Dao Companions Help Me Live Forever
224. Chapter 222 Beast Tide And Blood Pool
Outside the city in autumn wind.
The once vibrant Lingtian, full of life, has been hastily harvested, leaving behind empty and messy fields, with only a few figures bending down to pick up the remaining grains.
Although the beast tide has become a regular occurrence, for most people, they may only experience it once in their lifetime.
So when news of the beast tide spreads, it is inevitable that people will be filled with fear and anxiety.
Yu Xian walks in the city, but there are not many people around. Every household has their doors tightly shut, and it is eerily quiet. Occasionally, a few hurried figures can be seen, all of them fleeing from the city.
Those who are well-off carry several storage bags with them, while those who are not so fortunate rush with their carts, pulling large boxes of goods.
Autumn Wind City has no city walls, nor does it have a protective formation.
This means that when the beast tide arrives, ordinary people have no way of receiving much protection from high-rank cultivators. Most people can only fend for themselves.
It sounds cruel.
But this is reality. As a frontier city adjacent to the demonic veins, Autumn Wind City is destined to bear a pressure that an ordinary county should not bear.
It is different from Shangyang City.
There, it is just a remote area with a sparse population and no obvious spiritual qi. The attacks are only from makeshift demon kings, equivalent to ordinary cultivators.
Even so, each beast tide still causes the decline of several Foundation Establishment families and the deaths of tens of thousands of mortals and low-level cultivators.
Of course, amidst the decline, there are always cultivators who rise up using the resources from the beast tide, achieving legendary accomplishments.
But between rise and fall, it is always the lower class that suffers.
Less than half of the cultivators and mortals who flee to other places can eventually return to their hometown.
The local cultivators left in Autumn Wind City can only be trapped on Autumn Wind Mountain, relying on the third-grade spiritual veins as their energy source, and setting up a mountain protection formation to barely protect themselves.
However, in the city's historical records, Autumn Wind Mountain has been breached by the demonic clan more than once, resulting in extremely heavy casualties, and it is only recovered after the beast tide subsides.
Taking this as a lesson, there are not too many cultivators who stay on Autumn Wind Mountain, and most of them are cultivators from the local major sects.
Including the county magistrate, Yan County Magistrate.
Yan County Magistrate has the responsibility to defend the territory and cannot leave without authorization, so he can only stay and resist.
As for why the cultivators from the local sects do not leave, it is not because they have such high integrity and want to stay on the front line to fight against the Demonic Beasts.
It is because their properties are here.
They can leave, but the spiritual fields accumulated over hundreds of years, even thousands of years, by their sects cannot be moved with them.
Of course, there are land contracts, and Xuan Yang Sect is not unreasonable. They cannot turn a blind eye.
But the problem lies with those spiritual fields that do not have land contracts and are not taxed on a regular basis.
If they leave, after the beast tide passes, all the spiritual fields will be in chaos, and even if they come back, they can only claim the spiritual fields stated in their land contracts.
As for the other "wild spiritual fields," they will naturally belong to the Lord's Manor.
Unfortunately, the "wild spiritual fields" make up the majority of each family's assets.
Yu Xian recalls the situation introduced to him by Li Liangyu, slowly walking through Autumn Wind City, seeing the various scenes of life, but feeling neither joy nor sadness, unable to be moved in the slightest.
As he grows older, his emotional expression becomes more and more stingy.
"That's fine. After the Great Unity Society appears in the public eye, I can also claim to be hunting demons for mortals, seeking a bit more vitality for all living beings.
Doing selfish things in the name of justice, tsk tsk, it makes me more and more nauseous."
Yu Xian chuckles self-deprecatingly and strides forward.
...
In the 5,723rd year of the Jiuyang calendar, on the third day of the second month, a light rain falls in early spring.
The sky is as dark as ink, as if foretelling something.
Squawk!
A sharp and long cry, like a signal.
Golden light pierces through the dark clouds, and a golden phoenix with wings spanning thousands of feet spreads its wings, dispersing the clouds and stopping the rain, allowing sunlight to shine upon the earth.
Immediately after, a swarm of beasts surges out from the Golden Phoenix Demonic Vein.
Stretching for five thousand miles, hundreds of thousands of Demonic Beasts occupy the horizon, accompanied by a group of wild beasts, seemingly boundless.
The earth begins to tremble, and a thunderous roar spreads for hundreds of miles, causing silence in the world.
Above tens of thousands of meters in the sky, the astral winds howl.
The golden phoenix transforms into human form, revealing the Golden Phoenix Demonic Emperor.
Looking at the Demonic Beasts surging forward like waves, the Golden Phoenix Demonic Emperor's gaze shifts, and he sighs towards the distance.
"True Monarch of September, since you have come, why not show yourself?"
"Golden Phoenix Demonic Emperor, I am honored to be here," the True Monarch of September says calmly.
"I dare not."
九月 True Monarch's voice is cold and distant, giving people a sense of keeping others at a distance.
"Would the Demonic Emperor like to follow the usual practice and sit down with me to wait, or would you like to have a battle first?" the Golden Phoenix Demonic Emperor asks.
"It seems that the Demonic Emperor is confident that I won't make a move?" the True Monarch of September says calmly.
"I dare not."
"True Monarch guessed correctly. After being neighbors with Xuanyang Sect for so many years, don't you know what kind of person I am?"
The Demon Emperor Jinpeng waved his hand, and clouds and mist surged, forming a high platform chess table, two chairs, and a pot of steaming tea.
"This is Moon Dew Tea, a spiritual tea tree that requires the essence of the moon to be irrigated. It takes three years for a leaf to grow, which is suitable for balancing the extreme yang energy in the True Monarch Cultivation Technique.
I accidentally obtained a spiritual plant a hundred years ago and have been taking care of it until now, finally obtaining two leaves of tea.
This time, I offer flowers to Buddha and would like to drink with True Monarch while playing chess."
In September, True Monarch stepped onto the stage, raised a cup of tea, took a sip, and felt a strong lunar power burst in her mouth. Then, a cool air rushed towards her sea of consciousness, causing her Divine Sense power to slightly increase.
At the same time, the magic power in her Dantian, which was about to burst, temporarily calmed down, giving her a feeling of more harmonious control.
She felt that if she could drink this tea for a long time, her cultivation speed would definitely improve, and she would have a better chance of breaking through the Nascent Soul late stage.
"It is indeed good tea. The Demon Emperor is thoughtful."
September True Monarch looked deeply at the Demon Emperor Jinpeng, sat down on the platform, and started playing chess with him.
Her task this time was to keep an eye on the Demon Emperor Jinpeng.
If it could be resolved peacefully, she wouldn't have any intention of slaying demons.
At her level of cultivation, unless it was a major grudge that hindered her path, ordinary righteousness and reputation could no longer restrain her.
"Haha, as long as True Monarch likes it."
The Demon Emperor Jinpeng set up a chessboard and said,
"Since losing to True Monarch with a move last time, I have been wanting to regain my reputation. This is a chess puzzle I accidentally obtained, with endless variations. Please enlighten me, True Monarch."
He completely had the demeanor of someone just going through the motions, allowing September True Monarch to gradually let go of her guard.
September True Monarch had been neighbors with the Demon Emperor Jinpeng for three hundred years and believed she had some understanding of his character.
The Demon Emperor Jinpeng's true form was a Golden-winged Great Peng, rumored to have a trace of the bloodline of the true spirit Golden-winged Great Peng, possessing extreme speed and innate escape techniques.
Although he was a middle-grade Demon Emperor, True Monarch cultivators at the Nascent Soul late stage without supernatural escape powers could not catch up to his speed.
There were quite a few True Monarch cultivators in Xuanyang Sect who could defeat him, but those who were confident in killing him were few and far between.
The last time the Demon Emperor Jinpeng fought several True Monarchs outside the Xuanyang Sect's mountain gate, demanding the sect to hand over the true inheritance of Zhang Yan, was a complete defeat, but he was not seriously injured.
From what she knew, on that day, the sect intended to capture the Demon Emperor Jinpeng but underestimated his speed and were unprepared, allowing him to escape and slightly tarnishing the reputation of Xuanyang Sect.
If it weren't for the Phoenix Demon Venerable's goodwill towards humans and the promotion of peaceful coexistence between humans and demons, especially for avian demon races like the Demon Emperor Jinpeng, Xuanyang Sect would have to face threats from more than a dozen Demon Emperors during every beast tide, and life would not be as easy as it is now.
However, even with the Phoenix Demon Venerable's goodwill towards humans, they still couldn't go against the tradition of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range launching a beast tide every once in a while."
"Your Majesty, I am honored to accompany you in this game."
In September, True Monarch glanced at the chessboard and pressed his fingertip, adding a pure white jade-like white chess piece to the board.
In her leisure time, she would play the zither and play chess, having some knowledge of the way of chess.
During the last beast tide, she played against the Golden Peng Demon Emperor for ten years, which prevented any other Emperor Grade forces from participating in the beast tide under the jurisdiction of the Mingyue Heavenly City.
Meanwhile, the Lord of the Chongming Heavenly City next to her inexplicably fought with the Gao Si Demon Emperor who bordered him.
In the end, the Gao Si Demon Emperor's Gao Si Bloodline Talent prevailed, cutting off three hundred years of lifespan from the Chongming True Monarch, pushing him to the limit of his lifespan, almost dying on the spot.
The Gao Si Demon Emperor also suffered, being affected by the Chongming True Monarch's Double Pupil Illusion, and still remains somewhat dazed, thinking he is a flamingo.
It is said that he recently ran into the depths of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain, pursuing true love.
With both True Monarchs fighting so fiercely, one can imagine the situation below.
Under the jurisdiction of the Chongming Heavenly City, four out of the eight major prefectural cities were destroyed by the demon race, and over half of the one hundred and three county cities were destroyed, with millions of casualties.
After the war, the resentment on the earth condensed and merged with the Yin Spirit Qi, forming the body of the Ghost Emperor, causing trouble in all directions.
She also participated in the battle to kill the Ghost Emperor back then, which allowed her to deeply understand the ferocity of the beast tide under the jurisdiction of the Chongming Heavenly City.
Compared to that, the beast tide under the Mingyue Heavenly City seemed like child's play.
This is also the reason why she is willing to play games with the Golden Peng Demon Emperor.
Since she took over as the Lord of the Mingyue Heavenly City, she has had to self-fund her cultivation resources, with the main income being a share of the tax revenue under her jurisdiction.
If too many cities are destroyed in the beast tide, her income for the next few decades will be greatly affected, which will in turn affect her cultivation efficiency.
The world is bustling with people seeking profit, and she is no exception.
If she had enough resources, she could quietly cultivate within the sect, without needing to be the Lord of the Heavenly City and deal with these trivial matters.
In an instant, September True Monarch had many stray thoughts, but quickly gathered her mind.
Seeing how decisively September True Monarch made her move, the Golden Peng Demon Emperor couldn't help but be surprised, thinking that this True Monarch's chess skills had improved so rapidly.
He was deeply influenced by the human cultivation culture, not only marrying several human female cultivators as his wives and concubines, but also giving birth to a half-demon daughter, Yue Xiaoxiao, who inherited his Bloodline Talent.
In addition, as a demon, he had a long lifespan, already reaching five thousand years in the Demon Emperor Realm, comparable to some short-lived human Divine Transformation Venerables.
Therefore, he had plenty of time to study some miscellaneous arts.
Chess was one of them.
This endgame was not something he obtained unintentionally, but rather something he pondered over and spent decades to condense into this chessboard, just to give September True Monarch a hard time and avenge his previous defeat.
He hesitated for a moment before carefully making his move.
"True Monarch, please."
September True Monarch remained indifferent, continuing to gather magic power and making a move.
Snap! Snap!
The Golden Peng Demon Emperor grew more confident as he made his moves, quickly putting September True Monarch in a dangerous situation.
"Hahaha, I've won," he exclaimed.
On the chessboard, the Golden Peng Demon Emperor, playing as black, dominated the entire board, while September True Monarch's white pieces were scattered and ineffective.
September True Monarch showed no signs of discouragement.
"The Demon Emperor's chess skills are profound, and I am far inferior," he said.
The excited expression on the Golden Peng Demon Emperor's face froze, feeling a sense of powerlessness, like punching cotton.
If the loser doesn't care about losing, then what is there for the winner to be happy about?
A sense of achievement requires comparison.
"I think True Monarch didn't perform well just now, so how about another round?" the Golden Peng Demon Emperor proposed.
September True Monarch took a sip of tea and shook his head. "It has been many years since I last played, and the Demon Emperor's chess skills have reached a state of perfection. I am no match."
The Golden Peng Demon Emperor didn't expect that after setting up the chessboard for decades, he would be defeated so easily, feeling even worse than before.
He eagerly asked, "What do you think of my Moon Dew Tea, True Monarch?"
"Very good," September True Monarch replied succinctly.
A confident smile appeared on the Golden Peng Demon Emperor's face. "If True Monarch can break the remaining puzzle I've set up, I will give you the remaining one or two tea leaves."
September True Monarch, with a cold and aloof expression, nodded faster than anyone else.
"It's a deal."
So the Golden Peng Demon Emperor set up the remaining puzzle once again.
This time, September True Monarch didn't randomly make moves but carefully considered before slowly making a move.
The Golden Peng Demon Emperor's eyes lit up, feeling that he had encountered a formidable opponent.
This kind of evenly matched competition was the most enjoyable for him.
...
While the big shots played chess and drank tea, the underlings fought for their lives.
In front of Autumn Wind Mountain.
Two wolf-headed demon kings stared at the abundant spiritual qi-filled blood food on the mountain, their mouths watering.
The realm of the demon kings had reached the point where they could transform into human form, but some demon tribes preferred to retain their original appearance. Therefore, even when they transformed, they would still retain some of their original features.
These two wolf-headed demon kings were clearly from the primitive faction.
"What delicious and plump food. Human cultivators have special physiques, full of spiritual qi, which is suitable for replenishing our demon blood qi and purifying our bloodline. If we can devour millions of humans, we may also have the chance to become demon emperors."
The wolf-headed demon king bent down, and with a shake of its body, it transformed into two giant wolf demons, one gray and one black, both exuding a wild aura.
Behind them were countless wolf demons, gnashing their teeth.
Their eyes were filled with a cruel and savage nature, as if they were about to pounce and tear everything to pieces at any moment.
"Follow the king!" they shouted.
Boom!
The claws of the wolf demons tore through the air, and on Autumn Wind Mountain, a light barrier rose, flickering with flames. It was the classic third-level formation of the Xuan Yang Sect, the Xuan Yang Ming Fire Formation.
This formation gathered the two fires of heaven and earth, using spiritual qi as fuel, capable of burning continuously and enough to withstand attacks from other demon kings of the same grade. It also had the effect of rebounding spiritual flames.
As a claw descended.
The formation remained unharmed, and streams of bright yellow flames rained down. Dozens of wolf demons in the wolf pack immediately turned into fireballs, causing even greater chaos.
However, for the densely packed wolf pack, this damage was still insignificant.
Behind the wolf pack, countless demonic beasts ran and killed, rushing through both sides of Autumn Wind Mountain and heading further away.
From above.
Autumn Wind Mountain looked like a solitary island, shining amidst the tide of demonic beasts, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.
Several days later.
The wolf pack suffered heavy losses, and the two wolf-headed demon kings had merged into one, now with two heads and four arms, although one arm had been lost at some point, leaving only three.
The protective formation on Autumn Wind Mountain was also in jeopardy, its light flickering uncertainly.
On the mountain.
County Magistrate Yan held a broad axe, his body having grown to five meters tall, resembling a giant. However, there was a colorful bloodstain on his chest, and his aura was somewhat weak.
Just now, he saw the wolf king attacking the formation day after day, wearing down its demonic power. He wanted to capture the thief and kill the king on the spot, relieving the pressure on the defense and gaining merit at the same time.
With his strength as an elite disciple of the Xuan Yang Sect's Inner Sect, he believed it wouldn't be difficult to achieve this.
Although he was only at the Gold Core Preceding Entry Stage, with the help of his secret technique and magic treasures, he was not afraid of an ordinary true person at the Gold Core Middle Stage.
Not to mention the primitive origin, it is obvious that he is not a noble Bloodline wild wolf king.
Never expected that these two wolf kings would merge into one at a critical moment, their demonic power greatly increased. However, in the rush, he managed to cut off one of their arms, but he also got scratched.
If it weren't for his giant Bloodline, with his tough skin and thick flesh, he would probably have had his heart torn out by that claw.
This is also the thrilling aspect of his body cultivation. The outcome of victory or defeat is determined by a hair's breadth.
Unlike orthodox magic cultivation, where they control Magic Treasures and decide the outcome from thousands of meters away, even if they are escaping, they need to be thousands of meters ahead.
"Lord Yan, this is not a crime of war. These dual-headed wolf kings have a special Bloodline. We should retreat and defend early," suggested Li Liangyu, representing the local forces, standing beside County Magistrate Yan.
Having controlled the Li family for twenty years, he is no longer the inexperienced young man he once was. Now he has a small mustache and a mature and stable temperament. Even in a crisis, he remains calm.
Anyway, his son, who was born a few years ago, has already left with Miss Yulan and the others.
Now, although it seems like he still has a large family, in reality, he is all alone and not worried at all.
Although the beast tide is strong, as a false Dan-level cultivator, it is not difficult for him to escape as long as he doesn't have the misfortune of colliding head-on with the demon king.
County Magistrate Yan's face turned slightly red, but no one noticed as his Blood Qi surged.
Previously, Li Liangyu and the others had reminded him to be steady and use the mountain protection formation to continue consuming the wolf king's strength, waiting for it to retreat on its own so they could take the opportunity to regroup.
After all, even if they killed the wolf king, there might still be other demon kings like tiger kings and bear kings attacking.
The reason why it is called a beast tide is because the Demonic Beasts come in waves, one after another, like a tide.
Unfortunately, he was arrogant and underestimated his opponent, thinking that killing the demon king would better showcase his achievements, which led to the current situation.
The beast tide had not even lasted half a month when he lost the spiritual vein and fled, creating a small record.
"In that case, then..."
"Wait, the aura of the demon king has disappeared."
Someone exclaimed.
County Magistrate Yan looked closely and saw the wolves below going berserk, running around like headless flies.
And the wolf king, who was just raging a moment ago, had disappeared without a trace.
"Seize the opportunity and kill him!"
Li Liangyu suddenly shouted, holding a tan-colored spiritual bead in his hand. The ground beneath his feet arched up, and a tan-colored giant python carried him into the sky.
The spiritual bead in his hand spun, and the surrounding air condensed into crystal-like spheres.
"Swift!"
Li Liangyu shouted lowly.
Hundreds of sea urchin crystals fell like cannonballs.
Without the leadership of the Demon King, a group of Demonic Beasts with a maximum level of only second rank had no ability to fight back within his bombing range.
The False Dan True Man is also a true man.
Not to mention that he also has inherited Magic Treasures in his hands, at this moment, the power of his spiritual arts is not weaker than that of an ordinary Gold Core True Man.
"Kill!"
A group of cultivators shouted as they rose from mid-air, and the spiritual lights of various Magical Items and spiritual treasures traced graceful arcs in the sky.
Who doesn't know how to take advantage of a favorable situation?
...
Underground caves below a hundred meters.
There was a blood pool artificially excavated, which was now filled with nearly half a pool of blood. A bald man stood in the blood pool.
"Who is plotting against me?!"
The Two-Headed Wolf King felt dizzy and suddenly fell into its body.
Just as it stabilized its figure, it saw a bald man standing in front of it, suddenly opening a pair of blood-red eyes.
"Welcome to my Realm, my friend."
Before the Two-Headed Wolf King could speak, a gloomy wind blew, and black mist covered the sky.
The next moment, sounds of gnawing and the howling of the wolf king came from the mist.
When the black mist dissipated.
The figure of the True Man of Ten Thousand Beasts stood in front of the blood pool, looking at the greatly increased Blood Essence in the blood pool, which was being absorbed bit by bit by the bald man, and the aura of the bald man was also gradually strengthening.
"Yu Xian, I find that I have underestimated you. You dare to take advantage of the beast tide, once people know that you cultivate demonic techniques using Demonic Beasts Blood Essence, whether it is the Demon Race's Demon Emperor or Human Cultivators, they will all see you as a thorn in their side."
The bald man, speaking in the voice of Yu Xian, irresponsibly said:
"Anyway, if we die, it will be the Blood Puppets and you. If I succeed, I will have the strength to contend with the Nascent Soul True Monarch. It's a big gain and a small loss. How would you choose?"
The True Man of Ten Thousand Beasts: "..."
As the only person who knew that Yu Xian absorbed Heavenly Dao Spiritual Qi, he vaguely knew how insane Yu Xian's Gold Core Supernatural Power had become.
Even the Magic Treasures he carried with him could occasionally lose their connection. Even if a Nascent Soul True Monarch stood in front of him, he would probably not be able to detect the connection between him and the Blood Puppets.
The figure in the blood pool fell silent.
The slaughter of the demonic wolf pack above continued.
It's just that no one noticed for the time being that the blood of the demonic wolves they killed and the dead cultivators quickly dissipated into the earth.
And there are many such blood pools in the entire Wangshu Mansion, waiting for someone with fate to harvest them. (End of this chapter)
You'll Also Like
-
Douluo: Evolve into Dragon God from Luo Sanpao!
Chapter 232 11 hours ago -
Konoha: This Uchiha just wants to lie down
Chapter 700 11 hours ago -
Elf, who made him the gym leader?
Chapter 377 12 hours ago -
In Konoha, Ashura Chakra is dropped at the beginning
Chapter 147 12 hours ago -
Gu Immortal: Start with a Thought Gu
Chapter 69 13 hours ago -
My technique advances once a day
Chapter 97 13 hours ago -
When I saw the health bar, I chose to blow up the world
Chapter 158 13 hours ago -
Disciple, you are too evil.
Chapter 118 13 hours ago -
Game of Thrones: I'm flying a dragon on your face, how do you respond?
Chapter 117 13 hours ago -
Villain: Starts from witnessing the evil experiments of the family
Chapter 581 21 hours ago