Chapter 193: Beast Tide Approaches
Two months later.
In the depths of the boundless seas near Five Dragon Island and Star Pole Island, colossal figures swam through the waters.
The sky was shrouded in thick clouds, the sea roared with waves, and within the darkness of the waters, countless terrifying silhouettes writhed.
“Splash!”
Amidst the spray, a massive beast over thirty feet long crashed down onto a deserted island, letting out a shrill roar.
One after another, Giant-bone Sea Fish Beasts emerged, crowding as they crawled ashore. The male sea beasts, beneath the storm, vigorously displayed their robust bodies—
Attracting female sea beasts in droves.
The seas here were vast. Even though countless cultivators came in succession, forming teams to hunt beasts on these barren islands, they still occupied less than one percent of them.
Furthermore, the deserted islands that cultivators chose were never too far apart, for none wished to risk disaster alone.
Yuling Island.
“Beast tide is here, all cultivators, prepare yourselves.”
During a beast tide, merchant ships that usually sailed the seas had long since vanished.
The island’s defensive array slowly activated, and a spiritual twilight shimmered into a barrier, sealing off the island entirely.
At the same time, strong mortals and Qi Refining cultivators could be seen in groups near the barrier formation, risking themselves in preparation for the hunt.
“Truly a simple and unyielding folk. Even mortals here have grown accustomed to hunting sea beasts.”
Lin Chang’an nodded quietly at the sight. This formation had been established by Bihai Palace, and he had studied it before.
It drew on the terrain for strength, a purely defensive array.
Ancient, yet practical.
“But who would have thought, even beast tides could be used to earn spirit stones from drifting cultivators and mortals.”
Thinking of the island’s recent dealings, Lin Chang’an’s expression turned odd.
Mortals and drifting cultivators, relying on the array’s barrier, could hunt sea beasts with far greater safety. Naturally, many were willing to try.
This gave rise to profit.
The Three Great Clans negotiated with them: through formation jade tokens, team leaders could register and pay a fee.
In this way, during the beast tide, they could use the jade tokens to pass through the barrier and seize chances to hunt demon beasts.
When the beast tide ended, countless beast materials would be collected by the Three Great Clans’ merchant guilds for trade, with yet another fee deducted.
Of course, all would share in this profit.
“As expected, whether mortals or cultivators, the strongest instinct is survival.”
From initial astonishment to eventual understanding and acceptance, Lin Chang’an had come to comprehend how mortals survived here.
Were they not this tenacious, they would never have thrived.
“They’re coming!”
Suddenly, from beneath raging waves, hideous giant beasts appeared.
The largest were over thirty feet long, the smallest still more than ten, and under lightning and thunder their crimson eyes gleamed.
“At this time of year, Giant-bone Sea Fish Beasts are at their most aggressive.”
Beasts crawled ashore. Their movements were slower than in water, but with armored scales and massive bodies, their strength on land remained overwhelming.
As they crashed into the watery barrier, muffled thuds echoed.
Many beasts, failing to break through, turned away. Yet some violent and powerful ones stubbornly rammed again and again.
Drifting cultivators and strong mortals formed squads, slipping through the formation to strike at isolated beasts. At the first sign of danger, they quickly retreated into safety.
And since the formation jade token only opened a six-foot passage, sea beasts, no matter how they struggled, could never squeeze their hulking bodies inside.
Above, clouds loomed, lightning flashed, and thunder roared.
Amid the howling storm, pairs of crimson beast eyes flickered, chilling to behold.
…
“Most of them are first-rank beasts. Only one or two second-rank, and even those are cautious.”
Standing outside his own formation tower, Lin Chang’an’s expression was calm as he stepped beyond the barrier.
At once, countless sea beasts in the distance fixed their bloodthirsty eyes on him, as if scenting food.
For demon beasts, human cultivators were rich nourishment.
Yet Lin Chang’an did not even bother to act.
A bellow thundered out, and his second-rank mid-stage spirit pet, the Green-Horned Ox, charged forth.
Its sharp horns gored beast after beast, and its powerful hooves crushed even the hardest skulls to fragments.
It was pure domination.
Meanwhile, the Wind-Chirp Bird transformed into streaks of golden light, darting back and forth, each peck piercing skulls with precision, killing instantly.
“Enough, finish quickly. This battle has only just begun.”
Lin Chang’an’s calm gaze swept over them as he infused both beasts with his mana.
His mana not only strengthened himself but also had wondrous effects on spirit pets—
Accelerating mana recovery, granting resistance to poisons of the same rank, and more.
Afterward, Lin Chang’an took out a bone conch-shaped magical artifact, purchased earlier from a marketplace.
Crafted from the throat bone of a second-rank female Giant-bone Sea Fish Beast, it had no function other than producing a peculiar sound.
As he blew with mana, the conch emitted a strange resonance. It was not loud, yet to Giant-bone Sea Fish Beasts, it carried immense allure.
This was his weapon for luring second-rank sea beasts.
Though second-rank beasts were intelligent, even mature cultivators sometimes fell prey to lust. How much more so for beasts?
“They’re coming!”
From within the crashing dark waves, crimson eyes flared, making the Green-Horned Ox’s hair stand on end as it widened its eyes in alarm.
A dozen, even dozens of first-rank beasts it did not fear. But a dense swarm of them made even it tremble.
Not to mention, hidden among the darkness were several second-rank beast auras.
The Wind-Chirp Bird immediately perched on Lin Chang’an’s shoulder, looking as if ready to fight alongside its master. But its bright, shifty eyes—
Clearly plotted to flee with him should things turn dire.
“Enough. After eating so many of my spirit stones all these years, it’s time you repaid your debt.”
Lin Chang’an smiled faintly. With a wave of his hand, dense mist rose from the forest connecting to the sandy shore.
When the mist dispersed, all seemed unchanged.
But within the formation, one could clearly see a barrier covering a vast area.
Inside, the array began drawing in spiritual energy, transforming it into dense fire-attribute qi.
At once, fiery Fiend-devouring Spirits condensed above the formation.
Yet compared to the formation he had once seen in the secret realm, these fiery spirits were different—lacking in both power and something more.
“The formation is still incomplete. Good, I’ll let this beast tide hone it. Its power will improve afterward.”
The formation disk and flags still lacked baleful energy, leaving the array unfinished for now.
As the conch’s sound echoed through the sea, countless beasts surged toward them.
Behemoths stormed ashore, their roars shaking the weaker ones.
Many of the lesser beasts, overcome with instinctive terror, fled back to the sea to fight for weaker territories instead.
Those charging up the shore, their crimson eyes blazing, hurled themselves at the beachside forest.
But the moment their colossal figures slipped into the undergrowth, they seemed swallowed whole, as if by an abyss devouring all.
Using arrays to hunt sea beasts was the choice of most cultivators with resources.
The rest, lacking the means to buy arrays, could only rely on hot blood and experience.
…
Within the Blood Fiend Scarlet Sun Formation.
Fiery Fiend-devouring Spirits pounced again and again, while the beasts that poured inside panicked, as though they had stepped into a world of flames.
Though water restrained fire, here the terrain reversed the order—fire suppressed water.
“These beasts are thick-skinned, with dual attributes of water and earth. Even Fiend-devouring Spirits can only suppress them for now, though their scales will be damaged.”
Lin Chang’an, who was presiding over the formation, frowned. If he fully activated the array, he could summon several second-rank fire spirits, their power adjustable according to the expenditure.
“Just right, I’ll use this chance to test my divine ability, and the limits of my Regenerative Body’s recovery.”
Ever since preparing to relocate from Tianxuan City, he had exchanged most of his resources for Spiritual Liquid, used to nurture his Life-bound Spirit Plant.
With its feedback, his Regenerative Body had grown much stronger over the past two years.
As he thought of this, a cold light flashed in Lin Chang’an’s eyes. The Azure-scaled Sword, a top-grade artifact, appeared. In an instant, a sword ray flashed and vanished.
Sword Shadow at Will—this divine ability condensed into a single sword ray.
It pierced directly through a second-rank early-stage demon beast, and under his control, the ray continued weaving rapidly through the air.
Seeing its might, Lin Chang’an revealed a satisfied smile.
This divine ability was something even Blood Fiend True Lord, a late Golden Core cultivator, regarded highly.
Condensing a sword ray consumed much of his mana, but once formed, unless destroyed, its upkeep required little.
At least for him, not much.
“And I can clearly feel the speed at which my mana is recovering.”
The cultivation method he practiced, combined with the feedback from his Life-bound Spirit Plant and his Regenerative Body, was most suited for battles of endurance and attrition.
Still, once his mana was half-spent, Lin Chang’an would prudently retreat, letting his formation and spirit pets fight, while he restored himself.
Though he wished to test himself, he would not put his life at risk.
“Based on past beast tides, this one will last no more than two months.”
Two months would be enough.
When cultivators fought at high intensity for extended periods, both mana recovery and divine sense slowed down.
Two months would be sufficient for him to test his limit under prolonged strain.
“But these demon beasts are truly troublesome to deal with.”
Looking at the heap of corpses, Lin Chang’an could only sigh. If left inside the array, they would be roasted dry, their value greatly reduced.
One or two corpses might not matter, but in great numbers, they were worth piles of spirit stones.
So, using Object Manipulation, he sent the carcasses outside the formation’s barrier.
He was not worried about their flesh spoiling—after all, even Qi Refining cultivators’ bodies resisted decay after death.
These beasts, nourished by heaven and earth’s qi, naturally shared that trait.
Provided the environment was right.
By sealing them with ice spells, he could preserve them perfectly.
Within the array, the Green-Horned Ox and Wind-Chirp Bird gradually learned to coordinate and conserve strength.
The ox used its agility to topple massive sea beasts, while the bird struck at their soft bellies—
Killing with ease.
Even second-rank sea beasts stood little chance against the pair.
On the island, other Foundation Establishment cultivators also hunted beasts with formations.
But unlike Lin Chang’an, they carefully restored their mana after each skirmish, keeping themselves at peak before continuing.
In a beast tide, danger could strike at any time.
There were cheers of victory—
And also screams of despair.
Hunting beasts always brought mishaps.
Human cultivators, too, were torn apart and devoured.
…
Time passed swiftly; storms raged for half a month, then skies cleared for miles without a cloud.
The climate shifted without pattern.
“Old Lin, I finally ran into a second-rank mid-stage sea beast…”
Within the Blood Fiend Scarlet Sun Formation, Lin Chang’an listened as Old Hu’s voice came through the sound-transmission talisman. His expression turned speechless, though a trace of envy glimmered in his eyes.
“This Old Hu, truly lucky, to encounter even a second-rank mid-stage demon beast.”
In over a month, Lin Chang’an had seldom seen even early second-rank beasts, much less mid-stage ones.
But he had expected this.
“The higher a beast’s cultivation, the sharper its intelligence. With their instinct for seeking fortune and avoiding calamity, intelligent beasts avoid islands where cultivators dwell.”
Their innate danger sense was a powerful advantage.
Still, the beast tide’s greatest strength was sheer numbers.
At the Wind-Chirp Bird’s cry, it proudly carried over a demon core in its beak. Lin Chang’an smiled with satisfaction.
“Another second-rank early-stage beast. Well done.”
Over the month, counting this one, he had slain twenty-seven second-rank sea beasts, all at the early stage.
First-rank beasts were countless—he had not even tallied them. Those would all be handed over to the clans’ merchant guilds.
“Though quality lacks, the quantity makes up for it.”
Lin Chang’an was content. Hunting higher-ranked beasts meant venturing farther into the Outer Seas—
Especially deserted spirit islands. Once exposed, quasi–third-rank beasts, sensing only his aura, would never flee.
Worse, he might attract packs of high-ranked beasts.
For cultivators, demon beasts were resources. For beasts, cultivators were nourishing prey.
“There’s no need to take that risk. What I need now is steady progress.”
Looking at the twenty-seven early second-rank demon cores in his beast pouch, Lin Chang’an nodded with satisfaction.
Just their value equaled nearly two thousand mid-grade spirit stones.
Foundation Establishment Pills in the Sea Abyss cost around seven thousand low-grade spirit stones, while each second-rank early-stage demon core was worth seventy mid-grade stones.
To refine a Foundation Establishment Pill, the materials cost about ninety mid-grade spirit stones, with an average yield of two to three pills per furnace. Failures and explosions were common.
And that was without counting hides, teeth, and meat. For ordinary cultivators, a fortunate two months in the beast tide could bring earnings equal to ten years.
More cautious ones could still gain several years’ worth.
But equally, countless cultivators perished as beast fodder.
“This Regenerative Body is truly absurd.”
After more than a month of high-intensity battle, Lin Chang’an could feel it clearly—his body and spirit sense had not tired in the least.
“In a drawn-out war of attrition, even without talisman treasures, I could exhaust a False Core cultivator to death.”
Ordinary cultivators, even Core Formation ones, after long bouts of battle, saw their recovery weaken.
Yet he, only a mere mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, could sustain peak condition indefinitely.
“This harvest is bountiful.”
The Sword Shadow at Will divine ability—its normal attack equaled the strike of a top-grade offensive artifact. If detonated, its force rivaled that of a minor talisman treasure.
Meanwhile, with every kill, the formation disk and flags absorbed more baleful energy. Once pure crimson, the flags now bore dark streaks.
“Though the formation consumed many spirit stones this past month, its power has grown, and so many beasts have been slain.”
Glancing at the countless corpses behind him, Lin Chang’an sighed. A Storage Pouch held only essentials.
These beasts, their bodies several zhang long, could scarcely fit one apiece.
“Once I process this harvest and gather a bit more, it will be enough to support a secluded breakthrough.”
Lin Chang’an silently nodded to himself.
The beast tide was always most fearsome at the beginning. With time, more beasts returned to the sea, and fewer came ashore.
That was when low-ranked drifting cultivators grew excited. Near the end of a beast tide, they could form teams and hunt freely.
…
As the beast tide neared its end, on a desolate island, the Lu Clan and the robber cultivators of the Wang Clan boarded merchant ships together, sailing through wind and waves toward Yuling Island.