Demon Beast Uprising
The child's cries carried far amidst the stench of blood. The first-tier Demon Beast, lurking in the shadows, had already stealthily approached the child with light, nimble steps.
The child, oblivious to the impending danger, struggled to move his mother's body, trying to pull her from the sea of corpses and bury her.
But when he noticed something and turned around, he saw only a huge, menacing maw rushing towards him.
"Ah!"
The piercing cry echoed across the wilderness.
The child gasped for breath, completely oblivious to the beast's blood splattered on his face.
The terrifying Demon Beast lay sprawled beside him, its Demon Beast head rolling to his feet.
The child wiped the blood from his face and looked up at the person who had suddenly appeared before him. The person was tall and slender, holding a long sword, standing with her back to the blazing sun, looking like a goddess.
When the child's gaze fell upon him, he merely glanced back lightly, then deftly flicked away the remaining blood from the blade.
"Are you a mortal living here?" the man asked.
The boy nodded subconsciously, his gaze never leaving the woman's face.
He tried to say something, but his throat seemed to be blocked, and he couldn't say anything.
"This place is no longer suitable for living. Go find the sect in this area and have them take you to temporary accommodations." After saying this, the woman turned to leave.
The boy immediately became anxious. He really wanted to ask the other person's name, and if possible, he would be willing to carve a longevity tablet for this person and worship it for the rest of his life.
But he was so tongue-tied that he couldn't utter a single word that was on the tip of his tongue.
"Sang Ying, come back quickly! This place has been almost cleared up. We should stop going to help the local areas!" In the distance, the woman's companion was calling to her.
Those people were also impeccably dressed and exuded an air of distinction. They were truly from the same world.
The boy suddenly realized this, and he slowly withdrew his outstretched hand.
The woman named Sang Ying seemed to have sensed something. She turned and glanced at the boy. After seeing the child's hand tightly gripping his mother's clothes, she placed a Spirit Stone in front of him.
"Upon arriving at the temporary residence, you can use a Spirit Stone to have the opportunity to test your Spirit Root. If you are determined to defy fate, then give it a try."
The woman never looked back and quickly returned to her companions.
Her companion glanced at the boy from afar, which frightened him so much that he immediately shrank back.
What were you saying to that child just now?
Then the woman replied, "It's nothing, just giving him another option."
The child was surrounded by Spiritual Qi, clearly possessing Spirit Root. If he had any intention of cultivating immortality after experiencing the chaos of the Demon Beast, he would seize this opportunity.
As for whether he will rise to the top or live a simple and happy life, that depends on his own choice.
The children in the ruins were quickly taken away by people from other sects and placed in temporary accommodations that had just been built nearby.
The monks helped the boy bury his mother and provided him with shelter.
The boy soon learned that this was the territory of the top sect Sword Frost Cliff. It was said that once the beast tide completely subsided, the people of Sword Frost Cliff would help them, these suffering mortals, rebuild the town here.
Upon hearing the news, everyone in the temporary shelter cheered with joy, as if they had finally been saved.
But the boy wasn't happy at all.
After observing carefully for three days, he finally gave the Spirit Stone to the female cultivator who had been taking care of him, explaining his thoughts.
The female cultivator naturally knew the rules of using a Spirit Stone to test Spirit Root, but she had stayed in this temporary residence for a long time and had never seen a mortal with the destiny to become an immortal.
She wanted to refuse, but seeing the boy's persistent expression, the female cultivator softened.
She thought, at worst, the test would show he had no Spirit Root, and she could give up on the child's hopes. But what if he did have Spirit Root?
With anticipation in her eyes, the female cultivator placed the spirit-testing Spirit Stone into the boy's hand.
Whether her prayers had some effect or not, as soon as she got her hands on the Spirit Stone, a dazzling golden light shot into the sky.
Even if the female cultivator's aptitude wasn't good enough, she still knew that this was a sign that the boy possessed a single metal Spirit Root!
The golden light gradually faded, but the boy's surprised expression remained on his face. The female cultivator looked at the thin child again, knowing that the fate of this person was about to undergo an unprecedented change!
This was the third day since Sang Ying and her group arrived in the Black Tortoise Realm. Although they already knew that the Black Tortoise Realm was ravaged by demonic Demon Beast, they had long been mentally prepared.
But upon witnessing the horrific state of this world, Sang Ying and the others were still shocked.
The shock was indescribable.
The land was covered in red soil and ruins everywhere; there was no sign of life at all. Led by cultivators from the Black Tortoise Realm, Sang Ying and her group traversed several towns, and the most common living creatures they saw were crows!
In the face of such a catastrophe, many small sects were wiped out, let alone ordinary people who had no means of self-defense.
It was only at this moment that Sang Ying and the others understood why the Black Tortoise Realm, a place where the path of cultivation was incredibly powerful, would disregard its reputation and ask for help from outside because of a beast tide.
Even though the cultivators could resist the Demon Beast, they simply didn't have the energy to deal with the destroyed houses and the land ravaged by Demon Beast.
The purpose of bringing in cultivators from the Immortal Spirit Realm was simply to find them a support team.
Ten Thousand Daos Born's disciples had no objections, since the reward offered by Sword Frost Cliff was indeed very high.
But the Mara Gate didn't think that way. Their disciples, upholding the proud character of their sect, had been aiming to slay Demon Beast and make a name for themselves in the small world from the very beginning.
Instead, they were assigned mundane tasks like clearing the ruins, which naturally displeased them. Even Su Fuyun was somewhat dissatisfied.
However, she did not reveal this, and when facing Limitless Sect cultivators, she mostly greeted them with a smile.
This made the Mara Gate disciples, who were already dissatisfied with her, even more Qi Ingestion of their leader.
Fortunately, Luo Jin, her deputy, always supported her, which allowed her to barely gain some say in the team.
But having some say is not enough for Su Fuyun, after all, in Ten Thousand Daos Born's team, Sang Ying can now stand on equal footing with Ji Fucang!
Just thinking about it made Su Fuyun feel nauseous.
On the one hand, she envied Sang Ying for having such an understanding senior brother as Ji Fucang, but on the other hand, she despised Ji Fucang's easygoing nature, which allowed Sang Ying to steal the spotlight several times.
Seeing that everyone's gazes toward Sang Ying were becoming increasingly affectionate and appreciative, Su Fuyun's frustration intensified.
These frustrating and tedious days didn't last long before the peace was shattered.
News came from the cultivators on the front lines of the fight against the beast tide that the beast tide, which had been gradually subsiding, suddenly became fierce again, even breaking through the cultivators' defenses several times and heading towards the major sects!
If the defense line is truly breached, then Sword Frost Cliff and Limitless Sect will be the first to suffer!