66: Chapter 66 Annihilation of the Beast Horde

"Is the Shadow Clan... manipulating the Savage Beast again?" Murong Xue gripped her holy light spear, her silver armor gleaming like a blood-stained silver shield in the dark purple shimmer of the Shadow Beast Path.

The white deer's ears perked up abruptly, her pupils constricted slightly, and a sharp, wary glint flashed in her golden eyes. "It's not manipulation... it's guidance."

Her voice was different from usual; it was no longer the slightly shy tenderness of a beast-folk girl, but rather the alert vigilance peculiar to a Deer Spirit Archer when sensing danger, like a hunter catching the scent of prey.

"Someone is using Shadow Power to mark a route, driving the Savage Beast in a specific direction. Manipulation turns the Savage Beast into puppets; they lose their self-awareness and are easily discovered. But guidance is different. Guidance only marks the route on the ground; the Savage Beast retains its self-awareness, thinking it is acting on instinct. However, their instincts have been twisted by Shadow Power. They become more irritable, more aggressive, and more inclined to follow the marked path."

She looked at Wang Sheng, a hint of unease in her golden eyes. That unease did not stem from fear, but from the beast-folk's instinctive repulsion toward Shadow Power, like a deer spirit sensing the presence of a hunter.

"Sister Linger, did you hear that?"

Zhao Linger closed her eyes and listened intently. The Spirit Sound Master's perception extended into the depths of the forest like an invisible silver web. Her lips were slightly pursed, and her long eyelashes, like two rows of black petals moistened by morning dew, trembled slightly against her eyelids. Her brows slowly furrowed. "There... is a sound."

Her voice was no longer playful, becoming unprecedentedly serious, like a spirit sparrow that had stilled all its songs upon sensing an approaching storm. "It's very far away. It sounds like the Savage Beast howling, but... the frequency is wrong."

Her brows furrowed even deeper. A Spirit Sound Master's sensitivity to sound waves far exceeded that of ordinary people; she could distinguish every subtle frequency change in the howling of the Savage Beast. And right now, in the howling she heard, there was a sharp frequency that did not belong to a normal Savage Beast. "It's like they've been stimulated by something; they are very irritable, much more irritable than normal Savage Beast. The normal howling frequency of a Savage Beast is between thirty and sixty hertz, but what I'm hearing... some of the Savage Beast have their frequencies pushed above eighty. That is not a natural state; that is a stress response after being stimulated by an external force."

Zhao Linger opened her eyes. All playfulness had faded from her large, round eyes, replaced by an analytical precision peculiar to a Spirit Sound Master, as if she were reading musical notes. She looked at Wang Sheng. "Wang Sheng, these Savage Beast did not gather naturally. The Shadow Clan is using something to provoke them, making them more aggressive. This is driving, not manipulation. Driving is less labor-intensive and more covert than manipulation. Manipulation requires continuous spiritual power input, while driving only requires leaving Shadow marks at key nodes, and the Savage Beast will automatically move along the marked direction."

Her voice was clear and logical, like an intelligence report written by a Spirit Sound Master with the most precise musical notes. "If the Shadow Clan has set up a driving net on the periphery of the Savage Beast Forest, then the Beast Tide is not a natural disaster, but..." "Man-made," Wang Sheng finished for her.

His gaze darkened. The Shadow Clan's methods were deeper than he had imagined. They weren't simply manipulating a few Savage Beast to attack the tribe, but laying an invisible net around the entire Savage Beast Forest, systematically driving the Savage Beast. The first Beast Tide, the second Beast Tide—was the shadow of the Shadow Clan behind all of them?

Liu Ruyan had already crouched down, carefully peeling away the moss along the markings of the Shadow Beast Path with the tip of her dagger. The dark purple markings became clearer beneath the moss, like a vein of shadow stripped of its disguise, winding and disappearing into the depths of the dense forest. "The width of the markings has increased by about thirty percent compared to last time," Liu Ruyan's voice was like a cold wind in the dark night. "Shadow Power is strengthening. Either the Shadow Clan has increased the power they are investing, or..." "Or there is something in the Savage Beast Forest worth them spending more effort to drive," Wang Sheng's tone was like iron that had been tempered.

The Spirit Rune on Murong Xue's holy light spear glowed slightly, the silver light appearing like a spark in the dark purple shimmer of the Shadow Beast Path. "No matter what the Shadow Clan wants to do, we must complete our mission first." Her voice was as steady as a mountain. "Clear out the Savage Beast on the periphery and obtain resources. As for the Shadow Clan, we will make plans when we return." Wang Sheng nodded. "Continue forward. Everyone, stay alert."

After venturing about three miles into the Savage Beast Forest, the white deer's beast-folk perception issued a warning. Her deer ears perked up abruptly, her golden eyes constricted suddenly, and her right hand instinctively tightened around her spirit bow. "Two hundred meters ahead, a Savage Beast herd, about twenty in number, Barbarian Warrior rank 1 to 2."

Her voice was kept very low, but every word was like a precise arrow. The Deer Spirit Archer's perception in the forest was like the most precise spiritual power radar, capable of not only sensing the number and distance of the Savage Beast but even roughly judging their rank. With a gesture from Xiao Yuqing, the five Elf Archer moved like a silent gust of emerald wind, instantly climbing into the crowns of the ancient trees on both sides. The Power of Nature on their spirit bows looked like six faint emerald lanterns in the shadows of the tree crowns. Their arrowheads pointed toward the direction of the Savage Beast herd, bowstrings half-drawn, ready to fire.

Zhao Linger stood in the center of the team. The Spirit Sound Master's lips parted slightly, and a series of extremely low-frequency detection musical notes flowed from her mouth. The sound was too low, so low that human ears could barely hear it, but a Spirit Sound Master could. The low-frequency sound waves penetrated the branches and leaves of the dense forest, extending forward like bat echolocation. "Confirmed, twenty-three. Three more than what the white deer sensed; two are hiding in tree holes." Zhao Linger's voice was very low. "Seventeen are Barbarian Warrior rank 1, six are Barbarian Warrior rank 2. Their sizes are on the larger side; they should be in a state of being stimulated by Shadow Power."

Wang Sheng made his decision. "Elf Archer, arrow rain coverage. Murong Xue, prepare to reap. Linger, sound wave crowd control." Xiao Yuqing's arm lifted slightly, and the Rainstorm Archer and the five Elf Archer simultaneously pulled their bowstrings to the full. The Power of Nature that Su Mengyao had injected into every Elf Archer before setting out now sprouted on the bowstrings like emerald green seeds, and the emerald light on the spirit bows suddenly intensified. "Release!"

Six emerald green arrows broke through the air simultaneously, pouring down from the tree crowns like an emerald rainstorm. The range of the Elf Archer's arrows was 1.5 times that of ordinary archers, and with the augmentation of the Power of Nature, it far exceeded the norm. Each arrow carried the emerald light of nature, like six emerald green meteors cutting through the shadows of the dense forest. The twenty-three Savage Beast were wandering in the clearing in the forest. Their sizes were a circle larger than normal Savage Beast, and their eyes carried an abnormal blood-red light—the Savage Beast after being stimulated by Shadow Power. The emerald arrow rain was like a rainstorm descending from heaven. "Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip!"

The first round of arrow rain hit accurately. The Elf Archer's arrows carried a vine entanglement effect. Emerald green vines instantly sprouted from the bodies of the Savage Beast that were hit. The vines grew wildly like living creatures, wrapping around the Savage Beast's limbs and torsos. Six Savage Beast were instantly locked down by the vines, unable to move! Xiao Yuqing's second round of arrow rain followed closely. The Rainstorm Archer's shooting speed was the fastest among all archers; three arrows were fired at once, and three Barbarian Warrior rank 1 Savage Beast were precisely shot through their eye sockets. But the Savage Beast herd did not feel fear because of the fall of their companions. The Savage Beast stimulated by Shadow Power had lost their normal instinct for fear. The remaining Savage Beast let out irritable howls and charged crazily toward the direction of the tree crowns.

"Murong Xue," "Received!" The Holy Light Knight burst out from behind cover, her silver armor like a bolt of silver lightning in the dappled sunlight. The Spirit Rune on the tip of the holy light spear suddenly lit up, the silver light resembling an exploding star. "Holy Light, Thrust!" Murong Xue's charge was like a silver warhorse galloping through the dense forest. The holy light spear precisely pierced the throat of a Savage Beast locked by vines. Silver spiritual power poured in from the spear tip, and the Savage Beast's howl was silenced instantly. She pulled the spear, turned it, and thrust again—the three movements were fluid and seamless, like a silver war machine driven by holy light. Every strike was precise, fierce, and fatal.

Zhao Linger stood in the center of the team. The Spirit Sound Master took a deep breath, her slender waist slightly arching backward. The Spirit Vine Combat Armor clung to her devilish figure, and the fullness of her chest rose and fell slightly with the rhythm of her deep breathing. She opened her mouth, and her sweet, silver-bell-like voice instantly turned into a tangible sonic blade. "Shatter!" A circle of pink sound waves diffused from her mouth, like a pink spirit flower instantly blooming in the dense forest. The sound waves were like an invisible giant net, sweeping in all directions. The remaining Savage Beast were struck in the head by an invisible hammer the moment the sound waves swept over them. Their eardrums were shattered in the resonance of the sound waves. The Savage Beast let out painful howls, their limbs losing balance, stumbling like drunkards.

Zhao Linger's Spirit Sound Technique was not a brute force attack; the sound waves acted directly on the Savage Beast's nervous system. The intense pain brought by the shattered eardrums made the Savage Beast completely lose their will to fight. They howled in pain and fled in all directions. Murong Xue led the team to charge and reap, her holy light spear like a bolt of silver lightning in the dense forest. Xiao Yuqing's arrow rain covered the area, and the Elf Archer's emerald arrows precisely pierced the fatal parts of the Savage Beast. Three minutes later, the battle was over. Twenty-three Savage Beast, none escaped. It was a training-ground-level encounter, a firepower suppression by the Elf Archer, Spirit Sound Master, and Holy Light Knight—a victory without suspense.

Zhao Linger whistled. A Spirit Sound Master's whistle was ten times better than an ordinary person's, like a spirit sparrow chirping in the dense forest. She hopped out from behind the cover, her baby face returning to a playful expression. "Easy, easy. These Savage Beast are all just small fries of Barbarian Warrior rank 1 and 2; they aren't even enough for Sister Spirit Sound Master to warm up."

As she spoke, she bent down to pull out an Elf Archer's arrow from the corpse of a Savage Beast. Her movements were light and deft. The hem of her spirit vine short outfit rose slightly with the bending motion, revealing a section of her fair and rounded waist-to-hip curve. That curve was like an arc carefully carved by a primordial god, from her slender waist to her full hips, like a fully drawn bowstring suddenly released. Her fair, tight skin glowed with a warm luster in the dappled sunlight of the forest.

But her ears suddenly twitched. A Spirit Sound Master's ears were more sensitive than any radar. Zhao Linger's movements suddenly froze; her bending posture locked in mid-air. The playful expression on her baby face was as if wiped away by an invisible hand, replaced by unprecedented gravity. She slowly straightened up. "Wang Sheng,"

Her voice had changed. It was no longer the sugary, sweet, coquettish tone she usually had, nor the sharp, knife-like seriousness during battle, but a deep, low tone, as if her throat had been gripped by the oldest fear of the Primordial Continent. "Ahead, there is a very, very heavy aura—much stronger than these Savage Beast."

Her Spirit Sound Master perception unconsciously extended further away, and there, there was a huge, heavy, mountain-like existence. Its heartbeat was like a giant drum struck by a primordial god; every beat made Zhao Linger's Spirit Sound Technique perception web tremble violently, like a spider web struck by a heavy hammer.

The white deer's ears perked up simultaneously, and her golden eyes constricted suddenly. "Barbarian Warrior rank 5." Her voice trembled slightly. When a Deer Spirit Archer senses a Savage Beast far exceeding her own rank, the beast-folk's instinct causes her body to have an unconscious fear reaction. "No, perhaps higher."

Deep in the forest, in the darkest shadows of the dense forest, in the darkness where the roots of ancient trees intertwined like giant pythons, in the depths of the underground where sunlight could never reach, a pair of dark golden vertical pupils slowly opened in the shadows of the ancient trees. In those vertical pupils, dark purple markings wandered like living things, as if veins of shadow were pulsing in the eyeballs, like the oldest curse of the Primordial Continent, slowly awakening in the depths of the forest.