182 Target Locked! Shoot to Kill! (1/2)
The beam of light was too swift; wherever it passed, beasts that stood before it were torn into shreds instantly. Even a slight brush from the blast's rippling energy waves sent one frothing at the mouth, and the beasts were either slain or grievously wounded.
With night soon descending, the bright blue cannon beam shook and dazzled. It shot past with startling speed through the battlefield, With a thundering roar, it carried an intent to destroy, and approached the giant bat in the hurricane.
The giant bat had its mouth wide open, ready to release another wave of ultrasound interference at the Foundation Establishment realm-level fight. It was then that an icy shiver traveled through its body, and alarm flashed across its eyes. If it had hair, one imagined they would be standing at that moment. It snapped its mouth shut and dodged swiftly to one side. As it tried to move away, the beam of light, with a speed that far surpassed its own, came thundering forward and shot right… past its body…
It missed…
Despite missing its target, the rippling waves of energies that spread out sent quakes through the bat's body. It spat blood out, and terror and shock rose in its heart. It had calculated the projectile range of the Fire God Cannon and stayed far away from the cannon; it would never have imagined being almost killed by the cannon's blast!
The giant bat's eyes turned red as it trembled, and it raised its head skyward and let loose a shrill scream. Its eyes locked onto Wang Baole, a murderous aura exploded in the air.
The prowess of Wang Baole's Fire God Cannon was so immense that the bat felt death at its doorstep.
If it had moved a little bit too quickly earlier, it could have slammed headfirst into the cannon beam. The thought terrified the intelligent beast, and it unleashed a frantic, ear-piercing shriek. In an instant, the beasts surrounding Wang Baole's Fire God Cannon platform spiraled into further madness. They lost all reason and charged mindlessly forward.
The two Foundation Establishment realm beasts in the sky grew agitated as well. However, they couldn't leave. Instead, they roared as the giant bat screamed, driving the beasts and giants in the Beast Tide into descending madness. The beasts disregarded the cultivators and warriors around them and, with a leap into the air, rushed at Wang Baole.
The cannon shot of Wang Baole was like striking a wasp nest, sending the beasts into a raging madness. Chen Yutong and the surrounding warriors were momentarily overwhelmed.
Big Beard and the Foundation Establishment cultivators saw what happened, and were shaken to their core. They realized it was a golden opportunity. The giant bat was too caught up in the moment to interfere with their fight. The turn of the tide galvanized them, and as they pressed forward towards the two Foundation Establishment realm beasts, Big Beard's voice rang across the battlefield.
”Everyone, protect the Fire God Cannon platform!”
”Wang Baole, as long as you can distract the giant bat, you'll be the hero in this battle! If you manage to kill it, I'll personally request a huge reward to be bestowed on you!”
As Big Beard's words rang out, the warriors and cultivators on land sped towards the direction where Wang Baole's Fire God Cannon platform stood. They fought with all their might, and Chen Yutong and the rest gave all they had as well, attacking madly.
The battle intensified around the Fire God Cannon platform in an instant!
As for the giant bat in the sky, its cultivation was clearly not of the Foundation Establishment realm level. Else, even accounting for its cautious nature, it could have struck multiple times. It was clear that it possessed an impressive talent at spellcasting, and its value was in supporting and commandeering the beasts.
Terrified, the giant bat dared not pause too long at any one spot. Its body swayed and flew from one place to another without rest, summoning tornadoes that spread out across the battlefield and obscured vision.
It dared not fly too close to Wang Baole. It was still shaken by the earlier cannon blast, and as a result, it continued dodging attacks in the distance with the intention of relying on the intensity of the Beast Tide to destroy the enemy.
That was slightly time-consuming, but to the bat, it was the safest way to victory.
That was indeed the reality. Slaughter overflowed all around Wang Baole, and he was going mad in his anxiety. The cannon blast that missed its target was through no fault of his. After all, there were too many uncertainties present in the revamped Fire God Cannon. It was near impossible to wield it as smoothly as before.
He had heard Big Beard's words, but he had no time to fantasize further. Fierce battles occurred all around him, and death lurked at every corner. Wang Baole took a few deep breaths. He dared not lose his concentration as he injected all of his Spirit Qi into the cannon. The initial automated target lock-on mechanism was switched to manual mode. To eliminate all potential mishap, he released the mosquitoes that had already been destroyed many times.
The mosquitoes flew out instantly and headed speedily towards the giant bat. With the aid of their eyes, everything taking place in the air appeared within Wang Baole's sight. An all-encompassing, three hundred and sixty-degree field of vision with no blind spots—in that moment, he saw everything with startling clarity.
The bat was too quick, though, and hidden by the hurricane. Wang Baole couldn't firmly lock down his target with complete accuracy. He grew more agitated as he watched the bloodbath around him. He was going mad.
Don't rush it, don't rush it!
What I need is an opportunity! Wang Baole kept sucking in air and forcing himself to calm down. As the Fire God Cannon started its activation, the terrifying and violent energies in the air intensified. The surrounding Spirit Qi was sucked by abruptly. A sea of calm settled within Wang Baole gradually, and he only saw the distant skies and the ever-moving form of the giant bat.
The Fire God Cannon shook fiercely, but Wang Baole could no longer spare any effort to attend to it. His breathing steadied slowly, and the field of vision he had borrowed from his mosquitoes seemed to be shrinking…
He waited silently for a window of opportunity. If it didn't arrive, Wang Baole didn't know if he would choose to go ahead and fire the cannon. Not firing would pose a greater threat to the giant bat. The fight would determine the outcome of the aerial Foundation Establishment realm-grade battle. As long as Big Beard and his company emerged victorious, the tide of the battle would turn.
The price would be great.