Chapter 78 The Beast Horde Divides Its Forces

Chapter 78: The Beast Horde Divides Its Forces

One beast after another rushed toward the city wall, smashing themselves against the barrier without hesitation. Iron arrows and massive stones rained down from the sky, accompanied by the wet crunch of bodies and agonized roars.

But the number of demon beasts was simply overwhelming.

Mortals were weak; it took twenty or thirty of them to throw down a single rock, and their aim was poor. The hard-shelled turtle-type demon beasts, crabs, and shrimp could withstand a hit without dying. In an instant, the light of the grand formation dimmed considerably.

Wang Hao hurriedly cast spells to block the assault, channeling half of his True Essence to condense thousands of fiery feathers in the air behind him. With a loud shout, he shot them forth like a storm of flaming arrows.

The hard-shelled demon beasts that the mortals were helpless against were easily pierced by Wang Hao's bombardment. Taking two or three hits meant death or severe injury.

The several li of water along Ling Lake City's northern wall became a slaughterhouse. Blood stained the lake water crimson, and the thrashing of the wounded mixed with the roars of the dying. The cacophony echoed throughout the entire city.

All able-bodied mortals had been mobilized to the walls. Those remaining were the elderly and the weak. Even hiding in cellars, they could still hear the terrifying cries of the demon beasts. Some young children couldn't help but wail in fear.

Soon, the sounds of crying inside the city and wailing outside intertwined. Some old women knelt before the ancestral tablets of the Wang Family, comforting the children in their arms while silently praying for salvation.

This great battle lasted from dusk until deep into the night, then continued relentlessly until dawn.

As the sun rose and visibility gradually improved, the high-level demon beasts, seeing they couldn't breach the walls quickly, roared in frustration. The horde on the battlefield began to retreat.

Aquatic demon beasts still feared sunlight somewhat, especially when they had to expose themselves above the water to attack the walls. Direct sunlight on their skin would, over time, dampen their spirits—an inherent weakness that low-level beasts couldn't resist.

"The lake water is receding! Look, the lake water is receding!" a mortal shouted excitedly from the ramparts.

"We won! We survived!" others cheered, embracing each other in celebration.

Wang Hao did not stop them. After fighting all night, they deserved some joy. Having been a mortal himself in his past life, he knew their hardships. Fighting intensely for a whole night with mortal bodies, many of the weaker ones had exhausted themselves to the point of vomiting blood.

Wang Longling stepped forward. "Elder, should we organize some people to retrieve the arrows and demon beast corpses outside? Our storage can't hold all this low-level meat, but it can be distributed to the mortals as rations. It can strengthen their constitutions, which will benefit future battles."

Wang Hao hadn't thought of this. He nodded in agreement. "You are familiar with these matters; you arrange it. But be sure to prioritize safety."

He turned to his cousin. "Wenmei, take a few cultivators and provide distant vigilance to prevent any remaining demon beasts from harming the mortals."

"Yes, Elder!"

Although the lake water had receded, the ground was left pitted and muddy from the battle, making cleanup difficult. However, such tasks did not stump the mortals. They laid down planks or piled raw earth, and within an hour, they had built simple makeshift paths.

Wang Wenmei and the others swept across the battlefield first, finishing off any beasts that still had a breath left. Then, they took up positions on the periphery to stand guard before the mortals began leaving the city on a large scale to clean up the battlefield.

The Beast Tide occurred only once every hundred years; some mortals never witnessed one in their lifetime.

The mortals of Ling Lake City were both fortunate and unfortunate. Fortunate because they could receive a share of demon beast meat. Eating it could not only prolong life and strengthen the body but also increase the probability of offspring manifesting a Spiritual Root. Mortals who practiced martial arts could further use the medicinal properties to temper their bodies.

Unfortunately, many would have their health broken by the sheer exhaustion and terror of this event, drastically reducing their lifespan—losses that even demon beast meat couldn't compensate for. Some wouldn't even survive the tide itself. Though they might not enjoy these benefits personally, they would leave blessings for their descendants. Offspring nourished by demon beast meat would be much stronger than ordinary mortals.

"Ah! Immortal Master, save me!"

A mortal screamed, clutching his arm—the hand holding a faintly glowing demon beast fang.

Wang Wenmei quickly went to check and found the man's body already turning cyan, breathing out more air than he was taking in. In such a case, a single detoxification pill could solve it. But a detoxification pill was worth five low-grade Spirit Stones—how could one bear to use it on a mortal?

She could only shake her head helplessly. "This man is beyond saving. Weren't you told not to touch demon beast fangs with your hands? Especially those water snake fangs! They are highly poisonous!"

With this grim example before them, the mortals cleaning up followed the rules much more strictly, only using tools to handle the carcasses. The cultivators also used magical instruments to cut up some of the larger beasts for easier transport.

Wang Hao collected a few choice cuts to keep for Xiaobai and Yaya.

In this battle, the demon beast horde lost thirty percent of its low-level forces and three second-rank commanders. They would likely need time to recuperate. Wang Hao and his group also seized the time to recover.

In what seemed like a blink, another half-month passed.

News came again from the Qingyuan Sect: The Golden Lion Demon King's attack was not going smoothly. Despite losing hundreds of thousands of minions, he was still blocked outside the sect's grand formation.

Of course, the Qingyuan Sect wasn't faring well either. Several times, they nearly exhausted the supply from their supporting spirit veins and barely managed by pouring in accumulated Spirit Stones.

To relieve pressure on their formation, the Qingyuan Sect also sent out teams for several skirmishes. Both sides suffered losses each time. It was said that even a Golden Core Old Ancestor was injured, while Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining disciples suffered countless casualties.

But regardless, they held their defense.

The Golden Lion Demon King would not allow an outcome with no gains; that would harm his future control over his horde. While continuing to besiege the Qingyuan Sect with his main force, he ordered several third-rank lower-grade Demon Kings to each lead one hundred thousand demons deep into the Qingyuan Sect's territory for plundering.

The Qingyuan Sect was naturally happy with this development. They settled into a stalemate with the Golden Lion Demon King without concerning themselves with the splinter armies—though they did notify their subordinate forces. Failing to do so might cause these affiliated families to become alienated.

These hundred thousand demons split into two groups, advancing eastward and westward respectively. One group headed straight for the Green Bull Market region.

Originally, the Green Bull Market region faced little pressure during this Beast Tide. Several battlefronts weren't necessarily winning great victories, but they remained stable. But once targeted by an army led by third-rank demons... things might turn dire indeed. Many cultivators began considering fleeing for safety.

Fortunately, Qingyuan Mountain's terrain was tall and imposing, making crossing difficult for those demons without the Golden Lion Demon King's direct control. Many got lost within the vast mountain ranges, and their numbers reduced sharply, down to only thirty thousand remaining.

Not long ago, another piece of good news arrived: This demon army actually divided its forces again!

Only one third-rank lower-grade Wolf King, leading less than twenty thousand low-level demons, approached the Green Bull Market region. Plus, due to further attrition along the way, numbers fell below fifteen thousand upon arrival. This gave the five major families hope of defending the Market, prompting them to summon cultivators again to reinforce defenses.

Green Bull Market was established for this very purpose—to resist demons.

This location conveniently shielded most areas belonging to the five major families behind it. Unless passing through Green Bull Market, the demons would have to cross several mountain ranges, further dissipating their strength—something third-rank demons, possessing intelligence no weaker than ordinary humans, naturally wouldn't do.

Within Green Bull Market, Lei Family Head Lei Liheng wore a grave expression. He looked toward the two other family heads seated ahead of him and spoke solemnly.

"Fellow Daoists, the demons are less than five days' journey from Green Bull Market. What should we do next?"