Small Beast Tide

The night sky was a vast expanse, dotted with countless stars.

The wind in the mountains was bitingly cold, chilling to the bone. Beside a crackling bonfire, a mother and daughter, dressed in luxurious but thin clothing, shivered as they huddled together. They were the only ones in the group who had chosen to camp in the open square instead of taking shelter in the inns.

"Mom, I'm hungry."

"Sleep." A slender figure appeared near the mother and daughter. A clear, cold voice followed, "If you fall asleep, you won't feel hungry."

The mother and daughter looked up at the young man sitting cross-legged by the bonfire, remaining silent.

Ye Tong watched the flickering flames, memories surfacing from the long river of time: a dilapidated Taoist temple in the mountains, the bonfire in front of it, a wild rabbit roasting on an iron rack, and a thin, aged face.

"Master!" Ye Tong felt a sudden sting in his nose. During his impoverished childhood, whenever he felt hungry, wild game from the mountains was always there to accompany him.

His gaze passed through the bonfire, landing on the girl who was secretly observing him. She was about eight or nine years old, with a delicate appearance, pale complexion, and unnaturally purplish-red lips. She was trembling slightly, suffering from the cold.

Ye Tong stood up.

Returning after a short while, he sat down by the bonfire again, holding two salted flatbreads and a bowl of hot water. Without a word, he placed them before the mother and daughter. Then, he took out a carving knife and a piece of jade from his robe.

"Th-thank you, young sir," the woman's lips moved, her faint voice echoing. She then handed one flatbread to her daughter and carefully wrapped the other in a handkerchief, tucking it into her bosom.

Ye Tong's peripheral vision took in the entire scene.

He understood.

It wasn't that the mother and daughter were unwilling to stay in the inns or eat hot food, but rather that they were too poor to afford the silver.

"Poor souls!" Ye Tong sighed inwardly, turning his attention back to his carving.

Time slowly passed, and it was soon the dead of night. Just as Ye Tong finished carving a lifelike Jade sculpture, his ears twitched. He suddenly looked up at the sleeping mother and daughter, grabbed them almost instantly, and in their startled cries, quickly returned to the front of the inn.

"Medicine Slave!" Before Ye Tong could finish speaking, the Medicine Slave's figure appeared at the entrance.

"Jingle jingle..."

The moment Ye Tong retreated, clear and urgent bell sounds rang out around the encampment. Cultivators responsible for the outer perimeter began to contract their defensive circle towards the inn area, their sharp eyes scanning the surrounding woods as if facing a formidable enemy.

"What's going on?"

A portly middle-aged man, dressed in silk and satin, had just emerged from the inn when he was surrounded by four people – three men and one woman. They stood with their backs to him, facing outwards, their faces full of vigilance. Clearly, these were his guards.

Gao Shan.

The name of the burly man from the Baishun Merchant Guild who commanded the Dragon Lion Eagle. Gao Shan's face was ashen, his eyes flashing with anger. His tightly gripped long saber was raised, his gaze sweeping the surroundings as he loudly asked, "Meng Jia, the camp commander, are we under attack by fierce beasts again?"

Meng Jia, clad in purple battle robes, with a longbow on his back and a ghost-head saber in hand, boomed, "The alarm bells ringing on all four sides indicate that there are fierce beasts all around. These damned beasts attacked the camp during the day and came back at night. Listen up, everyone! If the camp falls, no one will leave alive."

The portly middle-aged man said loudly, "We are just passing through, not part of your Baishun Merchant Guild. There's no need to risk our lives for this camp against fierce beasts. Envoy Gao Shan, please have the Dragon Lion Eagle take us away immediately."

Gao Shan gritted his teeth and said, "My Baishun Merchant Guild members will never abandon their brothers to flee alone. If we hadn't encountered this situation, it would be one thing, but now that we have, I have a responsibility to fight alongside them. Even if I die, my heroic spirit will be with my brothers."

"Damn it."

The portly middle-aged man knew the rules of the Baishun Merchant Guild. Just as Gao Shan said, in such a situation, any envoy responsible for piloting the Dragon Lion Eagle had to stay and fight alongside their comrades; there was no possibility of deserting.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two Sabertooth Wolves darted out from the dense forest. Their speed was incredible, and in the blink of an eye, they lunged at the Baishun Merchant Guild guard closest to them.

"Kill!"

The guard was clearly no ordinary person. His reaction speed was exceptionally fast as he swung his arm, slashing at the Sabertooth Wolves. At the same time, two guards about seven or eight meters away instantly sprang forward, their swords and sabers flashing, attempting to kill both Sabertooth Wolves with a single strike.

A hundred meters away.

Ye Tong stood vigilantly in front of the inn. He wasn't paying too much attention to the two Sabertooth Wolves but was scanning the dark forest. He could clearly see pairs of eerie blue eyes appearing.

"Three in a group, maintain formation."

As soon as Meng Jia finished speaking, several lightning-fast figures lunged at him. They were four Unicorn Rhinos, entirely dark red and covered in scales. Their level was not high; they were only Level One Fierce Beasts, and their speed was among the slowest of Level One Fierce Beasts. However, their scaled defense was terrifyingly strong. Even masters at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining would find it difficult to break through their defenses without a weapon sharp enough to cut iron.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!" Four sword shadows instantly pierced the eyes of the four Unicorn Rhinos, penetrating their heads and successfully killing them. However, more Unicorn Rhinos charged out from the dense forest.

After clearly seeing the dozens of Unicorn Rhinos charging out, the portly middle-aged man's face turned extremely grim. When he then saw various fierce beasts continuously emerging behind the Unicorn Rhinos, his face turned deathly pale, and he exclaimed in shock, "How can this be? How can there be a Small Beast Tide here?"

Beast Tide!

This was a word that could make everyone's blood run cold. Even a small beast tide could break through some small towns and devour thousands of humans. The portly middle-aged man was stunned. With the current defensive strength, it was impossible to withstand a beast tide.

The Medicine Slave, carrying a black bag, straightened his hunched body. He raised the Dragon Head Cane, blocking in front of Ye Tong. Beside him, the middle-aged woman also drew the short sword she carried, shielding her daughter.

"Mom, I can do it."

The slender girl, taking out a sharp dagger from somewhere, held it across her chest and said, but her eyes held a hint of panic, and her body was trembling slightly.

The middle-aged woman said, "Yan'er, do you remember what I told you? As long as we reach the county city, your father will be waiting for us at the city gate. If Mom dies here, you go to your father alone."

"Mom, no."

The little girl shook her head stubbornly.

The middle-aged woman said no more, as over a dozen fierce beasts had already pounced.

The Medicine Slave moved, the middle-aged woman also moved. Even Ye Tong instantly charged forward, drawing his long sword without hesitation and sweeping it towards a charging Level One Fierce Beast.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Fierce beasts were killed one by one by the Medicine Slaves and the middle-aged woman.

Ye Tong, however, took half a quarter of an hour to barely kill one fierce beast. His arm was also torn open by another Level One Fierce Beast, leaving a bloody wound. Nevertheless, the three of them moved cleverly, forming a crescent-shaped defensive net that subtly protected the little girl outside the inn.

At this moment.

The number of fierce beasts that had charged into the camp already exceeded two hundred, but more were still rushing in. As time passed, the levels of the approaching fierce beasts grew higher, and soon, Level Three Fierce Beasts began to appear.

Several of the Baishun Merchant Guild's cultivators had already died under the claws and teeth of the fierce beasts, and the majority were also injured.

The stout middle-aged man was not weak, possessing a Xiantian Fourth Level cultivation. His four guards were also very powerful. Besides the three men who were all at Houtian Nine Levels, the remaining woman was at Xiantian First Level. In just a quarter of an hour, they had killed over twenty fierce beasts.

It was tragic and perilous, with beast roars and the muffled groans of injured martial artists echoing incessantly.

After the Medicine Slave's Dragon Head Cane sent another Level Two Fierce Beast flying, his heart sank to the bottom. The number of fierce beasts was simply too great, and more kept arriving. If the situation continued like this, everyone in the camp would likely perish here.

"Camp Commander Meng Jia, where is this place?" the Medicine Slave asked loudly as he noticed a Level Three Fierce Beast approaching.

Meng Jia had now turned into a bloodied mess. Although it was mostly the blood of fierce beasts, he still had several wounds that exposed bone. Hearing the Medicine Slave's question, a mocking glint flashed in his eyes as he shouted, "Black Forest, Ten Thousand Blood Mountain."

"What?"

The Medicine Slave's expression changed drastically.

The Black Forest and Ten Thousand Blood Mountain were located deep within the Golden Phoenix Mountain Range. This area was infested with fierce beasts and had a treacherous environment. It wasn't just Xiantian Realm cultivators; even Foundation Establishment Realm experts would have a slim chance of escaping if they were trapped here. The Medicine Slave had initially planned to escape alone with Ye Tong if the camp fell, but now, it seemed fighting the fierce beasts here was better than attempting to flee.

"Deploy the weapons!" a roar came from Meng Jia's mouth.

Instantly, eight figures, moving like lightning, rushed out from the inn. They went in pairs, carrying small crossbows and quickly setting them up in front of the inn.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Arrow after arrow shot out, accurately piercing a fierce beast. In a quarter of an hour, hundreds of crossbow bolts were fired, directly killing over a hundred fierce beasts and significantly easing the pressure on those fighting.

"Second round."

"Third round."

"Fourth round."

In two quarters of an hour, a total of four rounds and over a thousand crossbow bolts were fired. Besides seven or eight Level Three Fierce Beasts and a dozen Level Two Fierce Beasts, no other living fierce beasts remained in the entire camp.

"Roar..."

An enraged roar rumbled from the dense forest not far away. Following it, over a hundred Black Lions, more than two meters tall, charged into the camp. Their speed was incredibly fast, like a black wind sweeping through. The dozen or so Baishun Merchant Guild guards on the outer perimeter were engulfed by them in just seven or eight breaths.

Meng Jia roared, "What are you waiting for? Shoot them!"

In front of a crossbow, a burly Baishun Merchant Guild guard drew his saber and shouted, "The crossbow bolts are all used up. We can only fight them head-on."

In an instant.

Everyone present turned pale.