At this point, everyone had long exhausted their supplies. The only thing keeping them fighting was pure willpower.
Facing a horde of mutant beasts several times larger than before, even though these beasts seemed to be lower-level creatures, the chances of survival were nearly zero.
“Kill!”
People from the Northern Desolation War Academy charged out one after another. They clashed with the enemy like ancient cavalry.
On the horizon, both sides lined up, and as the sky gradually brightened, Tang Lei, mustering all his strength, took the lead.
Just as the two sides were about to collide, everyone heard a sharp “clang” as if a sword had suddenly been drawn from its sheath.
Then, to their horror, they realized that their weapons were starting to act on their own.
“What’s happening?”
“My sword!”
Long swords, war hammers, daggers, even the withered branches and broken beast fangs on the snowfield, were all being drawn together by some mysterious force.
They swirled in the sky, and after a moment, it was as if they received a command, all pointing towards the mutant beast horde!
In the next second, an astonishing scene unfolded before the students of the War Academy.
Swords, daggers, beast fangs, and branches shot through the air like flying swords towards the mutant beasts, instantly slashing through them.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
These ordinary weapons, now imbued with the power of divine blades, pierced through the first beast without any resistance!
Blood mist filled the air, and within less than ten seconds, the students blinked and found themselves standing in stunned silence.
Over a thousand mutant beasts lay dead, sprawled across the ground, not a single one left standing.
“This…”
Everyone present, including Xiao Chen, gasped in shock.
“You did well.”
A deep, steady voice slowly echoed. In their field of vision appeared a tall man, dressed in a thick military uniform.
He wore black leather gloves, sturdy leather boots, and had a half-burned cigar in his mouth. He walked calmly through the field of mutant beast corpses towards them.
“I am Chen Pojun, the division chief of the Night Penal Division of Xia Country. The mutant beasts in North Desolation City have been repelled. You can rest now.”
Division Chief of the Night Penal Division!
Xiao Chen’s body shook. In the Night Penal Division, the highest-ranking official he had ever seen was Li Wanjun, one of the six group leaders. No one had ever mentioned the division chief to him.
Xiao Chen had always been curious about this figure, knowing that it was Chen Pojun who had proposed missions like the joint operation in Sin City.
“So powerful.”
Xiao Chen had recently advanced to level 3, and even among level 3 awakeners, his Primal Force was mid-grade.
He had a vague understanding of the combat capabilities of Liu Zimo and Ye Ran, but Chen Pojun’s level was beyond his comprehension.
He hadn’t even seen Chen Pojun make a move, and yet thousands of mutant beasts had been slain…
After speaking, Chen Pojun glanced at everyone, his gaze briefly pausing on Xiao Chen before he vanished into a blur.
“Is this the power of the division chief of the Night Penal Division? It’s terrifying.”
“Of course. The Military Department’s three major divisions—the Night Penal Division, the City Guard, and the Survey Corps—he’s one of the top leaders, a star-level figure in Xia Country.”
“What level could he be? Level 9?”
“Who knows.”
The students buzzed with conversation, still immersed in the shock of seeing Chen Pojun annihilate the mutant beasts.
“Finally, experts from Xia Country have arrived in time.”
Tang Lei sat wearily on the ground, looking at the rising sun, a smile finally appearing on his face.
“He should be on par with the principal.”
Standing beside Shen Jianyi, Xiao Chen overheard his murmurs. Shen Jianyi, who wielded a sword, was particularly impressed by the earlier move and was still savoring the residual Sword Intent in the air.
“This kid knows quite a bit.”
Xiao Chen thought to himself that Shen Jianyi probably didn’t have the ability to gauge Chen Pojun’s strength, meaning he must know some insider information.
But now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts.
After the great battle, Xiao Chen experienced the greatest harvest of his life.
The final wave of mutant beasts that attacked numbered over a thousand, but many of them were not even level 1. Additionally, as a level 3 awakener, Xiao Chen could not extract life crystals from those significantly weaker than him.
Ultimately, Xiao Chen collected over two hundred small, ordinary life crystals, adding to the 12 level 2 beast crystals, 3 level 3 crystals, and one level 4 mutant beast crystal he had previously amassed.
“What’s this…”
Approaching the Mutant Chameleon, Xiao Chen noticed a red crystal beside the dark green one.
Xiao Chen’s eyes widened. He had been waiting for something like this for a long time.
A life crystal containing an awakening skill!
However, he never expected to find such a thing in a mutant beast.
Quietly gathering all the beast crystals, Xiao Chen glanced at the unassuming Mu Xiaowan among the crowd and sighed with relief.
This girl, having stuck by him for so long, had come through unscathed.
Moreover, during the battle, many mutant beasts were severely injured and on the brink of death. The students’ goal was to render them powerless and move on to the next target.
If it weren’t for Mu Xiaowan’s timely finishing blows, Xiao Chen might not have been able to absorb the crystals fast enough to keep up with his consumption.
“Xiaowan, how did you…”
As Xiao Chen got closer, he sensed an astonishing energy field around Mu Xiaowan, far stronger than it had been a few days ago.
“We’ll talk later.”
Xiao Chen immediately knew this wasn’t the place for a conversation. He told Mu Xiaowan to head back to the dormitory first.
After the joy of surviving the ordeal, everyone fell into silence, beginning the somber task of collecting the bodies of their fallen comrades.
The War Academy in North Desolation City also received reports from Northwest City. Xia Country had managed to fend off the mutant beasts’ frenzied assault and had finally received reinforcements.
After everything was tidied up, Xiao Chen returned to the dormitory and, without a second thought, collapsed into bed. After such a fierce battle, he desperately needed a good night’s sleep.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, the gates of North Desolation City opened once again. Principal Yang Jinsong, along with the mentors, had returned.
However, it was clear to everyone that fewer people had returned than had left.
Seeing the War Academy in North Desolation City safe and sound, Yang Jinsong sighed in relief. Despite the fatigue evident on his face, he headed straight to the principal’s office.
“Report the situation to me.”