Arc 13: Wild Beast Plains | Chapter 231: Beast Tide Battle
Translator: Lynn
The soldiers began forming the phalanx, even those with the lowest cultivation base, hover between the eighth and ninth levels of the formation. Among them, numerous innate martial artist leaders strive to stimulate the vitality of heaven and earth.
While these individuals, if present in the mortal world in groups of three or five, would be esteemed as honored guests, within this army, they appeared as the most ordinary soldiers, united in their determination to combat the oncoming beast tide.
Observing the innate warriors raising their hands, a potent force surged from their palms, prompting the soldiers behind them to synchronize their efforts and channel their collective strength.
Subsequently, invisible energy orbs manifested in the palms of many martial artists, interconnecting with one another. In the blink of an eye, they congregated and expanded continuously, as if harboring an earth-shattering power.
The protective cover continued to emit a vibrant, colorful glow, but in the distance, the wild beasts advanced like an approaching storm, their momentum akin to thunder and their posture reminiscent of flowing water—rolling and surging.
They raced at an incredible speed, arriving in front of the protective shield within half a moment!
“Boom—boom!
“Twice! Three times!”
The air echoed with a continuous barrage of impact sounds as the wild beasts relentlessly rammed their heads against the protective shield.
In just a moment, the shield vibrated under the assault.
Anticipating the onslaught, the cultivators on the city wall raised their talismans, chanted spells, and waved their arms forward. Multiple rays of light emerged from the talismans, flying straight to the barrier and disappearing into it.
Soon, the light on the barrier flickered repeatedly before stabilizing again.
The wild beasts intensified their assault, and the cultivators responded with swifter maneuvers. The two sides entered a temporary stalemate, showcasing their considerable combat skills.
It became evident that these fighters were seasoned in battle.
Among the wild beasts, one of the wild beasts took the lead inexplicably, almost charging recklessly.
Although the martial artists acknowledged the limitations of their true energy, they were well-prepared. Whenever someone weakened, others promptly stepped in to compensate, ensuring the barrier remained impervious to the wild beasts’ onslaught.
Inside the protective cover, above the numerous soldiers, transparent entities began faintly taking shape on each square formation. These formations gradually transitioned from intangible to tangible, revealing semi-physical forms.
Enormous knives, long spears, sledgehammers—various sharp or heavy objects, all constituting eighteen types of weapons, emerged as these heavy weapons took form. The aura emanating from them was extraordinarily potent, surpassing the mere sum of the warriors’ internal strength. Once condensed, this energy generated a formidable force that even many cultivators would hesitate to confront.
This energy bore the weight of an incredibly terrifying force—the collective force of soldiers engaged in bloody battles, filled with thoughts of fighting and facing death. Through these heavy weapons, they harnessed a remarkable ability to mobilize the vitality of the world.
Perhaps the wild beasts also sensed this power shift, as a high-pitched cry echoed from behind the black mass of beasts. It seemed as though an order had been instilled in them, causing the previously frenzied creatures to abruptly cease and retreat like a receding tide.
Simultaneously, dozens of black beams of light shot up into the sky, resembling a flowing stream, heading directly for the protective barrier!
Despite the retreat of the beasts, the cultivators on the city wall displayed no signs of relief.
The situation took another turn as those beams of light descended upon the barrier, causing a vivid burst of colorful light to emanate across its surface.
Resembling a disc, the colorful light struggled against the force of the incoming beams, resisting their relentless pressure as they sought to penetrate it.
After a short while, a significant portion of the beams was nullified, but a residue persisted on the barrier, emitting a sizzling sound reminiscent of boiling water. Visible to the naked eye, black spots emerged on the barrier, spreading in all directions.
“That’s Mie Ling’s blood poison!”
“A hole!”
“Observe closely; this is just the basic level of Mie Ling’s blood poison. We should be able to withstand it!”
“Why fear? We’re awaiting the formation of the elemental power. Even if the protective shield collapses, it won’t matter!”
The warriors and soldiers below concentrated on the elements above their heads and exchanged hushed whispers. However, their determination shone through, and in a moment, they exerted greater strength to mold the barrier.
Finally, as more black beams of light surged forth, the protective barrieremitted a distinct sound, akin to glass shattering, and immediately shattered.
The protective barrier had been breached!
Simultaneously, weapons above the heads of every soldier in the phalanx were dangerously formed!
As Xu Ziqing and a group of order cultivators arrived, they witnessed dozens of elemental weapons, resembling mountains, advancing to engage the wild beasts.
A sledgehammer crashed down, decimating thousands of beasts!
A massive knife, with a dominating aura, carved great cracks into the plains, entrapping countless wild beasts!
A long spear, its tip continuously shaking, transformed into thousands of shadows, piercing through hundreds of wild beasts in clusters!
Long whips, sharp swords, giant axes—various weapons displayed unparalleled dominance!
Even cultivators who had seen much of the world, they were astounded by the formidable power of these mortal warriors, each with a relatively low status.
Some Golden Core cultivators might find it challenging to compare with the might of such powerful elemental weapons, risking significant harm if they attempted to confront them head-on.
The impact of so many elements resembled a collective force equivalent to dozens of golden cores working together. In just a few breaths, the vanguard of the wild beasts was obliterated, leaving behind countless limbs and broken bodies.
Sergeants, witnessing the success of their strike, erupted in loud cheers, bolstering their morale. However, they were aware that this tactic was time-consuming, and they needed to execute it flawlessly to eliminate tens of thousands of beasts in one fell swoop before moving on to the next wave.
Undaunted, they steeled themselves, deploying the meticulously practiced coordinated formation and charging fearlessly into the mass of wild beasts!
Millions of soldiers surged forward into battle, their resounding shouts reaching the skies.
The unstoppable aura emanating from this force ignited the blood of many cultivators in the sky, inspiring a fervor as if they were confronted by a death-defying heroic spirit, fueling their desire to engage fiercely in combat.
During this intense moment, countless cultivators descended toward the battlefield, resembling a swarm of moths or a cascade of raindrops.
In the midst of the action, Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie traversed the battlefield together, finding themselves amidst the fierce clash.
Below, the one-horned beasts engaged in combat with numerous soldiers. Among them, only the red-horned and golden-horned beasts possessed the ability to release the deadly Mie Ling blood poison. Although their quantities were less than those of the multi-horned beasts, they posed a significant challenge to the warriors and soldiers.
However, for practitioners like Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie, their true adversaries were the multitude of beasts behind these hundreds of thousands of one-horned wild beasts.
After employing various techniques akin to those of their fellow cultivators, Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie finally caught sight of the rear of the wild beast herd.
Behind them, multi-horned beasts, no less formidable than their one-horned counterparts, stared intently, ready for action.
Upon this revelation, many cultivators immediately cast spells. Auras illuminated the scene as powerful magic weapons descended, striking the heads of some wild beasts. Simultaneously, weaker cultivators formed pairs, creating formations to ensnare the wild beasts before delivering a decisive blow.
These wild beasts were no less formidable, lifting their heads and emitting tri-colored beams of light—black, red, or gold—illuminating the surroundings with intense brilliance.
The Mie Ling blood poison they released was potent, instantly contaminating any magic weapons it encountered. The toxicity was so strong that even some resilient magic treasures would succumb, wearing away inch by inch. Some battles could be prolonged until the toxicity waned, resulting in victory. However, weaker cultivators faced immediate blackening of their magic weapons, followed by the penetration of the blood poison through the skin. The affected individual would then collapse to the ground, succumbing to a silent death.
This Mie Ling blood poison turned out to be an innate supernatural power possessed by wild beasts. Any creature with multiple horns could release this lethal poison, regardless of its disposition.
The true horror lay in the fact that true to its name, “Mie Ling” or “Annihilation of the Spirit,” the poison swiftly destroyed one’s intelligence. The primordial spirit would dissolve, leaving the victim devoid of spiritual intelligence. Simultaneously, the body would decay, transforming into a lifeless corpse incapable of reincarnation.
Moreover, the toxicity varied depending on the level of the beast and the color of its horn. The blood poison of the golden horn proved most potent, followed by the red horn, with the black horn ranking third. Under the same level, the blood poison of a five-horned beast could even extinguish the souls of ancestors in the Nascent Soul stage, completely poisoning their Nascent Soul.
WIld beasts may be grounded, but the blood poison’s pervasive nature enabled it to ascend into the sky, dragging down any unfortunate cultivator.
The terror instilled by such a formidable blood poison was enough to instigate fear. If not for this supernatural power, the cultivators would merely observe spells being cast in the air without being as vigilant against the impending beast tide.
Groups of two and three-horned beasts released increasing amounts of blood poison, nearly shrouding half the sky. Despite many cultivators defending one side, they struggled to protect the other. Several positioned themselves back-to-back, utilizing powerful magic weapons to strike down the blood poison-releasing beasts. Yet, even with these efforts, many low-level cultivators succumbed, turning into lifeless remains.
Only cultivators in the Golden Core Formation and Golden Core stages could withstand the onslaught for a more extended period.
However, at this moment, the fourth-tier wild beast had yet to make an appearance, and the whereabouts of the elusive fifth-tier wild beast remained unknown. The somber atmosphere deepened further as many fellow Taoists around them fell, rendering any sense of enjoyment impossible.
Taking charge, Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie had already sprung into action.
Yun Lie, without question, formed his sword aura, which was unmatched in both vertical and horizontal movements. The blood poison emitted by those two-horned and triangular beasts was crushed by his sword before they could approach, leaving them unable to reach him.
While Yun Lie held his ground, the golden giant sword he wielded exuded unparalleled dominance. With a swing, he cleared the sky of other cultivators, then descended with a sweeping motion, cutting through the area.
Inspired by the prowess of his senior brother, Xu Ziqing was eager to showcase his abilities.
Enveloped in azure light, he accumulated the Qi of Ethereal Wood on his body, dispelling the poisonous and bloody aura around him. If a beam of blood poison light shot towards the sky, he could skillfully dodge left and right. Even if unable to dodge in time, dozens of Qingyun needles would form a protective cloud around him.
Yet, despite his defensive measures, he could only shield himself on such a chaotic battlefield, leaving him dissatisfied.
After contemplation, Xu Ziqing’s palm was stained with blood as he tightly gripped a vine.
Now that he did not need direct contact as a connection with Rongjin, he could manifest Rongjin externally. Using it solely as a magic weapon would not raise any suspicion.
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