The deafening roar sounded for the second time.
Giant stones, four to five meters in diameter, tore through the sky, trailing flames.
The ground trembled as they landed, with explosions of fire erupting all around.
These massive boulders, catapulted from the thousand-meter high city walls, possessed immense impact force upon impact.
Their splash radius could reach over a hundred meters. The pincered sand badgers caught in the blast didn't even have time to scream before being pulverized.
A concentrated barrage from such terrifying trebuchets unleashed immense power.
After the roaring ceased, large and small craters marked the ground.
Limbs and remains were scattered, and smoke filled the air.
It was a shocking sight.
Yet, the pincered sand badgers did not falter.
The clearings created by the falling stones were filled by the subsequent waves of badgers in mere seconds.
The city guards had learned their lesson this time, not expending all their attacks at once.
Instead, they unleashed them in staggered, rotating volleys.
Chu Tian, at this moment, leaped onto Hao's head.
"Beast Form… Activate!"
With Hao serving as a powerful tank,
He could finally engage in ranged combat.
For area-of-effect damage, the strongest skill was undoubtedly Starfall.
Chu Tian formed hand seals and began his incantation.
The twelve-second casting time was too long.
He truly missed the days in the Heavenly Dao world when he could cast Starfall instantly with Astral energy.
As he began to chant, a strange phenomenon occurred.
Within his dantian, the star clusters, entirely composed of seeds,
Suddenly shuddered and began to spin violently.
In the unseen currents, beyond the Profound Sky Stars, individual stars pulsed with light.
As if responding to a specific seed within Chu Tian's own star clusters.
The next second, these seeds… ding-ding-ding… emitted brilliant light.
Waves of energy, unfamiliar to Chu Tian, surged forth.
The energy output from each seed varied in strength.
But their sheer number was astonishing, causing Chu Tian's eyes to widen.
He felt a surge of panic; the energy was extremely unstable, threatening to erupt from his body.
Chu Tian feared he might explode.
As he continued his hand seals and chanting,
This abnormal energy seemed to find an outlet, flowing into the magic array drawn in the air with his incantation.
Hum…
Heaven and earth transformed. Centered on Hao, a colossal magic array with a thousand-meter diameter materialized in the sky.
It directly dispelled the dark clouds above.
A peculiar sight unfolded: a hole appeared in the miles of dark clouds.
Through it, countless stars could be seen twinkling.
During Chu Tian's chant, only he could see this magic array.
But now, it was directly visible to all.
However, it lasted only for a fleeting moment.
It then dissipated like scattered starlight.
Yet, the thousand-meter area of starlit sky remained.
Even Chu Tian was stunned by this sight.
Starfall, which originally had a coverage range of only a hundred meters, had expanded to a thousand meters.
Could this… be related to the star clusters within him?
"Fall…"
Chu Tian roared.
He wouldn't ponder further; clearing the monsters was the priority.
Swish…
As Chu Tian shouted, the starlight in the sky converged, coalescing into fist-sized orbs of light.
They descended upon the pincered sand badgers within the thousand-meter radius.
The boundless starlight illuminated the area as if it were day.
At the center of this radiant zone, a colossal white tiger, with a bare-chested man standing atop it, instantly became the focal point.
"A Priest… wielding the power of stars… a Priest!"
"Star Priest…"
"An illusion, it must be an illusion…"
The onlookers on the west city wall were transfixed, witnessing the most awe-inspiring scene of their lives.
Some found it utterly unbelievable.
At this moment, Chu Tian stood with his hands clasped behind his back, exuding an air of unparalleled dominance.
Beneath him, Hao's eyes gleamed with excitement.
This was the wielder of the Divine Contract.
Ancestor, do you see?
I am walking the same path as you.
Our Great-Toothed Tiger clan has a chance to reclaim its royal status.
On the battlements, the City Lord of Myriad Beasts City.
At this moment, he pressed his hand against the city wall and lowered his head to observe Chu Tian.
His pupils flickered slightly, as if contemplating, and in shock.
Chu Tian, standing on Hao's head, had no idea what had transpired.
This was the second time he had cast this skill in this world.
The previous time was upon his arrival, when he encountered sand worms.
The skill's range was less than a hundred meters.
Its damage was pitifully low.
This time…
The range had increased tenfold, the damage was explosive, and the pincered sand badgers fell like wheat, swath after swath.
More importantly, once the skill took shape, it became a sustained ability.
The star clusters within his body continuously supplied an unknown energy,
Maintaining the sustained nature of Starfall.
Old World Tree, what exactly were these myriad seeds you bestowed upon me?
Chu Tian mused inwardly, realizing that the World Tree, having undergone Nirvana in the Profound Sky Stars, had gifted him an extraordinary boon.
"Hao, move!"
Chu Tian shouted.
The dazed Hao was awakened by his call.
The sand badgers within the thousand-meter radius had all fallen. The subsequent waves of pincered sand badgers were surging in, but their speed was no match for the rate at which their predecessors were falling.
"Roar…" Hao roared to the heavens, venting his surging emotions.
Swish…
His wings emerged from within his body.
With a flap of his massive wings, his colossal form shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
As he moved, the beam of light piercing the clouds moved with him.
Like an eraser, it cleared away the dark clouds in the sky.
As he moved away, the dark clouds would then roll back in to fill the void.
On the ground, pincered sand badgers continued to fall in waves.
With every beat of Hao's wings, a void would appear in his wake.
"Youngster, leave the rest to us. Please come up to the battlements for a chat!"
Suddenly, a soft voice echoed in Chu Tian's ears.
He paused, turning his gaze towards the city wall.
On the battlements, an old man smiled at him.
Simultaneously, the west city gate was slowly closing.
It was evident that the city guards had successfully escorted all civilians to safety within the city.
Even the ropes of the siege ladders had been retracted.
"Hao, let's go back, ascend the battlements!"
Chu Tian gestured upwards.
Hao remained silent, then made a sharp turn at a low altitude.
Swish…
He reversed course directly, ascending rapidly towards the battlements.
He wouldn't have dared to do this before.
Myriad Beasts City strictly prohibited flight, with immediate execution for violators.
Those who dared to fly over the city walls never met a good end.
But now, with Chu Tian's command, he hesitated not at all.
"Disengage…"
Chu Tian instantly cut off the energy supply to Starfall.
A final wave of starlight descended from the sky, and the dark clouds slowly closed in.
It was as if the preceding events had been a dream, as if nothing had happened.
On the ground, the countless pincered sand badgers remained, densely packed.
They had already filled the vacuum Chu Tian had created.
The vortex of star clusters within Chu Tian slowly ceased its operation.
The remaining unfamiliar energy within his body was likely the power of stars!
Or perhaps, it could be called Astral energy. It transformed into myriad strands,
Converging towards the nascent, sprout-like Tree of Life within his body.
Gradually, the sensation of expansion within Chu Tian subsided.
Hao circled above the battlements for a moment before transforming into human form.
Chu Tian, Old Yang, and a large black dog landed on the battlements along with Hao's transformation.
Although Hao's ascent had not been challenged,
Upon landing, guards immediately drew their swords, pointing them at Chu Tian and his companions.
"Scram…"
Poof poof poof…
Those guards wielding swords were instantly sent flying, spitting blood.
"Giving your City Lord face, the fellow who pointed a weapon at me has barely started growing grass on his grave!"
Chu Tian's words caused a stir on the battlements.
More individuals lunged forward.
Those standing behind the City Lord all voiced their anger, "Presumptuous…"
Almost instantly, they unleashed their aura, pressing down upon Chu Tian and his group.
On this Sea of Death, there was no distinction between civil and military officials.
Both Old Yang and Hao swayed.
Hao retreated three steps, while Old Yang retreated four.
However, Old Yang's retreat was delayed by about a second compared to Hao's.
The onlookers did not notice this at all.
"Damn… these are at least轮回境 (Reincarnation Realm)!"
The big black dog spoke human words, its body trembling.
It was cunning enough to hide behind Chu Tian, and the pressure on it immediately lessened.
Chu Tian, standing in front, naturally heard Inu Gorō's words.
He thought: This Reincarnation Realm, it must be a level above the Heaven-Breaking Realm!
However, it's not all that impressive. It looks intimidating, but it doesn't even make me feel anything!
"Lord City Lord, you invite me up, and this is how you treat your guests?"
Chu Tian stepped forward as if unfazed by the oppressive pressure from the group.
He stared at the old man by the city wall.
"Heh heh… Stand down!"
The City Lord of Myriad Beasts City, his eyes flickering, waved his hand.
"Youngster, look, what should we do next?"
He actually invited Chu Tian to stand alongside him, pointing downwards and asking for Chu Tian's opinion.
At this moment, everyone on the battlements wore expressions of confusion.
Who exactly is this kid?
Could it be that the City Lord is looking upon him with newfound respect simply because he displayed some strength just now?
A Star Priest is indeed worth recruiting, but to this extent?
A group of cunning old foxes could not fathom the City Lord's intentions.
However, they dared not show any reaction. The City Lord today seemed different.
The gentle, reclusive old City Lord of the past seemed to have vanished.
Did they not see it just now? The Vice City Lord, Old Priest Gou De'er, seemed to have been trapped by the old City Lord.
Those four city guard commanders were all staunch supporters of the Vice City Lord.
With a single order from the old City Lord, the city guards were sent to their deaths.
This was clearly an attempt to weaken the Vice City Lord's power, or to send a warning.
To make him understand his place.
After so many years of remaining uninvolved, why had the old City Lord suddenly become so assertive?
If Gou De'er were to fall, they would inevitably be implicated.
It was impossible to distance themselves from the Vice City Lord.
After all these years, who among them was unaware of Gou De'er's character?
Who hadn't had dealings with the Vice City Lord?
And furthermore…
The Vice City Lord Gou De'er's own niece now seemed to stand with the City Lord!