ROAAAAAAARRRRR!!!
A roar unlike anything heard before erupted from the depths of Cloud Mist Forest.
The sound shook heaven and earth.
It wasn't merely loud.
It carried a terrifying pressure that seemed capable of penetrating directly into one's soul.
Trees trembled.
Birds exploded into flight.
Countless yao beasts froze instinctively.
Even cultivators within Cloud Mist Market felt their blood run cold.
Inside the Core Courtyard Training Center, numerous trainees abruptly opened their eyes from cultivation.
"What was that?!"
"That roar..."
"It came from the Core Region!"
Expressions changed instantly.
Unlike the previous disturbance several months ago, this roar felt completely different.
The last one had contained annoyance.
This one contained only one emotion.
Pure fury.
Unrestrained rage.
As though some terrifying existence had been provoked beyond its limits.
Inside his room, Lin Sheng slowly opened his eyes.
His expression became serious.
His mental field spread outward instinctively.
Although the source was too far away for him to perceive directly, he could feel something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The entire atmosphere of the forest had changed.
Outside.
Panic was already spreading.
Hunters.
Herb gatherers.
Rogue cultivators.
Mercenaries.
Everyone who had entered the forest immediately abandoned whatever they were doing and began sprinting toward Cloud Mist Market.
Unfortunately—
They weren't alone.
Behind them came countless beasts.
Earth shook violently.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Thousands of yao beasts charged through the forest.
Wolf packs.
Boars.
Black pythons.
Forest apes.
Iron-backed bears.
Stone-horned deer.
Every type of beast imaginable was running in the same direction.
Toward the market.
Toward safety.
Or perhaps—
Away from whatever terrifying existence had roared.
At the market entrance, alarm bells began ringing frantically.
DONG!
DONG!
DONG!
Formation masters activated defensive arrays immediately.
A translucent barrier slowly rose into the sky.
Many cultivators screamed desperately.
"Wait!"
"Don't close it yet!"
"We're still outside!"
"Open the gates!"
Unfortunately—
The formation continued closing.
The market could not risk allowing a hidden beast king to enter.
The survival of tens of thousands took priority over a few hundred hunters.
Many who arrived late could only watch in despair.
The barrier sealed completely.
Boom!
Several fleeing cultivators slammed against it.
Behind them—
The beast tide arrived.
Their screams echoed briefly before disappearing.
Inside the market, countless people watched silently.
No one spoke.
Fear spread through the crowd.
Even experienced cultivators felt their scalps tingle.
This wasn't a normal beast riot.
This was a beast tide.
A genuine beast tide.
One capable of destroying entire cultivation settlements.
---
Suddenly—
A loud voice echoed throughout the entire market through formation amplification.
"All cultivators and martial artists report immediately to the defensive walls!"
"Repeat!"
"All cultivators and martial artists report immediately!"
"Failure to obey during a beast tide will be treated as desertion!"
The announcement continued several times.
No one dared ignore it.
Even Foundation Establishment cultivators had begun appearing throughout the market.
Spiritual lights shot into the sky one after another.
The atmosphere became tense.
Inside the Core Courtyard.
Lin Sheng, Zhao Feng, Lin Xiaolu, Lou Han, and Lin Shou quickly gathered together.
The group's expressions were grave.
"This is bad."
Zhao Feng rarely showed such seriousness.
"A beast tide isn't something our market should be able to handle easily."
Lin Shou nodded.
"If the Core Region's beast king personally leads the attack..."
He didn't continue.
The outcome was obvious.
Everyone would die.
Lin Xiaolu tightened her grip on her sword.
"What do we do?"
Before anyone else could answer—
Lin Sheng spoke calmly.
"We obey orders."
Everyone looked toward him.
"The market cannot afford to keep the formation active indefinitely."
"The spirit stone consumption would be astronomical."
"They'll have to fight eventually."
The others nodded.
They understood this logic.
A defensive formation wasn't invincible.
The stronger the attack.
The more spirit stones consumed.
Against thousands of yao beasts, even major sects would feel pain maintaining a large-scale barrier continuously.
Lin Sheng continued.
"The first wave is the most dangerous."
"The market will use lower-level cultivators and rogue cultivators as the initial defense line."
Zhao Feng grimaced.
"Cannon fodder."
"Essentially."
No one argued.
Everyone knew it was true.
---
Soon.
The five arrived at the defensive wall.
The sight before them was shocking.
Thousands upon thousands of cultivators stood ready.
Spell talismans.
Flying swords.
Crossbow formations.
Defensive arrays.
Everything had been deployed.
Below the walls.
An endless sea of beasts stretched into the distance.
The sight alone caused many people's legs to weaken.
Some younger cultivators turned pale.
Others clenched their weapons nervously.
Then another announcement rang out.
A group of officials began distributing jade tokens.
"Take one."
"Each kill will be recorded automatically."
"The contribution points can be exchanged after the battle."
The moment these words spread—
The atmosphere changed.
People immediately examined the reward list.
And then—
Eyes turned red.
Foundation Establishment resources.
Rare cultivation manuals.
Precious pills.
Spirit artifacts.
Even Gang Condensation Pills appeared among the rewards.
Countless martial artists nearly stopped breathing.
For rogue cultivators, opportunities like this appeared once in a lifetime.
Killing beasts suddenly became far more attractive.
Greed began overcoming fear.
"I'll kill ten!"
"No!"
"I'll kill fifty!"
"Hahaha!"
"This old man finally has a chance to obtain Foundation Establishment resources!"
The crowd erupted.
Killing intent rose toward the heavens.
Lin Sheng merely observed silently.
The rewards were generous.
Too generous.
Almost suspiciously generous.
Which meant one thing.
The market expected enormous casualties.
Very enormous casualties.
Otherwise they wouldn't offer such rewards.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Something felt wrong.
The beast tide seemed...
Forced.
Manufactured.
Natural beast tides occurred.
But this one felt strange.
Too sudden.
Too organized.
Almost as if someone had deliberately provoked the beast king.
Lin Sheng remembered the mysterious demonic cultivators. There was no way they would leave such a good opportunity to cause chaos.
All those fragments suddenly surfaced within his mind.
Unfortunately—
He lacked enough information to connect everything fully.
For now.
He could only remain cautious.
---
Not far away.
The Alliance Leaders had also gathered.
Bai Ling stood at the front.
Behind him were dozens of followers.
Most possessed impressive cultivation.
Their formation appeared far stronger than ordinary trainees.
Seeing them arrive, many people instinctively moved aside.
Even now.
The Alliance Leaders remained influential figures within the Training Center.
One member suddenly pointed toward Lin Sheng's group.
Bai Ling followed the direction.
His eyes narrowed.
Then—
A sneer appeared.
"Still hiding behind discussions?"
His voice wasn't loud.
But it carried clearly.
Many nearby trainees turned toward Lin Sheng's group immediately.
Bai Ling crossed his arms.
"The beast tide is already here."
"Yet some people are still too afraid to fight."
A few alliance members laughed.
The implication was obvious.
Cowards.
Lin Shou's expression darkened.
Lou Han's eyes became cold.
Lin Xiaolu looked ready to draw her sword.
Only Zhao Feng rolled his eyes.
"That idiot never learns."
Lin Sheng remained calm.
His gaze shifted toward Bai Ling briefly.
Then away.
Completely ignoring him.
The sneer on Bai Ling's face stiffened slightly.
Being ignored felt worse than being insulted.
Especially in front of so many people.
One of Bai Ling's followers immediately became angry.
"What?"
"Too scared to respond?"
More laughter erupted.
Several spectators watched curiously.
Everyone knew there had been friction between both groups for a long time.
Unfortunately—
Lin Sheng still didn't react.
Instead he looked toward the distant beast tide.
His mental field quietly expanded.
Scanning.
Observing.
Calculating.
Compared to pointless arguments.
Understanding the battlefield mattered more.
This caused Bai Ling's expression to grow uglier.
Just as he prepared to say something else—
A horn suddenly sounded.
WOOOOOOO—!!
The battlefield instantly fell silent.
Everyone looked toward the horizon.
There—
The beast tide finally moved.
Thousands of yao beasts began charging simultaneously.
The earth trembled violently.
Dust rose into the sky.
The sheer momentum resembled a natural disaster.
Countless cultivators swallowed nervously.
Even experienced veterans felt pressure.
The first wave had arrived.
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed.
Then he quietly spoke.
"Prepare yourselves."
The others nodded.
True qi began circulating.
Weapons were drawn.
Talismans were readied.
Above the battlefield.
Foundation Establishment cultivators floated in the air like gods overlooking mortals.
Below.
Thousands prepared for slaughter.
And far beyond the beast tide—
Deep within Cloud Mist Forest—
A pair of enormous golden eyes slowly opened.