Deep within the mountains, far beyond the range of the Cloud Mist Ridge Market's defensive formations, a figure stood upon a jagged cliff, his long dark hair flowing behind him in the mountain wind as he stared towards the distant market, his gaze calm despite the enormous disturbance spreading through the surrounding wilderness. From this height, the Cloud Mist Ridge Market appeared almost insignificant, its buildings hidden beneath the thick mist and the faint glow of formations, yet the figure's eyes remained fixed upon it as though he could see everything happening within.
Beside him stood another person, their figure concealed beneath a dark robe, their gaze occasionally sweeping across the countless Yao beasts surging through the mountains below.
After watching the beast tide for some time, the second person finally spoke.
"Are you certain this plan will work?"
The long-haired figure remained silent for a moment, his dark pupils reflecting the distant flashes of spiritual light coming from the market. Then he slowly turned his head, looking at his partner with an expression of absolute confidence.
"It will."
His voice was calm, without the slightest trace of hesitation.
"If she doesn't show herself, then we can still get rid of Guardian Zhao."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"If she comes, then it is still a victory for us."
The person beside him narrowed their eyes but did not ask who he was referring to. The answer was already obvious to both of them.
The long-haired figure turned his attention back towards the distant market, watching the beast tide continue its relentless advance.
"Either way, this beast tide will not be wasted."
---
Back at the Cloud Mist Ridge Market, the sudden appearance of the beast tide had thrown the entire market into slight chaos, cultivators hurriedly moving through the streets as shopkeepers pulled down protective barriers and weaker cultivators gathered together, yet despite the suddenness of the attack, there was no true panic.
Guardian Zhao was here.
That single fact was enough to give everyone confidence.
The moment the first wave of Yao beasts appeared within sight of the market, numerous defensive formations immediately activated, spiritual light spreading across the ground and rising into the sky as layers of formation patterns intertwined, eventually forming a massive dome that completely enclosed the market.
The first wave of beasts crashed into it only moments later.
Boom!
The impact shook the entire dome, but the formation remained unmoved.
The beasts that struck it first were instantly reduced to bloody fragments, their bodies torn apart by the defensive formation before they could even touch the market itself.
Yet the sight did not bring relief.
More beasts were already rushing forward.
The second wave crashed into the dome, followed by a third, then a fourth, each wave more numerous than the last, the bodies of countless Yao beasts piling up around the outside of the formation as spiritual light rippled across its surface.
The defensive dome trembled slightly.
Then it stabilised.
Another wave struck.
The dome rippled again.
Still, there was no sign of damage.
"The formation is holding!"
A cultivator shouted from within the market.
"Don't relax yet!" another immediately warned. "Look at them!"
Everyone who heard those words looked towards the outside.
Something was wrong.
The beasts were not behaving like ordinary Yao beasts.
Normally, even low-ranked Yao beasts possessed some instinct for danger, and when faced with a defensive formation powerful enough to instantly kill their companions, many would instinctively hesitate, change direction, or retreat.
These beasts did none of those things.
They continued charging.
One after another, they threw themselves against the formation despite watching the beasts before them die instantly.
There was no fear.
There was no hesitation.
They simply continued forward, driven by something that seemed to override their natural instincts.
"Someone is controlling them."
A cultivator's expression darkened.
"Or at the very least, manipulating them."
The realisation quickly spread through the market, and the atmosphere became heavier.
A beast tide appearing near a cultivation market was dangerous enough, but a beast tide in which countless Yao beasts willingly sacrificed themselves against a formation was an entirely different matter.
There was foul play.
Someone was behind this.
But there was no time to investigate.
The defensive formation could protect them, but it could not kill every beast outside, and if the tide continued for long enough, even the formation's spiritual energy would eventually be exhausted.
"We need to open a path!"
"Attack the beasts outside!"
"Don't let them gather around the formation!"
Commands echoed through the market.
The cultivators immediately began moving.
Several formation nodes opened small passages, allowing groups of cultivators to rush outside before retreating again, while others attacked from within the defensive dome, using talismans, flying swords, spirit weapons and various techniques to bombard the approaching beasts.
For a moment, the market became a battlefield.
Guardian Zhao stood above the market, his hands clasped behind his back as his gaze swept across the mountains.
He was not paying much attention to the ordinary Yao beasts.
His mind remained focused on the strange aura he had sensed earlier, that faint trace of danger hidden deep within the mountains.
But now...
It was gone.
Guardian Zhao's brows furrowed.
He spread his divine sense once more, extending it through the surrounding mountains, searching through valleys, forests and rocky cliffs, yet despite the enormous number of Yao beasts moving through the area, he could not find the source of that strange aura.
It was as though it had never existed.
"Strange..."
He muttered beneath his breath.
His gaze eventually shifted downward.
Below him, countless cultivators had already begun attacking the beast tide through the opened passages in the formation.
A cultivator raised his hand, sending a chain of golden flying swords sweeping through a group of wolves.
Another threw out several talismans, flames erupting across the mountain slope and swallowing dozens of beasts.
Someone else activated a bronze bell, its sound spreading through the battlefield and causing several Yao beasts to stagger before cultivators rushed forward to finish them.
The attacks came from every direction.
With Guardian Zhao overseeing the battlefield, the cultivators quickly found their rhythm, attacking the beasts that attempted to pass through the openings while the formation continued blocking the overwhelming majority of the tide.
The slaughter continued for hours.
Yet the beast tide showed no sign of stopping.
More beasts continued emerging from the mountains, their roars filling the air as blood gradually stained the earth outside the market.
Guardian Zhao watched silently.
Something was definitely wrong.
A beast tide of this scale should have a source.
Even if the mountains contained an unusually large number of Yao beasts, there should still be some indication of why they had suddenly gathered.
Yet every time Guardian Zhao attempted to trace the disturbance, his divine sense found nothing.
It was almost as if someone was deliberately concealing themselves.
Then, without warning—
BOOM!
A violent shockwave erupted from one of the defensive openings.
Several cultivators were sent flying backwards, their bodies tumbling through the air before they crashed heavily onto the ground.
"What happened?!"
Before anyone could answer, a massive shadow tore through the opening.
Thunder exploded across the sky.
A Rank 2 Yao beast burst into the market.
It was a Thunder Eagle, its enormous wings spreading nearly twenty metres as arcs of lightning crawled across its dark feathers, its eyes blazing with a savage light.
The moment it entered the market, it did not attack the surrounding cultivators.
Instead, it immediately changed direction.
Its wings folded slightly.
Its enormous body became a streak of lightning as it shot directly towards one of the formation's core nodes.
The cultivators who saw this immediately understood what it was trying to do.
"Stop it!"
"It's going for the formation node!"
"Attack!"
Several flying swords shot towards the Thunder Eagle, followed by talismans and spiritual techniques, but the beast ignored them completely.
Blood already flowed from several wounds across its body, yet its speed did not decrease.
It was willing to die.
As long as it could destroy the core node, the defensive formation would weaken.
The Thunder Eagle's wings spread wide, lightning gathering around its body as it accelerated towards the formation node.
Then—
A hand descended from the sky.
No.
It was not a hand.
It was a palm formed entirely from lightning.
The enormous palm appeared above the Thunder Eagle without warning, carrying an oppressive force that made the surrounding spiritual energy tremble.
The Thunder Eagle looked upward.
For the first time, its eyes revealed fear.
But it was already too late.
The lightning palm descended.
BOOM!
The Thunder Eagle was crushed into the ground.
Lightning erupted in every direction, the beast's enormous body exploding beneath the palm before its remains were reduced to charred fragments.
The entire battlefield fell silent for a brief moment.
Guardian Zhao slowly lowered his hand.
His gaze remained fixed on the direction from which the Thunder Eagle had come.
The beast had not been trying to escape.
It had not been trying to kill anyone.
It had deliberately sacrificed itself to destroy the formation.
And that meant one thing.
Someone was directing the beast tide.