Zhang Tianlong stood amidst the ruins of the frontline fortress, his eyes ablaze with an earth-shattering battle intent.
He had guarded the frontline for decades, participating in thousands of battles, though he had never initiated an attack.
It wasn't that he was unwilling, but rather that the Alliance was weak, and barely holding the frontline required their utmost effort.
Zhang Tianlong waved to the soldiers behind him, saying, "Kill for me."
As his words fell, everyone echoed in unison, "Kill..."
The cries of battle resounded through the heavens, lingering in the ruins of the fortress for a long time.
An ominous aura of killing rose within the Five Great Armies, and everyone's morale reached its peak.
"Boom, boom..."
Thousands of beasts galloped, their hooves pounding the ground with a sound like muffled thunder.
Soon, everyone arrived at the forest where the Star Beasts resided.
Seeing this, Zhang Tianlong hesitated not for a moment, charging in alone.
Observing, Chu Chen didn't dare to delay. He immediately summoned Soul Calm and Shadow Kill to his sides, Cage and Unyielding above him, Dofu summoned a horde of mice to guard the surroundings, and Die Wu followed behind to ensure his safety.
Faced with the intimidating Five Great Armies, the Star Beasts naturally wouldn't sit idly by.
"Roar"
A furious howl suddenly emanated from deep within the forest, as if the beast horde received an order, surging towards the Five Great Armies.
Seeing this, Zhang Tianlong immediately issued a command.
"Bombardment team, prepare."
As his voice fell, tens of thousands of Crimson Fire Sparrows shot up into the sky, swiftly flying above the Star Beasts.
Seeing this, Zhang Tianlong shouted, "Fire at will."
As the words left his lips, hundreds of thousands of Starburst Bombs rained down like a storm.
At that moment, beastly roars echoed once more, and the Star Beasts at the front quickly unleashed defense skills to block the assault.
"Boom, boom..."
Deafening explosions rang out as the Star Beasts at the forefront were instantly turned to dust.
The power of the Starburst Bombs was formidable to begin with, and with such a massive deployment, even Emperor-level Star Beasts could only flee in terror.
This single wave of Starburst Bombs alone annihilated hundreds of thousands of Star Beasts.
However, such an attack could only be unleashed once, given the war had raged for months and these Starburst Bombs were the last of the Alliance's reserves.
Zhang Tianlong chose to use this trump card at this moment for two main reasons.
First, to boost morale, eliminating hundreds of thousands of Star Beasts would undoubtedly serve as a strong morale booster for the soldiers.
Second, to intimidate the Star Beasts, their sudden demise would strike fear into the beast horde, rendering them hesitant in battle, incapable of utilizing even seventy percent of their strength.
The momentum of the Five Great Armies reached its peak as cries of battle endlessly echoed through the forest.
At the first clash, Zhang Tianlong's foresight immediately manifested.
The Star Beasts crumbled like a dam, forced to retract their defensive lines and retreat constantly.
"Roar"
A deep beastly roar sounded from the rear of the Star Beasts once more, halting their retreat, they emitted low growls, charging forward as if sent to die.
The advance of the Five Great Armies was forcibly impeded.
Seeing the Star Beasts, unwavering in the face of death, Chu Chen furrowed his brow; the saying goes, 'strike while the iron is hot, twice leads to decay, thrice to exhaustion.'
If they couldn't seize victory in one fell swoop against the Star Beasts, they'd be in for a war of attrition. If dragged to that point, even if humans emerged victorious, it would likely be a pyrrhic victory.
"Old Marshal, please wait here in peace, I'll go deal with the Beast King commanding the battle," said Chu Chen, turning to Zhang Tianlong with a solemn voice.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Tianlong did not object. He patted Chu Chen's shoulder, saying, "Be careful, and return at once if there's no opportunity. Your safety is paramount."
Chu Chen nodded silently in response, retracting Cage and Unyielding into his Soul Sea before riding Shadow Kill to disappear into the beast tide.
With Shadow Kill's stealth abilities, naturally, the beast tide couldn't detect his presence.
Under Chu Chen's command, Shadow Kill swiftly broke away from the battlefield, moving towards the rear of the beast horde.
Mere moments later, Shadow Kill bypassed the battlefield, arriving behind the Star Beasts, where there were over a thousand, all of Emperor-level or higher.
Chu Chen quickly scanned the surroundings, seeking out the commanding Beast King.
At that moment, a Mid-Stage Emperor Level Golden-armored Rhino suddenly lifted its head and let out a low growl.
Seeing this, Chu Chen couldn't help but reveal a cold smile; indeed, this was the command given to the beast horde.
With the target found, Chu Chen wasted no time, immediately directing Shadow Kill to commence a beheading operation.
Shadow Kill maximized its Mimicry and Stealth talents, hiding in the shade, slowly closing in on the Golden-armored Rhino.
When only a dozen yards remained between them, Shadow Kill's insect wings stirred rapidly, making it disappear from its previous spot instantly.
At such a close distance, Shadow Kill didn't bother to conceal its tracks. The Emperor-level Star Beasts near the Scaled-armored Rhino immediately looked to where Shadow Kill had been.
But all they saw was the afterimage Shadow Kill left behind.
"Slash"
The dark gold blade light blossomed silently, and the angry and low beastly growl ceased abruptly.
Upon landing the hit, Shadow Kill swiftly withdrew.
Yet, by then, the Star Beasts around had noticed Shadow Kill's presence, unwilling to let it leave easily.
A barrage of formidable attacks launched towards Shadow Kill.
Seeing this, Shadow Kill opted not to flee. The dense dark element swiftly converged upon it, initiating the Demon-Slaying Blade Domain.
Amidst a series of piercing screams, dozens of Star Beasts perished instantly.
At this moment, a wolf-like Star Beast rapidly retreated, its fur coal-black, moving with a bizarre gait, rear legs on the ground, bouncing away, its forelimbs short, tucked against its chest.
The wolf-like creature let out a low growl, and several Emperor-level Star Beasts immediately surrounded it.
Seeing this, Chu Chen quickly summoned the Slaughter Atlas to examine the foe's information.
Star Beast Name: Shadow Wraith Warg
Life Level: Mature Stage
Star Beast Quality: Legendary (Middle Grade)
Star Beast Talent: Resourceful
Star Beast Level: Emperor Eighth Rank
Power Talent: S-level
Defense Talent: S-level
Agility Talent: A-level
Physical Talent: S-level
Soul Power Talent: SS-level
Star Power Talent: SS-level
Star Beast Attribute: Dark Element
Star Beast Skills: Tearing Bite (Ordinary Level, Perfection Realm), Dark Fluctuation (Elite Level, Perfection Realm), Phantom (Elite Level, Perfection Realm), Black Magic Shield (Excellence Level, Perfection Realm), Demon Prison (Perfect Level, Perfection Realm)
Upon viewing the Shadow Wraith Warg's details, Chu Chen's expression turned grim; this Shadow Wraith Warg was the King Beast commanding the horde.
Yet, the Shadow Wraith Warg's attribute panel was the worst among all Emperor-level Star Beasts, and even among Emperor-level Beasts, many were stronger than it.
Its talent must heavily be in intelligence, such an existence must be eliminated, or under its command, winning would remain exceptionally difficult.
With this realization, Chu Chen ceased hiding, raising his hand to summon Cage and Unyielding completely.
After causing such a commotion, Shadow Kill couldn't hope for an assassination anymore. To eliminate the Shadow Wraith Warg, they could only resort to brute force.
Chu Chen quickly assessed the Star Beasts' state, discovering apart from the Shadow Wraith Warg, there were ten Emperor-level Star Beasts, including three Mid-Stage, with the remaining seven at Early-Stage, alongside a thousand Emperor-level Beasts.
At that moment, the Shadow Wraith Warg let out a sharp howl.
"Master, this creature is summoning the beast horde," Shadow Kill spoke coldly.
Hearing this, Chu Chen's expression suddenly shifted. He immediately contacted Zhang Tianlong, asking him to buy some time.
