"What's being absorbed isn't ordinary vitality—it's the purest bloodline power deep within these vicious beasts and ferocious birds. This blood essence contains potent life force. It uses the essence of the beasts to forge a miraculous pill. This pill has an irresistible allure for all ferocious creatures. It's incomplete—it demands fresh blood to be completed."
Yi Tianxing's eyes narrowed as he spoke coldly.
This Beast Soul Pill didn't form all at once. It exuded a faint, invisible aroma that drew countless beasts and birds, forcing them into a frenzy of slaughter. Amid the carnage, it extracted their purest vital blood, infusing it into the forming pill—a miraculous treasure that promised unimaginable evolution to any beast who obtained it.
Faced with such fortune, no creature could resist. Even the likes of the Green Emperor were driven mad by it.
What was once intangible had now manifested—the Beast Soul Pill was visible.
At once, the Green Emperor lunged for it.
But as it did, it passed straight through the pill. It was as though it didn't exist in this dimension but was hidden in another parallel space. It couldn't be touched—couldn't be grasped.
"It's mine—all of it is mine!"
The Green Emperor's eyes gleamed with madness.Again and again it pounced, but the Beast Soul Pill always eluded it—as if it weren't real.
"Don't waste your strength," Yi Tianxing said flatly. "This pill must be forged from the blood and lives of countless beasts. Only after absorbing their essence will it become the ultimate divine pill. No one can touch it before then. And someone dared use such a treasure to bait me? Interesting."
From the Wordless Heavenly Tome, Yi Tianxing had learned the details:
Beast Soul Pill: Created from a unique material refined into a stick of Beast Soul Incense. When ignited, it emits a mysterious fragrance that manifests a phantom Beast Soul Pill in the void. This scent spreads across thousands of miles, stirring the bloodlines of beasts and birds, luring them into a frenzy of slaughter. The victor's bloodline essence merges into the pill, ultimately forging a supreme treasure.
This pill could elevate any beast by one tier instantly, even triggering atavistic transformation, pushing bloodlines toward an unimaginably pure form.
The Beast Soul Pill came in seven colors, with seven-color being the highest and one-color the lowest. Each additional color exponentially increased the pill's effectiveness. Once it reached seven colors, even divine beasts would fight to the death for it.
The final quality depended entirely on the quantity and grade of beast blood absorbed. A seven-colored pill was nearly impossible to achieve—it was a rare miracle.
For any beast, this was a once-in-a-lifetime fortune—worth any price.
"Since this has appeared within Xuanhuang Town, then it belongs to us. The beast tide is already upon us—we can't stop it. What we can do is kill them, defend our town, and complete the forging of the Beast Soul Pill. If we can't hold out, then we swallow it ourselves."
A sharp glint flashed through Yi Tianxing's eyes. He had made up his mind.
The pill was useless to humans—only ferocious beasts and birds could absorb it, evolving their bloodlines and gaining massive strength. But wasn't the Green Emperor and the Golden Roc with him? As long as the pill formed, they would claim it first. He wouldn't let such a treasure fall into the wrong hands.
"Since you've come—become nourishment for me!"
As waves of beasts and birds fell under the hail of arrows, their corpses soaked the ground in blood. At Yi Tianxing's command, a blood-red glow surged from the Iron-Blood Great Wall, enveloping the fallen bodies. They dissolved into black bricks, merging into the wall.
The wall shuddered and expanded, its range widening before their eyes. More space meant more defenders. The black bricks absorbed bloodlight and began shifting toward crimson.
Tens of thousands of beast corpses were sacrificed to the Iron-Blood Great Wall, and the wall's growth was clearly visible.
Normally, captured beasts would be returned, butchered for food or materials—rarely offered as sacrifices. But now, no one hesitated. There were too many corpses.
Sacrifice! All of them!
These massive beasts made for fine wall bricks. The wall's range expanded dramatically.
"What a waste. These beasts could've been made into incredible dishes," lamented Lai He, visibly pained. "Devouring them like this is just barbaric."
But now wasn't the time for niceties.
Too many corpses would draw even more beasts to the walls—an unacceptable risk. Sacrificing them removed the threat entirely.
"This is just the start of the beast tide. There will be plenty more to hunt. Top-grade ingredients will be everywhere. After the battle, I'll sample your cooking," Yi Tianxing smiled.
"I'll make sure it's the most delicious meal you've ever had, my lord," Lai He replied with confidence. Cooking was his pride.
"Barely a few days of peace, and another beast tide shows up. Seems like this world really doesn't want me cultivating in peace," Ye Zhiqiu of the Tongtian Pavilion said, his eyes sharp. "Looks like it's time for me to shine again."
"Even I, a monk, must start killing again," said Flower Monk, gripping his blade, radiating killing intent.
Fu Hongxue said nothing, but placed his hand on his sword's hilt. Invisible sword intent already pulsed around him.
Just then, the relentless assault suddenly stopped.
After the most recent wave, no more beasts emerged. It was eerily quiet.
The dark wilderness seemed to fall into a slumber.
But a terrifying pressure rolled in like a tide, suffocating the air.
It was hard to even breathe.
"Brother Yi…"
Cai Yan's voice quivered with concern.
"The real beast tide is about to arrive," Yi Tianxing said solemnly, his voice steady. His battle spirit surged.
This was the calm before the storm—the most dreadful and suffocating moment. One that could break weaker minds.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!!
In a matter of moments, the earth shook violently, thunder echoing across the plains. The ground trembled, mountains quaked. The vibrations crushed rocks into powder, launching pebbles into the air.
But within Xuanhuang Town, protected by the Iron-Blood Great Wall, there was no chaos. Some invisible force kept everything stable.
Before the wall, nothing could shake them.
"They're coming!!"
"Soldiers—prepare!!"
"Archers—ready arrows!!"
"Divine Machine Corps—load crossbows!!"
"Take talismans! Ready rune bombs!!"
"Ballistae—lock and load!!"
Voices barked orders. Archers and crossbowmen nocked arrows. On the walls, giant ballistae gleamed with deadly bolts, emanating killing intent.
No one spoke. All eyes focused outward.
The earth thundered.
Above, the skies darkened. Clouds—or perhaps a swarm—blotted out the moon.
SCREECH!!
Shrill howls came in waves.
"Look at the sky—it's full of birds! So many fierce birds—it's terrifying!"
"This is the beast tide? It's worse than when the foreign races invaded!"
Citizens gasped in horror.
Far in the distance, the earth rolled like a tide. Ferocious beasts thundered forward: tigers, leopards, pythons, vipers, fire bulls—an endless wave. Too many to count. A sea of beasts.
And they were massive—more terrifying than ever.
But the sky's flock of ferocious birds arrived first. Upon sensing the Beast Soul Pill, their eyes gleamed with frenzy, and they dived in screeching.
"Archers—aim at the sky! Fire!!"
"Divine Machine Crossbows—target airborne beasts! Fire!!"
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Without hesitation, arrows and bolts rained into the sky like a storm.
THUD! SCREECH!
Countless birds shrieked and fell—pierced through by the storm of arrows. Feathers rained like snow. Some birds took multiple bolts before tumbling to their deaths.
The rain of arrows was so dense it missed nothing.
Blood shimmered in the night sky—chilling and beautiful.
In one volley, tens of thousands of birds fell. Even the ones not slain immediately were crippled, crashing to their deaths.