While Lu Yuan was engrossed in refining the herbs, half an hour slipped by.
Inside Qingyang City, piercing sirens suddenly began to wail.
Upon hearing them, countless citizens rushed out of their homes without a second thought.
Just moments ago, a critical announcement had broadcast that a beast tide was approaching from the east. Qingyang City authorities had already issued a disaster alert, ordering every citizen within the city to leave their residences immediately and make their way to safe zones.
The warning came so abruptly that the residents hardly had any time to prepare.
It was supposed to be a quiet evening of rest.
Now, however, every road heading west was thrown into total chaos.
Every street was packed bumper to bumper with fleeing crowds and vehicles.
Blaring car horns and the terrified screams and weeping of children rose in a deafening chorus. Everyone knew that an unprecedented catastrophe was bearing down on them.
There was no helping it. Ever since the global mutation, ordinary beasts had evolved into mutant creatures possessed of rudimentary intelligence and immense physical might. Every so often, they would surge into human cities and leave a wake of utter devastation.
Such tragedies appeared on the news every single day.
Now it was Qingyang City's turn.
Panic seized the populace, and the more panicked they became, the slower the evacuation moved.
"Qingyu, we can't let this go on! Time is running out. Never mind the beast tide—if a stampede breaks out right now, the casualties will already be catastrophic!"
High atop a building somewhere in the city, Qin Lan looked down at the streets below, her heart burning with anxiety.
Though they had already contacted the local municipal authorities to assist in evacuating the civilians, this was the city's first time handling a beast tide assault. Without an organized emergency system in place, the streets were only descending deeper into pandemonium.
"There's nothing else to be done. We were caught completely unprepared, and this is the best we can do. All we can hope for is that the beast tide arrives a little later," Senior Wu said, shaking his head. A stampede, grim as it was, was still marginally better than being caught in the jaws of a beast tide.
Their abilities were limited, and their cultivation was modest. They had already done everything humanly possible.
"What did the Qingyang town officials say?" Zhu Qingyu asked, her brow furrowed tightly.
With Zhendan Academy backing them, local officials had to show them deference, and in moments of dire necessity, they could even assume temporary authority over a settlement.
"They've already called for military rescue units, but even the closest regiment will take at least five hours to arrive," another student answered with a grim face. Following the world's expansion, the earth had stretched out, making five hours a remarkably swift response.
Under the present circumstances, however, it was clearly far too late.
Besides, even if the rescue team arrived, it would merely be a drop in the bucket. They were a rescue squad, not a frontline army equipped with heavy ordnance.
"Is that so?" Hearing this, Zhu Qingyu took a deep breath as though she had reached a firm resolve. She turned to the others and said, "Everyone, the evacuation has begun. Our only objective now is to buy time for the people to escape. I'm heading to the eastern edge of the city to hold off the beast tide. If any of you don't wish to come, I won't force you."
Watching the terrified throngs below, her heart ached. Even if one person's strength was negligible, she still chose to charge headlong toward the front line without hesitation.
"What are you saying, Qingyu? If you go, we all go!" Qin Lan stepped forward, choosing to stand by her side.
"That's right! We stand together!" the others chimed in.
If they did nothing, hundreds of thousands of civilians would face an unimaginable massacre.
They were humans too. Confronted with such a crisis, they could not simply fold their arms and watch, even if the price was their very lives.
"Well said! Truly worthy of our Zhendan Academy!"
A deep, resonant voice suddenly echoed from nearby.
The students turned their heads, their eyes lighting up at once.
Not far off, several dozen figures were rapidly approaching. As they drew near, it became clear that five or six were middle-aged men and women, while the rest were young people in their late teens and early twenties.
The leading middle-aged man possessed an extraordinarily imposing aura. He held a long spear in hand, his countenance stern and dignified.
"Teacher Zhao!" Zhu Qingyu and the others cried out in delight.
The newcomer was a faculty member of Zhendan Academy, known far and wide as Divine Spear Zhao Wuji. Before the global mutation, he was already a renowned inheritor of ancient Chinese spear arts. Following the upheaval, he had awakened a trace of ancestral bloodline and become an Awakened before joining Zhendan Academy as an instructor. His strength had reached the Initial Realm Seventh Order.
The others accompanying him were teachers and students on patrol nearby. Having caught wind of the imminent beast tide, they had rushed over at their fastest speed.
Zhao Wuji looked at Zhu Qingyu and the others with a look of warm approval.
"'Zhendan' was the ancient name given to our Huaxia during the Han and Tang dynasties by the Western world. It carries the meaning of the rising sun in the east, illuminating all beneath heaven—symbolizing hope and brilliant light. When Zhendan Academy was founded, its core mission was to withstand the perils of this New Era.
"Qingyu, you and your companions did not shrink back from danger. You carry righteousness in your hearts, proving yourselves worthy of the name Zhendan."
At these words, every student and teacher present took a deep breath, their blood warming.
Aside from pursuing higher tiers of evolution, why else had they joined the academy if not to contribute their strength when humanity needed it most?
"Teacher Zhao, we understand," Zhu Qingyu replied with a solemn nod.
"Good," Zhao Wuji said. "The most crucial task right now is to buy as much time as possible. I have already reported to the academy and contacted the forces stationed in Chang'an. They will be arriving with heavy weaponry to support us. Furthermore, several vice deans and teachers from our Chang'an branch set out just a few minutes ago!"
Military reinforcements?
Hearing that, Qin Lan and the others felt a surge of renewed hope.
A beast tide was terrifying, yes, but the vast majority of mutant beasts still could not withstand modern munitions unless they were exceptionally powerful. Otherwise, with mutant beasts attacking cities across the country on a regular basis, the Awakened of Zhendan Academy alone could never have maintained order.
More importantly, several vice deans of the Chang'an academy branch were on their way.
Now, all they had to do was hold out.
As long as the troops arrived to relieve the pressure, combined with the academy's senior experts, this crisis could definitely be quelled.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
*Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!*
Yet just as their spirits were lifted, the earth beneath Qingyang City began to vibrate with low, muffled rumbles like subterranean thunder.
From the dense mountain forests to the east, an ominous, suffocating aura was rolling out like a rising tide.
The beast tide was here!
"Move! Follow me to meet the enemy!" Zhao Wuji roared.
Issuing the command, he took the lead, leaping straight off the rooftop and rushing toward the eastern outskirts of the city.
Since countless civilians had yet to evacuate, they had to minimize casualties while buying precious time. Ordinary humans had no way to resist mutant beasts; only the Awakened could put up a fight.
Even though their numbers were fewer than twenty, they charged out without hesitation behind Zhao Wuji, halting outside the eastern gates to await the oncoming horde.
Simultaneously, everyone drew their weapons and activated their supernatural abilities.
Thick scales grew over the skin of some, while others' eyes took on a hypnotic, illusory glow. A few even saw their frames swell outward, expanding until they stood several meters tall.
With everything prepared, they stared silently at the mountain forest ahead.
Despite their resolve, aside from the seasoned instructors, the students were visibly taut with tension, their palms slick with sweat.
Deep within the verdant woods to the east of Qingyang City, heavy, pounding footsteps approached from afar. The terrifying momentum threw up a massive pall of dust that billowed into the sky. The number of mutant beasts was evidently immense—at least over a hundred.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
They were closing in!
Every person focused their senses to the absolute limit.
In the distance, blurred shadows broke through the tree line. One creature after another emerged amid hair-raising roars, charging forward at terrifying speeds.
Zhu Qingyu and her companions finally caught clear sight of the beasts.
Monkeys blanketed in golden fur, wild boars the size of armored vehicles, white serpents thick as water barrels, and massive birds boasting wingspans of tens of meters—all radiated an aura of lethal bloodlust. Though of vastly different species, they charged toward a single target, numbering in the hundreds, perhaps even over a thousand.
Virtually all of them were mutant beasts that had embarked upon the path of evolution, each formidable in its own right.
The only silver lining was that most were not exceptionally strong, generally lingering around the Initial Realm First or Second Order. Some had not even formally stepped onto the path of evolution, merely possessing strength far surpassing ordinary wild animals.
After all, the wilderness outside Qingyang City was neither a famous mountain nor a great river; the beasts born here were naturally limited in power. Had this been the Qinling Mountains or the Taihang Mountains, those present would have had no choice but to wait for death.
Even so, their sheer numbers were staggering—at least tenfold their own.
*Is it starting?*
Everyone swallowed hard, crouching slightly and bracing for impact.
Yet, unexpectedly, once the beasts closed to within a thousand meters of Qingyang City, they all skidded to a halt and stood in place, advancing no further.
"Teacher Zhao, what's going on?" Qin Lan asked, bewilderment clear in her eyes.
"Don't speak," Zhao Wuji said, his eyes glued to the front.
In the next instant, everyone watched as massive trees in the forest splintered and collapsed.
A giant blue wolf sporting a single horn walked out from the canopy. Its body towered thirty meters tall, its eyes as large as washbasins, gleaming with cold cerulean light as it glared indifferently down upon the humans.
The moment it appeared, all the mutant beasts instinctively parted to make way.
The Giant Wolf King!
The Beast King of that forest—and the instigator of this entire disaster.
"*Roar!*"
The Giant Wolf King stared at Zhao Wuji and the others, unleashing an ear-splitting bellow.
Below it, hundreds upon hundreds of mutant beasts bared their fangs, eyes brimming with savage murderous intent. It seemed as though a single command would send them hurtling forward to tear the humans to shreds.
"Honored Giant Wolf King, will you hear me out?" Zhao Wuji stepped forward, projecting his voice loudly.
Though he knew a clash was likely unavoidable, he still wanted to try. If he could persuade the beast tide to retreat temporarily, that would be the best possible outcome. Even if it failed, it might buy them a little more time.
A creature of the Giant Wolf King's caliber was undoubtedly intelligent enough to comprehend human speech.
"*Roar!*"
Yet the wolf king had no interest in idle talk.
With a single guttural roar, it barked the order to attack!
*Roar! Roar! Roar!*
In the next instant, hundreds of mutant beasts surged forward without the slightest hesitation, stampeding directly toward Qingyang City.
"There's no other choice! Kill!" Zhao Wuji reacted instantly.
Gripping his spear with both hands, a formidable aura erupted from his frame. He soared dozens of meters into the air, bringing the long spear crashing down upon the earth like Mount Hua split in twain!
*Boom!*
The ground quaked violently as fissures spiderwebbed across the soil. Under the tremendous concussive force, several dozen mutant beasts in the blast radius had their internal organs instantly shattered.
Zhao Wuji, an inheritor of ancient spear arts, stood at the Initial Realm Seventh Order and had awakened ancestral bloodline power. Beneath this strike, any beast below the Sixth Order was utterly incapable of withstanding the blow.
His spear, custom-forged from specialized alloys, was capable of bearing colossal physical strain.
Behind him, the other teachers of Zhendan Academy charged forward as well. While not as powerful as Zhao Wuji, they were still around the Fifth or Sixth Order. Plunging into the sea of beasts, every strike they unleashed claimed several lives.
Along the path of evolution, even a slight gap in cultivation created a world of difference in combat capability. Unless a creature possessed an exceptionally potent bloodline, lower orders were invariably crushed by higher ones.
"We move too! But stay coordinated, don't split up—stick close to the teachers!" Zhu Qingyu shouted, leading the students forward.
They were not strong, hovering only around the First or Second Order. They had to center their formations around the teachers to survive.
The great battle commenced.
Though Zhendan Academy's numbers were few, they possessed unyielding courage, and backed by several powerful instructors, they managed to hold the line against the beast tide's initial surge.
However, the sheer quantity of beasts was overwhelming, leaving them stretched to their limits.
In particular, several students had only recently embarked upon the path of evolution and lacked combat experience. Wounds quickly mounted among their ranks, allowing several mutant beasts to slip past the defense and charge straight into the city to wreak havoc.
Before long, buildings began to crumble, sending up immense plumes of dust.
A golden-furred monkey ripped a concrete utility pole straight out of the earth, swinging it like a massive staff. Under its savage blows, a three-story residential building was swiftly reduced to rubble.
Other beasts tore apart public infrastructure, giving free rein to their most primal savagery.
As time ticked by, these unhindered beasts crept closer and closer to the western district of Qingyang City.
Tens of thousands of unevacuated citizens were still stranded there.
If the beasts reached them, it would be an unmitigated slaughter.
"This can't go on!" Zhao Wuji's expression darkened considerably as he caught sight of the destruction. In the end, their numbers were simply too meager to block so many beasts.
His gaze locked onto the blue Giant Wolf King. He immediately called out to two other instructors, "Old Liu, Old Zhang, join forces with me! As long as we slay that wolf king, this beast tide will collapse!"
The Giant Wolf King was the pack's undisputed leader. Once it fell, the rest of the beasts would lose their commander and scatter naturally.
"*Roar—*"
At that moment, as though intuiting Zhao Wuji's intent, the Giant Wolf King let out a booming howl.
Abruptly, all the mutant beasts halted in their tracks and began retreating toward the forest edge.
Even those running amok within the city abandoned their rampage, bounding back outside the perimeter to gather before the wolf king.
"What's happening?" Seeing the beasts disengage, Zhu Qingyu and the others wore expressions of utter bewilderment.
Could it be that the battle was already over?
It had only just begun!
Very quickly, however, everyone realized the grim truth: it was far from over.
Once the horde pulled back, the Giant Wolf King took measured strides forward. Its azure pupils gleamed with mocking amusement as it stared down at Zhao Wuji and his colleagues, seemingly waiting for their move.
"It... it wants to duel Teacher Zhao and the others alone?" Senior Wu asked, stunned.
"Yes," Zhu Qingyu replied, her face as grave as lead. "That's why the wolf king deliberately called back the horde."
She had heard stories before.
Certain cunning mutant beasts would deliberately refrain from killing humans upon entering a city, choosing instead to destroy buildings and terrorize the populace. Their objective was to flaunt their overwhelming might and drive humanity into despair, only butchering them once their cruel amusement was satisfied.
Like a hunter playing with trapped prey, it sought every means to torment.
In the past, that was how humans treated wild animals.
Now, the roles had reversed.
"Fine! If you want a fight, I'll give you a fight!" As an experienced teacher, Zhao Wuji naturally understood the wolf king's thoughts. Without hesitation, he gripped his bloodstained spear and charged forward.
The instructors beside him followed close behind, weapons at the ready.
All of them were at the Initial Realm Fifth Order, possessing formidable physiques. Almost instantly, they closed the distance to the wolf king, leaping high into the air under Zhao Wuji's lead to strike.
"*Roar!*"
Seeing them leap, the Giant Wolf King pulled back its lips in a chilling sneer. With a deafening roar, it brought its razor-sharp paw crashing down.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The strike contained astronomical force.
With a single swat, every instructor aside from Zhao Wuji was blasted downward like falling meteors, cratering the earth below. Their flesh cracked, and they fell unconscious on the spot, critically wounded.
Even the strongest among them, Zhao Wuji, fared little better. Though he managed to parry with his spear, he could barely withstand the pressure for a few exchanges. He was violently batted out of the sky, hurtling downward and smashing through an entire building.
"This..." Zhu Qingyu and the students looked on, their faces pale as ash.
One was at the Seventh Order; the other was at the Ninth Order, on the very precipice of the Awakening Realm.
Furthermore, in terms of sheer physical constitution, mutant beasts were inherently far superior to humans. The gulf between them was simply too vast—they were not in the same league at all.
"*Roar!*"
The Giant Wolf King snorted, a glint of open disappointment flashing in its eyes.
It had assumed these humans would put up more of a fight, yet they could not even withstand a single blow.
Finding the whole affair dreadfully boring, it prepared to give the final order to overrun Qingyang City.
"It's not over yet!"
At that moment, Zhao Wuji vaulted into the air once more.
Spear in hand, he landed atop the roof of a building, pointing the weapon straight at the Giant Wolf King. "The real battle has only just begun!"
With that, he gripped the spear tightly with both hands, unleashing the full weight of his aura. Waves of potent energy surged out from within his body.
*Boom!*
Zhao Wuji bent his knees and kicked off, shattering the concrete roof beneath his feet as he rocketed forward like an artillery shell, closing in on the Giant Wolf King.
Rays of light radiated along the spear shaft, humming with a nascent spear intent.
This was Zhao Wuji's ultimate technique, executed with every ounce of strength he possessed.
"Teacher Zhao..." Zhu Qingyu and the others clenched their fists so hard their knuckles turned white.
They prayed fervently in their hearts that even if he could not defeat the Giant Wolf King, his strike would at least leave a mark.
Yet the wolf king merely narrowed its eyes slightly, showing only a fraction more seriousness than before.
Raising its massive claw once more, it clashed with the incoming spear.
*Clang! Bang! Crack!*
Zhao Wuji held his ground for barely a few minutes, not even reaching ten.
Soon, he was coughing up mouthfuls of blood. Fractures spread along the bones of both his arms as he was violently driven backward.
Yet he refused to collapse. Gritting his teeth, he swept his spear once more, utilizing every shred of remaining strength to stubbornly withstand the onslaught.
"Teacher Zhao!" Zhu Qingyu and the students screamed, terror and agony written across their faces.
They knew that if this continued, he would die.
For an Initial Realm Seventh Order fighter to last this long was already an astonishing feat.
Tears welled in the eyes of everyone present.
Meanwhile, in a secluded corner within Qingyang City.
Lu Yuan slowly opened his eyes. Feeling another torrential surge of immense power cresting within his body, a faint smile surfaced on his lips.
*Splendid. The fourth shackle—*
*Successfully broken!*
Yet in the very next instant, his brow furrowed slightly.
*Something's not right. Why are there so many mutant beast auras gathered in the distance...?*
Chapter 39