Beast Tide

Ning Buhui ran south for his life.

The ground behind him shook as though it were splitting apart. The pounding of hooves and claws mingled with the sounds of unknown behemoths crushing dead leaves and broken branches, punctuated by beast roars-some shrill, some deep, some long and drawn out. He didn't dare look back. It wasn't that he didn't want to; he couldn't. He was afraid that if he did, terror would drain the last bit of strength from his legs.

Trees began falling in swathes around him. Some low-level ten-year Soul Beasts had already charged past him on both sides. There were wolf-shaped ones, lizard-like ones, and bizarre creatures he couldn't name. They were even more panicked than he was and paid no attention to him. Ning Buhui darted between the trees, his feet moving so fast they barely seemed to touch the ground. For the first time, he discovered that when faced with life and death, a person really could run faster than a Soul Beast.

But there were too many Soul Beasts under a thousand years old. Gradually, the beast tide closed in from every direction like a surging flood, and some Soul Beasts had begun attacking anything that moved around them indiscriminately. A black panther covered in bone spurs pounced at him from the side. Ning Buhui had no time to think. He kicked off the ground and shifted two steps to the left. The Nine Hell Soul-Suppressing Pagoda flew from his hand, instantly swelling to half his height before smashing into the strange panther's waist.

Mountain Suppressing Falling Strike.

The panther was knocked sideways, breaking a tree root before rolling into the herd and falling silent. Without waiting for the pagoda to slow, Ning Buhui stirred his Soul Power, shrank it, and summoned it back to his palm. Then he ran on, but after barely a dozen steps, two Green-Patterned Giant Lizards emerged from burrows and blocked his path, one on either side. Both were a little over a thousand years old, their scales glossy and saliva dripping from their jaws.

"Out of my way!"

Ning Buhui roared, his First Soul Ring already shining. A golden butterfly silhouette from Butterfly Dance Flowing Radiance instantly settled on his shoulder. He felt as though a warm current had poured over him from head to toe, and his speed, strength, and reactions all surged.

This time, he held nothing back. His Second Soul Ring lit up immediately afterward, but this time he wasn't using a support Soul Skill. It was a Control System Soul Skill making its debut!

"Nine Hell Soul Suppression, Vine Locks the Nine Nether Regions!"

The yin fish flicked its tail sharply, and a pitch-black chain shot from the pagoda. Fast as a black snake, it wound around the hind leg of the giant lizard on the left. The chain tightened, jerking the lizard to a halt, and it raised its head with a low roar. It lashed its tail wildly, trying to break free, but the chain had sunk beneath its scales as though it had taken root. Ning Buhui felt a minuscule stream of Soul Power flow back into his body along the chain. The Soul-Binding Vine's mana-draining effect had become his means of keeping going.

He kicked off the ground, flipped over the left lizard's head, and raised his right arm, slashing through the air at the lizard charging straight at him from the right.

Void Rending Slash.

An almost invisible streak of silver flew from his fingertips. The giant lizard's movements abruptly froze, and a fine line of blood appeared on its neck. Then its entire head slid off, the severed surface smooth as a mirror. Its body charged forward another two steps before crashing to the ground.

Ning Buhui had no time to dwell on it. He kept running.

But the beast tide seemed endless. He noticed that the herd to the east was especially dense. The low-level Soul Beasts were being driven onward by ten-thousand-year beasts behind them, all surging in this direction. He gritted his teeth, and his Second Soul Ring lit up: Vine Armor Spring Life. A dark green silhouette of vine armor enveloped him, clinging close to his flesh like an extra layer of tough vine shell.

The next moment, three One-Horned Savage Bulls charged in from the side. Ning Buhui barely had time to bring the pagoda across his body before the lead bull slammed into it. He flew backward like a leaf caught in the wind and crashed into a thicket. The vine armor absorbed the worst of the force, but his chest and abdomen still felt as though they had been trampled by hooves, and a sweet, bloody taste rose in his mouth.

Forcing down the pain, he scrambled up before the second bull reached him. The pagoda turned sideways, and the eaves of its nine levels spun in opposite directions. Spinning Pagoda Strangulation!

The bull charged headlong into the winds around the pagoda. Its horn was ground apart inch by inch, and the flesh of its forelegs was torn open. It fell to the ground, howling. The third bull charged right behind it. Ning Buhui abruptly ducked, and the black fish flicked its tail again.

"Nine Hell Soul Suppression, Butterfly Suppresses the Nether Spring."

A pitch-black butterfly silhouette landed soundlessly in the center of the third bull's forehead. Just as the bull was about to raise its hooves, its whole body suddenly stiffened. Its Soul Power seemed to be blocked by something, no longer circulating as smoothly as before, and using a Soul Skill consumed far more Soul Power than usual. Because of this change, the amount of Soul Power it habitually drew on was insufficient to use its next Soul Skill, and the sudden change interrupted the skill. Ning Buhui gave it no chance to recover. He slashed again with his right arm, and Void Rending Slash cut into its front knee. The bull dropped to its knees with a mournful cry, its massive body toppling sideways into the thicket and blocking the path of several smaller Soul Beasts behind it.

He seized the chance to slip away, running toward the densest part of the forest. The beast tide still thundered behind him, but he had begun to discern a pattern. These low-level Soul Beasts weren't all after him; as long as he stayed out of their escape path, most of them ignored him. The real trouble was the thousand-year Soul Beasts mixed into the herd. Seeing him alone and sensing the blood and Qi of a living person, they had already begun deliberately closing in.

As he ran, Ning Buhui maintained Butterfly Dance Flowing Radiance's enhancement. This beast tide strengthened his resolve to hunt the Wind Thunder Winged Tiger. Only when life and death were truly at stake did he realize how immensely useful a speed boost was. For now, he could only rely on Butterfly Dance Flowing Radiance's all-attribute enhancement to increase his speed, which was better than nothing.

Ning Buhui sensed the threats around him as he adjusted the direction of his escape. Whenever a Soul Beast lunged close, he either blocked it with the pagoda or struck back with Void Rending Slash. His Soul Power drained away like water from a leaking pot.

Suddenly, the ground gave way ahead of him.

It was a shallow gully carved out by torrential rain, more than a zhang wide. Ning Buhui couldn't stop in time and rolled down into it. He was just about to get up when a huge gray-black mastiff lunged to the edge of the gully and snapped at his throat. Lying flat on his back with nowhere to dodge, Ning Buhui could only thrust the pagoda upward. It instantly expanded, just managing to wedge itself between the mastiff's jaws. The beast gave a low growl, and foul-smelling drool dripped onto his face.

"Get lost!"

Eyes red, Ning Buhui slashed upward with his right hand. Void Rending Slash burst out almost against his face. A streak of silver passed through the mastiff's mouth and out the back of its head. Without so much as a whimper, the mastiff crashed down on top of him. He shoved the carcass away with all his strength, and by the time he climbed out of the gully, he was covered in muddy water, with a deep gash torn into his left leg by the mastiff's claws.

Enduring the pain, he quickly smeared some fluorescent powder on a crooked tree beside the gully, then tore off a strip of cloth and tied it to a branch. Having left his marks, he continued staggering south. His Soul Power was nearly exhausted, so he stopped using Void Rending Slash and maintained only Butterfly Dance Flowing Radiance, speeding toward the edge of the beast tide.

At last, just as he felt he was about to pitch forward and collapse, he spotted a crevice ahead, formed by two enormous blue-black rocks leaning against each other at an angle. The entrance was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for half a person to squeeze through sideways. Summoning his last ounce of strength, he rushed over and squeezed inside.

Pressing against the cold rock wall, he edged farther in. Outside came the grating sound of Soul Beasts clawing at the rock. He didn't dare stop. The farther he went, the narrower it became, until he finally curled up in a tiny hollow with his back against the stone. His Soul Power was exhausted, and he could no longer move.

Outside, the aftershocks of the beast tide still rumbled on like a mountain torrent passing through. Ning Buhui's eyes were half open, his breaths short and hot. He looked down at his hands. All ten fingers were covered in mud and blood, the skin between his thumbs and forefingers had split, and half a fingernail had broken off. His clothes were beyond recognition, and he looked as though he had been pulled from the mud.

But he was still alive.

"Heh..." He gave a hoarse chuckle, so quiet only he could hear it. "This really is the first time I've gotten myself into such a sorry state."

Leaning against the rock wall, he summoned the Nine Hell Soul-Suppressing Pagoda and plunged inside. Only a palm-sized pagoda remained, standing there all alone.

Since Ning Buhui usually needed to bathe after cultivating, he had long ago set aside a space on the first floor and prepared some daily necessities. They came in very handy this time.

He washed himself, changed into a brand-new set of clothes, and casually ate some dried meat. Then he lay down on the nearby bed and closed his eyes, sensing the movement outside.

He would resume his journey after more of the beast tide had passed. Right now, all he wanted was to sleep.