I Killed Gods and Demons in Song Dynasty

Chapter 273 Beast Tide
The night was as dark as ink, covering the vast desolate land at the foot of Mount Buzhou.

A gust of wind blew up the bloody smell and dust from the mountains. In the distance, broken walls could be vaguely seen. The turmoil brought about by the Pantheon Conference was far from over.

After the conference ended and the gods dispersed, the gods and demons from all sides of the ancient world returned to their respective territories, but it was as if they had thrown a fire and pushed this land back into endless war.

Li Qingyun stood on a broken rock, with a dark sky above his head. Behind him, Hanba and dozens of human warriors were looking around vigilantly.

Blood and dust condensed into a faint fishy smell in the air, making every breath carry a pungent burning sensation.

After the Ten Thousand Gods Conference, they had only wanted to temporarily stay at the foot of Mount Buzhou and wait for news from Emperors Yan and Huang. However, they had only camped here for a few days when they encountered an extremely dangerous tide of beasts.

"Brother Li, there seems to be another commotion ahead."

Hanba stared towards the southeast with a solemn look on his face.

In the night at the end of the sight, it seemed as if there were countless shadows crawling around, and intermittent roars of beasts could be heard, like the roars of ghosts from the underworld.

Li Qingyun nodded quietly, holding the purple-gold sword firmly in his hand. There were still bloodstains on the handle from the previous fight.

He whispered to Hanba:
"I'm afraid we can't stay here for long. The beasts are restless, as if some force is secretly driving them. We must gather as soon as possible, either to break out or to hold on."

Hanba frowned slightly:

"It's a pity that we have nowhere to retreat now... We can only do our best to protect ourselves."

Before he finished speaking, a low roar suddenly came from outside the camp, as sharp as the throat of a wild beast being pierced by a sharp blade, and it was also filled with an inexplicable resentment.

Several alert human warriors immediately drew their weapons and ordered their companions to prepare for battle.

A moment later, a giant lava ape as big as a hill broke through the thorn bushes. Its red hair was like burning flames, its eyes were bloodshot, and it roared and rushed towards the human camp.

"Just in time."

Li Qingyun raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.

He bent his waist and exerted his strength, cracking the rock under his feet with one foot, and his body turned into a half-shadow and rushed towards the giant ape.

The wind whistled in my ears, and the purple-gold sword emitted a blade light in the air, as dazzling as a pouring galaxy.

Perhaps the lava giant ape instinctively sensed danger and slapped the ground violently, shaking up large amounts of dirt and rock debris, like lifting up a wall of earth.

Li Qingyun did not dodge or evade, instead, lightning flashed from the blade and suddenly chopped down in mid-air!

With a loud bang, sand, stones, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and the giant ape's hard forearm was cut off in half, and purple blood splattered all over the sky.

The giant ape felt pain and roared, trying to fight back, but Li Qingyun's knife flashed again, like a flash of lightning piercing the sun, and accurately pierced its throat.

In an instant, a column of blood shot up into the sky, and the beast fell to the ground and twitched like its doomsday.

Hanba saw this from afar and couldn't help but admire it inwardly.

The power, speed and charm of Li Qingyun's sword have reached perfection, and it is obvious that he has made further progress after the Ten Thousand Gods Conference.

The soldiers were also excited and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement:

"Brother Li is indeed mighty!"

However, before everyone could rejoice, even more intense screams were heard from the other side of the camp.

Immediately afterwards, four or five prehistoric giant beasts of different forms rushed over together: there was a ground-walking lizard dragon with bone spurs on its head that spewed out corrosive poisonous mist, and there was also a yaksha lion monster with a mouth split to the ears. They did not coordinate with each other, but all of them targeted the flesh and blood of the human race.

For a moment, roars overlapped, and the ground seemed to tremble slightly under the trampling of these beasts.

A cold light flashed in Li Qingyun's eyes, and he said to Hanba:

"You lead the soldiers to form a defensive formation and find a favorable terrain. I will go to the front to contain them!"

Hanba knew that his cultivation was extraordinary, so he did not refuse and immediately ordered the rest of the human guards to gather and form a defensive formation, using specially made rune fire spears, bows and crossbows and other equipment to assist.

Her whole body was also burning with blazing divine flames, and she slapped the huge skull of the ground lizard dragon with one palm, burning its skin black and causing it to scream in pain.

At the same time, Li Qingyun leaped into the air, tumbling like a dragon in the air, and his sword moves continuously.

The Yaksha lion monster opened its mouth and spewed out a pitch-black gale, and a gully suddenly appeared on the ground. However, he cleverly turned over in mid-air, touched the monster's shoulder with his toes, and swung his sword, narrowly cutting off half of the lion monster's cheek. The blood and flesh were hot and disgusting.

The scene was like a tragic night battle scene. Amid the firelight and sword shadows, Li Qingyun was agile and looked like a killer god under the night sky.

In just a short time, those ancient beasts were either killed or escaped. The remaining monsters lurking further away seemed to have sensed the powerful fighting force of this side and did not dare to get closer.

In the light of the campfire, Hanba and the soldiers looked at the corpses scattered all over the ground and breathed a sigh of relief, but they knew that this battle was just the beginning.

There must be more monsters gathering deep in the beast tide, and it is unknown when they will attack again.

"This beast tide is so endless, it's really abnormal."

Hanba walked up to Li Qingyun and said, "After the Ten Thousand Gods Conference, it should have been a time for all races to rest and recuperate. How could such a large number of ferocious beasts suddenly become restless? Is there someone behind the scenes manipulating this?"

Li Qingyun nodded gently:
"I have doubts too. I often feel the spiritual energy is disordered at night recently, as if a dark force is inciting them. If we are always restrained here and cannot reunite with Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang, how can the human race's plan advance?"

Hanba looked heavy-hearted, yet helpless:
"What's more, there are fellow humans waiting for news here. If we leave, who will protect them?"

Li Qingyun pondered for a while, then suddenly raised the corner of his mouth:
"That's perfect. I can take this opportunity to severely defeat the beast tide in front of everyone and boost morale. Since there is a mastermind behind this, let me see what he has up his sleeve."

After saying that, he glanced around, a hint of sharpness flashing deep in his pupils.

Sure enough, the second night was even more brutal.

Around midnight, the night sky was starless, dark clouds covered the moon, and a cold and damp atmosphere enveloped the foot of Mount Buzhou.

The bonfire outside the human camp was burning brightly, yet it seemed as if it would be swallowed up by the endless darkness at any time.

The heavy breathing of wild beasts echoed in the air, making people shiver uncontrollably.

The soldiers looked tense and whispered to each other:

"Lord Li has set up a formation today. I believe it can resist the beast tide, right?"

"But if there are really hundreds of ferocious beasts coming, we will have a hard time protecting ourselves."

"Hush, just wait and see..."

When people are frightened, they always try to find words to give themselves courage.

And the way they addressed Li Qingyun changed from "Brother Li" to "Sir Li".

Hanba stepped out of the guard team, lightly climbed onto a high platform in the camp, and said loudly:
"Everyone, don't panic! The beast-hiding formation that Lord Li drew has already been hidden underground. When those beasts swarm over here, they will never be able to return!"

Although these words were meant to be encouraging, they could not hide the seriousness and tension in her tone.

Li Qingyun stood alone at the front, with a pile of broken animal bones at his feet, with a faint smell of blood.

He had his back to everyone, with the true energy around him looming, like a quiet mountain, but secretly gathering thunder.

Suddenly, he seemed to sense that a certain time point had arrived, and he suddenly opened his eyes and shouted:
"Be careful--"

Before he finished his words, a low howl like thunder was heard in the darkness.

Countless beasts seemed to emerge from the ground, including demonic wolves with dim lights on their heads, mad pythons covered with bone spurs, and shelled monsters with a bright blue body that looked like poisonous insects transformed...

They rushed towards the camp like a flood, roaring loudly enough to shatter the eardrums.

Even the city walls could not block the densely packed scene, let alone a temporary camp?
"Start the formation quickly!"

At Hanba's command, several warriors simultaneously injected their true energy into the talismans carved on the ground.

With a "hum" sound, seven or eight blue lights suddenly lit up on the ground, faintly forming a small formation that protected the human camp in the center.

The ferocious beasts in the front row were careless and had their forelimbs shattered by the blue electric arcs, and their screams shook the sky.

However, the number of ferocious beasts was too large, and the subsequent ones continued to erode the defense line by charging at the enemy without regard for their lives.

Hundreds of ferocious beasts were like charging cavalry, but they were quickly replaced by the next wave after their death.

The human guards were firing crossbows and stabbing with spears, blood and flesh were flying everywhere. But looking at their ferocious posture, it seemed that they were still not weakening, as if a desperate defensive battle had begun in an instant.

"Step aside!"

Seeing this, Li Qingyun leaped up and stepped directly out of the formation.

When he stepped on the ground, there was a loud "bang" sound, and then his whole body turned into a stream of light and rushed into the beast tide.

The purple-gold sword in his hand suddenly emitted a blinding cold light. At the same time, a gray-black "power of annihilation" wandered on the blade, like a shadow crawling out of the abyss.

In the front row of the herd was a wild rhinoceros wearing iron armor and covered with bone spurs. Its body was so strong that it seemed it could smash huge rocks.

It roared and pointed its sharp horns at Li Qingyun, spewing out hot white air, and the sound of its hooves caused billowing smoke and dust to form on the ground.

Li Qingyun did not dodge, but raised his knife to meet the attack head-on.

At that moment, his body collided violently with the wild rhino, and a sonic boom like the collision of metal and iron was emitted.

The human warriors cried out in surprise, and saw smoke and dust all around them, unable to see anything clearly.

When the smoke and dust settled, they saw that the rhino's huge torso had been severed from the shoulder down, blood gushing out like a waterfall, and its body fell to the ground with a bang, twitching continuously.

Li Qingyun was still standing there, the blood on his sword had not yet gone out, his clothes fluttering in the wind, as if he was a sword god descending to the earth.

This horrifying scene boosted the morale of the human soldiers, who shouted in unison and intensified their offensive.

The remaining ferocious beasts seemed to feel intimidated, but they were bloodthirsty by nature and had no way to retreat, so they continued to roar and launch attacks.

Li Qingyun fought against the beasts one by one. He soared like a tiger into a flock of sheep, often flashing into the beasts' blind spots before they pounced and breaking their cervical vertebrae with one blow, or simply using the Law of Annihilation to corrode the beasts' souls, causing them to die on the spot.

The firelight and blood shadows complemented each other. The rocks and weeds not far from the camp were stained with blood plasma, and the air was filled with a strong and pungent fishy smell.

However, Li Qingyun's expression remained unchanged. Every time he killed a ferocious beast, several nearby beasts became frightened and slowed down their movements for a moment.

The human guards seized the opportunity in time and made the final move with fire spears and poison arrows.

After several conflicts, the army of ferocious beasts finally showed signs of decline. The fallen large monsters in the front blocked the movement of the beasts, and there seemed to be no command and dispatch in the rear, and the momentum dispersed in an instant.

About half an hour later, the remaining beasts finally suffered heavy casualties and fled in all directions. Countless corpses were lying around the camp, and rivers of blood were flowing. It was a tragic scene.

However, the human race suffered only a dozen casualties, and most of them were safe and sound.

Obviously, Li Qingyun killed most of the powerful beast leaders alone, resulting in an overwhelming victory in this battle.

Hanba walked up to him, gently wiped the blood off his knife, and said with admiration in his voice:

"Brother Li, if you hadn't led the way, these beasts would have had a hard time retreating."

The soldiers also gathered around, their eyes full of respect and excitement:

"Your Excellency's courage is like a tiger descending from a mountain, killing hundreds of enemies in a flash!"

Li Qingyun sheathed his sword and nodded slightly:
"I'm just trying my best. However, this beast tide is definitely not accidental. Now that we have repelled them for the time being... the next step is to find the person behind the scenes so that we can keep this place safe."

As soon as the words fell, everyone nodded silently. After experiencing two large-scale beast tides, the human camp was exhausted from dealing with them. If the mystery was not solved as soon as possible, there was a fear that a more terrible disaster would come next time.

This time, Li Qingyun shined. Not only did he save the camp, he also warned those who were lurking in the dark:
The human race is not easy to mess with.

On the night when the beast tide subsided, Li Qingyun took a short rest. Late at night, the campfire in the camp went out and the sound of insects was faint.

He sat quietly, with the knife across his knees, as if waiting for something.

Sure enough, when the moon was at its zenith, a slender figure passed over the wooden fence outside the camp and landed in front of him very lightly.

The man was dressed in black, revealing only a pair of bright eyes, but he spoke in a very calm tone:

"Your Excellency Li Qingyun, I have long heard of your great name. I am an envoy of the Yan and Huang Emperors, and I have come to see you on their orders."

He looked up and glanced at the other person, his expression calm:

"You are well-informed and know that I am here."

The messenger bowed slightly:
"After the conference, we have been keeping an eye on your movements. In the past few days, we have seen you slay beasts and show off your prowess. We are more certain that you are indeed the 'light of the human race' as rumored. Today, I am presenting the letters from the two emperors. If you have time, you may go to the Yanhuang Ancient Palace to have a chat."

Li Qingyun thought for a moment and replied calmly:
"That's exactly what I meant. The beast tides have been coming again and again, maybe it's related to some forces in the prehistoric world, maybe Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang know the inside story."

The messenger showed respect, but also cautiously tested:

"Then I wonder if you can leave immediately? We can lead the way for your tribe so that we can avoid harassment along the way."

Li Qingyun said in a deep voice:

"I need to settle the brothers in this camp first. I will leave in two days."

The messenger said no more, clasped his hands and took his leave. His figure disappeared into the shadow of the night in an instant, as if he had never appeared.

Li Qingyun let out a long sigh, his eyes serious: It seems that the human race’s top leaders have indeed paid more attention to me.

If he could meet the two emperors, he might be able to gain a deeper understanding of the will of the Old Mother of Mount Li, and he could also use the power of the human race to find out who was behind it.

Right now is a time when dangers and opportunities coexist. Only by becoming stronger can we protect this fragile human race.

The next morning, smoke rose from the human camp, and many people were busy cleaning up the mess left by yesterday's beast tide.

The wreckage was piled up like a mountain, the blood had not yet dried, and the air was filled with a mixture of corruption and gunpowder.

While burning the corpses, the soldiers silently cursed the mastermind behind the incident, wishing they could pull him out and tear him into pieces.

Li Qingyun slowly stood up from a pile of broken animal bones, a hint of contemplation flashing in his eyes.

After several days of fighting, the human tribe has temporarily stabilized its position, but there is no point in staying any longer.

Last night, the visit of the Yanhuang envoy made him more determined - he must leave as soon as possible to seek a more powerful ally.

"Brother Li, are you really leaving?"

Hanba walked forward, looking somewhat reluctant and solemn.

Although she understood that Li Qingyun's trip was of great significance, she couldn't help but worry.

Li Qingyun nodded gently:
"The camp is fine now, and you have coordinated well. Although the beast tide has not completely disappeared, if they want to attack again in the short term, they will probably be more cautious."

"Can I go with you?"

Hanba's eyes moved slightly. She has always trusted Li Qingyun and knows that with him around, everything can be solved.

Li Qingyun thought for a moment and shook his head:

"This trip involves the secrets of Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang. If you leave, the camp may be taken advantage of by others. It is better to stay here and take charge of the important affairs of the human race. I will go and come back quickly, and I won't keep you waiting for long."

Hanba pursed his lips tightly and finally nodded:
"If there is any disturbance, remember to send a message using the secret symbol."

After she finished speaking, she suddenly handed him a round jade stone and said, "This is the 'Red Fire Seal'. If you are in danger, you can crush it and connect with me temporarily, and you can borrow some of my divine power.

"I know you have extraordinary abilities, but this journey is dangerous, and it would always be good to have a little more help."

Li Qingyun took the jade and put it away solemnly:

"Thank you. I will meet the Second Emperor and see if I can find out who is behind this so that I can protect the long-term stability of the human race."

The two said nothing more, but just bowed meaningfully in front of the camp where the charcoal fire was burning.

Afterwards, Li Qingyun packed up his luggage, taking only a few personal equipment and a purple-gold sword, and strode away as everyone watched.

The morning light illuminated his back, which seemed as cold as a knife blade, yet exuded an inexplicable warmth...

……

(End of this chapter)