The Creation of the Heavens and All Realms

Chapter 22: The Secret of the Beast Tide

Beneath a rock face in the Wild Forest, more than 60 people were scattered sparsely near a water pool. They were all armed and clad in light armor. Anyone with even a modicum of knowledge could tell from their appearance that they were adventurers. “Boss, are we just going to leave like this?” Li Ping, his face covered in a full beard, asked his older brother Li Feng reluctantly. Li Feng glanced at him but said nothing. Within the Great State of Yu, there were over a million martial artists. A small fraction had joined government agencies or military units, while others had gathered under the banner of martial clans or sects. The remainder were scattered across the land; they were known as independent cultivators. Without the backing of a powerful faction, independent cultivators had to risk their lives to secure cultivation resources, which is why many of them banded together to form adventuring groups. It’s worth noting that these adventuring groups aren’t particularly powerful; they have almost no Innate-level cultivators. This makes perfect sense—Innate-level cultivators either join major factions or found their own martial clans. Who would bother forming an adventuring group? The adventuring party in question is just one of the tens of thousands in the Great State of Yu. Its leader, Li Feng, is a martial artist at the peak of the Post-Heaven realm. He has two brothers, Li Tie and Li Ping, both of whom are in the late Post-Heaven realm. In fact, this adventuring party was founded by the three Li brothers. Li Feng’s adventuring group typically operates in Jiangzhou, the westernmost province of the Great State of Yu, and the City of Tears and Blood falls under its jurisdiction. Having spent a long time in Jiangzhou, the three Li brothers had heard the legends of the beast tide in the City of Tears and Blood; upon receiving word of it half a month ago, they made their way to the City of Tears and Blood. Qixue City is now home to many independent cultivators like Li Feng. Yesterday, these individuals followed the Northwest Legion into the Barbarian Wilderness Forest, hoping to take advantage of the chaos. However, Liu Yuntao wasn’t about to let them have it so easily; before long, he issued an order to expel all nearby adventuring parties and independent cultivators—and Li Feng’s group was no exception. Seeing that his eldest brother remained silent, Li Ping suddenly stood up and kicked a nearby rock into the pond. Standing over two meters tall and as burly as a bear, Li Ping exuded an overwhelming sense of menace when he flew into a rage. “Ah…” Li Ping roared. “All right, Third Brother, stop yelling,” said Second Brother Li Tie, stepping forward. “If we don’t leave, what else can we do? Go up against the Northwest Legion’s main force? With just the few of us, we’d probably be wiped out in a matter of rounds.” Li Ping immediately protested, “If it were one-on-one, we’d definitely not lose to them…” “Even one-on-one, we don’t stand a chance. Don’t forget—there are Innate-level powerhouses in that army!” Li Tie said sternly. At the mention of Innate-level experts, even the usually arrogant Li Ping fell silent. Compared to the Innate, the Acquired was like an infant to an adult—there was simply no comparison. Unless they could form military formations like the army did, or use secret sect formations, they wouldn’t pose any real threat to the Innate. “All right, Second Brother is right. No matter what, we absolutely cannot clash with the army; otherwise, we’ll never make it out of the Barbarian Wilderness,” Li Feng said as he stood up. “But Big Brother, are we just going to slink away like this?” This time, it was Li Tie who couldn’t accept it. “Of course not!” Li Feng said with unwavering resolve. “I went to great lengths to uncover the secret of the Wilderness Beast Tide. This secret determines whether I can advance to the Innate Realm. Even if it costs me my life, I will not leave!” Li Tie and Li Ping exchanged glances. Li Tie asked, “Big Brother, what exactly is the secret behind this beast tide?” Li Feng lowered his voice and said, “I’m not exactly sure what it is. You two know Huang Taozhi, the ‘Mountain-Splitting Blade,’ right?” “Of course we do. He’s a renowned Xiantian-level powerhouse in Jiangzhou,” the two replied in unison. “Hehe, he’s no ordinary Innate-level powerhouse. In fact, Huang Taozhi is a member of the Huang family from the City of Tears and Blood!” Li Feng said. “What?” Li Tie exclaimed in surprise. “How is that possible?” “Don’t just ask us—even the bigwigs in Yongan City probably wouldn’t know,” Li Feng said with a light chuckle. Li Tie thought for a moment and said, “This news may seem unexpected, but it actually makes perfect sense. The Four Great Clans have monopolized the City of Tears and Blood for a hundred years and have accumulated immense power. They’re bound to expand outward, and Jiangzhou is the first to bear the brunt of it. But Big Brother, since you brought up Huang Taozhi, did you get some information from him?” “You’re right on the money, Second Brother. Huang Taozhi has a lover at the Drunken Spring Pavilion. Once, when he was drunk, he inadvertently revealed that he’d used the Beast Tide to achieve the Xiantian realm, and he also said that the Four Great Clans were able to amass so many Xiantian-level powerhouses entirely thanks to the Beast Tide,” Li Feng said slowly. “Is what he said reliable?” Li Ping asked, scratching his head. Li Feng let out a long sigh. “Whether it’s true or not, I had to make this trip. I’ve been stuck at the peak of the Posthuman Realm for 13 years. If I can’t achieve the Pre-Heaven Realm before I turn 40, I’ll have no hope of reaching it in this lifetime.” “Big Brother, don’t lose heart. Actually, come to think of it, Huang Taozhi’s words might indeed hold some truth,” Li Tie suddenly said. “I’ve always felt that the Four Great Clans rose to power too quickly. In just a hundred years, they’ve come to dominate Jiangzhou and become the most powerful clans in the Great State of Yu. There must be a special reason behind this. Hearing you say that today, Big Brother, has finally cleared up my doubts. It seems there must be a secret behind the Beast Tide that ordinary people don’t know about!” “Even if that’s the case, we can’t just wander aimlessly through the Wild Forest, can we?” Li Ping said in a deep, resonant voice. “Of course not. The Wild Forest is boundless—how could we just wander aimlessly?” Li Feng almost laughed in exasperation at his dim-witted younger brother. “No wonder you wanted to follow the Northwest Legion—they must know this secret too.” Li Tie finally understood Li Feng’s plan. “Yeah, but who knew Liu Yuntao would be so domineering?” Li Feng sounded a bit dejected. “We’ve been talking about this for ages—what do we do now?” Li Ping’s irritated voice broke the silence. “There really isn’t a good solution. We can’t afford to offend either the Northwest Legion or the Four Great Clans, but I can’t just go back like this—I won’t accept it!” Li Feng slammed his fist into the ground. “This is probably my only chance in this lifetime to advance to the Innate Realm!” “Then let’s just wait here for a while.” Li Tie sighed inwardly—what cultivator wouldn’t want to achieve the Xiantian realm? Led by Lei Dong, Zhou Tianci commanded four squads to slay ferocious beasts and rescue mountain villagers in the Yutou Mountain area. After five days, he finally located the survivors from more than a dozen nearby villages and escorted them back to the City of Tears and Blood. Meanwhile, the Fifth Squad—which had initially escorted the people of Lei Family Village—also reunited with Zhou Tianci, and his First Brigade was now complete. “Captain, the Commander has issued an order: everyone must reach Shepan Mountain within ten days,” Yang Jing, the squad leader of the fifth squad, reported to Zhou Tianci. “Snake Coil Mountain?” Zhou Tianci asked Chen Xiangrong. “Do you know that place?” Chen Xiangrong paused for a moment before nodding. “I went there during the last beast tide.” “How far are we from Shepan Mountain now?” Zhou Tianci asked. “Over 800 li,” Chen Xiangrong replied. “All right, everyone, get ready—we’re leaving immediately!” Zhou Tianci knew full well how strict military law was and dared not show the slightest delay. “Sir, may I accompany you?” Lei Dong suddenly stepped forward and asked. “You want to go too?” Zhou Tianci looked at Lei Dong. “Shepan Mountain isn’t like Yutou Mountain. It’s no longer on the edge of the wild forest—it’s bound to be much more dangerous. Even I can’t guarantee we’ll make it back unscathed. Are you sure you want to go?” “Sir, please let me accompany you!” Lei Dong said resolutely. Zhou Tianci smiled. “Since you’ve made up your mind, then come along.” Upon reentering the Wild Forest, Zhou Tianci and his group’s pace quickened considerably. Over the past five days, Zhou Tianci had led his men through more than ten battles, slaying thousands of ferocious beasts. In every engagement, Zhou Tianci charged into the fray at the forefront, dispatching the beasts as effortlessly as eating or drinking. His performance had earned him the complete respect of everyone—even Qi Shan, whose origins remained a mystery, now looked at him with a hint of awe. If anyone admired Zhou Tianci the most, it was Lei Dong; the young man had already come to regard Zhou Tianci as a god in his heart. Zhou Tianci also held Lei Dong in high regard; whenever he had free time, he would guide him in his cultivation. In the eyes of others, Lei Dong was already Zhou Tianci’s disciple. Zhou Tianci and his party marched swiftly along the route cleared by other legions, advancing 120 li deep into the wilderness in a single day. That evening, while resting, Zhou Tianci asked Chen Xiangrong for information about Shepan Mountain. “Shepan Mountain is also a branch of the Black Dragon Mountain, but it’s much larger than Yutou Mountain,” Chen Xiangrong said, recalling the limited information he knew. “Shepan Mountain is surrounded by winding peaks, resembling a coiled snake—hence its name. The interior of Shepan Mountain is extremely treacherous, with demon beasts roaming about…” “Wait, demon beasts?” Zhou Tianci interrupted. He was now on the verge of entering the Innate Realm; no ordinary beast could threaten his safety, but when it came to demon beasts, Zhou Tianci wasn’t entirely confident yet. “Exactly—monstrous beasts!” Chen Xiangrong stated with absolute certainty. “Seven years ago, I was stationed with the Thunder Legion at a mountain pass on Shepan Mountain. In the middle of the night, I suddenly heard a massive roar. Rumors spread through the ranks that it was the roar of a Xiantian-level monstrous beast. This was confirmed the very next day: an entire battalion of the Cloudpiercing Legion had been wiped out that very night—it was the work of a monstrous beast!” Zhou Tianci pondered for a moment. From what he knew, demon beasts were incredibly powerful. Post-Heaven martial artists generally held the upper hand when facing ferocious beasts of the same level. Ferocious beasts lacked spiritual intelligence; even with their great strength, they were no match for humans. Moreover, humans had the advantage of weapons and martial arts techniques. Just as his battalion had done when eradicating ferocious beasts earlier—they had slain thousands without losing a single man. However, when a ferocious beast evolves into a demon beast, the situation is entirely different. Demon beasts not only possess physical bodies far superior to those of humans, but their intelligence is also on par with humans. Records from the Tower of the God of War also noted that many demon beasts possess means of ranged attack; combined with their formidable physical strength, they can easily overpower martial artists of the same rank! “I hope my luck isn’t too bad. But even if I encounter a demon beast, I’m not without a fighting chance!” Zhou Tianci thought to himself. “Then why are you guarding the mountain pass at Shepan Mountain?” Zhou Tianci asked again. Chen Xiangrong replied, “To stop the hordes of ferocious beasts outside Shepan Mountain!” Zhou Tianci asked in surprise, “Are there really that many ferocious beasts trying to enter Shepan Mountain?”