High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Chapter 720: Chapter 695: Sweeping Through the Profound Abyssal Rift

“Senior Brother Tang…” she paused, her voice low. “He went into seclusion.”

“Seclusion?” Xu Wuyi’s frown deepened. “What happened?”

Zhao Kun sighed beside her, taking over the conversation. “Grandmaster Xu, these past few months, the situation near the Rift has been turbulent. After that Beast King rioted and before Grandmaster Ren went inside, several successive Beast Tides broke out here. Each wave was fiercer and more ferocious than the last.” He paused, subconsciously touching the bandage on his left arm, a trace of lingering fear in his eyes. “Half a month ago, five Great Commanders emerged, leading thousands of Star Beasts. Senior Brother Tang led us to hold the line, fighting for a whole day and night. Although we finally drove the Beast Tide back, Senior Brother Tang was severely injured. He broke three swords and took a claw to the chest that nearly severed his heart meridian.”

Xu Wuyi’s eyes gradually darkened as he listened.

Five Great Commanders. Thousands of Star Beasts.

He had encountered large Beast Tides a few times when he was stationed here before, but back then, there were at most three or four Great Commanders and a few hundred Star Beasts. Tang Xiuqi had been able to barely handle it by leading the second echelon with support from the first. Five Great Commanders and thousands of Star Beasts were an entirely different concept.

He looked at the bandage on Zhao Kun’s arm, then at Su Yueling’s pale face, and remained silent for a few seconds before asking, “What about casualties?”

Su Yueling shook her head. Her voice was soft but carried an unconcealable heaviness. “The second echelon lost three people, and the first echelon lost four. There are seven or eight severely injured, and even more with light injuries. If Senior Brother Tang hadn’t tried to save us, he wouldn’t have been hurt so badly.”

Xu Wuyi did not speak. He looked up at the violently twisting Rift in the distance.

Dark red Energy was continuously overflowing, forming twisted bands of light in the air. Those bands of light looked particularly glaring under the afternoon sun, like an ominous omen. He remembered the month or so he had spent here, fighting side by side with Tang Xiuqi. That man with his sickly pale face had fierce Swordsmanship, a meticulous mind, and always took good care of every teammate. Now, he was lying in a seclusion room with a claw wound on his chest that had nearly severed his heart meridian.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Wuyi withdrew his gaze and looked at Su Yueling and Zhao Kun. “Take me to him.”

The two exchanged a glance, nodded, and turned to lead the way inside.

The outpost was much more deserted than before. The Martial Artists they encountered in the corridors were noticeably fewer, and everyone wore exhausted, heavy expressions. Several wounded individuals on stretchers were carried past, wrapped in bandages with frighteningly pale faces. As Xu Wuyi walked, his gaze swept over them, and his heart grew heavier.

Passing through the corridor, they arrived before a tightly closed metal door. Two guarding Martial Artists stood by the entrance and bowed simultaneously upon seeing Xu Wuyi approach.

Su Yueling pointed at the door. “Senior Brother Tang is inside. Before going into seclusion, he told us not to disturb him. We can only deliver food once a day, leaving it at the door for him to pick up.”

Xu Wuyi nodded but did not push the door open. He knew that when a Martial Artist went into seclusion to heal, being disturbed was the biggest taboo. Going in now would not only be unhelpful but could also make things worse. Instead, he stood at the door, closed his eyes, and slightly extended his Spirit. He didn’t need strong perception; he just needed to confirm the condition inside.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes, feeling slightly relieved. Although Tang Xiuqi’s aura was weak, it was relatively stable. As long as he was given enough time, he should slowly recover.

Turning around, he looked at Su Yueling and Zhao Kun. “Did Grandmaster Ren leave any instructions before he went in?”

Su Yueling nodded. “Grandmaster Ren said he could confront that Beast King for three months. Within these three months, he told us to guard the Rift well and prevent the Beast Tide from swarming out on a large scale. If he hasn’t come out after the three-month period expires, we are to immediately request reinforcements from the military.”

Xu Wuyi fell silent for a few seconds. More than two months had already passed; less than a month remained.

As he was thinking, he suddenly sensed something and jerked his head up toward the distant Rift. The dark red Rift was now twisting violently. The ripples on its surface grew larger and denser, and muffled roars echoed from within, as if something was desperately trying to squeeze out.

Su Yueling and Zhao Kun’s expressions changed simultaneously.

“A Beast Tide!” Zhao Kun shouted in a low voice, subconsciously clenching his fists. “They’re coming again!”

Xu Wuyi said nothing, just quietly watching the Rift. Dark red Energy spewed out as countless ferocious figures scrambled to squeeze into reality. Blade-toothed Beasts, Red Fang Beasts, Bone Spike Beasts, Poisonous Miasma Beasts… various Star Beasts landed with deafening roars, their scarlet eyes instantly locking onto the outpost.

In the center of the beast pack, two exceptionally massive figures slowly stood up. On the left was a Rock Armor Commander, standing over six meters tall. Covered in heavy grayish-brown rock armor, the ground trembled with its every step. On the right was a Shadow Leopard Commander, completely pitch-black and moving like the wind, leaving behind a series of blurred afterimages as it darted through the pack.

Two Great Commanders.

Su Yueling’s face grew even paler, but she gritted her teeth and drew her longsword, ready for battle. Zhao Kun stood beside her, his body glowing with a yellowish-brown light—his Defense Martial Arts.

But Xu Wuyi raised his hand, stopping them both.

“I’ll handle this,” he said.

His voice was calm, so perfectly calm that no emotional fluctuation could be detected.