All the soldiers were at the Body Tempering Peak Realm. Though they were no match for the Great Grey Wolf individually, they had strength in numbers. Before long, they had shoved the Great Grey Wolf off the city wall, where it crashed heavily into the moat and drowned.
Low-level ferocious beasts had yet to develop intelligence, possessing only instinct and brute strength. They were formidable in one-on-one combat, but in group battles, they could rarely defeat humans.
Moreover, the Great Grey Wolf's greatest weakness was its fear of water. Once it fell into the water, death was inevitable.
Having worked together to kill a Qi Refining Realm ferocious beast, the soldiers were all flushed with excitement. They bowed in unison to Lin Wanqiu and said:
"Thank you for your guidance, Eldest Miss. We are endlessly grateful!"
Lin Wanqiu had originally been the eldest miss of Beiyang City. Faced with such a scene, she naturally raised a hand in a token gesture to help them up.
"There is no need for such courtesy. We must stand united in defending the city and resisting the Beast Tide. As long as Beiyang City does not fall beneath the claws and fangs of ferocious beasts, I will be grateful enough!"
At these words, the soldiers' expressions sharpened, and all fear of battle vanished.
Having done all this, Lin Wanqiu returned to Xiao Minghuang's side.
Her brows carried authority, yet she remained respectful and deferential, making her greatly likable.
Having witnessed everything from start to finish, Xiao Minghuang was also deeply moved. She had never realized that Lin Wanqiu possessed such a side.
"Wanqiu's performance just now truly exceeded my expectations!"
Xiao Minghuang said with a smile.
Lin Wanqiu, who had been dignified and elegant only a moment ago, immediately softened upon hearing this. She said reproachfully:
"Your Highness, you're making fun of me!"
Ye Ruoshui poked her little face out from Xiao Minghuang's side. Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled.
"Sister Lin, you looked so cool just now!"
After receiving praise from both Xiao Minghuang and Ye Ruoshui in succession, Lin Wanqiu felt terribly embarrassed. Her cheeks reddened, and she pursed her lips before lowering her head.
Ancient Divine Elephant Bloodline
Within a few breaths, the Beast Tide had arrived. The earth shook and mountains swayed as vast swathes of blackened ferocious beasts came stampeding forward.
High in the air, a huge flock of ferocious birds flapped their wings. They formed a black mass, and even towering ancient trees were swept up and severed directly.
Facing the Beast Tide that surged like mountain cries and sea roars, even Xiao Minghuang's brows drew together. Her composure was gone as she swiftly assessed the ferocious beasts' strength.
Amid the black mass of the Beast Tide, one enormous beast, as tall as a small mountain, was especially conspicuous.
It was a gigantic elephant dozens of zhang tall, its entire body gleaming with silver light. Every step it took seemed to make the heavens collapse and the earth cave in, as if the entire world were trembling. Its might was terrifying beyond measure.
Someone cried out in alarm:
"A Spring Gushing Realm Silver Light Giant Elephant!"
An old soldier revealed a look of despair.
"A Spring Gushing Realm ferocious beast can only be hunted by a Divine Sea Realm expert. Beiyang City is doomed today!"
At that moment, a streak of light arrived like a rainbow and landed atop the city tower. It was Lin Zhengquan.
His face was filled with worry, and he looked haggard and worn. Walking up to Xiao Minghuang, he urged:
"Your Highness, the Beast Tide is overwhelmingly powerful. Beiyang City will likely be unable to withstand it. Please withdraw first, Your Highness, lest your noble person be harmed!"
Xiao Minghuang did not answer. Instead, she asked:
"City Lord Lin, are you not confident you can stop that Silver Light Giant Elephant?"
Hearing this, Lin Zhengquan sighed softly and said with shame:
"Please forgive this minister's incompetence, Your Highness. I suffered a hidden injury during the Beast Tide ten years ago and have remained trapped at the Spring Gushing Realm, unable to break through... Otherwise, why would I fear such a beast?"
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang smiled faintly. She took a storage pouch from her sleeve and held it out before Lin Zhengquan.
"I have two pills here. Perhaps they can help City Lord Lin heal your hidden injury and break through your realm."
Lin Zhengquan's first reaction upon hearing this was that the Ninth Princess was trying to comfort him. Yet on second thought, he knew the Ninth Princess was exceptionally intelligent and steady. She would never fire an arrow without a target.
Rather than doubting her immediately, he sent a thread of spiritual sense into the storage pouch.
The instant he saw the two pills within the storage pouch, his pupils contracted sharply, his face filled with disbelief.
"Essence Replenishing Pill! Spirit Infusion Pill! And both are pills refined with Pill Patterns!"
The next moment.
He thought that these pills must have come from the Chen family.
When he had seen the Chen family take out these pills back then, he had considered that if he could take one, there would be a great chance of healing his hidden injury.
Lin Zhengquan glanced at his daughter standing nearby. Seeing that her expression was normal and her aura heavy and solid, he could tell that she was already at the Body Tempering Peak Realm, only one step away from entering the Qi Refining Realm.
If Your Highness didn't give the pills to Wanqiu, then how did she break through her blocked meridians?
Lin Zhengquan could not make head or tail of it.
Seeing the doubt on his face, Xiao Minghuang reminded him:
"City Lord Lin, with the enemy at the gates, this is not the time to hesitate. Take the pills quickly. If you can break through to the Divine Sea Realm, Beiyang City can be saved!"
Lin Zhengquan's heart jolted.
At this moment, Beiyang City's safety was the most important thing. Whatever questions he had could wait until after they repelled the Beast Tide.
"Thank you, Your Highness. Then this minister shall not stand on ceremony."
With matters so urgent, Lin Zhengquan did not hesitate in the slightest. He sat cross-legged on the spot and swallowed one of the pills.
In an instant.
Rosy clouds flowed over Lin Zhengquan's body, casting forth a thousand auspicious hues. Faintly, the sound of raging waves could be heard, like an endless sea churning and rolling.
His aura suddenly soared. In the blink of an eye, he broke through the shackles of the Spring Gushing Realm and reached the Divine Sea First Level Realm.
He did not stop, instead continuing to take the pills.
As the pill entered his stomach, streams of pure medicinal power spread out, instantly filling his limbs and bones and stirring the spiritual power he had accumulated over many years.
In the blink of an eye.
Lin Zhengquan's aura broke through once more, directly reaching the Divine Sea Second Level Realm.
His body was like a massive vortex, constantly drawing in and absorbing the heaven and earth spiritual energy within several hundred zhang.
At that moment.
Everyone in Beiyang City had their attention drawn to him. Even the massive army of ferocious beasts rolling in from beyond the city halted in their tracks, fear appearing in their eyes.
"That is... who is breaking through?"
A young martial artist asked.
"I saw it! It's the City Lord! The City Lord has broken through!"
An old soldier exclaimed in wild delight.
"The City Lord has broken through to the Divine Sea Realm! Beiyang City is saved!"
A woman burst into tears, weeping with joy.
The people atop the city tower also cheered and leaped with joy at the sight.
"The City Lord broke through in the midst of battle. We're saved!"
All the soldiers knew clearly that this Beast Tide was coming with overwhelming force. To quell it, who knew how many soldiers would have to pay with their lives?
But if Lin Zhengquan broke through to the Divine Sea Realm and killed the Spring Gushing Realm Silver Light Giant Elephant in advance, defending the city would become much easier, and the casualties would be greatly reduced.
Just as the entire city was cheering for Lin Zhengquan's breakthrough.
Lin Zhengquan suddenly flew into the sky. Facing all the soldiers and residents of the city, he shouted:
"The reason I was able to heal my hidden injury and break through today is entirely due to the pills bestowed by the Ninth Princess!"
"If we can repel the Beast Tide today and protect the safety of everyone in the city, it will all be thanks to the Ninth Princess's mighty assistance!"
His words reached the ears of everyone in Beiyang City.
Everyone knew that City Lord Lin would not speak empty words. If he said the Ninth Princess had helped him, then it must have been the Ninth Princess who helped him.
"Without the Ninth Princess, Beiyang City would have perished!"
"The Ninth Princess truly is Beiyang City's greatest benefactor!"
"Wuwuwu... What a pity the Ninth Princess is a woman. If she were a man, this servant would certainly offer herself in marriage!"
The one who said this was a heavily made-up woman. Hearing her words, someone glanced at her and laughed.
"Why don't you take a look in the mirror? You aren't even fit to carry the Ninth Princess's shoes!"
The heavily made-up woman curled her lips and bared her fangs and brandished her claws.
"All of you, get lost! Go up the city wall and kill ferocious beasts!"
Outside the city.
After breaking through to the Divine Sea Realm, Lin Zhengquan was incomparably powerful. Spiritual power overflowed with every gesture, making him seem like a moving sea of spiritual energy. With a casual wave, he unleashed spiritual flames hundreds of zhang long, and with a random slash, he reaped the lives of hundreds of ferocious beasts.
Lin Zhengquan charged into the Beast Tide and immediately drew the Silver Light Giant Elephant's attention. Man and elephant quickly clashed in battle.
The one-sided situation everyone had expected did not appear. Lin Zhengquan wielded a golden spear, his entire body bathed in blood as divine radiance flowed over him and waves roared around him.
Though the giant elephant's spiritual power was inferior to Lin Zhengquan's, its beastly body was extraordinarily tough. Silver light flashed across its skin, Divine Patterns flowed, and beast blood surged. It actually fought Lin Zhengquan back and forth, neither gaining the upper hand.
Atop the city tower.
Xiao Minghuang watched the scene before her, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.
"This ferocious beast is unexpectedly powerful. It can fight across an entire major realm."
After watching the battle for a long time, the fear in Ye Ruoshui's heart gradually receded. At this point, she too discerned something.
"I once read in an alchemy text that Silver Light Giant Elephants inherit the bloodline of an Ancient Divine Elephant. Even if they awaken only a trace of it, they can become countless times stronger."
At this point, her voice paused. Her gaze turned toward the mountain-like elephant in the distance before she continued:
"This Silver Light Giant Elephant should have awakened only a trace of Divine Elephant Bloodline. True Ancient Divine Elephants are unimaginably powerful great beings. Legend says that a single drop of their blood can crush a mountain ten thousand zhang high."
"Though the bloodline awakened by this giant elephant is scant, according to the book, once the bloodline of an Ancient Divine Elephant awakens, no matter how sparse it is, Divine Elephant Seeds will condense within its flesh and blood. Using those Divine Elephant Seeds, one can refine body-tempering pills even more powerful than the Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Pill!"
Hearing this, the corners of Xiao Minghuang's lips lifted slightly as she smiled.
"Then this giant elephant counts as a stroke of fortune?"
After pondering for a moment, Ye Ruoshui said:
"Not necessarily. This giant elephant's realm is too low. Even if all its flesh and blood were exhausted, it would be difficult to condense more than a few Divine Elephant Seeds."
"However, if its flesh, blood, and bones are used to refine lower-quality body-tempering pills, producing several thousand should not be a problem."
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang pondered inwardly.
Low-level body-tempering pills were useless to her, but they were not entirely without value.
Though she was only the Ninth Princess now, sooner or later she would become the Crown Prince, perhaps even ascend the throne and receive the crown. At that time, she would certainly need a powerful faction of her own.
There was nothing wrong with recruiting people in the future, but they would ultimately be less loyal and dependable than those raised from childhood.
What was more, with the system supporting her, vast quantities of resources would sooner or later pile up in her hands. Keeping them would only be wasteful; she might as well use them to train a powerful army.
Moreover, with the system in existence, if she gave the giant elephant's corpse to Ye Ruoshui, she might receive an unexpected reward.
With that thought, it was as if clouds parted to reveal the sun, and she was suddenly enlightened.
Xiao Minghuang looked toward Lin Zhengquan, who was locked in battle with the giant elephant on the battlefield. Golden light flashed in her hand, and a longsword streaked through the air.
"City Lord Lin, catch the sword!"
Before you continue