Chapter 578 - 540: Battle of Chu State, Beast Tide

"Stick close to the main ship! Don't fall behind! No one is to act rashly without orders! Violators will be executed."

"This is the Jinyun Valley fleet. Spiritual Boats from the Pill Hall, move closer."

...

When Chen Che walked out of the cabin, he heard the sound of Meng Changtu's commands.

He looked up to see a jagged mountain range, like a celestial chasm stretched out before them. It was a vast expanse of verdant green, like an ocean. The other Halls had also arrived; nearly a hundred Spiritual Boats of all sizes stood arrayed across the sky, gathered before the mountain.

Every Spiritual Boat was packed with people, their banners unfurling and snapping in the wind. From a distance, the flotilla looked like a fleet of ships rising and falling in a sea of clouds, with a hundred vessels vying to be first.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chen Che spotted Qiu Tianshui from the Internal Affairs Hall. When Qiu Tianshui saw him, he smiled and clasped his hands in a polite greeting. At the far end of the formation, Duobao also saw Chen Che but simply turned his face away, too lazy to even acknowledge him.

"Everyone from the Primordial Sect is here."

Meng Changtu said, turning his head. "Now we're just waiting for the Star-Picking Sect."

"The two sects will join forces, break through this Cloud Peak first, and then we can advance unopposed."

Chen Che raised a hand and pointed.

Cloud Peak was a continuous mountain range within Chu State, even larger than Celestial Ghost Ridge. Beyond this state lay the territory of the Mist Rain Tower. Due to its abundance of mountains, rivers, and Demon Beasts, it had long served as a strategic buffer zone between the two sects.

The Mist Rain Tower took the offensive, occupying Yunzhou and destroying seventeen of the Primordial Sect's outposts. Some of the families at the base of the mountains in Yunzhou were also annihilated. Using Yunzhou as cover, they frequently launched raids on the territories under the Primordial Sect's control.

On the Spiritual Boats, the Golden Core Cultivators stood in rows, facing the wind.

Numerous Foundation Establishment Cultivators stood on the decks, shading their eyes with their hands as they gazed ahead. The sound of their chattering filled the air, carried by the wind.

"This will be a tough battle."

Lu Yuntian's brow furrowed.

A single glance revealed that the forests covering the mountains were deathly still. 'Of course, they aren't empty. It's likely this entire state has been occupied by the Mist Rain Tower. They must have laid all sorts of Arrays and set up countless ambushes.'

The moment they entered, they would be met with an overwhelming barrage from the enemy.

"The best time to invade the Mist Rain Tower would have been immediately after the battle of Primordial City. But that wasn't feasible. The Primordial Sect's forces were exhausted. We might have gained a temporary advantage, but we would have suffered a major loss once they recovered and counterattacked."

Chen Xi, a former Empress, added her own assessment. She turned to look at Chen Che.

"Besides, we have the Star-Picking Sect circling us like a vicious tiger. If we show any weakness, they'll devour us whole. I imagine the Primordial Sect gave you similar orders this time, didn't they?"

Chen Che nodded slightly. Chen Xi was right.

The battle of Primordial City had been brutal. Countless people were severely injured, and without time to recuperate, they couldn't possibly endure a second major battle. However, those three months of rest and preparation had also given the Mist Rain Tower a chance to breathe.

As for the Star-Picking Sect…

Wei Yanzhou had indeed given them an order: if the Star-Picking Sect showed any signs of fatigue during the attack on the Mist Rain Tower, their forces were to seize the opportunity and swallow them whole. Of course, they had to cover their tracks perfectly to avoid any repercussions from the Star-Picking Sect's leadership.

If it came to that, the Primordial Sect would not step in to protect them.

"If we can't take this place, or if our losses are too great to continue the offensive, we'll probably be forced to sue for peace. The Mist Rain Tower is clearly defending this position with that exact goal in mind."

Meng Qianxun's voice was low. "The Primordial Sect isn't afraid of the Mist Rain Tower on its own. But add in all the Demon Beasts of Yunzhou, plus Golden Core Cultivators from other regions, and taking this place won't be easy."

"No one can be sure of the situation before the battle begins."

Chen Che nodded in agreement. "We have to be extremely cautious. In a situation like this, one wrong move could lead to total annihilation."

A war between the Three Sects was like a battle between hundreds of wolf packs.

Not even Jinyun Valley could guarantee its own survival.

Just then, a cry came from the distance:

"They're here."

An intense whistling sound followed. Chen Che looked up, and the Cultivators on all the other Spiritual Boats turned to look as well.

On the sea of clouds, hundreds of Spiritual Boats rode the wind, arriving in a vast and mighty procession. Their decks swarmed with Cultivators, projecting an imposing aura that agitated the Spirit Pets of some Beast Masters. Everyone from the Primordial Sect watched the approaching fleet with grim expressions.

"The Star-Picking Sect's forces have arrived."

Chen Che heard the shouts and gazed into the distance, feeling the sheer scale of their arrival.

'The Star-Picking Sect's foundations are truly profound,' he thought. 'After a civil war and an attack on the Primordial Sect, they can still muster sixty-seven Golden Core Cultivators. And this group is even stronger than the force that attacked us before.'

And that wasn't even counting the Golden Core Cultivators from the Yu Family.

"Who speaks for the Star-Picking Sect?"

Qiu Tianshui was the first to speak, his voice booming.

WHOOSH—

The fleet of Spiritual Boats halted before Yunzhou, pulling up alongside the Primordial Sect. On the deck of one, Jiang Shaotian stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said:

"That would be me."

"We've traveled a great distance, and I apologize for keeping our fellow Daoists waiting. But rest assured, we have already rested and are ready to act at a moment's notice. Since the Mist Rain Tower has already entrenched itself in Yunzhou, I say we charge forward and crush them in one fell swoop."

"What do you say?"

Qiu Tianshui turned and sent a Divine Sense transmission to the heads of the various Halls.

Chen Che had no objections. 'No matter how many people the Mist Rain Tower has, they can't match the combined might of two Major Sects. Crushing Yunzhou with our overwhelming force is the best option right now.' The other Hall leaders all nodded in agreement.

Having received their consent, Qiu Tianshui responded aloud:

"Agreed!"

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

As his voice fell, the clang of weapons being readied by the Cultivators of both sects rang out ceaselessly. Horns began to sound from the Star-Picking Sect's fleet. Not to be outdone, Cultivators on the Primordial Sect's Spiritual Boats also began to blow their Horns.

"Advance!"

With that single word, Duobao waved his hand.

"Go!"

Chen Che raised his hand at the same time.

CREAK!

Hundreds of Spiritual Boats surged forward as if released from a floodgate, bearing down on Yunzhou with crushing momentum.

The dozens of smaller Spiritual Boats belonging to Jinyun Valley and the Primordial Sect's Pill Hall didn't cluster together, but advanced in a scattered formation. Though the Spiritual Boats were borrowed, they were fully equipped.

Bed Crossbows and cannon batteries—nothing was left out.

Squads of uniformly armored Cultivators manned the Crossbow Beds, aiming them at the mountains ahead. Multicolored Magic Patterns radiated out from the center of each Bed Crossbow, and the dazzling sunlight made the sharp arrowheads glint with an even colder light.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

It was early morning, and the sky above Chu State was shrouded in rain clouds. The Spiritual Boats burst through the clouds one after another, bringing wind and rain with them as they descended menacingly over Yunzhou.

The curtains on the war had finally been raised!

Chen Che stood at the prow, gazing into the distance. As if in response, a deafening RUSTLE erupted from the previously silent mountain forests. A dense, dark swarm of Demon Beasts took to the air from the canopy below.

The forest floor below lit up with clusters of cold, eerie glows—the eyes of countless Demon Beasts.

"So many Demon Beasts!"

Xiao Chan's heart skipped a beat. "Could the Mist Rain Tower have gathered every Demon Beast in Chu State?"

"At least ten percent of the Mist Rain Tower's Cultivators are Beast Masters. Most of them come from fishing stock; riding the tides and herding sea creatures is their specialty. But a swarm of Demon Beasts is not a school of fish. It's not that easy to control every Demon Beast in an entire state."

Meng Qianxun picked up a Horn, apparently intending to scatter the swarm of Demon Beasts.

"Wait. Let's not make the first move."

Chen Che stopped the old man. "We don't want to be the nail that sticks out."

Everyone nodded. A glance at the other Spiritual Boats showed that most were also holding a defensive posture, clearly intending to react rather than act. At a time like this, whoever dared to strike first would likely become the Mist Rain Tower's primary target.

However, the silence did not last long.

The sheer pressure exerted by hundreds of Spiritual Boats bearing down on them was more than ordinary Demon Beasts could withstand. With a sharp CAW, as if a dam had burst, the Demon Beasts within the forest surged upward in a chaotic, dark mass.

Immediately, a mournful WOO—WOO— sound of a Horn echoed, and the stampeding Demon Beasts instantly coalesced into a formation, swarming toward them like a sky-blotting swarm of mosquitos.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

A dense volley of Crossbow Arrows answered the Demon Beasts.

Row after row of arrowheads formed a shimmering wall of light in the sun. In a single instant, the beast tide assembled by the Mist Rain Tower was shattered! Volleys of Crossbow Arrows tore through the bodies of the Demon Beasts, splashing a rain of blood and scattered feathers across the sky.

The few Demon Beasts that managed to evade the arrows were unable to get close to the fleet of Spiritual Boats; they were instantly shredded by the Talismans and Magic that flew from the decks.

Even the urging of the Horns couldn't stop the surviving Demon Beasts from fleeing in terror.

"Is that all the Mist Rain Tower has...? They don't seem so tough!"

"The Mist Rain Tower has been holed up in Chu State for three months. I thought they would have turned this place into a war fortress. If this is all they've got, why did we even bother resting for three months? We should have just charged in from the start!"

"Exactly! Exactly!"

In a single exchange, more than half of the beast tide assembled by the Mist Rain Tower had been wiped out, causing many of the tense Cultivators to relax.

"That's it?"

Even Lu Yuntian was stunned.

He, too, had been certain they were in for a brutal fight.

But now…

The Mist Rain Tower's performance seemed completely at odds with its reputation as a top Golden Core Influence.

"Stay sharp."

Chen Che, ever cautious, voiced a reminder.

Suddenly, a dense swarm of black dots rose rapidly from the mountains of Yunzhou. Like a cloud of flies, they swept across the sky, hurtling toward the Spiritual Boat fleet with a thunderous roar.

The first volley of Crossbow Arrows had just been fired, and there was no time to reload for a second. Even with the Cultivators on board taking action, the black dots still inevitably slammed into the Spiritual Boats' Shields, exploding on impact and splashing crimson waves across them.

"What is that?"

Chen Che looked up.

He watched the crimson liquid slowly trickle down the Array's shimmering barrier.

The others were equally mystified.

"It's blood!"

"This is the blood of Demon Beasts…"

While everyone was still reeling in shock and confusion, shouts erupted from other Spiritual Boats. Someone turned to look and saw the Cultivator who had cried out already drenched in the crimson tide, completely covered in blood.

The animal-skin blood pouch at his feet had burst, and blood was slowly pooling around him. The earlier swarm of black dots had been so numerous that nearly every Spiritual Boat had been hit.

"Blood?"

Meng Changtu stared at the blood streaming down from overhead. He suddenly seemed to recall something, and his face changed dramatically. "Oh no… This is the Mist Rain Tower's counterattack!"

RUMBLE—

His words had barely faded.

Another commotion erupted within Chu State. A vast, dark cloud suddenly surged into the sky. When everyone focused their gaze on it, a chill ran down their spines.

That was no dark cloud.

It was a beast tide!