"Um."
Han Xuanji made no attempt to conceal his strength, and then didn't reveal much more, only reassuring Qin Xin that he was prepared.
But Qin Xin was still a little worried. She was afraid that Han Xuanji wouldn't take it seriously, so she reminded him again:
"This... you know this beast tide might be far more terrifying than you imagine."
Although Han Xuanji possesses the cultivation level of Holy Lord, this beast tide is no simple matter. What use is a Saint Holy Lord?
There may be an even more powerful force behind this beast tide.
"No need to rush, I know just as much as you do."
Han Xuanji was confident, as if everything was under control.
Seeing Han Xuanji's expression, Qin Xin felt somewhat helpless, but she was still persuaded.
After all, she didn't have any better options and could only trust the other party.
Han Xuanji placed her in the Soul Household, partly to ensure her safety and partly to keep an eye on them.
As for Youying, Han Xuanji naturally wouldn't take its life. Instead, he used his Wuliang soul power to control its consciousness and learned from it the specific time when the beast tide would start—three months later. Han Xuanji then made it transmit false information to Zi according to its own will.
Under Han Xuanji's control, Youying obediently sent a message to Zi, saying that everything was normal in Thousand Souls City, the cultivators were completely unprepared, and the city's defenses were lax, making it the perfect time to make a move.
Zi received the message and indeed did not suspect anything; he even praised Youying a few times in his reply.
Han Xuanji was not idle during this time either.
He took out the many rewards he had received from previous check-ins, selected several formations, and began to set them up around Thousand Souls City.
These formations are all high-quality items obtained through system check-ins, ranging from Sage- level to Holy Lord- level formations. Among them, the most lethal formation is the Ten Thousand Swords Diagram obtained through check-ins at the Eternal Sword Pavilion, while the best defensive formation is the Taiqian Spirit Formation obtained through check-ins at the Supreme Qian Dao Arena.
With his current cultivation level, setting up these formations is not difficult. He only needs to bury the formation flags into the earth vein nodes and then use his divine sense to guide the formation patterns to connect with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and the formation will operate on its own.
He spent several days setting up three layers of defensive formations outside Thousand Souls City and several restrictions within the inner city to ensure everyone's safety once the war started, even without his intervention.
Time passed slowly.
The Youying kept sending false information to Zi, telling him that Thousand Souls City was completely unprepared and that the cultivators had not even sent a single additional soldier.
Zi was very satisfied with this, feeling that God was on his side.
He intensified his troop deployment, driving a large number of ferocious beasts from the depths of the Heavenly South Desolate Domain towards the direction of Thousand Souls City.
The ferocious beasts rampaged through the Desolate Domain, destroying vegetation and causing the earth to tremble in their wake. Explorers in the Desolate Domain could sense the increasingly intense malevolent aura and began to retreat.
On this day, a deafening roar suddenly resounded Thousand Souls City.
The sound rolled in from the horizon, like the entire earth roaring, deep and resonant.
The cultivators on the city wall changed their expressions slightly and gripped their weapons tightly.
Han Xuanji stood calmly atop the city wall with his disciples.
A deep blue light swirled in his eyes, Wuliang Eye spread out, taking in everything outside the city.
In the distance, the beast tide surged out from the depths of the Desolate Domain like a black tide. Countless ferocious beasts covered the fields dozens of miles outside the city. There were giant beasts with bodies as large as mountains, birds that blotted out the sky, reptiles covered in armor, and ferocious creatures that were half human and half beast.
The auras of those ferocious beasts converged, forming a visible Sha Qi that condensed into a dark red cloud above their heads, making the air on the city wall feel heavier.
Deep within the beast tide, four exceptionally powerful auras, like four moving volcanoes, emanated the pressure of Peak Sage level beings.
Those were four Eternal Deity, each commanding an army of ferocious beasts, who were closing in on Thousand Souls City from four directions.
This scale is undeniably impressive.
After all, according to intelligence, Thousand Souls City only has one Sage in charge.
This Sage was Hun Qianxue other than Hun Qianxue, who was supported by Han Xuanji.
The deployment of such a formation already indicates that it is taken extremely seriously.
Of course, Thousand Souls City was just an appetizer for them.
"They've arrived."
Han Xuanji said calmly.
Boom!
The ferocious beasts outside the city, their eyes gleaming with bloodlust, launched an attack under a unified command.
A colossal beast, resembling a winding mountain range, charged at the forefront. Its body was as thick as a mountain ridge, its scales were jet black, and its four claws cracked the ground when they landed. Relying on its powerful physique, it rammed into the protective array of Thousand Souls City.
The array's light barrier lit up in response, ripples spreading out from the impact.
"Destroy these cultivators!"
"Eat, eat, eat! The flesh and blood of high-level cultivators are incredibly nourishing!"
Roars echoed from the pack of ferocious beasts, some muffled like animal cries, others uttering human words, carrying a bloodthirsty frenzy suppressed for countless years.
Some of these ferocious beasts had been deliberately starved for a long time, and having been driven from the depths of the Desolate Domain, they had run all the way on empty stomachs. Now, seeing the aura emanating from Thousand Souls City, they were like hungry wolves seeing meat. They didn't need anyone to urge them; their eyes turned red as they charged forward.
Witnessing this scene firsthand, Han Xuanji's disciples also took a deep breath, their faces grave.
Although they had already reached the level of Eternal True God and their strength was quite considerable, they still couldn't help but feel immense pressure when facing an enemy of this scale.
Little White felt a chill run down its spine, after all, these enemies included powerful beings at the Sage level, who exerted a strong suppressive force on it.
However, it became much calmer when it lay down at Han Xuanji's feet.
Chaos erupted on the city walls.
The cultivators of Thousand Souls City had no idea that the beast tide would suddenly attack.
Han Xuanji had previously kept the news under wraps, so most people in the city were unaware that such a large number of ferocious beasts had gathered in the Desolate Domain.
Seeing the overwhelming dark tide of beasts surging in from outside the city, many people turned pale on the spot. Some of the more timid ones had already started running down the city walls, shouting "Open the city gates quickly!" But the city gates had been sealed off by Hun Qianxue's order an hour earlier.
Several fast-running cultivators rushed to the city gate, only to find that the gate was completely sealed by an array. They turned around and ran towards the other side of the city wall, trying to climb over it. But when they looked up at the speed of the ferocious beasts outside the city, they knew that even if they ran out, they wouldn't last long.
"What's the panic!"
Hun Qianxue's figure appeared high in the city, his voice steady and powerful, overpowering the city's clamor:
"Halt! Thousand Souls City is ready. Hold your positions and obey my orders!"
His expression was stern, and his tone was resolute, as if he had everything under control.
But only he knew that his fingers, hidden in his sleeves, were already clenched with cold sweat.
The auras of the four Peak Sage outside the city pressed down on his chest, making him feel suffocated. Any one of them could be enough to give him a hard time.
He glanced subconsciously in Han Xuanji's direction and saw that the figure in green robes was still standing on the city wall with a calm expression. Only then did the tension in his heart ease slightly.
Han Xuanji looked at the surging beast tide outside the city. It was simple and brutal, devoid of any military strategy or order, but it had the advantage of being numerous and powerful. If Thousand Souls City only had one Sage Hun Qianxue, to guard it, it would indeed not be able to withstand a single wave of attacks.
It will be razed to the ground in an instant.