CHAPTER 407: CHAPTER 407: COVERING THE RETREAT

If the attack continues, will Yang Xiao unleash some bizarre move again, instantly killing dozens of Tibetan Mastiffs? Do the remaining seventy to eighty Tibetan Mastiffs seem not enough to kill?

If they retreat, the Tibetan Mastiff King has yet to give the order; as an organized group, they cannot retreat at will.

The Tibetan Mastiff King’s pair of emerald eyes flickered with light, never expecting such a huge surprise during the siege of the Divine Mountain Sect’s South Garden. According to previous intelligence, a swarm of over a hundred Tibetan Mastiffs should have been enough to annihilate Lan Xin and the others, then turn to battle the North Garden of the Divine Mountain Sect.

The hundred-plus Tibetan Mastiffs behind the Tibetan Mastiff King were the reserve force preparing to attack the North Garden of the Divine Mountain Sect later.

Once the Tibetan Mastiff King evolved to King Level, with the aid of several hundred ferocious Tibetan Mastiffs, the Divine Mountain would become their territory from then on.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, the Tibetan Mastiff King gritted its teeth, let out a furious roar from its massive jaws, leaped, and led the charge towards Yang Xiao and the others.

"Not good, the Tibetan Mastiffs have launched a full-scale attack, everyone be careful!"

Lan Xin shouted, with a swish, the longsword in her hand emitted a three-meter-long blade of blue Sword Qi.

The Sword Qi was their final trump card in countering the Tibetan Mastiffs.

As the Tibetan Mastiff King suddenly struck, the hundred-plus Tibetan Mastiffs in the darkness instantly roared and leaped out from the shadows, charging into the square; the Tibetan Mastiffs already in the square also immediately pounced.

The Tibetan Mastiff King finally came to its senses that from the beginning, it should not have interrupted the attack; it should have used its numerical advantage to overrun them directly, for Yang Xiao’s Soul Skill, no matter how fierce, could not defeat them all in one fell swoop, could it?

Yang Xiao let out a thunderous roar, and, facing the tide of monsters surging towards him on the plaza, he consecutively used several One Finger Splitting Earth attacks.

With several booming explosions, the Tibetan Mastiffs in the front felt the ground violently shake beneath them, their bodies were flipped over, and chaos instantly ensued at the scene as the howling of the Tibetan Mastiffs turned into a chorus.

However, even more Tibetan Mastiffs immediately rushed over and instantly surrounded Lan Xin and the others.

A Tibetan Mastiff lunged at Yang Xiao, and Lan Xin beside him swung her longsword, the three-meter-long Sword Qi directly cleaving the wolf in half.

Yang Xiao instantly drew out the Bronze Divine Sword, waving it at a Tibetan Mastiff leaping towards him, the powerful Killing Aura directly bisecting the Tibetan Mastiff.

Of the remaining thirty-some junior sisters, most could generate Sword Qi around two meters in length, with the shortest being one meter.

For a moment, Sword Qi crisscrossed, bellowing shook the heavens and the earth, and Yang Xiao and his group were completely surrounded by one to two hundred Tibetan Mastiffs.

Bang bang bang!

Several loud bangs rang out, dozens of white Ice Balls were hurled at Yang Xiao and his group, exploding above their heads or in front of them, the Extreme Cold Ice Fog instantly spreading.

On this already very cold night, it was truly cold enough to freeze one’s breath.

Two junior sisters who couldn’t dodge in time were struck head-on by Ice Balls, immediately becoming frozen corpses.

As the dead fell, those around them immediately filled the gaps, closing the distance.

The Tibetan Mastiffs split into two rings of attack; the inner Tibetan Mastiffs launched ferocious assaults while the outer ones spit out Ice Balls.

Yang Xiao and the others had to fend off frontal attacks while staying alert for Ice Ball strikes, many of which exploded right above their heads, the surrounding air was bitingly cold.

The Genetic Evolution Level of Lan Xin and the others was low; even if they were to muster Defensive Light Shields, it was not very effective, so they could only desperately resist with their sharp Sword Qi.

The Tibetan Mastiffs were closing in too tightly, which prevented Yang Xiao from using One Finger Splitting Earth, fearing that an imprecise control could harm his own side due to the shockwave.

However, Yang Xiao’s Bronze Divine Sword in his hand was extremely potent in its Killing Aura. After experiencing its ferocity, surrounding Tibetan Mastiffs didn’t even dare to approach Yang Xiao.

The Tibetan Mastiff King did not personally participate in the attack; Yang Xiao and the others were surrounded by over a hundred Tibetan Mastiffs.

Defeating Yang Xiao and his peers seemed only a matter of time.

Moments later, three of Lan Xin’s junior sisters were killed by the Tibetan Mastiffs, while Yang Xiao and his group had slain over a dozen of them.

As time dragged on, the Tibetan Mastiffs unexpectedly became smarter, changing their tactics. Those standing in front of Yang Xiao and Lan Xin stepped back a few paces, avoiding direct contact with Yang Xiao and Lan Xin, merely maintaining vigilance and continuously launching Ice Ball attacks.

While the weaker junior sisters faced the Tibetan Mastiffs’ frenzied attacks, some even braving sword qi-inflicted wounds to charge straight in.

A few exchanges later, several junior sisters were slain, and their defensive circle kept shrinking.

"This won’t do, there are still many Tibetan Mastiffs behind us."

Yang Xiao shouted.

Lan Xin and the others, being completely surrounded, lost the advantage of their swift Ancient Martial Arts reflexes. Yet, daring to leap out for an attack meant instant envelopment, and even greater danger.

Clinging together in defense wasn’t a solution either, especially since the Tibetan Mastiffs started using Ice Ball’s long-range attacks.

"Yang Xiao, do you have any ideas?"

Yang Xiao just realized how each second passed so slowly; not to mention waiting half an hour for Sweeping Void, even enduring ten minutes for Black Hole Swallowing was difficult.

Five Finger Sky Explosion was only effective against aerial targets, needing a distance of over five meters above ground, and One Finger Splitting Earth could only deal with some distant Tibetan Mastiffs, not helpful for changing the situation.

In a split second, two more junior sisters fell.

Lan Xin’s heart bled, teeth clenched, really wanting to charge out for a frenzied assault, and go down fighting together.

The pressing crowd of Tibetan Mastiffs tightly besieged Yang Xiao and the rest, their roars thunderous and unceasing, exceptionally piercing in the silent night at Divine Mountain.

In the distant Genetic Store, the young shopkeeper looked up towards the far-off turmoil, sighed, and said, "Alas, what a pity!"

...

"Lan Xin, didn’t you mention there was a cave behind the mountain? Is the cave sturdy? Can we take shelter there?"

"The cave is sturdy; it’s where our ancestors faced the wall to cultivate. We can take temporary shelter, but—"

"No more ’buts’. Let’s take refuge in the cave for now and figure out a plan when it gets light."

Yang Xiao handed his Longsword to Lan Xin, saying:

"My sword is sharp. You take the lead and cut a path through, guide the junior sisters to break out. I’ll cover for us."

"Yang Xiao!"

"Stop fussing, I have my Soul Skill to cover. Go!"

As he spoke, the agonized cries of two more slain junior sisters were heard.

Biting her lip, Lan Xin took Yang Xiao’s Longsword, turned, and retreated into the circle, heading in the direction of the great hall entrance, she shouted:

"Sisters, follow me and let’s break through. We’ll take temporary shelter in the mountain cave at the back."

After Lan Xin spoke, she charged out of the circle, her Longsword emitting three meters of sword qi, which she thrust towards two of the Tibetan Mastiffs ahead.

The moment Lan Xin charged, she unleashed the ferocious moves of Shenming Mountain Sect’s swordsmanship, not just simple defense. The power surged remarkably, and what amazed her even more was the completely different sensation Yang Xiao’s Longsword afforded her. The sword qi it unleashed was many times more fierce than with her own Longsword.

The two Tibetan Mastiffs facing Lan Xin’s charge immediately projected golden Defensive Light Shields. However, they were useless, as Lan Xin cleaved them in two.

Lan Xin’s spirits lifted. With the sword, she plunged into the mass of Tibetan Mastiffs. Sword qi sliced all around her; she cleaved left, chopped right, thrust upwards, and pierced down, quickly slaying three Tibetan Mastiffs. The surrounding mastiffs retreated, opening a bloody path.

Junior sister Xiao Yun led everyone to systematically close ranks, keeping up with Lan Xin’s pace and moving towards the inside of the great hall.

Yang Xiao, while retreating with the group, unleashed One Finger Splitting Earth; a series of thunderous blasts knocked the pursuing Tibetan Mastiffs scattering to the ground.

Once Lan Xin reached the entrance of the great hall, she instructed Xiao Yun and the rest to hurry to the cave with the junior sisters. Then she herself turned back to join Yang Xiao, together covering the retreat.