Chapter 243: 妖兽狂潮 (Beast Tide)
Huoshi Mountain Peak.
Meng Kui’s entire body surged with mana. At this moment, he used all his strength and unleashed his methods!
He took out a treasure seal and directly threw it forward.
The seal, a magic treasure, rapidly expanded in mid-air, transforming into a mountain that crashed down with a thunderous impact.
The treasure seal blocked the volcanic crater, forcibly halting the eruption of lava.
In an instant, the lava’s flow reduced by half, significantly easing the pressure on the frontline of Huoshi Immortal City.
Meng Kui then took out another magic treasure, a gourd.
He opened the gourd’s stopper and poured out a vast river.
The water flowed like a waterfall, directly pouring into the top of the volcano.
Steam billowed up, and within moments, smoke spread like a sea of clouds.
This water was certainly not ordinary; it had been gathered from nature by Meng Kui and refined multiple times, reaching a Foundation Establishment level of quality!
After sacrificing a large amount of the water, Meng Kui successfully slowed the spread of the magma by another thirty percent.
Once the gourd was empty, Meng Kui put both the gourd and the treasure seal away.
The treasure seal, having withstood the flow of lava, was now damaged by nearly half.
Meng Kui couldn’t afford to feel distressed. He extended his arms, his large sleeves billowing as he prepared to perform another of his signature techniques.
Divine Ability—Universe in the Sleeve!
In the next moment, his sleeves rapidly swelled, becoming as large as a house, their insides pitch black and deep.
A tremendous suction force erupted from inside the sleeves.
Countless streams of lava were drawn in by this force, forming two torrents that poured into Meng Kui’s sleeves.
At the source, Meng Kui diverted the lava, single-handedly suppressing thirty percent of its flow.
Thanks to his efforts and the tireless work of the city's residents, the magma’s advance slowed more and more until it finally came to a halt, grudgingly stopping after consuming only a few peripheral buildings on the outermost edge of the city.
“We won! We won!”
“Huoshi Immortal City is saved! My home is saved!”
“Hahaha!”
The city of Huoshi Immortal was filled with cheers.
Countless people jumped for joy, shouting and celebrating, extremely excited. However, there were still a few whose faces remained clouded with worry.
Among them were Zhu Xuanji and Fei Si.
Zhu Xuanji’s eyes gleamed with golden light as he tried to peer through the surface of Huoshi Mountain, looking deep into the mountain’s interior.
He knew very well that the issue with the lava wasn’t the biggest problem.
The real challenge lay inside Huoshi Mountain. More accurately, it was the countless Crimson Flame Beasts within the mountain.
Roar... Roar... Roar...
The sound of beastly roars gradually drowned out the cheers and shouts from the entire city.
Some people, hearing the commotion, couldn’t help but show confusion.
But more people quickly realized what was happening, and their faces turned deathly pale.
“Crimson Flame Beasts!”
“Oh no! With the mountain shaking so violently, the triggered beast tide must be terrifying beyond precedent!”
“What should we do? What should we do?”
Panic gripped the crowd once again.
Within a few breaths, the flow of magma slowed down, but countless Crimson Flame Beasts charged out from the lava, endlessly surging forward.
They were all in a frenzied rage!
Who wouldn’t be? Living peacefully, only to be disrupted by sudden bombardments turning their world upside down—what kind of mood would they be in?
Like a tidal wave, the Crimson Flame Beasts charged toward the Lava Immortal Palace.
They had locked onto the place where the bombardments originated.
If one could hear their thoughts, it would certainly be—revenge, revenge, revenge!
Leading the charge was a horde of Fire Serpents.
The Fire Serpents were long and slender, resembling flowing flames. They blended seamlessly with the lava, as if they were everywhere at once.
Following close behind the serpents was a swarm of Fire Weaving Rats.
These small but incredibly fierce beasts rushed toward the Lava Immortal Palace in packs, moving with astonishing speed like a red river.
The spherical protective barrier over Huoshi Immortal City was being fiercely gnawed away by the rat swarm!
Within the swarm, several giant rats, each as large as an elephant, acted as leaders. Each one of these giant rats was at the Golden Core level.
Even larger were the Lava Stomping Lizards. Any of these lizards at the Golden Core level were as big as small hills.
Their limbs were thick, their skin covered with a layer of tough Crimson Flame scales, and flames burned at the tips of their tails. Every time they exhaled, they created a wave of fiery storms.
The Lava Stomping Lizards hissed and roared, charging toward the Lava Immortal Palace.
But the true kings among the Crimson Flame Beasts were the Fire Fusion Demon Apes!
These apes stood nearly one or two zhang (3 to 6 meters) tall, their bodies covered in thick fur. Almost all of their fur was bright red, pure as fire.
The Demon Apes bared their fangs, their eyes round with fury. Each one had a burly and powerful body, many of them pounding their chests as they roared, their howls shaking the heavens and the earth.
Among all the beasts, the Demon Apes had the highest intelligence, which made them the most dangerous of the beast horde.
In addition to these three main forces, there was also a large number of Redstone Fiends.
One after another, these stone-skull creatures emerged from the lava, slowly floating into the air, surrounding the Lava Immortal Palace from above.
These stone heads numbered in the thousands, an unprecedentedly large amount.
The beasts knew where the bombardments came from and targeted the Lava Immortal Palace for revenge. But the beast tide was so enormous, and in their enraged state, many of the beasts lost all sense and charged blindly in various directions. A large portion of them headed straight for Huoshi Immortal City.
There was nothing more to say. Zhu Xuanji and the other Golden Core cultivators stood on the front lines, fighting desperately to kill the beasts.
For a while, the battlefield fell into a deadlock.
Ning Zhuo’s shot had completely stirred up a hornet’s nest!
He had thoroughly angered the massive Crimson Flame Beast horde within Huoshi Mountain.
At the peak of the mountain, Meng Kui continued to take action, casting Nascent Soul-level spells that covered the battlefield, killing many Crimson Flame Beasts.
But more and more beasts kept emerging from the lava, endlessly, impossible to kill them all.
“Damn it!”
Meng Kui cursed harshly because he sensed a life force at the Nascent Soul level among the beast horde.
It seemed to be a Fire Serpent!
It was hiding within the lava, its aura faint and flickering. And it was precisely this hidden blade that caused even greater psychological pressure.
In Huoshi Immortal City, the cheers of the citizens had already died down.
They stared in terror as the massive beast tide surged toward them.
The number of beasts was overwhelming, covering the sky and the earth! Under this tidal wave, a single person felt so small and helpless.
Secret underground base, Ding Zone.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amid the battle on the surface, the underground base occasionally shook as well.
Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu were hiding inside.
“The volcano erupted, and the beasts are attacking the city!” Yang Chanyu hadn’t cut off her connection with the outside world.
She was, of course, aware of such a major event.
“Sun Lingtong, what exactly is going on?” Yang Chanyu looked at Sun Lingtong, her instincts telling her that this situation might be related to him.
Sun Lingtong rolled his eyes and spread his hands, “I don’t know either. Why worry about all this?”
“Now the whole city is in chaos, almost everyone is fighting with all their might to defend their homes.”
“This is an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime! Let’s think about where it would be most advantageous to act.”
Yang Chanyu didn’t let the topic shift so easily. She narrowed her eyes, staring intently at Sun Lingtong, “Why do I feel like you don’t seem surprised at all?”
Sun Lingtong nodded, “Surprised? Of course, I’m surprised, but what does this have to do with us?”
“We’re not people of Huoshi Immortal City. Even if the city falls, we can just leave without a care.”
“Right now, it’s the weakest moment for all the major forces. If we’re going to make a move, let’s make it big. What do you think of those cloud merchants who just entered the city?”
Yang Chanyu remained unmoved, “Your constant attempts to change the subject are really suspicious. Let’s hear it—what’s your relationship with Ning Zhuo?”
“During the Golden Core battle earlier, I didn’t notice anything.”
“But the more I think about it lately, the more something feels off. You’ve done so much, made me disguise myself, even had me create a fake demonic sect
scripture.”
“But after the Golden Core battle, you didn’t carry out any follow-up theft, and that battle seemed more like a performance.”
“You kept talking about a big move, a grand plan. So where is it?”
“Why do I feel like all we’ve been doing is trying to clear Ning Zhuo’s name, easing the pressure on him?”
“After all, the rumors were pretty unfavorable for him.”
Sun Lingtong rolled his eyes again, “Ha, you’re thinking way too much, and it’s completely over the top.”
“During the Golden Core battle, I really did want to make a move, but the fight didn’t fully escalate.”
“Zheng Jianlian’s mechanical scythe was too fierce! Even the Golden Core true inheritors of the Taiqing Palace had no way to resist.”
“In that situation, how could I dare to make a big move?”
Sun Lingtong explained and then added, “But this time, the cloud merchants and the three great families are different.”
“They are outsiders, and the number of magical tools and treasures they can bring is strictly regulated.”
“Even if they have a Nascent Soul-level Cloud Whale, that massive creature is far outside the city, making it unsuitable for capturing us.”
“I’ve found out that this group of cloud merchants is planning to hold an auction soon, and many high-end cultivation resources will be on the auction block.”
“For example, the Water Virtue Treasure, Supreme Water, has three drops available!”
“Doesn’t hearing that make your heart race?”
Yang Chanyu chuckled coldly, “Of course, I’ve heard about this. But three drops of Supreme Water aren’t enough for you to wash away our marriage pact, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Sun Lingtong sighed, “Where’s your mind going? I—”
Just as he was speaking, Sun Lingtong’s face suddenly changed drastically. He turned his head sharply to look in a certain direction.
He shouted, “Who’s there?!”
Yang Chanyu immediately became alert, taking out her magical treasure and holding it in her hand, but the entire underground base was empty, with no sign of anyone.
She looked at Sun Lingtong in confusion.
Sun Lingtong muttered softly, “Was it an illusion?”
He wasn’t entirely sure.
Then, his eyes flashed coldly, and he said seriously, “In any case, this underground secret base in the Ding Zone can’t be used anymore. We need to move immediately!”
Yang Chanyu had no objections.
Before leaving, Sun Lingtong took a moment to set up numerous traps in the underground secret base of the Ding Zone.
(End of the chapter)