Chapter 40: Clang!
????There was no thunderous explosion.
??Yet, out of the corner of his eye, Chen Fan saw ghostly green firebursts blooming in the darkness—one after another, silent and sinister.
??Flesh Maggot Ghosts were grotesque, orb-like Ghostbeasts. They had neither limbs nor ans of movent, drifting helplessly wherever the wind carried them. Their bodies were insubstantial, their destinies dictated by the whims of the night breeze.
??Tonight, the wind howled with ferocity.
??The Bamboo Ghostbeasts had seized the upwind high ground, positioning themselves with tactical cunning. One after another, they flung Flesh Maggot Ghosts toward the Wall.
??Their intent was brutally clear: corrode the Wall, break through, and flood the heart of the Camp.
??Under this relentless assault, Chen Fan and his companions had little room to retaliate. All they could do was crouch behind the battlents, dodging any splash of that viscous green fluid. The rest, they left to the Arrow Towers.
??This attack was fiercer than any that had co before.
??So of the Bamboo Ghostbeasts continued their barrage, flinging Flesh Maggot Ghosts without pause.
??Others charged straight at the Wall, flanked by Mantis Ghostbeasts, Monkey-Head Ghostbeasts, and a nightmarish host of horrors.
??“Arrow Rain Storm!”
??“Arrow Rain Storm!”
??A Level 3 Arrow Tower unleashed a ceaseless torrent of bolts, raining death on the oncoming monsters. Its aim was uncanny—every Ghostbeast attempting to breach the defenses was felled in monts. The ten Level 2 Arrow Towers maintained a constant stream of bolts.
??Each bolt was a reaper’s hand, snatching away life with unerring precision.
??Boom!
??Boom!
??The earth trembled. Erging from the depths of the Black Mist, the largest Bamboo Ghostbeast yet seen strode into the Camp. Each step sent shockwaves through the ground.
??It was a Bamboo Ghostbeast, but clearly the leader. Its limbs bulged with unnatural strength. Casually, it seized two Mantis Ghostbeasts, sprinted forward, and hurled them over the Wall, deep into the Camp’s core. Again and again, it repeated this monstrous feat.
??Mantis Ghostbeasts sailed over the Wall, one after another.
??Those that crashed inside landed hard, but instantly rolled to their feet, shrieking as they raised their scythe-like arms and charged up the stone steps toward Chen Fan and his group.
??anwhile—
??A swarm of Bamboo Ghostbeasts reached the base of the Wall, grabbing nearby Mantis Ghostbeasts and swinging them like battering rams, pounding the stone in a frenzied effort to smash through.
??For a mont—
??The Camp was beset on every side, danger closing in like a pack of wolves and tigers.
??A crisis pressed in from all fronts.
??...
??“Every man for himself!”
??Chen Fan shouted, his voice gone hoarse, then shot a quick glance beyond the Wall. The Flesh Maggot Ghosts had all been expended. The Wall in this sector was scarred and pitted, green sli eating away at the stone, but it still held.
??The Bamboo Ghostbeasts were fixated on this weak point, hamring it with single-minded ferocity.
??The newly upgraded Level 3 Arrow Tower—now launching fire-imbued bolts—locked onto the elite Bamboo Ghostbeast that had breached the Camp. Its bolts fell like a hailstorm.
??One bolt pierced its brow.
??A second bolt struck its eye.
??A third thudded into its abdon.
??The creature staggered, managed only a few more steps, then crashed to the earth, motionless. Dead.
??With the source of the Mantis Ghostbeast bombardnt destroyed, no more monsters were hurled over the Wall.
??The Arrow Tower shifted its aim, targeting the Bamboo Ghostbeasts clustering below. One by one, it dispatched them with pinpoint accuracy. The remaining five Level 2 Arrow Towers joined in, swiftly clearing the creatures from the Wall’s base.
??The other five Arrow Towers focused their fire on the Mantis Ghostbeasts that had landed inside.
??anwhile, the second Level 3 Arrow Tower, its Arrow Rain Storm skill unleashed again and again, swept through the ranks of Ghostbeasts pouring into the Camp.
??At a glance, the Camp looked like a battered little boat in a raging storm—rocking, on the verge of capsizing.
??In truth, it was as steady as an old hound.
??Their task was simple: survive. Dodge the handful of Mantis Ghostbeasts that had made it inside. The rest, they could entrust to the Camp’s defenses.
??Just then—
??A Mantis Ghostbeast burst from the shadows, leaping high, twin blades raised, shrieking as it slashed toward Chen Fan and his companions.
??In that instant, lightning flashed.
??Chen Fan saw it all—the fine hairs at the corner of the monster’s mouth, ghostly pale and chilling.
??Clang!
??Crippled Monkey, gripping the Godslayer Spear, t the attack head-on. He raised the spear and blocked the blow. The force of the strike slamd him to the ground, but he’d stopped the Mantis Ghostbeast’s ambush in its tracks.
??A heartbeat later—
??A bolt whistled through the rain.
??It struck true.
??The Mantis Ghostbeast froze mid-leap, then toppled onto the rain-slick Wall, dead before it could strike again.
??...
??A few dozen heartbeats passed.
??The battle was over.
??Ghostbeast corpses littered the ground outside the Wall. One section of the periter teetered on the brink of collapse, but within the Camp, not a single Ghostbeast remained alive.
??“...”
??Chen Fan’s gaze swept over his companions, then back to the Wall.
??Not a single one of them was hurt.
??Zhou Mo, roused from slumber, stood in the rain, broadsword in hand, breath ragged, blood seeping from his palm as he looked up at Chen Fan.
??He had never before faced a Mantis Ghostbeast in direct combat.
??A Level 2 Arrow Tower could kill a Mantis Ghostbeast instantly with a well-placed shot.
??But—
??Chen Fan had seen it with his own eyes: Zhou Mo had traded blows with one for several exchanges, barely managing to survive. Even with the strength of a Level 2 Practitioner and a Unique Treasure in hand, he couldn’t withstand a single Mantis Ghostbeast head-on.
??Ghostbeasts... these abominations were never ant to be fought by human hands.
??Even Practitioners struggled.
??And this was inside the Camp, under the glow of lantern light.
??If it were out there, in the heart of Eternal Night, shrouded in utter darkness, Zhou Mo wouldn’t survive three moves before being torn apart by a Mantis Ghostbeast.
??Chen Fan peered into the Gray Mist, toward the palanquin.
??At last—
??Every Ghostbeast that had besieged the Camp tonight lay slain. Only that blood-red palanquin remained.
??“Are they retreating?”
??Chen Fan frowned, watching as the palanquin slowly withdrew into the Gray Mist. That Female Ghostbeast was far too cunning—a true nace. If she escaped tonight, she would surely return with an even greater horde.
??But there was nothing he could do.
??He could only watch as she retreated. The Arrow Towers could attack only those within their range.
??A mont later—
??The four Bamboo Ghostbeasts carrying the palanquin suddenly reversed direction after retreating a few ters, then broke into a run—charging straight into the Camp, palanquin and all.
??The instant they crossed the threshold, the palanquin detonated.
??Shards exploded in every direction, stabbing deep into the earth.
??The four Bamboo Ghostbeasts were obliterated on the spot.
??“Ahahahaha!”
??A shrill, maniacal, inhuman laughter echoed across the Camp. A figure stood barefoot on the earth, gazing up at the defenders atop the Wall—a Female Ghostbeast, utterly naked.
??Her skin was pale as snow, her features inhuman.
??Her face was exquisitely beautiful, as if sculpted by divine hands.
??Her eyes were bottomless voids—no pupils, only swirling, pitch-black chaos. Her lips, a garish, unnatural crimson.
??Long, jet-black hair cascaded down past her waist, brushing against her calves.
??Beautiful.
??That was Chen Fan’s first impression. So beautiful, she hardly seed a Ghostbeast at all—more like so otherworldly temptress.
??Ordinarily, a naked woman would not be so alluring. It is the suggestion of concealnt, the mystery of clothing, that lends beauty its power.
??But—
??This Female Ghostbeast wore nothing, standing naked beneath heaven and earth.
??Yet not a trace of vulgarity clung to her. She radiated a cold, regal majesty.
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