226: The Rat King Appears

In front of the Domain, next to the chasm Chen Beixuan had cut, the ground trembled and cracked violently.

A huge mound of earth rapidly rose, with soil and rocks tumbling down.

The next second, an enormous, dark-gold fur-covered claw, looking as if forged from metal, tore through the earth and reached out!

Following closely was its head.

It was a rat's head, larger than the front of a heavy-duty truck.

In the center of its forehead, a tuft of golden fur formed a strange 'King' character rune.

It slowly crawled out from underground, its massive body exuding a suffocating pressure.

It ignored its clan members who were fleeing in panic, and merely glanced at the bottomless sword mark beside it, a look of disdain in its eyes.

Finally, its pair of eerie green pupils deeply observed the young man in white, with a gentle demeanor—Xu Yanyan.

From that person, it smelled a dangerous aura that made its Soul tremble!

"Humans…you…are delicious…"

A fragmented voice echoed in everyone's ears.

It could speak!

Zhang Hu and Wang Wu's faces instantly turned pale.

The Plague Rat King bared its teeth, revealing a human-like smile.

It suddenly opened its gaping maw, and a deep green sound wave roared outwards towards the city wall!

This was a Domain-type attack, imbued with potent poison and mental corruption.

Wherever the sound wave passed, a foul stench permeated the air, and the remaining rat corpses on the ground rapidly decomposed, turning into puddles of pus.

"Not good! Everyone hold your breath! Steady your minds!" Zhang Hu roared, his voice hoarse.

But it was already too late.

The ordinary Soldiers on the city wall felt an irresistible surge of malevolence and despair flood their minds.

Various illusions appeared before their eyes, and their companions' shrill screams echoed in their ears.

"Ah!"

A young Soldier screamed, dropped the spear in his hand, clutched his head, and painfully knelt on the ground, black blood flowing from his seven orifices.

One, two…

Like dominoes, a large number instantly fell.

Their bodies convulsed, disgusting green spots appeared on their skin, and their life force rapidly drained away.

Even veteran Soldiers like Zhang Hu and Wang Wu felt a dizzy spell, their chests tight, as if countless claws were tearing at their internal organs.

High in the sky, several Qingxuan Birds let out a mournful cry, their circling movements slowed, almost throwing off the Archers on their backs.

This was the terror of a leader-level exotic beast!

In a single encounter, without direct contact, it could incapacitate a well-trained army!

"Hmph, a mere grain of rice dares to shine?"

At this critical moment, Xu Yanyan finally moved.

His tone became one of majestic authority, looking down on all beings, and he took a step forward, his right hand forming a sword-finger, gently pointing at the Void Realm.

"Holy Word: Purify!"

Buzz—

A golden radiance, even more dazzling than the previous "Holy Word: Blessing," erupted from him as its center!

A brilliant sun slowly rose above the city wall!

The golden light, carrying an aura of holiness, righteousness, and inviolability, enveloped the entire Domain.

The menacing green sound wave, upon contact with the golden light, rapidly dissolved like snow meeting the blazing sun, leaving not a trace behind.

All Soldiers illuminated by the golden light had the illusions in their minds instantly shattered, and their mental corruption was swept away.

The green poison spots that had appeared on their bodies also rapidly faded.

In just a few short seconds, everyone regained consciousness, though their faces were still pale, and they gasped for breath with lingering fear.

"This…" Zhang Hu shook his still heavy head, looking at Xu Yanyan's back.

In the flick of a finger, he resolved a shocking killing intent capable of annihilating the entire army.

Who exactly was this Mister Xu?

"Form the array, trap the enemy!"

Li Chenran's expression was stern, his hands forming incantations, and countless golden array patterns spread out from beneath his feet, merging into the city wall and the earth.

Boom!

Four thick light walls suddenly rose from the ground beneath the Rat King, like a giant cage, firmly trapping it in place.

"Summon lightning as chains, bind its four limbs!"

Grandmaster Talisman Maker Mo Chen's hair bristled, and he threw a handful of purple talismans into the sky.

The thunderclouds in the sky gathered again, but instead of striking down lightning, they transformed into four thick lightning chains, descending from the sky and wrapping around the Rat King's four limbs, firmly holding it captive.

Roar—!

The Rat King let out an enraged roar, its massive body struggling wildly, the lightning chains stretched taut, groaning under the strain, but it could not break free for a moment.

"Archers! Blind its eyes for me!"

Master Beast Tamer Sun Qing roared at the sky, and the Qingxuan Bird King beneath him let out a clear, melodious cry, flapping its wings and rapidly ascending.

Standing steadily on the bird's back, he drew his longbow, aiming at the Rat King's eerie green pupils.

A fluid set of coordinated actions forced the suddenly appearing Rat King into a passive situation.

However, Xu Yanyan's brows furrowed slightly.

He could feel that this Rat King had not yet used its true power.

…

In H City, in another heavily guarded, futuristic villa.

Everything on the Southern Suburbs battlefield was being broadcast live on a huge holographic screen.

The footage came from a miniature bionic drone disguised as an insect, the latest product Li Yongde had obtained from the technology department by using his authority.

"Dad! This…how is this possible! Who are they?!"

Li Momo slumped onto the sofa, distraught, her delicate face filled with terror and jealousy.

She had witnessed Chen Beixuan's earth-shshattering sword strike and Xu Yanyan's miraculous light of purification.

Her proud A-grade talent seemed so insignificant in the face of the power these people displayed.

She finally understood why He Yongping, that brute, would go so far as to personally call and warn her father for Mo Yan's sake.

That wasn't respect at all, but fear!

"A group of…true monsters."

Li Yongde stared tensely at the screen, his face grim, the cigar in his hand deformed at some point.

He thought he had sufficiently overestimated Mo Yan, but everything happening before his eyes still far exceeded his imagination.

He had initially thought that using the "Beast King Lure" given by his uncle, General Li, to catalyze and attract this LV.6 Rat King, which was about to advance, would be enough to raze Mo Yan's Domain to the ground.

Even if it couldn't, it would be enough to force out all of Mo Yan's trump cards and severely weaken his Origin Qi.

At that time, he would then reap the benefits, swallowing that miraculous Domain, along with its secrets, whole.

But now, it seemed his plan had gone horribly wrong.

"Dad, what…what do we do now?" Li Momo's voice was tearful, "If they win, will they come looking for us to settle scores?!"

"Panic for what!" Li Yongde snapped, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes, "My plan hasn't failed yet!"

He pointed at the struggling Rat King on the screen, sneering, "Do you think that's its full strength?"

"What do you mean?"

"The information General Li gave me clearly states that the most terrifying thing about this Rat King isn't its poison, nor its mental attack, but its Legacy!"

The corner of Li Yongde's mouth curved into a cruel arc.

"This Rat King is the ancestor of all mutated rats in this area; its Bloodline is imprinted with the most primitive and maddening plague power."

"Once it's pushed to a dead end, it will sacrifice itself!"

"Sacrifice?"

"Exactly!" Li Yongde's eyes became feverish, "It will detonate the plague core within its body, transforming its life and power into an unquenchable super plague!"

"By then, let alone Mo Yan's Domain, everything within a ten-kilometer radius will be barren! All life will be transformed into Plague Puppets that only know slaughter!"

Li Momo listened, her hair standing on end.

"Then…then us…"