Beast Tide, Susanoo

Thud~ Thud~ Thud~

The alarm bells rang throughout Glory City. The moment every civilian heard them, they immediately opened the tunnels beneath their homes and ran toward the City Lord's Mansion.

Inside the City Lord's Mansion, the patriarchs of the major families had gathered to discuss how to deploy their manpower.

"Shangguan!" Nie Li ran over to Shangguan Ye.

"What is it, Nie Li?"

"How many clones can you split off at most? I need manpower to set up the defensive line."

"I don't know either. I'll give you a thousand." As soon as Shangguan Ye finished speaking, a dense mass of Shangguan Yes appeared around him.

"Go help Nie Li," the original body said.

Nie Li led the clones outside the city and began setting up the defensive line.

"Brother Shen, Patriarch Shangguan, and all the other patriarchs, come with me to the city wall and hold the line."

Shen Hong has colluded with the Dark Guild for a long time. To prevent him from coordinating with them from within and without, I must keep him by my side. But with Shangguan Ye and me here, he probably won't dare make any moves, Ye Zong thought.

The group arrived atop the city wall. Other than Nie Li and the others setting up defenses outside the city, there was no movement at all.

"Everyone, stay alert. It's nighttime, and the Beast Tide may launch a surprise attack," Ye Zong reminded them.

Everyone looked tense. Slowly, the first ray of sunlight rose over the horizon, illuminating their faces, and their tense expressions eased considerably.

"It still hasn't come. Could it be that it isn't coming?" someone said.

Suddenly, figures appeared beneath the sunlight and charged toward Glory City.

"The Beast Tide is here! Everyone below, return to the city immediately!!!" the guards atop the wall shouted.

Everyone outside the city returned inside. Just as the Beast Tide came within twenty li of the city, the ground suddenly began to burn. The abruptly erupting flames killed a large number of Blizzard Demonic Beasts. Blizzard Demonic Beasts feared fire and would actively avoid it when they encountered flames. Nie Li had used this trait to set flames all around them, forcing the Beast Tide to change direction and gather at the south gate. Before they had advanced very far, one Monster Beast stepped on red phosphorus and other explosive, flammable materials buried underground. A chain of explosions instantly killed several thousand Monster Beasts, yet those behind them continued charging forward.

"Alchemist Association, throw the Confusing Bamboo!" Nie Li shouted.

The Alchemist Association members immediately took out bundle after bundle of Confusing Bamboo. All the Spirit Masters and Martial Artists threw it out with all their strength. The Confusing Bamboo landed among the Beast Tide and exploded, releasing purple gas. The Blizzard Demonic Beasts immediately went berserk after inhaling it, unable to distinguish friend from foe. The front of the Beast Tide descended into chaos.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The frenzied Monster Beasts exploded one after another into clouds of blood mist. At the very rear of the Beast Tide, three Legendary Demonic Beasts used their pressure to clear a path, and the Beast Tide charged forward once more.

"This is bad. They're about to reach the city wall!"

"All Spirit Masters above Black Gold, prepare to leave the city and engage the enemy!"

"Wait, City Lord. Let me go." Shangguan Ye stopped Ye Zong, who was preparing to descend the wall.

"No. With so many Monster Beasts, you'll be torn to pieces." Ye Zong immediately refused.

"What if I said this concerns my breakthrough to Legendary Rank?" Shangguan Ye said seriously.

"This... are you really confident?"

"Don't worry."

"Fine. I'll allow you to go first, but don't force yourself. Call us at any time if you need support."

Shangguan Ye nodded slightly and was about to leap down from the city gate when a hand grabbed him. Turning around, he saw Xiao Ning'er. Tears filled her eyes, and she wanted to say something to Shangguan Ye, but did not know how to begin.

"Don't worry. They can't hurt me. Once this Beast Tide is over, I'll ask for your hand in marriage," Shangguan Ye said gently.

"Mm..." Xiao Ning'er released his hand.

"You all need to be careful up there too. Don't let the Monster Beasts rush in. Keep watch over the other three gates at all times."

"Alright."

Shangguan Ye leaped into the Beast Tide. When the Monster Beasts saw a human appear, they immediately swarmed toward him.

Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence

Countless enormous wooden vines burst from the ground. Huge flowers bloomed atop them, releasing golden poisonous mist. The nearest Monster Beasts instantly collapsed, while the range of the poisonous mist continued expanding.

Shangguan Ye then created dozens of clones. Multicolored skills blossomed among the herd of beasts, leaving the Monster Beasts either dead or wounded. Shangguan Ye felt incomparably vast Soul Power continuously pour into the Divine Tree. The Divine Tree sapling, which had shown no reaction until now, began growing rapidly as it struggled to break through that thin membrane.

Shangguan Ye immediately increased his efforts. The Monster Beasts that rushed toward him fell before they could even touch him, their corpses piling into small mountains.

Finally, under Shangguan Ye's relentless bombardment, the Beast Tide's numbers began visibly dwindling. The dozen or so Black Gold Monster Beasts at the rear could no longer hold back. With a roar, they charged Shangguan Ye together, each massive step of their enormous bodies causing tremendous tremors.

"Good timing."

Wood Style: Wood Human Technique

Shangguan Ye summoned an equal number of Wood Humans at once, each wrapped around by a Wood Dragon. The massive creatures from both sides collided with a thunderous crash, and some of the weaker people atop the city wall were sent flying by the shockwave.

Wood Style was naturally highly effective against these colossal creatures. With the Wood Dragons and Shangguan Ye harassing them from the side, the dozen or so Black Gold Monster Beasts were quickly defeated.

The Soul Power of the dozen Black Gold Monster Beasts was incomparably vast. Even Shangguan Ye had no choice but to remain rooted in place, constantly protecting his Sea of Soul. After the Divine Tree absorbed that Soul Power, it suddenly erupted with powerful energy. That thin membrane was on the verge of bursting, but in the next instant, a fist as large as the city gate struck Shangguan Ye. Sent flying, Shangguan Ye smashed through the city wall and was buried beneath the rubble.

"Shangguan!!" Xiao Ning'er rushed toward Shangguan Ye's location at top speed, using all her strength to move the massive stones away.

"Don't scare me, Shangguan. You said they couldn't hurt you." Xiao Ning'er cried as she desperately clawed at the rocks.

"This is bad! All Black Gold Masters, go stop those three Legendary Demonic Beasts! The Myriad Demon Spirit Array isn't complete yet. Even if we die, we cannot let them enter the city!" Ye Zong shouted, immediately taking the lead in charging forward to intercept them.

At the rear, Ye Yan watched the scene before him and no longer intended to remain hidden. Just as he prepared to provide support, he heard Shangguan Ye's voice transmission.

"Progenitor Ye Yan, there's no need to act. Let me handle it."

"Boy Shangguan, you haven't..." Ye Yan found it unbelievable when he heard Shangguan Ye's voice. He had been struck by a fist from a peak Legendary Rank Monster Beast, yet he was actually fine.

"I should thank him for that punch. Otherwise, I would have needed to spend more time breaking through." Shangguan Ye grinned.

Shangguan Ye stood up amid the rubble and pushed aside the massive stones covering him. He saw Xiao Ning'er, her face streaked with tears.

"Ning'er." Shangguan Ye opened his arms.

Xiao Ning'er threw herself into Shangguan Ye's embrace.

"Shangguan, I thought you..." Xiao Ning'er held him tightly, afraid that what she was seeing was merely an illusion.

"It's alright. I told you they couldn't hurt me. Stop crying. The situation is urgent now. I've already broken through to Legendary Rank, so I need to go help. You and Nie Li stay in the rear and don't do anything reckless, understand?" Shangguan Ye gently patted Xiao Ning'er's back to comfort her.

"Alright. You have to be careful. I'm still waiting for you to ask for my hand in marriage." Xiao Ning'er wiped the tears from her face.

"I will." After saying that, Shangguan Ye flew toward the city. The situation was dire. Several Black Gold Masters had already fallen, and Ye Zong was using all his strength to restrain two Monster Beasts alone, his body covered in wounds.

One of the Monster Beasts swung a fist at him. Ye Zong failed to evade in time and was struck into the ground. The other Monster Beast leaped high into the air, preparing to crush Ye Zong into pieces.

Am I going to die...? Ye Zong turned to look at Ye Ziyun, who was fighting Monster Beasts atop the city wall. Countless complicated emotions filled his heart.

"Zi Yun, Father has failed you. I couldn't protect your mother, and I never properly spent time with you. I never fulfilled my responsibility as a father. From now on, you'll have to rely on yourself..." Ye Zong slowly closed his eyes, ready to accept death. Yet after quite some time, nothing happened. Ye Zong opened his eyes. That peak Legendary Rank Monster Beast had already been split in two. Standing before him was a towering black giant that reached the clouds, with a pair of wings on its back and a sword at its waist.

Susanoo

"Now, it's my time." Shangguan Ye gripped the long blade in his hand, looking at the two Monster Beasts as though they were already dead.