Points of doubt, where was the Kui Bull?

They had fled for roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn.

Lin Tian hid inside a cave.

Because at the very beginning, Lin Tian's body had yet to develop lightning resistance.

The Thunder Bulls had wounded him badly with their lightning.

Blood had already pooled in multiple places inside his body.

His internal injuries were extremely severe.

He had to force the stagnant blood out first.

This mission truly had the flavor of nine deaths and one chance at life.

He formed a sword with two fingers, and a strand of Sword Qi spilled from his fingertips.

Lin Tian took off his blood-drenched shirt and pressed his two fingers against his chest.

Hiss!

The Sword Qi sliced through his skin and soon reached the pooled blood.

It gently pierced the spot.

Scarlet blood seeped out.

"Zhenwu, what are you doing?"

Ziwei walked into the cave and was instantly startled at the sight.

Then he quickly understood what Zhenwu was doing.

"Zhenwu, you should've told me sooner that you didn't have any pills."

Ziwei laughed, and a coiled-dragon ring on his index finger flashed red.

Three small bottles shimmering with a glazed luster appeared in his hand.

"This is a Body-Healing Pill, this is a Jade Spirit Pill, and this is Sparrow Injury Medicinal Liquid."

"One heals internal injuries, one replenishes spiritual power during battle, and one is applied externally. Not only can it heal wounds, it can also strengthen your constitution."

"They're all yours."

Lin Tian froze for a moment, then somewhat sluggishly accepted the three small bottles from Ziwei.

He had never heard the names of these pills before.

At least, in Heavenly Sword City.

Lin Tian had never seen them.

Judging by the quality of the little bottles alone, they seemed quite valuable.

Lin Tian glanced at Ziwei, never having expected him to be so lavish.

"Haha, don't look at me like that. Aside from my supreme strength, handsome looks, and extraordinary bearing, my other virtue is having lots of money."

Lin Tian nodded.

His dissatisfaction with Ziwei instantly vanished.

Meanwhile.

After fleeing for who knew how long, Li Chan finally reached the foot of Sword Capital's walls.

"Who goes there?"

A man's voice rang out from atop the wall.

It was a man clad in armor.

"They're all dead! Everyone's dead!"

Li Chan spoke in anguish, tears spilling uncontrollably.

The armored man was instantly startled and hurriedly asked:

"What exactly happened?"

"A beast tide! They're enormous ferocious beasts with lightning spilling off them. There are probably several thousand!"

Li Chan spoke through tear-blurred eyes, clearly close to being unable to hold on any longer.

The man was instantly shocked.

Inside Ink Abyss Forest.

Great herds of Thunder Bulls thundered past without cease.

They did, however, skirt around the cave where Lin Tian was.

Ziwei watched the sea of lightning below, his eyelids twitching wildly.

Moo!

An earth-shaking bellow resounded from deep within the forest.

The bellow was like a mountain collapsing, like an ocean tide, like thunder squeezed out through gaps in the clouds.

"The Kui Bull!"

Ziwei said in horror.

Boom, boom, boom!

The bellow whipped up towering waves of air, battering the night sky into ripples.

The fierce winds it created swept through, wreaking havoc.

Inside the cave, a gauze-like halo shimmered around Lin Tian.

He used all three spiritual medicines at once.

His wounds had nearly healed.

The medicines' effects were somewhat terrifying.

Rising to his feet, Lin Tian simply threw away his blood-soaked white robe and walked over to Ziwei bare-chested.

Ziwei glanced at Lin Tian and said with some pleasant surprise:

"Your wounds have healed already?"

Lin Tian nodded.

"Ahem, Zhenwu, could you put some clothes on?"

Then Ziwei glanced at the somewhat tattered, bloodied robe on the ground and muttered.

"You don't even have a spatial ring. You're the poorest person I've ever met in the Extreme Realm."

With a thought, a man's white robe appeared in his hand.

"It's yours."

"All right."

Lin Tian stood on no ceremony, accepting the white robe and putting it on.

Ziwei was close to him in height, so the robe fit well enough.

Its fabric was soft and light. It was probably the most expensive robe Lin Tian had ever worn.

Sure enough, there were benefits to forming a team for Extreme Realm missions.

"That bellow just now should've been the Kui Bull's."

Ziwei spoke, his tone somewhat tense.

Lin Tian looked in that direction.

A scene of devastation stretched out, vast swaths of forest destroyed by the Thunder Bulls.

He looked closely but found no sign of the Kui Bull.

"The Extreme Realm said the Kui Bull was about to awaken, so it should mean it hasn't awakened yet."

Ziwei pinched his chin as he analyzed:

"These Thunder Bulls are heading toward Sword Capital City. Experts gather like clouds in Sword Capital. Even the two of us could slaughter hundreds. These Thunder Bulls would just be going to their deaths."

"At most, they'd slaughter some ordinary civilians. Once this many Thunder Bulls charged into the city, they could probably slaughter tens of thousands of living beings."

The more Ziwei spoke, the more alarmed he became.

In this world, ordinary mortals were the majority.

They stood on the lowest rung of the ladder, their strength meager.

A single second-tier Thunder Bull could slaughter over a hundred mortals.

If there were ten thousand of them, the number of mortals they could slaughter would become a terrifying figure.

Lin Tian's gaze was calm. They were now behind these Thunder Bulls.

If they did not follow, once this drew the attention of Sword Capital's supremely powerful martial artists.

They might be unable to complete the Extreme Realm's mission.

"With that thought, Lin Tian gripped the Heavenly Sword and headed down the mountain in pursuit."

He was now at the fourth level of the Profound Core Realm, his speed incredible, covering a hundred meters in a single breath.

Ziwei followed close behind Lin Tian.

Suddenly, he cried out.

"I know! An elder in my clan once said that ancient ferocious beasts hide in forests, and before they awaken, they need vast quantities of blood Qi. These Thunder Bulls are simply going to Sword Capital City to die, but before they die, the blood Qi they gain from slaughter will already be enough for the Kui Bull to awaken completely."

Lin Tian's heart jolted.

What Ziwei said did make sense.

But if the Kui Bull needed blood Qi.

Where should the Kui Bull be right now?

Could it be right beneath Sword Capital City?

Then why had that bellow just now come from deep within the forest?

Could the Kui Bull use spatial formations too?

Or was there a tunnel leading to Sword Capital?

"After them!"

Lin Tian growled, his pace quickening further.

The most urgent thing now was still to complete the Extreme Realm's mission as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, what awaited them was the penalty of death.

Time passed little by little.

Sword Capital.

A four-story gate tower stood atop the tall, imposing city walls.

Late at night.

The city walls were already crowded with people.

The man at their head wore refined-steel armor, with a black cloak draped behind him.

A longsword hung at his waist.

His eyes were slightly narrowed, carrying the stern, murderous air unique to military officers.

"It really is a beast tide. Quite a few of them, too."

He spoke quietly, his tone faintly disdainful.

"The city lord has gone to the Capital to report on his duties. These beasts certainly picked a good time."

He gave a cold laugh.

"Deputy General, the dean of Sword Spirit Academy and more than a dozen instructors have arrived, along with several dozen rogue cultivators."

An armored soldier reported to him.

"Excellent!"

The man in the black cloak laughed heartily, his mood improving considerably at once.

Suddenly, he shouted.

"Open the gates! Form ranks!"

Boom, boom, boom!

The drums sounded, and the soldiers waiting beneath the walls marched out of the city.

They took up their military formation in good order.

Atop the walls, soldiers had already begun preparing the defensive equipment.

Things such as burning oil and formations.

Amid the clanging of armor, a white-robed middle-aged man with graying temples landed beside the deputy general.

"Greetings, Dean Chen."

The deputy general respectfully cupped his hands and bowed to the newcomer.

He knew full well that with the city lord absent, this man was the strongest person in Sword Capital.

Dean Chen nodded, but a trace of gravity lay on his face.

His gaze stretched into the distance, taking in the surging herd of Thunder Bulls several thousand meters away.

"This won't be an easy fight."

Dean Chen spoke quietly.

Puzzled, the deputy general frowned and said:

"Dean Chen, most of these beasts are only second-tier. If you took action yourself, you alone would be enough."

Dean Chen glanced at the deputy general and said:

"Historical records state that an ancient Kui Bull once appeared here. A Sea-Opening Realm expert fought a great battle against it. In the end, that Sea-Opening Realm expert died, while the Kui Bull was gravely wounded and disappeared."

Dean Chen's words left the deputy general at a loss.

Dean Chen let out a long, slow sigh and continued:

"These Thunder Bulls are descendants bred by the Kui Bull. Thunder Bulls appeared in Ink Abyss Forest before, and back then, some people speculated that the ancient Kui Bull was hiding inside Ink Abyss Forest. But there weren't many Thunder Bulls at the time, so that conjecture was forgotten."

As Dean Chen finished, the deputy general's eyes instantly widened, his heart pounding wildly.