Under the repeated attacks of the Star Beasts, the exit of the sewer completely shattered.

Seeing this, Captain Li thought to himself that something was wrong. He immediately turned around and shouted to his subordinates, "Stop them, don't let them in."

The Ghost Shadow Soul smirked and, with a flicker, slipped away from the Unicorn's lock and rushed toward the other City Defense Army members.

The Ghost Shadow Soul had already reached the Lord Level, and apart from that Unicorn, no other Guardian Beast posed any threat to it.

As it closed in on those City Defense Army members, its body suddenly became ethereal.

The Guardian Beasts' tearing bites and charges were nothing to it. Instead of slowing down, it gained even more speed.

Just when everyone thought they were about to collide, it passed right through the bodies of the Guardian Beasts, tearing at their souls with its mouth.

For a moment, the ramparts echoed with screams and cries of agony.

Seeing this, Captain Li quickly shouted, "Use your skills to defend."

The people were completely pinned down by the Ghost Shadow Soul, unable to spare any attention for the Beast horde.

In the sewer, Chu Chen and others watched the completely shattered entrance with grave expressions.

At this time, the diameter of the sewer entrance was more than ten feet, enough to allow three Star Beasts to pass through simultaneously.

Moreover, most of these Star Beasts were late-stage War General Level. The rest were Commander Level.

They had already noticed Chu Chen and the others, but instead of chasing them all, they quickly dispersed into five different tunnels.

Chu Chen frowned upon seeing this, easily deducing the strong intent of this group — they were heading straight for the city.

If only Qian Jiadong, Zhao Peng, and Li Jiajun could get back to the entrance in time, and with Sun Ming holding the line, perhaps they could hold out for a while. But who knows when the support from the school would arrive, and most of the teachers and leaders were already defending the city. The remaining teachers weren't particularly strong, so it's uncertain whether they could stop the Beast horde.

Thinking of this, Chu Chen's expression grew even graver.

As the Star Beasts approached, Chu Chen did not continue to flee but stopped at a corner.

Seeing this, everyone instinctively stopped in confusion.

"Why aren't you running?" Ji Mingyue asked in confusion.

Chu Chen responded solemnly, "The Star Beasts are much faster than us. If we keep running, we'll be caught sooner or later."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"The space inside the tunnel is quite narrow, allowing at most three Star Beasts through at once. Zhang Yuyan and I will stay behind to cover your retreat."

"No, that's too dangerous, and those Star Beasts will reach the entrance before us. We won't be able to get out anyway."

"I thought about that too, but have you considered that if the Star Beasts don't get to this tunnel's beasts, they will surely come to reinforce, putting us in a more passive position?"

"You're saying I should hold back those reinforcements?"

"Sort of. It's just a guess. The Star Beasts' intent is very clear. They'll likely charge into the city to wreak havoc. If you escape, be sure to regroup with the teachers."

"But you two won't be able to hold off those Star Beasts."

"Enough. Follow my orders, or none of us will make it out," Chu Chen said, feigning anger.

Hearing this, the group departed decisively with a sigh, knowing that staying would only hold them back. Leaving might offer a glimmer of hope.

Zhang Yuyan watched them go and remarked with deep meaning, "You intentionally let them go, didn't you?"

Chu Chen touched his nose and said, "Too intelligent women aren't cute."

Rolling her eyes at Chu Chen, Zhang Yuyan said solemnly, "You volunteered to stay behind, so you must be very confident in your abilities. Let me see how your cultivation has progressed lately."

Chu Chen shook his head and replied, "I'm not confident in my abilities, but I am in yours. It seems your aura has reached the Soul Master Level. Can you tell me how you cultivated to this level?"

Zhang Yuyan chuckled and said, "That's not a secret. You know about Star-Raising Fruits, right? Just eat a few more."

Chu Chen was left speechless. Is she even talking like a human?

The First-Grade Star-Raising Fruit was already a rare commodity, and the Second-Grade one was even more so. Moreover, Guardian Beasts could consume a maximum of three Star-Raising Fruits per realm. Judging by what she said, her Guardian Beast must have had quite a few, possibly consuming three Star-Raising Fruits.

This is the kind of wealth that makes people throw their hands up.

By now, the Beast horde was upon them. Chu Chen counted roughly a hundred of them.

Although the tunnel could contain only three Star Beasts at once, those behind could still attack using skills.

And where Chu Chen stood was just the corner of the tunnel. This spot could avoid the concentrated attacks of the Beast horde, yet allowed vision to ambush the enemy. Moreover, the corner had more space than the tunnel, allowing Guardian Beasts to exert their full strength.

The Beast horde was now charging at them.

Chu Chen quickly commanded, "Nirvana, hold the corner; Lei Yao and the Wind Burst Mad Lion, fall back one position, standing on either side."

Without any desire to contest for command, Zhang Yuyan promptly directed the Wind Burst Mad Lion into battle position.

Nirvana stood at the front, staring intently at the surging Beast horde, its expression somber. It didn't dare to take any chances, activating Beast Taming Armor immediately, then maximizing the defense capabilities of the Earth Rock Armor with Cycle of Mutual Birth.

Seeing this, Chu Chen quickly cast the Soul Skill "Stone Skin" on Nirvana.

Observing the silver sheen on Nirvana's body, Zhang Yuyan said with deeper meaning, "No wonder you're so confident. I see you obtained a treasure."

Chu Chen laughed and said, "I have to thank you for that."

"Thank me? Why?"

"Yes, thank you. Last time, when the Blood God Sect was drawn out, the City Lord let me pick two treasures from the treasury. I was lucky enough to choose this one."

Surprised, Zhang Yuyan said, "You're quite lucky! I didn't expect Wang Haichuan to have such a good item. The Beast Taming Armor I got was a birthday gift from my grandfather." Her expression turned complicated.

This was the first time Chu Chen had seen such an expression — joyful yet tinged with a trace of hatred.

It wasn't hard to see that Zhang Yuyan was someone with a story.

However, her words left Chu Chen uncomfortable. To her, the Beast Taming Armor was just a birthday gift.

Whereas to Chu Chen, obtaining it meant bearing a poignant love story.

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