Chapter 2188: Promise

The beast horde was now close at hand.

Leading the charge was the Golden Whirlwind Turtle. Its carapace shone with a golden luster, as if forged from pure gold, and its body resembled a small mountain. The sheer force of its charge was terrifying.

“Brother, let me handle this!”

Yuan Ren stepped forward, shrugging his shoulders. He extended his right arm, and a violet-gold glow appeared in his palm.

A long violet-gold staff materialized in Yuan Ren's hand. His eyes flashed with purple light, his bones crackled, and with a low roar, he swung the staff with one arm, smashing it towards the beast horde.

Boom!

The staff's tip erupted with a dense violet-gold mystical light, transforming into an unstoppable, sky-piercing giant club.

The Golden Whirlwind Turtle bore the brunt of the attack, being the first to be struck by the staff. Its mountain-like body was directly flipped over, then pinned down by the staff's force, slamming into the beast horde behind it.

In ancient times, the Golden Whirlwind Turtle was renowned for its formidable physical strength; its shell was said to be harder than spiritual treasures, allowing it to withstand such a blow. However, the demonic beasts around it were not so fortunate. Two demonic beasts resembling wolves but with three long crimson tails, near the Golden Whirlwind Turtle, were swept by the staff's force. They let out a wail, and their brains burst open on the spot.

However, upon their death, they left no corpses, instead dissolving into an invisible mist that vanished into thin air.

Boom!

The staff, carrying the Golden Whirlwind Turtle, crashed violently into the center of the beast horde. Its momentum unabated, it unleashed a colossal pillar of light. The terrifying force spread outwards like a swirling hurricane, causing death and injury among the affected demonic beasts, and instantly throwing their formation into disarray.

Astonishingly, the Golden Whirlwind Turtle at the very center was not dead yet, struggling to right itself.

With countless dead and wounded from a single strike, Yuan Ren was merely warming up. Bending his knees slightly, he leaped into the beast horde, simultaneously sweeping his long staff.

The long staff left visible afterimages, severed limbs flew everywhere, and wails rose and fell in quick succession.

Yuan Ren was like a tiger unleashed among sheep, radiating unmatched power!

The others nearby had also engaged the beast horde, but none were as ferocious as Yuan Ren, who dared to charge into the horde alone with just his staff, pressing forward relentlessly.

“What a fierce man from the Zhu Yan tribe!”

Ji Xia watched Yuan Ren with shining eyes, then looked down at his own small stature, feeling a bit dejected.

With the beast horde stalled, Patriarch Yuan Xiang did not rush to assist Yuan Ren. He turned his gaze to them and asked, “Are True Lord Qin and Elder Ji Xia acquainted?”

“Previously, we both unexpectedly fell into this space. Unfortunately, we didn’t know then that it would evolve into this situation…”

Qin Sang briefly recounted their encounter and asked Ji Xia, “Daoist friend, do you know where these beast hordes originated?”

“They came from the Sea of Radiant Mist,” Ji Xia replied. “Outside, it has completely transformed into an ocean of radiant mist, but the mist seems to contain a special power that can block the radiance. We thought we were safe then, but unexpectedly, these beast hordes charged out. By the way, have you seen any other Jiao Jiao tribesmen?”

Patriarch Yuan Xiang shook his head. “We’ve only seen you, Daoist friend. Were you not together before?”

“Hmph! I couldn't stand those guys’ temperaments, and the old man disliked everyone, so he just dismissed everyone to do their own thing,” Ji Xia scoffed.

It had always been rumored that Jiao Jiao tribesmen were independent, and it was difficult for two of them to stay together. Even married couples would live separately and only meet occasionally.

“I’ve heard that there’s a sacred tree planted by a Jiao Jiao tribe ancestor in the Holy Land?” Patriarch Yuan Xiang inquired.

The Jiao Jiao tribe’s sacred tree was similar to the Jie Gou tribe’s Azure Scorpion Ancient Palace. High-level Jiao Jiao cultivators who entered the Holy Land would invariably go there.

“That’s Mount Man Liang, and the sacred tree has been destroyed! This ancestral heirloom came from there; it flew out by itself after the sacred tree collapsed and landed in the hands of one of my grandsons. He even got injured trying to catch it. That grandson didn’t know what the patriarch and the others were doing, but they probably got injured and left the Holy Land,” Ji Xia said, taking out an object and shaking it gently.

The Jiao Jiao tribe ancestor left behind a fresh green tree branch, while the Jie Gou tribe’s was a secret talisman. Perhaps the items left by the ancestors of each tribe were all different.

At this moment, Yuan Ren was in the thick of battle with the beast horde. The demonic beasts that had died or been wounded earlier were insignificant to the entire beast tide; the horde was closing in again, almost overwhelming Yuan Ren.

Ji Xia quickly said, “Tell Daoist Yuan Ren to be careful! Don’t underestimate these demonic beasts. The most dangerous are those insidious and cunning gray figures…”

“No worries!”

Patriarch Yuan Xiang grabbed the flask from his waist, took a deep drink, and said to Qin Sang, “True Lord Qin, will you assist us with your lightning techniques?”

During their battle with the Lu family of the Si You tribe, Qin Sang's lightning talismans had been exceptionally powerful, especially suited for battle formations, leaving a deep impression on Patriarch Yuan Xiang.

“Very well!”

Qin Sang nodded, formed a hand seal, and wind and thunder immediately gathered in the sky.

Patriarch Yuan Xiang also took out a long staff, an unassuming, dusty ebony stick. He casually twirled it and turned to the others, saying, “Everyone, it’s time to act!”

These individuals included Yuan Jian and other powerful cultivators from the Zhu Yan tribe's auxiliary forces. The surrounding area showed a similar pattern: powerful auxiliary cultivators encircled their respective high-ranking tribes, forming independent battle zones. Each zone was responsible for a specific area, collectively creating a solid barrier against the beast tide.

The Jiao Jiao tribe might have been the only high-ranking tribe without auxiliary forces. Having nowhere else to go, Ji Xia simply remained there, and Qin Sang and the others naturally welcomed him.

Patriarch Yuan Xiang's style was markedly different from Yuan Ren's. His figure moved like a wisp of smoke, weaving through the gaps in the beast horde. There was no earth-shattering momentum, yet wherever he passed, demonic beasts stiffened and collapsed.

Qin Sang observed closely, discerning that Patriarch Yuan Xiang's strikes were incredibly precise, merely tapping the demonic beasts with the tip of his staff. It was a subtle and exquisite staff technique, executed with utmost perfection.

As Patriarch Yuan Xiang made his move, other cultivators with formidable physical strength also charged into the beast horde from different directions, breaking through like sharp arrows, tearing the horde apart.

With Patriarch Yuan Xiang and the others battling at the front, the beast horde immediately fell into disarray and its offensive was thwarted, allowing others to safely cast their divine abilities and spells from behind.

Qin Sang secretly observed Yuan Jian and another expert from the You Yan tribe.

Knowing oneself and one's enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles. After Patriarch Yuan Xiang warned him about Yuan Jian, Qin Sang focused on understanding the You Yan tribe's divine abilities, though he knew little about Yuan Jian himself. It was said that Yuan Jian had always been reclusive, rarely openly engaging in combat after reaching the second stage of the Empty Realm. Qin Sang had only managed to uncover a few common techniques he used during his first stage of the Empty Realm.

The Zhu Yan tribe members were all warlike; if any trouble arose, it wouldn't even be the turn of a You Yan tribe expert to intervene.

Yuan Jian was seen putting on a green mask adorned with peculiar patterns.

Yuan Jian raised a hand and brushed it over the mask. Faint laughter echoed, and the patterns on the mask twisted, transforming into a bizarre smiling face.

The laughter carried a strange power. While Qin Sang and the others were unaffected, the demonic beasts who heard it suddenly ceased their attacks, became dazed, their eyes glazed over, and then fell into a deep sleep right on the battlefield, allowing themselves to be slaughtered by their enemies.

“This is the You Yan tribe’s divine ability, Drunken Laughter of Life…” Qin Sang recognized it. Yuan Jian had previously mastered this ability to an incredible degree, and now, with an unknown mask, its power was even greater.

Although it appeared to be a spiritual cultivation ability, it was not. Drunken Laughter of Life reportedly acted directly on the physical body, making it impossible to guard against, which was why the You Yan tribe was the Zhu Yan tribe’s most detested opponent.

At this moment, another You Yan tribe expert also unleashed Drunken Laughter of Life. With the two of them working together, the ability's power was amplified, covering a wider area. They didn't need the demonic beasts to truly fall asleep; merely delaying them for a moment was enough to turn the tide of battle.

Precisely for this reason, even if Yuan Jian and the other expert continuously deployed this ability, no one could object. And judging by their performance, they seemed intent on doing so.

Seeing this, Qin Sang could only focus on the battlefield for now.

At this moment, dark clouds gathered above the beast horde, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled. The thunderclouds grew denser. First, raindrops began to fall, quickly turning into a torrential downpour. The lightning power contained within the raindrops transformed into countless bolts of lightning upon reaching the battlefield, leaping among the demonic beasts.

Qin Sang silently activated his talisman altar, consecutively casting several lightning spells. He found that the Nine Heavens Azure Pool Thunder Rain Grand Art was most suitable for the current situation. He fully maintained this talisman, while his gaze constantly swept across the battlefield, ready to assist with a lightning talisman whenever he spotted a vulnerability.

Liu Li stood behind Qin Sang, her white robes fluttering, snowflakes swirling around her, exuding chilling cold. With a wave of her jade hand, a biting wind swept through the beast horde, causing ice to spread over the demonic beasts' bodies. Even if it didn't freeze them solid, it significantly slowed their movements.

This was the Daoist technique 'Frigid Frost'. Liu Li only needed to focus on casting this single spell, and it provided considerable assistance in the battle.

Among everyone present, Ji Xia was undoubtedly the busiest.

After a brief adjustment, he pulled out a cloth bag from his bosom, grabbed a handful of seeds, and scattered them onto the battlefield with a raise of his hand.

Then he took out a jade bottle filled with spiritual water, dipped a feather of unknown origin into it, and sprinkled the spiritual water. Instantly, the seeds took root and sprouted on the battlefield, rapidly growing into vibrant green saplings.

Immediately afterward, Ji Xia produced various jade bottles containing spiritual water and powders, continuously watering the saplings.

In the blink of an eye, the saplings grew into towering trees. Their trunks were extremely thick, and they had no leaves, but their branches were soft and flexible, like giant pythons, flailing and charging into the battle. Demonic beasts entangled by the branches were unable to escape until they exploded.

These peculiar trees quickly decimated countless demonic beasts, drawing astonished glances. However, everyone soon discovered the trees' flaw: they were rooted in place and could not move.

Nevertheless, Ji Xia did not stop. He pulled out another handful of seeds from his pocket.

These seeds were incredibly tiny. Ji Xia grabbed hundreds of them in one go and, with a flick of his small hand, scattered them profusely onto the battlefield.

These seeds sprouted downy hairs, fluttering everywhere and continuously dispersing pollen. Demonic beasts that came into contact with the pollen became sluggish, while Yuan Ren and the others, who had received a spell from Ji Xia earlier, remained unaffected.

It was unclear how many types of seeds Ji Xia had in his pocket. Qin Sang, who had initially been observing Yuan Jian, was soon drawn to Ji Xia as he planted one spiritual plant after another, each with unique abilities.

With the top cultivators cooperating, the beast horde, though vastly outnumbering them, was consistently unable to break through their defenses.

Gradually, the beast tide’s weaknesses also became apparent.

The divine abilities unleashed by these legendary ancient demonic beasts matched historical records, yet they weren't truly authentic. Some could only cast one or two abilities, others knew no divine abilities at all, simply charging blindly, let alone coordinating their attacks.

Everyone could sense that someone was manipulating the beast horde from behind, likely those elusive gray figures. However, due to the inherent flaws in the demonic beasts themselves, the manipulators were like clever cooks without ingredients.

The situation was very favorable. Not only had they held back the beast tide, but they were also beginning to plan a counter-offensive.

Just then, Qin Sang's gaze suddenly sharpened. With a slight thought, countless bolts of lightning gathered above his head, forming a thunder seal. A silver-white lightning bolt then shot out, striking towards his side.

Boom!

Beneath the lightning, a gray figure appeared. Struck squarely, it let out a shriek and perished on the spot.

After being killed, the gray figure completely vanished and did not regenerate.

“Be careful! These gray figures are harder to deal with than before…”

Qin Sang mentally warned everyone that the gray figure's target was Liu Li. It seemed to have identified Liu Li as the weakest link, using her as a breakthrough point—a tactic they hadn't displayed before.

Furthermore, this gray figure's concealment technique was exceptionally potent. Had it not been for the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, they might not have detected it until it was much closer.

At this moment, chaos also erupted on other battlefields.

Someone shouted sharply, “Everyone, be careful! The gray figures are the same ones as before; they are using divine abilities they learned from us!”

Qin Sang realized this inwardly. This particular gray figure had presumably learned the concealment ability of an unknown tribe. However, he wondered if they could still mimic everyone now, as in the face of the beast tide, it was impossible to conceal too much strength.

Everyone grew tense and more cautious, but the rate of clearing the beast horde remained fast. The battle continued for two hours, and finally, the beast tide’s offensive slowed down, seemingly nearing its end.

Suddenly, a streak of light descended from the sky, revealing a person. The individual surveyed the battlefield and announced loudly, “Lord Hong Tian summons all high-ranking tribal patriarchs and elders to discuss an important matter!”

This person carried a broadsword on their back and was a cultivator from the Zhu Huai tribe, reportedly the brother of the Integration stage powerful being.

“It truly is them!”

Upon seeing this person, Qin Sang immediately sensed a familiar aura.

The first time he encountered someone attempting to break through to the Integration stage, there was another aura protecting him beside that person—it was this very individual!

With a flash, Patriarch Yuan Xiang withdrew from the battlefield, glanced up at the sky, and said, “The beast tide is at its last gasp, but none of you should be careless. Given how much importance that person attaches to this, it certainly won’t be that simple.”

Everyone agreed, saying, “Patriarch Yuan Xiang, please go without worry.”

Patriarch Yuan Xiang nodded, then soared into the sky with Ji Xia. Other figures also took flight from different areas, accompanying the Zhu Huai tribe cultivator upwards.

Soon after Patriarch Yuan Xiang departed, the beast tide ended. After killing the last demonic beast, everyone sat down where they were. Although Void Refinement stage cultivators were said to possess endless magical power, after prolonged and relentless intense combat, exhaustion was inevitable, and they needed to recuperate.

Qin Sang located the positions of Shao Shi and the others, and secretly sent a telepathic message: “Daoist Si, why are you ignoring this humble Daoist?”

After a moment of silence, Shao Shi’s bitter laugh echoed back: “It seems True Lord Qin already knows. The Royal Family wishes to establish an eternal friendship with True Lord Qin, but unfortunately, we are not our own masters. True Lord Qin should understand our difficulties. I can only promise True Lord Qin, on behalf of Lord Si Huang, that we will not assist either side!”