# 1430
Chapter 1431: Matriarch Beast
Chennan Pass.
"Hongying."
"Here."
"Wen Qimo."
"Here."
"Molly."
"Here."
"Chen Lu……"
The rumbling sound of artillery came from the distance. Behind the tall inner wall, a Night Watch wrapped in a dark red cloak was holding a roster, carefully checking the names written on it.
Once all six people in front of her had been verified, she set down the roster and nodded:
"A brief self-introduction—I'm Miao Su, former captain of Squad 010 stationed in Guangshen City. I'm currently acting as commander of Chennan Pass's No. 5 defensive line."
Miao Su's gaze swept across the crowd as she continued, "You're all reinforcement forces transferred from other passes. The situation is tense, so I'll keep this short. Our defensive line is responsible for the area from South Gate 2 to South Gate 7 of the inner wall. Under no circumstances can we allow any giant beast to breach the inner wall and enter the pass. Is that understood?"
"Understood!" The crowd spoke in unison.
"Most of you are at the 'Sea' realm to 'Measureless' level. If you encounter a Klein-level or even god-level beast, don't fight head-on. Do everything you can to stall them and buy time. As long as we can hold them off long enough, the [Phoenix] squad or other Human Apex can arrive to eliminate them.
"Of course, that's assuming the situation remains controllable."
Miao Su paused briefly. "If the situation ever becomes completely uncontrollable, I trust that as qualified Night Watch... you know what to do."
Everyone gripped their Coat of Arms tightly, their eyes blazing with determination as they nodded emphatically.
"Commander Miao, where are these beasts coming from? Can't we just kill them all?" someone in the crowd asked, puzzled.
Miao Su shook her head bitterly, pointing toward the sky. "See that [Empty Gate]? At the entrance of that [Empty Gate], in the rearguard of where the Gods of Great Xia are battling the Hindu gods, there are a few god-level 'matriarch beasts' specially cultivated by the Heavenly Temple. They devour the divine corpses and severed limbs left behind from the slaughter on the divine battlefield, then reproduce offspring at an extremely high rate.
The heavier the casualties among the Hindu gods in this divine war, the faster they reproduce, and the higher the realm of their offspring. These offspring will do everything possible to break through the Chennan Pass blockade and attack the pass or the cities of Great Xia behind it. This forces the Gods of Great Xia to split their forces and energy to hunt down the offspring... In this way, the Hindu gods gradually claw back their disadvantage on the divine battlefield, creating a kind of attrition equilibrium that prevents the Gods of Great Xia from ever truly gaining the upper hand...
"Using this method, they've been locked in battle with us for two days and two nights."
"They're using human casualties to tie down the Gods of Great Xia? What a disgusting tactic..." Wen Qimo's brow furrowed deeply.
"The Heavenly Temple was fully prepared for this divine war. If they weren't fairly confident, why would they dare to pour into Great Xia in full force and fight on our home ground?"
"Can't we directly destroy those 'matriarch beasts'?"
"The matriarch beasts are positioned deep within the Hindu divine forces. To kill them, we'd have to cut through the entire Hindu pantheon first... That won't be easy."
The crowd fell silent.
"To prevent the Olympians from using a feint, the Gods of Great Xia had to leave forces stationed at other passes. Their numbers were already at a disadvantage. Our purpose is to lighten the load for the Gods of Great Xia. If they're the first line of defense for Great Xia, then we Night Watch are the second line guarding Great Xia." Miao Su took a deep breath.
"Everyone, to battle!"
Hongying gripped her spear tightly, nodding firmly. Several figures charged out from behind the inner wall, rushing toward the outer wall breach nearby!
The roar of the giant beasts was deafening. Just as they burst out, they saw a giant serpent flicking its tongue, biting off the machine gun barrel embedded in the inner wall's aperture. Its cold, vertical pupils locked onto the group, emanating Klein-level aura fluctuations.
This giant serpent was the same as the snake swarm Hongying and the others had encountered before entering Chennan Pass—it was likely offspring from the same "matriarch beast." The group exchanged glances and immediately charged toward the giant serpent!
Among these people, only Miao Su alone was at the Klein realm. She took point, swinging a long scythe, and slashed directly toward the serpent's head.
Rose-colored flames intertwined around Hongying like feathered garments. She and Molly flanked the giant serpent on left and right, sealing off its escape routes!
Wen Qimo planted himself in place. An invisible domain expanded outward, countless black threads extending from the serpent's brow, wrapping around its form like a cocoon. But as the serpent writhed its body, the threads lasted only half a second before shattering inch by inch!
Wen Qimo's current realm was merely peak "Sea" level. Against a Klein-level giant serpent, the restrictive effect he could provide was extremely limited.
But in group combat, even a half-second of hesitation was enough to create enormous opportunity.
As the giant serpent retreated under Miao Su's sweeping scythe, a枪尖 wrapped in rose fire stabbed precisely into its vitals. The serpent howled in pain, its massive tail suddenly whipping up and slamming directly toward Hongying's face!
CLANG—!!
A broad blade, shaped like a shield, firmly blocked in front of Hongying. The blade vibrated at a special frequency, absorbing the serpent's tremendous force while simultaneously reflecting the power back, causing the giant serpent's body to fall into momentary rigidity!
Molly groaned, scarlet blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
In that brief moment of rigidity, Miao Su swung her sharp scythe blade with force. A crescent of moonlit energy flashed, directly slicing off most of the giant serpent's head.
Several attacks surged forward, quickly tearing the serpent's body to pieces, utterly destroying it.
"Are you alright?" Hongying supported Molly's staggering form, concern in her voice.
"I'm fine... it's just a minor wound." Molly waved her hand slightly.
Before they could celebrate killing one giant serpent, two more sturdy bull-shaped beasts charged through the outer wall fissure. Their massive bodies forcibly expanded the crack by nearly double!
The crowd's expressions changed. A Night Watch leaped high, peering into the distance, and spoke in horror:
"Damn it! There's a huge wave of beasts coming from the south, and among them are two Divine Beasts!"
"Damn it all..." Miao Su gritted her teeth, her face somewhat pale. "Everyone, do as I said just now. Try your best to stall for time until other Human Apex can arrive as reinforcements..."
Never in their wildest dreams did they expect this moment to come so quickly. They immediately tensed their bodies, their eyes already flickering with the resolve of those ready to face death.
At that moment, a hurricane sliced through the sky. Eight figures draped in black cloaks, like blades, burst forth from behind and charged directly toward the oncoming beast swarm!
"[Spirit Medium]?!" Miao Su saw this scene and spoke in shock. "Didn't they already die in battle..."