Too Late

"Set out!"

Early the next morning, Ye Han and the others left the academy on schedule. Ye Han had already made plans—he wanted to go in and inspect the situation before the Beast Tide began.

Otherwise, once the Beast Tide started, whether they could even get in would become a problem.

Zhao Lei had sent out the letters yesterday. They had likely been received by the time Ye Han and the others set out.

"Your Majesty the Pope, what do you think of this matter?" Chrysanthemum Douluo respectfully handed over the letter.

Bibi Dong had naturally read it. Her right hand slowly tapped the armrest as she spoke calmly. "How likely do you think what the letter says is?"

"I don't think it's likely. Beast Tides happen every year, and no one has hunted a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast recently. There's even less chance of a massive Beast Tide breaking out!" Ghost Douluo's hoarse voice rang out slowly.

That was what Bibi Dong thought as well, but a Beast Tide might also present an opportunity. "Yue Guan, you and Ghost Charm should make a trip there. While you're at it, find a Titled Douluo from the Worship Hall to go with you!"

"This... isn't that making too big a fuss over nothing?" Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan, asked cautiously.

"You're just putting on a show. If a Beast Tide really happens, save some people. It will help restore Spirit Hall's reputation," Bibi Dong said casually.

Compared to Spirit Hall, the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire truly did not take it seriously.

When they received the letter, everyone considered it utter nonsense.

"Xiao Han, it's too quiet! There hasn't been a single Soul Beast in the entire outer region, and we're already close to the middle region!" Yoruichi's voice came slowly.

Ye Han had no good explanation for this situation either. Everyone had traveled without stopping along the way and were nearly at the middle region, yet let alone Soul Beasts, they had not even seen a trace of life.

"Everyone, stop. It'll be dark soon. Prepare to spend the night nearby. Sister Yoruichi, sorry to trouble you, but look around for any plant-type Soul Beasts!"

Ye Han understood clearly. The Soul Beasts that could move might have hidden themselves, but most plant-type ones could not move. If they still could not find any, then the situation was serious.

Everyone divided up their tasks clearly. Given the unusual nature of this mission, they had also brought plenty of food and did not need to hunt for themselves.

Before long, Yoruichi returned again, her expression grave as she shook her head.

"Hiss..." Ye Han drew in a sharp breath. This was the Star Dou Great Forest, the largest gathering place of Soul Beasts on Douluo Continent! Yet now, not a single Soul Beast could be seen. This was completely impossible.

"Xiao Han, all these Soul Beasts have disappeared. How are they supposed to launch a Beast Tide?" Lia asked uncertainly.

Ye Han understood the issue as well, but he could not explain it now. He could only shake his head. "Everyone, get some proper rest tonight. Take turns keeping watch. We'll go deeper tomorrow! I refuse to believe even the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts have vanished!"

The night was exceptionally peaceful. Not only were there no Soul Beasts, even the mosquitoes and insects had disappeared.

After packing up, Ye Han and the others set out once more. After entering the middle region, the entire Star Dou Great Forest remained just as quiet.

The silence was enough to make their skin crawl. Moreover, once they reached the middle region, they did not dare move too quickly. After all, if a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast suddenly appeared, they might not even be able to run away.

"Search the middle region first. If there's truly nothing here, then we'll prepare to enter the inner region! Our target will be the Soul Beast we saw last time, the Titan Giant Ape!" Ye Han said solemnly.

The group acted swiftly, but their search of the middle region yielded nothing. As the sky gradually darkened, Ye Han decided not to wait any longer.

"Set out immediately! The inner region—I have a bad feeling about this!"

Not long after Ye Han and the others entered the inner region, the ground suddenly began to tremble. There was no need to say it aloud; a massive number of Soul Beasts were moving ahead of them.

"How can it be at night?" Ye Han found it hard to believe. Although some Soul Beasts moved at night, most were still active during the day.

Yet this Beast Tide was moving at night, clearly intending to catch humanity off guard.

Could it be Di Tian? By all rights, he shouldn't have awakened at this point in time! Ye Han secretly guessed, but his movements did not slow.

"Everyone, get up into the trees! Observe the situation! Also, notify Uncle Zhao and have them prepare themselves!" Ye Han said sternly.

They chose a towering tree and climbed up.

As the tremors intensified, they finally witnessed a spectacular sight. A vast number of Soul Beasts surged outward without end. They were not moving especially fast, but there were simply too many of them.

"Something is wrong! Isn't the number of Soul Beasts a problem?" Esdeath said with a frown.

Once Esdeath said that, Ye Han also sensed something was off. There should not have been so many Soul Beasts. Their current numbers had practically exceeded the limits of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Crack!"

While they were speaking, Ye Han and the others felt a jolt beneath their feet as the entire tree began to collapse.

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat. "Ice Pillar!" Esdeath waved her hand in time, and a path leading to another tree appeared. Ye Han and the others quickly transferred over.

Yet they had barely moved when that tree collapsed too. Ye Han froze. "We're being targeted. It seems someone saw us and wants to kill us!"

"What do we do now?" Esdeath continuously used ice to carry everyone along.

"Watch out for flying Soul Beasts. We'll withdraw first!" Ye Han knew they could not confront the situation head-on. A massive halo appeared behind him.

A huge flying vessel slowly emerged from the halo. It was the Vimana, the legendary flying throne of the King, and also a flying artifact recorded in ancient India.

"Get on! We're retreating!"

The Vimana was incredibly fast. Ye Han controlled it as it rushed toward the middle region, stopping in an area without Soul Beasts before quickly putting the Vimana away.

"This place should be safe! But we still need to be careful. From the fact that we stopped being attacked once we left the inner region, there must be some secret within it!" Ye Han said, panting.

"My, my! Looks like all we can do is wait! Once this Beast Tide ends, we'll go in and take a look!"

Everyone agreed with Kurumi, but the sheer number of Soul Beasts was truly worrying. "I wonder whether Spirit Hall is taking this seriously."

While Ye Han and the others avoided the Beast Tide's edge, the Soul Beasts had already reached the outer region.

Thanks to Ye Han's warning, Zhao Lei and the others had prepared early.

But the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire were not like that. They had not taken it seriously to begin with, and Beast Tides had never appeared at night before.

"Hey, do you feel the ground shaking?" one soldier asked, waking the soldier sleeping beside him.

The other man was clearly impatient. "What are you making noise for? No."

"Run!"

But the soldier speaking to him had already seen the Beast Tide. In terror, he ran outward at once. The sleeping soldier had only just opened his eyes before he was swallowed by the Beast Tide.

The Beast Tide continued forward. In an instant, the towns surrounding the Star Dou Great Forest were caught entirely unprepared, leaving corpses strewn everywhere.

"What happened?" Ghost Douluo spoke coldly within Spirit Hall's territory.

"Your Excellency Ghost Douluo, a massive number of Soul Beasts are closing in ahead!" the messenger said, panting heavily.

Ghost Charm quickly rose to his feet. "Notify everyone to prepare for battle!" With that, he vanished, directly waking Yue Guan and Pufferfish Douluo from the Worship Hall.

By the time the three arrived, the entire town had been crushed to pieces. Seeing such an enormous Beast Tide, all three could not help but change expression.

"What do we do?" Yue Guan could not make up his mind. The numbers were simply too terrifying.

"Retreat? It's already too late! What do we three Titled Douluo have to fear?" Ghost Charm's hoarse voice slowly rang out.

The Beast Tide lasted an entire night before it finally ended—or rather, only partially ended.

That was because the Beast Tide had only been stopped in the directions of Second Dimension Academy and Spirit Hall.

In the other directions, the Beast Tide continued onward after destroying the nearby towns.

"What did you say? A massive number of Soul Beasts are at the city gates? What the hell have you all been doing?!" Xue Ye, emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, roared.

The soldier below trembled, completely unsure of what he should say.

"Father, please calm your anger. No one could have known this would happen. Normally, even if a Beast Tide destroyed the nearby areas, it would return afterward. But this situation is clearly unusual," Xue Qinghe said calmly.

Hearing his son's words, Xue Ye calmed down somewhat. He took a deep breath. "Mobilize the nearby troops and Soul Masters to support the nearest cities! Also notify Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the other smaller clans!"

The Heaven Dou Imperial Family acted with considerable efficiency. They mobilized troops immediately and finally managed to halt the Beast Tide's advance.

The Star Luo Empire on the other side naturally did the same.

"This incident does not seem simple! Send more people to support Ghost Charm and the others! Also, have them investigate the situation within the Star Dou Great Forest!" Bibi Dong issued the order at once after reading Ghost Charm's letter.

At Second Dimension Academy, Zhao Lei and Dugu Bo sat wearily in their chairs. "Those numbers are too terrifying, aren't they?"

"Yeah! No wonder Xiao Han said this wasn't simple! It's practically a disaster!" Zhao Lei looked toward the Star Dou Great Forest with a complicated expression. "I wonder how Xiao Han and the others are doing. Should we contact them?"

"Let's wait a little longer. Get some rest too, then check the surrounding situation," Dugu Bo said with a sigh.