Chapter 443 - 277: Bloody Battle to Defeat the Enemy, the Qi Tide Strikes

Chapter 443: Chapter 277: Bloody Battle to Defeat the Enemy, the Qi Tide Strikes

He seized the opportunity, pouring a massive amount of Sword Qi into its body and slaying it with ease.

Yu Fei’s most dangerous encounter was with a giant gorilla that stood a full two stories tall.

Though it was also a 7th-tier beast, it was not only incredibly strong but also extremely agile. Most importantly, it possessed a high degree of intelligence.

Yu Fei was no match for it and was hunted for a good three to four hours. The gorilla only gave up the chase after it lost interest.

That time, Yu Fei refused to use his waypoint ability to escape. In the end, he was beaten so badly that he’d lost count of how many bones were broken.

But the gains were immense. In that one battle alone, he managed to purify his Divine Intent by about 8%.

After three months, the dense cluster of martial intents within Yu Fei’s Returning Ruins Spiritual Source had diminished by about half, and the phantom sword had grown much clearer.

This sword of divine intent was adorned with all sorts of natural patterns, giving it a regal and solemn appearance that radiated an unconcealed sharpness.

Yu Fei renamed this sword the Returning Ruins Realm Sword. This phantom sword of divine intent, forged through tempering, was a far better match for him.

With Illusory Sword Intent as its backbone and leveraging spatial properties, it could contain and devour numerous martial intents. Its capabilities were no longer one-dimensional, and it possessed extreme lethality.

Empowered by it, Yu Fei’s offensive capabilities were drastically enhanced. He could now breach the defenses of most 7th-tier Desolate Beasts.

However, in the ensuing fights, if a Desolate Beast found itself outmatched, it would almost certainly turn and flee. Yu Fei had no way to prevent their escape.

As natives of the Eternal Night Forest, they were intimately familiar with the environment and incredibly fast.

After cultivating in solitude for over three months, he sensed the fog in the Eternal Night Forest suddenly thicken. His heightened perception warned him of a crisis that grew stronger by the day. Even the number of 7th-tier Desolate Beasts had started to increase.

One day, Yu Fei heard a terrifying shriek. Even from a great distance, the sound shook him so violently that he lost his composure, and it took him a good while to recover.

He knew he couldn’t stay in the Eternal Night Forest any longer.

The creature that made that terrifying roar had to be an 8th-tier Desolate Beast. Combined with the steady exodus of other beasts, he knew that, following the patterns of this realm, the Green Sea Qi Tide was imminent.

「A short while later」

After quickly packing his things, he used his waypoint ability to travel to the outskirts of Celestial Rock City.

During the Green Sea Qi Tide, the vast, beast-infested wilds were no longer safe for lone wanderers. One needed to band together with human settlements to survive.

Celestial Rock City was now charging an entrance fee, and anyone who entered would be assigned tasks by the city guard.

During the Green Sea Qi Tide, all Desolate Beasts are driven from their native territories. The beasts of the Eternal Night Forest push into the depths of the Mist Sea, and so on, creating a cascading effect that forms a terrifying beast tide.

Beyond that, the greatest celestial phenomenon is the formation of a visible, turquoise tide of natural primordial Qi, which spreads out from the Eternal Night Forest like a flood.

If a human refines too much of this strange primordial Qi wave, they will undergo a horrifying mutation. Bone spurs will sprout from their body, they will lose their sanity, become bloodthirsty, and ultimately end up indistinguishable from a Desolate Beast.

Through hard-won lessons over many years, people discovered that burning wood of mid-tier or higher could create a barrier against the primordial Qi wave, acting like a reef dam to counter the corrosive effects of the Green Sea Qi Tide.

"What’s your realm?"

"Fifth Realm."

"Fifth Realm, huh? That’s decent enough. The entrance fee is twenty thousand. You’re assigned to the west wall, Section A-3. Find a man named Zhuang Yan."

"You know the rules, right?"

Yu Fei nodded, showing he understood.

Using his perception, he had already figured out all of Celestial Rock City’s rules for the duration of the Green Sea Qi Tide.

To survive this calamity, the key was to ensure the flames driving back the Qi Tide were never extinguished, and to defend the walls so the Desolate Beasts could not break through.

The actual danger wasn’t that high. The city was home to five Grandmaster Martial Artists, and since Celestial Rock City was located in the central part of the Mist Sea, few high-tier Desolate Beasts ever reached it.

There was just a considerable number of low- and mid-tier Desolate Beasts.

Yu Fei found Zhuang Yan. Countless piles of firewood were already stacked atop the city walls, just waiting to be lit.

He patrolled for a full day at Zhuang Yan’s request, and nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Zhuang Yan was a lean, dark-skinned man. He was quite approachable and could strike up a conversation with just about anyone.

"Brother, you’re Gao Yunxiang, right? Relax. This Green Sea Qi Tide is nothing to be afraid of. We’ve spent the last year stockpiling supernatural wood, so keeping the fires burning for a month or so won’t be a problem."

"And besides, they’re just Desolate Beasts. Basically free meat delivery!"

"You keep watch here. I’m going to make arrangements for the lower-realm brothers to bring up the timber on schedule."

Before Yu Fei could say a word, the man hurried off again.

As evening fell, Yu Fei’s superior vision allowed him to see the distant fog turn a menacing turquoise as it surged toward them, blanketing everything. He was just about to sound the alarm when Zhuang Yan’s furious roar echoed out.

"Light the fires! Quick, ignite all the bonfires!"

"Fire-tenders, keep a constant watch on the wood supply! The flames must not fall below thirty feet!"

"City guards, kill any Desolate Beasts that attack!"

"During the Green Sea Qi Tide, acting without orders is forbidden! Attacking each other is forbidden! Anyone who takes reckless chances and causes an incident will be expelled from Celestial Rock City, no exceptions!"

"Attention, everyone! If anyone sabotages the flames, they are to be killed on sight!"

...

At this moment, Zhuang Yan’s presence was imposing and solemn. He was flanked by the ten members of his Vigorous Energy Guard Team, all of whom exuded powerful auras. They were the force he used to maintain order.

Over thousands of years, this realm had accumulated sufficient records regarding the Green Sea Qi Tide, and its countermeasures were well-developed.

However, there were always foolish individuals who refused to follow the rules, leading to incidents every year. That was why he was so emphatic.

The sky turned completely dark. Countless towering flames illuminated all of Celestial Rock City. Along the walls, bonfires forty to fifty feet high blazed every hundred meters. At the city’s four cardinal points, even larger bonfires, a full hundred meters tall, were lit in massive plazas.

As the immense amount of supernatural wood burned, it released a variety of fragrant scents, and a dense, wood-attribute primordial energy evaporated into the air.

The ambient primordial energy in Celestial Rock City suddenly became much richer.

The tide finally descended upon Celestial Rock City, the fog and flames clashing at its borders. Yu Fei scanned the entire scene with his perception and discovered that the placement of the fires was very particular; it had to be a deliberate design.

They faintly formed a runic array that blocked the turquoise fog, creating an invisible barrier that shielded Celestial Rock City.

Yu Fei realized with a start, ’This might be Celestial Rock City’s greatest secret.’

In the darkness, indistinct figures began to appear at the base of the walls. Through his perception, Yu Fei could tell these Desolate Beasts were far more agitated than usual. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

The 4th-tier Desolate Beasts, in particular, charged toward Celestial Rock City without a moment’s hesitation. This was extremely rare; normally, when hunting, Desolate Beasts would make a basic assessment of their target’s strength and would likely flee if its aura was too powerful.

Now, however, the Desolate Beasts’ eyes were scarlet. They charged mindlessly toward the walls as if they had gone insane.

Yu Fei held a longsword. It was one of the spares he had prepared before entering the Gui Xu Realm. One had shattered when he fought the giant pangolin, leaving him with two.

He then dispatched two long-horned, moose-like Desolate Beasts that charged up the wall. With casual grace, Yu Fei executed a wind-attribute Swordsmanship technique. His longsword pierced an inch into a beast’s forehead, and a single pulse of Sword Qi finished the job.

Third Realm Martial Artists were on hand to drag the beast corpses away.

When facing such a large-scale assault, the strength of those in the first three realms was too weak; they generally served in support roles.

Zhuang Yan didn’t make a move. His attention was focused on the Martial Artists who had temporarily joined the city’s defense.

These people had been forced to join the defense, and many were unfamiliar faces. Zhuang Yan didn’t fully trust them.

He reached out to inspect the slain Desolate Beast. When his fingers touched the moose-like creature’s forehead and he saw the shallow, clean wound, his eyes lit up.

"Such pure wind-attribute Sword Intent!"

Sword Intent is exceedingly difficult to comprehend. Any Martial Artist who possesses it has combat prowess a cut above their peers.

While many Martial Artists wield swords, few possess Sword Intent.

Most people at the Five Realms Divine Intent stage only develop intents derived from their fundamental Cultivation Technique; very few possess a true combat-oriented intent.

’Gao Yunxiang, was it? This fellow has a real shot at reaching the Gang Qi Realm!’

Zhuang Yan was pleasantly surprised. ’Perhaps I can befriend him after the battle,’ he thought. For most Martial Artists, the Gang Qi Realm was the pinnacle of cultivation.

He then summoned a subordinate and instructed:

"When the shifts rotate, remember to raise this Gao Yunxiang’s compensation by one tier. And be discreet about it."