Chapter 21 - Ten Thousand Beast Tide

The messenger at the door hurriedly apologised, then didn’t stop speaking as he rapidly explained to Yaan that there was a sudden beast tide closing in on Heavenly Path Mountain! The messenger then ran off after informing Yaan that everyone had been instructed to gather at the core sect Grand Hall.

A beast tide was an unavoidable catastrophe that would occur to varying degrees around Heavenly Path Mountain every few years or so. Hundreds, thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of beasts would storm down from the Northern wilderness, making their way towards the mountain in a frenzy.

The cause of beast tides was debated, but one popular theory suggested that they were actually organised hunts, orchestrated by the more intelligent leaders of the spirit beasts. However, others believed that beast tides were caused by natural disasters, which resulted in masses of beasts fleeing in their fear.

Either way, a beast tide always spelled trouble and death.

The reason for there being no mortal villages North of the Greenwood Mountain Range was also thanks to this matter; any mortal village would be instantly demolished, even by the most meagre of beast tides.

Of course, the danger of a beast tide depended its scale, so Yaan tried not to worry too much just yet. In all likelihood, the beasts wouldn’t even succeed in breaching the outer sect.

When Yaan arrived at the Grand Hall, he quickly found some familiar faces. Boln and Kaila were the two he was most familiar with, whilst Elia and Owan Shin, Sect Lord Shin’s disciples, were also speaking with the couple.

“Why are we gathered outside?” Yaan asked curiously as he approached the group.

“Oh, you must be Junior Disciple Yaan?” Owan Shin asked with a bit of interest. He was an arrogant character, but he showed some interest towards this young rising star.

Yaan examined this person, who was the strongest disciple in the sect, with a careful gaze. Owan Shin was tall, taller than his father, though not nearly as imposing. He had the appearance of a thirty year old man, but Yaan knew that he was actually older than this. His sharp brown eyes were darker than his shoulder length hair, but even though his gaze was sharp, he did not come across as overly threatening. He held himself properly, and as the sect lord’s son, he knew how to interact with people.

“Yaan greets senior disciple brother.” Yaan nodded slightly as he clasped his hands. Impressed by his polite conduct not befitting a child, Owan Shin took it upon himself to explain the situation.

“There’s no time to gather everyone inside, my father the sect lord is about to address everyone shortly. From what I hear, it is actually a 10,000 beast level tide!”

Yaan’s expression darkened, suddenly understanding why the atmosphere was grave. A 10,000 beast tide meant that there were at least 10,000 beasts involved!

Hundred beast, thousand beast, ten thousand beast, these were the three categories of beast tide. There were of course even higher level calamities, but these were less common, and in all honesty, the sect was unable to deal with a hundred thousand beast tide.

These were not ordinary animals, but demonic beasts and spirit beasts. Demonic beasts were known for having aggressive temperaments, but that didn’t mean that spirit beasts were docile and gentle. If a cultivator annoyed a spirit beast, or if a spirit beast was hungry, it would certainly attack and kill a cultivator. In this beast tide, the crazed demonic beasts and spirit beasts would become indistinguishable for the most part.

And the lowest level of all beasts was Rank 1, equivalent to Qi Gathering Realm cultivators in strength!

In a ten thousand beast tide, they would not be limited to Rank 1. In fact, a ten thousand beast tide was of such large scale that it could even be led by a Rank 5 beast! Rank 5 beasts were powerful, a full realm above the sect’s most powerful Spirit Core Realm elders. If this truly was the case, then this beast tide could result in serious losses for the sect. They hoped that they wouldn’t need to face anything above Rank 4, but the fear in the air was palpable as the core disciples waited for the sect lord to provide an update.

“Everyone, thank you for gathering so quickly.” The sect lord’s booming voice echoed through the lands, startling everyone and prompting them to look up.

Some less knowledgeable disciples felt stunned when they saw the great elders all gathered together, not on the ground, but thirty feet up in the air! Some flew without assistance, others stood on flying weapons, a few even rode on the backs of spirit beasts. But regardless, all twelve of the great elders were flying!

The greatest advantage of the Spirit Core Realm was the ability to fly. Lower realm cultivators could fly with the assistance of treasures, but this would be clunky and draining of energy. Only Spirit Core Realm powerhouses could fly freely using their abilities alone, whilst also making the best use of flying type treasures.

“As I’m sure you have all heard by now, this is a ten thousand beast tide…but this is no ordinary or random ten thousand beast tide.”

That sentence alone caused everyone’s hearts to sink. No matter what, wasn’t this really dangerous then?

“There are an estimated 50,000 beasts. Not only that, but the beasts are fully unified…make no mistake, this is an organised hunt, led by a Rank 5 wyvern.”

The region immediately broke out in chatter and panic. To quell the unrest, the sect lord raised his hand calmly.

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“We must not panic. If we are to survive this as a sect, we must fight side by side to eliminate these vicious foes! Everyone who has reached the Mid Qi Gathering Realm or above will be required to battle, but do not worry, you will all be given a spiritual treasure if you do not already possess one.

Now for the specifics. There are 50,000 beasts led by a single Rank 5 wyvern, but their command structure can be further deconstructed. The wyvern controls just ten Rank 4 beasts, suggesting that it is only an initial or early stage Rank 5 beast at most. Each Rank 4 beast controls its own pack separately, but their overall movements are coordinated. There should be around ten Rank 3 beasts per pack, each controlling packs of around 500 Rank 1 and Rank 2 beasts.”

A few gasps could be heard, but who could blame them? Those sheer numbers were too terrifying! The battle power of this savage army sounded so high that some people were already starting to lose hope.

How could this have happened? How could such a sudden large-scale calamity encompass them so easily without any prior warning?!

Unrest spread across the crowd, but the sect lord was no novice. He saw the disciples and even some of the weaker elders losing heart, so he immediately provided them with motivation and reassurance.

“Do not fret, in fact, this is an excellent opportunity for you all. A system of contribution points will be established for killing the beasts. Proof of each kill such as the eyes will be required to obtain points. Retrieving full corpses will also be awarded with additional points. Contribution points can be spent during this time of crisis as you wish…if you amass enough points, you will even be able to purchase Rank 4 medicinal pills!” He paused to let everyone process this, feeling satisfied when a desirous, motivated gleam retuned to their eyes.

With risk came opportunity, this was a fact of the cultivation world that everyone knew and accepted.

“This beast tide will come in waves and will likely drag out for many months. A Rank 5 beast is powerful and smart enough to utilise tactics, but worry not - we naturally have our own defensive measures to make up for the difference in strength. Despite the scale of this beast tide, the beasts will not reach the inner or core sect!”

The sect lord continued to speak for some time, concisely explaining this beast tide and the sect’s plans going forwards.

All disciples would be assigned to teams. Qi Gathering Realm disciples would mix with Innate Qi Realm disciples, whilst Qi Temple Realm disciples and elders would be led by a Spirit Core Realm great elder.

The sect lord assured everyone that the earlier stages of the beast tide wouldn’t be too dangerous. The first waves would involve the weaker Rank 1 to Rank 3 beasts being sent out as scouts and probes, so the danger would not become too much for the weaker teams to handle.

Groups were assigned quickly under the great elders’ guidance. Before long, Great Elder Wan swiftly made his way across to Yaan’s group.

“We greet Great Elder Wan!” The disciples around him bowed respectfully.

“Hm. Could I trouble you to look after my apprentice, Disciple Boln?” The old man spoke warmly, immediately making everyone feel at ease. Boln nodded quickly, agreeing without any hesitation.

Actually, Boln had been planning on suggesting this arrangement anyway. Whilst Yaan was only ten years old, he was actually quite powerful for a Qi Gathering Realm disciple. Since he was required to accept some disciples at the Qi Gathering Realm into his group, he was happy to have Yaan on board.

“Of course, Great Elder Wan!” Boln replied brightly.

“In that case, I would ask that Elia join this group also.”

Yaan nearly jumped as Sect Lord Shin appeared behind him silently. After calming his heart, he turned slightly and examined the sect lord’s expression, but he couldn’t see anything through that indifferent front. Yaan always had difficulty reading this man, but he supposed that was normal, given the age and cultivation difference between them.

“Greeting, sect lord.” They disciples all bowed simultaneously, whilst Great Elder Wan just nodded indifferently.

“It would be my honour, sect lord.” Boln smiled.

“Good. You need just one more member. I shall leave that to your own discretion, disciple Boln."

Great Elder Wan glanced at Yaan meaningfully before he followed after the sect lord to assist with the group assignments.

“I shall take my leave also.” Owan Shin nodded, then followed after his father. As a Qi Temple Realm disciple, he was required to join one of the higher class groups with the elders.

For the lower class groups, the organisation was fairly straight forwards. They needed to form groups of five, including at least one, but at most two Innate Qi Realm sect members.

With Boln, the strongest Innate Qi Realm disciple, and Kaila, a Late Innate Qi Realm disciple, it was fairly obvious that their group was already the most powerful amongst the lower class.

After her disciple brother, Owan Shin, departed, Elia felt slightly lost, alone with three unfamiliar faces. Even though Yaan was in her group, she no longer felt like she knew him all that well.

“Don’t worry Elia, there will be no problems in a group as strong as ours.” Boln mistook her discomfort for fear towards the beast tide, but she appreciated the sentiment and nodded back with a smile.

She subtly glanced at Yaan, but he was looking elsewhere, lost in thought. She thought he was amazing, really…how was it that even in this situation, Yaan didn’t look afraid at all?

‘When will I be receiving my spiritual treasure?’ Yaan wondered, watching as his teacher faded into the bustling mass of excited and nervous disciples. He had never before used a spiritual treasure, so despite the danger of the situation, he actually felt some anticipation.

The first wave of the beast tide had already reached the Heavenly Path Sect’s territory at the Northern border. There were no villages in this dangerous region. The area was generally treated as a place for disciples to train themselves, so the sect wasn’t yet panicked. That said, the first beasts would surely reach the outer sect at the foot of the mountain within another few hours.

Besides waiting for the situation to develop, Yaan was also listening to Rui.

“A Rank 5 beast could really be a calamity for this little sect. Since that sect leader seems so confident, there should be a hidden formation protecting the mountain, left behind by the sect’s founder.” She analysed with ease.

Yaan couldn’t reply to her in public, but his darkening expression told her enough.

“Don’t be so worried, the first beasts sent out during any large-scale beast tide are basically just pawns. They will be weak enough for your group to manage. For now, this is actually a good opportunity. You will gain a treasure, plus you can earn merit points and procure more resources by killing beasts. Immersing yourself in slaughter is also a good way to increase your comprehension of the next realm.” She paused, then sent one final sentence into his mind via Spirit Sense.

“When things become heated later on, it would be best if you stay within the safety of this mountain. If the mountain is no longer safe, flee, leave this sect behind.”

Yaan pondered her words quietly as he followed his group into a less crowded area.

“Greetings, Junior Disciple Yaan.”

“Hm?” Yaan looked up dazedly, only to see an unfamiliar face staring back at him. This person had a very plain face, it was quite forgettable…now that Yaan thought about it, he had seen this man before, he just didn’t know his name.

“Yaan, this is Findi, a core sect disciple like us.” Boln explained, smiling as he introduced the final member of their group.

“Ah, my apologies. Greetings, Senior Disciple Findi, I hope that we can work well together.” Yaan’s refined, almost scripted words, were like those spoken by an elder who was long-accustomed to formal speech. Findi was a bit taken aback, hearing a child speaking like this.

“Haha, it seems that the rumours about Junior Disciple Yaan are true. You’re certainly more mature than any ordinary child!” Findi laughed, but the surprise in his eyes gave away that he was actually quite stunned by Yaan’s demeanour.

Yaan just smiled politely and said nothing.

He had grown accustomed to acting this way around the sect.

Be polite and amicable, but don’t grow too close and attached. This way, he could stroll through his current life with minimal problems, allowing him to focus on his cultivation without worrying about anything else. This was one of the few things that Rui didn’t critique him for. His way with handling people was excellent, given his current situation. Though, she often wondered how he would adapt if his situation were to change.

Their group of five was now set, so the five of them found a space and began chatting to become more familiar with one another. They would be working together after all, it was good to understand each other’s personalities and preferences in order for their teamwork to excel.

When she saw Yaan fitting in so smoothly with these older disciples, Elia started to feel a bit inferior. She felt that Yaan was so mature and calm! How was he able to talk naturally with stronger cultivators like this, whilst not worrying about the coming beast tide?

She wasn’t entirely wrong, but Elia had obviously misunderstood something crucial. Yaan wasn’t ‘getting along’ with these people and making friends like she thought, he was simply being polite and maintaining his appearance.

Even if people acted warmly towards him, he was unable to feel that warmth. Whenever he closed his eyes, he could still picture the day that his family were massacred…whenever he looked down the mountain, he knew that others were suffering just as he had, down in the outer sect…

He could not feel the warmth of kinship, not in this place least.

He maintained a polite smile on his face, but he kept everyone at an arm’s length. He was not here to make friends…

Yaan was just biding his time, patiently waiting. Waiting for the day that he could finally take his revenge.