The few cultivators exchanged a cautious glance without speaking, then turned aside to avoid each other.
Xiao Heyun, seeing this, quickened his search pace, anxiety creeping into his chest.
Before he could find the Bodhi Tree, however, he stumbled upon a small creature.
It was a pure white cub, crouched pitifully beneath a rock, as if frightened by something.
Xiao Heyun narrowed his eyes and summoned the Spirit Beast Compendium in his sea of consciousness. According to its records, this cub seemed to be a species of ancient spirit beast.
"Hss… An ancient spirit beast thought to be extinct!"
His eyes lit up. He had not expected such fortune to fall upon him. Delighted, he stepped forward without hesitation, scooping the cub into his arms and preparing to form a contract—only for the ground beneath him to suddenly tremble violently.
A thunderous roar tore through the mountains.
Xiao Heyun's heart sank. His instincts screamed that something was wrong, and he bolted without looking back.
He sprinted toward the forest edge. Moments later, tremors rippled through the mountains as though an army of thousands was charging in. The noise sent cultivators in every direction reeling in fear.
"Not good! A beast tide! It's a beast tide!"
Someone caught sight of the massive horde of beasts surging toward them. Their face drained of color, and with a panicked shout, they fled for their life.
The others abandoned all thoughts of the Bodhi Tree. Staying meant certain death. Everyone scattered, cursing the unseen culprit who had provoked the beast tide.
More and more beasts swarmed in pursuit, the mountains seeming ready to collapse under their stampede.
Xiao Heyun kept running, shock settling in. He risked a glance back—and froze. At the mountain's edge, countless beasts surged forward, wave after wave. His gaze dropped to the cub in his arms, and his heart gave a hard thump.
Could they be after him because of this cub?
If so, he was in serious trouble.
But giving it up? That he couldn't bear.
"Forget it! Just keep running. There are plenty of others to take the hits for me."
A calculating glint flashed in his eyes, and he pushed himself to run even faster. Before long, the beasts had completely emptied from the deep mountains.
Watching the now-quiet peaks, Song Wanníng allowed herself a faint smile. Moments earlier, she had slipped into the beasts' lair unnoticed and stolen the cub. It was not an ancient spirit beast at all, but a cleverly disguised creature. Xiao Heyun, pressed for time, had no chance to verify it—only its appearance fooled him.
By the time he realized the truth, the beasts were already mad with rage.
On top of that, she had coated the cub with Beast-Attracting Powder…
Now every beast in the mountains was in a frenzy. As long as Xiao Heyun kept hold of the cub, they would not stop chasing him. A cruel trick, but perfect for someone as greedy as Xiao Heyun.
There was no way he would willingly give it up.
Now, all she had to do was sit back and watch.
Her gaze shifted toward the depths of the mountains. Whether the rumors about the Bodhi Tree were true or not, she would have to see for herself.
…
The beast tide surged through the secret realm.
It was immense—larger than anything the disciples of the major sects had ever witnessed. As Xiao Heyun moved, the Beast-Attracting Powder drew more and more creatures into the tide, swelling its size to terrifying proportions.
At first, he did not suspect the cub, but soon unease set in. No matter how precious, it was unreasonable for so many beasts to chase it. Could the cub be carrying something?
He examined it carefully but found no trace of any powder. He considered using his system to investigate, but with his points depleted, it was useless.
"Damn it, useless system!"
He could no longer contain his frustration. How had he ended up with such a worthless thing?
The system bristled at the insult.
After all the effort it had put into supporting him, to be met with such ingratitude—it fumed silently.
Fine. If that was how he felt, it would leave him to fend for himself for a while. Let him see how important it truly was.
And so, it vanished from his perception, abandoning him to his fate.
Xiao Heyun had no idea the Beast-Attracting Powder came from the Dao Qing inheritance and was hidden inside the cub's body. It was from another realm entirely, making it nearly impossible to detect. With no choice, he kept running with the cub, throwing the entire secret realm into chaos.
Cultivators who had been peacefully treasure hunting were now scattering in panic. The beasts' sheer numbers alone could kill them.
"Who is that guy? What the hell did he do to cause a beast tide like this?"
"Yeah! I've never seen one this massive. If they reach us, we'll be lucky to escape with our skins."
"I don't recall seeing him among the disciples who entered earlier."
"Same here. Which sect is he even from?"
Suspicion grew. Among the disciples of the major sects, most faces were at least familiar by now, but Xiao Heyun's was unknown to them all.
People began to suspect something was off, cursing as they ran.
Blending in with the fleeing crowd, Song Wanníng's clone spoke up casually, "What if he stole some great treasure, and that's why…"
Her words made several cultivators stop in their tracks. If a treasure could cause a beast tide of this scale, how valuable would it be?
Greed flickered in their eyes. Some even sent messages to allies, inviting them to join in cornering Xiao Heyun.
Before long, the secret realm descended into an absurd scene.
A mob of cultivators chased Xiao Heyun, and behind them surged tens of thousands of beasts. Wherever they passed, the land was trampled flat.
Elsewhere, Jiang Cen was also being hunted by vicious beasts, forced to run for his life.
The secret realm was now in total chaos.
…
Outside, the elders and masters were still gathered around their game board, unaware of the turmoil inside.
Before long, however, the entrance itself began to tremble.
"Something's happened inside?"
The five immediately stood and went to the entrance.
Feeling the vibrations from within, their brows furrowed.
"Every time the Lingxi Secret Realm opens, we lose disciples. This time had better not be worse."
These were the finest juniors of their sects. Losing any of them would be a blow.
None of them felt like playing anymore. They stood guard at the entrance, ready to pull their disciples out at the first sign of danger.
…
"Stop!!"
A group suddenly appeared ahead, blocking Xiao Heyun's escape route completely.
"Move!"
Panic surged in Xiao Heyun's chest, and without hesitation, he launched an attack at them.