Just after Fang Zheng unhesitatingly tossed the cat's corpse to the system, he soon detected a faint "rustling" sound from the distance.
Fang Zheng's heart sank, and he immediately suppressed the aura around him.
The imposing, purple chakra-infused Susanoo disappeared in an instant. His blood-red Sharingan, once sharp and mysterious, gradually reverted to his usual black eyes. He now looked like an ordinary cultivator.
His expression was calm, as if nothing had happened, while he stood still, quietly on guard, pretending not to notice the approaching danger.
As expected, after a short while, a small group hurried over. Fang Zheng quickly scanned them. There were two men and one woman. Among them, one was an elderly man, and the other two were young.
Without giving away any signs, Fang Zheng activated his spiritual energy and carefully assessed their cultivation.
Among the two young ones, the male's aura fluctuated at the third level of Qi Refining, while the female's was slightly weaker, at the second level. As for the elderly man, Fang Zheng couldn't gauge his cultivation at all. He cursed inwardly, realizing he was dealing with someone stronger than himself.
His luck was truly terrible today.
"Fellow cultivator, have you seen a cat demon with Qi Refining cultivation? That beast might have run this way," the elderly man asked, his eyes sharp as he fixed his gaze on Fang Zheng.
Fang Zheng couldn't help but feel suspicious. The old man was obviously stronger than him, and yet, he allowed a mere Qi Refining beast to escape? This was ridiculous!
But Fang Zheng maintained his composure. He knew that with the gap in their strength, a fight would only end badly for him.
"I did see an injured beast run off toward the back," Fang Zheng said casually, pointing in the direction behind him, hoping to rid himself of the troublesome situation quickly.
Today had already been unlucky enough. There was no way it could get worse, right?
With that thought, Fang Zheng was about to leave, but suddenly, the ground began to tremble violently.
The earth beneath his feet seemed to turn into a surging sea, with waves of tremors almost knocking him off balance.
"Hm? What's going on?" Fang Zheng was alarmed and immediately stopped. His eyes suddenly shifted to the Mangekyo Sharingan.
With the power of the Mangekyo, Fang Zheng's vision pierced through layers of mountains and dense forests, looking far into the distance.
The sight that greeted him made even Fang Zheng, whose composure was usually unshakable, inhale sharply.
Countless beasts surged toward him like a black tidal wave. Their stampeding hooves sent dust flying, and the air felt heavy, as if a black storm was bearing down on him.
"Beast Tide!" Fang Zheng's mind raced.
In his memory, beast tides were terrifying disasters, usually instigated by super-strong demon beasts of the Nascent Soul stage or higher.
These powerful beasts, upon reaching the Golden Core stage, possessed intelligence comparable to humans, cunning and vicious. And once they reached the Nascent Soul stage, they could even speak human language, becoming Demon Kings with vast followings and unimaginable power.
Fang Zheng's mind quickly calculated his chances, scanning the beast army and the distance between them. After a brief moment of consideration, he made a decisive decision:
"I can't win, I'll run!"
In an instant, his Rinnegan activated, and his chakra surged. He shot into the sky like an arrow released from a bow.
Suspended in midair, he looked down at the vast army of beasts below. The immense horde, each beast radiating varying levels of demon energy, gathered into a terrifying pressure.
Fang Zheng glanced in the direction the beasts were charging toward and saw a massive city in the distance. The city's towering walls were tightly shut, and its inhabitants hadn't yet realized the impending disaster.
If the beast tide reached the city, it would be a bloodbath.
As Fang Zheng's thoughts turned darker, he wasn't concerned about the lives of the common folk. In his view, this world revered the strong, and the lives of ordinary people were as insignificant as ants.
What concerned him was whether he could take advantage of the chaos after the beasts attacked. Perhaps valuable treasures or techniques would be left behind in the city, which could enhance his own strength.
"As for the commoners' lives, it's none of my business. Even if I caused it, so what? I, Fang Zheng, never need to explain my actions to anyone!"
A faint, rebellious smile played on his lips.
At that moment, a sharp cry split the air. A large bird, enveloped in spiritual energy and at the peak of Qi Refining (ninth level), shot toward him like a black lightning bolt, its claws extended.
Fang Zheng's eyes narrowed. His reaction was swift as he sidestepped and simultaneously activated the Wanxiang Tianyin technique.
In an instant, a blinding light flashed. The large bird didn't even have time to utter a sound before being instantly killed.
Without a second thought, Fang Zheng tossed the bird's body into his system storage, and a system prompt echoed in his mind:
"Progress +4."
At the same time, a three-person team not far away was drawn to the commotion.
"Grandfather, it's a beast tide! What should we do? Should we leave?" one of the younger members of the team, Huang Kunyuan, said urgently, his face filled with worry.
The elderly man, Huang Zhuo, the grand elder of the Yang Clan, had the cultivation of an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. He furrowed his brow, scanning the surroundings with a serious expression.
The girl, Huang Minqing, was Huang Zhuo's granddaughter. She stayed close to her grandfather, her eyes also filled with concern.
Huang Zhuo had originally planned to take his grandchildren outside for some practical training but had never expected to encounter a beast tide so soon.
"Well, let's head back for now and come back next time," Huang Zhuo said after a moment's thought.
He waved his hand gently, and spiritual energy surged around him, forming a soft, invisible force that lifted both Huang Minqing and Huang Kunyuan into the air. He then began flying in the distance with them.
While flying, Huang Zhuo's sharp senses detected something unusual.
His eyes locked onto a figure in the distance. To his surprise, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was also flying through the air.
Suspicion rose in his heart. "What kind of special technique allows someone at the late Foundation Establishment stage to fly? That's rare."
Fang Zheng, noticing Huang Zhuo's intense gaze, cursed inwardly.
"Shit." He had no choice but to pretend not to see and continued his flight, maintaining his calm demeanor.