As far as the eye could see, the jungle was filled with shifting shadows of beasts. The air trembled with a cacophony of roars and howls, and the overwhelming demonic aura left many first-time beast-fighting cultivators visibly pale.
Fortunately, Yin Shang was very experienced in this kind of operation. He and Niu Dazhuang each took charge of a direction, leading the disciples of Luoxia City to advance layer by layer through the jungle.
The Foundation Establishment cultivators handled the airborne threat, targeting hidden Tier-2 beasts from above, while experienced Qi Refining cultivators led the newcomers in smaller teams to slay the beasts on the ground. A few were assigned to collect beast materials afterward.
Everyone had a clear role. The scene was busy but orderly.
"This is a great place to train actual combat skills."
Song Changsheng thought, eyes flicking over the somewhat overwhelmed Luoxia disciples.
"If only my Song Clan had access to something like this."
Before coming of age, Song clan disciples rarely saw a real battle. Their "combat experience" was usually limited to friendly duels among themselves, leaving them sorely lacking in actual combat prowess.
It wasn't that the Song Clan didn't understand the importance of real combat training; it was partly due to the heavy casualties they'd suffered in recent years. But the primary reason was the lack of a proper environment for honing battle skills.
Sparring among clan members could never replicate the real sense of life-and-death struggle.
The Qiantian Secret Realm, on the other hand, was perfect for it.
Most of the beasts were Tier-1, plentiful but not too dangerous. With veterans guiding the newcomers, growth would be swift and meaningful.
Suddenly
"ROAR"
Just as Song Changsheng had finished off a Tier-2 Ironback Wild Lion, a deafening roar echoed from deep within the jungle. The sound was like a mix of a dragon and a tiger, filled with primal intimidation.
"At least a peak Tier-2 beast…"
His expression shifted slightly. In the Qiantian Secret Realm, that was pretty much the highest rank of beast one could encounter.
"Attention, everyone! Defensive perimeter! The beast tide is coming! Fall back and restore your spiritual power, prepare for battle!"
Yin Shang's voice rang out swiftly.
Years of experience allowed him to immediately recognize the signs: a beast king was summoning its kin, and it wouldn't be long before they flooded in like a tidal wave.
Upon hearing his orders, the Luoxia disciples quickly covered each other as they pulled back from the front lines and regrouped near the spatial gateway.
Meanwhile, the formation masters had already begun laying down the groundwork. They swiftly pulled out an array of flags and bases, setting up a formation designed to withstand the incoming tide.
"ROAR"
"ROAR, ROAR, ROAR"
The howls and roars grew more urgent, rising one after another. It was as if all the beasts had received some unspoken call, and they rushed en masse toward the deeper jungle without looking back.
Hovering in midair, Song Changsheng's eyes flickered with a strange light.
With the help of his Eyes of True Sight, he peered through layers of foliage and saw countless light clusters of beasts rapidly converging in a single direction.
By rough estimation, there were easily over a thousand.
Since childhood, he'd often heard the term "beast tide," but had never witnessed one firsthand. Now he finally would.
RUMBLE
Not long after the defensive formation was completed, the ground suddenly trembled. Stones bounced on the forest floor. Thick trees fell in swathes like dominoes.
A dense flood of demonic beasts surged forward like a living tsunami, saturated with sky-piercing demonic energy.
Everything in their path was ripped to shreds.
Seeing this, Song Changsheng couldn't help but pale slightly.
Even though most of the beasts were Tier-1, once gathered in such numbers, the pressure they exerted was terrifying. Even a cultivator at the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment would be torn apart if caught directly in the flood.
Thankfully, the formation masters from Luoxia had completed a robust defensive array.
A faint glowing barrier enveloped the group.
Glancing at it, Song Changsheng saw it was a Tier-2 linked formation, made of seven or eight smaller formations interlocking seamlessly enough to withstand the initial onslaught.
"ROAR!"
Leading the charge was a massive Unicorn Wild Ox, towering several zhang tall. As it galloped forward, the earth shook with each step.
Its entire body shimmered with a yellowish light. Under the anxious gazes of the cultivators, it suddenly slammed into the glowing barrier.
BOOM!
The barrier remained unshaken, while the massive ox's horn, more than a zhang long, snapped clean off.
Its enormous body collapsed to the ground, and crimson blood gushed from the wound.
Before it could even attempt to get up, the stampede behind it trampled over its body, merciless and unstoppable. In moments, it had been ground into a mangled pulp, its pitiful cries silenced forever.
Beasts kept pouring in like an unending tide.
They crashed against the formation and were thrown back, their heads bleeding.
The first wave was the most ferocious, but the formation held firm and didn't break.
At that moment, Yin Shang, Niu Dazhuang, and the others began organizing counterattacks, using the formation as a shield.
Due to the overwhelming number of beasts, they unleashed large quantities of low-grade talismans to push back the horde.
Only now did Song Changsheng finally understand why the City Lord's Mansion had been buying up war supplies en masse at the East Market. It wasn't for the beasts of the Ten Thousand Mountains but for purging the Qiantian Secret Realm.
"Just a beast tide formed by Tier-2 beasts already has such terrifying momentum.
If it were led by great monsters or beast kings, how terrifying would that be?
No wonder the older generation of cultivators turn pale at the mention of a 'tide'."
As he looked at the battlefield below, now a veritable meat grinder, admiration welled up within him.
"For Luoxia City to hold its ground against the beasts of the Ten Thousand Mountains all these years… they truly deserve respect."
"ROAR"
The beasts had assaulted them relentlessly for nearly an hour. But finally, with a deafening roar, the tide began to retreat, wave after wave of demonic beasts withdrawing like a receding sea, leaving behind a battlefield littered with corpses.
"They're finally retreating."
Exhausted cultivators broke into cheers and dropped to the ground to recover their strength.
Yin Shang, meanwhile, directed the disciples who still had some strength left to begin cleaning the battlefield and collecting beast materials.
In that one battle alone, over a hundred beasts had been slain, each one worth a fair amount of spirit stones.
"Fellow Daoist Zhuang," Song Changsheng approached her, having sensed an intense, almost overwhelming vitality being nurtured deep within the jungle. "How long do these beast tides usually last?"
Zhuang Yuechan replied, "What we just experienced was merely a probing attack. The waves will get stronger and more intense. This cycle will likely continue for several days. Only after the number of beasts drops significantly will the tide disperse, and that's when it's finally time to collect treasures."
"So we're stuck here for a few more days?" Hou Tianming frowned, clearly dissatisfied.
"It's just some beasts. Do we have to be so cautious?"
Zhuang Yuechan glanced at him coldly and said calmly,
"If you're in such a hurry, Fellow Daoist Hou, you're welcome to go ahead on your own.
But wiping out the secret realm's beasts is our main task."
"You"
Hou Tianming's face darkened from the jab. He almost wanted to throw out a harsh retort and rush off toward the treasure's aura.
But the memory of the countless beasts still lurking in the jungle made his scalp tingle.
He simply didn't have the guts to go it alone.
Compared to him, Xia Qingxue remained far more composed.
From beginning to end, she had watched coldly from the sidelines, not showing any rashness.
"Fellow Daoist Song, you should also take a moment to rest," Zhuang Yuechan turned to him and said.
"The next beast wave is likely about to begin."
"No worries. I can keep going."
Though Song Changsheng had fought a few times already, he hadn't used much energy.
Against this kind of large-scale assault, if not for wanting to leave some beast materials for others to collect, he could've simply unleashed his Earthcore Coldflame, and with the formation as a base, he alone could have driven back the beast horde.
"ROAR!"
"The beasts are coming! Everyone to your positions!"
The slaughter resumed once more…
In the secret realm, there was no sun, moon, or stars. The sky remained a constant gloomy gray, making it impossible to distinguish day from night.
Song Changsheng did a rough calculation and guessed they had already been in the secret realm for over thirty hours.
During that time, they had repelled more than ten beast assaults, each stronger than the last.
In the most dangerous attack, even the formation had been torn open in one spot.
In just over three days, they had suffered six fatalities and over a dozen injuries.
But compared to their achievements, these losses were minor.
With the help of formations and talismans, they had slain nearly a thousand beasts.
The number of beasts in the small world had been greatly reduced, and their assault was weakening.
After repelling another wave, Yin Shang gathered the Foundation Establishment cultivators and said,
"I don't think this beast tide will last much longer.
Once it collapses, Junior Brother Niu and I will go hunt down the Beast King."
"Little Junior Sister and the rest of you," he continued, "will each take a group to clean up the remaining beasts and gather resources at the marked locations.
We'll regroup here in fifteen days."
Once responsibilities were divided, Yin Shang turned to Song Changsheng, Hou Tianming, and Xia Qingxue.
"Will the three of you be joining us, or…?"
"Of course not," Hou Tianming scoffed.
Now that the treasure's aura was emanating from deep in the jungle, he had no intention of wasting more time on beasts.
Song Changsheng also nodded.
With a rare treasure likely in front of them, he wanted to seize the opportunity; it was no longer worthwhile to stick around for beast cleanup.
"That's fine," Yin Shang replied, unsurprised. "It was expected, after all, we walk different paths."
As Yin Shang predicted, the beasts launched two more attacks, but their ferocity had significantly diminished.
Gone was their suicidal aggression.
Before long, the tide completely collapsed.
Yin Shang and Niu Dazhuang immediately headed into the jungle depths in search of the Beast King.
Meanwhile, Zhuang Yuechan and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators took groups of Luoxia disciples in various directions, eliminating stragglers and gathering resources.
As for Song Changsheng and the others, they wasted no time, heading straight for the core of the small world, where a powerful surge of life force radiated continuously.
When they first entered from the gate, the difference wasn't apparent.
But now, deep within the forest, Song Changsheng began to notice just how different this secret realm was from the outside world.
First off, it had spiritual energy, with density comparable to that of a Tier-2 spirit vein suitable for cultivation.
However, the energy was tainted with a trace of "violence".
Absorbing it over the long term could affect a cultivator's mental state.
This likely explained why the beasts here were so fearless and vicious.
Due to his current cultivation realm, he couldn't yet discern which laws of nature were incomplete in this world.
But one thing was clear: the vitality in this place was astonishing.
In just three or four days, areas that had been trampled flat by the beast tide were already sprouting tender green shoots.
This indicated that the Law of Life in this miniature world was particularly pronounced, even superior to the average level found in the Ziyu Realm, making it extremely conducive to the growth of spiritual herbs and the flourishing of wildlife. It also explained the overwhelming number of demonic beasts here.
From this, Song Changsheng inferred that the treasure being nurtured deep within the forest was likely related to the Law of Life, possibly a naturally formed spiritual treasure or a high-grade spiritual herb.
Whichever it was, its value would be beyond imagination.
However, the sheer size of this small world was staggering. Even after flying at full speed for two days, Song Changsheng could only vaguely sense the treasure's direction; it was still too indistinct to pinpoint its exact location.
"ROAR!"
Suddenly, just as Song Changsheng passed by an ancient tree over a hundred meters tall, a massive figure burst from the treetop.
It stood over ten feet tall, covered in golden fur, and wielded a long staff made of some unknown material. With a savage roar, it brought the staff crashing down toward Song Changsheng's head.
But Song Changsheng had remained alert throughout his journey.
The moment the creature sprang, he swiftly retreated, dodging out of range.
The attack missed, and the beast plummeted from mid-air, smashing into the ground with a deafening boom, forming a massive crater.
As the dust began to settle, Song Changsheng peered through the haze, and his eyes lit up in delight. The assailant was a Tier-2 high-grade beast: a Golden-Furred Long-Armed Ape.
This was a stroke of luck.
In cultivating the Five-Beast Body Refinement Technique, Song Changsheng required five rare beast components as catalysts, and among them, he was still missing the "Ape Heart" and "Flood Dragon Scale."
After searching for so long, he had finally found one of them.
Even better, this particular ape was also known for brewing a rare fruit wine called "Monkey Wine", which was said to be highly beneficial to cultivation.
As someone who loved wine, how could Song Changsheng not be overjoyed?
"Perfect! I'll be borrowing your heart today!"
He let out a hearty laugh, drew the Measuring Heaven Ruler, and charged straight at the beast.
"RAAWR!"
The golden ape beat its chest furiously, letting out a thunderous roar.
It lunged forward with heavy steps, swinging its staff in a powerful arc.
[Flickering Shadows]
With a shimmer, Song Changsheng's figure blurred and gracefully dodged the blow.
Seeing this, the ape immediately switched tactics, turning its strike into a sweeping horizontal swing.
With no room to evade, Song Changsheng blocked it head-on with his black ruler.
A massive force surged through the impact, knocking him back over ten meters.
The ape also stumbled back several steps, its eyes wide in astonishment.
Why is this little creature so strong?!
"Hahaha! Come again!"
Song Changsheng dashed forward once more, closing the gap instantly and engaging the ape in close combat, relying on his powerful physique to fight blow for blow.
After over twenty exchanges, Song Changsheng remained energized and excited, while the golden ape was visibly struggling.
What was truly terrifying was his burning fighting spirit, which grew more intense with every strike. It had never seen anything like it and instinctively began to retreat.
But Song Changsheng had no intention of letting it escape.
He seized the initiative and launched his killing move.
The ruler smashed down toward the ape's head, forcing the beast to panic and counter. But that was exactly what Song had hoped for.
"Soul-Slaying Gourd Slash!"
An invisible blade tore through the air, straight into the creature's mind.
The ape's sea of consciousness was instantly split apart, its divine soul shattered.
Its massive arms dropped limply to its sides, the staff clattered heavily to the ground, and its glowing eyes went dim. Even its golden fur lost its luster as its hulking body toppled with a crash that shook the earth.
Song Changsheng calmly drew a flying sword and drove it straight into the beast's chest…
-support me in Patreon for more chapter, 160+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader