TL: Etude
The sun blazed in the sky. A blood-red figure flew into Ye Tian's villa, right under the indifferent gazes of the onlookers. Astonishingly, it was Xiao Xue!
Over the past few days, Ye Tian had been tirelessly crafting array disks, and had dispatched Xiao Xue to gather intelligence. Just as expected, Xiao Xue returned today with a report.
"Xiao Xue, you seem more energetic. Did you consume a lot of beast blood while you were out?" Ye Tian inquired.
"Not much, just a little!" Xiao Xue retorted.
"How little is a 'little'?" Ye Tian asked, amused.
"Only a few hundred high-level beasts and seven or eight top-level beasts," Xiao Xue replied.
"Is that what you call 'a little'?" Ye Tian shot Xiao Xue a stern glance before continuing, "How did the reconnaissance go? When is the beast tide expected to break out?"
Xiao Xue responded earnestly, "I observed from the sky. To the east, there is a large gathering of beasts, and I sensed several terrifying auras. I didn't dare to get too close. About 30,000 kilometers to the east, I saw a spatial rift from which numerous beasts are emerging."
"A spatial rift!" Ye Tian was shocked. Now he finally understood why a beast tide was going to happen: it all originated from the spatial rift.
"So that's it. The warriors at the Demon Sea Base must have discovered this spatial rift. It must be a newly formed rift. Sixty thousand kilometers may seem far, but it's a short distance for king-level beings. The Demon Sea Base is very close to Linhai Base, so the spatial rift is also about 60,000 kilometers away from the Demon Sea Base. This distance is perilous for them," Ye Tian murmured to himself.
A full-scale spatial rift was an absolute disaster for the Demon Sea Base and other nearby major bases. A single mistake could lead to their obliteration, unless they could kill the powerful beasts emerging from the rift and take full control of it. But was that even possible? Though he wasn't clear about the specifics of the spatial rift, he knew that Earth's crises originated from such rifts. To control it, one would have to penetrate to the other side of the rift, a task of unimaginable difficulty.
"Let's not think too much for now. The priority is to secure Linhai Base," Ye Tian decided, once again dispatching Xiao Xue to monitor the beast tide from the sky. If the tide surged, Xiao Xue would report back immediately.
After Xiao Xue left, Ye Tian stopped crafting array disks; they were sufficient for the time being. Instead, he began cultivating. Every day of cultivation would significantly boost his power. That was certainly better than wasting time.
Meanwhile, the higher-ups at Linhai Base were also taking action. They started to form teams of warriors. Any warrior had to join; no one could object. Ordinary people and martial warriors began digging tunnels. Beasts capable of moving underground were rare, so the tunnels would provide a safe haven for civilians and children to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Even if Linhai Base fell, surviving in the tunnels was still a slim hope. One could say that the entire Linhai Base was now mobilized.
Three days passed.
Xiao Xue flew back, updating Ye Tian on the movement of the beast tide.
"Master, the beast tide is on the move, spreading in all directions. A small troop of beasts is headed for Linhai Base," Xiao Xue reported.
"Are there any king-level beasts?" Ye Tian asked.
This was what he was most concerned about. If king-level beasts were involved, things would get complicated. The power of a king-level beast was not something that a top-level beast could match. If it were a weaker king-level beast, then that was another story. Ye Tian's speed was on par with a king-level beast, and his attack power was even far beyond. Therefore, he could fight a king-level beast, and even potentially kill a weaker one.
What he feared were the King Beasts with overwhelming power, for the gap in strength within individual King Beasts could be immense.
"There's only one King Beast, but there are probably over 100 top-tier beasts, about 10,000 high-tier beasts, and hundreds of thousands of other beasts," Xiao Xue reported, revealing an astonishing number.
"So many beasts?" Ye Tian frowned.
Given the current situation of the Linhai Base, they could at best deal with ordinary beasts. As for the top-tier beasts and the King Beast, only he and Xiao Xue could handle them.
"Xiao Xue, can you handle all the top-tier beasts?" Ye Tian inquired.
"Absolutely. They're just a bunch of low-bloodline top-tier beasts. How could they possibly compare to me?" Xiao Xue replied, full of confidence.
"That's good," Ye Tian said, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
With Xiao Xue restraining the top-tier beasts, Grandmaster Li and other Elite Martial Warriors could deal with high-tier and mid-tier beasts. Although they couldn't completely fend them off, they could still hold their ground with the help of their arrays. Ye Tian's mission was to swiftly slay the King Beast.
"I've already refined my Yin Wei meridian, increasing my power by 10 units. My physical strength has reached 11 units, which can be doubled to 22 units through the use of Yuan power. With a six-fold increase from my Green Wind Slash and a thirty-fold increase from my pseudo-mystic strength talent, my strongest attack can reach 3960 units of power. A typical Grandmaster at their pinnacle has only 200 units, and a weaker King Beast's attack is just four or five hundred units. But the King Beast that's coming is definitely not weak. If it possesses offensive talents, it will be hard to deal with," Ye Tian analyzed.
In any case, he could only hope that the King Beast was not too powerful, or else it would inevitably be a difficult battle.
Whoosh!
Ye Tian moved swiftly toward where Grandmaster Li was located.
"Grandmaster Ye, why have you come?" Grandmaster Li was surprised.
"The beast tide is approaching; we have less than half an hour. Prepare for battle," Ye Tian stated gravely.
"What? The beast tide is coming!" Grandmaster Li was momentarily flustered.
"Grandmaster Ye, what is the scale of the beast tide?" Grandmaster Li asked with a pale face.
"One King Beast, over 100 top-tier beasts, 10,000 high-tier beasts, and hundreds of thousands of mid and low-tier beasts," Ye Tian answered truthfully. There was no point in hiding the truth, even if it scared Grandmaster Li.
Boom!
A wave of despair washed over Grandmaster Li's mind, leaving him speechless for a long moment.
"I will handle the King Beast and the 100 or so top-tier beasts with my beast pet. Linhai Base only needs to fend off the high-tier and mid to low-tier beasts. With the array I've set up, you can hold them off for a short period. All you need to do is buy time; I'll take down the King Beast as quickly as I can and support you," Ye Tian promised.
"Grandmaster Ye, can you really slay the King Beast?" Grandmaster Li was astonished.
"As long as it's not an overly powerful King Beast, I can slay it," Ye Tian responded with certainty.
Grandmaster Li's confidence surged instantly. "Grandmaster Ye, I will definitely lead the other warriors to hold off the beasts and buy time for you," he assured.
Ye Tian nodded, his figure disappearing from view.
Grandmaster Li immediately summoned the other warriors to the city walls to defend Linhai Base.
As for the common people, they took refuge in underground tunnels following various orders.
A grand battle between man and beast was about to begin.