Factional Strife! Beast Tide: Black Stone Fortress in Peril!

Ye Emperor Hall, Outer Sect Training Ground.

Quite a few disciples had already gathered around the Training Ground.

One disciple asked in confusion:

"Brother, what day is it today? Why are so many people gathered here?"

"Could it be that Senior Sister Bi Bidong and Senior Brother Tang San are going to have another great battle?"

the disciple asked expectantly.

The battle for the rankings between those two had taken place just days ago. That match had been a feast for their eyes!

Although it had ended in Senior Brother Tang San's crushing defeat, Senior Brother Tang San's strength was still nothing to scoff at.

"No, Mu Yun'er is challenging Senior Brother Lei Zhan."

"It's actually a battle between the largest faction and the second-largest faction!"

"Looks like another great battle is coming!"

The sixth-ranked disciple was challenging the third-ranked disciple.

It looked like another thrilling fight was about to unfold.

The man promptly joined the others in watching the excitement.

Before long, the people from Wood Class and Thunder Class had all arrived.

"They're here, they're here!"

"Who do you favor, Senior Brother?"

"Hard to say. In the last ranking battle, Mu Yun'er lost by only a narrow margin. This time, it's hard to say who will win."

Before the fight had even begun, the disciples below had already started discussing who would win and who would lose.

Mu Yun'er and Lei Zhan stepped onto the arena together.

Mu Yun'er's long hair draped over her shoulders, her locks moving despite the lack of wind, exuding cold aloofness and icy beauty.

Lei Zhan was an elegant-looking young man. Holding a folding fan, he gave off an airy, scholarly aura.

"Thunder Class will win!"

"Senior Brother Lei Zhan will win!"

"Senior Brother Lei Zhan will win!"

The Thunder Class disciples cheered for their senior brother.

"Wood Class!"

"Wood Class!"

"Senior Sister Yun'er will definitely win! Senior Sister Yun'er will definitely win!"

The Wood Class disciples refused to be outdone and began shouting as well.

This was a contest of momentum. Whether they could win or not, they could not lose in spirit first.

"Mu Yun'er, it's only been a few days, and you've already come to challenge me?"

"Hmph, Lei Zhan, you only won last time by luck."

"How could this young lady possibly accept that!"

"Fine, as you wish."

Mu Yun'er circulated her wood-attributed Dou Qi and launched an attack, revealing her peak Da Dou Shi cultivation.

Lei Zhan met her head-on as well.

His folding fan countered every move, and the two fought to a standstill.

Terrifying lightning-attributed Dou Qi swept across the entire arena as two peak Da Dou Shi experts clashed.

Other than Bi Bidong and Tang San, the two of them possessed the highest cultivation among the outer sect disciples.

They were only one step away from breaking through Da Dou Shi and entering the Dou Spirit Realm.

As they fought, Lei Zhan deliberately exposed an opening. Seeing her chance, Mu Yun'er immediately struck.

"Hehe, this silly girl really fell for it."

"Ye Emperor Thunderclap Palm!"

Lei Zhan seized the opportunity and struck with his folding fan, sending Mu Yun'er flying and crashing onto the arena.

"Invincible! Senior Brother Lei Zhan!"

Seeing their senior brother win, the Thunder Class disciples shouted even louder.

Mu Yun'er, who had fallen, opened her eyes and found Lei Zhan standing before her with his hand extended toward her.

"Get up, Miss Yun'er."

"Hmph!"

"Don't get cocky. I'll definitely beat you next time!"

"Still, thank you for showing mercy just now..."

After he pulled her up, Mu Yun'er said somewhat embarrassedly.

"We're all from the same sect. It's enough to stop at the right point."

At the same time.

Jia Ma Empire, Evernight Forest.

This ancient Magical Beast Forest connected the Jia Ma Empire with the four surrounding nations.

They were the Jia Ma Empire, Chu Yun Empire, Luoyan Empire, and Mulan Empire.

There were countless magical beasts in the Magical Beast Forest. Every so often, they would obey the orders of Lord Beast Sovereign and launch a beast tide against the Four Great Empires.

Today, the massive beast tide once again launched a fierce attack on the borders of the Four Great Empires with unstoppable force.

In an instant, the Four Great Empires were shaken.

Almost simultaneously, the Four Great Empires announced that all major forces in their respective nations were to unite against the beast tide.

Black Stone Fortress.

Black Stone Fortress was the border city of the Jia Ma Empire closest to the Magical Beast Forest.

It had previously been guarded by the Misty Cloud Sect, the Alchemist Guild, and the Three Great Families of the Imperial Capital. But after those three forces were absorbed by Ye Emperor Hall, they had become like scattered sand.

With no Dou Huang expert stationed in the city, countless magical beasts were now madly attacking it.

There were too many first- and second-tier magical beasts to count, while hundreds or even thousands of third-tier magical beasts charged at the pass.

Of course, these were merely cannon fodder, charging at the very front.

The truly threatening ones were the magical beasts above the fourth tier.

As far as the eye could see, there were thousands of fourth-tier magical beasts and nearly a hundred fifth-tier magical beasts.

There were also nearly twenty sixth-tier magical beasts eyeing them hungrily.

Several thick-skinned, impatient sixth-tier magical beasts had even begun charging madly toward them, their eyes blood-red.

"Roar!"

"Hiss!"

The roars of all kinds of magical beasts were deafening.

The ranks of magical beasts corresponded to the realms of humans.

First-tier was Dou Zhe, second-tier was Dou Master, third-tier was Da Dou Shi, fourth-tier was Dou Ling, fifth-tier was Dou Wang, sixth-tier was Dou Huang, seventh-tier was Dou Zong, and so on.

Once magical beasts reached the seventh tier, they could assume human form. Their strength would become immense, and they would command an entire beast clan.

As for the eighth and ninth tiers beyond that, they had almost never appeared anywhere on the Northwest Continent. They might exist only in the immensely powerful Central Continent.

However, a magical beast horde like this was already a great catastrophe in a small place like the Jia Ma Empire.

Moreover, because magical beasts possessed more vigorous vitality than humans, magical beasts of the same realm were somewhat stronger than humans.

It was said that Lord Beast Sovereign, who controlled this horde of magical beasts within Evernight Forest, was a seventh-tier magical beast.

That was why the Four Great Empires were so worried and cautious.

Black Stone Fortress, atop the city walls.

Outside the city, corpses already lay piled like mountains, while blood flowed into rivers.

The city walls were likewise littered with severed limbs and broken arms.

The major forces guarding Black Stone Fortress had repelled wave after wave of magical beast attacks.

"City Lord, we can't hold out much longer! At most, these magical beasts will breach the city within a day!"

A man covered in blood staggered over to the City Lord and said.

"These damned magical beasts!"

"No, we cannot retreat!"

"If we retreat, our homes will be destroyed by these magical beasts."

This place was the Jia Ma Empire's first line of defense against magical beasts.

Once this city fell, the gates of the Jia Ma Empire would be thrown wide open, and these crazed magical beasts would sweep across every part of the Jia Ma Empire.

Half a day ago, City Lord Wang Ming had joined forces with the large and small factions within the city to resist the beast tide.

But there were simply too many magical beasts. At most, they could hold on for another day before the city fell and everyone perished.

"We have to hold, even if we can't!"

"I've already sent people to notify the higher sects and the major forces of the Jia Ma Empire. I believe they'll send experts here soon!"

"Hold the line now! Even if we die, if these magical beasts want to enter the city, they'll have to step over our corpses!"

At that moment, a fifth-tier magical beast leaped onto the city wall and bit down on Wang Ming's arm!

"Ah!"

Wang Ming cried out in pain.

"City Lord!"

"Get lost! I'm fine! Go defend the wall, the magical beasts have charged up!"

Wang Ming split the magical beast biting his arm into two with a single sword strike and roared.

After this fright, panic spread throughout Black Stone Fortress.

The soldiers with some strength and courage had already gone to defend the city walls!

Of those remaining, some were cowards trembling in fear within the city, while most had long since packed up and fled.

Once a prosperous city even within the entire Jia Ma Empire, Black Stone Fortress was now nearly deserted, with flames of war rising everywhere and every inch of land burning!