Organized by Li Yun and other outer disciples, nearly ten thousand Battle Souls, gripping various battle swords and sabers, stood before the outer disciples with pale faces, filled with panic and despair.
How many of them would survive this time?
They desperately wanted to run, but there was no escape.
A Battle Slave who had previously tried to flee had been hacked to death on the spot by a few outer disciples led by a man called Fatty Ding.
Standing on an elevated spot, Li Yun looked down at the tens of thousands of Battle Slaves below, his gaze finally resting on the silver-haired youth at the very front.
He noticed that almost all the Battle Slaves on the field wore expressions of terror and anxiety.
Only him—standing as steady as a boulder right where he was, his gaze as calm as still water.
No!
He actually caught a hint of a bloodthirsty glint in the other's eyes.
There was even a surging eagerness for battle radiating from his body.
"This little fellow is truly interesting..."
If any single person among this group of Battle Slaves could stand out and become a disciple of the Great Desolation Immortal Sect, this youth undoubtedly had the greatest chance.
Heh... what was he even thinking?
It was far too soon to discuss such things; he'd better wait and see if this little fellow could safely survive this beast tide first.
As for whether the beast tide was real, he had already verified it through special means—it was real.
Moreover, the scale was not small; the number was likely in the thousands.
Among them, there were over eight hundred Tier 1 Demon Beasts alone, and more than a hundred Tier 2 Demon Beasts.
As for whether there were any Tier 3 Demon Beasts, he didn't know.
Such entities were far too powerful for someone like him at the 1st Stage Foundation Establishment Realm.
"Pull yourselves together, everyone! Because of a heads-up from our young friend number 5269, this beast tide won't catch us scrambling in panic and suffering massive casualties. Even so, the numbers are massive—Tier 1 and Tier 2 Demon Beasts combined total around a thousand."
"And that's just what we know of; nobody knows how many are lurking in the dark."
"So, you must not let your guard down."
"Furthermore... none of you need to be afraid. Cowardice will only hinder your blade-work. If you don't want to end up as feed in the bellies of wild beasts and Demon Beasts, you'd better give me a hundred and twenty percent of your focus. Do you hear me?"
"We hear you!"
Hearing Li Yun's speech, the more than ten thousand Battle Slaves shivered violently. They each tried hard to control the fear and terror in their hearts, gripping their long sabers and swords tightly as they looked toward the direction of the Chilian Mountains.
Meanwhile, Beigong Yu, who had taken the initiative to stand at the very front, felt a mix of anticipation, battle intent, and a touch of helplessness in his heart.
Words carried little weight when one's status was low.
His status was too low, and his cultivation was too weak.
If he were commanding this force, he wouldn't just sit idly and wait for the beast tide to arrive.
Instead, he would charge straight in, relying on that inevitable bottleneck route in the Chilian Mountains. He would set up numerous heavy crossbows, rolling boulders, and traps on both sides of the peaks to wipe out a wave first.
Afterward, he would use long-range spell attacks to catch them completely off guard.
What a pity.
However, that method wasn't conducive to his goal of devouring the energy within the Demon Beasts.
He had already tested it: that mysterious energy could only be absorbed if he personally killed the target.
Roar, roar, roar...
Rumble...
Suddenly, deafening beast roars echoed between heaven and earth, and the ground trembled violently.
Rocks on the ground were shaken high into the air.
Dust filled the sky like a rolling tidal wave, carrying a fierce and violent aura as it surged forward.
The tens of thousands of Battle Slaves were turned pale with fright by this scene.
The courage that had just been stirred up by Li Yun's words instantly vanished like a punctured balloon.
The Battle Slaves at the front almost universally stepped back in terror.
This retreat acted like a fuse, causing the Battle Slaves behind them to step back as well.
And thus, a bizarre scene unfolded.
Nearly all ten thousand Battle Slaves retreated.
Only the silver-haired youth at the very front pulled a blood-red battle saber from his back, his eyes cold and sharp as lightning as he stared straight ahead.
He remained nailed to the spot, not moving so much as a fraction of an inch.
"Damn it, do not retreat, or I'll slaughter the lot of you!"
Looking at the silver-haired youth at the front, Fatty Ding's eyes filled with a flash of murderous intent and hatred.
Then, glaring with murderous rage at the chaotic, retreating masses of Battle Slaves, he shook his long sword and roared.
That was what a cheap slave was supposed to look like.
Not like that damn piece of trash up front, showing off and drawing all the attention.
Did he really think the Great Desolation Immortal Sect was a place anyone could enter?
No matter how flashy his performance, it would all be in vain.
Because the Great Desolation Immortal Sect did not take trash!
Cheap slaves should look like cheap slaves.
"Don't panic, you lot; we've got everything covered."
"Besides, as long as you slaughter the beasts properly, there will be generous rewards afterward. On top of gold coins, these rewards will include Demon Contribution Points."
"Attack!"
A low shout ignited the battle.
When several mountain-sized green wolves, leopards, and other beasts were still some twenty or thirty meters away from Black Mountain Town, Beigong Yu let out a low shout. Transforming into a streak of lightning, he gripped his blood-red battle saber and charged straight into the beast tide.
Stupid piece of trash—it seems I won't even need to use my backup plan.
Fatty Ding kept his eyes locked on Beigong Yu.
Seeing Beigong Yu act with such reckless ignorance, the corners of his mouth curled up in a sneer, full of mockery and disdain.
However, when he saw green wolves, leopards, and violent apes of the seventh and eighth grades being cut down on the spot one after another by the blood-red battle saber in Beigong Yu's hand, his eyes bulged, filled with utter disbelief.
This guy... wasn't he only at the 4th Stage Bone Refining Realm?
How could he be so powerful?
When Li Yun and the other outer disciples saw this ferocious display, their eyes lit up as well.
Especially Li Yun; it was only now that he noticed the battle saber in the silver-haired youth's hand appeared to be a treasured artifact.
He could actually afford a treasured artifact?
No!
It probably wasn't purchased by himself.
Rather, it was bought through someone else's hands.
After all, for a Battle Slave to purchase resources, the cost was several times, or even ten times, that of anyone else.
In other words, a treasured artifact saber like that would normally cost around twenty thousand gold coins for an ordinary person to buy.
Yet if a Battle Slave were to buy it, it would require over a hundred thousand, or even two hundred thousand gold coins.
Although this young man was quite impressive, it was impossible for him to scrape together around two hundred thousand gold coins in just a month's time.
Interesting, far too interesting.
He hadn't expected that a stronghold under his command would actually produce such an intriguing youth.
Well... when the battle gets going later, I'll look out for him a bit.
Consider it planting a seed of good karma.
Prompted by Fatty Ding's threat and Beigong Yu leading by example, the other Battle Slaves who had been retreating in terror also summoned their courage, picked up their weapons, and charged toward the beast tide.
As for the numerous outer disciples of the Great Desolation Immortal Sect, they naturally held their ground in the rear.
Their target was the group of Demon Beasts in the back.
When the Demon Beasts moved, they would strike.
As for the deaths of the Battle Slaves... it had nothing to do with them.
If they died, more cannon fodder could simply be drafted from elsewhere.
Such people were simply in endless supply.
At this moment, Beigong Yu, having gone on a wild killing spree, discovered that the mysterious energy devoured by his golden finger was no longer raising his cultivation realm, but was instead refining and improving his physical body.
It seemed that if he wanted to break through to the 8th Stage Soul Refining Realm, he had to brew the [Ancient Soul Refining Broth].
As it happened, all nine types of Tier 1 Demon Beasts required to brew the [Ancient Soul Refining Broth] were present in this beast tide.
He wanted them all!