The wind atop the city wall carried grains of snow that stung their faces.
Shen Fei stood in the shadow of the western battlements, his fingertips resting on the icy parapet as he looked across the open snowfield outside the city toward the distant, gray horizon.
The ground trembled faintly. It was slight, but the vibration traveled up through the masonry, leaving a tingling sensation.
The soldiers beside him tightened their grips on their spears until their knuckles turned white. Someone could not help swallowing, the movement of his throat unusually audible atop the silent wall.
"Three li away!" a soldier on the watchtower shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice trembling in the wind.
A small stir ran through the crowd. The younger members of the great families edged forward, eager to get a clear look at the beast tide.
At the central position, Ye Zong stood with his hands behind his back. Wind and snow spiritual power formed a faint curtain of light around him, keeping the drifting snow out.
Several family heads stood beside him. The impatient head of the Huyan Family stepped half a pace forward and asked gravely, "Lord Ye Zong, are we still not attacking? If we wait any longer, the beast tide will reach the foot of the wall!"
In past beast tides, high-ranking cultivators had always gone outside the city to meet the first wave, fighting until their strength gave out before retreating to let others take their place, slowly wearing the beasts down through rotating attacks. This time, however, Ye Zong held his forces back, leaving quite a few people privately uneasy.
"Wait." Ye Zong said only that one word, his gaze still fixed ahead, showing no intention of making a move.
Shen Hong stood on the other side,