Gu Erin stared down the three new Rank 2 beasts as most of the Rank 1 beasts stayed away from him. Gu Erin had practically formed a second small wall with the dead bodies of the lower rank beasts that were stupid enough to attack him. At least he was happy to see more than a dozen dead Rank 1 beasts had been dragged into the barrier to have their cores cut out to fuel the formation.
Once the barrier actually started taking hits that made the entire bubble-like dome ripple it had turned his camp into a killing machine, as they feared it might give out. Only Gu Erin knew that it could hold under that barrage of attacks for another half hour, unless a Rank 2 beast joined in.
Gu Erin examined said Rank 2 beasts with a critical eye. One was another Mountain Ape, there were scars covering its body, and it carried a large log. The second and far more dangerous in Gu Erin's eyes was the Whip Tail Panther, it was a large dark green cat and its tail was abnormally long, it was not a beast that focused on strength, but rather its speed and stealth. The last beast was one he was intimately familiar with as it was quite common, A Twin Tail Valley Wolf.
Unlike the normal Rank 1 Valley wolf, a Twin Tail Valley Wolf, would as you might have guessed have two tails. However, this is not true for all Valley wolves, Twin Tails were a sure sign of having evolved with the ability of manipulating two different kinds of elemental qi. If it was a normal Valley Wolf evolution it would retain its name as they weren't as valuable, and have only a single tail.
Gu Erin was not the first one to move, in tried-and-true fashion The Whip tail Panther tried its luck to kill the human before It realized it was attacking. Of course, this may have worked against anyone else, but not Gu Erin. Years of hunting beasts had made him all too familiar with their attack methods. It did not mean all beasts attack the same way, but it did mean they tended to use the same advantages.
This Whip Tail Panther however, was in for a rude awakening as Gu Erin had both anticipated and was waiting for this first strike. He brought up his blade, cutting off a foot segment of the Whip Tail Panther's tail, making it yowl in pain and fury.
That marked the start of the battle as the two other Rank 2 beasts dashed forward, their movements a blur as Gu Erin took a step back and lightly hopped on the ground. One thing Gu Erin was thankful for was their lack of coordination, these were beasts that did not normally work together. Although the Twin Tail Valley Wolf might have had a pack it was no were to be seen, and the Mountain Apes were a social beast, but solitary fighters.
The Whip Tail Panther was both solitary and a solo hunter, so its lack of consideration for its allies were apparent, as one of its whip like movement hit the shoulder of the Mountain Ape causing it to snarl in pain. Although the tail was harmed by Gu Erin, it was fast healing as it was the Whip Tail Panther's primary weapon.
Gu Erin used the slow Mountain Ape as a shield from the fast Twin tail Valley Wolf and the even faster Whip Tail Panther. At this point Gu Erin danced around the Mountain Ape he felt sorry for it as most of its piling wounds were caused mostly by its fellow beasts.
Gu Erin did not bother trying to fight head on with the Mountain Ape, as that would easily spell disaster. Instead, he focused most of his attacks at the Twin Tail Valley Wolf, however he quickly found out what its second affinity was as Gu Erin found his way blocked by a wall of dirt. Although its control over Earth imbued qi was weak it still proved more than effective in blocking Gu Erin's advance, as he had to halt his charge and shift his momentum to avoid another attack from the Whip Tail Panther.
He grimaced, that second affinity would make things difficult, although Valley Wolves had some control over the plant life around them it mainly helped them with hunting and slowing down their prey during the chase. This second element would complicate things if it persisted much longer as Gu Erin could feel even more Rank 2 beasts start to converge on this area.
Gu Erin side stepped easily dodging a clumsy overhead swing from the Mountain Ape, slightly buffeted by the wind and stone from the makeshift club's impact with the ground. Flipping over its following side sweep Gu Erin used the chance to change targets all together. He circulated more qi into his legs as he dashed towards the Whip Tail Panther.
The Whip tail Panther was not surprised as it tried to evade the human, it was confident in its own speed. However, that belief soon faltered as the Human easily kept up with it till it became panicked. So out of desperation it ran to its other two Rank 2 beasts, hoping to get the human off its tail. A metaphor that became quite literal as Gu Erin grabbed its tail and pulled it backwards.
The Whip Tail Panther yowled, but it resembled more of a screech of pain, as Gu Erin pulled with all his might. The Whip Tail Panther was pulled back, its light and lithe body not having much strength to resist the abnormal human. As a beast that relied only on its speed and stealth, one of which it had sacrificed just by being within a beast tide it was already at a slight disadvantage.
So, the scene of the Whip Tail Panther being ran through by Gu Erin's blade was not overly shocking, however it did make the other two Rank 2 beasts more cautious. However, Gu Erin wouldn't give them time to think over their options, he could feel more of the aura getting closer, and he had very little time to think about strategy as he dashed forward without care.
The members of Gu Erin's camp watched on in both silent horror and admiration as Gu Erin fought outside the safety of the protective dome. More people were starting to get injured, as it may stop the beasts themselves from entering, but it did not stop debris and projectiles. Certainly, it was a flaw in the protective formation, however, it only made the camp members target the projectile flinging apes with even more prejudice.
Lee Shio Ming and Nu Bin were particularly helpful in leading efforts in reducing injuries and calling out targets. Lee Tao and Kei Sung were working surprisingly well, all considering they hated each other in Gu Erin's past life. However, things were starting to look slightly grim for the camp as more and more of the inferior quality spears started to break, and arrows were starting to become limited.
Causing many to take up the sword, however, this action in turn left more of the people at risk. Some even left the barrier for brief moments to exchange blows with a beast before retreating when they were outmatched or overwhelmed. This in turn made the beasts even more enraged as they felt they were being toyed with.
Gu Erin on the other hand had managed to kill the two remaining Rank 2 beasts with some effort, throwing their cut-out cores back into the camp. With those cores the barrier should last another hour even if the Rank 2 beasts attack the barrier together. Not that Gu Erin would give them the chance. However sooner or later, he would have to retreat, as his qi reserves were running out quickly.
Crossing Realms to fight was not easy to do with a human opponent, doing it with beasts which were naturally stronger than humans made it all the more difficult. The only reason why Gu Erin was still alive was because he was experienced, and the minds of the beasts were clouded, as their natural use of qi was limited.
Gu Erin nearly cursed as he sliced a Rank 1 beast in half, completely adapted to the new found sharpness of his blade and the advantages of the Blood Mist around him. He felt five Rank 2 beast's auras start closing the distance rapidly. This was going to be a long day for sure. Luckily in his memory the beast tide only lasts for about five hours.
Once that time passes the beast tide would naturally disperse, although the density of beasts around the towns of Heaven's Mercy would be heightened, they would soon all be hunted down very soon. In fact, hunting would become a popular source of wealth, as the profits were so lucrative, some groups even aimed to trigger more beast tides.
Gu Erin was also interested in causing beast tides as well, however his group was no where near ready to open up a wilderness, and withstand the following beast tide. His only goal right now was living through this.
Although he was already certain he was going to obtain the sect formation order, he would not hesitate to put his life on the line for more rewards. As those rewards would allow him to progress further and put more distance between him and the rest of the cultivators from Earth.