Song Xianming nodded. "I do have a plan."
"What plan?"
"You hold off the Three-headed Hellhound and the Earth-Breaking Earth Dragon—oh, right, and the Red-tailed Golden Eagle, too. I, in turn, will use a stratagem to anger the Back-Armored Barbarian Bear, lure it elsewhere, and kill it," Song Xianming said faintly.
Song Changsheng was speechless.
"Grandfather, those are three Great Demons! That Three-headed Hellhound is a Tier Three Middle Grade Great Demon and even wields Demon Flame. The Earth-Breaking Earth Dragon has an extraordinary bloodline, and its strength is on par with a Mid-stage Purple Mansion Cultivator.
Even the weakest of them, the Red-tailed Golden Eagle, possesses unparalleled speed. You can’t be serious, can you?"
Even though Song Changsheng was quite brave, he couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter with panic upon hearing Song Xianming’s words.
"I know this puts you in great danger, but there is no other way. Do you dare to try?" Song Xianming’s eyes were filled with encouragement.
Song Changsheng felt that his grandfather was acting strange. In the past, he would have never allowed him to be put in such peril, but today... It wasn’t that he was scared; he just found it all very strange.
Perhaps noticing the change in Song Changsheng’s gaze, Song Xianming smiled faintly. "You find this strange, don’t you?"
"I do." Song Changsheng nodded honestly.
"You are the future hope of our clan. I would never truly put you in a hopeless situation. When I learned the Beast Tide was coming, I began my preparations. Now, the time is just right."
As he spoke, Song Xianming took a three-inch-tall Glazed Bottle from his robes. A hazy glimmer swirled within it, like the light of distant stars.
For some unknown reason, the moment Song Changsheng laid eyes on the Glazed Bottle, he was overcome with an urge to devour it.
"This is..."
"Do you know why Aunt Yunhan gave up most of the clan’s territory back then, all to protect Vast Mist Peak?" Song Xianming asked in return.
"Wasn’t it because of the Tier Three Spirit Vein?" Song Changsheng asked, puzzled.
Song Xianming gently caressed the Glazed Bottle with his thumb. "That’s only one reason. More importantly, deep inside Vast Mist Peak lies an Exotic Stone capable of drawing down starlight. Though its effect is minor, every little bit adds up. The accumulation over countless years is not to be underestimated.
This was the very reason our ancestor chose to establish the clan on Vast Mist Peak in the first place.
He hoped that one day, when a true Blessed Prodigy appeared in the clan, they could use this object to cross that insurmountable barrier.
We descendants have been unworthy, never managing to reach that stage.
But you... you have given me hope. You are not the clan’s prophesied Auspicious Heir, but you are greater than one. I have hesitated, wondering if you could truly take the step our ancestor envisioned. That is why I never gave this to you.
I always thought I should wait a little longer.
Recently, however, I’ve had a change of heart. Before coming here, I reported to our clan’s ancestors and retrieved this item from within Vast Mist Peak."
"Such a thing exists?" Song Changsheng was taken aback. As the Clan Leader, he had never heard a word about it.
"The ancestor’s decree stated that only one person at a time could know of this item’s existence. The secret was not to be widely spread.
Before Aunt Yunhan passed on, she imparted this secret to me. By rights, I should have waited until I was on my deathbed to tell you. But since I’m giving this to you now, we can skip the formalities." Song Xianming chuckled.
With that, he passed the Glazed Bottle to Song Changsheng. "This is called Celestial Star Essence. It is a product of the Star-Attracting Stone. After you consume it, it will allow you to integrate Star Power into your very flesh and blood. Not only will it aid your Body Refining, but it will also advance your Cultivation. In the future, should you get the chance, it could even help you break through to the Golden Core Realm."
"But... what does this have to do with the coming battle?" Song Changsheng was still confused.
"It has everything to do with it.
After you consume the Celestial Star Essence, you need external force to help it fuse with your body. The more force you can withstand, the better the fusion will be.
This is the perfect opportunity." A meaningful smile spread across Song Xianming’s face.
The corner of Song Changsheng’s mouth twitched. He understood what Song Xianming was implying.
’To put it bluntly, he just wants me to go out there and get beaten up.’
"Grandfather, aren’t you afraid they’ll beat me to death?" Song Changsheng’s face darkened.
"Of course not. While fusing with the Celestial Star Essence is painful, it will also massively increase your Life Force. As long as you handle the situation well, you can definitely hold out until I return."
"Let’s hope so."
Though Song Changsheng had his doubts, he still believed Song Xianming’s words...
The next day, the Beast Tide attacked again.
Four Great Demons stood majestically outside the peak, their terrifying auras causing hearts to pound.
Song Changsheng and Song Xianming exchanged a look, then stepped out of the defensive array together.
"Another one’s come, but he’s weaker than yesterday’s," the leftmost head of the Three-headed Hellhound said coldly.
"Hmph, doesn’t matter who. I’ll just swallow them whole," the Earth-Breaking Earth Dragon said with contempt.
"No matter what, that pretty boy is mine. Don’t any of you try to fight me for him."
"Hmph, he belongs to whoever catches him! If I get my paws on him, I’ll squash him flat!" the Back-Armored Barbarian Bear roared.
With that, it took the lead and charged straight for Song Changsheng.
"Looks like this Back-Armored Barbarian Bear is even more hot-tempered than I thought. It’s serving itself up on a platter. Sheng’Er, stick to the plan."
"Understood!" Song Changsheng took out the Glazed Bottle and swallowed the Celestial Star Essence within. Instantly, he felt an immense power explode inside him.
"ARGH—"
Song Changsheng let out a guttural roar, then shot forward to proactively engage the three Great Demons.
"Such arrogance for a member of the Human Race." The Three-headed Hellhound opened its mouth and spat a streaking beam of black light straight at Song Changsheng’s chest.
The Red-tailed Golden Eagle also transformed into a streak of golden light and shot forward.
The Earth-Breaking Earth Dragon, wreathed in a sandstorm, advanced on Song Changsheng step by step.
"Five Beasts War Body, activate!"
As the War Body activated, Song Changsheng immediately felt the pain in his body subside slightly.
"ROAR—"
With a beat of his wings, Song Changsheng brandished his Mountain-Shaking Halberd and charged forward to meet them. This time, he didn’t use Mana, relying purely on his Physical Power.
BOOM—
The halberd fell, cleaving the black beam in two instantly.
SCREE—
The golden light of the Red-tailed Golden Eagle arrived in a flash.
"You again, you persistent old flea-bag! Die!"
With his blood boiling, Song Changsheng threw a punch that collided with the golden light, erupting in a dazzling flash.
The Red-tailed Golden Eagle was sent flying backward. In the exchange, its sharp talons tore a large chunk of flesh from Song Changsheng’s fist, faintly revealing the bone beneath.
But under the combined effects of the Five Beasts War Body and the Celestial Star Essence, the wound on his hand was healing at a rate visible to the naked eye.
At the same time, he could feel a wondrous power seeping into his skin, muscles, and bones.
Just then, the Earth-Breaking Earth Dragon descended, bringing its sandstorm with it...
While Song Changsheng was engaged in Magical Combat with the three beasts, Song Xianming used a mind-disorienting incense to successfully enrage the Back-Armored Barbarian Bear, luring it step-by-step away from the battlefield.
The Earth-Breaking Earth Dragon was the first to notice something was wrong. With its intelligence, it quickly realized Song Xianming’s goal and hastily called out a warning to the Back-Armored Barbarian Bear.
But the Back-Armored Barbarian Bear’s mind had been bewildered; its eyes saw only Song Xianming, and it was completely deaf to the Earth-Breaking Earth Dragon’s warning.
"Fool!"
The Earth-Breaking Earth Dragon cursed, trying to charge forward and intervene, but Song Changsheng blocked its path.
"Your opponent is me!"
"Arrogant human! Do you really think you can stand against us?"
"Enough pointless talk! Let’s finish him quickly! The Back-Armored Barbarian Bear won’t die that easily."
With that, the flames on the Three-headed Hellhound’s body instantly shifted from orange-red to black, releasing an aura of utter annihilation.
Seeing this, Song Changsheng’s expression turned grave...
...