Ding Ding's flurry of actions left Chu Tian bewildered.
Great Mole Rat? Gou Bi? Benefactor? Ten Thousand Ants Gnawing Bone?
What in the world were these?
"You... are also a Beast Tamer?" Chu Tian managed to blurt out after a long pause.
"No..." Ding Ding, having finished dealing with the Great Mole Rat named Gou Bi, seemed in much better spirits. Her tone towards Chu Tian became gentle.
She continued, "I am a Spirit Oracle!"
"Spirit Oracle? Can you see ghosts?" Chu Tian's mind immediately conjured images of so-called spiritual mediums from Blue Star, those con artists who could converse with the deceased.
"Ghosts?" Ding Ding frowned, shook her head, and said with a smile, "Young Master Chu, are you still going to quibble?"
"Quibble about what?" Chu Tian retorted stubbornly. He knew they likely already knew about Gou Bi's death. Otherwise, why would the City Lord have appeared so calm when receiving the report from his subordinate and paid no attention to it? He hadn't expected this pure girl named Gou Ding Ding to be Gou Bi's own sister. Looking closely, they did share some resemblance, especially that fair skin, likely inherited. But even if he had killed Gou Bi, he wouldn't admit it now. It seemed Ding Ding harbored a deep hatred for Gou Bi, so who knew if this was a trap set for him? And what was the deal with that Great Mole Rat? That was what he was most curious about.
"Hmph!" Ding Ding pouted, clearly displeased with Chu Tian's stubbornness.
"Alright, Ding Ding, why bother pursuing the matter? He avenged you, didn't he?"
"Let's deal with the current trouble first! Ding Ding, do you have a problem handling the west of the city?" The old City Lord intervened to smooth things over, changing the subject and diverting everyone's attention to the battle outside the city.
At this moment, he also deactivated the soundproof barrier. Those outside, who had been watching the silent drama, could finally hear sounds. Seeing the City Lord inquire about Ding Ding, their gazes naturally shifted to her.
"I have no problem with the smaller ones, but the big one..." Ding Ding looked straight ahead. The thousand-meter-tall Pincer-tailed Sand Badger King hadn't moved. It just stood there. When Chu Tian looked at it, he felt as though it was also gazing at the city wall.
"The big one will be handled by us old fellows and... young Chu!" Saying this, he looked at Chu Tian with a smile that was not quite a smile.
"Damn it... what does this have to do with me?" Chu Tian was stunned.
Chu Tian's outburst surprised Wei Du. How long had it been since someone dared to speak to him like that? Chu Tian's tone instantly reminded him of his sworn brothers from his youth, who were now all buried in the yellow sand.
"Presumptuous..." Wei Du was momentarily stunned, lost in memories. The people behind him, however, were not pleased. They roared at Chu Tian.
"Presumptuous your ass... If you speak to me like that again, believe it or not, I'll break your teeth!" Chu Tian glared at an old man close to Wei Du's age. This man, intending to curry favor, had instead run into Chu Tian's trap. He immediately turned red-faced, his eyes bulging. If not for the City Lord's presence, he would have eagerly lunged at Chu Tian to fight. When had he ever been spoken to like this? Furthermore, in his eyes, Chu Tian was just a lowly commoner, a junior. In all his years, no junior had ever dared to address him in such a manner. Every junior he met was subservient, practically begging to lick his shoes.
This man was also one of the Vice City Lords. He had secretly chuckled when he saw Priest Gou's predicament. After years of being marginalized by Priest Gou, he finally saw a chance to rise. Just as he was standing tall, he encountered Chu Tian's insolence towards the City Lord and decided to make his presence known. Instead, he found himself in an awkward position.
Just as he was steeling himself to retort or even attack Chu Tian, he saw the old City Lord Wei Du pat Chu Tian on the shoulder and say, "Brother Chu, would you be willing to help me hold the line later?"
It was this action, and the words "Brother Chu," that made the Vice City Lord's face turn the color of liver. Just moments ago he was a "youngster," and now he was a "brother"? And what did the City Lord say? Asked him to help hold the line? Wasn't it just said that they, the old fellows, would handle it? Was the City Lord planning to face the Pincer-tailed Sand Badger King alone? This creature was an anomaly that had never appeared in ten thousand years of history. "King" was merely a title given to it. No one knew its true strength, but a thousand-meter-tall beast was surely not weak.
Chu Tian had initially been testing the City Lord's bottom line, but he still hadn't managed to probe it. Instead, his seniority seemed to have increased by several levels. His eyes darted, and he said, "I can hold the line... but its core must also belong to me..."
"Core?" Wei Du was momentarily stunned, then understood, and chuckled. "As long as you help Myriad Beast City resolve this crisis, let alone a core, I wouldn't mind lending you the Myriad Beast Seal for you to play with..." His words were spoken with great magnanimity. To everyone on the city wall, however, it sounded like a bolt from the blue. The Myriad Beast Seal was the symbol of the City Lord. These words from the City Lord's mouth were no jest.
"Really?" Chu Tian's eyes lit up.
"Naturally..." Wei Du nodded affirmatively. When Chu Tian uttered the word "really," it had captured everyone's attention. But Wei Du's answer was so sincere.
"City Lord, absolutely not!"
"Master..."
"Please reconsider, City Lord..."
"Even if we have to give our lives, we will protect Myriad Beast City. We don't need outside help... moreover..."
"Old Niu, what are you afraid to say? Furthermore, what strength does this youngster, who hasn't even grown all his fur, possess to defeat a King-level Pincer-tailed Sand Badger?"
"Indeed, Star Priests are rare, but there have been three in ten thousand years. However...哼... none of them managed to grow up!"
"Kid, I advise you to refuse voluntarily, or else..."
On the city wall, almost everyone spoke up. Murmurs and arguments erupted. Some even threatened Chu Tian.
"Silence..."
*Boom...*
The very space seemed to vibrate. Two roars sounded simultaneously. Seeing Wei Du speak, Chu Tian swallowed the words he was about to say.
"I am the City Lord, and I am still here. You all have no right to speak." This old City Lord was known for his kindness. This was the first time they had seen him enraged. It seemed this matter could not be reversed. So, they could only stare resentfully at Chu Tian, now hoping that this boy would be instantly killed by the Pincer-tailed Sand Badger King upon going up.
"Speak, why?" Chu Tian met Wei Du's gaze squarely. He did not believe a city lord would so easily give away the position of city lord.
Wei Du also looked into Chu Tian's eyes and spoke in a low voice that reached Chu Tian's ears. He was using a telepathic technique, speaking slowly:
"On this Sea of Death, there is a saying, known to almost everyone.
'When the stars' heavenly fire falls from the dome,
The eternal barrier breaks open.
The Blood King descends, the Sea of Death perishes,
Only a sliver of hope to find survival.'
Chu Tian frowned, his mind stirring. He searched for the method of using telepathic techniques within the divine soul secret arts given to him by Dao Tian. Then, in a clumsy and unpracticed manner, he replied to Wei Du, "Wh-what... gibberish!"
"Heh heh... The stars' heavenly fire was caused by you, wasn't it? Don't deny it. When you used that star magic just now, I guessed it. That day, I was observing the east sky, before the stars' heavenly fire fell. I happened to see a pillar of starlight shooting up into the sky! It was identical to the one you used just now!"
After Wei Du finished, Chu Tian thought: This skill's special effects are too damn huge. The last time he used it, he didn't expect this old guy to inadvertently see it from tens of thousands of miles away. He didn't deny it, directly saying, "So what if it was? Three out of your four lines are saying I'm no good, right? I'll bring disaster to this Sea of Death, and you're still giving me the Myriad Beast Seal? Aren't you afraid it'll be destroyed first in my hands?"
Wei Du shook his head and continued, "Everyone knows these four lines, but they don't know that behind them are four more lines. And these four lines are only personally passed down by the previous City Lord when the four city lords succeed to their positions.
'Four seals unite, a king appears.
Sand Sea unification is at hand.
Eight years to break the void and return to the horizon.
A hundred years, the Sand Sea turns to forest.'
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Tian's skin crawled. The first two lines, he didn't know what they meant, but the latter two... eight years... precisely matched his mission time. He had calculated before that the mission limit was 3 days. But after arriving here, the time flow had slowed down a thousand times. Three days in reality corresponded to exactly eight years and a few months here. And the line 'break the void and return to the horizon.' When he teleported away, returning to the Heavenly Dao world, returning to Blue Star, wasn't that on the other side of this horizon? And the last line, 'a hundred years, the Sand Sea turns to forest.' It should refer to the time of the World Tree's nirvana. After a hundred years, this Sea of Death would cease to exist and turn into a forest.
Wei Du said this was passed down by the city lords of their four cities. So, who passed it down? Ten thousand years ago, a million years ago, or even longer? The latter two lines had such a strong sense of personal relevance that Chu Tian couldn't help but believe them. Even if these were all fabricated, they couldn't be this accurate. Did he even guess Chu Tian's intention to unify the Sea of Death? Impossible... But if they weren't fabricated by him, it was even more chilling. Was it some divine strategist who calculated that at this time, he... Chu Tian... would come to this Sea of Death? This old charlatan calculated it too accurately, didn't he?
Just as he thought this, he shivered inexplicably, as if someone had slapped him on the head. Chu Tian jolted back to his senses. Wei Du was still watching him. Chu Tian regained his composure, swallowed, and slowly said, "What do the first two lines mean? Why are you so sure it's me? What's your basis?"
"Master, the city defense troops' ammunition is depleted... the city guards are barely holding on!" Suddenly, Ding Ding interrupted their conversation. Chu Tian turned to look; the endless Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers, breaking through the obstructions, had already climbed onto the city wall. The city guards fought desperately, but they were stretched thin. Every second, countless city guards fell, leaving behind their bodies. Even the city defense troops had abandoned their posts, drawing their sabers and fighting the Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers.
"Ding Ding... I'll leave this side to you."
"Old Qin... go to the east gate. I assume the situation there is similar to this."
"Old Li, go to the south gate!" Chu Tian noticed that Wei Du had specifically named two elders who had not spoken rudely to Chu Tian before. When their names were called, they didn't say a word, turned around, stepped onto a formation behind them, and vanished in a flash. Chu Tian had seen that formation before and had always been curious about its purpose. Now he finally knew it was a teleportation array.
"As for the north gate..." Wei Du paused here, a slight frown appearing on his face. There was no one available. Originally, Myriad Beast City had five priests. The Gou family occupied three spots. Now that Gou Bi was dead, it was useless for him to be alive, possessing talent but indulging in wine and women, lacking any practical combat ability. Old Gou De'er, whom he had outmaneuvered, could not possibly be sent to the battlefield now. He must be busy plotting how to deal with him. Moreover, he should already know about Gou Bi's death, shouldn't he? Wei Du knew Gou Bi's identity very well. Although that little bastard was called his nephew, he was actually his biological son. And Ding Ding, though born of the same mother as Gou Bi, was four years younger. She was Gou De'er's elder sister, Gou Di'er's biological daughter. However, Ding Ding's father was merely a Xuan Po realm martial artist, holding no status in the Gou family. Even when his wife slept with her own brother, he dared not speak up. More tragically, when Ding Ding was sixteen, her maidenhood was taken by that old scoundrel Gou De'er. And all of this was witnessed in secret by Gou Bi, whom she believed to be her own brother. After their uncle left, Gou Bi then raped Ding Ding. The fact that Gou Bi was Gou De'er's son, besides their father and mother knowing, only the old City Lord Wei Du knew. The reason was none other than the Myriad Beast Seal in his possession. No one knew that with the Myriad Beast Seal in hand, nothing that happened within Myriad Beast City could escape his notice. He also had a playback function for anything he wanted to know. Chu Tian would only find out about these things after he took over the Myriad Beast Seal. This was no mere artifact, but a piece of high-tech product billions of years ahead of Blue Star. Therefore, without knowing the truth, Gou Bi assumed Ding Ding was his sister and committed acts worse than a beast. And that old dog... Ever since that incident, Ding Ding guarded herself day and night, but to no avail. She didn't know how many times she had been violated. Once, when she was unconscious from abuse, she felt Dong Dong break in. She remembered telling Dong Dong to run quickly. Afterwards, she completely lost consciousness. When she woke up, she found Dong Dong also lying beside her, unconscious. However... Dong Dong had not suffered any harm whatsoever. She had even taken Dong Dong for several check-ups, all confirming Dong Dong was a virgin. Furthermore, since then, that old dog... whenever he saw her and Dong Dong together, he would quickly flee. Several times she overheard Gou De'er muttering and venting while having an affair with her mother, cursing: "Wei Du, you old bastard, you placed a bomb next to me. Just you wait, I'll bring you down sooner or later. This Myriad Beast City belongs to me!"