Chapter 307

“City Lord!” “City Lord!”

From behind came the voices of warriors. Qi Bai turned his head and saw Lang Ze leading men up onto the city wall.

“Lang Ze,” Qi Bai’s eyes shone brightly, “this year we don’t even need to go on a spring hunt—look! Prey is delivering itself to our doorstep!” Judging by the speed of those beasts, they would reach Hei Yao City’s gates in less than twenty minutes.

Tun Quan rubbed his fists eagerly. “After being cooped up all winter, we can finally stretch ourselves. Lang Ze, quickly give the order—let us ride out to fight!”

But Lang Ze’s expression was far from relaxed. Standing at the wall’s edge, watching the approaching herd, he gave the order: “Close all city gates. Summon every crossbowman to the walls. All other warriors, stand by at the south gate.”

“Got it!” Tun Quan answered enthusiastically, then froze mid-step. “C-close the gates…?”

Lang Ze turned his head. “Didn’t you hear me?”

“I-I heard…” Tun Quan’s mind suddenly cleared. He straightened his stance and shouted, “Heard loud and clear!” Then he sprinted off, grabbing a few patrolling wall guards along the way, barking instructions as he ran.

Hearing Lang Ze’s orders, Qi Bai too grew serious. “These beasts… something’s not right?”

“On the plains, you don’t suddenly see so many beasts at once,” Lang Ze replied, eyes scanning the woods behind the beast tide. “We hold for now. Let’s see what’s really going on.”

At the forest’s edge, four or five beastmen clung to the treetops, motionless, their eyes fixed on the towering city wall.

One spotted the change at Hei Yao’s gates first. He hissed, “You stay here and watch—I’ll go report to the God Envoy.” With that, he slid nimbly down the trunk and ran quickly into the woods.

But once down from the thirty-meter trees, the scene shifted drastically.

Before him stood an endless host of beastmen, silent as statues, eyes all locked on the three figures at the front.

The scout ran to them and dropped to one knee. “God Envoy, Hei Yao has closed its gates. It doesn’t look like they’re coming out to fight.”

The beastman on the left frowned. “Are you certain? That’s thousands of beasts. Will they really just let them get close?”

“Replying to Fu God Envoy, I am certain.”

The one on the right burst out laughing. “So Hei Yao’s warriors aren’t much after all! They’re already cowed by a mere beast tide. Good! Let those beasts smash down their walls first. When the God Envoy gives the word, I, Chai Ding, will lead our army straight in!”

Fu God Envoy shook his head. “Hei Yao could build such a massive city in silence, and wipe out Wan Gu, eluding us for a year. I don’t believe they’re that simple.”

The two with opposing views both turned toward the tall beastman between them, clad in priestly robes.

He looked around fifty, his features not soft, yet the pitying gentleness in his eyes lent him a certain divinity.

Unlike the weathered beastmen around him, his hair lay neat, his fur robe uncreased. Even amid the wild forest, he carried himself with noble composure.

He smiled soothingly at the other two. “We’ve made every preparation. Waiting a little costs nothing.”

But just then, another scout scrambled down in such haste he nearly fell. “God Envoy! God Envoys! There’s sorcery outside that city!”

“What sorcery?”

“I-I don’t know…”

The God Envoy rubbed his staff. “Ding, go see.”

“Yes!”

Ding God Envoy strode to the nearest tree, booting off the beastman who had been perched there. Useless thing—couldn’t even observe properly.

Climbing swiftly up, his eyes widened suddenly. His fingers pierced deep into the trunk.

…

Five hundred meters. Three hundred. Two hundred…

Qi Bai counted silently. At a hundred meters, the leading beast of the tide suddenly collapsed.

At the same time, a fiery arrow whistled through the air and struck where it fell—flame leapt up instantly.

Whoosh!

Even a hundred meters away, Qi Bai heard the roar of sudden fire. Gripping the battlement, he peered forward.

The blaze spread in a straight line, racing outward on both sides, forming a long trench of fire.

It worked.

Back when Qi Bai planned the city, he’d built in defenses. Now, what trapped the beast tide was the dry trench circling a hundred meters out.

The trench had been seeded with Iron Bramble. Though last year’s growth wasn’t thick, it was enough to support a base layer.

Over that, they laid dry grass, then brushed a dusting of snow. Unless one knew, no beastman could see the snare—let alone these mindless charging beasts.

“Roarrr!” “Moo!”

The deep trench was like an abyss. Beasts that fell in could never climb out. Yet those behind, mad with frenzy, kept surging forward.

Generals beside Lang Ze grew grim.

Beasts feared fire by nature. Lang Ze had hoped to use that instinct to scatter them. Yet shockingly, they ignored the roaring wall of flame right before them.

No trap could hold back thousands of massive creatures forever. Within minutes, the trench was filled, and the herd pressed on.

They trampled their own dead, bodies burning, yet never changing direction.

The sight was too grotesque, too horrific. For a moment, no sound came from the walls.

On the Beastman Continent, every tribe had faced beast tides large and small—but none had seen this.

Such unnaturalness could only mean foul play.

Qi Bai drew a deep breath. Thankfully Lang Ze had spotted the strangeness early. If Hei Yao’s warriors had truly met these beasts head-on, retreating whole would have been near impossible.

Now only a hundred meters remained between herd and gate. At their speed, they’d smash in skulls and stone alike. Lang Ze could never let them reach the walls.

“Crossbows,” Lang Ze lifted his hand. “Loose!”

At his order, a storm of arrows fell like torrential rain.

Nock. Release. Dozens of ballistae thundered, nearly a thousand bowmen loosed in volleys.

Wild elephants, savage bulls, horned horses—no matter how huge or strong, before this rain of arrows they seemed pitifully small.

“Neighhh!”

The last wild horse crashed down. Lang Ze’s sharp gaze locked onto a spot on the plain.