The Detestable Human Race

Di Haoran watched as events unfolded exactly as Li Siyi had predicted, and he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

Whether it was the sudden assault by the Beast Lord or the appearance of the Reflection Fox, everything confirmed Li Siyi's words.

That day, while everyone was gathered to discuss tactics, Li Siyi suddenly declared that she knew how the beast horde would attack.

Her tone was absolute, her expression almost as if she could foresee the future.

At first, no one believed her. Though Li Siyi was talented, her experience paled in comparison to the others present.

Most crucially, she was far too young.

Amidst the skepticism, Nangong Xiyun stepped forward and voiced her support for Li Siyi.

With that, the group had no choice but to hear her out.

Li Siyi laid out the beast horde's attack strategy in detail.

Yet, doubts lingered. If her words were true, their carefully crafted battle plans would need to be scrapped and rewritten.

What if her intel turned out to be false?

This was no trivial matter.

Still, Li Siyi managed to persuade them. Having served as an elder of the Seven Stars Sword Sect for years, her presence commanded respect.

Once the new strategy was set, they pressed her for the source of her knowledge.

Li Siyi explained that a friend of hers had infiltrated the beast horde and relayed the information.

She didn’t name names, but Di Haoran could guess—it was Su Luo.

Recently, Su Luo’s circumstances had taken such bizarre turns that it was impossible not to take notice.

Di Haoran found it surreal. He had once believed the North End Demon Lord’s infiltration of the Four Great Heavenly Demons was the pinnacle of espionage.

Yet here was someone who surpassed even that.

Suspicions lingered, of course. After all, the North End Demon Lord had ultimately succumbed to demonic corruption. Who was to say Su Luo wouldn’t as well?

Di Haoran wasn’t familiar with Su Luo, but he chose to trust Li Siyi and the others.

Now, he couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride. Had they not heeded her warning, the first wave alone would have dealt devastating losses, crushing morale.

Di Haoran sighed inwardly. He was growing old. The younger generation was proving itself more formidable than ever—obtaining intel from right under the Beast Lord’s nose was nothing short of miraculous.

Even he wouldn’t dare claim such a feat.

The beast horde pressed forward relentlessly. Despite the humans’ formidable magic, they couldn’t halt the beasts’ charge.

A dark cloud loomed over the horde, spreading like a plague toward the Northern Heavenly Gate.

The oppressive weight of the gathering storm was palpable.

Both sides exchanged long-range attacks, but the humans had the advantage of the Northern Heavenly Gate’s defensive formations, which absorbed much of the damage.

Still, even these formations had their limits. Sustained assault would eventually breach them.

Yet, the Northern Heavenly Gate, fortified over years of preparation, wouldn’t fall so easily.

The beast horde, on the other hand, advanced across open terrain with no cover in sight.

The charging beasts made no attempt to evade attacks, relying instead on their monstrous physiques to endure the blows. Those that couldn’t withstand the assault perished instantly.

Thanks to the Grand Priest’s vigilance, the bloodline detonation was suppressed, preventing the beasts from exploding amidst their own ranks.

Such an occurrence would have been disastrous, triggering a chain reaction of carnage.

Then, the beast horde made its next move.

The dark clouds above stirred imperceptibly—unless one knew what to look for.

Hidden within those clouds were swarms of winged beasts.

This was no natural phenomenon born from the horde’s march; the Grand Priest had conjured the darkness to conceal the airborne forces.

In the skies, the beast horde held a clear advantage. Winged beasts, with their innate physiology, could fly for extended periods with minimal energy expenditure.

Humans had their own aerial forces, but the cost of flight was far greater for them.

And in sheer numbers, the beasts reigned supreme.

From within the clouds, the winged beasts carried massive, rugged boulders—distinctive to the wildlands—and hurled them toward the Northern Heavenly Gate.

Initially, the plan had been to drop live beasts onto the battlefield, but the first wave was meant for attrition.

Premature deployment would have been pointless; without ground forces breaching the gate, the airborne units would have been sitting ducks.

So, for now, it was a rain of boulders.

Lin Xuan stood atop the Northern Heavenly Gate, his gaze fixed on the dark clouds.

The Grand Priest noticed him too, watching as Lin Xuan scrutinized the sky.

So, their cover wouldn’t last long. No matter. At this distance, a single burst of speed would bring them directly above the gate.

Flight was faster than running.

By the time the humans realized, it would be too late to stop them.

The Grand Priest bellowed, "Charge!"

The winged beasts needed no further prompting. They readied themselves for an all-out assault.

Yet at that moment, Lin Xuan smiled.

A sense of foreboding gripped the Grand Priest.

"Come forth, beast horde."

Lin Xuan activated the Thousandfold Thunderfall Bell—an artifact capable of summoning heavenly tribulation.

BOOM!

A cataclysmic bolt of lightning erupted from the clouds.

"SCREECH!"

Scores of winged beasts were instantly reduced to charred husks, their acrid stench filling the air.

The tribulation wasn’t done. Bolt after bolt rained down, mercilessly striking every beast within the clouds.

The weaker ones were obliterated on the spot. The stronger ones fled in panic, but even a moment’s hesitation meant death.

In no time, the entire airborne division was annihilated.

And still, the tribulation raged on, now targeting the ground forces below.

The Lion Heart King snorted and leaped into the air, intercepting the heavenly wrath.

The Leopard Speed King joined him—this tribulation was no trifling matter, and the Lion Heart King couldn’t handle it alone.

Generals Qingyi and Chilin lent their strength as well.

Together, the four mighty beasts quelled the tribulation before long.

The Thousandfold Thunderfall Bell shattered, spent.

But Lin Xuan felt no regret. It had served its purpose well.

The Grand Priest clenched his staff, his fury barely contained.

This was not the outcome he had envisioned.

How could they have deployed such a powerful artifact without hesitation?

Had they been so certain the clouds concealed an army? These were no ordinary clouds!

Had they gambled wrong, the artifact would have been wasted for nothing.

Under normal circumstances, the beast horde’s elites would have intercepted the tribulation after a few strikes, minimizing casualties.

But now, the skies were littered with corpses, and the very boulders meant to shield the winged beasts had instead crushed their own forces below.

A self-inflicted disaster.

The Grand Priest seethed.

These humans… they were far more troublesome than he had anticipated.

What kind of hellish start was this?

In his mind, everything should have gone smoothly—catching the humans off guard.

Yet here they were, outmaneuvered at every turn.

Damn these humans!