"Han brother, isn't your Jin Gang Sect technique merely practiced up to the third level?" "Why do you ask that, Zhang brother?" Han Li's eyes flashed as he calmly replied. "Nothing special—just that the third level of Jin Gang Sect seems still unable to repel even a wild wolf. It appears Han brother truly has a bright future!" Zhang Kui said with evident intention, then immediately turned and walked away, clearly with no intention to continue. Han Li watched the back of the scarred man, stroked his chin, and a gentle smile spread across his lips... There seems to be something unsaid in his words. Not long after, a large number of soldiers from An Yuan City, along with a group of young men and women, arrived under the leadership of another junior officer and ascended the city walls. Finally, the Tian Dong Trading House and others were able to descend from the battlements. Yet, they naturally could not return to their inns. Instead, they were all gathered near the square where they had gathered that day and assigned to a group of stone houses for rest and accommodation. As soon as most of them entered the stone houses, they immediately fell asleep, no longer bothering with anything else Han Li, though utterly tireless, showed no intention of venturing out into the chaos. He immediately sat in meditation on the bed, quietly refining the techniques of the Diamond Sect's cultivation method. The night passed without incident, and dawn came swiftly. Early the next morning, the thunderous roar broke suddenly, answered by distant wolf howls. Soon after, fierce cries of battle erupted from the city walls, marking the second wave of the beast horde's assault on the city. This engagement proved even more intense than the day before, with the sounds of combat lasting from morning until night. Waves of reserve soldiers and young men were continuously drawn from the stone huts and rushed up to the city walls for reinforcements. Within just one day, the square where Han Li stood saw no fewer than three or four such reinforcements. Only when the night sky once again settled did the beast horde finally withdraw. As Han Li stepped out of the stone hut with a sudden realization, he found the square now filled with soldiers being withdrawn from the city walls—many of them having been pulled up to reinforce the defense. With so many having been deployed, only a fraction of the original strength remained. Most of them were covered in blood, severely injured with missing limbs and body parts—far more惨 than the guards like Han Li who had been stationed there yesterday. Not only Han Li, but many others who had stepped out of the stone pavilions near the square were also stunned by what they saw. Some immediately approached to inquire about the details of today's battle. It turned out that among the attacking wolf beasts today, a new type of small wolf had emerged—one resembling a lynx in size. These wolves were light on their feet, like swallows, and their fur, which shot out like spines, carried a potent toxin. Once struck by these bristling hairs, the wolves lost their strength within moments and would perish from the poison if not promptly treated. This particular species of small wolf had never been encountered before and likely represented a newly evolved variant of the young wolf beast. While such new mutations among the beasts were not common occurrences during the wave of invasions, they were also not exceptionally rare. However, every time a new variant appeared, it inevitably caused significant casualties among the human defenders. Yet, such newly evolved species typically faded away and disappeared relatively quickly. Otherwise, the mutated wolf-beasts currently in the wolf pack would never have only these two simple forms. But now, with such mutated young wolves appearing in large numbers, they have already inflicted heavy casualties upon the unprepared guards. Had it not been for the commander who, without regard for losses, deployed large contingents of reserve troops, and whose "Spirit Squad" repeatedly intervened, the battle today would have been extremely perilous. Hearing the accounts from the evacuated personnel, everyone present grew increasingly somber. All of them now sensed that this current wave of beasts was far more formidable than previously reported, and began to question whether the city could indeed be held. Han Li stood quietly at the doorway, his eyes slightly narrowed, observing for a while before returning without a word to the stone pavilion, his expression calm and composed throughout. In his heart, he remained utterly indifferent to all this. Even if the city of Anyuan were to fall, it would not be difficult for him, with his skill and the two Immortal-Blazing Jewels upon his person, to break through the beast horde and make his escape. As for the others in the city, even if he had intended to save them, he now found himself short of both strength and capacity—naturally, he would not make any plans beyond what he could realistically achieve. However, given how fierce the beast herd had become, the first batch of guards relieved likely wouldn't be able to rest for two full days; perhaps they'd already be replaced by tomorrow. Han Li's prediction proved accurate. On the third morning, as the first ray of sunlight appeared in the sky, a loud call came from outside, summoning all the guards of the Tian Dong trading house to gather at the plaza. When he calmly arrived at the plaza, he found not only representatives from the Tian Dong trading house, but also hundreds of sturdy figures standing there. Among them, half were clearly body-forge cultivators, many of whom wore "spirit rings" or "spirit bracelets," possessing spirit artifacts. Additionally, every knight mounted on a Shuolan beast was present, standing in orderly formation. Clearly, these were the very elite of the city. With a slight frown, Han Li calmly walked toward the crowd. A short while later, the square had gathered nearly a thousand people. Then, a figure stepped forward—precisely the middle-aged man in silver armor. His face stern, he spoke a few sentences, explaining that the defenses on the other side were under severe pressure and required reinforcements, after which he gestured and the队伍 set off. The news naturally came as a shock to the gathered crowd. While they had recently learned that the Qing Lang beasts were particularly difficult to handle, they hadn't expected the situation on the other side to be even more dire. Fortunately, the people assembled were all seasoned and experienced, so though there was a moment of commotion, there was no widespread discussion. Most simply settled into the available beast-carriages and headed directly toward the opposite side of Anyuan City. On the streets, aside from the patrolling knights, no one else moved. Thus, with the beast carts rushing ahead, after more than an hour, they reached the opposite section of the city wall of Anyuan. Then, the group disembarked. Nearby, several dozen officers had been waiting. Upon seeing the arrival of Han Li and his companions, they immediately rushed forward, quarreling briefly before neatly dividing them up and promptly assigning them to various watchtowers. As a result, the members of Tian Dong Trading House were also scattered. Aside from about eight or nine ordinary guards from the trading house who followed Han Li as deputy leader, Zhang Kui and Du Xiao, among others, were now separated. A middle-aged officer with a full beard led Han Li and his group. From his iron armor, he appeared to be of the same rank as the officer named Xiao. This officer was particularly kind and courteous to Han Li and the bodybuilders, especially since three of them each carried spiritual artifacts—treating them with special courtesy. His tone often carried an air of confidence and reliance. Yet, beyond the people from the Tian Dong trading house who knew a bit, no one else was aware of Han Li's prowess, and thus the burly officer paid it no special attention. Han Li himself certainly didn't volunteer to speak up; he simply remained silent and followed the crowd up the ramparts under the protection of their unit. Upon seeing the scene before him, everyone was stunned. The parapets, towers, and other structures that should have been neat and smooth were now all in disrepair, completely ruined. More strangely, the originally pale, bright ground had turned black in patches, emitting a strong, foul odor of decay that made people feel nauseous. "This is snake venom," said a man wearing a spiritual bracelet, who carefully examined the blackened areas. "Indeed, it is snake venom. Over four hundred of my men have lost combat effectiveness due to this." Hearing this, the burly officer only managed a wry smile. "Did I forget something? Isn't the red serpent beast naturally non-toxic?" Another elder, likewise equipped with spiritual artifacts, seemed puzzled. "No, Li brother hasn't forgotten. Generally, red serpent beasts are indeed non-toxic. However, among the current mutated specimens, there has emerged a new type—flying serpents with wings. Though their size is comparable to ordinary red serpents, these winged serpents can glide briefly using their double wings and emit a black toxic mist from their mouths. This mist, once it touches the skin, causes immediate skin tears and flesh damage; even when it strikes stone, it can penetrate deeply, leaving a solid mark. I've already had the city walls thoroughly rinsed with fresh water several times—otherwise, the lingering toxic air alone would have made it impossible to endure for five days." The bearded officer explained. "This is quite troublesome. The original mutated serpents were already incredibly strong, and now with these new ones capable of spewing poison, defense becomes significantly more challenging," someone in the crowd immediately expressed their growing concern. "Had the Red Serpent been any more difficult to handle, would the higher-ups have sent all of you here? I've heard that on the Qing Wolf side, there seem to be new variants of wolf beasts emerging." The bearded officer stroked his beard, his expression growing increasingly serious. "The Qing Wolf beasts aren't exactly easy to deal with either. So why haven't the cultivators stepped in yet? After all, cultivators are especially skilled at large-scale, devastating spells—these two beast herds have traditionally been their primary targets." Someone else couldn't help but ask again. "Don't forget, the Leopard Bird Beast hasn't made an appearance since the beginning of the beast surge. The cultivators must be reserved for this more troublesome type of divine bird. Otherwise, once their energy is depleted, and the Leopard Bird Beast suddenly appears, our An Yuan City will surely fall." The bearded officer sighed lightly and replied. Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged puzzled glances. It seemed the prospects for An Yuan City were truly not promising. "That's enough," he said. "You needn't worry so much." The venom-spewing flying serpent could only release a single plume of toxic mist before it had to rest for several days. After the two days of combat already fought, these mutated flying serpents had largely lost their offensive capabilities. The intention behind dispatching us, as conveyed from above, is actually to counter the mutated giant serpent. This giant serpent is particularly hard to wound—ordinary soldiers find it difficult to harm them except by those with body-training expertise. The damage observed on the city walls is precisely the result of these giant serpents' attacks. As long as we can hold the mutated giant serpent at bay, the regular red serpents still have confidence in being able to handle the rest. Noticing the somewhat uneasy expressions of the officers, the bearded commander added some encouragement. "Heh, no need for your instructions—since we've come this far, we won't simply sit idle. However..." The man wearing the spiritual bracelet still had more to say, when suddenly, from the horizon beyond the city walls, several strange calls emerged—neither clearly animal nor bird in tone—sending a wave of discomfort through the listeners, as if their very blood had been stirred. Han Zi's words stopped abruptly, and his face grew suddenly serious. Yet it was no different for others who had heard the cries—everyone's expression had changed dramatically. "Feline beasts! At last, they've arrived!" a cultivator gazed toward the distant sky, murmuring softly, his fingers unconsciously tightening the grip on his weapon. At that moment, Han Li stood alone in a corner of the city wall,低头 adjusting a low-rank spiritual stone, his expression calm and composed, as if he had not heard the earlier cries at all. (First chapter!)