Blood of the Army

by Tinalynge

  They were about to enter into a stage of their life filled with endless battle. It was also time for them to accept that not a lot of them would be capable of surviving.

  "We are now sending the groups out to various locations to hold our stand against the beasts. The entire Genius Camp is to be sent to the Northern Taiga. This is the most dangerous of all the areas, but risk and reward go hand in hand."

  "Geniuses, you will encounter both Fierce and Primordial Beasts. These beasts will claim your lives, but those who survive will become stronger and stronger. One of ours will be avenged with ten of theirs, and slowly you will get the upper hand in the exchanges."

  "As long as the strongest and most dangerous Primordial Beasts stay within the innermost regions of the taiga, then you are safe."

  The unsaid words were making everyone shudder. If one of the old monsters from the innermost regions came to visit them, they would not survive even if they had nine lives like a cat.

  Xue Wei felt his blood boiling just thinking about it. He wanted to do battle; he wanted to kill beasts. He wanted to begin the time in the military. He wanted to forge a name for himself and become a Primordial Beast Hunter. He wanted so many things, but he knew that to start it, the first step was to protect the Northern Taiga.

  The other experts were placed in other locations. Some of them were danger regions, but none of them as dangerous and large as the Northern Taiga.

  The following day, all the geniuses were ready to set out. They were eager to display their might and flirt with death when a frantic messenger arrived.

  "My lords, there is a beast horde coming this way! It is larger than any other horde I have ever seen; it has beasts equivalent to Heavenly Warriors, and they are numerous!"

  "They are being led by the Ice Harpy. We got a small glimpse of her earlier. She was in her Primordial Beast form, and she was flying through the air gracefully like a winter breeze."

  "They are heading straight for the capital." the messenger dared not come with any suggestions as to how they could protect themselves against this beast horde, so all he did was report back what they had seen.

  "Everyone, get in formation!" the commander who was in charge of the recruitment camp suddenly yelled out, his voice cutting through the entire campground before he sent a few orders through the communication device on his arm.

  Within moments, the entire capital was in an uproar. The Heavenly Warriors from the various families donned their armor, brought their personal guards, and all the mercenaries within the city also got ready.

  The rumor of the beast horde spread like a wildfire; within moments, all knew about it and every man and woman who cultivated stepped into their armor.

  "Move to the capital!" the commander ordered the entire group of recruits towards the capital once more, which was the location where they would fight.

  The recruits were now real members of the army. There were many of them, and they were stationed on top of the walls of the capital.

  The stronger Sky Warriors and Heavenly Warriors were waiting on the outside of the walls for the beasts to arrive.

  If the rest of the group were to enter the fray on the ground in front of the capital, they were likely to be wounded or even killed by the shockwaves of the fights of the higher ranked cultivators.

  Everyone waited patiently. Xue Wei stood together with Tie Haolong, Song Yuyan, Xiao Jie, and Gu Dixing. They had all worn their armor and the Fierce Beast silk robes.

  Everyone held their weapons with sweaty palms. Although they had fought frequently, from time to time experiencing real fights in the training camp, they could not be compared to the battle they were about to experience.

  Only the Arena could provide something similar, but even so it was not the same. In the arena, the cultivators could focus on one single opponent, yet here it was a free for all. At one point, they might be two or even more cultivators to kill one beast, but similarly they might be sieged by a group of beasts, forced to fight more than one at a time.

  Realizing this, everyone was nervous, but while Xue Wei was nervous he was also feeling the urge to do battle burn within him; his killing intent was rising to the skies, his face turning manic, and a sinister smile spread on his lips as he clenched his hands into fists.

  When Xue Wei had been a year younger and this killing intent and urge to fight had roused within him, he was capable of staying clear-headed if he wished however, now, as time had gone by, he found himself having more and more problems staying calm and collected. His personality was changing; he was not as reserved any longer.

  He was becoming cold and casual towards anything and everyone. Only a few people caused him to behave differently. Only a few people made him consider them as real friends, and he was willing to do anything for the sake of his friends.

  "If you face too many beasts, come to me," Xue Wei said beneath his breath to his friends in the group, "I will help you kill any beasts that might gather around you. I should be able to hold my own against a beast that's stronger by one layer."

  The others nodded their heads. They knew that Xue Wei was serious about helping them and they felt gratitude in their hearts. They were eager to start the battle now. They felt that with the menacing Xue Wei on their side, they would be able to defeat anyone that might come their way.

  A whole group of Heavenly Warriors had gathered at the front of the capital, and behind them were the Sky Warriors. All of them were veterans who had gone through multiple life-and-death situations; they had battled their way through mountains of beast corpses, and waddled through rivers of blood.

  Now they were ready to face one more beast horde; their everything was given to battle against these beasts that were emerging in the distance.

  Everyone on the city walls held their breaths. At first, they had thought themselves safe as they were such a distance away from the Heavenly Warriors and their battleground. They were on top of the city walls, and it was impossible for the beasts to climb the walls, especially with an army of superior cultivators beneath it.

  However, when they looked at the horde that was approaching, the hearts of many youngsters sank. The sky was black It was clear that amongst these beasts were a large amount of flying beasts.

  These would without a doubt attack the ones at the top of the walls, and they would attack with all that they had. Looking at the horde, there was at least a million beasts rushing their way, and around two hundred of these beasts were equivalent to a Heavenly Warrior ranked expert. Ten thousand were equal to the Sky warriors, and the rest were in the various ranks of the Earth Warrior and Ordinary Warrior stages.

  In front of the beast horde was a Primordial Beast flying. When looking at this figure, everyone lost their breath at the beauty.

  It was a beautiful harpy. Her feathers were white and blue like ice, and her facial features were as if the most beautiful fairy had descended from the heavens above and her silver hair billowed in the wind.

  "I recognize her!" someone cried out, and others were starting to feel the same way.

  "Speak, where is she from?!" the commander heard the outcry and appeared within moments to question the person.

  "She was at the Crown Prince's banquet. She used the alias as an expert from the center of the continent. She was oddly interested in Xue Wei."

  This person was incredibly cunning. He was from the Genius Camp, and he was of the fourth layer of the Earth Warrior rank.

  He was said to be the second strongest expert in the entire Genius Camp, defeated only by Xue Wei according to the rumors, and this was something he had a hard time accepting.

  The commander frowned when he heard the words before he turned and looked at Xue Wei, "Do you know her?" he asked. Xue Wei shrugged his shoulders. "I have met her three times," he said honestly, "Once back in Tiankong City where she purchased a Fierce Beast at an auction, once here in the capital, and then again at the banquet."

  "When we were heading to the Recruitment Camp, our entourage was
stopped by groups of Fierce Beasts; we even encountered a beast horde and bandits. It seems that this woman must have had a hand in everything. Less than half of us arrived here."

  "This woman seems to have taken an interest in you," The commander said. "What is your relation to her?"

  "She said she wanted to kill me," Xue Wei said dryly. "She claimed she hated me and that my death would be by her hand."

  "It is his fault that the beast horde is coming!" someone yelled, but the commander just snorted.

  "She is a Primordial Beast," he said with disdain in his voice. "It is only natural that she hates humans. She might have taken this young man as an excuse to launch an attack, but the truth is that she and we will always be facing one another. We will never be able to live while the other survives!"

  "As a result, we should be happy that they have brought themselves to our doorstep!" the commander spoke loudly, and everyone could hear what was being said. "We will now kill the beasts; show no mercy, have no second thoughts. These beasts are vile; they are the tools of the Primordial Beasts to kill us! A retreat is not an option. Behind these walls are our dear ones. Our loved ones. Should we fail, then their lives will be forfeited, and they will become the livestock of these beasts once more!"

  "Fight!" someone yelled, and soon everyone was yelling at the top of their lungs in an orderly fashion. "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" It was like a drumbeat, and even the nervous and worried youngsters were being inspired by the atmosphere and started to gather their courage and their fighting spirit. They had something to fight for. They had something to protect.

  The commander nodded his head in approval when he saw the light in the young men and women's eyes and felt how their spirits were raised, filling with an urge to protect what they held dear.

  The beasts had now arrived, and there was no time for them to steel themselves anymore. It was like a massive wave rolled over them, threatening to drown them all in moments after the collision.

  Chapter 41 - Brother!

  Beasts were everywhere on top of the walls. Wails and screams started to sound out together with a metallic scent of blood.

  No one had time to look out for their comrades; it was everyone on their own. Even Xue Wei was surrounded by a large group of beasts, all of them trying their best to kill him.

  An epiphany then struck Xue Wei. Was the reason that these beasts had feared him not because of the Primordial Beast, the Ice Harpy? Had she made these beasts act up, and if she had, what was her purpose in making it seem as if the beasts were scared of him?

  These beasts around him were at least not the slightest bit scared; They attacked with unmatched fierceness, and they swarmed all of the martial arts cultivators on the walls and those outside the wall.

  The flying beasts were all of a strength ranging from Ordinary Warriors to Earth Warriors; not only did they innately have superior strength, they also had the advantage in numbers. At every moment someone died or was crippled in the fight, their careers as a soldier ended right then and there in their first real battle.

  But although the beasts had been like an avalanche that had come crashing down onto them, the humans were slowly starting to show just why they were able to overtake the beasts in the first place.

  The coordinated attacks of the five-man groups ensured that they could stay alive once they rallied together, and although they were besieged from all sides, they were able to withstand it for the time being. Sometimes even killing a beast.

  Xue Wei had been separated from his group. He had been standing a bit away from them, and this small distance alone was enough to force them apart when the beast horde arrived. At least Song Yuyan, Xiao Jie, Gu Dixing, and Tie Haolong were together and had their backs facing one another; this way, they too were able to sustain themselves.

  While they were busy surviving, Xue Wei was feeling more and more energetic; the smile on his face grew more and more brilliant as his armor, which was already red, became black from the coagulating blood as he slew one beast after another.

  Xue Wei did not care at all. Blood soaked his clothes, and rivers of blood were blossoming beneath him.

  Beasts were flooding towards him like a massive wave, but all the other humans had wisely withdrawn. Everyone who saw him only saw a butcher who killed a beast with every attack, none of them containing any profound skills or magnificent weapons. Simple palm-strikes and kicks were all that were necessary for him to cause the beasts to suffer such devastating fates.

  It had to be said that the beasts that besieged Xue Wei were all beneath him in rank and thus did not pose any serious threat to either him or his friends, but even so he was not going to let them go. Anything and anyone who came within reach of Xue Wei had a pitiful end.

  Xue Wei ripped the wings of a flying beast that had descended from a higher altitude, and a cry resounded past the throat of this beast.

  Another one was kicked in the head, causing the skull to fracture and the beast to die on the spot. A third was struck by a palm right on the chest, causing the ribcage to explode and puncture the heart, resulting in the beast's instant death.

  "Bring it on!" Xue Wei's eyes were blazing, his body was soaked in blood, and even his face had blood drops dripping down the cheeks.

  A laughter erupted from deep within Xue Wei, which reverberated through the entire battlefield. The joy Xue Wei felt when he was fighting could not be explained; the feeling of having fresh blood on his hand was liberating.

  It was as if he could die at any moment, that when he took someone's life, he also acknowledged that others could take his. It was in these moments that he was feeling most alive. When flirting with death, he was no longer feeling dull or cautious. He let it all go and could fight with a ferociousness befit only for madmen, exuding a bloodlust that made him seem inhuman.

  There were a lot of experts on the city walls. Although the beasts were everywhere, a few of them caught a glimpse of Xue Wei. When their eyes landed on this person who stood on a mountain of corpses, laughing like a madman as the blood gushed down from beneath his feet, they all felt their bones grow cold and a shiver that ran down their spines. All of them were feeling relieved that this man was on their side, and not a foe to battle.

  Stronger and stronger beasts appeared on the battlefield. The weakest had been sent first to overwhelm their side, and to waste their energy, but the beasts with strength equivalent to Ordinary Warriors had all been slain. At this point, Xue Wei had still not used any of his Qi.

  Beasts with strength similar to those of the Earth Warriors arrived at the top of the wall. Xue Wei's eyes glowed with excitement at the sight. Amongst the surviving experts, many of them also understood that the brief calm they experienced right now was but the eye of the storm. They had fought against some of the beasts, but the most dangerous part was still ahead of them.

  In this pause where no wind blew, no beasts appeared, and no sound could be heard. All of the experts on the wall noticed Xue Wei and the mountain of corpses that was laying slain around him, the fact that his clothes were soaked with blood, the blood that had run down his cheek, and the homicidal grin on his face.

  It was at this point that many realized that Xue Wei was indeed a Crimson Devil. It was a nickname fitting for him; he was a true devil. He was simply inhuman, and even more bloodthirsty than even the beasts. He was exactly like the old legends of the devils and demons.

  Xue Wei snickered and suddenly started transforming his arms. He had found that he was enjoying the feeling of ripping apart his opponents. He had enjoyed seeing the blood spray everywhere, as well as disfiguring and killing creatures with his hands alone.

  A barely sane part of him also wished to test his dragon arms. This was a method he had been taught by Lan, but it was a method specialized to his Azure Dragon Scripture.

  The eyes almost popped out of the eyes of the experts on the wall when they saw the azure scales that started to break through the skin on Xue Wei's arms.

  They stared whe
n they saw how the fingers turned to claws, how the nails became razor sharp and frightfully long.

  The entirety of his lower and upper arms shimmered with an azure gleam, the scales similar to the clear blue sky.

  These beautiful scales made everyone hold their breath. They all knew what it meant to be able to transform into a beast; only Wayfarers and Primordial Beasts had this ability, but now Xue Wei was capable of doing it too.

  He was no Wayfarer, that much was certain, but he was not a Primordial Beast either. So what could he be?

  Xue Wei completely ignored the many strange gazes that he was being given, and he snorted in contempt when he saw a few people's eyes light up with malicious thoughts. It was clear that they were ready to make him out to be a Primordial Beast, ready to do all in their power to get rid of him.

  Xue Wei knew that the ability he controlled came from his Azure Dragon Scripture, but he was not willing to tell anyone about this. Instead he lifted his head and looked at the many beasts that were coming towards them.