These matters had nothing to do with Ning Beichen and his group. Even if all the other teams were wiped out, the remaining people had better not provoke them. Otherwise, Ning Beichen wouldn't mind annihilating them all.
Fortunately, total annihilation did not occur. Everyone's purpose for entering the ancestral land for trials was to reach the central continent, not to cause trouble within it. Therefore, no one bothered Ning Beichen and his group afterward.
A month passed in the blink of an eye. Ning Beichen returned with the same number of people he had entered with, forming a stark contrast with the other teams that had suffered heavy losses.
After leaving the ancestral land and returning to the city, all that remained was to wait for people from the central continent to arrive.
However, before the people from the central continent arrived, a beast attack on the city occurred.
Although the city had hundred-meter-high walls, they were no match for these beasts that were tens of meters tall, let alone the giant winged beasts in the sky.
Initially, only a small number of beasts attacked the city walls, and the guards on the walls repelled them with massive crossbows.
But before the people inside the city could relax, they saw more beasts appearing outside the city. This time, it wasn't just a few or a dozen, but hundreds and thousands of them.
Moreover, there were also hundreds of giant winged beasts in the sky. With a single dive-bomb attack, large numbers of guards were injured or killed.
The ground beasts also attacked fiercely, appearing determined to break through the high walls.
Coupled with the continuous attacks by the giant winged beasts in the sky on the city walls' crossbows, without the distraction of the crossbows, it was impossible to resist the beast attack outside the walls.
At this moment, Ning Beichen was also observing the unfolding situation, with thousands of his subordinates behind him.
The Dark King Hunting Group had now become the city's foremost and most powerful hunting group, and they had to participate in the defense.
Not only them, but all the hunting groups in the city needed to participate in the defense.
If the skin is gone, where will the hair attach? Defending the city was everyone's responsibility.
"Kill!"
Ning Beichen waved his hand, and thousands of people immediately ascended the walls, joining the guards in defending against the beast attack. Countless sabers, spears, clubs, and staffs rose into the sky, instantly alleviating the pressure on the city guards.
Besides them, other small and medium-sized hunting groups also took action, helping everyone defend.
Ning Beichen did not take action himself. Instead, he stood on the eaves of his house, watching the giant winged beasts attacking incessantly in the sky, then released his senses to observe the situation outside the city walls.
Ning Beichen came from a peaceful world and had never seen such a frantic scene before. These beasts and winged beasts were attacking the city walls like madmen. He wondered what in the city was attracting them so much.
Or perhaps, these beasts had nothing better to do and decided to amuse themselves by attacking a human city.
This was not Ning Beichen's speculation or fantasy. It was known that humans were not at the top of the food chain in this world. These beasts and winged beasts were. Therefore, one could not use their understanding from their own world as a reference.
However, guessing was useless. Ning Beichen's attention returned to the scene as he continued to observe the situation.
With the addition of the hunting groups, the situation was currently under control. However, these beasts and winged beasts showed no signs of giving up and continued to attack fearlessly.
Although it seemed like the humans could still resist, if this continued, the human city would eventually fall.
Especially at night, when human vision weakened, it would be the time for the beasts and winged beasts to unleash their full power.
Moreover, Ning Beichen sensed that a part of the northern city wall had already cracked. It was uncertain if they could even last through the night, which filled him with immense worry.
These beasts and winged beasts couldn't harm him. If Ning Beichen wished, he could leave right now without a care, as with his strength, these winged beasts and beasts were no match for him.
However, Ning Beichen would not do so, at least not yet. He would not leave unless the city was truly destroyed.
Nevertheless, the hunting groups were also formidable. Without Ning Beichen's intervention, they managed to hold off a large number of beast and winged beast attacks from day to night.
At this point, the beasts and winged beasts had stopped their attacks, allowing the people inside the city a moment to rest.
It was as if they had an unspoken agreement: if you don't attack, I won't attack you either.
Yang Qianrou, covered in blood, appeared before Ning Beichen and began reporting the situation.
"Leader, we suffered a total of thirty-six casualties in our defense against the beasts, with twelve deaths. It is my fault for not taking good care of them. Please punish me, Leader."
After finishing her report, Yang Qianrou knelt before Ning Beichen.
"It's not your fault. In this line of work, one must be prepared for such outcomes. This time, they died protecting the safety of the people in the city. They did not retreat even half a step in the face of the ferocious beast attack, nor did they flee. They are all brave individuals, and I am proud of them," Ning Beichen said.
"In this line of work, one must be prepared for such outcomes..."
Yang Qianrou murmured Ning Beichen's words, finding them more profound the more she pondered them. She wondered when her own turn would come.
Regarding the deaths of a few individuals, neither Ning Beichen nor Yang Qianrou felt excessive sorrow, only regret.
Joining a hunting group meant living on borrowed time and facing immense risks. They had long since become accustomed to life and death. To claim they were deeply saddened would be a pretense.
"Leader, the city might not be able to hold."
After a while, Yang Qianrou suddenly said to Ning Beichen.
This was something everyone in their hearts knew, but no one had spoken it aloud.
Their continued resistance now was merely for a sliver of hope.
"If it truly cannot be held, I will lead you all away immediately," Ning Beichen said slowly.
Ning Beichen didn't care whether the city could be held or not. He was not from here and had no emotional attachment to it. He would not foolishly sacrifice himself for a lost cause when he knew it was futile. He wasn't that great.
"I understand. I will inform them," Yang Qianrou nodded, showing no resistance to Ning Beichen's command.
Indeed, as Ning Beichen had said, if the city truly could not be held, what else could staying achieve besides death?
Only by surviving could there be hope.
As expected, when night fell, the beasts and winged beasts launched a fierce attack on the high walls, and their numbers were even greater than during the day.
The aerial attacks were particularly intense. At night, the guards on the walls were practically blind, and the casualties were triple that of the daytime.
The beasts attacking outside the city walls were also more ferocious than during the day, appearing wave after wave, each more powerful than the last. The giant beasts that hadn't appeared during the day now began to emerge one after another, showing no signs of stopping.