The mysterious expert from the State of Yun had positioned her cloud beasts to hold a corner all alone, and so when the beast tide broke through the wall, no one was there to shield her.
In the instant the stone wall suddenly caved in, nearly every cultivator on the front line was too spent to spare a glance to either side. In a single exchange, almost half of them went down, vanishing into the beast pack without even a bone left.
The cloud beasts, for their part, did not fear death or injury, but they had only combat instinct and no intelligence. Every complex move depended on the one casting them.
It would never even occur to them to sacrifice themselves to save their master; and in any case, in such a situation there was no chance for it either.
A hundred-some cloud beasts looked like a lot, but when the tide rolled in they were swallowed in an instant.
In truth, as those ferocious beasts came lunging straight at her face, Ye Qingyu's mind went completely blank.
She came from a great house. She had taken the best Meridian-Opening Pill, chosen the most compatible cultivation method, and done every step of cultivation to perfection. Taking on this mission had been a spur-of-the-moment whim — she had slipped away from her elders on purpose, wanting to test her own strength.
And before this, she had never experienced true life-and-death combat. Nor had she ever needed to.
So she had never once imagined that when true mortal danger struck, the feeling would be so... blood-chilling!
She could almost smell the foul breath from the beast's enormous maw, almost see the crimson lurking behind its fangs.
Then she saw a surging sword-light sweeping with billowing violet energy.
Violet qi comes from the east, and the feudal lords gaze westward!
The surging violet qi dissolved the beast before her, and Jiang Chen arrived with his sword, kicking the empty-headed woman aside: "What are you standing there for?!"
He flung a Flame Pellet behind him that blasted apart, then leapt several strides to another battlefield.
When the tide broke the wall, he was one of the few who reacted first and counterattacked. But the collapse of the first line was already certain; one man alone could never turn it around.
So he decisively pulled back, then ran toward the direction he remembered Zhao Yan being. As for saving this mysterious cultivator from the State of Yun — that had simply been a stroke of convenience.
His real worry was Zhao Yan. The young man might be full of secrets, but he had only recently opened his meridians; he might not be able to hold himself safe.
...
Ye Qingyu tumbled backward through the air for a while before she came to her senses.
First thought: I'm saved!
Second thought: I just... got kicked?
She rolled over and steadied herself, casually summoned two cloud beasts, and only then looked around in lingering panic. She found that no one had the energy to notice her, and the man who had saved her had already vanished from sight entirely.
She retreated, standing atop a cloud beast, and looked around — every figure she saw was bathed in blood, still fighting.
Only then did her face grow hot. With her cultivation, her methods, and the secret treasures she carried, she should never have been caught so helpless. Played right, while she could not carve through the whole tide, defending herself would have been no problem.
And just now, she had nearly died — body and Dao together!
At that thought, she drew two gleaming golden beans from her sleeve and tossed them ahead.
In a flash of gold, the beans swelled and transformed into two Golden-Armored Warriors, war-blades in hand, plunging into the beast tide.
The ferocious beasts bit at them and broke their own teeth. And the Golden-Armored Warriors felled one beast with each stroke, cutting through like chopping melons and vegetables, running wild unopposed.
Scattering Beans into Soldiers!
It had no flaw, save that the bean-seeds were precious and costly.
Especially beans of this level. Even Ye Qingyu felt the sting of the price. One could say that the moment these two golden beans were flung, even completing the mission would mean a loss.
...
Meanwhile Jiang Chen raced along with his sword, slaying beasts and saving people as he went, but his route was drifting downhill.
Because the beast tide was surging rapidly downward.
That meant the second defensive line was in mortal danger too.
Anxious, Jiang Chen's eyes suddenly lit up.
Ahead, that figure retreating while fighting, looking utterly at ease — if that wasn't Zhao Yan, who was it?
He was retreating too, but unlike the others, he didn't bolt in panic or careen wildly. Instead he had chosen a very strange route.
Darting left and right, even surging forward now and then.
But whatever ground he passed had either rock shelters or pits to cut off pursuit. In any case, he never faced more than three beasts head-on at any given moment.
The battle power he displayed was not especially strong, yet he looked far more relaxed than Jiang Chen. Practically strolling.
Zhao Yan saw Jiang Chen running over and called out repeatedly: "Hey, hey, don't come over!"
But Jiang Chen had already leapt to his side, cutting down the beasts before him with a few strokes and, for good measure, showing off a Vine Binding Art. "Watch your third brother do it!"
By rights, with the two of them fighting blade to blade, the battle should have been easier. But somehow the beasts they faced seemed more numerous, and the pressure multiplied.
Zhao Yan shifted his feet and said, exasperated: "Follow me."
Jiang Chen thought it over briefly, then fell into the rhythm of Zhao Yan's retreat. Sure enough, the fighting turned easy again.
"Third brother, you used to be pretty good at using your head. Why are you getting more and more like Du the Tiger?"
"Haha, I used to—" Jiang Chen landed a slap on his head in passing: "Who are you calling brainless? Show some respect!"
"Oh, right. Did you see Huang Azhan?" Jiang Chen asked again.
Zhao Yan curled his lip: "He flashed past me, couldn't hold him back if I tried. Runs faster than anyone!"
Good, then. That meant he was fine.
As for Li Yun, he was the last one Jiang Chen needed to worry about. If even Li Yun met with trouble, nothing Jiang Chen did would help.
Jiang Chen turned and gazed back — in the direction of Dou Yuemei, the city lord of Three Mountain City.
If there was a hidden move left, this should be the time for it.
...
When the Yin-Yang Twin-Headed Eagle had appeared, Teams B and C were on the first defensive line, with Teams D and E in reserve as the second line.
And now, even Team A, which had been pulled back not long before, was pressing up again.
Every cultivator had been thrown into the fight, and over there, Dou Yuemei still seemed to have made no move.
Wait — why had it suddenly gone so quiet?
Jiang Chen suddenly understood. The eagle's shriek, which had persisted for so long, was gone.
That meant the Yin-Yang Twin-Headed Eagle had been slain!
The dean of the Three Mountain City Dao Academy stood beside the eagle's carcass, letting out an involuntary sigh of relief.
The scene was exactly like two years ago, when Sun Heng had fought alone to the summit of the Upright Brush and slain the Yin-Yang Twin-Headed Eagle, sealing the victory.
The beast tide seemed to freeze for that instant too, and then a cheer burst from the ranks of the cultivators.
But in the very next instant—
"Hahahahaha!"
"Coo coo coo coo coo..."
Eagle shrieks rose one after another, drowning out the cultivators' cheers.
The Bright Suspended Lanterns clearly lit the scene: from the direction of Jade Balance Peak's summit, a flock of Yin-Yang Twin-Headed Eagles swept in, blotting out the clouds and the moon.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Coo coo coo coo coo..."
The cries were wicked and deranged.
On Jade Balance Peak, an entire flock of Yin-Yang Twin-Headed Eagles had actually been living!
The dean of the Three Mountain City Dao Academy had no time to guard himself. In a single exchange he was torn to shreds!
The beasts howled in a frenzy.
Mountain stones rumbled; giant trees snapped and swayed.
A blazing, scorching pillar of crimson light came hurtling head-on. Jiang Chen and Zhao Yan dodged to opposite sides.
Only the very rarest of ferocious beasts could wield innate arts. And any beast with an innate art was by necessity a master among beasts.
The pillar of light shot through the gap between Jiang Chen and Zhao Yan, furrowing a deep pit into the ground.
And from that moment, Jiang Chen and Zhao Yan never managed to rejoin.
Because the surging beast tide had already swept everything away!