Rendezvous

The closer Qin Sang got to Muyuan Island, the more alarmed he grew. The scale of the beast tide was even greater than he had imagined, and chaos had already erupted ahead. Faced with this sight, Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, yet still decided to head to Muyuan Island to assess the situation. Ever since Jinyuan Island had fallen to a beast tide last time, the Qiongyu Guild had focused its operations on Muyuan Island, making it very likely that the Wang sisters were there. If they were alert enough, they should have noticed the warning signs of the beast tide early and taken precautions. However, the people on the island would not know just how terrifying the scale of this tide truly was. If they failed to evacuate in time, they would likely be encircled and slaughtered by the ever-growing swarm of demon beasts. Along the way, several demon beasts caught wind of his movements and gave chase. Fortunately, none were particularly powerful, and Qin Sang easily left them far behind. Qin Sang hardly stopped for a breath, taking turns traveling with the two-headed hou. Finally, Muyuan Island came into view. Looking at the scene on Muyuan Island from afar, Qin Sang frowned inwardly. Demon beasts blotted out the sky and covered the earth in a dark, suffocating mass, completely encircling the entire island. At the center of the battlefield, amid rising and falling beast roars, came waves of battle cries—many cultivators were trapped within. Under the cover of the two-headed hou, Qin Sang quietly approached Muyuan Island. Arriving at the edge of the battlefield, he saw bizarrely shaped sea beasts swarming ahead like a colony of ants. These sea beasts were utterly fearless of death. Although their cultivation was not high, facing a siege by so many of them would make even Qin Sang's scalp tingle. *Boom! Boom!* Series of booming explosions echoed from within the beast tide. Qin Sang focused his gaze and saw several Foundation Establishment cultivators working together to drive a shuttle-shaped magic tool, struggling to break through to the outside. There were two men and two women, all at the late Foundation Establishment stage. That shuttle magic tool was peculiar, capable of being driven by four people in unison to unleash formidable power. With each ramming charge, it reaped the lives of a great swath of demon beasts. They seemed on the verge of breaking through the encirclement, but demon beasts replenished endlessly, leaving them unable to cross that final stretch of distance. To make matters worse, driving the shuttle drained an immense amount of energy. Two of them were pale, their bodies teetering, seemingly unable to hold out much longer. Seeing this, Qin Sang gave an order to the two-headed hou, and both man and beast surged forward with a sudden burst of speed. Upon reaching the outer perimeter of the battlefield, the two-headed hou whipped its heads around, its vertical pupils unleashing a storm that swept outward. Caught in the gale, the sea beasts were shredded with ease, perishing in droves. "A Demon Core stage beast!" When the four saw the storm hurtling toward them and sensed its terrifying might, looks of despair washed over their faces. To their surprise, just as the tempest was about to strike them, it dispersed on its own. Immediately afterward, a ray of sword light shot forth from the dissipating winds like a swimming dragon. Under their astounded gazes, the sword light swirled gently, decapitating the surrounding demon beasts in a clean arc. How could the four fail to realize that a benefactor had come to their aid? Overjoyed, they fled outward with all their strength. "Thank you for saving our lives, Senior!" Having finally escaped death, the four bowed hastily to Qin Sang in lingering terror, their faces filled with gratitude. "Is this... Senior's spirit beast?" One of the women stared at the two-headed hou in shock. Seeing the two-headed hou standing obediently beside Qin Sang, she realized that such a powerful demon beast was actually a tamed spirit beast under his command. Her respect for Qin Sang soared even higher. So much time had passed since he stole the fire, and no news had leaked from Huntian Island, so there was no longer any need to keep the two-headed hou hidden. "What happened? Why are so many people trapped on the island? Did no one sound the alarm before the beast tide struck?" Qin Sang asked in a heavy voice, pressing for information on the island's situation. By now, the beast tide's attention was drawn to them, and beasts began swarming over. Qin Sang had no choice but to summon the Flying Yaksha to hold them off alongside the two-headed hou. Faced with the overwhelming horde of demon beasts, the four turned deathly pale. Yet none dared to leave without permission and could only answer Qin Sang's questions dutifully. "Reporting to Senior, some people did indeed discover signs of the beast tide at the very beginning. But right as word reached us, a group of Demon Core stage great demons suddenly appeared on the island and attacked the grand array with extreme savagery. Taken completely off guard, the grand array could not hold up for more than a few strikes before being breached. Chaos immediately engulfed the island. Everyone was forced to fight for themselves, and many like us were unable to evacuate in time before the beast tide bore down..." Learning this, Qin Sang thought to himself that it was no wonder. The cultivators on the Five Elements Islands had never harbored any intention of resisting the beast tide to the bitter end; the formations they set up were merely temporary stopgaps. The leader of this beast tide possessed high intelligence, having figured out the cultivators' weakness. "Did you see anyone from the Eastern Pole Alliance when you left the city?" Qin Sang pressed. In the face of disaster, the various merchant guilds of the Eastern Pole Alliance would surely band together first, though he did not know whether they had managed to break out. The four exchanged glances. One woman hesitated before saying, "Senior, when this junior was leaving the city, I seemed to see the two Stewards Wang heading in that direction. I haven't seen them since." The others also shook their heads. Acting on Qin Sang's behalf in managing the Qiongyu Guild, the Wang sisters were quite renowned. Most cultivators on the Five Elements Islands recognized them and viewed them as gods of wealth. Three years ago, Wang Xiang had successfully formed her core. Speaking of which, Wang Xiang's breakthrough to Core Formation was also a stroke of luck. Qin Sang had used his connections to help them purchase high-grade Fiend Demon Pills, yet Wang Xiang had failed several attempts in succession. With the fiend demon qi in her body nearing its tolerable limit, she could only take one final pill. Fortunately, she succeeded in forming her core. For a time, the story of twin beauties blooming on a single stem, both forming golden cores, became a widely celebrated tale. Looking in the direction the woman had pointed, Qin Sang's heart sank abruptly. That was the very direction from which the beast tide was advancing, with countless demon beasts surging forward in endless waves. "Let's go!" Qin Sang barked softly and sped away. The four dared not linger for a second and hurried away. Qin Sang did not dare charge in rashly himself. Instead, he ordered the two-headed hou to slip into the beast swarm to search. The two-headed hou navigated the beast tide with ease. After some scouring, it finally located the Wang sisters alongside several cultivators from other guilds of the Eastern Pole Alliance. Trapped by the demon beasts, they were in dire straits and had already suffered heavy casualties. Fortunately, both Wang sisters had broken through to the Core Formation stage; otherwise, their fate would have been even grimmer. *Roar!* The two-headed hou slammed aside a massive sea beast and appeared before the group. Giving a low growl, it signaled for them to follow, then flickered, splitting into six figures. It turned to face the beast tide, baring its fangs. "It's the Daoist's spirit beast!" Upon spotting the two-headed hou, the exhaustion in the Wang sisters' eyes was instantly replaced by delight, and they called out loudly: "The Daoist has come to save us! Quick, follow it!" At once, everyone's morale soared as they pushed outward behind the two-headed hou. At the same time, Qin Sang appeared at the perimeter of the beasts, summoning the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner and unleashing demonic fire to mount a counter-charge to receive them. The Nine Nether Demonic Fire transformed into a sweeping dragon, sweeping away all resistance. A corridor opened between the two sides, bringing them into view of each other. "Daoist..." Wang Xiang waved her hand as she bounded over, her voice crisp and clear. Wang Shi was equally overjoyed. Having reunited amid the perilous beast tide, everyone felt a dazed sense of disbelief. They had believed most of them were doomed to perish here, never imagining they could escape death like this.