Star Martial Era: From Mortal to Emperor

Chapter 156 Night Battle Against the Beast Tide

At the third watch of the night, the first roar of a beast echoed from the depths of the mountains and forests. The sound was unlike any wild animal howl Lin Chen had ever heard before; it was deep, resonant, and carried a metallic tremor, as if some colossal creature had rolled over deep underground. Then came the second, the third, the tenth, the hundredth. Countless roars intertwined, converging into a deafening wave of sound that swept across the land from north to south, causing even the rubble on the city walls to tremble slightly.

In that instant, the mountains and forests outside the city changed color. Not brighter, but redder. Countless scarlet eyes lit up simultaneously in the darkness, some as large as lanterns, others as small as beans, densely packed, layer upon layer, spreading from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside, from the mountainside to the summit, like a burning sea of ​​fire, or a red river surging from the depths of hell. More than 100,000 ferocious beasts controlled by the Soul-Controlling Gu surged out like a tidal wave. They trampled over withered grass, over pebbles, over the excrement and corpses of their own comrades, charging madly and recklessly towards the Black Stone Mountain defense line. The earth trembled violently beneath their feet, the torches on the city walls were shaken and tilted precariously. Someone tried to hold them up but failed, and the torches fell from the walls, landing in the charging horde of beasts, their light flashing briefly before being swallowed up, like a pebble thrown into the sea.

"The ferocious beast is coming! Prepare for battle!" Lin Chen's fierce shout echoed across the city wall.

The soldiers on the city wall moved in unison. Archers drew their bows taut, arrows gleaming coldly in the moonlight, bows creaking and groaning as they were pulled to their limits. Spearmen gripped their spears, tips pointing downwards, aiming at the ferocious beasts climbing below, the shafts braced against the battlements, held in place by their shoulders. Artillerymen lit their cannon fuses, the flames hissing and flickering in the darkness. Chen Feng stood atop the highest point of the city wall, his sword raised high above his head, its blade glowing with a bluish-green aura in the moonlight. His gaze swept over every soldier on the wall, over the charging beasts below, and over the distant, burning red sea of ​​fire. Then, his sword slashed down with a mighty thud.

"put!"

A volley of arrows rained down. Thousands of arrows shot simultaneously from the city walls, tracing dense arcs through the air like a torrential downpour, blanketing the horde of ferocious beasts. The beasts at the forefront were struck by arrows one after another; some had their skulls pierced and died instantly; others were shot in the torso, howling and rolling on the ground; still others had more than a dozen arrows embedded in their bodies, like hedgehogs, yet they continued to charge forward until they bled to death. At the same time, cannons roared, dozens of spirit stone cannons firing simultaneously, their muzzles spewing intense flames. The cannonballs exploded among the beasts, sending blood and flesh flying, limbs and severed bodies swirling in the air.

But there were too many ferocious beasts. The beasts behind trampled over the corpses of their companions ahead, continuing their charge with undiminished speed and ferocity. Their hooves and claws pounded into the pools of blood and mud, splashing up a cloud of blood and mud as high as a person, turning the entire front of the charge into a dark red swamp.

"Release the rolling logs and boulders!" The lieutenant's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper grinding iron, but the order still reached every soldier's ears clearly. Rolling logs tumbled down the city wall, their thick trunks sweeping through the horde of beasts, felling a vast number of them; boulders were hurled from the wall, the heavy stones crashing into the ground, creating deep craters and turning the beasts at the bottom into mincemeat. Oil was poured down from the wall, the viscous black liquid splattering onto the beasts, the ground, and the walls. Rockets were fired from the wall; the oil ignited instantly, flames spreading through the horde of beasts, causing those controlled by the Soul-Controlling Gu to scream in agony. But they wouldn't retreat, wouldn't flee, they would only continue running towards the wall, even as their bodies burned, even as their flesh was charred, even as their eyes were blinded.

The city wall trembled. Not metaphorically, but literally. Lin Chen could feel the bricks beneath his feet shifting slightly, as if something was squeezing and pushing inside. The ferocious beasts controlled by the Soul-Controlling Gu were clawing at the wall, ramming their heads against the gates, and piling their bodies into mountains of flesh, each one stepping on the one in front, trying to scale the high wall. Cracks reappeared at the recently repaired breaches, the mortar between the bricks shattered, and fragments fell from the gaps.

"Chu Fan, activate the defensive formation!" Lin Chen's voice cut through the noise of the battlefield and landed precisely in Chu Fan's ears.

Chu Fan squatted in front of the main array in the center of the city wall, his hands resting on the copper plates on either side of the array's core, pouring spiritual energy into it like a tidal wave. The main array core was a huge circular copper plate, its surface covered with densely packed runes, the lines of which were thinner than a hair, each leading to an array node on the city wall. He channeled his spiritual energy into every rune, every line, and every node, then slammed it down on the center of the array core.

*Whoosh—* The golden defensive array activated instantly. A massive light barrier rose from the base of the city wall, like an invisible wall, enveloping the entire defensive line. The light barrier was translucent, gleaming with a soft golden sheen under the moonlight, yet it was incredibly resilient. The ferocious beasts crashed into the light barrier, producing dull, resounding thuds, like drumsticks striking a cowhide drum, but the barrier remained unmoved. They tore at it with their claws, bit it with their fangs, and rammed it with their bodies, using every means at their disposal, but the light barrier still did not budge.