The Three Headed Chimera?
Lanling had heard of it when he was in the Chimera Tribe.
An ordinary Chimera was simply a flying beast that was faster and stronger than most.
To put it simply, a normal Chimera flew about twenty percent faster than a griffin, and its combat ability was around thirty percent stronger.
However, a Two Headed Chimera was entirely different. The demonic bloodline talent within it was over ten times stronger than that of an ordinary Chimera.
As for a Three Headed Chimera, none had been seen for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
Three hundred years ago, the birth of a Three Headed Chimera had directly led to the extinction of the Chimera race.
According to the official story of the Chimera Tribe, the Three Headed Chimera had travelled to the distant heavens to cultivate, but it continued to watch over the Chimera Tribe from the skies.
The moment Lanling heard that explanation, he knew it was complete nonsense.
What he had not expected was that this Three Headed Chimera had actually appeared.
Moreover, it had once been thrown into magma to be executed.
Lanling asked, “How large is it?”
Suomo replied, “About fifty metres long, with a wingspan of around thirty metres.”
That huge?
It truly was a colossal monster.
Its size was dozens of times greater than an ordinary griffin.
Lanling looked at the corpses scattered across the ground.
Most had been burned black.
Some had been corroded until almost nothing but bones remained.
A very small number, however, showed no visible injuries at all, except for traces of blood around their noses and ears.
“This Three Headed Chimera has three methods of attack,” Suomo explained. “The first head breathes fire. The second spits poison. The third releases an extremely terrifying shriek. It is incredibly sharp and high pitched, yet strangely quiet, almost impossible to hear. But once someone is struck by those sound waves, many soldiers die instantly, bleeding from the nose and ears.”
Ultrasonic attacks!
The Three Headed Chimera was actually this terrifying.
It could even use ultrasonic attacks.
Lanling asked, “Does it attack at random, or is it specifically targeting our Flame Demon Tribe?”
Suomo answered, “It is specifically targeting the Flame Demon Tribe.”
That was strange.
Could it really be avenging the Chimera Tribe?
That made no sense.
The Chimera Tribe itself had thrown it into magma to execute it.
It should have hated the Chimera Tribe above all else.
Why would it seek revenge on their behalf?
Besides, if that had truly been its intention, it should have appeared long ago, even before Lanling destroyed the Chimera Tribe.
“Where is it?” Lanling asked.
Constantine replied, “We tracked it back to its nest. It’s inside Chimera Volcano.”
Chimera Volcano was not very far away, less than three hundred li.
Lanling did not ask why the Death Warriors had failed to kill it.
They simply had no way of reaching it.
“Is it fast?” Lanling asked.
“Very fast,” Suomo replied. “Almost twice as fast as a griffin.”
Lanling asked, “How many times has it attacked?”
Suomo answered, “It first came three days ago. Since then, it attacks once every day. Each time, it kills over a thousand people and continues its rampage for about two shichen.”
Lanling mounted the griffin and surveyed the entire Flame Demon Tribe.
Every soldier stared nervously towards the horizon, as though the Three Headed Chimera could appear at any moment.
Within the city walls, the ordinary tribespeople who continued working wore expressions of terror.
They constantly looked up at the sky, their ears alert every second.
As for the centaur warriors, the main force had disappeared.
Only a few hundred remained, galloping throughout the area.
Their eyes were filled with fury and helplessness.
The mighty centaurs had absolutely no way to deal with the Three Headed Chimera.
Xieli Khan said, “Master, eighty nine centaur warriors also died. To prevent panic, I had our fallen brothers cremated.”
Lanling’s expression stiffened.
Although another twenty thousand centaur warriors had now pledged loyalty to him, every single one was precious.
The loss of even one pained him deeply.
Losing eighty nine was heartbreaking.
“How severe are the losses of food and supplies?” Lanling asked.
“Very serious,” Suomo answered. “We looted so many supplies that our warehouses could no longer hold them. Much of it had to be stored in open spaces throughout the tribe. Whenever the Three Headed Chimera attacked, there was no time to move everything. It all went up in flames. Around half of all our supplies have been destroyed.”
Lanling felt as though his heart were bleeding.
Suomo continued, “Chief, over the past three days, the number of people coming to join the Flame Demon Tribe has dropped dramatically. Before, more than three or four thousand new people arrived every day. Today, fewer than three hundred came. Construction throughout the tribe has also slowed to less than half its previous pace. Of course, our own people still risk their lives to keep working. However, the three hundred thousand Rakshasa prisoners have taken the opportunity to slack off. The former Chimera Tribe members are especially excited. They believe the Three Headed Chimera has come to avenge them. They think they will soon regain their freedom and rebuild the Chimera Tribe. Many among the three hundred thousand prisoners are already preparing to rebel during the next attack.”
Lanling frowned.
The Three Headed Chimera had to be eliminated.
Otherwise, panic would consume the entire Flame Demon Tribe.
Not only would construction grind to a halt, but the three hundred thousand Rakshasa prisoners would likely rise in rebellion.
“According to its usual pattern, when will the Three Headed Chimera attack again today?” Lanling asked.
Suomo replied, “About now.”
“Roar…”
At that moment, a deafening roar echoed from the distant horizon.
The entire Flame Demon Tribe changed colour in fear.
“Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!”
The huge warning bells rang throughout the tribe.
“The monster is here! Run! Run!”
Everyone working throughout the Flame Demon Tribe immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed towards the nearest buildings.
The soldiers supervising the Rakshasa prisoners ran into the city walls as quickly as possible, taking shelter inside castles, stone houses, and caves.
“What about the centaur warriors?” Lanling asked.
Xieli Khan answered, “They’re hiding inside nearby caves and pools.”
Lanling nodded.
Until they found a way to deal with the Three Headed Chimera, hiding was the wisest choice.
He certainly would not accuse the centaurs of cowardice.
Suomo added, “Actually, Xieli Khan and every centaur warrior wanted to stay and fight the Three Headed Chimera to the death. Dina and I had to force the Xieli Tribe to withdraw all the centaurs.”
“You did the right thing,” Lanling replied.
Xieli Khan and Xieli II still wore expressions of humiliation.
“Xieli,” Lanling said, “you are the kings of cavalry on land, not in the skies. If you fled from a battle on land, that would be cowardice. But when facing an airborne enemy that you simply cannot reach, avoiding battle is wisdom.”
Xieli Khan’s son remained silent.
His face still burned with anger and shame.
Never before had they suffered such helpless beatings.
Within moments, everyone in the Flame Demon Tribe had taken shelter inside castles, caves, underground tunnels, and stone buildings.
Only Lanling, Suomo, Xieli Khan and his son, together with the twenty six Death Warriors, remained outside.
As for the newly transformed Death Warrior Scarlet Loathing Khan, he had originally been racing towards the Flame Demon Tribe to reunite with Lanling.
But after hearing the Three Headed Chimera’s roar, he immediately charged towards a nearby mountain.
He intended to stand upon the highest peak, observe the monster clearly, and see whether he could fight it.
…
Meanwhile, outside the tribe, across the construction sites, the three hundred thousand Rakshasa prisoners had all stopped working.
They gathered in groups, staring excitedly towards the horizon.
Many of them were cheering.
“Three Headed Chimera, come quickly! Burn every one of those Flame Demon bastards to death!”
“Three Headed Chimera, Lanling’s wife and daughter are hiding inside those caves. Rush in and burn them alive so we can skin them and eat their flesh!”
“You centaur bastards! You Flame Demon bastards! Come and fight me if you dare! Your end is near. The Three Headed Chimera will slaughter every one of you. We’ll rebuild our tribe!”
“Rebel! Today we rebel! Those centaurs are all hiding now. While the Three Headed Chimera attacks, we’ll storm the city and wipe out the entire Flame Demon Tribe!”
“Rebel! Rebel! Rebel!”
Over one hundred thousand Rakshasa prisoners roared together, waving hoes and iron tools.
Lanling’s eyes turned cold as he looked at the countless prisoners.
He had not expected them to become so reckless.
Many of them even raised their middle fingers at him.
Others pulled out their genitals and urinated in Lanling’s direction.
At first only a handful did it.
Then hundreds.
Then thousands.
Soon tens of thousands.
Eventually over a hundred thousand Rakshasa prisoners had all exposed themselves and were urinating towards Lanling.
The stench instantly filled the air.
Lanling asked, “Does the Three Headed Chimera never attack these Rakshasa prisoners?”
“No,” Suomo replied. “It has never harmed them. Originally, after we divided and turned them against one another, many among the three hundred thousand prisoners had secretly joined our side. We were close to making a major breakthrough. Many of those traitors were even willing to cut off their tails to prove their loyalty and become citizens of the Flame Demon Tribe. But the appearance of the Three Headed Chimera destroyed everything.”
Lanling’s killing intent surged to the heavens.
The losses caused by this Three Headed Chimera had become unimaginably enormous.
He looked once more at the silent Flame Demon Tribe.
Even hidden inside tunnels, caves, and castles, countless people were still trembling in fear.
The Three Headed Chimera had to die.
If it attacked several more times, not only would construction become impossible, but the tribe’s morale and confidence would completely collapse.
Morale and unity were everything to the Flame Demon Tribe.
After finishing their insults, the Rakshasa prisoners noticed that Lanling had not reacted.
Their courage grew even greater.
Hidden among such a huge crowd, they believed Lanling could hear them but could never identify who they were.
Filthy curses filled the air.
“Lanling, see my huge cock? Hand your wives over to me. You can’t satisfy them. Once they’ve experienced mine, they’ll never look at your little matchstick again. They’ll spread their legs every day waiting for me.”
“Worthless Lanling, your wife’s belly is so big. Too bad the child isn’t yours. It’s mine. It’s ours. One night, three hundred of us entered your wife’s tent. None of us knows whose child she’s carrying.”
“Get ready! Once the Three Headed Chimera arrives, we’ll charge in, slaughter the entire Flame Demon Tribe, rape every woman before killing them, and do the same to Lanling’s wives!”
Then more than one hundred thousand Rakshasa prisoners formed ranks.
Clutching their iron tools, they truly prepared to rebel.
Xieli Khan and his son flew into a rage.
They drew their greatswords and prepared to charge.
To dare blaspheme the great Moon Demon God was a crime worthy of exterminating an entire bloodline.
Lanling noticed that those urinating, shouting insults, and preparing to rebel made up roughly two hundred thousand of the prisoners.
Another hundred thousand remained seated quietly on the ground without moving.
“Master,” Gou Li said, “those are people from the Silver Tribe and several nearby tribes. They witnessed you summon heavenly lightning with their own eyes. They believe you are the Demon King descended into the world, so they already fear and respect you.”
Lanling raised his hand and drew a line through the crowd of prisoners.
“The two hundred thousand Rakshasa prisoners on the left, kill every one of them. Leave no survivors.”
As those words fell, Suomo’s expression changed, but he remained silent.
“Yes!”
Xieli Khan and his son answered.
The twenty six Death Warriors responded in unison.
“Roar…”
Another earth shaking roar echoed through the sky.
The Three Headed Chimera was now very close.
“Roar…”
At that same moment, Scarlet Loathing Khan had reached the highest mountain peak.
He roared furiously at the approaching Three Headed Chimera.
“That’s Scarlet Loathing?” Xieli Khan asked.
Lanling nodded.
“Yes. He committed grave sins. I executed him and turned him into one of my Death Warriors. Every centaur tribe has now pledged allegiance to me. Before long, Khan Chihuo will lead twenty thousand centaur warriors north to join us.”
Had the Three Headed Chimera not been attacking, Suomo would already have been shouting in celebration.
Xieli Khan and his son would have cried out in triumph.
Lanling had truly united the entire centaur race.
What an overwhelmingly powerful force that was.
But first,
The Three Headed Chimera had to be eliminated.
…
“Whoosh…”
The Three Headed Chimera finally appeared.
It was an enormous beast over fifty metres long with a wingspan exceeding thirty metres.
Its entire body burned with blazing flames.
Its three gigantic heads were crimson, emerald green, and pitch black.
Its colossal body swept over the mountain peak.
Death Warrior Scarlet Loathing Khan let out a thunderous roar towards the creature.
The air for dozens of li around trembled violently.
The sound wave blasted towards the Three Headed Chimera like a massive sonic bomb.
At the same time, Scarlet Loathing Khan drew his greatsword and slashed wildly.
One blood red blade wave after another shot into the sky.
Xieli Khan watched with undisguised envy.
Before, Scarlet Loathing Khan’s cultivation had been roughly equal to his own.
Now he had clearly surpassed him by a considerable margin.
Moreover, after becoming a Death Warrior, Scarlet Loathing Khan had broken through the limits of the centaur race.
He could actually unleash energy attacks.
The Three Headed Chimera was struck.
Its enormous body shuddered violently in mid air before letting out a furious roar.
Spotting Scarlet Loathing Khan upon the mountain peak, its crimson head opened its jaws and unleashed a torrent of flames.
In an instant,
Scarlet Loathing Khan disappeared within the inferno.
“Kill! Kill! Tear Lanling into pieces! Slaughter the Flame Demon Tribe! Rape Lanling’s women before killing them!”
The moment the Three Headed Chimera appeared, over one hundred thousand Rakshasa prisoners roared in unison.
Waving their iron weapons, they surged forward like a black flood.
More than one hundred thousand prisoners charged towards the walls of the Flame Demon Tribe.
On Lanling’s side,
Only twenty six Death Warriors, Xieli Khan and his son, Lanling, and Suomo stood before the city gates.
A total of just thirty people.
Lanling slowly drew his greatsword.
“Pass down my order. Every Flame Demon Tribe soldier is to remain in shelter and is forbidden from joining the battle. Today, the thirty of us alone will hold back this mob of over one hundred thousand Rakshasa prisoners.”
“Yes!”
All thirty answered in unison.