Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 459 Battle
The sky above Jinlinpo was shrouded in layers of gray mist.

The mountains loomed in and out of sight, like a giant beast torn apart.

Hu Qidao stood atop the slope, his gaze piercing through the mist, fixed on the slowly shifting tide of fog ahead. A biting wind swept around him, whipping up a few withered leaves and creating an eerie silence.

"Brother Hu!"

A young man in leather armor approached: "Headmaster Li wants you to come and receive his orders."

Hu Qidao turned around and replied, "Understood."

After a moment's hesitation, the young man asked, "Brother Hu, is the beast tide really coming?"

"Information brought back by the Crimson Flame Demon Hunting Team."

Hu Qidao nodded and added, "Hall Master Li personally led the beast tide here. To give us ample time to prepare, he has already led the beast tide around the area several times."

Upon hearing this, a hint of worry appeared on the young man's face.

That was a beast tide!

Things that only existed in books are now actually happening in reality.

Hu Qidao noticed his pale face, slapped him on the shoulder, and laughed heartily, "Zhou Miao, you better be careful, don't die here."

Zhou Miao gave a wry smile: "Isn't it all up to the Li family and Brother Hu's command?"

Currently, the monks stationed at Jinlinpo mainly come from four groups.

First, there are the fewest cultivators from the Li family, only twelve in number, but each of them is a master in the mid-to-late stage of Qi Refining, and there are also powerful combatants like Li Qianshi and Li Xiangyu in charge.

Secondly, there were the vassal cultivators recruited by the Li family, numbering about twenty. These were people whose cultivation levels were at least mid-stage Qi Refining, and they could be considered an elite force that the Li family could confidently send out.

Then there are the two demon-hunting squads directly under Master Li, Xuanmao and Chiyan. Their overall cultivation level is slightly lower, but they are numerous, totaling about eighty people, and they are also the main force in defending Jinlinpo.

Finally, there were the demon-hunting cultivators recruited after the establishment of the Demon Suppression Camp. Most of these people were "lone wolves," with cultivation levels generally at the early to mid-stages of Qi Refining. Moreover, there were only about thirty of them, and Zhou Miao was one of them.

When news of the beast tide sweeping through Daishan spread, the people of Monkey Valley were filled with panic, and countless people fled.

Zhou Miao was in the minority; instead of leaving, he wanted to take the opportunity to join the renowned Mad Lion Demon Hunting Group.

Unexpectedly, the Mad Lion Demon Hunting Team focused its efforts on the Puyin Mountain area and had no intention of recruiting new members. Left with no other choice, he eventually joined the Demon Suppression Camp.

Although the Demon Suppression Camp was a makeshift organization assembled on short notice, its leader was the renowned Hall Master Li.

Many people have blind faith in Master Li, who single-handedly created Monkey Valley.

Zhou Miao was one of them.

After Master Li announced the list of rewards containing Foundation Establishment Pills and made a big show of bringing in reinforcements from the Li family, he saw even more hope for rising to power in this chaotic world and couldn't help but rub his hands together, eager to try his luck.

However, his own cultivation level was not high, so he thought of contacting Hu Qidao, with whom he had a close relationship, to plan a career together.

Unexpectedly, in just a few days, Hu Qidao had transformed into the acting leader of the Xuanmao Demon Hunting Team.

When Zhou Miao first heard the news, she was absolutely stunned.

After that, the Xuanmao Demon Hunting Team and he were both sent to Jinlinpo to repair the fortifications.

Out of consideration for their past relationship, Hu Qidao decided to bring him into the Xuanmao Demon Hunting Team.

Therefore, he has now managed to curry favor with Master Li, and will have much more face when he enters and leaves Monkey Valley.

However, the situation of the Xuanmao Demon Hunting Team is not ideal.

Since the departure of the previous leader, Long Yang, the Xuanmao Demon Hunting Team has been in disarray. Even though Hall Master Li transferred some of the arrogant members to the Golden Eye and Divine Wind Demon Hunting Teams, Hu Qidao still could not suppress the proud and fierce soldiers under his command.

During this time, he was by Hu Qidao's side and truly experienced what it meant to be scheming and plotting.

If the Black Cat Demon Hunting Team had continued repairing the fortifications at Golden Scale Slope, that would have been fine.

This sudden beast tide from Dai Mountain caught everyone off guard. With Hall Master Li ordering them to hold their ground, could the already fractured Xuanmao Demon Hunting Team survive this dangerous wave?
Hu Qidao understood Zhou Miao's implied meaning and sighed inwardly.

This kid's worries are also his heartache.

If he cannot effectively command the Xuanmao Demon Hunting Team, the things he can do are extremely limited.

However, the tasks assigned by the Li family will not be reduced as a result.

If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have accepted the position of acting regimental commander!

Hu Qidao was frustrated but couldn't show it, so he kicked Zhou Miao and changed the subject, saying, "Don't worry, kid. Jinlinpo has a dangerous terrain. We are on high ground and have Hall Master Li looking after us. Nothing will go wrong."

"That is."

Zhou Miao gave a forced smile and followed Hu Qidao back down the mountain path to the mountainside.

There is a temporary camp here, which serves as the command post for the Demon Suppression Camp at Jinlinpo.

"Commander Hu!"

Outside the main tent of the camp, Tie Tou saw the person coming and quickly raised his arm to greet him, "Commander Hu, we're just missing your Xuanmao Demon Hunting Team."

Hu Qidao dared not be negligent, bowed to him, and lifted the tent flap, revealing that it was indeed packed with people.

The leader was naturally Li Qianshi. He glanced at Hu Qidao as he entered, his tone clearly showing dissatisfaction: "Commander Hu, I remember explaining the Xuanmao Demon Hunting Squad's defense zone to you very clearly, but after the patrol just now, we found that the watchtower on the east path was not being taken over. Why is that?"

Hu Qidao's expression changed slightly; he hadn't expected to be questioned so soon after arriving.

He quickly replied, "The Xuanmao Demon Hunting Team is short-handed, and the area under its jurisdiction is too large. We have not been able to adjust in a short time. I hope Dean Li will forgive us."

"Too big?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qianshi immediately snorted coldly: "Your Xuanmao Demon Hunting Team's defense zone isn't even as large as the Crimson Flame Demon Hunting Team's. How come the Crimson Flame Demon Hunting Team can adjust in time?"

He grew angrier as he spoke, slamming his fist on the table and standing up: "Although the commander is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he has led the beast tide around several times, so his magical power must be insufficient. I predict that the demonic beasts will attack Golden Scale Slope in less than half an hour. How can you be so negligent? Are you treating the lives of my 150 brave soldiers of the Demon Suppression Camp as a joke?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Qidao immediately understood.
He was targeted by Li Qianshi to intimidate him.

But the other party's surname was Li, and he was the person in charge of defending Jinlinpo appointed by Master Li. He dared not refute, so he could only lower his head and reply, "Your subordinate knows his mistake. Zhou Miao, you should go and take over this arrow tower immediately."

"Yes."

Zhou Miao felt a chill run down her spine and hurriedly took her leave.

Seeing this, Li Qianshi immediately softened his tone: "Commander Hu, please forgive my harsh words, but the situation is truly urgent. If we cannot work together, we will not only fail to live up to the commander's expectations, but we will also be in danger of being wiped out."

"My subordinate understands."

Hu Qidao cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

Li Qianshi waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down, then turned to the others and said in a deep voice, "This time, there are no Bone-Melting Demon Cultivators in the beast tide, but we have two Foundation Establishment cultivators and a large reinforcement force coming from Monkey Valley. As long as you act according to plan, victory is destined to belong to us."

"However, according to the commander's instructions, today's victory, whether pyrrhic or minor, is shameful. We must achieve a great victory, a complete and utter triumph! Only in this way can we live up to the commander's painstaking efforts. Do you understand?"

"understand!"

Li Jihu took the lead in standing up and loudly echoing the call.

The other cultivators all cooperated, and a fierce fighting spirit instantly ignited in the tent.

Commendable morale!

Li Qianshi nodded with satisfaction and continued to issue orders to adjust the defenses of Jinlinpo.

The sky outside the tent was overcast, and the fog was getting thicker.
-
"The Fruit of Clear Mind and Penetrating Vision?"

Li Xiangming examined the small wooden box in his hand, pondering its contents.

The head of Shengyi Sect's wife appears shrewd, but in reality, she only possesses petty cleverness. The head's daughter is an innocent and naive young girl. The combined cunning of the two of them is not as good as his quick thinking.

With just a few words of trickery, he managed to get his hands on the small wooden box and learn that it contained a rare and precious herb called the Tongming Qiaoxin Fruit.

Unfortunately, neither the Li family nor the Green Cloud Cave had any written records about this thing. The woman in the blue dress also adhered to her bottom line and never revealed the origin or function of the Clear Mind Fruit, nor did she break the restrictions on it.

Li Xiangming still cannot determine the value of the item in his hand.

But it must be an extraordinary treasure with miraculous effects, otherwise it wouldn't have attracted such a frenzied pursuit from the monsters.

"These beasts have very sensitive noses."

Li Xiangming glanced back a few times before putting the small wooden box into his storage bag.

After a while, the beast horde below seemed somewhat chaotic. "But they lacked the abilities of the Golden Flame-Tailed Rat."

Li Xiangming pondered to himself.

He guessed that the woman in the blue dress and Shi Fengxue still had a "strong" smell of the Tongming Acupoint Fruit on them, while he had only been in contact with the two of them and the smell on him was very faint.

So when the small wooden box was put into the storage bag, the monster became confused.

Conversely, when he took out the Clear Mind Fruit, the demon beast seemed to be able to easily smell the scent that came from the small wooden box, and instantly became as if it had been given a stimulant.

Taking advantage of this, he circled around Jinlinpo again and again, exhausting himself.

Of course, the monsters were also parched and exhausted.

After calculating the time, Li Xiangming took out the Tongming Acupoint Fruit again and flew towards Jinlin Slope.

The beast horde below suddenly found its direction and pursued relentlessly.

"boom!"

A bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, followed by a deafening roar of thunder.

"It's raining."

Li Xiangming muttered to himself, his speed increasing by three points.

A moment later, Jinlinpo was right in front of us.

He landed on the ground and stood at the bottom of the slope. Large raindrops poured down like a torrential downpour, hitting the ground and splashing up countless water droplets.

"Master Li is back!"

Someone shouted something, and Jinlinpo suddenly became agitated.

Dozens of previously hidden magical powers became clearly visible.

Iron Head, who was lying in a crevice in the rocks, looked excited and wanted to squeeze out.

Li Jihu grabbed him by the back of his collar and yelled, "My uncle's back means the monsters are coming to attack too. What are you trying to do, kid?"

Tie Tou paused for a moment, then looked towards the distant mist.

In the blink of an eye, the fog began to churn rapidly, becoming thick and chaotic.

Blurry shadows surged like a tide.

The shadow grew closer and clearer.

The entire area ahead was a vast expanse of darkness, with demonic beasts roaring deafeningly, charging in like a thousand horses galloping, causing the earth to tremble beneath their hooves.

"The beast tide is coming!"

Tie Tou swallowed hard and pinched his thigh, as if that would wake him from his sleep.

Although they had seen this scene before, they were the ones who had fled in panic, able to escape thousands of miles away.

Now, however, we must confront this terrifying force head-on, and even fight against it.

How can their feelings be compared?
At the foot of Jinlin Slope, Li Xiangming stood with his left hand hanging naturally at his sides, dragging a small wooden box containing the Tongming Acupoint Fruit with his right hand. He looked like a deity who had been worshipped with incense, facing away from the beast tide, completely still.

The monsters went even crazier.

A snow-white wolf demon stared intently at the small wooden box in Li Xiangming's hand. It leaped out from the beast horde, its demonic power surging wildly. Two equally pure white wings appeared out of thin air, allowing it to walk on air at an astonishing speed.

The wolf demon rode alone, and in just a few breaths, it reached Golden Scale Slope.

Li Xiangming finally moved, but instead of retaliating, he took one step at a time and made his way to the top of the slope.

A flash of savagery appeared in the wolf demon's eyes, as if he was annoyed by the other party's underestimation.

Its sharp claws suddenly shot out, aimed directly at Li Xiangming's head.

Just then, a whooshing sound rang out.

A crossbow bolt pierced the air with lightning speed, creating a piercing sonic boom, and pierced the wolf demon's soft abdomen, pinning it to a nearby rock.

"Woo!!"

The wolf demon let out a miserable howl and struggled desperately.

However, the magic power on the crossbow bolt relentlessly eroded its wound, causing blood to gush out.

Its limbs twitched uncontrollably, its eyes were fixed on the green figure that was gradually disappearing in the distance, and a low whimper came from its throat, full of resentment and bitterness.

"Roar!"

Another deafening roar erupted, and the horde of beasts swarmed in.
The wolf demon's once snow-white fur was now filthy with blood and wet mud, its majestic appearance completely gone. In the end, its head drooped limply onto the cold stone, its eyes unfocused, and its breath ceased.

"I saved Master Li!"

Iron Head knelt beside the crossbow cart, his face beaming with excitement as he shouted to Li Jihu, "Commander, did you see that? I hit him! I saved Hall Master Li!"

"Does my nineteenth uncle need your help?"

Li Jihu laughed and kicked him, saying, "Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and get on the helm. There are still plenty of monsters to come!"

"Yes!"

Tie Tou licked his lips, trying to suppress the excitement in his heart.

That wolf demon just now possessed extraordinary power, at least at the late stage of the Spirit Summoning realm. If it were a direct confrontation, he probably wouldn't last three moves. But with this rune-inscribed crossbow, a simple pull of the trigger is enough to easily kill it.

A late-stage Spirit Summoning Beast is worth 500 merit points.

He only needs to shoot two hundred more arrows to exchange for the Foundation Establishment Pill!

Thinking of this, Tie Tou felt a surge of heat throughout his body and was full of energy.

"Oh!"

"Boom!"

The demonic beasts surged in frantically, and the cultivators who had been hiding near Golden Scale Slope could no longer restrain themselves.

Hammering log, boulder, talisman.
Various lethal methods rained down, and almost none of the demonic beasts charging at the front survived.

Li Xiangming remained calm and steadily walked towards the top of the slope.

"quack!"

Several Thunder Crimson Ghost Eagles, appearing from nowhere, suddenly descended from the clouds and pounced on the Clear Mind Fruit in Li Xiangming's hand. Behind them were dozens of other kinds of flying beasts.

"Commander, these birds are too fast, I can't hit them!"

Ironhead frantically adjusted the rune-inscribed crossbow, sweating profusely with anxiety.

The ambition I had just felt now seemed to have been doused with cold water.

Li Jihu stood guard at the crevice in the rock, constantly throwing out the blood-red thorns in his hand.

These thorns were processed into sticks, leaving only a few hard thorns.

But when they land on the slope and are trampled by monsters, their spikes will pierce their flesh, sucking blood and quickly restoring their vitality.

In the blink of an eye, the blood-red thorns had grown to the height of a person, and their sharp thorns sprouted like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, mercilessly tearing apart the bodies of every passing monster.

"What did you say?"

While responding, Li Jihu bit his lip and used magic to control the direction in which the blood vines spread.

The Bloodthorns were gaining momentum, greatly slowing down the advance of the beast tide, which gave Li Jihu a chance to turn around and look at Tie Tou.

Ironhead was still aiming haphazardly at the sky when Li Jihu suddenly flew into a rage and shouted, "You little brat, do you think my Silver-plated Sky-Splitting Arrows are as easy as cabbages? Shoot them at the densest areas! If you can't do that, don't hogging the rune ballista!"

"understood!"

Iron Head shrank back, reluctantly adjusted his direction, and ignored the flying beasts in the sky.

(End of this chapter)