What is this...
Lin Suqing's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground. Her position at the highest point of the Royal Court allowed her to see the full appearance of the Ferocious Beast that had descended from the sky.
Four horns, human eyes, pig ears—there's no mistaking it! It's the man-eating Ferocious Beast, Zhu Huai, recorded in the ancient texts of the Human Domain! Such a huge size... ten thousand years? Thirty thousand years? Its height already exceeds two hundred zhang. Can such a massive body really not be crushed by its own weight? Why does such a thing exist... Why would this powerful Ferocious Beast, which should have been slain nearly to extinction by the Immortals of the Human Domain, suddenly appear in the densely populated Royal Court of the Northern Wilderness clan... Lord Cang Xue... where is Lord Cang Xue?
HUMMM—
A visible shockwave emanated from the abyss-like maw of the Ferocious Beast. It scattered the boundless mist. Fissures appeared on the ground, and hot lava gushed from the cracks. The original lake had vanished.
After its roar, the Huge beast Zhu Huai's forehead lit up with firelight, and its four massive horns began to flash with an orange glow, one after the other.
The sky seemed to be filled with patches of fire clouds.
Lin Suqing sensed the agitation in the Spiritual Energy; at this instant, it seemed as though the only element left between heaven and earth was fire!
The fire flickered. A dozen giant fireballs, each a hundred zhang in diameter, suddenly appeared in front of the Huge beast Zhu Huai's forehead. They paused briefly before hurtling towards the Royal Court.
For a long time afterwards, Lin Suqing could not forget this scene. The great fire descended from the sky, engulfing half of the Royal Court in flames, and the crowd that couldn't escape in time was swallowed by the firelight. The mountain-like Huge beast strode forward, the ground cracking under its gigantic feet, as magma spewed from the earth, threatening to submerge the entire grassland.
The sudden flames also woke up most of the Bear Hug Clan members who were previously stunned by the shock.
In front of it, people screamed in panic like ants; the crowd that had rushed out of Wu Wang's tent was about to collapse.
"Don't panic!"
A roar!
A roar, still with a youthful voice, suddenly spread throughout the Royal Court!
A visible icy blue breath gathered in the air. Right in front of the Huge beast Zhu Huai's snout, a tiny figure, small as a grain of rice, raised its hand high, holding up an ice mountain that had already taken shape.
The ice mountain was still growing!
In the sky, twelve Stars shone, and boundless Starlight furiously filled the sharp edges of the ice mountain, turning it into an ice cone, an ice spear!
Grand Star Ritual, Wu Wang!
At this moment, the Ferocious Beast Zhu Huai completely ignored the 'threat' before it, not even sparing a glance at the figure, it just 'slowly' stepped forward.
The voice Wu Wang roared, once again accompanied by Starlight, spread throughout the area for a hundred li:
"General Xiong San! Emergency Evacuation Plan Three!
Immediately abandon the Royal Court! Everyone leave now! Carry the elderly and children on your backs! I'll lure it away!
Blow the horns! Light the beacon fires!"
Before the word 'fires' was fully uttered, the sharply growing ice spear, now tens of zhang high, smashed down onto the Huge beast Zhu Huai's forehead as Wu Wang's right hand chopped down.
But the Huge beast showed no reaction, staring at the Royal Court, stepping forward, allowing the long block of solid ice to smash onto its forehead.
It seemed to be just a light snap.
The ice mountain shattered instantly; in return, it merely caused a slight tremble in the Huge beast's head.
Wu Wang seemed to have anticipated this. His cloak fluttered, and he once again drew Starlight down.
From the leather pouch at his waist, six Crystal Balls flew out. They quickly floated behind him and then shattered together, forming a 'hexagonal snowflake' several zhang in diameter.
Praying Star Technique—Extreme Cold Wind!
Countless zhang-long ice spears rapidly formed around Wu Wang. They then brought forth whistling noises as they furiously barraged the Ferocious Beast's face.
The helmet, resembling a young beast's maw, concealed Wu Wang's face, leaving his expression unseen.
His figure pivoted, resembling a tiny snowflake dancing in front of Zhu Huai's head.
This time, Wu Wang pressed even closer, diving directly at the Ferocious Beast's right pupil.
I must not allow it to unleash another fireball!
"Look at me!"
Wu Wang shouted loudly, hoping to attract some animosity this way; but the Huge beast still had no reaction, taking steps forward at its original pace.
Even the ice spears smashing into what should have been its most vulnerable eyes failed to produce a single streak of blood in its seemingly human-like eyeballs.
Veins bulged on Wu Wang's arms as transparent feathers rapidly condensed behind him.
POP!
A pair of Light Wings, forged from Ice Crystal, appeared behind Wu Wang. The Light Wings beat rapidly, propelling him skyward.
If not from the front, then from above! I was the closest one. If I don't step forward to draw this Ferocious Beast's attention, who else could?
Inside and outside the Royal Court, the originally panicked crowds seemed to have found a pillar of support, awakening memories of their ancestors from the early years of survival in the Northern Wilderness.
General Xiong San stared at the figure soaring into the high skies and yelled at the top of his voice, "Young Master, get away quickly! This is no ordinary Ten-Thousand-Year Ferocious Beast!"
But lacking the Praying Star Technique, his loud voice alone could not reach Wu Wang.
What did the Young Master say just now? Emergency Evacuation Plan Three...
"Ah!"
Gritting his teeth and stamping his foot, Xiong San turned around and started bellowing. His roars were echoed by the wolf riders around, causing an instant uproar near the Royal Court.
One by one, men and women as solid as iron towers stood up, hoisting the people beside them onto their shoulders and ran towards the settlements.
The huge wolves, their legs now too weak to run, were also carried by their respective masters on their shoulders, racing north and south to avoid the west, where the Huge beast faced.
The Priests...
Priests...
General Xiong San suddenly turned around and saw scattered figures in long robes.
They were bowing and praying to the Ferocious Beast.
"Carry them away too! What are they doing praying at a time like this?!"
「Meanwhile, in the flame-engulfed Royal Court.」
"What are you doing?"
In the spreading fire, Lin Suqing launched water spheres one after another. Her figure was wrapped in Spiritual Energy, her dress enhanced with a Talisman of swiftness, as she did her utmost to save people.
Reaching a certain point, she paused in astonishment, looking at the crowd gathered together, continuously bowing towards the distant Ferocious Beast.
This group of people, clad in Priest robes, now showed faces of panic, their voices tinged with tears, yet they continuously cried out, "This is the Star God's divine gift," and "Thank you, Star God, for your benevolence."
"What are you doing?"
Lin Suqing asked again, looking at this group of old Priests whose strength was comparable to Human Domain Cultivation masters. "You call this a divine gift?
This is a Ferocious Beast!
It's a man-eating Ferocious Beast!
Aren't you supposed to support the Young Master? The Young Master went to lure this Ferocious Beast away to cover everyone's escape, and you—what are you doing kneeling here?!"
But the crowd of figures merely prostrated themselves, completely unresponsive to Lin Suqing's shouts and questions.
"Sigh."
Suddenly, a light sigh reached her ears.
"Miss Lin, don't blame them. In the Northern Wilderness, a beast falling from the sky is considered a blessing from the Star God. It's just that sometimes, these blessings exceed the limits we can bear."
Lin Suqing turned around and first saw a young girl pushing a Wheelchair. Then her gaze settled on the frail, elderly figure in the Wheelchair.
This Wheelchair... it was clearly crafted by the Young Master.
And this aged figure, Lin Suqing had seen her once before; it was Wu Wang's grandmother, the former chief Priest of the Bear Hug Clan.
"Miss Lin," the old chief Priest asked softly, "can you carry me to the front? My clan won't let this old bag of bones take risks, but the only one who can help my grandson now is me."
"You..."
Lin Suqing's voice trembled slightly, her eyes somewhat evasive, but she quickly made up her mind.
「In the high skies, the air was already thinning.」
Wu Wang spread his arms wide and began to chant incantations at a rapid pace, his ice Light Wings behind him greedily absorbing the power of the Stars.
Beneath his feet, an ice mountain formed once again. The twelve Stars above seemed within reach, while the now-curved land below belched thick smoke.
The diameter of the ice mountain was fifty zhang, and it towered over a hundred zhang in height.
Wu Wang suddenly bowed his head and spat out a mouthful of blood. A strong sense of dizziness came from his forehead. This is my limit. But it's not enough! This Ferocious Beast can support such a massive body; its physical strength must have reached an astonishing level! Every time the beast stomps on the ground, the seemingly magma-like eruptions are in fact produced by this Ferocious Beast's own 'force field', strengthening the earth's ability to bear its weight so it doesn't sink into the ground. Such Ferocious Beasts, these Ferocious Beasts known as the Star God's gifts, have too many legends associated with them in the Northern Wilderness. Attacking clans is their habit! The last incident occurred three hundred years ago, when the once-mightiest clan in the Northern Wilderness, the Kuafu clan, was suddenly assaulted by a beast of this caliber one night. The royal court of the Kuafu clan turned into a sea of flames, and the clan never recovered. Its current strength now ranks even below that of the Bear Hug Clan! Why did it attract such a Ferocious Beast? Was it the covert aid I had given my clan that disrupted the balance of the Northern Wilderness?
Shaking his head forcefully, Wu Wang drove away these thoughts and bit his tongue sharply, his eyes filling with blood.
The ice mountain beneath his feet resumed its growth.
Wu Wang brought his hands back to his chest and quickly formed seals. Layers of whirlwind clung to the outer surface of the ice mountain.
The entire ice mountain looked like a rapidly spinning top.
Simply dropping an ice mountain from this height would result in it melting due to frictional heat before it even hit the ground, effectively giving the Ferocious Beast nothing more than a cold shower. But the combination of wind-based and ice-based Praying Star Techniques can cleverly shield the ice mountain from frictional heat and allow for adjustments to its trajectory as it falls. Whether this is the correct way to use the Praying Star Technique, I dare not make such a bold claim. But this is already the limit of what I can do right now!
Wu Wang flipped over, his ice Light Wings spread wide, his hands pressing against the top of the ice mountain.
The necklace hanging from his neck slipped from his collar and floated in front of Wu Wang, the emerald gem flickering gently with light.
Mother, are you okay? You haven't appeared in this situation; surely, you must have run into trouble.
Wu Wang closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Success or failure hinges on this one action! I must buy enough time for everyone to evacuate!
A buzzing sound vibrated in his ears; the Starlight around the ice mountain dissipated, and the whirlwind swept wildly as the ice mountain suddenly plummeted!
「On the ground.」
In the region engulfed by firelight, on the edge of an orderly fleeing crowd.
Lin Suqing was enveloped in an aura, carrying the withered old chief Priest on her back, skimming close to the ground as if flying.
The moment she picked up the old woman, Lin Suqing's heart tightened.
So light. And her body is so withered, with hardly any life left.
"Miss Lin, for involving you in this calamity, our Bear Hug Clan has been poor hosts."
"The Young Master once saved my life," Lin Suqing hurriedly replied. "Chief Priest, you need not be so formal with me."
"Ah," the old woman raised her head to look at the Huge beast that was rapidly approaching, and said slowly, "It is our Bear Hug Clan's strength that has broken the balance of the Northern Wilderness... We need to go further ahead. I'm not completely confident at this distance."
"Understood."
Lin Suqing acknowledged and focused her energy. Her surrounding aura transformed into a sword shape, as two Talismans floated up on their own and stuck to her back, boosting her speed once more.
The old woman's sigh seemed to take a lot of effort:
"Miss Lin, please tell Ba'er for me that he hasn't done anything wrong. Thanks to his creative ideas, our clan will no longer see people starve to death.
"And don't blame the Priests in the clan for only knowing how to pray. They have prayed to the Star God for a lifetime.
"When the will of the Star God descends as a Huge beast, how many people can think that they might actually resist?
"I have lived for over six hundred years. I thought I had understood everything. I'm even concerned about whether I will be punished by the Star God after death, so imagine what it must be like for them."
"Elder, what can we do?" Lin Suqing's voice trembled as she asked. The closer they got to the Huge beast, the more evident the trembling of her Dao heart became.
The old woman spoke gently, "Look at the sky."
Lin Suqing did as told and looked up—there, the falling ice mountain, wrapped in layer upon layer of flame-like 'petals', was plummeting at high speed!
The light of ice and fire shone on each other, while fierce winds swept across the heavens and earth, leaving trails of green in their wake.
The old woman's murky eyes shone with a trace of relief:
"He has always had all kinds of wild and fanciful ideas. To use the Praying Star Technique in such a way—I have seen it only this once in so many years.
"For him, the Northern Wilderness is simply too confining.
"Miss Lin, you can leave me here. This is close enough."
Lin Suqing quickly stopped and knelt, allowing Wu Wang's grandmother to place her feet steadily on the ground.
The old woman, wrapped in a rough linen scarf and dressed in a loose robe, struggled to walk forward two steps. Her left hand made a grasping motion, and a long wooden Staff materialized out of thin air, which she grasped in both hands, supporting her body.
Then, the wide sleeves of her robe slipped down as she knelt, bowing deeply toward the Huge beast.
Lin Suqing overheard the old woman's whisper...
"All my life dedicated to believing in the Star God, praising the Star God, and looking up to the Star God, I should be grateful for the Star God's blessings.
"But who doesn't want to protect their own family?
"O light of the Stars, please envelop me;
"O heavens and earth, please return to tranquility.
"Ancient Deities stand in the starry skies; a humble creature is begging for your slight protection. The brilliance of the sun and moon is just a pretentious facade; only the Stars are eternal throughout the ages.
"O Stars!"
The old woman's voice suddenly rose. Her wilted figure stood tall, leaning on the Staff, taking steps forward!
The sky, once reflecting the fire, became filled with twinkling Stars, and two intersecting rivers of Stars burst forth with countless Starlight.
The Earth trembled; the vast prairie seemed like a sea with surging waves, and the ground rippled in layers.
Lin Suqing saw it...
Around the old woman glowed a brilliant radiance—the ultimate expression of Divine Thought!
A powerful oppressive force spread out from the old woman, overshadowing even the Ferocious Beast's body!
The old woman raised the wooden Staff high. At that instant, the world seemed to come to a standstill as boundless Starlight converged at the Staff's tip, rushing toward the Earth.
CLANG!
Amidst a clear ringing sound, the Staff struck the ground. Seemingly, nothing happened.
But in the distance!
Look at the distance!
The body of the Huge beast that had been 'slowly' moving forward suddenly halted. The light flickering on its forehead abruptly dissipated. The magma that its giant feet had stomped into existence ceased flowing, and web-like cracks appeared on the ground.
Gales swept through the air, whisking away the scorching heatwaves. That ice mountain, like a spear hurled by the gods, plunged downwards fiercely.
Grand Praying Star Technique—Ice Starfall!
For the first time, the Huge beast Zhu Huai's human-like eyes shook. Its pupils shifted upward, fixated on the rapidly enlarging icy blue!
Roaring filled the firmament.
...
"Miss Lin."
The old woman looked at the crumbled earth in the distance, the fallen Huge beast, the ice mountain firmly smashing onto the Huge beast's neck, and the young man gliding safely through the sky. She smiled peacefully.
The Divine Light surrounding her faded away, and the light in her eyes slowly receded. The Stars had vanished from the sky.
"In the Human Domain, there are no Gods, right?"
"Yes."
"What a... wonderful place..."
The old woman murmured. Her small figure, leaning on the wooden Staff, slowly sat down, her aged head gradually lowering.
"Ah... great and noble Star God, your humble servant entreats for your forgiveness..."