Bang bang!
The Beast Tide trampled the ground as they stared at Mount Ziyang.
Roar!
The Demon Beasts roared and began to attack Mount Ziyang.
A Windroar Wolf roared and spat out a wind blade towards the formation.
The Lightning Rabbit opened its mouth and spat out a bolt of lightning towards the formation.
The Tusk Boar spat out another black water arrow towards the formation.
Groups of Demon Beasts stared at the Great Protective Formation and attacked. The attacks of each Demon Beast were very weak, but when tens of thousands of Demon Beasts joined forces to attack, they had an earth-shaking power.
Mount Ziyang was trembling. The formation was shaking as if it was about to collapse.
Boom boom boom!
The Demon Beasts continued to attack, and a series of spells bombarded the formation. The formation looked as if it was about to break.
However, the purple light flashed, neutralizing all the attacks.
Lu Xuanji watched this scene, and his mind wavered.
Once the protection formation was broken, the two million mortals and more than a thousand cultivators of Mount Ziyang would all be reduced to the Demon Beasts' food.
"Cultivators of the clan, guard the formation's core and prevent any unexpected occurrences!"
The First Elder's cold and cruel voice rang out. "Without the clan's orders, do not act rashly!"
Lu Xuanji returned to his cave abode and sat upright on a Dao platform, circulating his True Qi.
On Mount Ziyang, every cave abode was a node of the formation. Normally, the spiritual vein would supply the cultivator with spiritual energy to cultivate. However, at this moment, it turned into an endless stream of spiritual energy to support the operation of the formation. The level three great formation of the Ziyang was currently in operation.
As the array formation operated, a purple light barrier rose and surrounded Mount Ziyang. Numerous runes flickered and changed, blocking the impact of the Demon Beasts.
Bang bang!
The array formation emitted an intense sound.
Lu Xuanji was perturbed and worried.
The Beast Tide, which happened once every hundred years, was almost unavoidable.
In the eyes of the Demon Beasts, humans were the supreme delicacy. Eating humans could awaken their intelligence and speed up their cultivation. It could be considered a supreme medicine. Every time the Demon Beast Tide opened, it was the supreme holy feast of the Demon Beasts. It was also the time to gather for a meal.
...
Seven days later, the formation could not be broken.
Some Demon Beasts dispersed and went to attack other weak areas to search for 'blood food'.
Sensing that the number of Demon Beasts outside was decreasing, Lu Xuanji heaved a sigh of relief.
Mount Ziyang was temporarily safe.
However, it was not really safe. It was not that the Demon Beasts at the foot of Mount Ziyang were unable to break through Mount Ziyang. Rather, they would have to pay an enormous price to break through Mount Ziyang.
Rather than wasting time here, it would be better to attack some of the weaker spirit mountains.
However, they still needed to be prepared for the Demon Beasts to make a comeback.
"The Beast Tide is truly terrifying. I wonder how many loose cultivators and Foundation Establishment clans have been destroyed by the Beast Tide this time!"
Lu Xuanji was nervous. He was worried about the Zifu disciples and Foundation Establishment cultivators who had set off for battle. He was also worried about his father who had participated in the battle.
Mount Ziyang had a tier-3 formation that could block the attacks of Zifu disciples. Even a Golden Core stage Patriarch would need to spend some time attacking to break the protective formation.
However, to maintain the operation of the Grand Ziyang Formation, one would need to expend the energy of the spirit vein.
If the grand formation was to be operated for a long period of time, the spirit vein would be exhausted, or even destroyed.
If one was to hide within the spirit mountain and passively defend, one would slowly die.
During each Beast Tide, the Dan Yang Sect would lead Zifu disciples and Foundation Establishment cultivators to intercept high-level Demon Beasts. Those high-level cultivators would intercept a large number of high-level Demon Beasts, forcing the Beast Tide to be dominated by low-level Demon Beasts.
Fortunately, mid-level and high-level Demon Beasts were rare, which gave humans a fighting chance to defend themselves within the spirit mountains.
After a month, the Beast Tide began to recede.
Some Foundation Establishment cultivators went to investigate. The Beast Tide had already retreated ten thousand miles away.
About ten days later, the Demon Beasts all retreated back to the mountains.
The Beast Tide had ended.
However, the land was full of devastation. Many towns, spirit mountains, and other places had suffered devastating damage. Countless humans had been reduced to blood food, and many cultivators had died.
Under the command of the First Elder, Mount Ziyang began to guide the two million mortals in an orderly manner. The two million mortals left and returned to their original places of residence.
One after another, flying ships rose up and escorted the mortals away.
Many cultivators heaved a sigh of relief. The Beast Tide had finally ended, and they had endured it.
In the midst of the dilapidated state, the earth began to recuperate, and some human cities and towns regained their vitality.
Returning to his cave abode, Lu Xuanji sensed the Spirit Cave. There was almost no spiritual energy leaking out of the Spirit Cave.
In order to maintain the operation of the Great Protective Formation, the spirit vein on Mount Ziyang was severely damaged, and it needed to enter a state of recuperation. Due to this, the clan did not need to think about cultivating for the next five years.
...
Ten days later, the Flood Dragon appeared in mid-air.
However, Flood Dragon was somewhat damaged and swaying.
Some of the familiar faces were missing from the flying ship.
During the expedition, there was a Zifu Patriarch and 12 Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, upon returning, there were only 5 Foundation Establishment cultivators left. Lu Fuming's face was pale. All he did was greet them. Then, he hurriedly left.
In the middle of the crowd, he saw his father.
"Father!"
"Son!"
Seeing his father, Lu Xuanji felt a pleasant surprise.
His father also smiled, but he could see from his expression that he was very tired.
They could hear exclamations from all around them.
"My son is dead! Impossible!"
"My father died on the battlefield?!"
"Husband, sob, sob, sob!"
Lu Xuanji heard the cries of some of his clansmen. Their loved ones had died in the Beast Tide.
The greater the power, the greater the responsibility.
In the clan, in order to provide for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, many low-level and middle-level cultivators had to sacrifice, they had to live frugally for the sake of the Foundation Establishment cultivators. Foundation Establishment cultivators enjoyed supreme power. However, when the clan was in danger, Foundation Establishment cultivators also had to charge forward.
Just like this Beast Tide attack, mortals and low-level cultivators could hide on the mountain and hide behind the Great Protective Formation, but Foundation Establishment cultivators could not.
Foundation Establishment cultivators had to charge into battle.
At the front line, they had to intercept high-level Demon Beasts and lighten the burden of the spirit mountain.
Father didn ot say anything and immediately returned to the courtyard.
Mother began to cook.
After a moment, five dishes and three bowls of spirit rice were ready.
Eating the spirit rice, father said, "At the front line, the Demon Beasts' attacks were endless. There were Zifu Demon Beasts and Golden Core Demon Beasts. It was a very difficult time..."
His father rambled on, talking about the front lines and the war.
People would die in war.
At the front lines, the Lu clan lost five Foundation Establishment cultivators, while the rest of the Foundation Establishment cultivators were all injured. However, comparatively speaking, quite a few of the Demon Beasts had died as well.
"Father, can we not fight? Can there be peace? Can we not farm peacefully and just run our businesses?" Lu Xuanji asked, a hint of worry flashing through his eyes.
"No one likes to fight in war. On the battlefield, if a few Foundation Establishment cultivators die, the clan will lose their vitality. Even if they are injured on the battlefield, they will need to rest for a few years to recover their vitality... We have to fight."
His father's expression was somewhat gloomy. "Resources are limited. In order to fight for resources, the demon race must fight with the human race."
"The demon race must use the human race as blood food to awaken their intelligence, increase their origin, and accelerate their evolution."
"The human race also needs to hunt Demon Beasts and use their inner cores to make Foundation Establishment Pills. The skin and fur of Demon Beasts can be used to make talismans. The bones of Demon Beasts can be used to make Magic Artifacts."