What Is the Cold Tide?

Yang Tianyou sat to the left of Old Ancestor Yang Haoyu. Across from him was Clan Chief Yang Dangkai, a plump, kindly-looking old man.

Clan Chief Yang Dangkai ranked ninth in the Yang Household's Dang Generation. He was Thirteenth Brother Yang Tianjiu's own grandfather, a smooth and sociable man who nevertheless had firm principles. He kept the Lineage in excellent order and enjoyed Old Ancestor Yang Haoyu's trust.

To Yang Dangkai's right sat Yang Dangmo, followed by the stern-faced Yang Dangxu.

Ranked sixth in the Dang Generation, Yang Dangxu was responsible for guarding the Yang Household's Scripture Repository.

It was worth mentioning that Yang Dangxu had suffered an injury to his genitals in his youth and had remained childless all his life. Thus, the Lineage was everything to him.

To Yang Tianyou's left, in the seat below his, was Fourth Uncle Yang Qiongqing, one of the Lineage's three Foundation Establishment Cultivators. His cultivation was at the Foundation Establishment Second Layer, and he was a Second-Rank Low-Grade alchemist. Many of the Yang Household's Pills had been refined by this fourth uncle.

Next below Yang Qiongqing sat Eldest Uncle Yang Qiongye, who oversaw the Lineage's External Affairs Hall. He was exceptionally skilled at dealing with outsiders, and his wisdom and resourcefulness made him an excellent strategist and planner. He played a role much like that of a military adviser.

After him came Tenth Uncle Yang Qiongqi, the son of the Yang Household's chief, Yang Dangkai. The Yang Household did not avoid appointing the capable simply because they were relatives. Yang Qiongqi had been interested in business since childhood, and his talent in that area had grown increasingly apparent as he matured. After making several major contributions to the Lineage, he had been promoted to an elder of the Commerce Hall.

He managed the Yang Household's caravans, shops, Spirit Fields, medicinal gardens, and other First-Tier Lineage assets.

There was little need to say more about Old Ancestor Yang Haoyu. She was the true pillar that calmed the seas for the Yang Household, a formidable existence at the Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer whose strength was unfathomable.

All these people made up the Yang Household's leadership, the Elder Council. This was the very core of the entire Yang Household.

It was said, however, that the Yang Household also had a Shadow Hall, though he did not know whether it was true.

With that thought in mind, Yang Tianyou sat up straight and did his best to play his new role.

"All right, the first matter is settled. Next is the second: the Cold Tide!"

As Yang Haoyu's voice fell, a current of cold air seemed to sweep out, and the temperature in the entire hall appeared to drop a little.

At the words "Cold Tide," the elders' faces turned grave, and none of them spoke.

Seeing this, Yang Tianyou was somewhat puzzled and simply asked, "Old Ancestor, is the Cold Tide truly so terrifying? Could it be that even the strength of our Yang Household isn't enough to deal with it?"

Yang Haoyu glanced at him, then sighed softly. "Do you know what the Cold Tide is?"

Yang Tianyou thought about the accounts he had read in the texts and what he had previously heard others say. After gathering his thoughts, he slowly spoke.

"Dragon Valley County, where we live, lies north of the Eastern Continent. Farther north is the incredibly dangerous Savage Wilderness Great Domain, and beyond the Demon Sea to the north of the Savage Wilderness Great Domain lies the Frostthunder Region."

"Legend has it that in the Frostthunder Region, ancient glaciers crisscross the land below while endless Thunder rages above. The environment is so harsh that it is utterly unsuitable for the Human Race to inhabit."

"At the same time, every sixty years, the Profound Ice Qi that has built up in the Frostthunder Region erupts and surges toward the Eastern Continent. That is the so-called Cold Tide!"

Having finished, Yang Tianyou fell silent.

"Then do you know what consequences the Profound Ice Qi will bring when it surges into the Eastern Continent?"

"Well... I don't know, Old Ancestor! But I would think that even if the Profound Ice Qi is tremendously destructive, the Savage Wilderness Great Domain is so vast that by the time it reaches us, it shouldn't be enough to threaten us, should it?"

Yang Tianyou spoke in puzzlement. He did not believe there was any power in the world that would suffer absolutely no loss. Even if there were, it would not appear in the Lu Wu Realm.

Thus, after the Profound Ice Qi's long journey, only its lingering effects would reach Dragon Valley County. At most, it would be like a winter several times colder than usual. That was a tremendous threat to mortals, but what did it amount to for Cultivators like them?

"Hehe, you're right. No matter how powerful the Frostthunder Region's Profound Ice Qi is, it has its limits. By the time it reaches us, less than one part in a hundred of its destructive power remains, and it poses no threat to Cultivators like us."

As Yang Haoyu spoke, she suddenly gave a cold laugh. "But you must understand that the far north of the Savage Wilderness Great Domain faces the Profound Ice Qi at its full strength. Imagine that scene: the frost of ages descends, all things fall silent, and the entire world is a sheet of white!"

"Under those circumstances, what would you do?"

Without hesitation, Yang Tianyou replied, "Run, of course!"

As soon as he said it, he froze, his eyes filling with horror!

That was right. He would run, and the Demon Beasts, the Barbarian Tribe, the Ghost Tribe, the Spirit Tribe, and all the other races, great and small, living in the north of the Savage Wilderness Great Domain would naturally run too.

But that would overturn the situation throughout the Savage Wilderness Great Domain. Forces below Golden Core, and even Nascent Soul, could only drift with the current beneath such an unstoppable tide.

The lower-level forces would be thrown into a chaotic mess. With the arrival of the Profound Ice Qi and a shortage of food, wild beasts and low-level Demon Beasts would starve and freeze to death in droves, plunging the higher-level Demon Beasts into crisis as well.

As each layer pushed against the next, the forces throughout the Savage Wilderness Great Domain would move south. South of the Savage Wilderness Great Domain was the Northern River Region, territory of the Human Race. Thus, conflict would inevitably erupt.

"Cold Tide, Cold Tide... So what's terrifying isn't the 'cold' at the front, but the 'tide' at the end."

Yang Tianyou murmured to himself, finally understanding completely why the older Cultivators all turned pale at the mention of the Cold Tide.

That was because the Cold Tide represented not merely freezing weather, but an invasion by endless numbers of Demon Beasts and Foreign Races. Under such circumstances, who could remain calm?

Seeing his expression, Yang Haoyu sighed softly. "There's no need to be so pessimistic. The Cold Tide is naturally terrifying in the extreme, but it does have its limits."

"The truly top forces and races of the Savage Wilderness Great Domain won't be shaken by this mere Profound Ice Qi.

"Besides, our Human Race would never allow the Northern River Region to be invaded in full. Therefore, the war will be confined to the few provinces bordering the Savage Wilderness Great Domain. Most of the forces taking part will be at Golden Core and Foundation Establishment, while Nascent Soul Level forces won't enter the fray so easily."

"But even so, the danger facing the Lineage won't be small, will it?"

Yang Tianyou was no child. He knew that once a place fell into true turmoil, it would be like a juicy piece of meat, drawing the attention of countless hyenas.

Devil Cultivators, Evil Cultivators, great bandits, and hostile forces with ill intentions would all be itching to make a move.

With fish and dragons mingled together, serious trouble could easily arise.

"So our course for now is to do everything we can to strengthen the Lineage."

Yang Haoyu smiled faintly. "With the many resources you brought back this time, the Lineage will surely be able to nurture several Foundation Establishment Cultivators within a few years."

"At the same time, we must speed up our stockpiling of all kinds of war supplies: Pills, Talismans, Formations, War Law Artifacts, and so on. We have Spirit Stones in hand now, so don't be stingy. Spend them all and turn them into strength."

"With strength, many problems will naturally be solved as easily as a blade splits bamboo. Besides, fortune and misfortune depend on one another. The Cold Tide is not only a crisis, but also a fortuitous opportunity.

"All kinds of Demon Beast materials, specialties of the Foreign Races, Spirit Items from the Frostthunder Region brought by the Profound Ice Qi... If we handle it properly, even the terrifying Cold Tide will become a stairway for our Yang Household's rise."