Chapter 707: Pursuit
The sight was so harrowing that it made the soldiers of the Grassy Continent coalition wet their pants. Not only was their general dead, but even the huge rhinoceros he rode had been killed.
Both man and beast were sliced cleanly down the middle.
If that wasn't strange enough, the instant they fell to the ground, their corpses began to burn.
The fire burned explosively, unlike the fire clouds from before. While these flames were visibly weaker than the fire clouds, they were still lethal enough to kill whoever was unfortunate enough to come in contact with it.
Those engulfed by Lin Jin's fire clouds died swift and painless deaths. These flames, on the other hand, were designed to cause maximum pain before the inevitable demise of its victims.
The fire spread like waves, expanding to a thousand-foot-wide circle. No one was able to count how many coalition troops died in the raging fire, but at least half of them were swallowed by the sea of flames.
The tragic scene sent chills down the spines of those who weren't killed. In a matter of seconds, the morale of the Grassy Continent coalition collapsed and their soldiers began fleeing in all directions.
They couldn't help it. Their general had been assassinated. His rhinoceros was a Rank 5 beast, which made him a pillar of strength for premium countries. And yet, he was killed so quickly that no one saw how it happened.
In light of what transpired, the reaction of his soldiers was not surprising.
Now, the retreating Grassy Continent troops no longer posed a threat to the city. The soldiers of Jade Dragon and Heavenly Spiral knew what they had to do next. After picking off the remaining enemies, they would emerge victorious in this battle.
Lin Jin had already deduced this outcome.
To him, that was only a warm-up. Rank 5 beasts may be the strongest creatures in the mainlands, but to Lin Jin who had ventured into the extraterritorial zone and clashed with a profound immortal, Rank 5 beasts weren't worth mentioning. They couldn't even survive one slash from his blade, so there was no reason for him to be fearful.
His Sword Energy had been imbued with the flames from earlier. While it was effective on average human beings, experts, or beasts that were Rank 6 and above were most likely immune against it.
Fortunately, Lin Jin's attacks were transcendental, which rendered all of his attacks invincible.
He had shown himself earlier not only to save his people but also to tell everyone that he had returned.
Now, he would head directly toward Maple City.
Maple City was one of the first cities to capitulate to the Grassy Continent coalition. It was also Lin Jin's home, so that was his first destination. He had to see how Shang'er and the rest were doing.
Even Goldy was like family to him. If anything happened to his family members, Lin Jin would make sure that all five countries in the coalition pay dearly for their decision to invade Jade Dragon Kingdom.
The fire clouds traveled so quickly that one could see its afterimage splitting the sky in two. It looked like someone had drawn a red line across the sky with a brush.
Those on the ground pointed at the line and gasped.
Lin Jin passed by many areas affected by the war, but he had no time to spare. If he were to liberate the cities on his own, god knows how long it would take before he reached Maple City.
He would do his greatest bidding there at Maple City.
After intimidating the coalition, he would use fear to convince them to call off the operation.
It wasn't long before Lin Jin arrived at the edge of Maple City.
It was no longer the bustling city it once was. Even though it was daytime, the streets were practically empty. Many buildings had collapsed into rubble, and some were reduced to ashes. Although the fire had died away, the tragedy that happened here was reflected by the charred ruins.
Just like the previous city, the walls of Maple City sustained severe damage. They must have been smashed down by some massive creature.
Lin Jin descended with a massive frown.
Maple City had become a ghost town.
No one was here.
Its inhabitants weren't hiding. The place was deserted.
He returned to his house, only to find nothing inside. The yard was destroyed, which told him a fierce battle had occurred here.
Lin Jin's brows remained furrowed.
He could sense remnants of Shang'er's monster energy here. She had fought against a powerful enemy but was defeated eventually.
How could that be?
Shang'er was a Rank 5 monster whose strength was almost unrivaled in the mainlands. Who could overpower her?
Moreover, how was Maple City captured so easily?
Where was Goldy?
What about Little Five and the rest?
They were all powerful fighters, and the Friar Association had their fair share of experts too. Ye Yuzhou wasn't someone to be underestimated, as he was only second to Shang'er in strength.
Were they all defeated?
Lin Jin took a deep breath. The Beast Appraisal Association had been burned down completely. The sight of its remains made Lin Jin's blood boil to the extent that he almost lashed out in anger.
Suddenly, Lin Jin sensed Shang'er's monster energy leading out of the city.
His heart started racing.
Taking into account its citizens, Maple City had a massive population. It was impossible that they were all slain by the enemy. If that happened, the streets should have been littered with corpses.
Lin Jin's second pet beast, the blood ghost, was very sensitive to the smell of blood. While the city did reek of blood, it did not smell like a massacre had occurred here.
In other words, the city was only empty because the people had been led away.
"That's why Shang'er deliberately left traces of her monster energy!" Lin Jin finally calmed down. This ability of his was a result of having experienced countless perilous situations in his lifetime. He started following the trail of monster energy on his fire cloud.
If there was a mass exodus of people, there must be traces left on the ground. Sure enough, Lin Jin discovered some clues before he even left the city. Judging by the trampled ground, there must have been at least ten thousand people who passed by this area.
On his fire cloud, Lin Jin covered three hundred miles in a short amount of time.
Finally, Lin Jin saw a long line of humans up ahead. Hundreds of innocent civilians were being escorted away by the Grassy Continent coalition. The convoy also consisted of many carriages with steel cages. Lin Jin could tell that they were traveling in a hurry. Scolding, screams, and crying could be heard from every direction.
Lin Jin hurried over to find a few familiar faces.
Jia Qian was stumbling forward with a numb expression. When she couldn't walk, she would be dragged forward by the rope tied around her wrist. Due to the restless journey, she was covered from head to toe in mud.
If it weren't for the ropes around her wrist, she would have collapsed out of exhaustion.
Not too far off, Zhao Ying was in the same predicament. Both of them were bound by their wrists alongside other civilians, who were constantly forced to move forward. Flanking their sides were soldiers of the coalition mounted on their beasts. They wore savage expressions as they cursed at the prisoners of war.
"Hang in there, Teacher Lin will save us" whispered Zhao Ying into Jia Qian's ear. In response, the latter nodded silently.
They were considered the lucky ones, as they were outside the city when the enemy invaded. Since they were the first to be captured, they were being escorted as regular civilians.
Lu Xiaoyun and the rest were locked up in prison vehicles, which were placed under constant scrutiny.
All of Lin Jin's close friends were escorted in such an inhumane way. Both Jia Qian and Zhao Ying had picked up on this early on.
Among the ones in front of the formation included Lu Yunhe, Shi Wenjun, and Ye Yuzhou.
They were placed under tight surveillance, even though they weren't of any special significance. Even the City Lord and his officers traveled among the regular civilians. Jia Qian and Zhao Ying noticed this as well.