122: Chapter 122 Beast Tide

On the viewing platform, a dead silence had long since fallen.

Everyone stood as if frozen by a binding spell, staring dumbfounded at the massive water screen specially crafted by the Heavenly Secret Tower, which displayed a roller-coaster of heart-stopping plot twists.

From Lin Fan killing the Vajra Giant Ape in a single strike, to the appearance of Mo Wuxin's Clone, and then to Limitless Sword's strike that seemed like a celestial immortal descending from the heavens... finally, it was brought to a temporary halt by the encirclement of the Imperial Guards and the intervention of an imperial decree.

This series of events had completely overturned all of their perceptions.

"Won... did he win? No... should I say... he survived?" a clan head muttered to himself, his voice filled with disbelief and the relief of having escaped death.

"With a wounded and fatigued body, he outsmarted two powerful enemies, used strategy to repel a peerless Devil Head, and finally, in a desperate situation, used the body of a Yao Beast king as a shield to withstand the arrow rain of the Imperial Guards... Good! Good! Good!"

The white-haired old general trembled with excitement, staring fixedly at the young man on the water screen who, despite his pale face, still had eyes as sharp as knives, his own eyes filled with undisguised admiration and fervor.

"This child not only possesses the courage to stand against ten thousand, but also a heart that remains calm in the face of danger, and wisdom that produces endless clever strategies! This child should not just be a general, he should be a commander! A peerless military talent that appears once in an age!"

Crown Prince Ji Cheng's gentle, jade-like face could no longer maintain its composure. He gripped the armrest tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, his heart already in turmoil!

He knew that his gamble had paid off! This Lin Fan was the sharpest blade heaven had bestowed upon him to counter the overwhelming power of Prince Ying!

On the other side, Prince Ying Ji Lie's face was already so gloomy it could drip water. He stared fixedly at his son, Ji Xuan, his gaze as cold as ten-thousand-year-old black ice, filled with disappointment and fury.

He had paid a huge price, even going so far as to use his secret agents within the Imperial Guards to pave this path of certain victory for his son, yet he had turned a game that was sure to win into such a miserable sight!

Not only did he fail to kill Lin Fan, but he instead let the other party shine brilliantly in front of everyone!

Amidst this atmosphere where some were happy and others sorrowful, everyone's gaze subconsciously turned to Ji Xuan in the arena. They all wanted to see how this dragon blood heir, who had always been smooth-sailing and high and mighty, would react with incompetent rage after suffering such a humiliating defeat.

However, Ji Xuan's reaction once again exceeded everyone's expectations.

Seeing Lin Fan on the water screen smiling mockingly at him, the look of incompetent rage on his face slowly, slowly faded away.

Replacing it was a bone-chilling, cruel, and crazy smile.

"Hehe... hehehe... Lin Fan, oh Lin Fan, you truly did not disappoint this heir."

He muttered to himself neurotically in a voice only he could hear.

"Rules? Imperial decree?"

"Since you all like using rules to bind this heir so much, then this heir... will completely flip this chessboard!"

"The more you struggle, the more you resist, the more interesting this game will become..."

He slowly took out a horn with a primitive design, polished from the bones of an unknown beast, from the deepest part of his bosom.

The horn was a strange, dark red, as if it had been soaked in endless blood for thousands of years. Its surface was engraved with dense, blood-colored runes that looked like writhing poisonous snakes, emitting an evil and ominous Aura that made one's Soul tremble.

"Since you all like being prey so much, then this heir will let you taste the feeling of being hunted in reverse by all the prey in the world!"

As his voice fell, he no longer hesitated and brought the evil horn to his lips!

"Woo— woo—"

A low, oppressive, eerie horn sound that did not seem to belong to the human world drifted out from where Ji Xuan was, without any warning.

The sound was not loud, but it carried an omnipresent, evil penetrating power. It seemed not to travel through the air, but to act directly upon the depths of every living being's Soul, like a cold, slimy hand gently and maliciously plucking the most primitive, most violent chord in your heart!

Wulu and Yue Changkong, who were treating their wounds, suddenly froze, feeling an inexplicable irritability in their hearts, as a bloodthirsty killing intent surged from the bottom of their hearts uncontrollably.

Even the Imperial Guard death soldiers who had just put away their bows began to have bloodshot eyes, their breathing becoming heavy.

"Careful! This sound is strange!" Lin Fan's Eye of Delusion Breaking opened instantly, and he "saw" waves of invisible, dark red, evil sound ripples rapidly spreading madly in all directions across the entire Ten Thousand Beast Garden, like ripples on the surface of water!

And just a few moments after this eerie horn sound rang out.

"Roar—!!!" "Awoo—!!!" "Hiss—!!!"

The entire Ten Thousand Beast Garden, this royal forbidden park that housed tens of thousands of rare and exotic beasts, seemed to fall into the ultimate madness in that instant!

Roars filled with endless brutality and fury erupted one after another from every corner of the jungle!

Whether it was the weak Yao Beast that had previously been hunted by the Alliance, or those powerful Yao Beast hiding deep in their territories, unconcerned with world affairs, at this moment, they all seemed to receive the same command from the depths of their Souls!

Their eyes instantly turned blood-red, filled with desires for Chaos and destruction!

Their reason was completely destroyed at this moment, leaving only the most primitive, most violent killing instinct!

A "Three-Eyed Spirit Deer," originally extremely docile and herbivorous, suddenly went mad and used its hard antlers to viciously pierce the belly of a "Saber-Toothed Tiger" beside it!

An "Iron-Armored Savage Bull" drinking water by the stream suddenly raised its head, its huge bull eyes turning blood-red, no longer caring about any natural enemies, and madly launched a charge at another of its kind beside it!

Mutual slaughter! Indiscriminate attacks!

The order of the entire Ten Thousand Beast Garden was completely overturned at this moment! This place had already become a true, bloody purgatory!

"[Ten Thousand Beast Berserk Horn]!" On the viewing platform, the knowledgeable old general's face turned pale in an instant the moment he saw the horn in Ji Xuan's hand. He exclaimed in shock, his voice filled with unprecedented horror and anger.

"That is a forbidden Demonic Weapon of the Southern Border's Witch God Sect! A legendary, peerless ominous object that can stir the violent thoughts in the hearts of ten thousand beasts, causing them to fall into indiscriminate berserk rage! This... how could this thing appear here?!"

"Ji Xuan! Is he crazy?!" Crown Prince Ji Cheng could no longer remain calm. He stood up with a "whoosh," pointing at the grinning Ji Xuan on the water screen, and roared furiously: "What does he want to do?! Does he want all the candidates participating in the palace examination to die here?!"

"Absurd!" "Simply absurd!"

The entire court of civil and military officials was in an uproar! They never expected that a martial arts palace examination that should have been under control would evolve into such a nearly out-of-control bloody farce!

This act by Ji Xuan was no longer a simple competition for strength, it was shaking the foundation of the nation, and was openly trampling on the laws of the Imperial Dynasty!

"Your Majesty! Please immediately stop this crazy act by Prince Ying's heir!" An imperial censor knelt on the ground, trembling.

On Prince Ying Ji Lie's gloomy face, however, there was no sign of panic. He slowly stood up, an Aura of majesty belonging to a prince spreading out, and coldly scanned the entire room: "It is merely a small dispute of pride between children, why must you all make such a fuss? The martial arts palace examination is meant to select talent for the country, testing one's ability to adapt in a crisis. If they cannot even handle this small scene, how can they guard the national gates and resist foreign enemies for my Great Qian in the future?"

He avoided the important points and focused on the trivial, forcibly twisting the concept of Ji Xuan's insane behavior into an "extreme test" for the candidates.

"You... you are using sophistry!" Crown Prince Ji Cheng trembled with anger.

Everyone's gaze finally converged on the supreme Dragon Throne. At this moment, only the current Emperor could stop this crazy farce.

However, Emperor Ji Wei just looked expressionlessly at the Ten Thousand Beast Garden on the water screen, which had already turned into a purgatory, his expression as calm as an ancient well, as if he were watching a play that had nothing to do with him.

He did not nod, nor did he shake his head.

But his silence, in itself, was an attitude.

An attitude... of tacit approval.

All voices of opposition ceased abruptly at this moment. A sense of unspeakable chill welled up in everyone's hearts. They finally understood that in the heart of this monarch, so-called rules, so-called fairness, and even the lives of so-called Geniuses were nothing more than chess pieces he used to balance the two factions of the Crown Prince and Prince Ying, to be manipulated at will.

And at this moment, in the mountain hollow.

Lin Fan's face, already pale from exhaustion, instantly lost all color! His heart, too, sank to the bottom of the valley along with the roar of the ten thousand beasts.

"Roar—!!!"

Outside the mountain hollow, the galloping footsteps formed by countless Yao Beasts, like a tsunami, mixed with the "crack" sounds of trees being broken, were sweeping towards their location at a destructive speed!

"Big Brother! Beast... Beast Tide! It's a Beast Tide!" On Big Fool's honest face, for the first time, a look called "fear" appeared.

"Damn it! We are surrounded! Behind! Behind is all Yao Beasts!" Gong Qianxue's voice carried a hint of desperate crying. She saw that in the dense forest behind them, countless blood-red eyes were lighting up densely, like the brightest lanterns!

And in front of them was that unit of the Imperial Guards who, although they had put away their bows, still surrounded them tightly, their eyes also blood-red, on the verge of berserk rage!

Attacked from both front and back! Ten deaths, no chance of life!

"What should we do?! Brother Lin, what should we do now?!" Xu Changqing's face, usually so calm, was also covered in cold sweat. His brain was working at high speed, but he couldn't find any path to survival.

Break through? In front are the tiger-watching Imperial Guards, behind is the Beast Tide capable of tearing them into pieces in an instant!

Fight to the death? That's even more of a joke! They were already at the end of their rope!

It's over! This time, it's really over!

Despair, like the thickest dark cloud, shrouded everyone's heart.

Even the usually aloof and arrogant Limitless Sword furrowed his brows tightly at this moment; his hand gripping the sword hilt had turned white at the knuckles from excessive force.

However!

Just as everyone was plunged into an atmosphere of despair and dead silence, Lin Fan, who was leaning against the carcass of the Vajra Giant Ape and should have been the weakest and most powerless person present, suddenly raised his head!

Within his deep eyes, there was not a trace of fear or panic; instead, beneath that extreme calmness, a brilliant light, like that of a madman making a desperate gamble, began to burn!

Everyone thinks this is a dead end, but this is also our... only path to survival!

Lin Fan's voice was hoarse, yet it exploded in everyone's ears like a thunderclap!

What?! Everyone looked at him in disbelief.

Lin Fan did not explain further; he used his three-pointed, double-edged blade, which was still stained with hot beast blood, to point in another direction of the mountain col—the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Beast Garden, which was even more profound, darker, and not even clearly marked on the map!

Xu Changqing! Give me the map! Find a route that leads to the core area of the garden as quickly as possible!

Everyone else! Tighten the formation! Prepare to break out with me!

We... are rushing in!

It was earth-shattering! His words were shocking!

While everyone was thinking about how to escape this land of death, Lin Fan had made an unbelievable decision that completely went against everyone's survival instinct—instead of retreating, he advanced! He launched a fierce charge toward the deepest part of the jungle, which was even more dangerous and unknown!

Brother Lin! Are you crazy?! Xu Changqing exclaimed in shock. It is an unknown forbidden zone! Rumors say that existences even more terrifying than the Vajra Giant Ape may be lurking there! If we rush in now, that is truly seeking our own death!

No! The crazy light in Lin Fan's eyes intensified. He used his Eye of Delusion Breaking to stare intently at the beast tide that was surging over like a tide and was already close at hand, and explained quickly,

Don't you see? The source of this beast tide is Ji Xuan's horn! It is a Demonic Weapon that forcibly triggers the violent instincts of Yao Beasts through sound waves! As long as we remain in this area, we will never be able to escape the influence of the horn! These Yao Beasts will be like mad dogs, pursuing us relentlessly!

And where is the only place in the entire Ten Thousand Beast Garden that might not be affected by this horn?!

He did not wait for everyone to answer and answered his own question, his voice firm and decisive!

It is in the deepest part! It is in the lairs of those higher-level 'Beast Kings' who truly stand at the top of the food chain and possess their own absolute territory and supreme dignity!

One mountain cannot hold two tigers! True kings have their own will and can never be completely controlled by such low-level demonic arts! They might even feel natural hostility and rejection toward this evil sound wave because their 'royal authority' has been provoked!

Therefore, the most dangerous place is often the safest! Because of the Beast King's Aura, there is a high possibility that a 'vacuum zone' will form there, unaffected by the beast tide! That is our only breathing room!

These words were like a bolt of lightning cutting through the darkness, instantly illuminating everyone's nearly chaotic minds!

Yes! Why didn't they think of that!

There is a second point! A cold and cunning arc curled at the corner of Lin Fan's mouth; the smile looked exactly like an old fox preparing to drag all the hunters into the water and trap them in their own web.

Do you think Ji Xuan's goal in blowing the horn is really just us? No! He wants to kill everyone present! He wants to strangle all potential threats in this Chaos! But right now, his Imperial Guard troops are blocking our front!

If we rush in now, who will this monstrous beast tide, which is capable of destroying everything, chase?!

It will act like the most loyal cleaner, grinding all obstacles between us and the Imperial Guard, including them, into powder! This is called, shifting the disaster to the enemy!

We will use Ji Xuan's own trump card to destroy his army! Make him pay the most painful price for his madness and arrogance!

After hearing this logical and audacious, earth-shattering plan from Lin Fan, everyone present, including Limitless Sword, was completely stunned.

They looked at the man before them, who was clearly weak to the extreme, yet whose brain could maintain such terrifying calmness, and who could even devise such a crazy plan to break the deadlock in an instant; only endless shock and admiration remained in their hearts.

This was no longer just simple wisdom.

This was the courage and spirit of a peerless overlord who dared to treat the world as a chessboard and treat all enemies, and even the lives of his own people, as chess pieces to be played.

I... I understand! A light that had never been seen before burst out in Xu Changqing's eyes. He no longer had any hesitation and immediately used his blood-stained fingers to quickly draw a route on the map!

Master! Take this path! Go through the 'A Thread of Sky' canyon ahead, and you can go straight to the core area of the Ten Thousand Beast Garden—the Black Forest!

Good! Lin Fan did not waste any words. Everyone! Follow me!

We... are going to meet the true King of this Ten Thousand Beast Garden!

With the order given, this small team, which had already fallen into a desperate situation, once again erupted with amazing will to survive! They no longer paid attention to the hesitant Imperial Guards, turned around, and like a sharp knife, fiercely chiseled toward the deepest part of that even more profound and darker jungle!

This was a truly bloody journey, a race against the Grim Reaper.

The extreme escape was a test more cruel than any battle. Along the way, they encountered countless Yao Beasts that had completely fallen into a frenzy.

There were 'Three-headed Water Pythons' that suddenly sprang out from the swamps and could spit strong acid venom; there were 'Ghost-faced Magic Spiders' that hung down from the tree crowns in groups, like webs of death.

Every one of them pushed their potential to the limit!

Lin Fan, like the sharpest arrowhead of the team, activated his Eye of Delusion Breaking to the extreme, predicting those fatal sneak attacks time and time again, leading the team to find that glimmer of life from the seemingly unsolvable encirclement of the beast herd.

Big Fool completely transformed into a moving wall of flesh, using his physically abnormal, tough Physical Body to forcefully carry those fatal attacks that could not be dodged for Gong Qianxue and Xu Changqing behind him, time and time again. The heavy armor on his body, which was already damaged, had long been completely shattered; his bronze skin was covered with crisscrossing wounds, and blood had almost dyed him into a bloody man, but he never fell!

Wulu and Yue Changkong transformed into the most efficient killing machines. They guarded the left and right flanks of Lin Fan. The giant axes and long spears in their hands had long been soaked with blood. They had even forgotten fatigue and pain, leaving only the most primitive instinct of hacking and thrusting.

Just as they were about to rush out of this chaotic area, an open mountain valley pass appeared in front of them!

But at the same time, a sharp killing intent also came from the mountain walls on both sides of the valley.

Awoo—!!!

Accompanied by bloodthirsty wolf howls rising one after another, hundreds of green giant wolves with agile bodies and lightning-fast speed jumped down from the mountain walls, blocking them tightly in front of the pass.

It was the overlord of this area—the Tier 4 Yao Beast, Wind Blade Wolf!

These hundreds of Wind Blade Wolves were obviously also affected by the horn, their eyes blood-red, completely crazy. They regarded Lin Fan and the others as mortal enemies invading their territory and launched a fearless charge!

Damn it! We're blocked! Wulu's face became extremely ugly. The beast tide is behind us, we have no way back!

We must rush through! Lin Fan's eyes became extremely serious. This is our only path to survival! But we cannot charge head-on, there are too many of them!

Just at this critical moment, the young man from a military family, with iron blood and glory flowing in his bones—Yue Changkong, suddenly burst out with astonishing light in his eyes.

Brother Lin! Everyone! He let out a roar that shook the mountains and forests. Lend me your power!

After speaking, he suddenly slammed his thunderclap spear into the ground, his hands quickly forming seals, and a resolute and tragic Aura erupted from his body!

My family's secret art can briefly borrow the blood energy of comrades, fuse it into one shot, and launch the strongest attack! But after this move, I will be temporarily exhausted! The subsequent breakout will be left to you all!

Good! Lin Fan understood his intention instantly and without any hesitation, Everyone! Help him!

Wulu, Big Fool, Gong Qianxue, and even Xu Changqing placed their palms against Yue Changkong's back, pouring their remaining Internal Energy and blood energy into him without reservation!

Hum—!!!

The clothes on Yue Changkong's body instantly bulged, and the thunderclap spear, which was originally covered with cracks, erupted with unprecedented brilliant thunder light at this moment!

Feeling the terrifying power surging in his body that was almost about to burst him, facing the hundreds of crazy giant wolves that had already rushed to the front, he let out a laugh full of endless heroism.

A real man is born between heaven and earth, how can he live under others for long! Today, let you beasts witness the supreme Profound Truth of my Yue family spear technique!

With the blood of my comrades, summon the Nine Heavens thunder!

Thunderclap... Coiling Dragon!!!

He fired this strongest blow, which gathered everyone's power, with a bang!

A silver thunder light, thicker and brighter than at any time before, seemed to have truly turned into a roaring thunder dragon, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, sweeping across the entire pass with an Aura that destroyed everything!

At that moment, everything within tens of zhang was swallowed by the violent thunder light!