was short; once Woody and Commander Qi returned, he would be doomed.
Hence, he fought with all his might.
Just as he pushed Zhang Ze back with a slash, he sprang forward to pursue again.
In desperation, Zhang Ze crossed his iron rod horizontally.
Boom—
His body slammed heavily to the ground.
He felt as if all his internal organs were bruised.
Coughing up blood, he struggled to stand again.
“Hmph—”
Seeing this, Duan Qingkuang took advantage of his position and pursued relentlessly.
...
Duan Hong was fully aware of his own strength: barely third-rank.
Even in cooperation to trap Zhang Ze, his role was limited.
Therefore, he immediately rushed toward Zhang Yue.
With her second-rank cultivation, Zhang Yue noticed Duan Hong’s frenzied expression.
Having just fended off star beasts, Zhang Yue attempted to retreat but was caught by a blade strike.
Pfft—
A fountain of blood erupted from her chest.
Zhang Yue was struck down by Duan Hong’s sneak attack.
As Duan Hong prepared to finish her off, Zhang Yue could no longer raise her greatsword!
“Strike down those who wield the blade against their kin—no mercy!”
A chilling voice cut through the air as a sword gleam flashed.
Duan Hong froze in place instantly.
His head rolled some distance away.
Seeing this, Zhang Yue breathed a sigh of relief.
...
“Duan Hong—”
Duan Qingkuang’s eyes turned bloodshot, his madness erupting.
In his mind, Zhang Ze had repeatedly humiliated Jiuhua Sect—a martial school with centuries of history.
How could he let this pass?
Killing Zhang Ze was nothing less than his due!
But he forgot that society was no longer as it once was, where sects thrived and martial artists sought only personal strength.
The emergence of the star domain’s myriad races forced all martial artists into a single great ark of survival.
Traditional martial arts could refuse to board, but must not harm the interests of those aboard...