The pitch-black sky was spreading from south of the city. At this moment, the black sky’s forward progress seemed to slow a little, but the pressure that came from those clouds made everyone feel quite breathless.
Shrek City’s city defense army was hard at work on the city wall, and everyone was nervously setting up all sorts of defensive soul tools.
Shrek City hadn’t participated in a war for many years, but the city defense army was very organized and disciplined. The pressure that came from the sky made everyone ghastly pale, but they grit their teeth and continued with whatever they had to do.
There were a hundred thousand people in Shrek City’s army, thirty percent of them were soul masters. Most of these soul masters had graduated from Shrek Academy’s outer courtyard, and they chose to enlist in the city defense army when they failed to enter the inner courtyard so that they could train for several years more.
Shrek City’s city defense army had quite a reputation. They had only participated in a little more than ten wars across their ten-thousand year history, but they accomplished feats and miracles that shook the entire continent in every instance.
For example, when the Sun Moon Continent clashed with the Douluo Continent all those years ago, the Sun Moon Continent started a Holy War. The Sun Moon Continent’s fighting style with all their soul tools was too unique at that time, and they successively defeated the Douluo Continent’s native empires across many battles.
Back then, Shrek Academy had deployed three thousand men from their city defense army. These men were known as Shrek’s Army, and they had hurried to the frontlines. They only had three thousand men, but they relied on themselves and the terrain to forcefully barricade the Sun Moon Empire’s great army for fifteen days. They gave the Douluo Continent’s various empires sufficient time to gather their armies, and gave everyone the chance for one last stand. The Douluo Continent’s native empires emerged victorious in the end.
Shrek’s Army had enjoyed their stellar reputation across the Continent from that moment onwards, and it was considered a glorious thing to become part of Shrek City’s city defense army. Therefore, if the students from Shrek Academy’s outer courtyard couldn’t make it into the inner courtyard, they would try everything they could to join Shrek’s city defense army to serve for at least three years. This experience would become a glorious mark on their resumes, and greatly beneficial for their future development.
Shrek City was just a city after all, so it wasn’t easy to sustain an army of a hundred thousand soldiers. It was easier for those soul masters who made up thirty percent of the army because they came from the Academy, so they didn’t receive any special treatment. However, the other seventy percent who were just normal soldiers Shrek City had to pay from its own pockets.
Large cannons lined the top of the city wall, pointed far into the distance. All kinds of stationary soul cannon shells were lifted to the top of the city wall, and three thousand soul masters took but a mere fifteen minutes to assemble. Everyone was already on top of the city wall, and they were all preparing for battle in their respective positions. Of the remaining seven thousand soldiers, or auxiliary soldiers to be exact, three thousand served as one-to-one fallbacks for these soul masters, while the remaining four thousand soldiers prepared to reinforce their comrades.
The southern side of the city was their main defense zone. There was a lot less manpower assigned to the other three sides, but the number of defensive soul tools allocated were the same; when necessary, soul masters could rapidly switch positions to the other sides, and operate those soul tools. However, Shi Xing didn’t have to worry about the other three sides of the city wall, for now.
Over on Shrek Academy’s side, teams of students from the outer courtyard were proceeding toward the city walls on every other side as quickly as they could. Even though they were all younger than twenty, they had been through strict and rigorous training, and they had no trouble operating typical soul tools. This was especially true after the Tang Sect managed to create Sealed Milk Bottles, so even normal citizens could operate low-tier soul tools, let alone these soul masters who all had at least two soul rings.
Shrek Academy’s inner courtyard didn’t idle around either. Shadow after shadow swiftly proceeded from the eastern side of the city towards the southern city wall.
Shi Xing planted his hands on the battlements and gazed into the distance. He could taste bitterness from the corner of his mouth.
How many years has Shrek City not participated in a war, and now it’s here? He couldn’t remember, but what he could remember was that the previous two city defense officers didn’t participate in a single war. He had been elected for only three years, and he had almost struck the jackpot; no, he truly did strike the jackpot.
Traces of their enemies gradually appeared across the horizon. Which force across the entire Continent could cause the skies to change, and could stomp towards Shrek City’s great army with such fanfare?
Only an empire could create a force on such a scale. However, how could the Douluo Continent’s three native empires make a move against Shrek City? If so, what other entities besides empires could do something like this? There was only one other place, and it was a place that was more frightening than any of the three native empires.
The army from that place wasn’t very intelligent, but they possessed impressive fighting instincts. They were born with a taste for blood and an inclination to kill, and they were full of hatred for humans. Almost every single individual in that army was powerful, and there were almost endless numbers of them, while some of the Continent’s strongest individuals were behind them, holding down the fort.
Yes, this frightening power came from Shrek Academy’s neighbor. Shrek had encountered them many times in the past, and almost every single member from Shrek Academy had been to this place: the Great Star Dou Forest!
The beast tide was here!
Masses of soul beasts that dotted the sky until it turned black were gradually bearing down on Shrek City. They weren’t moving very quickly, but they were organized and disciplined.
The soul beasts fanned forward, moving forward almost in tandem with the dark clouds in the sky. Gentle winds gusted through the air, and the faint smell from these soul beasts gradually travelled to the top of Shrek City’s wall.
Shi Xing was a Titled Douluo, considered one of the strongest individuals in the world today. However, he stared at the beast wave that was just so tremendous, and he couldn’t help but lick his lips as he in drew a cold breath.
Why were the Great Star Dou Forest’s soul beasts going crazy? What happened, exactly, that triggered them to launch an invasion? The Great Star Dou Forest had been very peaceful in recent years, and nobody had heard of anyone killing hundred-thousand-year soul beasts in the forest!
The Great Star Dou Forest’s Core Region had developed rapidly over the past few hundred years, and countless powerful individuals had emerged from within. Even Shrek Academy’s inner circle wouldn’t venture into that place for no good reason, while Shrek City and the Great Star Dou Forest had been enjoying peace for the past centuries.
So why were they doing this? Why did the Great Star Dou Forest launch an invasion on such a large scale, and why were they advancing on the city like an army? This couldn’t have been instigated by a small group of soul beasts. The army of soul beasts seemed endless, and without those few who resided in the Slaughtering Grounds mobilizing them, this army of soul beasts wouldn’t appear on such a large scale.
The beast army’s front lines were now less than ten kilometers away from Shrek City’s southern city wall. They maintained their steady forward movement, while the dark clouds above their heads gradually blanketed the sky above them. The closer they came, the more pressure could be felt on the top of the city wall. If Shrek’s city defense army hadn’t been elite and outstanding, if another normal army was here, they would probably have tucked tail and run away in fear.
There was an uncountable number of soul beasts in this army!
Right at this moment, shadow after shadow descended from the sky and landed on top of the southern city wall. The leading person was tall, and messy white hair draped behind his head as he stepped towards the battlements with a solemn look on his face. He was Shrek Academy’s true number-one individual, the Master of the Sea God’s Pavilion, Elder Xuan!
The Sea God’s Pavilion’s other elders followed behind Elder Xuan. Everyone was on the scene, including the academy’s two Deans, Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin’er. The only person who wasn’t here was the Sea God’s Pavilion’s youngest and weakest member, Huo Yuhao.
More than forty students from Shrek Academy’s inner courtyard followed behind the elders from the Sea God’s Pavilion.
Shrek Academy’s teachers were split evenly into three groups, and they proceeded to the city’s three other walls to command the outer courtyard students who were stationed there. They were most familiar with those students, and hence the teachers commanding them would be most convenient and suitable.
Elder Xuan gazed into the distance, and his expression instantly became even blacker than before. He had risen into the sky before this to check out the situation, and only afterwards did he release that emergency signal. At this moment, the soul beast army was a lot closer to Shrek City, and Elder Xuan was very clear about how dire their situation was.
He was the only one who had gone through the previous beast tide among the various elders from the Sea God’s Pavilion. However, the situation that they were facing right now was more perilous than the previous invasion!
Elder Xuan didn’t have any time to contemplate why the Great Star Dou Forest would suddenly launch a beast wave, and why they would come to Shrek City first. The only thought in his mind was if Shrek Academy could defend themselves against an enormous army that consisted of more than a hundred thousand soul beasts?
During the previous beast wave, Shrek City had released a call for help as soon as they could. Elder Mu was the one directing things over in Shrek Academy, and they had the Body Sect helping them out. Even though the Body Sect and Shrek Academy weren’t on good terms, they had good chemistry and teamwork during that incident. They had managed to hold out until sufficient reinforcements had arrived, and only then did they stop those soul beasts from advancing. Eventually they signed a peace treaty with the savage beasts.
However, the soul beasts had gone against their treaty on their own initiative, and had launched a beast wave against Shrek City. Elder Mu was no longer here, and they didn’t have the Body Sect to help them this time. Even though Shrek City had a lot more soul tools right now compared to back then, could they really hold off such a terrifyingly huge army of soul beasts?
The Sea God’s Pavilion’s several elders also looked very grave as they stared at the army in front of them.
Elder Song arrived beside Elder Xuan, and he lowered his voice as he said, “Why haven’t we seen any omens or warnings, and yet the Great Star Dou Forest launched a beast wave against us? What is happening, exactly?”
Elder Xuan lowered his voice and said, “There was an omen , don’t you remember? Several days ago, a mass of blood clouds appeared above the Great Star Dou Forest. I’m afraid this incident has something to do with that. Can it be that one of the Great Star Dou Forest’s important soul beasts, or perhaps a certain savage beast, has been killed by human soul masters, and they are infuriated because of that? The peace treaty that we signed back then stated that we could not attack the savage beasts, and those fellows who direct things inside the Great Star Dou Forest have always been honorable. It seems like something big must have happened!”
