Chapter 88. Capable of Talking, the Golden-Winged Peng (2)

"There's a tenth mutated beast, a white giant python known as the White King. We have little data about it, but we know that it's the strongest in the region and that the other nine kings have submitted to it. This beast tide must be its idea," Commander Xu said, his voice turning grave as he added, "The disaster we are facing is unprecedented, but we must face it.

"There's no other way. Chang'an has a huge population, and if this city falls, countless people will die. Hence, no matter the cost, we must defend it with our lives."

The meaning behind his words was unmistakable. Eventually, Huaxia only had five supercities left, and each supercity was a sanctuary for its citizens. To lose one would be a devastating blow to the entire nation.

"Understood," everyone replied at once and rose to their feet with solemn faces.

This beast tide would truly be a catastrophe for Chang'an, but there was no retreat. They could only endure. A victory here would be a crucial boost to morale, as everyone knew this was just the first of many conflicts to come.

Humans and mutated beasts were natural enemies; conflict between both sides would continue to erupt in the future.

The only hope for an easy victory was the intervention of an individual strong enough to turn the tables around by themselves. Unfortunately, it was all a pipe dream; no one was

that

strong.

Under Commander Xu's orders, the entire city made a move. All Awakened were summoned, reinforcements were requested from other cities, and crews worked around the clock to construct defensive fortifications and missile launch pads.

With the time they had left, they had to prepare for the worst.

The meeting was adjourned, and those part of it moved with purpose—all for the sake of the upcoming great battle.

Only Dean Zheng remained, his eyes still fixed on the screen. He thought of the vanished red dot.

"Commander Xu," he said, "I still don't understand how the Tiger-Leopard King's life signature disappeared. Could it be that it was killed?"

"A beast king was killed just like that? That's highly unlikely," Commander Xu replied, shaking his head. "It's more likely that our new equipment malfunctioned. It's still being tested, after all, and there are still some issues with it."

"Is that so?" Dean Zheng sighed. The death of a beast king would have been a pleasant surprise, but he knew Commander Xu was right. The possibility was almost zero.

"There's something else I didn't mention in the meeting," Commander Xu said, his tone heavy. "We recently detected a powerful life signature in Qinling. It's not one of the ten beast kings, but it is just as strong.

"If it joins the attack, our situation will become even more dire."

Commander Xu had kept this a secret to avoid crushing morale, but he and Dean Zheng were close friends, so he decided to reveal it to the dean.

"Then we'll have no choice," Dean Zheng said, his expression hardening. "We must use thermonuclear weapons."

The massive beast tide spearheaded by ten mutated beast kings was already terrifying enough. The addition of another beast king would surely be too much for Chang'an to handle.

"I agree. I already contacted the higher-ups before the meeting even started," Commander Xu said, sighing. Then, he was reminded of something. "By the way, has Mr. Lu truly left the city? He would be a powerful asset here."

"He left two days ago," Dean Zheng said, "Besides, what can one person do to change a battle of this scale?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a sudden thought chilled him. Lu Yuan headed north when he left. Could he have gone to Qinling? No, impossible. That place was too dangerous—a forbidden zone for human beings.

***

A massive brown bear ran across Qinling, smashing through towering trees and leaving deep footprints in its wake.

Perched calmly on its head, Lu Yuan enjoyed the ride. While it wasn't as fast as his own sprint, traveling this way was way more comfortable. More importantly, it saved him a great deal of stamina.

With that in mind, his desire for a mount capable of flight grew even stronger.

"It's just ahead; we'll be there soon," the Brown Bear King said, "But that bird has a bad temper. What if I stop here and you go over there alone?"

Lu Yuan remained silent, but he obviously disagreed.

A humiliation! This is a great humiliation!

The bear seethed inwardly, its killing intent surging.

Once we're there, that bird and I will tear this puny human apart. How dare he, a mere human, use this king as a mount!

Truth be told, half of the reason it had agreed to come here was to save its life, while the other half was to kill Lu Yuan with that bird's help. Humanity and mutated beasts were irreconcilable enemies. The Brown Bear King believed its plan was feasible, as that bird would surely attack Lu Yuan upon seeing him.

So what if he was powerful? Once the Brown Bear King and that bird had joined forces—one on land, one in the skies—Lu Yuan would surely meet his doom, his level of strength be damned!

With a plan in mind, the Brown Bear King moved faster, and it eventually made its way to a barren, rocky place. Strange stones jutted from the earth, and the ground was thick with weeds but devoid of any trees.

In the distance, a massive bird's nest—a hundred meters in diameter—sat atop a lonely crag. Terrifying tendrils of energy pulsed from within it, shooting toward the sky, seemingly proving its terrifying power.

Lu Yuan's eyes brightened at the sight. "A golden-winged peng!"

Just then, the Brown Bear King roared, "It's me, Old Bear! A human has invaded our territory, and he wants to make you his mount! Come down here, and we're going to kill him together!"

The Brown Bear King made a violent twist, leaving Lu Yuan by himself in midair. It raised both paws and swung them toward the crown of Lu Yuan's head.

In response, the soft chime of a sword echoed as the Great Luo Sword Embryo appeared in Lu Yuan's hand. Staring at the Brown Bear King's neck, he swung gently.

Swoosh!

A radiant sword light carrying a strand of Heaven-Earth Spiritual Energy erupted. The Brown Bear King's massive head flew high, and blood spurted out like a mountain from its headless stump.

With a deafening

thud

, it collapsed to the ground, twitching violently.

Just like that, the Brown Bear King was dead. Its eyes were wide with astonishment.

The gap between us is that large?

Lu Yuan didn't even glance at it. He knew the mutated beast king harbored ill intentions and had been wary of it. As a mutated beast king, there was no way it would keep underestimating Lu Yuan.

Unfortunately for the Brown Bear King, even so-called "kings" couldn't withstand even a single sword strike from him.

Lu Yuan's gaze was transfixed on the distant bird's nest surging with power.

"Who is it?! Who dares to desire me as their mount?!" A roar echoed, and a bird with golden wings landed not far from Lu Yuan. It was a peng.

It sported golden pupils and a massive frame with wings stretching dozens of meters from tip to tip. Every feather on its body was like a divine sword forged from gold, each one shimmering with a brilliant, dreamlike light. Its aura alone utterly dwarfed that of the fallen Brown Bear King.

However, its formidable aura didn't necessarily mean that it was powerful, as its terrifying aura came from its extraordinary bloodline. Yes, it was an extraordinary bloodline, one that was unprecedented even for Lu Yuan. It was truly terrifying.

"The legendary... Golden-Winged Peng?" Lu Yuan was taken aback. At first, he thought he'd find a powerful bird on the same level as the mutated beast kings, but he had truly not expected to encounter a Golden-Winged Peng!

It had to be known that a Golden-Winged Peng was an existence capable of fighting true dragons. To think that there was actually one of them in Qinling. How come he had not heard of it in his previous life?

A myriad of thoughts ran across Lu Yuan's mind as his eyes grew increasingly bright while staring at the bird.

The Golden-Winged Peng definitely had an extraordinary bloodline, which meant that it could perfectly grow alongside him. More importantly, it was capable of flight at extreme speeds, so it was the perfect mount for him!