Beast Tide (Seeking Monthly Pass)

Other World.

Underground camp.

After dealing with matters on Chuying Star, Fang Xing immediately returned here.

Feeling the air, several degrees fresher, and an environment even more suitable for martial arts training, excitement appeared on his face. "Before school starts, I'll try not to leave. I'm going all in!"

This trip to the Black Market had left him with many thoughts and made him understand his own weakness more deeply.

Weakness was nothing to fear. He just had to strive to catch up.

"Hmm?"

When he arrived at the surveillance room and checked the system's Surveillance Log, Fang Xing's expression suddenly changed. "How could this be? There are... so many more Demon Beasts?"

The surveillance records from recent days showed that Demon Beast activity around the camp had surged dramatically!

Even the camouflaged lawn aboveground looked as though it had been plowed over, a complete mess filled with dirt pits.

"Hmm? Quite a few of the bird-like Drones have been damaged too..."

Fang Xing hurriedly deployed new Drones and immediately saw a series of astonishing scenes.

Across the vast land, Demon Beasts ran and frolicked...

The territory that had once belonged to the Wild Boar Demon Beast had long since changed hands. Its new owners were a swarm of fist-sized crimson ants.

As for that incomparably ferocious Wild Boar Demon Beast, which had gored many martial artists to death, it had become a stark white skeleton, standing silently in one place as though recounting its pain and resentment...

"Although I heard at the market last time that Demon Beast activity had become frequent... isn't this getting a little too extreme?"

"I really know far too little about this world..."

Fang Xing silently sighed.

Although it had become extremely dangerous outside, he had reasons he had no choice but to visit the market.

Not to mention that once his pills, Spirit Rice, and Talismans ran out, he would definitely need to replenish them!

Using the Drones to find a relatively safe route shouldn't be too difficult...

But the urgent matter is to first see what's happening at the market... If Green Forest Market has been breached too, then there's no point going... No, that would make it even more worthwhile to go scavenging!

Fang Xing's expression grew solemn. "Over here, I can use the Nano Protective Suit and Electric Baton. Combined with Talismans, my strength will increase greatly... but it still isn't quite safe enough. Perhaps..."

He thought again of the product he had long coveted—the Swift Dragon-Class Laser Gun!

Naturally, he could not afford the Black Market version, but the official store version was still within reach.

Two hundred thousand was no small sum, but if he visited the Black Market a few more times, it was not impossible to earn it.

More importantly...

"Even if I can't use it on people, I can still kill Demon Beasts with it!"

"It's just a pity that the Laser Gun's 'cannot be used on people' program is built in. It keeps running even without a network connection. Otherwise, this would be perfect..."

Fang Xing discovered that crossing between two worlds had another advantage: it allowed him to bypass certain restrictions.

For example, after seeing the backdoor-free version of the basic Nano Suit in the Black Market, he understood that he had made the right decision in not bringing modern products back.

Of course, if the technological products in his hands could still transmit data back to the Blue Star Federation across an entire world, that would mean the Federation had already mastered technology for crossing into other dimensions. Fang Xing could only accept his fate then.

Most Federation weapons that can be bought through legitimate channels aren't allowed to be used on people... but I can take them to the Other World. As long as there's no built-in program, I can bypass the restriction. Even if it raises an alarm, it can't report anything...

And Talismans, magic artifacts, and the like from the Other World... they'd definitely be useful for killing people and committing crimes on Chuying Star. Most importantly, they wouldn't leave behind the slightest clue...

Every weapon had a source, but as far as Chuying Star was concerned, Talismans and magic artifacts would simply appear out of thin air, cutting off many avenues of investigation.

Though it might get linked to the Evil God... After all, They possess authority over Imaginary Space, so They should be able to deliver certain supplies as well... But Heretics? Aren't they meant to take the blame?

Fang Xing felt entirely justified in pinning the blame on them.

Splat!

Splat!

Several small birds flew through the jungle. Their eyes were dull, but their movements were remarkably agile.

A moment later, a figure emerged, advancing in stealth. It was Fang Xing!

"This is a little troublesome..."

Fang Xing was using his original appearance this time, his hair tied in a topknot and dressed in ancient-style clothing. He also carried a large wicker basket on his back, filled with medicinal herbs and the like.

After all, he had used up much of his Spirit Rice and needed to replenish it at the market.

For this journey, he had mobilized a large number of Drones to find a suitable safe route. He had taken quite a few detours, making the trip exceedingly troublesome.

But when he thought of one Demon Beast he had seen before, Fang Xing felt that detours had their benefits.

"That Demon Beast... was six or seven meters tall, and one of its claws was bigger than my entire body... It was either at Qi Refining Late Stage or comparable to Foundation Establishment. Better to take the long way around."

He muttered to himself.

At Green Forest Market, Fang Xing had also heard the general classifications of Demon Beasts. Demon Beasts capable of matching Qi Refining Stage cultivators were basically First-Order Demon Beasts.

Those corresponding to Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators were Second-Order Demon Beasts!

"Second-Order Demon Beasts may have appeared by now..."

"If I hadn't seen through the surveillance that the market was protected by an array and as stable as a mountain, I wouldn't have come..."

Fang Xing grumbled, then suddenly frowned. "Something's happening?"

Through a hummingbird Drone scouting ahead, he saw a scene.

A group of cultivators and martial artists was surrounding and attacking a strange Demon Beast.

This Demon Beast was over three meters long and looked like a red-furred tiger. Its markings were dazzling and brilliant, while a faint luminescence shimmered over its fur.

Even Spells such as Wind Blades and fireballs cast through Talismans... were deflected when they struck it, leaving little injury behind.

"Are they... hunting a Demon Beast? Their coordination is quite practiced..."

Looking closely, Fang Xing saw that there were five people, both men and women. At their head was a Black-Robed Elder who occasionally used Talismans while chanting under his breath. He was apparently a cultivator.

Most of the others had astonishing movement techniques and wielded weapons of various kinds. Every motion carried overwhelming force; they were probably martial artists.

At that moment, the elder finally finished his incantation. With a gesture, a pale green Wind Blade appeared in his right palm.

A sharp aura immediately spread outward, making even the Demon Tiger wary.

"Good! Big Brother's Wind Blade Technique is becoming more and more proficient."

A seductive woman among the four martial artists immediately praised him.

"Go!"

The elder pointed, and the green Wind Blade shot out. As it flew through the air, it continuously absorbed specks of green spiritual light, instantly growing over a meter long and becoming incomparably fast!

"Roar!"

The Demon Tiger roared and tried to dodge, but a man wielding a massive iron hammer, built like an iron tower himself, forced it back with a single swing. It could only take the Wind Blade head-on.

Hiss! Hiss!

The spiritual light over the Demon Tiger's fur had already become exceedingly dim after the previous round of attacks. Now, it directly shattered.

The Wind Blade sliced through the Demon Tiger's hide and tore its flesh, leaving a huge wound on its right shoulder.

If the Demon Tiger had not dodged slightly in midair, the wound might have landed on its neck.

"Good!"

Several martial artists shouted their approval, but the elder calmly retreated several steps. He slapped a Golden Light Talisman onto himself and shouted, "Watch out for this beast's counterattack..."

A wounded beast was at its most dangerous!

Naturally, this applied to Demon Beasts as well!

The Demon Tiger was covered in blood. Suddenly, it let out a roar and opened its gaping maw.

Strands of crimson light gathered, condensing into a huge fireball that exploded in one direction!

"Not good, dodge!"

The five of them emerged covered in dust and grime, only to see the Demon Tiger refuse to continue fighting. It immediately fled through the gap blasted open by the fireball!

"Damn it, chase it!"

A spiritual talisman in the elder's hand burned and transformed into a gust of clear wind that blessed his legs. It was the Wind Riding Talisman!

The others hurried after him. They had scouted for so long and only barely managed to find a weak Demon Beast separated from the pack.

They had invested quite a bit into this Demon Beast. If the Demon Tiger got away, every last one of them would be sick enough to vomit blood!

Yet in the very next moment!

"Roar!"

The Demon Tiger's roar came from ahead, seemingly filled with pain!

"Stop!"

The elder hurriedly raised his right hand, stopping his four sworn siblings as they slowly moved forward.

After passing through a Bush Cluster, they saw the Demon Tiger lying on the ground, its life and death unknown. Beside it stood a silver-robed youth.

"Are you all here to hunt this Demon Tiger?"

Fang Xing stood in silver robes, holding a staff. He smiled slightly as he asked.

After seeing the five of them, he had decided to come over and meet them, to inquire about the market.

After all, the Drone footage could only confirm that the market had not been breached. To learn what changes had occurred within it, he needed to ask others.

Naturally, Fang Xing had to ask carefully and confirm that there was no danger in the market before entering to spend money.

Otherwise... well... the Federation's Nutrient Fluid was not much good, but it could barely make do.

With the environment here, his martial arts progress would not be too slow anyway...

"Indeed!"

The five exchanged glances. In the end, the Black-Robed Elder stepped forward and said, "This old man is Chen Yi. These are my four sworn siblings: Hua Fei Yue, Chen Hongtian, and the couple Meng Yi and Shen Yuxin... Thanks to the regard of our fellow market cultivators, we have earned the nickname 'Five Heroes of Cangshan.'"

This was actually rather modest of him. After all, without some real skills, they might not have dared to leave the market to hunt Demon Beasts at a time like this.

The Five Heroes of Cangshan were naturally still ants in the eyes of the market's three major powers, but among lower-level cultivators, they were not unknown figures.

"So you are the renowned Five Heroes of Cangshan. I am Fang Xing. Greetings..."

Fang Xing smiled slightly, his gaze passing over each of the Five Heroes of Cangshan as he cupped his hands in greeting.

This time, he intended to rent a residence in the market under a new identity and establish another hideout, like a cunning rabbit with three burrows. Thus, he used his true appearance.

After all, with prolonged contact, any disguise could easily be seen through. It was better to use his original face.

In any case, his original identity had a clean background and would never invite trouble, so he could cultivate it properly.

As he looked at the Five Heroes of Cangshan now, he became thoughtful.

Chen Yi was a Qi Refining cultivator and possessed quite a few Talismans. His strength should be the greatest among the five.

Hua Fei Yue wore a peach-red dress, with seductive eyes and an age of around thirty. She truly resembled a ripe peach.

Chen Hongtian was the black-clad, tower-like burly man wielding the hammer. His features looked as if carved by knives and axes, and he possessed a shrewd, formidable bearing.

Meng Yi wore a green scholar's robe and carried himself with elegance, while Shen Yuxin beside him possessed the delicate air of a sheltered young woman. The two behaved intimately with one another.