Chapter 623: Chapter 378 Battle of the Empire_2
Yan Xiaobao sat beside the Saint, looking at Wan Qiao, gesturing for her to come closer. "I need you to play the role of a scout," he said as he looked up at the sky. "Fly over the mountain and see if you can spot their army. Let me know where they are waiting, how many there are, and what kind of experts they have among them." Although some Saints might find it unqualified to be used as a scout, Wan Qiao nodded immediately. As she began to follow the request of the white-haired young man, this beautiful woman transformed into a bird and then turned to the sky.
"As we cross the peaks, I need all of you to take the lead. Don’t use all your speed, as I don’t want you far ahead of the rest of the army, but I need you ready to cover us as we descend. We should choose an unfortunate place where the enemy’s army is waiting for us."
Upon hearing all this, all the Saints nodded. Having the most powerful experts in a war is uncommon; however, hearing Yan Xiaobao say proved his strategy to be sensible. Although some people may think he is worried unnecessarily, due to the possibility of entering enemy territory being slim, Yan Xiaobao preferred to be overly cautious rather than recklessly sacrifice the lives of some soldiers.
Soon, the moon replaced the sun in the sky, just as it was, Yan Xiaobao broke the camp and raised a hand. After his fingers pointed at the mountain and a beast after another turned around, just like them, they set off into the night. Crossing the peaks was something they could not achieve as an army, but they had to do it as beasts. Seeing all the beasts transforming, Yan Xiaobao closed his eyes for a moment and summoned energy from the beast core within himself. Yan Xiaobao focused entirely on his beast core, feeling himself transform. His arms turned into the front legs of a wolf, with powerful claws and sharp talons; his legs became strong hind legs, ready to leap over any obstacles they encountered. Everything before him turned gray, but even so, the details of the world surrounding him became more elaborate.
The visual changes were not the only ones Yan Xiaobao experienced. His sense of smell was greatly enhanced, with every scent around him assailing his nose. The smell of many beasts traveling on the mountain, not to mention the scent of wild animals living on the mountainside. Every tiny scent emerged and painted a picture in Yan Xiaobao’s mind, only a firm determination could filter out the multitude of smells and focus on the task at hand. It was Yan Xiaobao’s first time fully taking over the wolf’s body, not a mixture of human and beast, but a complete beast.
Before moving, he found all his clothes and storage stone belt laid on the ground. He used a tooth to retrieve a storage stone necklace from other storage stones, then hung it around his neck and stored it inside. Then he began scaling the mountain.
Although Yan Xiaobao spent some time orienting himself, apart from getting used to the beastly senses he had never experienced before, he also distanced himself from the last beast before beginning to move towards the mountainside and started climbing. Every beast that crossed his path didn’t want to walk in his way, none wanted to get close. Although they all could feel and sense an aura from him akin to that of the Grand Marshal they knew, yet he was a beast they had never seen; the wolf race was more sinister than any beasts they imagined.
His red eyes glowed in the dark, his sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. Seeing Yan Xiaobao crossing the peaks at a steady pace, even the Saints felt a slight chill as they watched him.
Yan Xiaobao was unaware of the dangerous aura emanating from him; however, the danger came from a God-ranked expert beast. Although Yan Xiaobao was currently only a King-ranked, the wolf in his former life had once been a God, and some of its intimidating aura remained. Anyone passing by him felt a strong, imminent sense of danger.
The mountain is high, and this place would be unexpected as a point of invasion into the Siban Empire. More than four hundred thousand beasts crossed this mountain that night. Some flew over, some climbed. Some ran, some leaped. If one were to look at the mountain, they would see something resembling an anthill. Four hundred thousand beasts crossed the mountain, activity everywhere. None uttered a word, as all of them maintained silence as much as possible.
Soon, Yan Xiaobao finally reached the forefront of the beast tribe. Behind him were the Saints, followed by the Commanders. Behind the Commanders were other Emperors, and at last, the King Team. The moonlight’s rays were continuously interrupted by the shadows of flying beasts sliding quietly in the night wind, landing on the ground.
It took Yan Xiaobao four hours to swiftly cross the mountain, and upon reaching the ground on the other side, he breathed a sigh of relief. Before him stretched vast fields. Fields planted with rice. Seeing this, Yan Xiaobao once again delved into his innermost self and discovered the beast core within him. Unlike when he became a beast, all Yan Xiaobao needed to do now was recall his former body. Calmly think of his body’s usual shape; the feeling and appearance of being a human. His fur and fur gradually disappeared, leaving behind pale human skin. His hind legs turned into human legs. The forelegs turned to arms. His sharp claws turned into nails, his muzzle restored to a normal nose. The only change was that Yan Xiaobao found himself completely naked, with almost no clothes on.