Several months back, around the ti Zhen Liu introduced the concept of showing...
"Xiao Liu, your master taught you how to work with strange and hazardous materials, right?"
"That feels like a loaded question...why do you ask, Fifth Uncle?"
"Because we just finished extracting the [Parasitic Wyrmwood] from father and Hermit Zhong Wei, and we figured we’d ask you if could use it for anything before we just burn it."
"Oh...well...I have so ideas..."
...Now back to the present...
Horrible squelching noises!
"What the fuck that noise?"
"I think that’s our gate working as intended."
"Wait, what the fuck?"
Aside from the multitude of traps, the reinforcent of the walls and the creation of several dozen defensive siege engines, there was precisely one more thing that the Zhen Clan contributed to the defense of the city, the door.
"What do you an that the gate is working as intended?"
"Oh, you don’t know, well..."
At a first glance, this gate was fairly standard looking.
It was tall, imposing, bound together with several iron bands and was raised or lowered depending on the ti of day or guests involved.
However, if the gate was attacked, like say by a giant horde of aether beasts, and then covered in blood, it’s true nature would be revealed.
Bang!
Squelch!
"Oh gods, the nosie got even louder."
Unseen by the mortal defenders atop the gate, but very much heard, the mont the beasts crashed their bodies into the gate, the trap was sprung.
Enticed and empowered by the blood, the gate made from [Parasitic Wyrmwood] began to grow in unnatural ways, producing spear-like roots that dug deep into the flesh of the aether beasts and draining their blood to further strengthen itself.
But that wasn’t all that this psychotic door, made by a creator of monsters, could do.
"Hey look! So of the beasts are retre-"
Sound of wood growing through flesh and bone.
"Oh, no. They’re just dying now, huh..."
So of the slightly tougher beasts managed to break away from the door, but still had the roots embedded in their flesh as they pulled away.
This turned out to be an even worse idea.
The mont the beasts removed these roots from the door, the aforentioned roots would suddenly grow at a rapid pace, penetrating their often undefended and soft vitals and absorbing whatever bodily fluids they could access before encapsulating the bodies entirely.
One after the other, parasitic trees began to bloom from the living bodies of multiple aether beasts.
There was veritable grove of blood-fed tree, growing only a few re feet from the walls of Stone Claw.
Incidentally, this turned out to be the greatest deterrent for a majority of the aether beasts of the Beast Tide, as most of them were rightly afraid of getting caught in the newly ford [Parasitic Wyrmwood] trees.
Emphasis on the word, "most" though.
"MOOOOO!"
"What the fuck was that?!"
"We got a fifth tiered Quaking Bison coming in!"
"Shit!"
...
[Sounds like the big beasts are finally making a move.]
[It’s about a ti.]
[Now, should we make a move?]
[Let the elders and scions have their fun, they need to sharpen themselves anyways.]
...
The [Parasitic Wyrmwood] door, in its current state, was strong enough to deter aether beasts ranging from the first to fourth tier with relative ease.
Had there been more ti between it’s construction and this Beast Tide crisis, then Zhen Liu and the kaijin would’ve been able to strengthen it further and make it sothing that could deter even seventh tier beasts!
But alas, that hadn’t been the case.
Understanding that they would be nothing more than fodder to this accursed door, many of the aether beasts that had tried to go for the door had stepped away to let sothing a touch more qualified to deal with it.
That qualified creature turned out to be giant bison with fur like asbestos, firey red eyes and hooves that caused minor earthquakes with every step. In other words, a Quaking Bison.
If this fifth tier Quaking Bison crashed into the gate, there would be no guarantee that it would be able to resist it in any aningful manner. And that wasn’t the only problem the defenders of Stone Claw were facing.
"Shit! We need to shoot down that bison before it makes contact!"
"We can’t!"
"Why?!"
"Skree!"
"Hiss!"
"EEH!"
"Them!"
Before any of the archers or the siege teams could switch their focus to the charging Quaking Bison, they themselves were besieged not just by flying aether beasts, but ones that could scale walls with contemptible ease.
Whether they were Copper-Scaled Gila Monsters, Impact Ibexes or whatever avian beast decided to make themselves a nuisance, these aether beasts could wipe out the archers and make it significantly easier for their ground-bound allies to charge in.
However, now that these bastards were in lee range, and they started to bring out their champions, it was now ti for the rest of the defenders to make their move.
Just as a cannon team was about to get attacked by an ibex/gila combo, Zhen Yue and Zhen Xing intercepted the beasts, respectively.
[Moon Beast Knuckle!]
[Foxfire Wheel Kick!]
In one fluid punch, Zhen Yue proceeded to slam the bottom of the Copper-Scaled Gila Monster’s mouth and blew out its brain. anwhile, Zhen Xing leaped over the charging ibex and slamd a burning kick straight into its spine.
The two aether beasts were slain unnaturally fast in the eyes of the defenders.
Thankfully, they explained themselves.
"Copper-Scaled Gilas have weak underjaws. Either smack them as hard as you can or impaled them!"
"Impact Ibexes have weaker spines in comparison to their kin. One good smash will rendered them paralyzed for life."
"And for the love of aether, use lighting attacks against the birds! Their feathers are conductive!"
"Yes, young masters!"
While this was happening though, the Quaking Bison had finally reached charging distance for the door.
"MOOOOO!"
And he wasn’t the only one set on charging into a motherfucker.
"Finally!"
From the very top of the gate, the Fourth Zhen Clan Elder, Zhen Xi, leaped down to the ground and landed right in the path of the Quaking Bison.
Like any reasonable warrior of his caliber, Zhen Xi had fully donned his [Regalia] before confronting the monster before him.
However, he wasn’t going to be using an aether art to best this beast.
"You’re definitely going to be the perfect target for my new skill!," Zhen Xi taunted as he began to condense [Chaos] around his head and shoulders.
A fifth tier aether beast had the physical and innate aether capabilities to match an Aether King, which was a stage that was two tiers higher than a Grandmaster.
Unless Zhen Xi used a particularly powerful aether art, he wouldn’t be able to deal a mortal wound, due to those aforentioned capabilities leading to higher defenses.
But, what if Zhen Xi used an art that could ignore aether defenses?
[Primordial Beast...]
And what if an aether beast without it’s aether defenses...
[...Scripture...]
...was just as vulnerable as a normal beast?
[...Hellpig Booster!]
BOOM!
With a roar louder than thunder, Zhen Xi launched forward by the power of literal rockets being strapped to his shoulders.
"MOOO!"
As Zhen Xi positioned his body to tackle into the Quaking Bison, the bison responded in line and leveled his head and channel aether into it in order to smash this annoying boar of a man into many tiny pieces.
"Break for !"
"Moo?!"
Unfortunately that particular idea was stomped to the death the mont the Quaking Bison noticed it’s aether protection had disappeared.
And then it felt the crushing sensation happening against it’s skull, monts before noticing he was being taken for a ride.
A ride through several dozen of it’s comrades in a row.
"Huh. I was hoping to just punch through you...but this works too! Haha!"
Evidently, this was an absurd sight to the non-Zhen Clan defenders...and this feeling was going to get worse.
...anwhile...
"Alright, I don’t an to be rude, but where’s the matriarch at? I thought she was going to co with us in order to go help out with the Beast Tide."
"She’ll be joining you shortly, young scions, don’t worry. I believe she is just retouching her tattoos."
"Really? All by herself?"
"No, not by herself. I believe she ntioned that she had a friend nad...Kit, I think? Coming over to practice."
"Kit? Why does that na sound familiar?"
"Uh...isn’t that the na of that employee at that candy shop?"
"It is, but that’s just has to be a coincidence...right?"
"Wooo! I didn’t know honey-based ink could feel forting."
"Honey’s one of the oldest redies in the world, Matriarch."
"Please, we’ve been through hell in the darkest waters and you’ve seen butt-naked twice. At this point, just call Xun Tian."
"Uh...can I compromise with Miss Xun Tian?"
"That’s a start."
...
’When the fuck did that happen?!’
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