C18 The Beast Tide

"Could this be..." Lee Xiao'er's face drained of color in fear.

The Rock Wolves and Stormblade Wolves around them were restless, casting uneasy glances at Xing Yun and letting out low whines.

"Congratulations, you've stumbled upon a Beast Tide right off the bat! These wild beasts are swarming from every direction, and there's a sizable number to the east as well!" Xing Yun shrugged with a sense of resignation.

Lee Xiao'er stood rooted to the spot, unsure of what to do next. Xing Yun noticed her confusion and chuckled, "Are you sure you're cut out to be an assassin?"

"I'm merely a disciple acting on the orders of the Order of the Celestial Veil," Lee Xiao'er replied, shaking her head.

"Okay then! Stick with me and don't wander off; you're probably not going to be able to outrun the Beast Tide anyway," Xing Yun advised.

Lee Xiao'er's anxiety intensified. She could barely fend for herself against an Awakened Soul Stage enemy, let alone escape. And now, Xing Yun, the very target she had been sent to kill, was offering her protection?

She was baffled by Xing Yun's motives. Was he acting out of gratitude to his subordinate, or was it because of her looks?

"Maybe to him, I'm just a stranger worth saving? If that's true, is he really as despicable as the elders in my order claim?" Lee Xiao'er pondered, her mind swirling with thoughts.

"What's on your mind? Do you have a teleportation scroll to make your getaway?" Xing Yun's inquiry snapped Lee Xiao'er back to reality.

She nodded, producing a teleportation scroll, and explained, "I only have this second-grade scroll, which requires half an hour to activate successfully."

"Then you'd better start now; I'll cover you," Xing Yun said, urging her on.

Lee Xiao'er shook her head insistently, "I don't deserve your help. Besides, if you cover for me and I leave, what will happen to you? I'd rather stay and confront this with you, and I'll use a secret technique to signal my mother for help. But just like the scroll, the technique will take half an hour to reach her."

After a brief pause, Xing Yun nodded in agreement, "Alright! Sit on my subordinate's back and begin the secret technique."

He was curious to see just who Lee Xiao'er's mother was.

"How terrible!" Ling Ji's voice echoed with urgency from the Voidlands.

She knew that once Lee Xiao'er was sent off, Xing Yun could take refuge in the Voidlands and elude the Beast Tide!

Lee Xiao'er observed the Stormblade Wolf King approaching rapidly. With respect, she prostrated herself on the ground and, puzzled, looked up at Xing Yun, "Is there a problem?"

"There's no problem if I say there isn't one!" Xing Yun affirmed with a nod.

Without further hesitation, Lee Xiao'er leaped onto the back of the Stormblade Wolf King. She began channeling the spiritual energy within her, bringing her hands together to execute a secret method. Black filaments began to form at her fingertips.

Meanwhile, Xing Yun sat astride the Greedy Wolf, directing the wolf pack as they followed the Greedy Wolf eastward. The Rock Wolves surrounded Xing Yun and Lee Xiao'er, moving with purpose and discipline towards the east.

"How can he command such a vast number of Stormblade Wolves and Rock Wolves?" Lee Xiao'er marveled inwardly. She needed only to focus on her secret technique without it affecting her thoughts.

The growls of wild beasts grew louder in the distance, and the sky resonated with various bird calls. The ground trembled gently, signaling the impending storm.

Xing Yun opened his eyes to survey the heavens, gauging the surroundings to steer the Greedy Wolf's course.

After a short while, Xing Yun's brow furrowed. "This doesn't bode well."

"What's the matter?" inquired Lee Xiao'er, confused.

"The magnitude of this beast tide seems quite large. Just concentrate on your secret technique," Xing Yun advised, shaking his head.

Lee Xiao'er, unable to perceive the surrounding conditions, was at a loss. She glanced at the wolves and noticed a lack of fear in their eyes, replaced by sheer resolve.

"These Stormblade Wolves and Greedy Wolves are markedly different from their kin. How can he wield control over the entire pack? Who exactly is he?"

With these questions lingering, Lee Xiao'er persisted with her secret technique, hoping her mother would soon return to provide support and that she would have the chance to meet Xing Yun.

She was confident that her mother's breadth of experience and wisdom would enable her to assess Xing Yun accurately, certainly more so than she could herself.

Xing Yun signaled the pack to decelerate while gazing at Lee Xiao'er's stunning profile, his own feelings a complex tapestry.

This young woman, hailing from the Order of the Celestial Veil, had arrived with intentions to assassinate him, yet her principles were unwavering. She was truly an enigma.

Out of the blue, Lee Xiao'er spoke up, "If you save me this time, and I come to kill you again, I'll spare you five times."

Xing Yun burst into laughter, causing Lee Xiao'er to feel a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. She huffed and stopped paying him any attention.

As his laughter faded, Xing Yun's face slowly took on a mournful expression.

In his past life, there was a girl as pure-hearted as her, Xing Yun's beloved, who perished along with her family for his sake...

It was Xing Yun's sole regret from that life, a memory that always brought sorrow. No matter how many beauties from the Infinite Cosmos offered themselves to him, none could reach his heart.

Ling Ji in the Voidlands noticed the sorrow in Xing Yun's demeanor, a depth of sadness she had never seen in him before. She wondered, "Could it be that he too harbors a heartache from his past?"

Her own history weighing on her, Ling Ji also succumbed to sadness, sitting quietly on the ground.

Just then, the wolves began to slow, converging protectively around Xing Yun and Lee Xiao'er in a tight formation.

The Stormblade Wolf King crouched lower to keep Lee Xiao'er from standing out too much.

Moments later, a swarm of Stormblade Wolves appeared at the eastern entrance, closing in on Xing Yun's position.

"Oh no!" Lee Xiao'er exclaimed, unable to halt her secret technique.

Xing Yun remained calm, using a soul link to command the Stormblade Wolves to parley with the newcomers through their howls.

As the wolves' cries ebbed and flowed, Lee Xiao'er, perched on the Stormblade Wolf King, grew increasingly puzzled. "These Stormblade Wolves, clearly lacking sentience as low-tier Hellbeasts, why are they initiating communication with the others? Could it be..."

She surmised that the Stormblade Wolf pack was attempting to create chaos, distracting the other wolves so they wouldn't notice their own movements.

The howling communication among the Stormblade Wolves appeared to be effective; the distant pack ceased paying attention to Xing Yun's forces and stood their ground.

"Damn it!" Xing Yun silently swore to himself.

They had positioned themselves at the exit, and large numbers of Rock Wolves and Stormblade Wolves were converging from the north, west, and south.

Above, thousands of crimson eagles soared through the sky.

These were the Scarlet Flame Eagles, Rank One Fire-type Hellbeasts!

Though their strength was negligible to Xing Yun, their aerial advantage was undeniable!

With the Stormblade Wolf pack blocking the path, Xing Yun's troops were trapped.

Their only option was to break through by force!

Xing Yun thus directed the wolves to move eastward.

The surrounding Stormblade Wolves became alert, howling warnings at Xing Yun's troops to keep them at bay.

They hadn't spotted Xing Yun and Lee Xiao'er among the wolves, but the sight of numerous Stormblade Wolves piling up and still advancing tipped them off that something was amiss, even to these lower-tier Hellbeasts.

The Stormblade Wolves were gearing up for battle, while Xing Yun signaled to them with a howl that essentially meant: We're taking the lead, you provide support from behind.

From afar, a Stormblade Wolf King responded with a howl of its own: "No way. We're leading this charge, and we get to feast on human flesh first!"

"Son of a..." Xing Yun couldn't help but curse inwardly.

It seemed that he, Lee Xiao'er, and the entire wolf pack were facing a streak of terrible luck, with a confluence of rare adversities striking all at once.

"How much longer for your secret technique?" Xing Yun inquired.

"Not much longer! But it will take some time for my mother to arrive!" Lee Xiao'er responded, her voice laced with frustration as she recognized the gravity of their predicament.

"Quiet! Don't make a sound!" Xing Yun commanded as he leapt from the back of the wolf and hurried to Lee Xiao'er's side, wrapping her in his embrace.

Lee Xiao'er let out a sharp scream, but she quickly regained her composure and remained silent.

Yet, enveloped in Xing Yun's arms, she felt slightly disoriented. Thankfully, her thoughts remained clear, and she continued her secret technique, hands pressed together, wondering to herself, "Does he know that my secret technique won't be disrupted by his actions?"

The young man before her, rumored to have been cast out by his family to the Shadowlands, seemed to have an intimate understanding of her.

No, it was as though he had an intimate understanding of everything!

The Stormblade Wolf King, no longer carrying Lee Xiao'er, moved to the front of the group, howling to pacify the Stormblade Wolves while he and the Greedy Wolf led the troops onward.

"Wu..."

The Stormblade Wolves at the eastern entrance had already begun to growl, preparing to assault Xing Yun's forces.

"Break out!"

At Xing Yun's command, the wolves surged forth, launching a swift and fierce attack.

Despite being ready, the distant Stormblade Wolves were taken aback by the onslaught from their own kind, especially by the unexpected speed.

Caught off guard, hundreds of Stormblade Wolves in Xing Yun's vanguard mounted a surprise assault, swiftly taking down dozens of Stormblade Wolves that failed to evade.

Finally laying eyes on Xing Yun and Lee Xiao'er, the Stormblade Wolves realized their kin had been subdued by humans, igniting their primal instincts. They howled and retaliated fiercely.

Xing Yun quickly estimated that there were at least four to five thousand Stormblade Wolves at the eastern entrance alone, far too many to eliminate quickly.

Meanwhile, Hellbeast hordes from other directions had also detected Xing Yun's presence, becoming furiously enraged and charging towards them.

"Be careful. The wolf horde isn't capable of causing an earthquake of this magnitude," Lee Xiao'er cautioned, her voice soft yet urgent, as she pushed aside her shyness.

"Just focus on your secret technique. I've got a plan!" Xing Yun responded with decisive confidence, skillfully directing the troops in their offensive while keeping pace behind the wolf pack.

In a brief span of time, the number of Hellbeasts converging within the dense forest multiplied rapidly. Their roars were so thunderous that the news quickly spread among the entire Beast Tide, alerting them to the presence of two humans and thousands of tamed Rock Wolves and Stormblade Wolves in the forest.

The Beast Tide, which had been amassing to the east, now began to coalesce around this forest. From above, the sight would be terrifying: the ground teeming with Hellbeasts, their numbers easily surpassing a hundred thousand!

This tide of beasts had the power to lay waste to Grimgarth.

Xing Yun's troops had initially gained the upper hand due to their surprise attack, inflicting significant losses on the Stormblade Wolf ranks. However, once they faced a counterattack, they too began to suffer casualties.

Within moments, hundreds of Stormblade Wolves lay slain. Despite Xing Yun's forces maintaining discipline, they lost dozens in the onslaught. Surrounded by tens of thousands of Hellbeasts, their situation was dire.