I Stepped on a Bug, and the System Says I Slayed a Dragon? - Chapter 192 - 191: Myriad Beasts Besiege the City
Chapter 192: Chapter 191: Myriad Beasts Besiege the City
High above, dark clouds obscured the full moon.
The outskirts of Jianghai City!
WHOOOO—
A sharp, piercing horn blast echoed, growing closer and closer.
It rang out from the thick, ancient city walls, echoing past glass skyscrapers, through remote alleys and bustling streets, until it resounded in everyone’s ears.
“The Beast Tide is here!!!”
At the sound of the horn,
countless people stopped dead in their tracks.
The tradition of this horn call was a century old.
Twenty years had passed since it was last blown. The moment the horn sounded, it was a sign: the Beast Tide was about to attack!
The older generation looked on in terror, their hands beginning to tremble as old fears resurfaced in their minds.
In an instant,
the Jianghai City District erupted into chaos!
Cries, shouts, and curses mingled as cars sped down the roads. People were desperate to escape the outskirts, struggling to drive toward the safety of the city center.
The oppressive aura of the Star Beasts washed over the city. Those near the border cried out in fear. Panic spread, and those trapped within the city cursed their fate.
“Everyone, stay calm!”
“Have faith in the Star Martial Police Bureau!!”
“Get your car out of the way!”
Chaos!
Just then.
WHOOSH!
A fierce gust of wind swept over everyone’s heads—
Everyone looked up to see two fully armed figures.
“It’s Elder Li and the others!”
Elder Li and Lin Mofeng flew side-by-side, soaring over the elevated highways as they sped toward the city wall.
’The whole city is in chaos. I just hope Jianghai can make it through this Beast Tide safely,’ Lin Mofeng thought with a sigh as he gazed down at the crowds, keeping pace with Elder Li.
「A moment later.」
They arrived at the city wall.
On the wall,
high-powered searchlights illuminated the night sky. The powerful experts garrisoned in Jianghai had gathered, standing tall above the city gate. They held swords, brandished guns, and manned cannons, each in their own distinct stance.
Thirty-six floating cannons were aimed in unison beyond the city wall.
The City Defense Array was active, hanging high in the air.
Arcane lines of the Array shimmered like woven threads, crackling with violet lightning. It cast a glow over everyone’s heads, forming what seemed like an insurmountable barrier.
“Elder Li, you’re finally here!”
A man from the crowd—the Commander—walked up to greet him, shaking his hand excitedly. “We’re counting on you for tonight’s battle!”
“Think nothing of it.”
“For the safety of Jianghai… I may be old, but I still have some fight left in me!”
Elder Li said grimly, unclasping the sword from his back. “I was born in Jianghai. I will not fail in my duty. I will live or die with the people of this city.”
As he spoke,
his gaze swept over the people on the wall. He frowned slightly as he took a quick headcount. “Are you all that could make it?”
On the wall,
there were barely a hundred powerful Star Martial Artists. Facing a Beast Tide that swarmed like a vast ocean, their numbers were simply not enough. It would be an overwhelming struggle…
If they were to truly fight this head-on…
what was the difference between that and suicide?!
“Don’t worry, Elder Li!”
Just then, Hall Master Li Daoming stepped forward. He was dressed in a blue Daoist robe, and the Array Patterns in his hands were connected to the City Defense Array. He raised a hand and pointed east.
“Look over there. The people are coming, aren’t they?”
As his voice fell,
Elder Li’s white brows twitched. He and Lin Mofeng followed the Hall Master’s gesture and looked to the east.
In the east of Jianghai—
a tide of people was surging toward them!
A massive number of Star Martial Artists were gathering, advancing like a steady tide. They arrived with the force of a heavenly army, and leading them were none other than Li Zixuan and Li Qinghe!
Everyone followed closely behind them.
Like a great flock of geese, they rushed toward the city wall, quickly filling the empty spaces.
Before long,
the top of the city wall was so packed there was hardly any room left to stand!
“Teacher, we all came!”
Li Zixuan leaped lightly to land before Elder Li, her team right behind her.
Some were middle-aged, others in the prime of their youth, but every face was resolute. They were all students who had answered Elder Li’s call to arms.
The students of Jianghai Martial Arts Academy!
For days, Elder Li had been sending out pleas for help, his persistence finally rewarded.
“You are all good kids…”
Seeing this, Elder Li’s eyes glistened with tears. He was deeply moved, recognizing many familiar faces. Some had graduated years ago and had long since moved away.
But now,
these wanderers had returned home from far and wide, traveling against the tide of fleeing citizens, all to face the peril of the Beast Tide together!
……
“Sir, all teams are assembled!”
A messenger stood before the Chief Commander, snapped to attention, and saluted.
“Awaiting your orders!”
As his voice fell,
SWISH—
all the Star Police in their uniforms saluted in perfect unison. With arms raised high, they were ready, fierce and unafraid of death.
To fight until death!
“Qinghe!”
Li Daoming pushed through the crowd to Li Qinghe’s side. He gripped her shoulders, his voice laced with panic. “What are you doing here?”
’As a father, how could I not have selfish feelings?’
’It would be a lie to say otherwise.’
’The situation is so chaotic.’
’Of course I want my daughter to stay far away from the battlefield.’
“It’s fine, Dad. I’m not a child anymore!”
Li Qinghe brushed back her short hair and gestured to the group she had brought with her.
“I gathered all of these people.”
They weren’t a regular army. Dressed in T-shirts, button-downs, or makeshift Star Force Armor, they shifted uneasily, looking more like a group of strangers who had only just met.
There was no uniformity to their attire whatsoever.
“And who are they?”
Li Daoming frowned. Looking at their gear, they seemed like a ragtag bunch.
“They’re all from spontaneously formed Martial Artist organizations!”
Li Qinghe glanced at the people behind her.
Jianghai was not alone. Long before the Beast Tide arrived, many had already stepped forward, willingly taking on the responsibility of defending the city.
After Li Zixuan and Li Qinghe arrived with their reinforcements,
the city wall was already packed, with no more room to stand.
But the people rushing to help were far from just these!
In the distance,
even more Star Martial Artists were gathering—the wandering Loose Cultivators…
When one place was in peril, aid arrived from all directions!
The defensive forces on the wall were gradually being bolstered.
A moment later…
Everyone was assembled, each taking their position on the wall. But the sky remained starless and moonless. Darkness shrouded the distance, and a sense of oppression spread through every heart.
…They couldn’t see a thing.
The distance was inscrutable, like an abyss. Faint roars and howls echoed from it. The unknown was the greatest fear of all.
But just then,
suddenly!
Elder Li rose high into the air, his arms spread wide.
His aged voice boomed like rolling thunder, shaking everyone to their core.
“Everyone! Attention!!”
“With me! Let us light up this night sky!!”
His thundering voice faded.
In response, the hands of the defending Star Martial Artists rose as one. They swayed and rippled like a sea. Star Force drifted up from between their fingers. In the dimness, a galaxy of stars began to rise from the ground.
In an instant!
The vast night sky became as bright as day. It was a white night, with a satin ribbon of stars stretching across it, turning the heavens into a palace of white jade!
Bathed in the starlight,
everyone focused their gaze on the distant border, and finally, they could see—
In the direction of the Da Li Mountain Range,
billowing clouds of thick smoke were rising.
The thundering sound of beast hooves suddenly erupted!
A dense swarm, the Beast Tide, surged forward like a rolling black wave. It was a vast sheet of darkness descending, threatening to extinguish all the lights of the city…
