In a remote courtyard of the royal palace, the important figures of the Fenlei Kingdom's royal family had gathered — Clyde, along with his many wives and quite a few of his children.
"The entire Fenn City is overrun with magic beasts. Under no circumstances can large groups gather together — that will only attract the most powerful ones," Clyde said, his expression grave. Most people understood this logic. That was also why the Chief Steward Maya's and Monroe Dawson's cavalry forces numbered only a few dozen.
A group of a few dozen was a common sight in Fenn City and drew no attention.
But a group of several hundred would likely be noticed even by ninth-level magic beasts — or perhaps Saint Realm beasts — who might come charging over.
At this moment, attracting the attention of magic beasts was the worst thing they could do.
"Karei, you and your mother will depart with a Wild Thunder squad. Here are five unregistered Magic Crystal Cards. Remember — this is the wealth our royal family has accumulated over thousands of years!" Clyde said solemnly to his eldest son.
The royal family was too numerous — they had to split up.
Clyde didn't want the royal family to be wiped out. In smaller groups, the odds of preserving the bloodline were much higher.
"Yes, Father," Karei said, his heart surging with joy. Thousands of years of accumulation — what an immense fortune.
"Shark, you and your mother, along with your sister, will also depart with a Wild Thunder squad. Here are another five unregistered Magic Crystal Cards." Clyde produced five more Magic Crystal Cards and handed them to his second son. Both princes felt a thrill of excitement.
Clyde's expression remained stern. "Our royal family's elites are divided into three groups — Karei, Shark, and myself. No matter who survives in the end, at least our family won't be destroyed. Good — move out now!"
"Caesar, as the instructor of the Wild Thunder battalion, you're with me." Clyde looked toward Caesar.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Caesar replied with a nod.
The Wild Thunder battalion was the Fenlei royal family's most powerful guard unit. The entire battalion, including Caesar, numbered only a hundred, with each squad comprising thirty-three members. Small in number, their quality was correspondingly exceptional. The weakest among these hundred was at least a seventh-level warrior.
The Fenlei royal family immediately split into three small groups, fleeing in three different directions.
*Whoosh!* Lin Lei's entire body shot upward at extreme speed, and a strange purple glow flashed as he cleaved the Thunder Winged Horse that had been bombarding him with lightning attacks clean in half in midair. Then he darted onward at blinding speed along the road toward the palace.
Along the way, the corpses of people and magic beasts were everywhere.
"The palace is here." Between leaps, Lin Lei's figure blurred into an afterimage, covering tens of meters with each movement. This astonishing speed meant that most fifth- and sixth-level magic beasts couldn't even land a hit on him.
With a light breath, Lin Lei vaulted upward a dozen meters and landed inside the palace grounds.
*ROAR~~* Roars of magic beasts echoed from every corner of the palace, mingled with the shouts of soldiers in combat. Not a single guard remained at the palace gates — only scattered bits of flesh, pools of blood, and corpses lay across the ground, with the occasional massive magic beast carcass among them.
Lin Lei moved like a civet cat, leaping nimbly through the palace buildings.
But when he landed on the rooftop of one structure, he suddenly spotted a cavalry group in the distance. During a full-scale retreat, nobody used carriages anymore — they were far too slow.
"That's..."
Lin Lei instantly recognized the blond man at the center — none other than Clyde, known as the "Golden Lion." Clyde was directing his troops to cut down the magic beasts attacking them from all sides. The cavalry unit coordinated with remarkable precision.
An elite force composed of seventh-level and eighth-level warriors, once they coordinated effectively, actually proved far more efficient than a disorganized mob of eighth-level warriors.
"Clyde." Lin Lei's eyes lit up.
"Boss, let's do this!" Bei Bei said excitedly.
"Wait. We need to catch them off guard. Once their cavalry gets close enough, we'll launch a sudden attack." Lin Lei pressed flat against the rooftop, his cold gaze fixed on the approaching cavalry unit.
"Don't waste time — move!" Clyde's great sword slashed a Wingdrake right out of the sky.
Over the past half month, Clyde had managed to refine a small portion of the Blood Dissolving Toxin, allowing him to tap into one-tenth of his battle qi. Though only a tenth, that alone granted him the strength of an eighth-level warrior.
But ninety percent of the toxin remained — Clyde estimated it would take another half year to fully purify it.
"Where the hell did all these beasts come from, damn it!" The more he thought about it, the angrier Clyde became. These magic beasts had destroyed his capital, and now they were threatening his very life. How could he not be furious?
"Hurry!"
After cutting down the batch of beasts besieging them, Clyde urged his forces onward once more, and the cavalry picked up speed. At this very moment, as Clyde and his group ran through the palace streets, they had no idea that just ahead, on a rooftop above the wall, someone was lying in wait.
Lin Lei watched Clyde's group drawing closer, his eyes narrowing to slits.
Bei Bei's fur bristled across his entire body.
"Now!"
Lin Lei's voice echoed directly in Bei Bei's mind. Man and beast burst from the rooftop toward Clyde almost simultaneously. In the instant they launched themselves forward, black scales erupted across Lin Lei's body — spikes jutted from his forehead, elbows, and knees, and a steel dragon tail sprouted from his tailbone.
Full Dragon Transformation!
The cavalry unit was truly elite — the moment Lin Lei and Bei Bei burst from concealment, they reacted. But Lin Lei and Bei Bei were simply too fast!
"So it's you." The moment Clyde laid eyes on the terrifying figure approaching, he knew instantly — it was Lin Lei!
There was no time to wonder how Lin Lei was still alive, because Lin Lei's dragon tail was already lashing toward him with brutal force, barely a meter or two from his body. Behind him, Caesar was entangled with the black Shadow Mouse and had no chance to come to his aid.
*Crack!*