Chapter 86 - 83: Demon Beast Tide
Chapter 86: Chapter 83: Demon Beast Tide
During this period of rest, Li Yuan focused mainly on cultivating the Microelement Meridian Introduction Skill.
He ground them open one by one—the ones under his ribs, in his lower back, and deep in his shoulder blades.
Some of the fine meridians were extremely short, clearing the moment his Spirit Silk touched them, as if they had only been separated by a paper-thin barrier.
Others were hidden deep in the seams of his bones and at the junctions of his fascia, requiring repeated grinding to force open even a sliver of a gap.
After several hours, Li Yuan had cleared over a dozen more fine meridians.
Individually, each one was insignificant, and he could barely feel a difference after they joined his overall Spiritual Power circuit. But with more than a dozen added together, the feedback from his Spiritual Power when circulating the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill became slightly denser—not faster, but more concentrated, like water seeping into more capillary channels.
[Microelement Meridian Introduction Skill: Adept (156/400)]
Li Yuan slowly withdrew his power, exhaling a breath of turbid air.
There were still many micro-meridians left uncleared, but the difficulty was steadily decreasing.
After cultivating for a while, Li Yuan opened his eyes, stood up, and stretched his limbs.
The members of the various squads were scattered behind the low hill. The few Loose Cultivators who had been rescued earlier were placed in a corner of the camp, resting against a stone wall.
Li Yuan took a few steps toward the center of the camp, his gaze sweeping around.
Uncle Qu was gone.
The high rock where Uncle Qu usually stood was empty, and he was nowhere to be seen nearby. Only two of the three Wang family Cultivators remained; they were standing by the earthen wall on the north side of the camp, talking in low voices.
Li Yuan walked over to Song Tiezhu, who was squatting on the ground, polishing his Magical Artifact.
"Where’s Uncle Qu?"
Song Tiezhu didn’t even look up.
"Seems he left with one of the Wang family Cultivators. They headed south."
"Did he say anything?"
"Nope." Song Tiezhu put away his Magical Artifact. "I asked the guys from Squad Two next to us, but they don’t know either. All they know is that it was for some business."
Han Xiaoyi sidled up from behind, chewing on a piece of jerky, and mumbled an addition.
"The captain of Squad One asked those two Wang family Cultivators as well. The answer he got was just two words—’On business.’"
Li Yuan didn’t press the matter and returned to his spot.
Night deepened. Li Yuan circulated his Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill for two more cycles. Just as he was about to switch back to the Spirit-Introducing Skill, he suddenly sensed something.
A wave of Spiritual Qi fluctuations surged over from the southwest.
It wasn’t a single clump, but a whole sheet of it.
A massive number of Spiritual Qi fluctuations appeared almost simultaneously at the edge of his senses. They were murky and chaotic, like stirred-up muddy water.
And they were approaching fast.
Li Yuan shot to his feet and yelled to the Cultivator on night watch, "Southwest! It’s not just one!"
The night watchman had also noticed the anomaly at almost the same time. The Spirit Detecting Disc of one of them flashed.
"Several of them—no, a dozen or more!"
A rustling sound instantly filled the camp.
The resting Cultivators were jolted awake, and the sounds of hands grabbing Magical Artifacts and weapons rose one after another. The quicker ones were already taking positions behind the earthen wall.
The two Wang family Cultivators also appeared on the north side of the camp at the same moment.
One of them had a grim expression. He pressed a finger to his Spirit Detecting Disc, closed his eyes to sense for a few breaths, and then snapped them open.
"They’re all Tier One Low Grade—a lot of them, and the number is still increasing."
The other Wang family Cultivator glanced at the surrounding terrain and spoke in a low, serious voice.
"Uncle Qu isn’t here. Everyone, on my command."
He raised a hand and pointed north.
"This position is too low and difficult to defend. All squads, regroup and retreat to the high slope to the north."
Li Yuan had no objection.
The campsite behind the low hill was low-lying on three sides. Only to the north was there a higher stone slope, and retreating to it would give them the high ground.
The squads quickly gathered their members and retreated toward the northern stone slope.
Ma Yuan and the other Loose Cultivators were pushed to the very front, running north with the main group. The one with the injured right arm couldn’t run fast and was half-carried, half-dragged by the person next to him.
Li Yuan led Squad Four, following behind.
The first Demon Beast appeared at the gap on the southwest side of the low hill.
It was a Gray Iguana, not large, Tier One Low Grade.
But something was wrong with it.
A normal Gray Iguana was timid and agile. This one was different—it pawed at the ground, its mouth gaped open, and its vertical pupils were shot through with red, as if driven mad by some stimulus. It charged forward on a crooked path, unable to even avoid obstacles, crashing into a rock and rebounding before continuing its rush.
Li Yuan raised his hand and cast a Fire Arrow. The streak of fire shot straight through the Gray Iguana’s head.
The lizard’s whole body slid forward a short distance before it collapsed motionless on the gravel.
But more were already surging from behind.
Two, three, five of them—Gray Iguanas, Horned Lizards, Gray Raccoon Dogs. Demon Beasts of various sizes streamed out from the gap in the hill. They were all Tier One Low Grade; a single one was no threat at all.
The problem was the sheer number of them.
And every single one of them was acting abnormally.
One Gray Raccoon Dog was shot through the hind leg by a Fire Arrow. Normally, it should have shrieked and run back, but it didn’t even let out a hiss. It dragged its broken leg with its other three, continuing to crawl forward while a low gurgling sound rumbled from its throat.
Another Horned Lizard was sliced halfway through by Song Tiezhu’s blade, its innards spilling out. Yet its limbs still thrashed wildly, its mouth snapping at people’s legs.
"Fall back!" Li Yuan shouted.
The six of them provided covering fire for each other as they retreated toward the northern stone slope.
Li Yuan brought up the rear, alternating between the Fire Arrow Skill and the Fireball Technique. Every shot was true. With his precision stat, he hardly ever missed within fifteen zhang.
Streaks of fire from his Fire Arrows shot out, aimed specifically at heads and necks. The Tier One Low Grade Demon Beasts couldn’t withstand such attacks; most were killed in a single hit.
But for every one he struck down, another Demon Beast would fill its place.
In the darkness further away, the roars of Demon Beasts rose and fell, seeming endless.
A scream came from the left.
Li Yuan glanced over and saw a Cultivator from Squad Three being pounced on by three Gray Iguanas. The lizards completely disregarded their own safety; one bit into his calf while another clawed wildly at his chest.
His teammates rushed forward, hacking and slashing with blades and swords to chop the lizards off him, but the Cultivator’s calf was already a mess of mangled flesh and blood.
"Carry him and go!" the squad’s captain yelled, his voice hoarse.
Further back, another squad ran into trouble.
A Horned Lizard slipped in from the side, bypassing the front-line defense and charging straight into the rear. Zhao An didn’t have time to react before the lizard’s horn gored him in the thigh.
Zhao An grunted, his body lurching backward as he fell onto the gravel. The Horned Lizard’s horn had pierced the outside of his thigh, and blood immediately gushed out.
Tian Qi thrust his spear backhanded into the Horned Lizard’s neck, pinning it to the ground.
"Zhao An!" Xu Qing ran over.
Zhao An’s face was ashen. He clutched his thigh with both hands, blood seeping out from between his fingers.
"Can you walk?" Li Yuan asked, glancing back as he continued to fight.
"I can." Zhao An gritted his teeth and, with Xu Qing’s help, struggled to his feet, limping forward.
Li Yuan turned back, a Fireball forming in his palm, and hurled it at the densest cluster of Demon Beasts in front of them.
BOOM.
A crimson blast erupted on the gravel ground, sending three or four clustered Gray Iguanas flying, their flesh and blood splattering everywhere.
Another explosion sounded in the distance, flinging several more Demon Beasts into the air. That was a Magic spell cast by one of the Wang family Cultivators.
Taking advantage of the opening, Li Yuan activated the Fire Escape Skill. A flash of fire ignited under his feet, and he shot back four or five zhang.
"We’re almost there! We’re nearly at the slope!" Han Xiaoyi’s voice came from up ahead.
The squads at the front had already climbed to the top of the slope and were casting Magic down on the Demon Beasts from their high vantage point. A scattering of ice arrows, Wind Blades, and earth spikes rained down from above.
Li Yuan led Squad Four back to the foot of the slope.
"Up the slope!"
Tian Qi went first, carrying Zhao An as he climbed. Xu Qing pushed from behind, while Li Yuan and the others followed.
Another seven or eight Demon Beasts surged toward them from behind.
Before Li Yuan could act, spells rained down from the slope. Dozens of ice arrows mixed with other Magic spells shot into the pack of Demon Beasts, killing the ones at the front.
Li Yuan vaulted onto the top of the slope and stood firm.
He glanced back down.
The tide of Demon Beasts from the low hill didn’t follow them up.
The Tier One Low Grade Demon Beasts were small with short legs. Although the stone slope wasn’t high, the angle was too steep for them. A few Gray Iguanas tried to climb, but they only managed a couple of steps before sliding back down. After a few hisses, they started circling at the base of the slope.
Most of the Demon Beasts flooded into the lower areas around the camp, clambering over the earthen walls to gnaw on the discarded items and the Demon Beast corpses that had been left behind.
A smaller portion of the Demon Beasts were even attacking each other, completely without order.
The two Wang family Cultivators stood at the highest point of the slope, their faces grim as they surveyed the scene below.
"They’re not following," one of them said.
The other grunted in agreement, pulling his gaze away from the chaotic mass of Demon Beasts below.
"Do a headcount. All squad captains, report your casualties."
The squads began their count.
Voices, intermittent and fragmented, carried from all over the hilltop.
"Squad One, one man short. He got separated during the retreat, not sure if he’ll make it back. One lightly injured."
"Squad Two, two injured. One’s hand was bitten through, the other has a broken rib."
"Squad Three, one heavily injured, his calf is mangled, can’t walk. Two lightly injured."
Li Yuan glanced back at his own people.
Song Tiezhu was fine. Han Xiaoyi had a shallow gash on his left arm, but the blood had already dried. Tian Qi and Xu Qing were unharmed.
Zhao An was sitting on the ground while Xu Qing knelt beside him, applying medicinal powder to the wound on his thigh. The wound wasn’t too deep; the Horned Lizard’s horn had pierced the muscle but hadn’t reached the bone. It shouldn’t be a problem once the bleeding was stopped, but he wouldn’t be able to run fast for a while.
"Squad Four, one injured, but mobile," Li Yuan reported to the Wang family Cultivator.
After all the squads reported in, the total casualties were fewer than expected.
They had lost the camp and some of their supplies, but most of the people had made it out. Only Squad One was missing a person, and it was unclear if he had just fallen behind or if something else had happened.
The few Loose Cultivators had also been brought up. Ma Yuan and his group huddled behind a large rock on the hilltop, their faces ashen, not saying a word.
The Wang family Cultivator swept his gaze over the crowd.
"We’ll continue retreating north, putting more distance between us and the Loose Cultivator market. Find some high ground to rest and wait for Uncle Qu to return."
The roars of the Demon Beasts below continued, but they were already growing distant.
The group moved north along the top of the slope. Their pace was slow, the gravel crunching under their feet.
After about two li, the terrain rose again.
Ahead was a protruding rock platform. It was flanked on three sides by nearly vertical cliffs, with only a narrow, gentle slope on the south side for access. The platform wasn’t large—just big enough to hold everyone if they squeezed together—but the location was excellent. Aside from the southern path, Demon Beasts would be completely unable to climb up from any other direction.
"Here," the Wang family Cultivator said, pointing to the platform.
Everyone moved onto the rock platform one by one.
The wounded were placed toward the back, and a few Cultivators who knew some healing techniques gathered to treat their injuries. The man from Squad Three with the mangled calf was the most severe case. Two people held his leg down, using Spiritual Power to staunch the bleeding. The injured Cultivator bit down on a piece of wood, veins bulging on his temples, not making a sound.
Li Yuan found a spot on the edge of the platform and sat down.
Sporadic roars from the Demon Beasts could be heard in the distance, much weaker than before.
Han Xiaoyi squatted nearby. He touched the gash on his left arm and hissed in pain.
"Something’s wrong with those Demon Beasts’ heads," he muttered.
Song Tiezhu added in a gruff voice,
"You’re right, there isn’t. I’ve been a guard for many years, and I’ve never seen a Demon Beast that keeps biting after being cut in half. A normal one would have run away long ago."
Li Yuan didn’t join the conversation, his gaze sweeping the surroundings instead.
The chatter on the rock platform gradually died down. The night watch was assigned, and the rest found places to rest.
The distant roars were intermittent, as if they were slowly fading away.