Chapter 390 - 396: Triggering a Beast Tide

A few of them exchanged cautious glances without a word before turning and going their separate ways.

Seeing this, Xiao Heyun quickened his search, a sense of urgency rising within him.

However, before he could find the Bodhi Tree, he discovered a young cub.

The cub was pure white, crouching pitifully beneath a rock. It looked as if it had been frightened.

Xiao Heyun’s eyes narrowed. He summoned the Spirit Beast List in his Sea of Consciousness and discovered that the cub appeared to be some kind of Ancient Spirit Beast.

"Hah, it’s an Ancient Spirit Beast, one long thought to be extinct!"

Xiao Heyun’s eyes lit up. He never imagined his luck would be this good.

Elated, he rushed forward without a second thought and scooped the spirit beast into his arms. Just as he was about to form a contract, he suddenly felt the ground tremble violently.

Immediately after, a furious roar echoed through the entire mountain range.

His heart sank. His intuition screamed that something was wrong. ’Run.’

And so, Xiao Heyun immediately turned and fled toward the edge of the forest.

The moment he started running, the entire mountain range began to shake violently, as if an entire army were charging toward them. The sound startled everyone.

"Oh no, a beast tide! It’s a beast tide!"

One person saw the herds of demon beasts stampeding toward them, their face turning deathly pale. With a terrified shout, they began running for their life.

Hearing this, the others could no longer care about any Bodhi Tree. If they stayed any longer, they would lose their lives.

Everyone scrambled to escape the mountain range, all the while cursing the culprit who had caused the beast tide.

More and more demon beasts joined the frantic chase, making it seem as if the entire mountain range was about to collapse.

Xiao Heyun ran, his heart pounding in shock.

Flustered, he glanced back and saw dense swarms of demon beasts giving chase at the edge of the mountains.

For some reason, his thoughts immediately went to the cub in his arms, and his heart skipped a beat.

’Don’t tell me these demon beasts are coming for me?’

’If that’s true, I’m screwed.’

But he was unwilling to simply hand over the spirit beast cub.

’Whatever! I’ll just run for now. There are other scapegoats to block the way, anyway!’

A calculating glint flashed in Xiao Heyun’s eyes as he picked up his pace again.

Soon, all the demon beasts in the mountain range had run off.

Gazing at the now-quiet mountains, a slight smile touched Song Wanning’s lips.

A moment ago, she had secretly snuck into a Demon Beast Cave and stolen the cub from within while the beasts were distracted.

The cub wasn’t an Ancient Spirit Beast at all. She had simply disguised it a little. Xiao Heyun, pressed for time, had no chance to verify its authenticity and could only judge by its appearance.

By the time he discovered the truth, he would have already been driven mad by the pursuing demon beasts.

What’s more, Song Wanning had also placed Beast Attracting Powder on the cub...

That was why every demon beast in the mountain range had gone berserk. As long as Xiao Heyun didn’t abandon the cub, he would be hunted relentlessly.

It was a dirty trick, but a fitting one for someone as greedy as Xiao Heyun.

He would definitely be too reluctant to give up the cub.

All she had to do now was wait for the show to begin.

She looked up toward the depths of the mountains. She didn’t know if the rumors about the Bodhi Tree were true or false.

But since she was here, she had to go look for it.

...

A beast tide had appeared in the Secret Realm.

It was a massive beast tide, the likes of which the disciples from the various Sects had never seen before.

And as Xiao Heyun moved, more and more beasts, attracted by the Beast Attracting Powder, joined the tide.

At first, Xiao Heyun didn’t suspect the cub, but he gradually began to feel that something was off.

No matter how precious the cub was, it shouldn’t cause this many demon beasts to chase after it, right?

’Is there something on the beast’s body?’

He tried to investigate but found no trace of the Beast Attracting Powder.

He wanted to use his system to help investigate, but he didn’t have enough points to use the function.

"Damn it, you useless system!"

Xiao Heyun couldn’t help but curse out loud. How did he end up with such a worthless system?

It was utterly pathetic!

The system, being cursed at, was also furious.

It had diligently supported its host, only to be scorned. A spark of anger ignited within it.

If that was how it was going to be, then it would ignore the host for a while and let him feel its importance. That way, he wouldn’t actually think it was useless!

And just like that, the system automatically went invisible, leaving Xiao Heyun to face the situation alone.

Little did he know that the Beast Attracting Powder Song Wanning used was from Daoqing’s legacy—something not of this world. Furthermore, she had inserted it inside the cub’s body, making it naturally difficult to detect.

Helpless, he could only run everywhere with the cub, completely throwing the entire Secret Realm into chaos.

Cultivators who had been immersed in treasure hunting were forced to flee in all directions from the beast tide. Regardless of their Cultivation level, the sheer number of beasts was enough to kill them.

"Who the hell is that guy? What the hell did he do to trigger such a massive beast tide?"

"Yeah, I’ve never seen a beast tide this big in my life! If they all charge us, we’ll be skinned alive, if not killed outright!"

"Why does he look so unfamiliar? Was he among the disciples who entered the Secret Realm earlier?"

"Hiss... something feels off to me, too. Which Sect is he from?"

Everyone found his appearance completely strange. The disciples of the Major Sects mostly knew of each other, and after spending so much time waiting outside, they had at least gotten to recognize each other’s faces.

But no one had ever seen Xiao Heyun before.

Realizing something was wrong, the crowd continued to curse as they fled.

Song Wanning’s avatar, who had blended into the fleeing crowd, seemed to comment casually, "That person... could he have stolen some ultimate treasure? Is that why..."

Her words stopped a group of Cultivators, who had originally intended to stay out of it, in their tracks.

To be able to cause a beast tide of this scale, just how precious would that treasure have to be?

Everyone’s minds started turning with their own little schemes. Some even sent Communication Talismans to their friends, inviting them to deal with Xiao Heyun together.

Soon, an absurd scene unfolded in the Secret Realm.

A group of Cultivators chased after Xiao Heyun, and behind them, tens of thousands of demon beasts stampeded in pursuit, trampling everything in their path.

Meanwhile, Jiang Cen was also being chased all over by the rampaging beasts.

The entire Secret Realm was in utter chaos.

...

Outside the Secret Realm, the powerful figures were gathered, playing chess, not yet aware of the commotion inside.

But before long, the entrance itself began to vibrate.

"Did something happen inside?"

All five of them instantly stood up and moved to the entrance of the Secret Realm.

Feeling the tremors from within, they all frowned in unison.

"The Spirit Stream Secret Realm claims many disciples every time. I hope nothing else goes wrong."

The ones who came here were all outstanding juniors. They didn’t want to lose a single one.

The group lost their enthusiasm for the game and gathered at the entrance to the Secret Realm, standing on high alert.

If something truly happened, they would be the first to receive the disciples who made it out.

...

"Stop right there!!"

A group of people suddenly appeared ahead, completely blocking Xiao Heyun’s path.

"Get out of my way!!"

Panicked, Xiao Heyun attacked them without hesitation.