Three thousand li from Five Elements Peak, a torrent of Demon Beasts surged forward. Wherever they passed, dust choked the sky and the earth trembled. Swaths of lush, ancient forest toppled, startling countless birds into flight.
Three exceptionally massive figures stood out within the herd, each radiating a terrifying aura.
The one on the far left resembled a pangolin. Over a hundred zhang in length, its body was covered in hard, earth-yellow scale armor, making it look like a small, moving hill.
In the center was an enormous brown bear, nearly a hundred zhang long. Its limbs were powerful and robust, and with each step forward, it would randomly crush a few ’lucky’ creatures underfoot. The most striking feature was its back, covered in a layer of steel-like scale armor that reflected a metallic luster under the harsh sun.
On the far right was a three-headed hound, pitch-black and wreathed in orange-red flames. Compared to the other two Great Demons, its body was leaner and more slender, but its aura was subtly the strongest.
These three Great Demons were the leaders of the horde. They let out periodic roars, guiding the herd forward.
Suddenly, the earth began to shake violently. The ground directly in front of the Beast Tide instantly liquefied into quicksand. The phenomenon was so abrupt that the vanguard of the herd, caught completely off guard, was mercilessly swallowed.
This sudden development threw the Beast Tide into a massive uproar. Most of the Demon Beasts lacked Spiritual Wisdom; they had merely been forcibly gathered by the Great Demons. The moment they encountered a crisis, their primal, undisciplined nature was revealed.
In the chaos, countless Demon Beasts were trampled to death under the hooves of their larger brethren.
"ROAR—"
The pangolin-like Great Demon let out a world-shaking roar. Raising a foreleg high, it slammed it onto the ground. A surge of earth-yellow energy channeled through its limb into the earth, spreading out in watery ripples. The liquefied ground instantly solidified again.
"AWOO—"
All three heads of the hound let out a long howl. The herd, which had descended into chaos, gradually calmed and regrouped around the three Great Demons.
"What happened?" the hound’s central head asked coldly.
"Someone laid an Array in advance," the pangolin responded coolly.
"Hmph. Pathetic little tricks of the Human Race," another of the hound’s heads sneered.
"Human, come out. I know you’re nearby," the Barbarian Bear boomed as it stepped forward, its powerful voice echoing across the land.
The three Great Demons waited for a long time, but no one appeared. The atmosphere grew slightly awkward.
"Strange. I clearly sensed an unusual fluctuation just now. Could they... have fled?" the Barbarian Bear said, its voice laced with suspicion.
"Heh heh heh... All smoke and mirrors. The Human Race’s usual tricks. Get the horde moving again. Don’t give them a chance to stall for time," the pangolin sneered, its tone filled with contempt.
The herd set off once more, but this time, they were far more cautious.
To the side of the Beast Tide, Song Changsheng silently watched the herd depart. He had been there the entire time, observing their every move.
As for why he didn’t reveal himself, the reason was simple. The enemy was legion, while he was alone. ’Wouldn’t going out now be suicide?’
He wasn’t so arrogant as to think he could fight a Beast Tide single-handedly.
Today’s attack was merely a small test to ascertain the herd’s true strength.
But... the results were not to his satisfaction. Fortunately, the effort wasn’t entirely in vain. In addition to killing a good number of Demon Beasts, he had also obtained some useful information.
’One Tier Three Middle Grade [Three-headed Hellhound], one Tier Three Low Grade [Back-Armored Barbarian Bear], one Tier Three Low Grade [Earth-Breaking Earth Dragon]... and nearly thirty thousand Demon Beasts in total. The pressure is immense.’
Song Changsheng let out a soft sigh and turned to leave.
He had prepared more "surprises" for these Demon Beasts up ahead, but it was impossible to know how effective they would be. He could only hope they would thin out the herd’s ranks and lessen the pressure on his clansmen.
——————
"Clan Leader, what’s the situation?"
The moment he returned to Five Elements Peak, Song Lutong and the others rushed over, all asking questions at once.
Song Changsheng recounted what he had seen and heard, and the faces of everyone present grew grim.
"Clan Leader, we should summon our vassal forces from Ling Province and Yang Province. With our current manpower, it will be difficult to handle a Beast Tide of this magnitude," Song Changxue said gravely.
Song Changsheng shook his head slightly. "Let’s not touch the forces in Ling Province and Yang Province for now. Hundreds of thousands of Demon Beasts have poured into Tuo Province, and this situation won’t be resolved anytime soon. Ling Province isn’t far from Tuo Province; if something unexpected happens, we’ll need enough power there to suppress it.
"I’ve already requested aid from Luoxia City. They will be sending people to support us soon. There is no need for any of you to worry."
Hearing this, the crowd felt considerably more at ease.
"Clan Leader, the vanguard of the Beast Tide has been spotted six hundred li from the mountain."
Just then, Song Qingshi came jogging in to report to Song Changsheng.
"Understood. Tell everyone to prepare."
Song Changsheng led the group into the sky above Five Elements Peak. The Mountain Protection Array was already active. The "mercenaries" and the Song Clan members were all arranged in formation, looking as if they were facing a great enemy.
Yuann Tianshu, who had not yet made an appearance, also arrived at Song Changsheng’s side. His expression grew slightly grim as he watched the swarming herd approach.
"Clan Leader, I can block the Tier Three Middle Grade [Three-headed Hellhound]. The other two Great Demons will be up to you."
Yuann Tianshu had recently made another breakthrough, successfully reaching the Mid-stage Purple Mansion. While he couldn’t defeat the [Three-headed Hellhound], he had no problem holding it off.