132: Beast Tide, Crisis

When Shen Guyan returned to the main group, he had already brought back many tokens from other teams along the way.

"Zhuo Tianya, where on earth did you go?" Seeing that Shen Guyan hadn't been gone for long, Xian Lin and the others couldn't help but feel relieved.

"Alright, let's head straight for the finish line," Shen Guyan laughed, not answering his teammates' questions.

"Straight to the finish line?" Even Zhou Hanyou, Zhou Tianer, and the others were a bit dazed when they heard this.

Wang Dongqi seemed to have thought of something and couldn't help but say, "Do you mean we should camp out near the finish line? To rob our opponents?"

Hearing Wang Dongqi's words, everyone's expressions changed slightly. Teams capable of breaking through and seizing tokens from opponents were clearly not weak... "Camp for what? I mean, we have enough tokens, let's go," Shen Guyan said, caught between laughter and tears.

"Huh?" Everyone was stunned upon hearing this, not reacting for a moment.

Zhou Hanyou looked at Shen Guyan with suspicion and uncertainty: "Could it be... Tianya, you..."

"Yeah, I gathered enough during my trip out," Shen Guyan nodded with a smile, taking out eleven pairs of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches tokens from his robe, with even some extra tokens as a bonus.

Xian Lin and the others' eyes almost popped out of their heads. This guy had been away from the main group for less than four hours, and he had already brought back so many?

"Alright, let's go. If we encounter any obstacles ahead, we'll just push right through," Shen Guyan said with full confidence.

Although they didn't know how Shen Guyan had obtained these tokens, Zhou Hanyou and the others decided to follow his lead, and the main group collectively charged toward the final destination.

It's important to know that the score for this round was based not only on the tokens collected but also on time efficiency. At this moment, less than six hours had passed since the start of the competition.

It was likely that many lucky teams had also encountered opponents during this time and engaged in battles to obtain the other type of token.

But could they really reach the destination safely with those tokens?

At this time, the outdoor spectator stands outside the Spirit Ascension Platform cabins were already boiling with excitement because, in just a few short hours after the competition began, a dark horse had appeared.

A youth wearing a Dragon-shaped mask.

"Heavens, what exactly happened?"

"What's the background of this youth? What did he do?"

"Is that mask a type of headband for Battle Armor, or is it a Spirit?"

Everyone was buzzing with discussion, their words filled with amazement at the strength displayed by the masked youth.

With the mask on, Shen Guyan no longer needed to hide his strength. All the teams that encountered him were immediately caught off guard by the power of the Torch Dragon and lost their tokens.

Even the surveillance in the Spirit Ascension Platform showed that whenever Shen Guyan approached a team, that area would eerily turn pitch black, and nothing could be seen. After Shen Guyan disappeared, only the lower halves of several contestants were left on the ground.

Even their heads had been pressed into the ground by him.

For a time, the identity of the masked youth immediately became the hottest topic of the Youth Genius Competition.

High up on the tower, Leng Yaozhu clenched her hands tightly, her beautiful eyes fixed on the youthful figure appearing on the various screens, her delicate body trembling.

It was actually him... How could he be so powerful?

Among the teams Shen Guyan had attacked, there was actually a powerful team with three Spirit Ancestors!

Yet after a moment of darkness, those three Spirit Ancestors were planted head-first into the ground.

Meanwhile, Zhang Zhenpeng had also been keeping an eye on Shen Guyan's group. When he saw Shen Guyan return to the main group, before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he saw Shen Guyan lead the group in a blatant charge toward the finish line.

What are they doing? Don't these kids know the rules of the competition?

Naturally, a team charging ahead like them would inevitably attract the attention of other teams along the way, leading some who considered themselves powerful to intercept them.

But what greeted them was the Ice and Snow Forest and the Green Shadow Dragon Whirlwind Break!

In Shen Guyan's view, performing a Martial Soul Fusion Skill within the Spirit Ascension Platform would not affect the physical body in the outside world, and this high-profile competition also required Zhou Hanyou, Zhou Tianer, Xian Lin, and the others to demonstrate sufficient talent.

Martial Soul Fusion Skills were the most powerful abilities in the Spirit Master's world, no matter the era.

After two waves of intercepting teams suffered setbacks, no one else dared to move against them for a while, and the group successfully arrived near the final destination.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently, as if thousands of giant beasts were stampeding.

"Not good, it's a beast tide!" Zhou Tianer's face darkened as she shouted a warning.

In the distant forest, countless Spirit Beasts surged forward like a raging tide. Leading them were a group of massive Iron-maned Rhinoceross, covered in heavy iron armor with sharp horns gleaming coldly; followed by agile Wind Blade Leopards, their sleek bodies racing like black lightning; in the sky, Poison Feather Crows blotted out the sun, their feathers shimmering with an eerie light, clearly poisonous.

Shen Guyan immediately deployed them: "Yang Zhanpeng, you lead the other three in front, use the Vajra Bear Spirit to build a defensive barrier and block the melee Spirit Beasts. Mo Yanggong, use auxiliary Spirit Abilities to strengthen our defense and attack."

Yang Zhanpeng and Mo Yanggong gritted their teeth; they also knew now was not the time to question their teammate and immediately took up defensive stances.

"Hanyou, Tianer, coordinate your control system Spirits, using the power of ice and wood to restrict the Spirit Beasts' movements."

Zhou Hanyou and Zhou Tianer nodded, activating their Spirits in preparation.

"Xian Lin, you and Dongqi will lead the attack on the rear of the Iron-maned Rhinoceross, trying to break an opening. Song Yuner, use your speed advantage to find opportunities to attack the Poison Feather Crows' weak spots and disrupt their flight. I will provide flexible support across the battlefield. Everyone stay alert and adapt at any moment!"

Yang Zhanpeng roared, and his Spirit immediately possessed him. His body expanded rapidly, and a layer of thick brown hair appeared on his skin as he transformed into a massive Vajra Bear. The three Sea and Land Cadetss also quickly activated their Spirits, surrounding Yang Zhanpeng to form a solid line of defense. Mo Yanggong flapped his dragon wings, and his beautiful dragon body radiated multi-colored light, as auxiliary energy was injected into everyone's bodies.

With the boost from the Rainbow Dragon Spirit, Shen Guyan felt his strength instantly increase, and his speed and reactions became more agile.

Zhou Hanyou raised her hands, her eyes flashing with deep blue light as she shouted: "Ice Spirit's Wrath, Forest of Ice Walls!" Thick Ice Walls quickly rose from the ground, spreading toward the beast tide. Zhou Tianer was not to be outdone, thrusting her hands into the ground and shouting: "Wood Spirit's Restraint, Vine Prison!" Countless thick vines burst from the ground, coiling toward the Spirit Beasts.

Boom! The Iron-maned Rhinoceros herd crashed into the Ice Walls with a dull thud, and some rhinos had their legs ensnared by vines, their movements hindered.

Xian Lin erupted with raging green flames, and the phantom of an Azure Flame Dragon appeared behind him. He turned into a streak of fire and charged at the Iron-maned Rhinoceross, his hands condensing fire spears that he thrust fiercely into the rear of the herd. The spears struck the rhinos' iron armor, the high temperature instantly melting it, and the rhinos let out painful bellows. Wang Dongqi was not to be left behind, violent arcs of electricity coiling around her sword as she plunged it into the ground, sending the electric light sweeping toward the beast herd.

Song Yuner's figure flashed like a green phantom as she dashed into the sky. Two green short blades appeared in her hands as she nimbly wove through the Poison Feather Crow flock, finding the right moments to accurately pierce their vital neck areas. The crows fell one after another, their feathers scattering like black snowflakes.

However, the scale of the beast tide far exceeded their imagination. More and more Spirit Beasts broke through the Ice Walls and vine restraints, charging toward the defensive barrier. A Wind Blade Leopard, fast as lightning, avoided Yang Zhanpeng's bear paw and pounced toward an ordinary Spirit Master. A Sea and Land Cadets struggled to resist, but the leopard was too fast, its sharp claws leaving several bloody gashes on him.

Shen Guyan's A sharp look, his figure flickered like a ghost. His canglang sword unsheathed, its blade gleaming with a cold light. He performed the Six Harmonies of the Vast Sea, and a Sword Qi like a crescent moon instantly slashed toward the Wind Blade Leopard. The leopard couldn't dodge in time, was struck by the Sword Qi, and fell heavily to the ground, seriously injured.

"Everyone hold steady, don't panic!" Shen Guyan shouted.

Clang! Seeing the Ice Walls gradually crumbling, Zhou Hanyou condensed her Soul Power again: "Ice Cone Storm!" Countless sharp ice cones appeared in the sky, pouring down on the Spirit Beasts like a rainstorm. Zhou Tianer controlled the vines to tightly bind the injured Spirit Beasts, creating opportunities for the others to attack.

With Mo Yanggong's boost, Xian Lin launched a powerful assault, and the Iron-maned Rhinoceros herd gradually couldn't hold on and began to retreat. Song Yuner nimbly dodged the Poison Feather Crows' attacks in the air while finding the right moments to deliver fatal blows, steadily reducing their numbers.

Mo Yanggong continued to use auxiliary Spirit Abilities while monitoring everyone's status, promptly restoring the stamina of his injured companions.

After an intense battle, the beast tide finally began to recede. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief but dared not relax. Shen Guyan looked at his slightly exhausted companions and said, "Everyone performed excellently, but this is only the beginning. Let's repair our defenses and replenish our stamina as quickly as possible; there are even tougher challenges ahead." Everyone nodded and began to move.

Suddenly, a low roar was heard. A massive Shadow Demon Tiger slowly stepped out from the trees, its body shrouded in a layer of black mist, its eyes flashing with an eerie red light, emitting powerful Soul Power fluctuations.

"A ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast..." Even someone as strong as Xian Lin couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Everyone be careful, this Shadow Demon Tiger is not weak!" Shen Guyan warned. He could clearly feel the threat from this Spirit Beast and quickly thought of a strategy.

The Shadow Demon Tiger stared at them and suddenly attacked. Its figure flashed, turning into a black shadow charging at the defensive barrier. Yang Zhanpeng roared and met it head-on, his massive bear paw striking out fiercely to collide with the tiger's claws, producing a loud boom. The powerful impact forced Yang Zhanpeng back several steps, but he held his ground thanks to the Vajra Bear Spirit's immense defense.

Seeing this, Xian Lin condensed green flames and shot them at the Shadow Demon Tiger.

Sizzle... The flames hit the tiger but were blocked by the black mist on its body, the effect being negligible.

"Let me!" Song Yuner took the opportunity to ambush from the side, her short blades stabbing at the tiger, but the Shadow Demon Tiger reacted extremely fast, its tail sweeping out and sending Song Yuner flying.

Shen Guyan frowned; the appearance of the beast tide was truly unexpected. He believed they weren't the only ones who encountered it; other teams were likely in trouble as well.

"Hanyou, use ice Spirit Abilities to freeze its legs! Zhou Tianer, prepare to bind it with vines! Everyone else, prepare to coordinate your attacks!" Shen Guyan quickly issued orders.

Roar... The Shadow Demon Tiger attacked again. Zhou Hanyou saw her chance and shot a beam of icy blue light at its legs, instantly freezing them. Zhou Tianer followed up by controlling vines to quickly coil around and tightly bind its legs.

Seeing this, Xian Lin immediately released his green flames with full force, burning the tiger's legs. The high-temperature flames melted the ice and scorched the tiger's legs. The Shadow Demon Tiger let out a painful roar and began to struggle.

Shen Guyan seized the opportunity, performing the Great Teleportation Technique to instantly appear behind the Shadow Demon Tiger. His Great Acupoint Shifting Method condensed all his Soul Power into a single strike—

"Two Poles—"

At the same time, Yang Zhanpeng roared and charged forward again, his bear paw smashing into the tiger's head, followed by a massive Sword Qi that slashed the tiger, tearing a gruesome gash in its head.

Feeling the intense pain, the Shadow Demon Tiger went into a frenzy, attacking wildly and sending Yang Zhanpeng flying directly in front of it, blood spraying everywhere.

Even with Mo Yanggong's boost, Yang Zhanpeng's defense couldn't withstand the frenzied attack of this ten-thousand-year Shadow Demon Tiger.

"It's a talent, Bloodlust!" Wang Dongqi seemed to have thought of something and hurriedly called out, "The Shadow Demon Tiger's Bloodlust talent can increase its attack power by thirty percent!"

Shen Guyan naturally knew about this skill of the Shadow Demon Tiger; this was exactly the opportunity he wanted.

"Don't get bogged down in the fight, leave the ground battlefield immediately!" With his hands moving, countless invisible threads coiled around his teammates one by one, bringing them into the air.

"Hanyou, Ice Wall!" Shen Guyan shouted.

Zhou Hanyou understood and quickly condensed an Ice Wall on the ground, allowing Shen Guyan to use the reaction force to leap into the air, throwing everyone else toward the sky.

"Xian Lin, Song Yuner, use Green Shadow Dragon Whirlwind Break! Charge upward!"

Hearing Shen Guyan's command, Xian Lin and Song Yuner gritted their teeth and quickly performed their combined Spirit Ability, charging toward the sky. They never imagined Shen Guyan would have them use this move to escape.

The threads coiling around everyone instantly pulled taut, and everyone was carried high into the air by Xian Lin and Song Yuner's combined Spirit Ability.

"Junior Shen, what about those flying Spirit Beasts in the sky?" a Sea and Land Cadets asked, looking at the densely packed Spirit Beasts flying toward them with a terrified expression.

To deal with flying enemies, Shen Guyan was naturally well-prepared—

Pieces of metal peeled away from beneath his clothes, all of them converging around him to form a lotus-shaped vortex.

"That is..." Xian Lin looked at the somewhat familiar move, his face full of shock.

Tang Sect's Chonghua—Killing Intent, Ten Thousand Starlight!

Countless metal pieces transformed into flying blades, shooting toward the incoming Spirit Beasts and hitting them one by one.

"You're also from my Tang Sect?"