Chapter 305: Encirclement_2
As for the other Third Order Spiritual Beast, as per his instructions, it chased the fleeing Wind Dusk Beast to the south.
The reason for this arrangement was considering the speed of the Wind Dusk Beast, which was very fast. If he had gone after it himself, it was very likely he would have returned empty-handed.
On the other hand, the demonic beast that fled north had strong defensive power but was not very fast, so the likelihood of capture was clearly higher compared to pursuing the Wind Dusk Beast.
The most prudent arrangement was to have another Third Order Spiritual Beast from Zhenyang Sect go after the Wind Dusk Beast.
This was merely an attempt, and if it could achieve success, that would naturally be best; if it really couldn't catch up, then they would give up.
With this in mind, Zhu Yun and the two Third Order Spiritual Beasts of Zhenyang Sect each went after their respective targets.
As they left one after another, only the many Foundation Establishment Cultivators and those Second Order Demonic Beasts abandoned by the Third Order Demonic Beasts remained.
At this moment, the battle was still raging on.
As the leader designated by Zhu Yun before he left, and with cultivation strength that stood out among all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators present, Long Qingshui took up the task of commanding everyone.
Following Zhu Yun's instructions, he organized the many teams to encircle and attack the pack of demonic beasts from different directions.
And with the Third Order Demonic Beasts having fled, the Human Cultivators held an absolute advantage. The group of Second Order Demonic Beasts, facing these exceedingly mad Cultivators, clearly lost all will to fight and began to retreat in an organized manner.
Lin Tianming's and Li Xiuyuan's team, along with a few other teams, took the south side, responsible for blocking in that direction.
Long Qingshui, Jiang Yuyao, and Jun Buhui, these top Zhenyang Sect Disciples, each led their own teams, responsible for the other three directions.
For a time, most of the demonic beasts were trapped by the Cultivators.
As they became surrounded, the Monster Beast Legion fell into chaos, with many First Order Demonic Beasts not even dying at the hands of the Cultivators but rather under the feet of their comrades.
However, the more chaotic the scene, the more frenzied the demonic beasts became.
In such a situation, the demonic beasts, pushed to desperation, fought back crazily, attempting to carve out a bloody path.
As time slowly passed, with the combat reaching a fever pitch, a large number of demonic beasts fell.
In just half a quarter of an hour, many First Order Demonic Beasts suffered heavy casualties, and the number of Second Order Demonic Beasts had been reduced by fifty percent, leaving only around a thousand or so.
On the other hand, the losses of the Human Cultivators were much smaller in comparison, with nearly several hundred surviving.
Only just over two hundred Cultivators had fallen, and they were generally the ones with mediocre strength among their peers. This had not a great impact on the overall strength of the Human Race.
It was clear that those who had survived until now had all gone through the test of a grueling battle, with strengths that were relatively outstanding among their rank.
Thus, having gone through another brutal battle, very few demonic beasts managed to escape.
The situation became increasingly dire for the Demon Beast Army, completely suppressed by the Human Cultivators, with scores of beasts dying without taking many Cultivator lives in exchange.
At this point, the losses of the two sides were not even on the same scale.
If it continued like this, it was almost a foregone conclusion that the remaining demonic beasts would be completely annihilated, barring any unexpected developments.
...
On the battlefield.
As time went on, the losses to the demonic beast army were severe, with less than three thousand combatants left.
Among them, a little over a thousand Second Order Demonic Beasts were the absolute main force, and the remaining two thousand or so were mostly First Order Late Stage existences.
At this point, those who had survived on the side of the demonic beasts were also their elite forces.
Looking at the overall situation, the number of the Demon Beast Army had almost reached twenty thousand before the battle began.
Yet now, they had been largely annihilated, leaving less than twenty percent of their original numbers.
This exhilarating battle, as well as the victory that was about to be achieved, was simply unimaginable.
In the heart of the battleground.
Lin Tianming was frantically suppressing the demonic beasts with the Earth Fiend Sword Formation and the Thousand Beast Banner, preventing them from breaking through from the south side.
Li Xiuyuan and Hu Yuan, too, were giving it their all, organizing beast charges while reaping the lives of the doomed demonic beasts.
"Boom... Boom..." Thunderous roars echoed in the sky.
Among the top cultivators of the Foundation Establishment Stage, Long Qingshui's moves were terrifyingly powerful, with each strike containing immense might.
Even Lin Tianming, who always had confidence in his own strength, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"True disciples of the Zhenyang Sect really do have some abilities!"
Snapping out of it, Lin Tianming wildly brandished the Tiangang Sword in his hands, severely injuring the Second Order Demon Beasts opposite him.
Li Xiuyuan was not to be outdone. Their strength was not much weaker than that of Long Qingshui, apart from a few top individuals, they were almost the highest presence there.
Including them, the leaders of some teams kept their eyes fixed on those Second Order Late-Stage Demon Beasts.
Under the concerted effort of everyone, the demonic beasts were driven into a desperate situation.
At this moment, on the western side of the battlefield.
Since it was close to the demonic beasts' territory, this was where the demonic beasts focused their efforts to break through.
Within the chaotic horde of demonic beasts, a few Second Order Late-Stage Demon Beasts gathered together.
From their auras, it was evident that these beast's strength was not weak, edging infinitely close to Third Order Demon Beasts.
It seemed that these were beasts that had been in the late phase of advancement for many years and possessed extremely powerful innate strength. Given the right opportunity, it was very likely that they could step into the Third Order within a few decades.
At that time, these beasts were growling low at each other, with sounds that were rather peculiar, seemingly communicating messages.
After an unknown amount of time, these Second Order Demon Beasts seemed to have reached a consensus.
"Roar… Roar…"
Following a prolonged howl to the sky from one of the Second Order Late-Stage Demon Beasts, the chaotic Monster Beast Legion suddenly quieted down significantly.
Then, before the crowd had time to react, all the Second Order Demon Beasts within the Demon Beast Army turned around and, as one, charged towards the western direction.
Seeing this scene, many people present deduced that this was the demonic beasts unifying their powers to attempt a breakout from the west.
In this moment, Long Qingshui's expression grew solemn, pondering countermeasures.
Given the current situation, although the beasts' side was in disarray, even headless, it was impossible for this to continue indefinitely.
And for the Demon Beast Army to temporarily appoint a new leader was just a matter of time.
Now, they had chosen a new leader and had made a desperate move.
In light of this, he had to be more cautious, as if the Monster Beast Legion regrouped, they could still muster quite a bit of strength.
If they could hold on for a while or tear open a safe passage, then many demonic beasts could escape later.
And by that time, human cultivators would be completely exhausted, and with the constraint of weaker strength, it would become extremely difficult to annihilate them completely.
Besides, if the Demon Beast Army gathered the remnants of its strength to attack in one direction, their impact would undoubtedly be strong.
Therefore, before reinforcements from the army of cultivators could arrive, the pressure on the western position would be immense.
Thinking of this, Long Qingshui's face darkened, and he immediately shouted, "All cultivators, hurry and move towards the west to hold back those demonic beasts!"
No sooner had he spoken than Long Qingshui led his team, shooting towards the west ahead of the others.
Meanwhile, in several other directions, many disciples from Zhenyang were leading their teams to the west, preparing to respond to Long Qingshui's call.
At this time, Li Xiuyuan glanced at Lin Tianming and the others, then quickly telepathically communicated a few words before leaving the team alone to assemble to the west.
Soon, the regrouped Demon Beast Army had reached the position of the teams on the west side and engaged in fierce combat.
And at this juncture, the reinforcements led by Long Qingshui had yet to arrive in significant numbers.
For a time, the defensive power on the entire western front was extremely limited. Under the relentless assault of the fearless Demon Beast Army, the formation began to show signs of collapse.
Seeing this turn of events, the leading Second Order Demon Beasts seemed to see a glimmer of hope for survival. When they attacked again, they became even more frenzied.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
Explosions resounded across the battlefield; the cultivators on the west suffered horrendous casualties. Those who were alive still desperately held on, hoping to last a few more breaths until Long Qingshui and the others arrived.
Unfortunately, they had underestimated the willpower and explosive power of the Second Order demonic beasts.