Volume One, Chapter 15: On the Brink of Explosion

“Students, you're quite fortunate to have had a demon-slaying day trip in advance. This experience will become a precious treasure in your lives, but the key is that you must survive it,” Gu Wu said, his fierce gaze sweeping over each of them.

He lingered a few seconds longer on Lu Jing and Su Qiqi, both clad in battle gear.

At that moment, each young face, full of youthful innocence, looked around nervously.

“They’re getting closer, getting closer.”

Lu Jing activated his spiritual sight, faintly spotting the monstrous beasts charging toward them.

Gradually, the ground trembled as if thousands of horses thundered by, the beasts’ roars growing louder and louder.

In the distance, grotesque figures sprinted forward. Generally taller than humans, many measured about three meters, with some even towering six to nine meters. All kinds of ferocious beasts surged madly forward, heading straight for them.

Everyone looked toward the approaching horde with wide-eyed terror.

Some gripped their weapons tightly.

Some trembled at their feet.

Some had tears welling up in their eyes.

At this moment, Gu Wu suddenly shouted, “Students, do you want to die? If not, raise your weapons and fight! Will you fight or not?”

They were silent for a moment before shouting in unison, “Fight!”

“Our heroes of the Huaxia stand right behind us. Will we retreat?”

“No!”

Having witnessed their sacrifices for the country, how could their hearts not be moved?

They knew clearly that if the line broke, these beasts would trample over their heroes without mercy.

“Fight to the death, no retreat!”

Gu Wu roared, instantly raising their morale to the peak.

“Fight to the death, no retreat!”

They howled fiercely, as if venting all their fear.

Each gripped their weapons tightly. There was no retreat now—only a desperate battle ahead.

A roar broke the tension.

The first to appear was a massive, tiger-shaped monster exuding a terrifying aura, its gaping maw revealing razor-sharp fangs. The world seemed engulfed in the darkness it cast.

After the first came the second… ten… twenty… a hundred…

So many! The sheer number made even Lu Jing swallow hard.

Such a vast number of beasts sent chills down the spines of the instructors.

“Prepare to fire!”

On the outermost line, students, instructors, and soldiers manned their guns, eyes fixed on the approaching monsters within range.

“Wait a bit more, wait a bit more.”

Gu Wu stared intently at the beasts, determined to unleash maximum firepower.

Now.

“Fire!”

At once, a fierce hail of bullets and energy bombs rained down into the beast pack.

Boom!

The deafening blasts followed one after another.

The close-range bombardment caused momentary ringing in the ears.

Lu Jing immediately covered Su Qiqi’s ears while keeping a close watch on the beasts’ movements.

Not enough. Far from enough.

Their firepower was simply insufficient against such a large horde.

“Attack!”

Seizing their moment of shock, the soldier-instructors charged in.

Gu Wu clenched his palm, channeling spiritual energy until a long spear materialized in his hand. Biting his tongue, he sprayed a mouthful of precious blood. At the same time, his mental energy surged, enveloping the blood and fusing it into the spear.

As the blood merged into the spear, a faint red glow appeared on its surface, then flared brilliantly with a ghostly light.

“Power to match a thousand pounds!”

Grasping the spear, Gu Wu stood tall. With a mighty grasp, overwhelming spiritual power burst forth, transforming into a massive golden beam tens of meters long that tore through the air and crashed into the beast pack.

The thunderous impact split the ground, gouging a trench several meters deep and killing dozens of beasts.

Incredible!

This was the power of a life-bound weapon.

Such weapons were embedded in the human body’s third eye, nourished daily by the owner’s precious blood, their strength far surpassing ordinary arms.

Gu Wu’s spear strike sounded the horn of attack.

Then the battle plunged into a fierce struggle.

To protect the students as much as possible, instructors and soldiers took the front lines.

Among them, Class Eight’s instructor, Fang Lan, had gone completely berserk.

She drew a jet-black long halberd.

Gripping it tightly, she swung it with the wind, gathering a flash of gray-black light that rapidly coalesced into a gigantic gray wolf over ten meters long.

“Go!”

At her shout, the gray wolf leapt into the monster horde, baring sharp teeth and viciously biting at the beasts’ necks.

“Wow, so fierce!” Zhang Wei, nearby, shuddered visibly, shocked that the delicate-looking girl could be so ferocious.

But that was not all. Fang Lan raised her halberd and darted into the beasts.

Light as a swallow, she weaved nimbly among them. Her halberd danced masterfully, striking with dazzling speed before the beasts could react, severing heads in swift flashes, leaving only corpses behind.

Truly a queen among warriors!

Meanwhile, the soldiers had a tougher time. Though experienced, they were not particularly strong and were hindered by wounds, making their movements sluggish.

Still, relying on their knowledge and tacit coordination, they held the defensive line.

“Old Ma, not bad at all! The old blade’s still sharp!”

“Bah, I’m still young as ever.”

Though boasting, the bandages around his waist had come undone, blood trickling down, his complexion pale.

“Looks like the three of us are going to die here,” a one-armed old man said with a smile, clutching his sword.

A one-eyed woman carrying a bow held two short spears, throwing them again. The mantis demon up front easily blocked them. She smiled faintly and said, “We three crippled ones kill one, it’s enough. Kill more, and it’s profit.”

“Uncle Zhang, Aunt Lan, one last push. Let’s take down as many as we can,” a tall man holding a shield and great axe urged.

“Ha ha, alright, let’s kill!”

Surrounded by the horde, their eyes held no fear—only fierce determination.

The beasts charged full force. The instructors and veterans could not fully cover such a huge formation. Despite all their efforts, some monsters broke through toward them.

“Here they come, everyone watch out.”

The voice came from Ye Qing of Class One, the Ye family being one of the top clans in Martial City. Having awakened the S-rank Black Tortoise spiritual body, he consistently earned A grades in martial studies at school.

His words carried weight.

“Everyone, attack in groups of three. Got it?”

“Got it.”

Of course, Lu Jing’s group was himself, Zhang Wei, and Su Qiqi.

“Zhang Wei, protect Qiqi well.”

Without another word, he drew his blade and charged forward.