The tide came in, and with each tide, it seemed to bring a new batch of "humans" to the beach. Duan Chen knew, of course, that they weren't human, but rather one abomination after another.
"These guys are pretty good at pretending to be human."
Beneath the black and red sky, Duan Chen and his companions sat on the beach, watching the various abominations pass by and beginning to discuss their strategy.
"These abominations are likely just minions. They'll go collectively mad at night, and then we'll just have to put in some effort to clear them out. It's only been a few days, their boss hasn't shown up yet."
"I agree. Those bosses are probably just here to scout the path, or to clear the obstacles," Bai Ye nodded.
"There are far more abominations participating in the feast than what we're seeing; it's just the tip of the iceberg," Yan Qiu Ren sighed. She had read about the feasts in ancient texts before. There were anywhere from tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand abominations, and the longer they stayed within the barrier, the more disadvantageous it would be for them.
"Sigh... I'm pretty much ready to accept eating food made by Melbourne斯."
Qi Qing and Sheng Chen, the master and disciple duo, true to their foodie nature, pulled out two plastic bags from their pockets under Duan Chen's speechless gaze. Inside were "steaks" made from who-knows-what abomination, and they even kindly offered a piece to Niya.
"But Melbourne斯 is quite the trickster..."
They looked towards the seafood restaurant. It was packed with diners, likely unaware that what was being served on their tables was their own kind.
"I wonder if you've noticed a pattern," Xi Er suddenly spoke.
"What pattern?"
"On the first day, the abominations we encountered were Blooddrinkers. On the second, Pestilence Insects. On the third, Nightmares. Although the abominations encountered each day are different, they all belong to the same race."
"Are these guys sent to test the waters?"
"Exactly. They are abomination races sent by their 'superiors' to test the waters."
Duan Chen slapped his thigh.
"Whoa! As expected of a genius. Your thought process is completely different from ours," Qi Qing said, giving Xi Er a thumbs-up while chewing.
"If that's the case, how many days do we have to wait for their testing to be over? Don't forget, above these minions, there are still three or four superiors."
Ding Ding lay on the ground dejectedly, drawing circles.
"Don't be so pessimistic. We'll find a way to escape."
"Or rather, as long as we defeat the main host, we can definitely escape," Wu Suo Wei said, playing with sand while holding Xiao Jian Jian and Tu Fei Yuan.
"That's right. If the main host dies, this barrier will naturally disappear. However, the ancient texts don't record anyone who could defeat the main host. The barrier has always disappeared because the feast was completed."
Saying this, Yan Qiu Ren sighed, clearly thinking that defeating the main host was not very feasible.
"Besides this, we have no other options right now. Sitting here and waiting is just death. We might as well give it a shot," Bai Ye was quite optimistic.
"I agree," Duan Chen smiled.
Evening descended.
Meanwhile.
"How can there be so many abominations?"
"Do you remember those people who came ashore during the high tide today?" Qin Youran asked with a grave tone.
They were now completely surrounded by abominations. All sorts of abominations were around them, and the few of them were backed against the edge of the barrier, with nowhere left to retreat.
"These guys have truly gone mad!"
Clearly, those "people" were not people in the true sense, but abominations.
"With so many abominations, if only we had someone with Duan Chen's ability, we could just clear the area. If we fight them, how much spiritual energy would it consume?" Jun Ci's face twitched.
"We do have someone," Du Qingyi said, chewing on a lollipop, completely unfazed.
"Who?"
"Her."
Du Qingyi looked at Mi Xue Er, who nodded shyly.
"I... I can do it."
"Sister, don't force yourself. The few of us aren't pushovers either. You're the captain's disciple; if you get hurt, he'll be heartbroken!" Jun Ci said with a straight face, making Qin Ze chuckle.
"Brother Jun Ci, Xue Er is fine. Just let her do it."
"Really fine?"
The gazes of the few were somewhat skeptical.
After all, Mi Xue Er had appeared somewhat introverted in front of them, and there wasn't a strong spiritual energy fluctuation around her.
"Don't worry."
Mi Xue Er took a step forward and took a notebook from her backpack.
"Transform!"
A long sword appeared in her hand.
"This ability is cool..." Qin Nan Yuan narrowed her eyes.
"Paper figurine?" Jun Ci's eyes lit up.
Mi Xue Er concentrated, and a gust of wind stirred around them. This breeze carried hidden sword energy, stinging their cheeks.
"Clang!"
The blade flicked, emitting a crisp sword cry.
In that instant, the few realized that Mi Xue Er's aura had changed. No longer meek, she became incredibly sharp. She herself was like a drawn sword!
"This sword energy... is probably stronger than Yang Jian's."
Jun Ci's mouth twitched. No way, Duan Chen was a monster, and now his disciple was also a monster? Mi Xue Er was just a high school student, was it really that exaggerated?
Unwavering Sword Art, First Form - Sever!
"Zing!"
Mi Xue Er took a step forward and slashed down fiercely with her long sword!
"Holy crap!"
Where the sword energy passed, nothing remained!
In just one minute, the abomination army in front of them was cleanly cut in half by Mi Xue Er's sword. Their upper bodies fell to the ground, and their lower bodies collapsed.
"Such powerful swordsmanship!"
Qin Youran's gaze was sharper than Jun Ci's and Qin Nan Yuan's. She could tell that while Mi Xue Er's ability was quite special, it wasn't outstanding, and her spiritual energy wasn't as vast as Duan Chen's. What she relied on seemed to be an extremely powerful sword art.
Du Qingyi's eyes sparkled.
"Unwavering Sword Art... The name is quite fitting."
"Well done!"
Jun Ci laughed heartily and patted Mi Xue Er's shoulder.
"The abomination army is dealt with. Let's go find Duan Chen and the others."
"Okay."
It would be troublesome to not regroup.
Meanwhile.
"Phew... I'm exhausted. Little Duan, it's a good thing you're here. Otherwise, with so many abominations, who knows how much effort it would have taken us to deal with them!" Qi Qing, exhausted, lay directly on the ground. He was responsible for clearing the stragglers, which wasn't an easy job.
Duan Chen sheathed Ye Luo and gently shook his head, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Jia Yun Lian glanced at him, noticing Duan Chen's unusual expression.
"Nothing... It might have been an illusion."
Duan Chen waved his hand, not paying it much mind.
Just now... he seemed to have felt a sharp sword energy? That sword energy contained pure energy, which was somewhat similar to Mi Xue Er's sword.
No way?
He shook his head.