This Sword Cultivator is Somewhat Dependable

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A silvery-gray light flickered, and the ethereal figure of the Western Rat King appeared before everyone in the Tiger Squad.

"Lu Qingshan, your demon pet is quite extraordinary, indeed. Not only can it speak the human language without having transformed, but it also moves through the monster-infested Zhenjiang City as if it were flat ground..." Xiao Zhi couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder.

Lu Qingshan let out a light laugh, neither confirming nor denying.

After advancing to a Second Grade demon beast, the Western Rat King not only awakened new talents, but its existing abilities also enhanced.

And once it used its enhanced Sneaky Talent, unless the Western Rat King launched an attack, it would almost remain undetected by the demon beasts of Zhenjiang City.

Most importantly, one of the newly awakened talents of the Western Rat King allowed it to sensitively perceive spiritual objects that were beneficial to its own bloodline evolution nearby.

This perception couldn't be blocked by formations or runes, because it was an instinct emanating from its bloodline.

And the blood-red crystals in the Formation Points of the Asura Blood Formation just happened to be such spiritual objects.

For the Tiger Squad, this was undoubtedly terrific news.

As a matter of course, relying on its unique abilities, the Western Rat King became an essential member of the Tiger Squad's mission.

The Western Rat King glanced at Lu Qingshan and shook its little head at the crowd, saying, "No."

It did not sense the presence of the Asura Blood Formation Points nearby.

Lu Qingshan's brow furrowed, "It seems our second target is not an Underworld Cultivator."

"After all, the intelligence was gathered in haste; it is inevitable to miss something. Let's not delay any further and quickly head to the third target's location!"

Xu Hao looked up at the barrier, which appeared to have weakened a fraction, and said, "It seems that the other squads are also making smooth progress."

Lu Qingshan didn't respond; he had a nagging feeling that things would not be so simple.

If the Underworld had started the Corpse Puppet Chaos in advance, then how could they not adjust accordingly in the face of the continuous destruction of the Asura Blood Formation Points?

"Why are there so many demon birds gathering over there?" Li Zu suddenly spoke up, interrupting Lu Qingshan's thoughts.

Lu Qingshan looked up to see a swarm of demon birds gathered in the sky not far away.

"What place is that?!" Lu Qingshan's heart jolted.

He had been to the place where the demon birds were gathering before.

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Pfft!

The Black Feather Eagle's claws, shining with a metallic luster, like sharp iron hooks, easily pierced through the flesh and bones of the monkey-faced demon crow, turning its heart into mush.

Hiss!

Another flap of its wings, like the slash of a knife, immediately split several demon crows surrounding it into pieces.

One after another, demon crows fell from the sky.

Already, the ground was littered with the mangled corpses of monkey-faced demon crows.

Yet, despite having killed so many demon crows, their number in the sky showed no signs of diminishing.

More terrifying was that the slaughter by the Black Feather Eagle seemed to have triggered the ferocity of the crows.

Facing the death of their companions, these monkey-faced demon crows became even more desperate, fearlessly diving towards the Black Feather Eagle.

Streaks of Hei Mang shot out from the mouths of these demon crows, striking against the black feathers of the Black Feather Eagle.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Find your next read on empire

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The clanging of metal was ear-piercing, with sparks flying in every direction.

Protected by their black feathers, the Black Feather Eagles were not significantly harmed by the attacks of these First Grade demon beasts.

But these demonic crows had grown cunning, and many black flashes targeted the unprotected vital areas of the Black Feather Eagles, such as their eyes.

Faced with this overwhelming assault of black flashes, the Black Feather Eagles inevitably found themselves stretched too thin to defend every attack.

One such black flash struck the pupil of a Black Feather Eagle, which started bleeding profusely from the corner of its eye—a conspicuous sight.

Birds are inherently fierce, and even though they had been tamed as demon pets, it couldn't change the nature of their bloodline.

The injury, combined with the gradually accumulating wounds on its body, incited the beast's ferocity.

The Black Feather Eagle raised its head and let out a piercing cry, madness flickering in its blood-soaked eyes. With a single beat of its wings, it whipped up a violent gale and threw itself into the throng of Monkey-faced Demon Crows.

On the ground, there was an equally large and diverse assembly of demon beasts.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

their eyes brimmed with bloodlust and insanity.

Cai Heng's other demon pet, the Rampaging Ape, held a black iron rod and fought like a skilled Body Cultivator among the horde of demon beasts, charging left and right unpredictably.

The iron rod was incredibly forceful, leaving behind a trail of blood and gore.

Bang!

With a swing of his iron rod, the Rampaging Ape smashed it into the skull of a Demon Wolf, which instantly burst open, spraying a mixture of brain matter and blood—the nauseating sight of white and red intertwined.

Although the Rampaging Ape was dominantly fierce, his body was already covered in wounds, and the situation was grim.

"Grandfather, the number of these ferocious beasts is increasing..." Cai Xingchao said, supporting the pale-faced Cai Heng who was bleeding continuously from the mouth, his voice tinged with panic.

Shiyu Ling controlled a Fragrant Handkerchief Magic Artifact, vigilantly scanning her surroundings, fearing that a demon beast might suddenly leap out from an unexpected quarter.

Cai Heng had just suffered a severe injury from an ambush by a demon beast that was adept at hiding.

Most of a Beast Cultivator's combat power comes from carefully nurtured beast pets, making their personal combat power seem somewhat lacking in comparison.

Cai Heng looked at his two demon pets struggling in battle amidst the beasts and felt a sense of helplessness.

At this moment, Cai Manor was like a small boat, and these demon beasts were like tides, relentlessly pounding against this tiny vessel, threatening to overturn it at any moment.

The numerous commoners sheltered within the manor could also see the direness of the situation, their faces filled with despair, and some couldn't contain their fear and broke down crying.

"We can't hold out any longer, cough cough..." Cai Heng barely got two words out before he couldn't help but cover his mouth and cough lightly. When he lowered his hand, his palm was stained with a bright red patch of blood.

Cai Xingchao's eyes were red, and he gritted his teeth, "Grandfather, why can they be so heartless, so cowardly, watching their kin being slaughtered without lifting a finger to help..."

As the Pacification Commissioner's Steward, Cai Heng used to maintain numerous Cultivators and servants in the manor, a force not to be underestimated.

But as soon as Cai Heng decided to shelter many commoners, attracting a large number of demon beasts to surround the manor, some Cultivators within began to stealthily flee.

Discovering this situation, Cai Heng did not try to keep these Cultivators, allowing them to choose their own fate freely.

Who would have thought that in the end, only a meager handful of three or four Cultivators chose to stay behind in the manor.

If everyone was willing to stay and work together, perhaps there could've been a chance to hold back these demon beasts, given Grandfather's ability to withstand them for so long on his own.

Thinking this, Cai Xingchao involuntarily clenched his fists.

Cai Heng seemed to sense Cai Xingchao's resentment and patted his hand, softening his voice to comfort him, "Xingchao, in the midst of a deluge, some choose to stand up while others are overwhelmed by the fear of oncoming waves.

There's no need to ridicule the passionate as foolish or castigate those who flee in fear as cowards. In the end, we're all just droplets in the flood."

"But..." Cai Heng, nearing the end of his life, had a drifting gaze, as if he had thought of something but ultimately let out a sigh, "When the whole city is submerged, where will they have left to flee to?"

Cai Heng was unaware of the Asura Blood Formation's existence, nor did he know that his act of sheltering the common people was delaying the formation of the Blood River, a genuinely correct choice that could save the city.

All he knew was that when the flood surged forward, if everyone chose to flee and no one stood up to build the levee, then there would inevitably come a day when there would be no place left in the world to call home.