The Creation of the Heavens and All Realms

Chapter 19: Lei Dong

Lei Dong led more than 300 villagers on their retreat northward. He simply could not imagine that he had encountered another beast horde. More than half a month ago, Village Chief Lei Yanshi had deduced from a report by Lei Bao, the captain of the hunting squad, that a beast tide was imminent. From that moment on, Lei Family Village had been preparing to retreat to the City of Tears and Blood. With nearly 100 households and over 400 people, Lei Family Village might not seem large, but evacuating the entire village to the City of Tears and Blood was no easy task. Furthermore, some people did not believe a beast tide would come, since it had been only seven years since the last one—and based on past experience, beast tides typically occurred at intervals of at least ten years. As a result, the Lei Family Village’s evacuation progress slowed, and they did not set out until reports came in that large numbers of ferocious beasts had begun migrating north. However, by then, it was already too late to set out! Lei Family Village was one of the villages closest to the City of Tears and Blood; compared to villages deeper within the Wild Forest, they had more time to prepare. But this unusual beast tide caught them off guard. Although there were not yet large numbers of ferocious beasts surrounding Lei Family Village, scattered individuals had already begun to appear. So, under the direction of Village Chief Lei Yanshi, Lei Bao led more than 60 warriors to eliminate those beasts, while the rest immediately set out to evacuate to City of Tears and Blood. The vast majority of these beasts were low in intelligence but quick to hold a grudge. Lei Bao and his men had slain dozens of them, yet they were now being targeted by an ever-growing number of beasts closing in from behind. To protect the retreating villagers, Lei Bao led a group to cover the rear, allowing the women, children, and elderly to leave first. As a veteran of the Northwest Legion, Lei Bao possessed a late-stage Acquired Realm cultivation level. Combined with his extensive hunting experience, he was able to temporarily hold off the beasts surrounding them. Just as he and his men were engaged in a fierce battle with the lurking beasts, the retreating column was targeted by a group of beasts. Two Shadowless Black Leopards bypassed Lei Bao’s defensive line and appeared on the right flank of the column. Lei Dong, who was in charge of the convoy’s security, keenly sensed the danger. Unfortunately, before he could act, the Shadowless Black Leopards had already begun their hunt; two elderly women at the rear of the convoy were dragged into the jungle and quickly vanished from sight. “It’s the Shadowless Black Leopards!” Lei Dong bellowed, rushing to the area where they had been spotted, but found nothing. The villagers of Lei Family Village were no strangers to the Shadowless Black Panthers. These were ferocious beasts renowned for their speed and stealth; there were quite a few of them on Yutou Mountain, and Lei Family Village’s hunting party alone had bagged no fewer than 100. The Shadowless Black Panther wasn’t the most powerful predator, but it was extremely difficult to deal with. It moved as fast as the wind and was highly skilled at lurking in the jungle; it was hard to spot even in broad daylight, let alone now that night was falling. It wasn’t just Lei Dong—everyone was growing anxious. The more than 40 guards remained on high alert, but after waiting several minutes, they still saw nothing. Just as they were about to breathe a sigh of relief, the Shadowless Black Panther struck again, snatching away a woman holding a child before she even had time to scream. “Quick, let’s go!” At this critical moment, Lei Dong stepped forward and shouted, “Don’t stop! Everyone close the gap and surround the child in the center. Uncle Cheng, you lead the way; Uncle Yong and I will handle security!” In that critical moment, Lei Dong—a fifteen-year-old boy—brought hope to everyone, and without hesitation, everyone followed his instructions. With more than ten martial artists clearing the path ahead and Lei Dong and about twenty others strictly guarding against the Shadowless Black Panther’s attacks, the situation seemed to improve slightly. After advancing less than five li, Lei Dong and his group encountered even more ferocious beasts. “Oh no—it’s a pack of Qinghuo Wolves, Iron-Armored Boars, and Five-Poison Foxes… With so many ferocious beasts appearing all at once, could something have happened to my uncle and the others?” Lei Dong’s heart sank. In the cover of night, more than 40 ferocious beasts, using the jungle as cover, rapidly closed in on the group from Lei Family Village. Even though they couldn’t see them, everyone could sense the commotion around them and gradually sank into despair. “Dahú, what should we do now?” someone asked Lei Dong. Lei Dong’s expression was resolute: “Uncle Cheng, Uncle Yong, take the people and get out of here quickly. We’ll hold them off here—everyone who can escape must do so!” The beasts were far faster than humans. Before Lei Dong could finish giving his orders, they were already less than 30 meters away from the Lei Family Village. The Qinghuo Wolves were the first to attack; more than twenty of them charged straight toward the center of the group, while the women and children screamed and scattered in all directions. “Save them!” Lei Dong roared, pinning a Qinghuo Wolf to the ground with a single shot. The other guards had already sprung into action; their families were under attack, and everyone was fighting for their lives. “Ah!” A piercing scream rang out. Lei Dong spun around and was instantly overcome with panic. About ten meters away, an Iron-Armored Boar burst out of the woods, splitting the group right down the middle—and his younger sister, Lei Ling, was directly in its path! “Xiao Ling, hide behind that tree!” Lei Dong bellowed, sprinting toward her with all his might—but it was too late. “Xiao Ling!” Lei Dong’s eyes widened in horror. Lei Ling watched the Iron-Armored Boar charge toward her, completely paralyzed with fear. She was only seven or eight years old, and faced with a beast over two meters tall and more than four meters long, she didn’t even have the ability to dodge. The Iron-Armored Boar was getting closer and closer to Lei Ling. Lei Dong couldn’t bear to watch; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach his sister in time to save her. The thought that his little sister—the only family he had left—was about to meet her end under the boar’s fangs made Lei Dong’s chest feel as if it were about to explode. “Thud!” Just as Lei Dong was overcome with despair, the seemingly unstoppable Iron-Armored Boar was suddenly flung backward, and a figure appeared in front of his sister. This person wore blood-red battle armor, wielded a long halberd, and carried a long sword on his back, standing as imposing as a god or a demon. The figure was none other than Zhou Tianci. Following the sound, Zhou Tianci had rushed to the scene in just a few minutes. Seeing the ferocious beast hunting down the scattering crowd, Zhou Tianci was filled with rage. “Die!” With a flick of his long halberd, Zhou Tianci unleashed tens of thousands of jin of force, instantly hoisting the Iron-Armored Boar into the air before cleaving it in two. “How formidable…” Lei Dong watched Zhou Tianci, feeling both gratitude and admiration. That Iron-Armored Boar was a top-tier beast—its attack power wasn’t the absolute best, but its defense was formidable. Yet Zhou Tianci, wielding his halberd with just one hand, had slain the beast in the blink of an eye. He had never seen such a powerful warrior before. After slaying the Iron-Armored Boar, Zhou Tianci let out a long, piercing cry. Qi Shan and the others, who were two li away, heard it, immediately ended their rest, and rushed toward them. “Everyone, don’t panic. Gather around me. The Northwest Legion has already entered the Barbarian Wilderness Forest. Hold on a little longer—reinforcements will arrive shortly!” Zhou Tianci’s voice carried far and wide, and the villagers of Lei Family Village, as if finding a pillar of strength, rushed to gather around him. Zhou Tianci’s long halberd whirled through the air, and in the blink of an eye, he slew five Qinghuo Wolves that had launched a surprise attack. Holding the halberd in his right hand, he would occasionally grab a beast with his left and devour it. By now, night had fallen, and most of Lei Family Village’s torches had been extinguished during the beasts’ surprise assault, so Zhou Tianci didn’t have to worry about anyone discovering his ability to devour. Zhou Tianci’s pace in slaying the beasts grew faster and faster; the beasts surrounding him were no match for a single strike of his halberd. If it weren’t for the need to protect the people behind him, he would have wiped out all these beasts long ago. “Whoosh!” Arrows kept flying out from the woods, and some of the beasts still lurking nearby were killed one after another. Seeing this, Zhou Tianci breathed a sigh of relief—his men had arrived. “Squad Leader!” Qi Shan and the others stepped forward. “You’re quick—you arrived just in time,” Zhou Tianci nodded in approval. “Thank you, Sir, for saving our lives,” said Lei Cheng as he stepped forward after dispatching the beasts. As the third-in-command of Lei Family Village, he had been entrusted by Lei Yanshi and Lei Bao with the task of protecting the villagers during their retreat to the City of Tears and Blood. Zhou Tianci replied, “There’s no need to thank me. Protecting the citizens of the Great State of Yu is our duty. The priority now is to tend to the wounded.” Lei Family Village had suffered heavy casualties in this beast attack: out of more than 300 people, nearly 50 had died and over 100 were injured, half of whom were children. With the threat of the beasts eliminated, the scene was filled with weeping, which made Zhou Tianci feel a pang of sorrow. “Yang Jing, lead your squad to escort these mountain villagers to the City of Tears and Blood,” Zhou Tianci said after a moment’s thought. Since the City of Tears and Blood wasn’t very far away, one squad should be sufficient. “The other four squads will follow me to Yutou Mountain.” “Sir, are you heading to Yutou Mountain?” Lei Dong, who had just comforted his younger sister Lei Ling, suddenly stepped forward. Zhou Tianci nodded. “That’s right. Our main force’s mission this time is to rescue Yutou Mountain.” Lei Dong said, “Sir, I grew up on Yutou Mountain and know the area very well. Do you need a guide?” Zhou Tianci looked at the lean, wiry teenager before him with surprise. With the beast tide raging, everyone was desperate to take refuge in the City of Tears and Blood—yet this boy was actually volunteering to serve as a guide. How unusual. “What’s your name?” “My name is Lei Dong.” “Lei Dong, with the beast tide raging and countless dangers lurking in the Barbarian Wilderness, even we cannot guarantee your safety. Are you still willing to serve as our guide?” Zhou Tianci asked. Lei Dong replied, “Sir, I’ve survived a beast tide before, so I know how dangerous it is. The reason I want to be your guide is, first, to repay you for saving my life, and second, to ask for your help in rescuing my uncle and the others.” “Rescue people? No problem,” Zhou Tianci agreed without hesitation. “That’s exactly what we’re here to do.” With the arrangements settled, Zhou Tianci led four squads toward Lei Family Village under Lei Dong’s guidance. Since the Lei Family Village had just cleared a path during their retreat, their pace picked up considerably. “Sir, Lei Family Village is just one li away,” Lei Dong said excitedly half an hour later. Zhou Tianci quieted his mind to sense the surroundings and faintly heard the sounds of combat ahead. “There’s still fighting in Lei Family Village—your great-uncle and the others must still be alive. Everyone, follow my orders: pick up the pace. I’ll go ahead!”