Beast Tide Descends (1) (Bonus Chapter)

Centered on Ziyang Mountain, the county towns lay scattered across a region three thousand li in every direction, with a population exceeding two million. Of those two million, more than one million were members of the Lu Clan.

After a thousand years of propagation, the Lu Clan's descendants had grown to over a million. If not for the chaos caused by demon beasts, Evil Cultivators, and other disasters, both natural and man-made, which had inflicted heavy population losses, the number of people bearing the Lu surname would have been even greater.

As for the remaining million people, they mainly came from other surnames and survived in this world under the Lu Clan's protection.

Mortals had a far harder time surviving. Without cultivators to protect them, they might become demon beasts' blood food or be used by demonic cultivators to blood-sacrifice magical artifacts.

Villages and towns without cultivators to protect them could not last even ten days before perishing.

A town was certain to have a Qi Refining Cultivator stationed there;

A county town was certain to have a late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator stationed there.

A prefecture was certain to have a Purple Mansion cultivator stationed there.

Without powerful cultivators, there was simply no way to shelter those mortals.

Cultivators were also willing to protect mortals. It was not because cultivators were kind-hearted, but because mortals were the foundation of cultivators. The greater the mortal population, the more cultivators would be born.

The flying boat sped onward at a hundred meters per second, flying three hundred meters above the ground as it raced toward a nearby village.

The village lay amid the mountains, within a small river valley.

It had been built on a low hill.

In the river valley were fields upon fields of farmland, crops growing lush and green within them. Some farmers walked among the fields, using hoes to clear away weeds.

At the village entrance, a group of children played.

The mountain village appeared peaceful and serene.

Upon reaching the village, the flying boat stopped.

The moment it descended, the entire village was stunned.

Lu Xuanji entered the village, found the village chief, and called the villagers together.

In less than an hour, more than five hundred villagers boarded the flying boat. Some were reluctant, unwilling, and did not want to leave their homes.

Yet under the command of the "immortal master," they could only board the flying boat.

The flying boat moved onward. About three hours later, it reached the foot of Ziyang Mountain, and the villagers disembarked one after another.

Lu Family cultivators came forward and began directing and arranging them.

After steering the flying boat away, Lu Xuanji departed once more.

He headed to another village to bring its people away.

In just one day, he made five or six round trips and transported roughly three thousand people.

Flying boats came and went, countless vessels descending near Ziyang Mountain and transporting ordinary people time and again. Gradually, many ordinary people gathered around Ziyang Mountain, and the population grew ever larger. Only because Lu Family cultivators directed them and maintained order did no Great Chaos break out.

Whooo! Whooo! Whooo!

The flying boat moved onward. Lu Xuanji stopped before another village and began calling for the people, and more villagers boarded the flying boat.

The flying boat set off toward the Lu Clan.

The flying boat beneath his feet was exceedingly crude.

A proper flying boat possessed a defense Array Formation, offensive formations, incredible speed, and terrifying defensive power. It could be called a weapon of war.

Yet the flying boat Lu Xuanji used to transport civilians was stripped down to the utmost simplicity.

Such a flying boat had weak defenses and could be cleaved apart by a single flying sword, making it a living target in the sky. Its flight speed was also slow, merely one hundred meters per second; even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator using Sword Travel was faster than this. As for offensive weapons, it had practically none. To cultivators, it was nearly useless.

Yet such flying boats were cheap, costing only ten spirit stones each, while being able to transport large numbers of ordinary civilians.

They remained busy like this, and after about a month, the task of transporting the people was complete.

Roughly two and a half million people gathered within an area of less than ten square kilometers near Ziyang Mountain. The excessive population made the place crowded, yet under the arrangements of Lu Family cultivators, they were distributed in an orderly fashion.

Standing at the entrance of his Cave Mansion and looking at the densely packed masses of people, Lu Xuanji's scalp went numb.

Lu Clan, assembly hall.

Twenty-three Foundation Establishment Cultivators sat in their respective chairs, while Lu Fuming sat in the central position.

This Purple Mansion Ancestor said, "The Danyang Sect has issued a summons. The Beast Tide is about to descend. Passive defense will only mean losing ground everywhere. It is best to strike proactively and intercept the high-level demon beasts at Tieling Pass. By the old rules, the family must send half its cultivators—that is, twelve Foundation Establishment Cultivators—along with this old man to the front line!"

"As for who will go, we shall draw lots. Life and death are dictated by fate; wealth and honor lie in heaven!"

As the Purple Mansion Ancestor spoke, he took out a cylinder and placed twenty-three lots inside.

The cultivators stepped forward to inspect the lot cylinder, and after confirming there was no trickery, they began drawing lots in turn. Some drew lots to go, while others drew lots not to go.

"Go and make your preparations!"

The Purple Mansion Ancestor said.

"Half a day to prepare, then depart for Tieling Pass!"

The cultivators answered in unison.

Before long, a flying boat appeared in the sky.

The flying boat was ten meters long and three meters wide. It did not seem large overall, but it was forged entirely from mystic iron and emitted a dark gleam. Mysterious Array Patterns were engraved upon it, and a faint layer of light appeared around the flying boat. Three rune cannons were mounted aboard.

This was the third-grade flying boat, Jiaolong.

Jiaolong was a third-grade flying boat. It could activate its defense Array Formation and transform it into a rune light shield capable of withstanding attacks from the Purple Mansion peak. It had three rune cannons aboard, whose attacks rivaled a single strike from an early Golden Core cultivator. At its fastest, it could match the escape technique of an early Golden Core cultivator.

Standing aboard the flying boat were Purple Mansion Ancestor Lu Fuming and twelve Lu Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Whoosh!

The flying boat flashed, flew out of Ziyang Mountain, and vanished into the distance.

"Mother, where has the Ancestor gone?"

Lu Xuanji asked.

"The centennial Beast Tide is about to arrive. Mere passive defense, relying only on Ziyang Mountain's Mountain Protection Array, is nowhere near enough. A fortress long besieged is bound to fall; only by taking the initiative can we ease some of Ziyang Mountain's pressure... The Danyang Sect has summoned cultivators from the Great families to the defensive line to fend off certain great demons!"

Ye Xinlan said, her expression somewhat worried.

Whenever the Beast Tide descended, Purple Mansion cultivators died. Even Golden Core cultivators might fall.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground shook violently. Amid the rumbling, demon beasts appeared upon the distant horizon—cat demons, pig demons, rat demons, sheep demons, wolf demons, and more—moving in swarms. They came in a dense tide, like floodwaters drowning everything.

The demon beasts making up the Beast Tide were primarily of low-grade bloodlines, mostly first-level demon beasts. Many had only just developed faint intelligence and remained muddle-headed, yet they were the most savage.

Watching this scene, Lu Xuanji felt his scalp tingle.

Any single demon beast was very weak.

A Qi Refining First Layer cultivator could kill one with a single sword strike.

But when they gathered in dense masses—millions, tens of millions, perhaps even hundreds of millions or billions—the Beast Tide they formed was enough to drown everything.

Not to mention Foundation Establishment Cultivators; even Purple Mansion cultivators would be submerged.

When ants were numerous enough, they could bite an elephant to death.

Moreover, hidden within the Beast Tide were second-level and third-level demon beasts, ready at any time to launch sneak attacks against powerful human cultivators.

Wherever the Beast Tide passed, it was like a flood swallowing everything, destroying villages, demolishing cities, and ravaging Spirit Fields. Many spirit herbs, Spirit Rice, and other crops that had not been harvested in time were looted clean, while the Spirit Fields themselves were damaged.

Many villages were swallowed by the Beast Tide and became ruins moments later.

Some human civilians failed to reach Ziyang Mountain in time and encountered the Beast Tide's assault. In an instant, they were engulfed; when they appeared again, only skeletons remained.

Some Rogue Cultivators, along with cultivators who had failed to take shelter in time, lasted less than a moment beneath the Beast Tide's attack before losing their lives.

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