Chapter 2178: Beast Tide? Or Conspiracy?

Recalling his past experiences, Wang Yingjie was filled with emotion.

From the day he was discovered to have a Five-Spirit Root, his relatives advised him to marry early. They argued that the family's benefits were good, and he could simply marry, have children, and live as a wealthy man. However, Wang Yingjie refused to accept his fate. He was devoted to cultivation, leading a life of purity and few desires. He put in several times more effort than others but gained less than half their rewards. This only made him work harder. After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, with the help of Wang Qingling and his own diligent efforts, Wang Yingjie successfully advanced to the Core Formation stage.

When the Nether Spiders caused chaos in the Northern Frontier, Wang Yingjie volunteered to follow Wang Qingshan to eradicate the insects, thereby obtaining a sum of cultivation resources. Later, he traveled to the Thousand Gourd Realm, where he found it in disorder. Following Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan, he occupied the main altar of the Thousand Gourd Sect, acquiring a large amount of cultivation resources. Upon returning to the Eastern Liyuan Realm, after Wang Qingshan eliminated the Blood Fiend Twin Sages, some clan members were resettled in the Ice Sea Realm, Thousand Gourd Realm, and Sky Ripple Realm. Wang Yingjie proactively volunteered to take charge of the Ice Sea Realm.

Arriving in the Ice Sea Realm, he was astonished to find that with his Nascent Soul stage cultivation, he could move about freely, as all other Nascent Soul cultivators had been annihilated by the Blood Fiend Twin Sages. After more than two hundred years of development, the Wang family became a formidable force in the Ice Sea Realm. Wang Yingjie dispatched clan members to search for secret realms or forbidden lands. Fortune favored the diligent, and an unknown secret realm was discovered, yielding a considerable amount of cultivation resources, which gradually elevated Wang Yingjie's cultivation level.

His first attempt to reach the Soul Transformation stage failed because his physical body could not undergo the necessary qualitative change, a similar issue faced by Wang Qingjing and Wang Qiuming. Wang Yingjie recuperated for over a century to restore his vitality. This was his second attempt to reach Soul Transformation, and if he failed again, he would soon pass away. As he recalled the past, Wang Yingjie felt a mix of emotions – joy, sorrow, bitterness, and sweetness. Who would have imagined that someone with a Five-Spirit Root could reach the Soul Transformation stage? This achievement, besides his personal efforts, was significantly influenced by the changes of the era.

When he was born, the family had several Nascent Soul cultivators, and the family welfare was excellent. Subsequently, many events unfolded, and Wang Yingjie benefited from these developments. In a different era, or with a different background, it would have been difficult for Wang Yingjie even to reach the Core Formation stage. He felt as if he were dreaming, that a Five-Spirit Root cultivator could actually reach the Soul Transformation stage.

"It's all thanks to the cultivation resources given by Ancestor Qingshan," Wang Yingjie murmured to himself. Over two hundred years ago, Wang Qingshan came to the Ice Sea Realm and provided him with several spiritual items crucial for breaking through to the Soul Transformation stage, which allowed him to attempt it a second time. As the family's experts gradually passed away, Wang Yingjie was one of the few clan members who cultivated to the late Nascent Soul stage and was also Wang Qingling's most promising descendant. Naturally, Wang Qingshan held him in high regard.

A series of booming sounds echoed in his ears; it was the sound of clan members defending against demonic beasts. Wang Yingjie smiled. The Blood Fiend Twin Sages had wiped out the high-level demonic beasts in the Ice Sea Realm, and they had yet to recover their strength, posing no significant threat to him.

"I wonder if Ancestor Qingshan has ascended to the Spirit Realm," Wang Yingjie said solemnly. "I must cultivate diligently and strive to reach the Spirit Realm too." Reaching the Soul Transformation stage doubled his lifespan, giving him over twelve hundred years of life remaining. With his aptitude and the cultivation resources available in the Ice Sea Realm, cultivating to the late Soul Transformation stage would be incredibly difficult.

"Guard me well; I need some time to recuperate," Wang Yingjie announced loudly, transforming into a streak of light and flying into a blue pavilion.

***

Nine Dragon Island, in the northwestern part of the Profound Sun Realm.

At Azure Lotus Peak, Wang Ruyan was chatting with Wang Qiuya. "Ancestor, my father told me that we still have clan members in the lower realms?" Wang Qiuya asked curiously.

Wang Ruyan nodded, saying, "Many, the most outstanding being Qingshan, and also Qingling, Qingjing, Meng Bin, Haitang…" Before she could finish, her nose twitched a few times, and her expression subtly changed. "Is the Soul Devouring Golden Cicada trying to reach the fifth rank?" Wang Ruyan's gaze was filled with surprise and uncertainty. They had obtained Thousand Insect Fruit in the Profound Spirit Cave, which could increase the chances of spirit insects below the sixth rank advancing. The Soul Devouring Golden Cicada had a slow advancement speed. It had devoured the souls of some fifth-rank demonic beasts in the Profound Spirit Cave and later consumed a Thousand Insect Fruit.

Shortly after, alarms blared loudly. Wang Ruyan took out a shimmering formation disc and cast a spell. Wang Qingcheng's urgent voice suddenly rang out: "Mother, another beast tide has erupted! There are currently over a dozen fifth-rank demonic beasts."

"It's not a beast tide," Wang Ruyan corrected. "It's your father's spirit insect advancing, which attracted these demonic beasts. Activate some of the restrictions, don't let them enter Nine Dragon Island. Also, send word to the clan members on the seven subsidiary islands to strengthen their defenses."

Wang Ruyan soared out. Tens of thousands of demonic beasts were besieging Nine Dragon Island, and their numbers were still increasing. Wang Ruyan blew a whistle, and the Kirin Turtle flew out from the large lake. The Kirin Turtle floated on the sea surface, opening its mouth to spray a blue light. The blue light flew high into the sky, transforming into a massive blue thundercloud, with countless blue electric arcs visibly flickering within it. A deafening roar of thunder erupted, echoing for a hundred thousand miles around. The blue thundercloud violently churned, and dense blue lightning orbs rained down like hail, striking the demonic beasts below.

Wang Ruyan took out her Red Dust Flute, and a joyous melody filled the air, sweeping out in waves of blue sound. Wang Qingcheng had not been in the Soul Transformation stage for long, so his divine abilities were not yet strong. He summoned a shimmering gourd and cast a spell, unleashing a mighty wind. Countless yellow grains of sand flew out, transforming after a swirl into thousands of yellow sand blades that struck the demonic beasts.

Nine Dragon Island had a sixth-rank formation, but only four Soul Transformation stage cultivators were present. It shouldn't be difficult to handle the situation. The previous beast tide was much larger, and the Kirin Turtle and Wang Ruyan alone were able to repel the demonic beasts.

As time passed, the sea surface was littered with countless dismembered limbs, and the air was thick with the smell of burning flesh. Numerous demonic beasts floated motionlessly on the water, their bodies charred black. With a deafening roar, the sea violently churned, raising a towering wave over a thousand zhang high. A blue octopus, more than a hundred zhang tall, suddenly appeared on the surface. Its body was covered in golden patterns, and its aura clearly indicated it was a high-grade fifth-rank demonic beast.

A large number of demonic beasts surged towards Nine Dragon Island. The number of fifth-rank demonic beasts increased to forty, and this number was still growing. Wang Ruyan realized something was wrong. Even if the Soul Devouring Golden Cicada was advancing to the fifth rank, it couldn't possibly attract so many fifth-rank demonic beasts! Her first thought was of Liu Tianxiao. Could this be his doing?

Amidst a series of roars, the sea churned violently, sending colossal waves crashing towards Nine Dragon Island. Wang Qingcheng quickly put away his magic treasures and manipulated the formation to resist the demonic beasts' attacks. With a thunderous crash, Nine Dragon Island shook violently. Wang Ruyan's expression darkened. She made a decisive move, returning to Nine Dragon Island with the Kirin Turtle. She took the formation disc from Wang Qingcheng and cast several spells.

With the sixth-rank formation, they should be able to withstand the beast tide. A large number of low-rank demonic beasts charged into Nine Dragon Island with extreme speed. Suddenly, countless crimson flames erupted from the ground, engulfing these demonic beasts. Simultaneously, points of crimson fire suddenly appeared high in the sky, forming a massive cloud of fire that emitted terrifying heat. This crimson fire cloud covered most of Nine Dragon Island. It was the sixth-rank Departing Fire Burning Heaven Formation!

Driven by the high-rank demonic beasts, the low-rank demonic beasts continuously charged onto Nine Dragon Island, fearless of death, one after another. The number of fifth-rank demonic beasts continued to increase, reaching sixty. They all unleashed their magical attacks on Nine Dragon Island. Fortunately, the Nine Python Spirit Locking Formation's defense was strong, preventing the demonic beasts from breaking through it. However, Nine Dragon Island shook violently, as if an earthquake were occurring.