The Beast Tide Ends

"Ah, break open for me!!"

The Flameburst Thorn Dragon let out a "painful" roar. After struggling free with all its strength, it retreated hundreds of miles in an instant.

The Flameburst Thorn Dragon lowered its head to look at the cracks on its forelimb. "Blood" was seeping from the shattered scales. This was the first time it had felt "pain."

Although Water Beasts felt no pain, the sight of "blood" flowing from its body still filled the Flameburst Thorn Dragon with an unprecedented terror.

The pressure Red Cloud exerted on it was simply too great, far beyond what ordinary Taiyi Golden Immortals could compare to.

Naturally, the Flameburst Thorn Dragon did not know that Red Cloud's body, Primordial Spirit, and mana had all reached the Taiyi Golden Immortal level. Cultivators who had only reached that level in mana or Primordial Spirit were practically unable to withstand even a single exchange with Red Cloud.

Red Cloud stepped toward the Flameburst Thorn Dragon.

With every step he took, the Heaven and Earth Righteous Energy around Red Cloud grew denser, the heavenly flowers became more abundant, and his majestic aura became heavier.

Sensing a deadly threat, the Flameburst Thorn Dragon's scales stood on end. The seven thorns along its dorsal fin burned at their peak, warping the entire sky with its Blazing Sun Power. Clearly, it was ready to risk its life.

At that moment, Red Cloud's voice rang out again, deep and solemn, like an evening drum and a morning bell.

"Literary Dao divine ability, Tongue Unleashes Spring Thunder."

Thunder suddenly rumbled between heaven and earth. Bolts of lightning descended—not ordinary heavenly lightning, but spring thunder imbued with Heaven and Earth Righteous Energy, suppressing all evil and heresy.

Rumble—

Strands of spring thunder struck the Flameburst Thorn Dragon, landing within the cracks in its scales.

The Flameburst Thorn Dragon hissed in agony and opened its mouth to fire another Blazing Sun Beam. This time, however, its breath was greatly weakened, and Red Cloud evaded it with a flash.

"You lost. The price is your life."

Red Cloud spoke calmly. Before the Flameburst Thorn Dragon's despairing gaze, a streak of red light cleaved it in two.

Before its death, the Flameburst Thorn Dragon glared at him fiercely, its golden pupils filled with venomous resentment and unwillingness.

The Flameburst Thorn Dragon's corpse turned into water and crashed into Sunfire Lake. Red Cloud waved a hand toward the lake.

A Taiyi Golden Immortal-level Sunflame Mystic Stone flew out. Red Cloud casually stored it away before flying toward Heavenly Treasure City, where the battle was still ongoing.

Red Cloud flew straight toward Heavenly Treasure City. Wherever he passed, freezing cold descended, turning everything to ice; towering flames erupted, burning everything to ash.

Countless Water Beasts were frozen into blocks of ice or reduced to ashes. Red Cloud casually collected the Flame Yang Stones that dropped.

Some Water Beasts sensed the danger and retreated on their own, but others charged at him without fear of death.

As for those Water Beasts, Red Cloud killed them with a single palm strike. A giant hand that covered the sky overturned the heavens.

Boom~!!

The palm struck the lake's surface.

The next moment, centered on the palm print, the lake began to churn violently. Streaks of crystalline radiance shone through the water.

Red Cloud's power swept out like ocean waves, engulfing an area of a thousand miles and madly devouring the surrounding Water Beasts.

To Red Cloud, whether they were Heavenly Immortal-level Water Beasts or Golden Immortal-level Water Beasts, they were all utterly vulnerable.

A flash of red glinted in Red Cloud's eyes. His hands never stopped moving, and his attacks surged like tides. The unending barrage was like a violent storm, leaving no room for rest.

Wave upon wave rose up. Wherever they passed, life fell silent, and all the Water Beasts were torn to pieces.

Under Red Cloud's attacks, wave after wave of Water Beasts were slain, yet their numbers did not seem to decrease in the slightest.

"Roar! Roar roar!!"

Water Beasts charged at Red Cloud without fear of death, while Blazing Sun Beams shot toward him.

Their determination to shake a tree as ants caught Red Cloud's attention. He answered by killing them with even greater power.

Provoked by Red Cloud, countless Water Beasts attacked him frantically. Blazing Sun Beams merged together, forming beams of destruction that radiated terrifying auras.

Red Cloud's expression did not change. Watching the beams of destruction approach, his figure vanished.

Boom! Rumble rumble!!

Explosions rang through the skies.

Centered on where Red Cloud had stood, the water across several thousand miles evaporated. The released energy shockwaves turned into storms, reducing everything to ash.

The low-level Water Beasts could not withstand the aftermath of the destructive beams at all and turned into water amid the shockwaves.

Seeing this, Red Cloud sneered, then happily gathered up the fallen Flame Yang Stones.

This beast tide lasted three and a half months. Heavenly Treasure City held out until the Water Beasts retreated of their own accord.

Heavenly Treasure City suffered considerable losses in this beast tide. Seven Golden Immortals fell, more than twenty were injured, and thirty to forty thousand cultivators below the Golden Immortal realm died.

If Red Cloud had not acted, Heavenly Treasure City might have become history. This beast tide had been far too dangerous.

After the beast tide ended, the floodwaters receded as well. The battlefield surrounding Heavenly Treasure City was left with only the corpses of independent cultivators, because Water Beasts turned into water after death.

Groups of battered troops began clearing the battlefield.

There was not a trace of grief on their faces. They gathered the scattered Flame Yang Stones and the corpses of independent cultivators, which would later be buried together in the Tomb of Heroes.

Only after the battlefield had been cleared and the dust had settled did Heavenly Treasure City slowly lift its alert.

Not long after Red Cloud returned to Heavenly Treasure City, its lord, Heavenly Treasure Old Man, came to visit and presented him with ten million Flame Yang Stones and one hundred Sunflame Mystic Stones.

Red Cloud was somewhat surprised that Heavenly Treasure Old Man could produce ten million Flame Yang Stones in one go.

The city lords around Sunfire Lake were truly loaded, no wonder they dared to issue Heroes' Assembly Orders to rally independent cultivators.

Red Cloud spoke with Heavenly Treasure Old Man about Sunfire Lake and learned that, within the lake's territory, the Water Beasts were far stronger than the independent cultivators, yet they had not wiped them out.

This was a matter of overall balance. It was precisely because independent cultivators acted as a third-party disruptor that direct conflict between the Water Beasts and the four races of the Land of Eternal Day had been avoided.

Or rather, it was the result of mutual compromise after the Great Luo Golden Immortal at the core of Sunfire Lake—the Sunfire Beast—had clashed with the four races of the Land of Eternal Day.

During his conversations with Heavenly Treasure Old Man, Red Cloud learned many secrets about Sunfire Lake, the characteristics of its major cities, and many ambiguous legends.

Over the following days, Red Cloud stayed in Heavenly Treasure City and learned of the impact caused by this beast tide.

Several hundred cities had fallen. According to the records, more than ten million cultivators had been killed or injured. That was only the recorded number; if the unrecorded casualties were included, it might double.

Even Red Cloud was shocked by those losses.

But this was the Primordial World. For powerful cultivators, a mere breath might collapse an entire world, and the resulting casualties could not even be counted.

After remaining in Heavenly Treasure City for several more days, Red Cloud decided to leave Sunfire Lake and continue toward his goal.

As his cultivation broke through to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, Red Cloud could already sense that Buzhou Mountain was drawing closer and closer.

"Almost time. It's time to set off."

Before leaving, Red Cloud swept through the major cities around Sunfire Lake, exchanging Golden Cores for a batch of refining materials and spirit herbs, all divine materials and mystical metals he did not possess.

The lords of several cities also invited Red Cloud to join them, promising him the position of city elder. But Red Cloud politely declined. Sunfire Lake was too small to hold his ambitions.

On the night before his departure, Qing Xuanzi came to find Red Cloud and brought him some news.