All around, there was a deathly silence. Though it wasn’t a clash of blades and shadows, the oppressive atmosphere still caused everyone’s hearts to leap to their throats.

Time seemed to have frozen. Finally, the Netherworld Beast let out a low roar, turned and departed, quickly vanishing into the darkness.

Each Exotic Beast, freed from oppression, finally took a breath, and like dogs that had lost their home, fled from beneath the city.

Han Yan watched them flee, but was helpless. Originally, she wanted to tame a Sword Pet for each young member of the noble families by her side and even tame one for each of the capable soldiers and civilians of Beiguan Town, but unfortunately, in the confrontation with the Netherworld Beast, she had almost exhausted all her Divine Thought Power and could only watch them escape.

But to her relief, the Divine Beast Heavenly Might from the inheritance of the Aolai Divine Beast’s memory was not weaker than that Netherworld Beast, otherwise encountering it again in the future would surely be troublesome. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

She had long suspected that the Exotic Beast incursions in Shangyue and Anyun were related to the Netherworld Beast, but today’s direct encounter was the first. If even the ancient might of the Aolai Divine Beast could not contend, upon reaching Lu’an City, it would be hard to avoid being restrained everywhere.

Thankfully, the final result did not disappoint her, and Han Yan let out a long sigh of relief.

Seeing the Exotic Beasts retreat, the City Lord hurriedly opened the city gate, welcomed Han Yan and others inside, then quickly closed the gate to prevent the beasts from turning around for a surprise attack.

"Young Master Mu, we owe our lives to you today, or Beiguan Town would surely not have escaped disaster." The City Lord gratefully said to Han Yan.

Behind her, a crowd of soldiers and civilians from the town looked at Han Yan, tears shining with gratitude in their eyes.

Had Han Yan not been present today, not to mention the strange beast at the end, even the few Red Cloud Gold Armored Elephants at the start could have breached Beiguan Town, turning this ancient military town into a sea of blood with bodies strewn everywhere.

Behind, the young members of the noble families looked at Han Yan with faces full of admiration. Although they did not manage to get Sword Pets due to the sudden appearance of the Netherworld Beast, Han Yan’s previous performance had already proven her strength. If not for her, not only the people of Beiguan Town but even they might not have survived. Besides, there will always be a next time, right? Holding expectations, they showed Han Yan more respect.

"Lord City Master, you are too kind. It is truly not easy for Beiguan Town to hold on till now; I only exerted a bit of minor effort." Han Yan said humbly.

From the previous Exotic Beast assault on the city, one could easily imagine how fierce the preceding battles to defend the city must have been. Although the strength of Beiguan Town’s soldiers and civilians was not high, including the City Lord, Han Yan was deeply respectful of their courage.

"It is still early, why don’t you rest a while longer and then proceed to Lu’an City." Seeing Han Yan looking a bit fatigued, the City Lord kindly suggested.

"No, we should depart as soon as possible." Han Yan said.

The earlier appearance of the Netherworld Beast made Han Yan feel uneasy; she wanted to reach Lu’an Town as soon as possible.

"Alright then, I will not hold you back. May your journey be smooth and victorious." The City Lord, not actually familiar with the Netherworld Beast but having guarded Beiguan Town for generations and understanding Exotic Beasts far better than most, sensed that the strange beast’s appearance was rather unusual and did not persuade Han Yan further.

Bidding farewell to the City Lord and others, Han Yan and her group set off swiftly under the morning light towards Lu’an City.

Lu’an City was only a few hundred miles from Beiguan Town, but the road was winding and rugged, even though Han Yan and her team had sturdy Red Charcoal Cloud Smoke Beasts as mounts, the speed was still considerably slow.

Approaching noon, after crossing another hill, they saw a troop coming from another mountain path, and at the forefront was none other than Dan Tai Xuan.

No wonder they say not enemies seldom meet; after departing from the Capital, the two groups had taken different paths, with delays along the way, yet unexpectedly, they met again on the final stretch before reaching Lu’an City.

"Humph, you act quite swiftly." Seeing Han Yan, Dan Tai Xuan was somewhat surprised and snorted coldly.

"What happened to you? You all look exhausted." Han Yan noticed Dan Tai Xuan was no longer the high-spirited figure from before, his complexion looking quite poor, and the young members of the five great families and their affiliates behind him appeared dispirited and weary.

In contrast, the group of young people behind Han Yan hadn’t yet calmed from the delight and anticipation of Han Yan taming Exotic Beasts earlier, each brimming with fighting spirit.

Having understood Han Yan’s skill, these young people vied to show their strength and courage before her, hoping to be the first in line the next time fortune smiled.

"Humph, do you think everyone is as lucky as you? We’ve encountered countless Exotic Beasts along the way, exhausting ourselves almost completely." Dan Tai Xuan saw how spirited Han Yan’s group of young noble members were and couldn’t help but flareup angrily.

So it was a bout with Exotic Beasts. Han Yan’s group exchanged puzzled glances. To say, they too hadn’t been strangers to Exotic Beasts along the way, especially the perilous battle just upon leaving Beiguan Town. Yet, thanks to Han Yan and Huayue’s powerful presence, along with Han Yan’s extraordinary Beast Taming Technique, they had emerged unscathed, nowhere near as sapped as Dan Tai Xuan’s group.

Looking more closely, their numbers were reduced by over two hundred compared to when they set off, and many bore injuries.

"What are you staring at? Do you know how many Exotic Beasts we slaughtered on this journey, and earlier in Wind Pool City, do you realize we faced thousands of Exotic Beasts, some comparable to Seventh Rank Sword Masters, and even others equivalent to Ninth Rank Sword Masters? Hundreds of the city’s defenders died on the city wall, and thanks to our full support, two hundred-plus family elites perished helping to repel them. In your case, you’d all have been wiped out long ago." Dan Tai Xuan, uncomfortable with their scrutiny, tried to puff up his stance.

"Thousands of Exotic Beasts, Seventh Rank Sword Masters, Ninth Rank Sword Masters?" Unexpectedly, hearing him speak so, Han Yan’s group grew even more peculiar in their expression.

Just those kinds of Exotic Beasts pressured them so much, adding to the loss of over two hundred family elites? Earlier, the Exotic Beasts outside Beiguan Town numbered in the thousands, with similar strength, and the few Red Cloud Gold Armored Elephants—if calculated—weren’t far from Ninth Rank Sword Masters in capability, yet the outcome?

Save for the few unfortunate souls caught off guard and struck dead by giant stones hurled by Red Cloud Gold Armored Elephants onto the city walls, the soldiers and civilians of Beiguan Town escaped without a scratch, and the young nobles among them didn’t even have a chance to act. Ultimately, not only did they repel the Exotic Beasts, but they also aided He Qingzong and others in taming dozens of powerful Sword Pets.