Promise!

Chapter 293, Beast Tide

"Wow!"

A Sky-Splitting Dragon King and a Phoenix King, the two extraordinary beasts that Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang rode on during their wedding, were both at the third Blood Transformation Realm, and they flew past side by side.

At this moment, on the former's back, Shangguan Jinfeng, Cen Chongxuan, and Ge Daoqian stood in a triangle, with Xuanyuan Zhengji in the center, while on the latter's side, Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang stood side by side.

In the direction they were heading, deep within the Funiu Mountains, the three deadly lands continued to tremble. The surging, turbulent "mushroom cloud" of heaven and earth energy expanded outward, triggering vortexes of heaven and earth energy like volcanic eruptions. These vortexes then engulfed and swallowed the "mushroom cloud," making it grow ever larger and more exaggerated. In the end, it was like a tidal wave, as if a giant beast was about to swallow the eight-hundred-mile-long Funiu Mountains whole.

Within that mushroom cloud formed by the primordial energy of heaven and earth, there lies a subtle vitality, containing substances as fine as hair and as light as cotton, yet possessing spore-like activity.

This thing is the 'canopy' of that spirit tree. When a strange beast breathes it in, it will be controlled as a puppet in a short time.

At this moment, these controlled beasts split into two parts. One part rushed towards the center of the triple dead zone of the Funiu Mountains, while the other part headed outwards towards Cangzhou City, forming a massive beast tide.

This is also why Zhuang Jin and his group, despite being Yin God warriors and having greater speed, chose to ride two Blood Exchange Realm beasts. At this moment, the ground of the Funiu Mountains was too chaotic, but the sky was much better.

Under these circumstances, the first to suffer will be the martial artists in the Funiu Mountains—the Funiu Mountains are never short of adventurous martial artists throughout the year, especially now that the Yuan Qi tide is approaching.

These martial artists in the Funiu Mountains seem to have a stronger resistance to 'Tengxu' than the strange beasts, but they are not much luckier. The strange beasts controlled by Tengxu are now full of aggression and will fight to the death with the nearest martial artist.

Zhuang Jin and his group flew over the sky, witnessing many such battles, but they did not stop to intervene. Instead, their expressions became even more solemn, and they rushed even faster toward the center of the three deadly zones of the Funiu Mountains.

"Xiao Zhuang's prediction was correct."

Looking at the chaos in the Funiu Mountains, Shangguan Jinfeng frowned deeply: "That spirit tree is indeed using the energy tide to spread its own power and control the strange beasts in the Funiu Mountains."

If I'm not mistaken, the strange beasts heading towards the central part of the Funiu Mountains will be converted into energy to restore themselves and change their forms; the beast tide forming outside is probably just an attempt to distract us and buy them time.

Cen Chongxuan and Ge Daoqian nodded in agreement.

Xuanyuan Zhengji was familiar with Li Shizong's methods of controlling the Chunling spirit monster, and was considered an expert. At this moment, he was amazed by the 'Chunling fluff' and exclaimed, "The way the spirit Chunling fluff is controlled is terrifying. It can remotely control a strange beast from such a distance. This method is completely different from controlling it through the Three Yuan Fruit. It seems to be another method."

“Indeed, when I used my divine soul power to probe, I discovered that these strange beasts all have fibrous growths in their brains, intertwined and complex. This seems to be the control principle,” Shangguan Yunchang stated her discovery.

Swish!
Zhuang Jin took in a wisp of 'toon fluff', and with a flick of his wrist, he took out a mirror. He channeled his divine soul power into it, and with a flash of light, a piece of information in his mind was reflected.

—This item is called the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Mirror. It was made from the blue light ball obtained after Xiao Linye was reduced to ashes. It was refined with other materials as its core. Its main function is to appraise items.

hum!
After Zhuang Jin sensed the Xuan Tian Bao Jian's identification of the ailanthus fluff, he received the following feedback: The ailanthus fluff, generated by the 482-year-old ailanthus spirit Qiu Guai Ling in the form of an ailanthus, can be absorbed into the bodies of humans and beasts and live there. By controlling the brain, it can turn them into puppets... Weakness: Fear of fire.

'I see. ’

He realized that while the spirit tree catkins and the control of those Vajra Realm beasts through the Three Elements Fruit both appeared to be made into puppets, they were essentially different methods.

Controlling Vajra Realm beasts through the Three Elements Fruit relies heavily on the mastery of the soul. One can use their own soul power to control and fight on behalf of others, which can be considered a mystical method.
These catkins are more like the biochemical methods Zhuang Jin knows. When the catkins are inhaled, they proliferate and parasitize in the brain, controlling the neurons in the brain, the secretion of hormones in the body, etc., imprisoning the whole person at the cellular level and turning them into a puppet.

—Because of the different principles involved, martial artists are less likely to be controlled by 'Thunbergia odorifera' because they are extremely perceptive and will kill such foreign objects that invade their bodies immediately. However, beasts are ultimately less intelligent. When 'Thunbergia odorifera' enters the body, it is like a mosquito bite. At first, there is no pain, but by the time it invades the brain and parasitizes, it is too late to mend the fence after the sheep have escaped.

This latter method of controlling 'tu xu' cannot be as precise as the former method of controlling it with the power of the soul. It can only issue vague commands, and in actual combat, it relies solely on its own abilities and instincts.

However, this is not a flaw. This 'Thunfloss' control method can treat the controlled beasts as individual base points or units, combining them into a huge sensory network. In other words, Zhuang Jin's group's actions are likely already exposed to the spirit thun tree.

Zhuang Jin explained the information obtained from the appraisal in a way that Shangguan Jinfeng and the others could understand.

Shangguan Jinfeng and the others immediately shifted their attention from the Xuan Tian Bao Jian itself to the Ling Chun, realizing that this battle would likely be even more difficult, and their expressions became increasingly solemn.

Just then, as they passed by, they saw another martial artist being surrounded and killed by strange beasts below, in dire straits. With a thought, Zhuang Jin unleashed a sword aura.

"Husband?"

"It's nothing, just an old friend."

Zhuang Jin glanced behind him, then looked back at Xuan Yuan Zhengji: "We are about to pass another level and go deeper into the Funiu Mountains. There are more and more controlled flying beasts in the sky. Governor Xuan Yuan can shrink the domain to cover several of us."

"good!"

Knowing that his role would be limited in the upcoming battle, Xuanyuan Zhengji had been the one taking action along the way to conserve energy for Zhuang Jin and the others. Upon hearing this, he immediately shrank his Yin God Domain into a sphere, protecting and enveloping the six people and two beasts as they quickly ventured deeper into the enemy territory.

……

Slightly ahead of schedule, the Funiu Mountains.

Ning Tongxuan—the same person who fought alongside Zhuang Jin to kill the dragon and obtain the dragon pearl in Diannan Prefecture, but failed to break through to the Innate Realm later. Out of gratitude, Zhuang Jin later found him a place at the White Deer Martial Academy. He has also entered the mountain today.

The loud noise earlier shook the earth and caused the energy tide of the Funiu Mountains to erupt prematurely. Given this strange situation, he decided to return out of caution.

However, the 'Tengxu' then parasitized the alien beasts, triggering a beast tide. Although Ning Tongxuan isolated himself from the Tengxu and was not controlled, he was chased by several infected Bone Forging Realm alien beasts.

'Have these beasts all gone mad, fighting recklessly, sacrificing themselves to injure others? It's truly bizarre!'

Ning Tongxuan mobilized his inner energy, unleashing a surge of powerful energy that transformed into golden wind and jade dew, killing a strange beast in front of him. However, he was bitten in the back by another strange beast at the Bone Forging Realm, tearing a piece of flesh from his body and letting out a muffled groan.

Just as he was clinging to life, and perhaps in a few moments he would be devoured by beasts—

Swish!
The Sky-Splitting Dragon King and Phoenix King flew across the sky, and a sword aura fell, instantly turning several Bone Forging Realm beasts, which were originally in mortal danger, into corpses on the spot.

Ning Tongxuan looked up at the sky and recognized the signature beasts tamed by the three great families. He knew who had attacked him earlier. Now, panting heavily after surviving the ordeal, he clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Brother Zhuang, thank you!"

As Zhuang Jin's status rose, he hadn't actually visited him in recent years. Because of Zhuang Jin's genuine kindness, and because he understood his own family's insatiable nature, he deliberately distanced himself. His family had initially wanted him to maintain the relationship, but since there hadn't been any benefits, they planned to arrange a marriage between them.

Ke Ning Tongxuan himself was fine, but he didn't want his descendants to repeat his mistakes. After much thought, he finally refused. Because of this, his younger brother and sister-in-law often made sarcastic remarks. In order to shut them up, he told them that he was not a "useless person" and kept going into the mountains to earn resources for the family.

At this moment, Ning Tongxuan regained his composure, looking at the two small dots in the sky that were getting farther and farther away. He thought back to when he traveled with his companions in Yunnan Prefecture, together they killed the Yin-Yang Dragon on a night of torrential rain.

Those events from more than a decade ago, compared to today, seem like a fleeting dream.

……

Just as Zhuang Jin and his group headed to the triple death zone of the Funiu Mountains, preparing to seize the time to nip the budding spirit tree in the bud—

Cangzhou City.

Shangguan Jinfeng, Cen Chongxuan, and Ge Daoqian used their authority to take away the Suspended Sky Mirror, and the sky covering the Three Rings disappeared.

Because of the urgency of the matter, the message was only relayed to my own family and briefly announced to the public via the "Hanging Commander" sign. There was no time left, and I left in a hurry.

With the Suspended Sky Mirror taken away, the Sky Curtain disappeared, the local area network core ceased to exist, and all the functions of the token became unusable. The public message that was not seen immediately could no longer be seen because the Suspended Sky Mirror was taken away, which quickly caused panic and even unrest.

This was something Shangguan Jinfeng and the others had anticipated, but they couldn't care less about it.

Once the problem of the Spirit Tree is solved, returning to suppress the unrest will be a piece of cake; but if the window of opportunity is missed and the Spirit Tree gains power, no matter how well we do what we leave behind, we will not escape the fate of destruction.

They could naturally distinguish between what was more important and what was less important, so they disregarded the casualties in Cangzhou City and even the potential losses of their own forces, which could be considered as 'a merciful general cannot command an army'.

With the disappearance of the Sky-Suspended Mirror, these people became restless, and soon after, a frenzy of strange beasts arrived. The strange beasts, half of the Funiu Mountains controlled by Chunxu, surged towards Cangzhou City like a black tide.

Those ordinary, flightless beasts can be temporarily blocked by the city walls, but those flying beasts can go straight to the center of the three rings, delaying the progress of that spirit tree.

At this moment, on the Third Ring Road of Cangzhou, the light curtain in the sky disappeared, replaced by countless controlled, berserk flying beasts that would occasionally swoop down, splattering blood everywhere, like a chaotic dance of demons.

In the past, the people of Cangzhou were proud of the Funiu Mountains, which were considered extraordinary, and regarded other places in Cangzhou as the countryside. However, it was this pride that turned Cangzhou into a hell.

Ji family.

The Ji family had received a message from Zhuang Jin before his departure, and the whole family gathered together, along with the Teng family, to enter the underground secret room.

"Wow!"

At this moment, a griffin, sensing the presence of living creatures underground, swooped down to break through the soil and slaughter them.

"Roar!"

At this moment, a three-zhang-long tiger, entirely golden with black stripes and a 'king' character on its forehead, charged out. Its supernatural power activated, transforming it into a tiger shape and instantly tearing its opponent apart.

This was the Black Fiend Tiger that Zhuang Jin had subdued on his way to Cangzhou City back then, as a replacement for the Wind Wing Thunder Tiger. Later, it was fostered by the Ji family and was even forgotten for a time.

Now it has transcended the realm of the five internal organs and can serve as the foundation for guarding a family.

Not only that, the purple kangaroo and the fire phoenix bird, having come along for no benefit, were also sent away by Zhuang Jin. At this moment, they concealed their auras, one was munching on a purple bamboo seed, and the other was preening its feathers. They glanced at the courtyard and thought that such weak beasts were not worth their time.

While Cangzhou City is indeed dangerous now, the powerful beasts that have been controlled, including those at the Blood Exchange Realm, are mostly concentrated in the Third Ring. The beasts in the Middle and Outer Rings are relatively weak, making this area relatively safe. In comparison, the situation is already quite good.

Not only the Ji family, but also Qin Douzhan and Xi Guiling from Zhuang Jin's Qi Condensation Realm circle, as well as Min Zhongmin from the True Qi Realm circle, all received a group message before Zhuang Jin left. With such information asymmetry, they were able to avoid the Third Ring and preserve their lives to a great extent.

For them, this is also an advantage of having connections in higher positions.

……

Zhuang Jin and his group of six had anticipated the situation in Cangzhou City, but as they had said, they could not afford to worry about it. They only hoped to quickly penetrate deeper into the city and nip the hidden dangers in the bud.

At this moment, Xuanyuan Zhengji shrank his Yin God Domain into a sphere, enveloping the Sky-Splitting Dragon King and Phoenix King that the six people were riding. However, as they went deeper into the sky, more and more flying beasts controlled by the spirit 'Chunxu' appeared, crashing into them one after another.

To put it more bluntly, they initially just charged forward, but later it evolved into self-destruction.

boom! boom! boom!
To conserve the energy of others, only Xuanyuan Zhengji took action for the time being. His azure Yin God Domain was compressed into a light sphere with a diameter of three zhang. Even with the continuous self-destruction and collision of flying beasts at the Blood Exchange Realm, ripples were still visible.

Such a scene of relentless self-destruction made Zhuang Jin and the others feel uneasy, but the more they saw it, the more determined they became, and even accelerated their pace.

Looking down from high above, one could see the primordial energy surging forth like volcanoes erupting one after another. The 'tu xu' mixed in resembled gray fog, and the densely packed flying beasts that blocked the way were like a black torrent. Amidst this scene, Zhuang Jin and his group, like a streak of azure light, charged forward, clearing away the explosions, and quickly headed towards the Triple Death Zone.

This is why there is a huge difference in level between the Yin God realm and those below the Yin God realm. At this moment, Xuan Yuan Zhengji was quite exhausted and his face was slightly pale, but he was still able to hold on.

By doing this, he can be protected at the core and play a supporting role when facing higher-level alien beasts and the Spirit Camellia's true form in the later real battle.

"Um?!"

At this moment, something seemed to happen. Shangguan Jinfeng, Cen Chongxuan, and Ge Daoqian, under the blessing of the Suspended Sky Mirror, all looked in one direction. However, Zhuang Jin reacted the fastest, combining the eight swords in his sleeve and flying out directly.

call out!
With a flash of sword light, a fleshy ball, dozens of feet in diameter, that had been launched from among a dense swarm of flying beasts that obscured the view, a mile away, broke through the enemy lines and crashed to the ground, exploding in a flash.

……

(End of this chapter)