174: Chapter 174 One Man Stands Guard! Wind and Thunder Suppress the Beast Tide!

Zhenhai City Demon Slaying Division Branch, outside the cultivation room.

Vice Minister Ye Yuan looked at Zhou Heng, whose aura was profound and whose body was faintly circulating with Wind and Thunder Sacred Light.

He then looked at Ji Cang, Lu Chenxin, Chen Ye, and Bai Qianer behind him, who were equally extraordinary in presence, and his heart was filled with a thousand emotions.

"The youth are to be feared... truly to be feared!" Ye Yuan patted Zhou Heng's shoulder, his tone complex.

"Zhou Heng, the commotion from your breakthrough this time has alarmed the entire Zhenhai City. The sea-calming pillars hummed, and the Wind Thunder Cliff manifested a vision..."

"I have guarded this place for decades and have never seen such a phenomenon! Your foundation... is likely unprecedented."

He recalled back when he broke through to the Transcendent Realm; he had only drawn in spiritual energy from a few miles away.

How could it have had such power to tear the sky and trigger echoes from ancient ruins?

Truly, comparing people only leads to frustration, and comparing goods leads to throwing them away.

Zhou Heng chuckled and rubbed his nose: "Minister Ye, you flatter me. It's probably just that I'm the type to attract lightning strikes, so the commotion was a bit loud."

"Don't worry, next time I'll try to keep it low-key, otherwise I won't be able to afford the repairs if the city walls collapse."

Ye Yuan was caught between laughter and tears by his words, shaking his head helplessly.

"You kid... Alright, since you've broken through, how do you feel?"

"How do I feel?" Zhou Heng clenched his fists, feeling the Wind and Thunder Sacred Origin Essence surging endlessly within him, its quality far surpassing before, along with his majestic blood energy and vast mental power. He grinned.

"I feel like I could take on ten of yesterday's me! I'm full of energy and just want to find some tough bones to gnaw on!"

Behind him, the corners of Ji Cang and the others' mouths twitched slightly. This guy had become even more arrogant after his breakthrough.

Ye Yuan nodded.

"Perfect! I just received a mission for the seventh section of the Dragon Ridge Great Wall."

"Because the main force was temporarily reassigned to a secret mission, the defenses are thin, and it's currently being hit by a medium-sized sea beast tide!"

"Most of the defenders are newcomers, and the pressure is immense! The mission rank is B+, requiring assistance in defense until reinforcements arrive! Are you interested?"

"Yes! Very much so!" Zhou Heng's eyes lit up. "I just broke through and need actual combat to consolidate it! Brothers, it's time to work!"

"Let's go!" Ji Cang said succinctly, his battle intent rising.

Lu Chenxin, Chen Ye, and Bai Qianer also nodded one after another.

They also needed battle to temper themselves.

"Good! Here are the coordinates and intelligence! Go quickly!" Ye Yuan sent the mission information to their tactical watches.

The five members of the Donghuang First Team set off immediately.

They boarded a specialized floating vessel and sped toward the seventh section of the Dragon Ridge Great Wall!

On the floating vessel, Zhou Heng looked at the real-time footage and data coming through his tactical watch, his brows slightly raised.

In the footage, the beacon towers of the Dragon Ridge Great Wall's seventh section were billowing with smoke. Below the city walls, a dense mass of sea beasts surged like a tide!

Most were Rank Three lower and middle-tier sea beasts, such as [Iron-Armored Giant Crabs], [Stinger Jellyfish], and [Serrated Mad Sharks].

Interspersed among them were many Rank Three peak [Deep Sea Giant Squids] and [Thunder Eels]!

The number was likely in the thousands!

And atop the city walls, the defenders were indeed mostly young, fresh faces. Though wearing standard armor and holding weapons, their faces were full of tension, fear, and even despair!

They relied on the city wall's defensive fortifications and ballistae to resist with all their might, but facing the endless and incredibly fierce sea beast tide,

the defensive line was already in a precarious state, with wounded personnel constantly being carried down!

"The situation doesn't look good," Lu Chenxin said solemnly.

"The beast tide is quite large, and the defenders lack experience, so morale is low," Ji Cang analyzed.

Bai Qianer's small face was tense: "We need to hurry!"

Chen Ye silently gripped his saber hilt.

However, the flames of excitement burned in Zhou Heng's eyes: "Perfect! I'll use them to test the Wind and Thunder Sacred Origin Essence I just mastered!"

The floating vessel soon arrived above the seventh section of the Great Wall.

The five jumped directly from the hatch, falling onto the city wall like shooting stars!

Their appearance immediately caught the attention of both the defenders and the beast tide!

"Reinforcements! It's reinforcements!" A recruit saw the Fine Bronze-grade Demon Slaying Division badge on his person and shouted excitedly.

But seeing only five people, and all of them looking so young, many people's hope dimmed again.

What use could five people be against this beast tide?

The person in charge of this section of the wall was a scarred, one-armed veteran commandant. Seeing Zhou Heng's group of five, he was first joyful, then frowned.

"You are... from the Demon Slaying Division? Why are there only five of you? Didn't Minister Ye send a large force?"

Zhou Heng stepped forward and showed his identity token: "Senior, we are the Donghuang First Team. A large force needs time to mobilize; we've come first to hold the line!"

"Donghuang First Team?" The veteran commandant was taken aback, seemingly having heard the name before.

But looking at the surging beast tide below, he remained deeply worried.

"But this beast tide..."

"Don't worry!" Zhou Heng interrupted him with a confident smile.

"Senior, you command the brothers to stabilize the defensive line and clear out any stragglers or long-range attacking monsters. Leave the big guys below to us!"

After saying that, he didn't give the veteran commandant any time to react.

He turned to Ji Cang and the other three: "Old Ji, Chen Xin, you take the left flank! Ye Zi, Qianer, the right flank is yours! Support from the center and clear out any monsters that break through the line! The main beast tide below... is mine!"

"What? You're going down alone?!" The veteran commandant and the surrounding recruits were all stunned!

Below were thousands of ferocious sea beasts! Wasn't this just seeking death?

Even Ji Cang and the other three hesitated slightly.

Though they knew Zhou Heng's strength had increased greatly, facing a beast tide alone was too risky!

"Brother Heng, it's too dangerous!" Lu Chenxin tried to dissuade him.

"Brother Zhou Heng!" Bai Qianer also called out nervously.

Zhou Heng laughed loudly and patted the godfall spear on his back.

"What's there to fear? It's the perfect time to break in my new spear! You guys hold the wall; don't let a single piece of seafood crawl up to interrupt my performance!"

Before his voice could fade, he leaped, and under countless horrified gazes, he jumped directly off the hundred-meter-high Dragon Ridge Great Wall!

"He jumped!"

"Crazy! He's absolutely insane!"

The recruits cried out in alarm, and some even closed their eyes, unable to watch.

However, in the next moment, a scene they would never forget occurred!

Mid-air, the Wind and Thunder Twin Wings behind Zhou Heng burst open!

The left side was entwined with lightning, and the right side whistled with astral winds, with a wingspan exceeding five meters!

Not only did he not fall, but he also hovered above the beast tide like a descended god of wind and thunder!

"Roar!" "Hiss!" "Wooo—!"

The sea beasts below also noticed this audacious human.

They immediately let out earth-shaking roars, as countless water arrows, poisonous stingers, and bolts of lightning shot toward Zhou Heng in the air!

"Come on!"

The Omniscient Eye in Zhou Heng's eyes instantly opened to its limit!

In his field of vision, information streams of countless sea beasts flashed by—their weaknesses, energy flow trajectories, attack routes...

All were analyzed and marked at high speed!

At the same time, the Wind and Thunder Sacred Origin Essence within his body erupted! The Purple Heavens Wind Urgency Divine Seal shone brilliantly!

"Wind Thunder Illusion Steps!"

The Wind and Thunder Twin Wings behind him vibrated slightly, and his entire being turned into a Z-shaped phantom of wind and thunder that was difficult for the naked eye to track.

He effortlessly wove through the dense network of attacks! All the water arrows, poisonous stingers, and lightning missed their mark!

"So fast!" Atop the wall, the veteran commandant's pupils constricted; he had never seen such terrifying speed and footwork!

In the next second, Zhou Heng moved!

Like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, he proactively charged into the densest area of the beast tide!

"Thunder Piercing Kill Spear · Rushing Thunder Thrust!"

The godfall spear turned into a purple-gold bolt of lightning, its speed reaching the limit! Psh!

It pierced with absolute precision into the most vulnerable point where a Thunder Eel's skull met its spine!

Lightning power erupted, and this Rank Three peak eel didn't even have time to scream before it was instantly charred to a crisp!

With a flick of the spear, he followed through with a horizontal sweep!

"Thunder Break!"

Boom!

The violent thunderous spear light spread out in a fan shape, directly shattering the hard shells and internal organs of seven or eight Iron-Armored Giant Crabs around him!

His movements were fluid and seamless, without the slightest delay!

The Omniscient Eye allowed him to always find the most efficient and effective attack angles and timing!

Every spear strike aimed for a vital point, a certain kill in one hit!

He moved through the beast tide as if dancing on the edge of a blade, yet also like a grim reaper swinging a scythe!

Wherever he passed, sea beasts fell in swathes!

Rank Three lower and middle-tier sea beasts couldn't block a single spear strike from him at all!

Even Rank Three peak monsters couldn't last more than three moves at most!

On the wall, everyone was stunned!

The recruits' mouths hung open, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief!

"Is... is he still human?"

"Too strong! He's suppressing the beast tide all by himself!"

"Is that... wind? And thunder? How can he master two types of power at the same time and have them be so harmonious?"

The veteran commandant trembled with excitement: "A genius! Is this what a true genius is?!"

Ji Cang and the other three were also shaken to their cores.

They knew Zhou Heng was strong, but they hadn't expected him to be this powerful after breaking through to the Transcendent Realm!

He was simply a humanoid natural disaster!

"Don't just stand there! Hold the wall!" Ji Cang was the first to react.

With a loud shout, he slashed out White Tiger Saber Qi, knocking down several sea beasts attempting to scale the wall.

Lu Chenxin, Chen Ye, and Bai Qianer also moved immediately, using their various methods to firmly guard the two flanks.

With Zhou Heng drawing most of the fire below, the pressure on the wall was drastically reduced!

The recruits' morale soared, and they fought back with all their might!

Within the beast tide, Zhou Heng fought with increasing bravery!

The Wind and Thunder Sacred Origin Essence seemed inexhaustible, the Wind Thunder Illusion Steps made him like a ghost, and the Omniscient Eye let him perceive everything!

He even began attempting to integrate the newly comprehended profound meanings of Wind Burial Universe into his spear techniques during the battle!

When the godfall spear thrust out, it was no longer just violent thunder; the spear tip was also entwined with wisps of extremely condensed astral wind that emitted an aura of annihilation!

With one spear strike, wind and thunder followed!

Not only did it pierce the flesh, but it also tore and annihilated it from within! His lethality surged!

"Refreshing! So refreshing!" Zhou Heng was killing with abandon and couldn't help but let out a long howl that shook the surrounding area!

The conviction of invincibility surged in his chest, and that embryonic Invincible Intent seemed to become even more solid during the fight!

He, alone with a single spear, actually managed to forcefully hold back the tide formed by thousands of sea beasts beneath the Dragon Ridge Great Wall!

He was like an insurmountable barrier of wind and thunder!

However, the beast tide seemed to be enraged by his arrogance!

From deep within, several exceptionally powerful auras locked onto Zhou Heng!

A heart-palpitating pressure began to spread out!

Zhou Heng felt the pressure, but the battle intent in his eyes grew even stronger!

"Come on! Let me see what other 'hard dishes' you've got!"

With his Wind and Thunder Twin Wings vibrating, he proactively and boldly charged toward the deepest part of the beast tide, toward where those powerful auras were located!