The Demon Race's Plans, War in Three Days
"On the surface, Spirit Hall was a civilian Soul Master organization, but in truth, it gathered more human experts than any other. It had no fewer than ten Super Douluo above Level 95."
"And because of certain rules, we cannot move the Demon God Pillars."
"Without the Demon God Pillars' support, our Demon Clan's combat strength in conquering the humans will be greatly reduced."
"The demon gods of the first ten pillars are all above Ninth Rank, Fourth Level, yet their combat strength is only comparable to that of human Super Douluo above Level 95."
"From the eleventh to the twentieth pillars, their combat strength is between Level 93 and Level 95. Below them, the remaining demon gods are between Level 90 and Level 93. Overall, we have the advantage in numbers, but we are far from overwhelming them."
"Moreover, there are three Level 99 Limit Douluo among the humans. That means the humans already have the strength to fight our Demon Clan at its peak."
After listening to Star Demon God Vasak,
the demon gods realized one after another that this was no longer the Holy Demon Continent they once knew.
Moon Demon God Agares stepped forward to reassure them.
"Rest assured, the Limit Douluo among the humans are not worthy of being His Majesty's opponents."
At his words, the demon gods shouted one after another.
"Long live His Majesty the Demon God Emperor!!!"
"Long live His Majesty the Demon God Emperor!!!"
"Long live His Majesty the Demon God Emperor!!!"
Feng Xiu raised a hand, signaling for silence.
He had to admit, Vasak's deductions were indeed accurate.
He had even deduced the combat strength of Spirit Hall's upper ranks.
"Agares, how are the Demon God Pillars?"
"Your Majesty, the Demon God Pillars' assimilation is progressing well. The creatures in several nearby regions have already begun to transform. Before long, we will be able to raise an army of tens of thousands of Demon Clan members."
"Mm." Feng Xiu nodded.
He then stood and swept his gaze across the hall.
"I decree that in three days, we will expand outward from the Star Dou Great Forest and seize the nearby human cities."
"Baimon, I leave this matter to you."
Angel Demon God Baimon of the ninth pillar bowed.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
"Agares, I will be away for some time. You will lead the Demon Clan in my absence."
"Your Majesty, could it be that you intend to..."
Agares had guessed his elder brother Feng Xiu's intentions.
Infiltrate the humans...
Three days later, Treasure Sword City, Heaven Dou Empire.
This city was the closest to the Star Dou Great Forest, and Soul Masters streamed in and out of it daily. At the city gates alone, more than a dozen mercenary groups had set up recruitment stalls.
Some were recruiting for hunting parties, some for guards, and others specialized in taking newcomers to the forest's outskirts to "see the world."
Hawking and bargaining mingled into a lively din.
"Come one, come all! The Iron Arm Mercenary Group is recruiting! We're heading into the forest outskirts to hunt hundred-year Soul Beasts. Pay negotiable!"
"Brother, is your group reliable? Last time I joined one, we spent three days in the forest without laying hands on a single beast's hair."
"That's because you picked a lousy group! Our leader is a Level 37 Soul Elder. He can deal with the Soul Beasts in the outskirts with his eyes closed!"
A mercenary who had just left the city chimed in from the side. "Hey, have you heard? Those mercenary groups that went into the forest a few days ago still haven't come back."
"Which groups?"
"Black Wolf, Iron Horn, Azure Wind, those ones. They're usually pretty fierce, but they've been in there five or six days this time, and there's been no sign of them."
A man carrying a broadsword nearby laughed. "That just means they weren't strong enough! How dare they go poking around a place like the Star Dou Great Forest without some real ability?"
"You can't say that." The mercenary from before lowered his voice and continued.
"I heard those groups had Soul Ancestors leading them. They weren't weak at all."
"So what if they had Soul Ancestors? You think they could run into a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast in the outskirts?"
"Besides, the Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest have been eerily quiet these past two days. A brother of mine spent two days watching at the forest's edge, and every last one of them looked like they were hiding from something."
"Doesn't that mean there's something terrifying nearby?"
"Who cares? People like us only go to the outskirts to kill a few low-level Soul Beasts. What danger could there be?" The man patted his broadsword.
"Are you coming or not? Let's form a party, go in for a look around today, and come out before dark."
"Let's go, let's go!"
On the city wall.
A veteran soldier took out a wineskin, leaned against a crenel, and took a contented sip. He muttered to the young soldier dozing beside him, "This damned place. What Soul Beast would dare invade here? It's so peaceful my bones are rusting."
The young soldier rubbed his eyes and chuckled. "Uncle, isn't peace and quiet a good thing? At least we get to stay alive."
"True... I've lived this long and never once..." Before the veteran could finish, his expression suddenly changed.
A faint but continuous tremor ran through the solid city wall beneath their feet!
It was weak at first, but the shaking quickly grew stronger, until even the dust on the battlements came cascading down!
"An... an earthquake?!" The young soldier grabbed the battlement in terror.
"That's not it!"
The veteran's face turned deathly pale. He rushed to the edge of the wall and stared as far as he could toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
On the distant horizon, billowing clouds of dust were rising from the once-calm edge of the forest!
Within the dust, countless black dots could dimly be seen surging forward, like a black flood bursting through a broken dam!
And ahead of the dust, dozens of figures were racing desperately toward Treasure Sword City!
They were Soul Masters and mercenaries who had entered the forest to hunt Soul Beasts and gather medicinal herbs!
Their faces were filled with terror, their Soul Power unleashed to the fullest, as if they wished they could sprout two more legs.
"Help!! A beast tide! It's a beast tide!!!"
"Open the gates! Let us in!!"
Their piercing cries carried faintly on the wind.
But they were nowhere near as fast as the all-devouring "black flood" behind them.
Before long, the Soul Masters were swallowed by the dust. They managed only a few screams before falling silent.
Not long afterward, the soldiers on the wall finally saw the black dots clearly.
They were Soul Beasts, packed so densely they stretched as far as the eye could see!
Ten-year, hundred-year, thousand-year, and even ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts were mixed together: wolves, tigers, leopards, bears, pythons...
The eyes of Soul Beasts of every kind were blood-red. They had completely lost their senses and knew only to charge madly forward!
The pounding of their feet, their roars and shrieks combined into a terrifying wave of sound that made scalps tingle as it swept over the land and sky!
"A b-beast tide! It really is a beast tide!" the veteran roared at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking.
"The alarm! Sound the highest alarm! Close the gates! Close the gates, now!!"
"Clang!! Clang!!! Clang!!!!"
The shrill, grating alarm bell instantly rang throughout the city, shattering Treasure Sword City's peace.
The massive gates slowly swung shut.
The garrison braced for a formidable enemy. Every soldier scrambled and stumbled up the wall, bows were strung, and logs and stones were readied, but fear was written across every face.
They had never seen a beast tide appear so suddenly!
Had these Soul Beasts gone mad???
The lord of Treasure Sword City, a Soul Emperor in his sixties, rushed up to the gate tower at once.
Looking at the boundless ocean of roaring Soul Beasts in the distance,
he frowned deeply.