The ancient sacred tree shrouded in celestial mist gently swayed as Lu Qingyang exerted his spiritual sense to cover the surrounding heavens and earth.
In that fleeting instant, he sensed a faint yet penetrating gaze locking onto him from beyond the skies.
"The Heavenly Eye artifact..."
The first thought that crossed Lu Qingyang's mind was the legendary Heavenly Eye artifact spoken of among cultivators.
After all, in this world, the cultivation techniques of humans were no less advanced than the high-tech methods of his previous life, and often surpassed them. Thus, it wasn't surprising that they could wield an artifact akin to the Heavenly Eye.
Clearly, despite his seclusion in the Ten Thousand Mountains without venturing a step outside, the Human Alliance had been keeping a close watch on him.
Next, he noticed that the cultivator army stationed at the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Mountains was orderly retreating, seemingly abandoning their defensive lines.
Switching to the perspective of his followers, Lu Qingyang learned from their conversations that not only was the cultivator army retreating from the Ten Thousand Mountains, but other forces within the Human Alliance were also withdrawing.
Through fragmented conversations, Lu Qingyang gleaned a shocking fact.
The Human Alliance had suffered a devastating defeat and incurred significant losses!
Facing the fierce and overwhelming beast tide, the Human Alliance was forced to abandon their original territorial defenses, intending to retreat entirely to the Eighth Alliance's region, which was situated on the other side of the Ten Thousand Mountains.
Upon learning this, Lu Qingyang was stunned and incredulous.
"Could it be that I have now become the final barrier for the Human Alliance?"
Initially, Lu Qingyang had hoped that the Human Alliance could hold back the beast tide, buying him time for peaceful cultivation. However, the situation had reversed so swiftly.
The roles had switched. The Human Alliance was now hiding behind him, with the Ten Thousand Mountains acting as a natural barrier, bearing the brunt of the beast tide's assault.
For a moment, Lu Qingyang couldn't help but laugh wryly.
Nevertheless, the current situation was already set in stone, beyond his control to change easily.
"However, for the Human Alliance to fully retreat to the Eighth Alliance region is not something that can be accomplished overnight. They still need to hold off the beast tide to buy time for the evacuation."
"In other words, the true arrival of the beast tide is not imminent. I still have some time to cultivate and improve my strength."
This was a sliver of opportunity within the crisis.
Every extra day he could stay meant more accumulation of cultivation.
The increase in cultivation value signified his strength.
Even if he could only gain five points of cultivation value each day, which was limited in its benefit for his current level, it was at least a steady improvement.
...
Days turned into nights, and time flowed on.
Lu Qingyang remained peacefully in the Ten Thousand Mountains, quietly accumulating his cultivation while closely monitoring the movements of the Human Alliance through the perspective of his followers.
Since the retreat of the Human Alliance, roughly a month had passed. Beasts had already overrun vast swathes of alliance territory, and the remaining cultivators from the seventeen alliances had almost entirely retreated to the Eighth Alliance.
The speed of the Human Alliance's collapse and the power of the beasts had taken Lu Qingyang by surprise.
From his initial three thousand followers, only a little over a thousand remained.
As the beast tide drew ever closer to the Ten Thousand Mountains, Lu Qingyang's state of mind grew increasingly calm. At this point, there was no need to worry further.
Additionally—
Lu Qingyang saw this battle as an opportunity to attract more followers.
Once his battle against the beasts in the Ten Thousand Mountains garnered the attention of the Human Alliance, it would undoubtedly draw more followers to him.
If he could gather enough devotional power to open the Heavenly Court, it would undoubtedly be a rare and fortunate event.
...
On this day,
The ground trembled slightly as if in anticipation.
Lu Qingyang's gaze drifted towards the direction of the Ten Thousand Mountains, sensing the rapid approach of powerful presences and seeing the rolling dust clouds in the distance.
As time passed, the silhouettes of numerous beasts gradually emerged from the dust clouds.
"They've finally arrived!"
Lu Qingyang murmured to himself.
After waiting for over a month, with the Human Alliance abandoning their front lines, the beast tide had finally reached this place.
Lu Qingyang activated his True Sight, instantly gathering information on each beast.
...
[Entity: Black Fiend Demon Ape]
[Level: Mid-third rank]
...
[Entity: Thunderlight Tiger]
[Level: Early third rank]
...
[Entity: Crimson Flame Lion]
[Level: Peak third rank]
...
At a glance, the beasts included many at the third rank, with the majority being second-rank beasts, and only a few first-rank beasts among them.
"This will be a fierce battle!"
Lu Qingyang took a deep breath. Facing a large number of third-rank and many second-rank beasts, an ordinary early third-rank cultivator would be utterly incapable of resistance.
The only consolation was that no fourth-rank beasts had yet appeared, which was the most favorable news.
Without fourth-rank beasts, it meant he still had a fighting chance.
...
In the Eighth Alliance,
The leaders of the Human Alliance gathered, their eyes fixed on the magical screen before them, which displayed the scene of the Ten Thousand Mountains and the approaching beast tide.
"The beast tide has finally arrived. Now we must see if the ancient tree in the Ten Thousand Mountains can withstand the beasts' assault. Also, broadcast this battle live so that others can witness the horror of the beast tide!" Ji Xuan stared at the screen for a moment before speaking in a deep voice.
As soon as he spoke, someone immediately objected, "If we broadcast this, it might shake the people's morale..."
Before the words were finished, Ji Xuan waved his hand to interrupt, "At this point, humanity faces a life-and-death crisis. The alliance has no retreat.
Only by letting people personally witness the terror of the beast tide can they confront their fear and then overcome it. Otherwise, humanity will have no chance of rising again!"
"I agree with this proposal!"
Gu Fang, after a long silence, finally raised his hand in agreement.
Following him, the second, third, and even more people expressed their agreement.
Although a few still held reservations about broadcasting, under the current circumstances, the minority had to follow the majority, agreeing to broadcast the scene.
In an instant,
Everyone in the Eighth Alliance found that their magical artifacts were momentarily out of their control, displaying a virtual image.
The large screens on the main streets and marketplaces similarly showed synchronized live footage.
Simultaneously, Ji Xuan's voice echoed through the screens.
"The beast tide has reached the Ten Thousand Mountains. Remember, this is the enemy we face together as humanity!"
After speaking,
The entire Eighth Alliance was in an uproar.
All eyes were glued to the screens, where the towering ancient sacred tree in the Ten Thousand Mountains came into view. Following that, hordes of beasts, some several meters to dozens of meters tall, advanced, their fierce aura palpable even through the screens, striking fear into the hearts of the viewers.
4o