E Yuan Led the Beasts

"Puppet Master! Puppet Master! The trigger mechanism of the Gengzi Platform Star-Shooting Crossbow is cracked! Quickly go and repair it!"

"Go and fetch Senior Brother Wei. The western wall of the stockade is about to break. Have him bring some cinnabar for refining the array to reinforce a few joints, otherwise it might not hold for much longer!"

"Feed and water the Cloud-Treading Colt well. They've rested for so long, their strength must be fully restored. Later, we'll join a few True Cultivator to charge out and dampen the arrogance of those beasts outside!"

At this moment, the protective array of Jia-Chou Military Stronghold was covered in thick blood, so much so that even Sect Leader Kang Da could not clearly see the number of Demon Beast outside.

The protective shield of this Second Tier array plate was indeed sturdy, but it could not block the shrieks and roars of the ferocious beasts below the village, nor could it block their bloodthirsty and hideous faces.

"That beast, he's really done something big." Kang Dabao muttered under his breath as he stood on the stockade wall. He then turned and Ma Yanwen, the head of the Ma Household, walked over with a solemn expression and said in a deep voice, "Alliance Leader, the situation isn't good."

"How?"

"The spirit birds cannot leave, and although we have sent out over three hundred messenger talismans, we have only received a handful of replies. I wonder if the cultivators scattered across various spiritual lands have received our messages."

After a moment of silence, Kang Dabao said, "Fellow Daoist Ma, please send another message, strictly ordering all camps to assemble at key points and hold their positions. They are not allowed to leave the camp, nor are they allowed to come to the Jia-Chou Military Stronghold for reinforcements. If there are Demon Beast attacking, then you must do everything in your power to delay and hold them off."

Those who abandon the battle midway, if Kang himself dies this time, then so be it; otherwise, they should consider how nimble their legs are and how far they can run.

Then tell the leaders of each clan that this time we will probably need the help of cultivators from the Dafa clan. The situation is urgent, so do not hold back. But do not panic. Gather and reorganize with my junior brother Yuan Jin before setting off.

The Spirit Awakening beast outside is plotting a siege to lure reinforcements, and it hasn't even used half its full strength yet. If the reinforcements come in scattered groups, it might take advantage of the situation and defeat them one by one. We can't fall for those beasts' trick."

After hearing this, Ma Yanwen responded and quickly went to make arrangements.

Sect Leader Kang Da shifted his gaze to the herd of beasts below the military camp, and sighed inwardly, "Whether Spirit Awakening Demon Beast leads the herd makes a world of difference." Fortunately, he had already known when to stop, and hadn't even rushed to send his garrison to seize the newly acquired Second-Tier Middle-Grade Spirit Vein.

At this time, apart from the Rogue Cultivator and disciples who were managing production on various unimportant spiritual lands, most of the elite troops brought by the Double Brightness Alliance were stationed near the Jia-Chou Military Stronghold.

Although Kang Dabao made a mistake this time, seeing that the beasts on the various spiritual lands were exactly as recorded on the map and showed no unusual movements, and that the several batches of spirit birds released from afar did not detect anything amiss, he assumed that he was just being paranoid and that E Yuan was not actually there.

They had no idea that the reason E Yuan had been so slow to act was that he was actually drawing Demon Beast from deeper within the Cold Crow Mountain Range, creating a herd of beasts that had not been seen in the vicinity of Pingrong County for many years.

However, Sect Leader Kang Da was quick to gather his elite forces, pulling back his outstretched hand and clenching it into a Hardness fist.

However, these ferocious beasts arrived too quickly, and the fate of the teams scattered across the other spiritual lands became uncertain. Even Jiang Qing and Ming Zhe were still outside.

A loud rumble from outside the village pulled Kang Dabao back from his thoughts.

It turned out that a large herd of about a hundred Red-Clawed Scaled Ox suddenly appeared outside the formation, quickly squeezing out from the beast horde and crashing heavily into the formation's light barrier.

These massive beasts were almost all of the First-Tier Superior-Grade, incredibly strong and heavy, with bodies reaching two or three zhang in length. The two curved horns on their heads emitted a gray spiritual light and were extremely sharp; even a mid-stage cultivator wielding Law Artifact shield would find it difficult to withstand their impact.

The Purple Fire Jackal and Red-Maned Mountain Boar that charged into battle earlier are not comparable to this Red-Clawed Scaled Ox.

Ming Hun was in the main formation, was slightly taken aback. These kinds of Demon Beast had been excessively raised and controlled by the Mountain Barbarians and had not appeared near Cloud Horn Prefecture for many years. He did not expect to see them on the edge of the Cold Crow Mountain Range today.

He remained calm, tossing command flags into the air, where they floated, and commands echoed across the city walls.

"Star-Shooting Crossbow around!"

"Puppet Master, release those sturdy mountain-moving puppets first! Then send out a squad of sword-wielding puppets and a squad of shield-wielding puppets, following closely behind! Cut off the horns of those beasts and bring them back. I will personally pay Spirit Stone to find a weapon craftsman to forge magical Law Artifact for you."

"Talismans! Talismans! Water-element talismans, fire three in quick succession! Hear my command!!"

"My uncle has been well-trained by Second Master Ming," said Sect Leader Kang Da, seeing Ming Hun's composure and not showing any concern despite the unexpected turn of events.

"Sect Leader! A disciple from the Cold Mountain Sect reports that Senior Lu's injuries seem to have worsened!" Liu Ya rushed over and shouted loudly.

Kang Dabao instantly shut out the many thoughts in his mind, ignored Liu Ya and the stockade wall for the time being, and Swift Movement to the western city wall.

The moment he appeared, the many anxious disciples of the Cold Mountain Sect on the stockade wall cried out in alarm:

"Alliance Leader, the Alliance Leader has arrived!"

"Leader, when will our reinforcements arrive?"

"There are too many Demon Beast outside, we can't kill them all, Alliance Leader!!"

Seeing this, Sect Leader Kang Da frowned. The drawbacks of the four Cold Mountain Sect's blind expansion seemed to be showing at this moment. His family was better equipped than the others, and the cultivation of his disciples was not low, but the western wall of the stronghold was the first to be in danger.

Even the Changyun Ma Household's troops, which lacked Foundation Establishment True Cultivator in command, were not as panicked and anxious as they were. It should be noted that most of the Changyun Ma Household's troops had just suffered a defeat after being ambushed by a pack of beasts and retreated in disarray.

The Cold Mountain Sect, a prestigious sect with four Foundation Establishment cultivators, had disciples whose fighting spirit was better than the rogue Rogue Cultivator recruited by the Double Brightness Alliance, but it was still far inferior to that of Ma and Lu, who were Qi Refinement cultivators, making them a laughing stock.

These words could only be kept in his heart for the time being. Despite the piercing roars outside and the panicked words of the Cold Mountain Sect disciples, Kang Dabao hurried to Lu Xingbei's side.

"I heard that Fellow Daoist Lu is seriously injured. I have some medicine here. Would you please take a look and see if it is suitable for you?"

Unexpectedly, Lu Xingbei, whose expression had been normal, was stunned. His eyes darted around in their sockets before he finally understood.

He then laughed and said, "Don't worry, Alliance Leader. I was just attacked by an Ironhide Horned Deer yesterday when I led my cavalry out to fight. I'm still holding a grudge."

I finally managed to vomit it all out, then secretly found a corner to let it all out. I'm perfectly fine. Maybe one of the younger kids saw it and spread the rumor that I was seriously injured?

"How do these brothers manage their disciples?!"

Kang Dabao didn't know whether he should be angry or happy after hearing this, but in the end he could only sigh, "It's good that Fellow Daoist Lu is alright, otherwise I don't know how to explain it to Fellow Daoist Xu later."

Just as Lu Xingbei was about to respond, there was another unusual movement outside the formation.

All that could be heard was the shrieking of the densely packed First Tier Demon Beast, which grew even more intense as they pushed and shoved, intermittently making way for a colossal creature covered in scales, surrounded by a dozen or so Second Tier Demon Beast, as it strode over.

The beasts that had been fighting fiercely around the stockade suddenly stopped and retreated like a tide.

Although the cultivators on the stockade wall were still dozens of feet away from the Second Tier Demon Beast below, they were still intimidated by the aura emanating from these ugly creatures and their faces showed worry.

Only now, having confirmed his identity Sect Leader Kang Da, did he finally realize his own thoughts. He carefully examined his old nemesis below the general's stronghold for a while before muttering, "E Yuan."

"Fellow Daoist Kang, it's been a long time." E Yuan looked up at him, his eyes filled with hatred.

"E Yuan, your three brothers didn't die at my hands. What deep-seated hatred do we have? Is it really necessary to go to such lengths to harm me?"

As soon as Kang Dabao finished speaking, E Yuan started chuckling on the other end.

The beast first let out a long breath, then opened its huge mouth, and hoarse, unpleasant syllables flowed out from between its teeth. "Yuan Feng is dead, Yue Lan is dead. Of all the enemies who harmed my brothers back then, you are the only one still alive. If I don't kill you, how can I vent my anger?!"

Even if I can't kill you this time, I'll make you lose a few trusted followers, so you can taste what I've been feeling all these years!

After saying this, the beast didn't stop. His fierce eyes swept over the cultivators on the wall one by one before he said:

"Listen up, cultivators in the village! If you have no connection with that Chongming Sect, then leave now, and my Cold Crow Mountain lineage will spare your lives."

If we act too slowly, or if we wait until the stronghold falls, then things will be hard to say. My compassionate heart cannot last too long."

When lives are at stake, even the most blatant lies will be believed. A murmur of whispers began to rise among the disciples of the Cold Mountain Sect.

"So these beasts were all after the leader of the Chongming Sect! We've all suffered this injustice because of his family!"

"This is a case of collateral damage caused by a fire at the city gate!"

"Don't panic, gentlemen. There's always a way to turn things around, as long as we..."

For a moment, E Yuan's words stirred strange thoughts in many people on the stockade wall. Some brainless fools even blurted out their own thoughts:

"Uncle-Master Lu, let's send someone down to the lower levels to explain things to this Demon Beast leader, so that they know who is responsible and won't cause trouble for our Cold Mountain Sect. As long as they are willing to help, our Cold Mountain Sect will withdraw from Jia-Chou Military Stronghold and cease all allies with the Chongming Sect."

"Slap!" Lu Xingbei was furious. Instead of scolding him, he turned around and answered with a slap as big as a palm leaf.

If he hadn't still retained some rationality, he probably would have slapped the last disciple who spoke out right now, knocking his brain out.

"You actually believe what Demon Beast says? Did your mother really raise the placenta and then abandon the baby?!"

Lu Xingbei roared in fury. The Demon Beast of the Cold Crow Mountain Range had fought countless battles with the human race over the past tens of thousands of years—enough that even Nascent Soul True Person couldn't count them all. Given their overwhelming power, how could they possibly maintain peace with the human race?

Lu Xingbei is a true Rogue Cultivator who fought his way up from unarmed to Foundation Establishment True Cultivator. If you really anger him, he doesn't care if you're a disciple or not; he can just pull out an ice crystal spear and stab you, freezing you solid from the inside out.

Anyway, these so-called disciples of the Four Friends of Cold Mountain have only been under their tutelage for a few years, so there's no question of whether they feel sorry for them or not; they can simply recruit another batch.

Unlike some powerful sect leader who would frequently grieve over the loss of disciples, these four sworn brothers would find it extremely difficult to do such a thing.

After all, there are many minor cultivators in this world who Seek Truth Dharma, and the opportunity to become a disciple of Foundation Establishment sect is indeed rare. Even if the few True Cultivator of the Cold Mountain Sect are ruthless, it is enough to make them risk their lives to try.

Several disciples of the Cold Mountain Sect who had been hoping to turn their backs on the enemy were terrified and wished they could swallow back the words they had just spoken.

After reprimanding his disciples, Lu Xingbei quickly approached Kang Dabao without pause, bowed deeply, and said, "Lu Xingbei has failed in his duties, resulting in a loss of morale within the army. I beg the Alliance Leader to punish me."

The latter's gaze remained fixed on the enormous creature below the barracks, as if pondering how to use his Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes to cut open its armor and melt its internal organs and flesh into a pulp.

After hearing Lu Xingbei's words, he simply said, "Fellow Daoist Lu, please calm down. With a powerful enemy at hand, the juniors are inexperienced and it's understandable that they might lose their composure, but it's nothing to worry about."

Hearing Kang Dabao's words, Lu Xingbei finally relaxed, his tense face softening as he let out a long breath, a barely perceptible hint of lingering fear appearing on his face.

"I need to talk to my elder brother about this later. From now on, we can't just settle things with a few clever tricks. If that Kang fellow really thinks I'm like these fools, he'll probably tear me apart right here on the walls of this military camp in no time!"

He came from a humble background Rogue Cultivator, and with his decent skill in controlling artifacts, he made a name for himself among the Rogue Cultivator in Hong County, which allowed him to form the nickname "Four Friends of Cold Mountain" with Xu Liuxian and others.

But the Kang Dabao before them was someone who had already tested his skills against Lang Yi, the number one Rogue Cultivator in Hong County, many years ago.

Lu Xingbei didn't consider himself a coward, but he certainly wouldn't dare to cross paths with someone like this.

Having just narrowly escaped death Lu Xingbei ignored the cold sweat on his back and sternly urged the disciples of the Cold Mountain Sect to be on high alert.

Not long after, Ji Yunsheng, Lu Xingbei's third brother, who should have been recuperating in the village after a long battle the day before, also heard the news and rushed to the city wall.

He was more familiar with Sect Leader Kang Da and knew that the latter was not as narrow-minded as the legends suggested. After a simple greeting, he turned to Lu Xingbei and began to train the disciples and get down to business.

Seeing that its psychological tactics had failed, E Yuan did not show any anger.

Although it had only spent time with Kang Dabao once many years ago at the Mountain-Viewing cave abode, it knew that the latter was not a useless piece of trash. It would be strange if he couldn't even intimidate the cultivators in the stronghold.

It turned around and selected a Golden-Horned Woolly Rhinoceros with long fur. This Second Tier Demon Beast was completely different from its usual lazy demeanor. It simply raised its head and roared, and the dozen or so Second Tier Demon Beast around it rushed towards the somewhat thin walls of the military camp.