Divine Beast Creator
Chapter 338 Preparing for Defense_1

Chapter 338: Chapter 338 Preparing for Defense_1

"What are they doing?..."

The Mystical Beast Qilin looked puzzled at the village nearby. A group of burly men holding various weapons were hostile towards it, while an old Spirit Monkey stood behind the crowd, looking at it with uncertainty. Feng Yuan hopped off the back of the Qilin, perhaps because it was so tall, Feng Yuan almost lost his balance and fell, but after steadying himself, he walked over with a smile and said,

"There’s no need for such an enthusiastic welcome."

"Who are you? What brings you here?"

A man who seemed to be the leader eyed Feng Yuan warily, ready to spear him if he made any sudden movements. Just as Feng Yuan was about to explain, a soldier appeared on horseback, seeming puzzled by the crowd at the village entrance. After shaking his head to clear it, he announced,

"Order from Zhen Nan City, a Mutant Beast tide has occurred in the Cangyun Mountain Range, all villages should closely monitor their surroundings. If a large number of mutant beasts appear, do not engage in battle and don’t fool yourselves into thinking you can hold the village. Immediately take everyone and flee towards Zhen Nan City. The City Lord Mansion has set up temporary refuge points."

"During the evacuation, choose routes as far from the Cangyun Mountain Range as possible. None of the flora and fauna from the Cangyun Mountains are edible! Anyone caught secretly transporting flora and fauna from the Cangyun Mountain Range to Zhen Nan City’s territory will be executed without question of reason or identity!"

"By the way, are you all gathered at the entrance of the village because you’ve discovered the beast tide?"

"Those mutant beasts have red eyes, very easy to recognize... What the hell is this!"

Only then did the soldier notice the Qilin next to them. Sweating, he looked at the large creature, and Feng Yuan, holding Xiao Ji, stepped forward and said,

"A Mystical Beast Qilin, don’t you recognize it? Don’t worry, we’re here to help you deal with the beast tide."

"Mystical Beast Qilin? Could it be the guardian deity of some family?"

The soldier was puzzled but after taking a closer look at Feng Yuan, who did not seem like a bad person, the leading man exclaimed in surprise,

"You said you’re here to deal with the beast tide?"

"Yes, the beast tide is already close to your village, have your people gather at a safer place, I’ll leave behind a barrier. Otherwise, I’m worried you’ll be ambushed."

Although he had not seen a beast tide before, Feng Yuan guessed that among those mutant beasts, there would be quite a few with higher intelligence, since the red dots indicating their presence were starting to gather and split off in multiple directions towards Zhen Nan City. Even if the mastermind behind the scenes had a way to control the mutant beasts, Feng Yuan wouldn’t believe they could command the wild creatures as one commands their own Spirit Beasts.

"The Mystical Beast Qilin is called the Mountain Lord by them."

"What!"

Hearing Agunas’ Shadow’s explanation, the soldier and the villagers took a careful look at the Qilin and finally realized with resignation that they truly did not know what the Mountain Lord looked like, having only heard legends of it.

"That detestable scent is approaching fast."

Upon sensing that everyone had dismounted, the Qilin spoke up and quickly soared over the village before anyone could react, Feng Yuan glanced at the bewildered crowd and said,

"We’re not the main force for defense, the large group of beasts will be intercepted by the Qilin. We just have to kill any of the wild beasts that slip through. Remember to bring all the corpses together, you won’t be able to deal with those creatures."

"What do you plan to do?"

The soldier’s voice was shaky but he still warned Feng Yuan forcefully, putting down Xiao Ji, Feng Yuan smiled and said,

"I’m here to help you deal with the beast tide, don’t worry, I won’t take the bodies with me. It’s just that those corpses will be more troublesome to dispose of. It’s easier for me to clean them up if they are all together."

Seeing the soldier’s doubtful gaze sticking on him, Feng Yuan stroked Xiao Ji’s head and said,

"Aren’t you going to pass on the order?"

"No! I want to see if you really are here to clean up the bodies as you say!"

Feng Yuan, looking at the soldier’s determined eyes, whispered to Xiao Ji,

"Later, you patrol from above. If any mutant beasts attempt to cross the border through the sky, show no mercy, burn them all."

Xiao Ji happily nodded. Transforming into a large black bird, Xiao Ji took flight amidst the astonished gazes of the onlookers, circled in the sky for a moment, then landed back on the ground, reverted to its original form, and snuggled into Feng Yuan’s embrace. At this moment, the old Spirit Monkey made its way through the crowd and approached, asking,

"Can you spare some people to help the other villages?"

"No, they don’t have enough strength to do this,"

"And, you don’t suspect us to be bad people?"

The aged Spirit Monkey chuckled and said,

"Those recognized by Lord Shu Tu Qilin can’t be evil-doers, I trust that you are here to assist us; however..."

Hearing the words of the aged Spirit Monkey, the vigilant villagers around him sighed in relief and put down their weapons to watch Feng Yuan converse with the Spirit Monkey. The soldiers seemed to also recognize the identity of the aged Spirit Monkey, their resolute gaze gradually softened, and ultimately they sighed and said,

"Since you, sir, deem them reliable, I will take my leave now, as there are other villages that need the City Lord Mansion’s notices delivered."

Seeing the soldier finish speaking, mount his horse, and quickly depart, the Spirit Monkey said somewhat helplessly,

"He does trust me."

Feng Yuan smiled and looked at the aged Spirit Monkey, saying,

"After all, you Shenming Spirit Monkeys are known for wisdom among the Spirit Beasts, and with your just and peaceful nature, is it peculiar to gain their trust?"

"It’s a pity though, your lifespan is nearing its end; otherwise, this village could have relied on you to defend itself."

"What!"

"No way!"

Hearing Feng Yuan’s words, the villagers found it difficult to accept. They had grown accustomed to the Shenming Spirit Monkey guiding them when they encountered troubles, solving their quandaries. Among them, several men, as if deep in thought, said,

"No wonder you have been guiding us to solve problems on our own lately..."

"Thank you for all these years..."

Although these men felt reluctant to let go, they did not think about trying to extend the life of the Shenming Spirit Monkey. Some younger villagers said discontentedly,

"Village Chief! How could you be like this! Can’t you think of a way to prolong Lord Bai Ling’s life?"

"Silence! If Lord Bai Ling truly wished to prolong life, we would indeed try everything possible, but..."

As they looked at the unperturbed Shenming Spirit Monkey, the young man who had spoken fell silent. The Spirit Monkey spoke slowly,

"Indeed, you understand me well. I, indeed, feel tired; prolonging life is but a form of torment."

"It’s not like it’s going to die right away. It can still live for several more decades, of course, if it doesn’t excessively use its power in battle, then certainly it won’t last that long."

Seeing people acting as if they were parting from life itself, Feng Yuan said speechlessly because for humans and Spirit Beasts alike, ’approaching the end of lifespan’ meant vastly different lengths of time. Besides, the Shenming Spirit Monkey was a Rare Level Spirit Beast, whose lifespan was longer than that of regular Spirit Beasts.

Hearing Feng Yuan’s words, the villagers looked towards the Shenming Spirit Monkey in surprise. The Spirit Monkey said, a bit helplessly,

"Correct, our Spirit Beasts’ lifespans are different from yours; he said those words in terms of our lifespan."

Hearing the explanation from the Spirit Monkey, the crowd, though relieved, still felt discomfort in their hearts knowing the Spirit Monkey had only several decades left. They had grown so accustomed to its presence that even though they did not require its intervention on a daily basis, in times of crisis, the Spirit Monkey was their utmost reliance.

Glancing at the people, Feng Yuan guessed their thoughts. This situation existed in most villages of the era, and even some towns similarly relied on certain Spirit Beasts. Looking at the Shenming Spirit Monkey, Feng Yuan said,

"I will stay behind to help guard the village with you. There shouldn’t be anyone from the village outside, right?"

"There shouldn’t be. Xiao Wei! Go check if anyone has left the village."

Upon the village chief’s shout, a fit man quickly turned and ran back into the village. Feng Yuan gestured and a Sandboard Mirage appeared before the crowd. Looking at the red dots, Feng Yuan said,

"Hu Weng, if you trust me, Mo Ling can be temporarily protected by me. You can take the others and intercept those who have strayed."

Feng Yuan pointed towards the isolated red dots. Hu Weng, after hearing Feng Yuan’s words, silently looked at Mo Ling.