Beast Tide

In the Azure Mysterious Realm, where everyone Spirit Root, cultivators are not uncommon. In addition, unlike the Heavenly Gate, the Azure Mysterious Realm has popularized nine years of cultivation education, which has led to the fact that Rogue Cultivator and those from prestigious sects are practically two different species.

Once you join a prestigious sect, you'll find yourself on the path to enlightenment.

It is precisely because everyone here Spirit Root that joining a prestigious sect is not just a matter of thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge, but a matter of hundreds of thousands.

Under these circumstances, Instructor Wu's three Spirit Root were quite inadequate. So whenever Rogue Cultivator went to the Liang Kingdom, he would always try to find out more about him. Over time, this originally secret Root Bone became common knowledge.

So the city gate guards didn't mind talking to the two of them, since everyone in the county already knew.

Jiang Mingshan and Hu Mang exchanged a glance. Jiang Mingshan, "Then it seems that this Senior Wu's target is the Mysterious Peak Sect."

The Divine Sword Sect definitely wouldn't be selected, because they require at least a single Spirit Root, but the Mysterious Peak Sect...

"If this Senior Wu didn't primarily possess an earth Spirit Root, he would probably be in serious trouble," Jiang Mingshan remarked.

After all, they were from the Civil Engineering sect, so Hu Mang understood quite well, but a thought suddenly occurred to him.

"I wonder if any of those major sects have methods for refining one's Root Bone?"

"Fellow Daoist, are you referring to those Root Bone treasures? They do exist, but for us Rogue Cultivator, where would we find such good fortune?"

Jiang Mingshan sighed.

"So this world also has a system for refining Root Bone. It doesn't rely on technology, but purely on heavenly materials and earthly treasures. It truly is a world abundant in resources."

As Hu Mang was reflecting on this, he noticed that the city gate guard who had taken away the chief instructor earlier was rushing over again.

"Gentlemen, the magistrate requests your presence."

Back in the Great Mystic Imperial Dynasty and the Jade Firmament Divine Dynasty, county magistrates were also divine officials. If you really want to rank them, their official positions weren't necessarily lower than his, the former Thunder God. After all, Wangsong County used to be a divine county, a top-tier Spiritual Qi region back then.

However, nowadays, the weight of an official position depends mainly on the location and the person holding it.

Hu Xiaoshan, the magistrate of Wangsong County, was also a Three Flowers cultivator. This alone was enough to make these Rogue Cultivator look down on him. More importantly, he was an official chosen by the local earth god.

Since the two top dynasties of this world were destroyed one after another, the Azure Mysterious Realm has had this rule: if it is within the jurisdiction of a famous sect, the official positions of immortals are selected and granted immortal official talismans by the sect, and they are responsible for governing the mountains, rivers and cities. If it is outside the jurisdiction of a famous sect, then they are appointed by the Orthodox God.

This County Magistrate Hu was Yanxuan, the chosen one of the local deities.

When Hu Mang arrived at the county government office, he found that not only the two of them, but also all the familiar faces from the restaurant had been invited. Instructor Wu was even dressed in demon-suppressing armor, holding a demon-slaying longsword, exuding Sha Qi.

The group of Rogue Cultivator looked at each other, completely bewildered.

Soon, amidst the chanting of the yamen runners, County Magistrate Hu of this county walked in through the back door. Unexpectedly, this magistrate was not a pot-bellied middle-aged man, but an extremely handsome young man with arched eyebrows that resembled peach blossoms and slightly upturned eyes, as if he were born with a touch of charm; his lips were light red, and there was a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Woman dressed as a man?"

Hu Mang believed that he was not the only person who thought this way.

And soon, through the power of bloodline connection, Hu Mang understood why the magistrate was so stunningly beautiful.

County Magistrate Hu didn't mince words, getting straight to the point. "Our county is about to experience a small-scale beast tide, and we would like to ask for your assistance. This beast tide is also a test for the Divine Sword Sect. If you are unwilling to accept this test, you can leave now. Otherwise, once the county's protective formation is activated, you won't be able to leave even if you want to."

The Rogue Cultivator were taken aback at first, then quickly began to whisper among themselves.

"The Divine Sword Sect's assessment?"

"I've never heard of such a thing before!"

"Could it be that the Divine Sword Sect wants to test our swordsmanship?"

"My lord, may I ask how large this beast tide is?" someone asked directly.

"At most, it's a hundred-year-old Demon Beast; it won't be a thousand-year-old demon beast," County Magistrate Hu said with certainty.

With the aura of the local earth god, the group of Rogue Cultivator trusted County Magistrate Hu's judgment quite a bit, and since it was rare to encounter an "assessment," no one was willing to leave.

County Magistrate Hu, without any formality, instructed Chief Instructor Wu to make arrangements, and the group of independent cultivators were Rogue Cultivator to guard various sections of the city wall.

Hu Mang had originally designated a section of the city wall, but he soon found himself in the backyard of the county government office, secretly guided by a servant.

A pool of clear water occupies half of the courtyard, with a few withered lotus leaves floating on the surface. The edges of the yellowed leaves curl up and are reflected in the water, intertwining with the light of the sky and the shadows of the clouds to create a light and sparse ink painting.

Meanwhile, County Magistrate Hu, a handsome man, was practicing calligraphy by the pond. His calligraphy was elegant and refined. A gentle breeze blew, and County Magistrate Hu's hair fluttered slightly. This serene scene was perfect; all it needed was a time-traveling female protagonist to complete the loop.

Unfortunately, Hu Mang was a male fox.

Even more unfortunately, the other side was also a male fox.

Since they were all fox spirits, County Magistrate Hu didn't stand on ceremony. He narrowed his eyes and six fluffy tails emerged from behind his rear end.

Hu Mang sighed. "You fox spirits, why do you always like to show off your tails? What if you tear your pants?" But to prove his identity, he also grew four fiery red tails.

"Brother Hu!"

Brother Hu!

Across the stone table, County Magistrate Hu poured tea for Hu Mang with a smile.

"I never imagined that you, my younger brother, were from the Crimson Moon Fox lineage, one of the Eight Surnames of Huwang. And what's even more coincidental is that I, your older brother, am also one of the Eight Clans, the Divine Tail Fox."

According to the other party, the Eight Surnames of Huwang are eight precious bloodlines within the fox clan, including the Crimson Moon Fox and the Divine Tail Fox.

What makes them so precious is that each time a tail awakens, a fox clan Law Technique Divine Ability automatically awakens.

"Then why didn't I awaken?" Hu Mang asked in surprise.

"It's probably because your bloodline concentration isn't high enough, little brother. Like me, you're a half-demon."

Then another question arises: it's one thing that I'm at half health, but why hasn't my mother awakened her bloodline?

County Magistrate Hu seemed to have read Hu Mang's mind and handed him a small notebook containing the secret techniques for awakening the fox clan's bloodline.

"Aside from a small number of naturally occurring awakenings, most fox bloodline awakenings require the fox clan's activation Method Formula. Many wild fox brothers like you, if unlucky enough not to comprehend this Method Formula from their bloodline, will be unable to awaken their bloodline Divine Ability for a long time. If you encounter a member of your clan in the future, you can pass on this Secret Method to them to avoid delaying their awakening and evolution."

"Brother, you're truly one of us!" Hu Mang exclaimed, directly accepting the "Fox Race Bloodline Method Formula."

No wonder everyone says that Demon Race value blood ties. This person didn't treat me like an outsider from the start. Moreover, with the connection to the fox clan's bloodline, I felt like I was seeing a distant relative.

The Demonic Vein doesn't have this feeling.

"Is your younger brother also here to participate in the Divine Sword Sect's assessment?" County Magistrate Hu asked with great interest.

Hu Mang hesitated for a moment, then, without hiding anything, took out his Mysterious Peak Token and said that he had come to join the Mysterious Peak Sect.

"So that's how it is. My younger brother certainly has a knack for cultivating immortality," County Magistrate Hu paused, then said, "In that case, my younger brother doesn't need to participate in the 'Divine Sword Sect Assessment'."

Hu Mang nodded. Since he was going to join the Mysterious Peak Sect, he naturally wouldn't need to take the Divine Sword Sect's assessment. However, County Magistrate Hu clearly didn't mean that.

"Brother, you've misunderstood. This 'Divine Sword Sect Assessment' is just a pretext. The real reason is actually..."

With County Magistrate Hu's explanation, Hu Mang finally understood the whole story.

It turns out that when Wangsong County was formerly known as Divine Song County, there was indeed a sword immortal from the Divine Sword Sect who split the mountain and slew the demon. He suppressed a thousand-year-old demon in the Divine Pine Mountain Range. A thousand years have passed, and the Divine Sword Sect felt that the sword seal and the power of the demon within it were almost gone. So they sent two True Disciples to subdue the demon and also to take away the sealed treasures of the sect's predecessors.

The ancient demon was unwilling to give up its last chance to fight for its life and was determined to make a final stand, attempting to overturn the mountain and break the seal, which led to the so-called beast tide.

"So the selection process for the Divine Sword Sect was actually a sham?"

Hu Mang looked at his cousin and thought, "Not bad, brother, you're Rogue Cultivators."

"It's not exactly fake. I made a deal with those two successors of the Divine Sword Sect. If they can really survive the beast tide, I'll ask them to bring them into the Divine Sword Sect to participate in the selection of formal disciple. However, the Divine Sword Sect only looks at sword aptitude and temperament, so in the end, it still depends on them."

County Magistrate Hu said with a smile.

So, the reward for resisting the beast tide is just saving on travel expenses?

Hu Mang silently complained to himself.

However, entering the Divine Sword Sect's mountain gate probably won't be so easy.

Fortunately, everyone here is a fox, otherwise I might have gotten scammed too.

"However, I also have a small favor to ask of you, brother," County Magistrate Hu said with a smile.

However, the sky suddenly darkened in just one day.

First, a cloud of gray dust rose from the distant mountain ridge, as if something was churning underground. Then, the ground began to tremble slightly, the teacups on the table made a soft clinking sound, and dust fell from the eaves.

The soldiers guarding the city peered out and their faces paled. The cloud of dust was approaching the county town at an alarming speed, and within it, countless dark figures swarmed, densely packed and overwhelming.

"Beast tide! The beast tide is coming!"

Meanwhile, in the county government office, County Magistrate Hu was drawing with his brush. With each stroke, tiny sparks of light, like fireflies, appeared. As the last stroke fell, streams of gold converged from all directions.

The light climbed up the city wall, weaving a semi-transparent film of light on its surface. Ancient runes faintly appeared on them. These runes twisted and swirled, unlike human writing or Daoist talismans. They seemed more like the secret language of some High Antiquity Demon Race, each stroke exuding an indescribable eeriness and majesty.