Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Within the jungle, countless beastly silhouettes flickered in and out of view. A cacophony of roars blended together, and the wave of Demon Qi that washed over them made the faces of many Cultivators, here to cull Demon Beasts for the first time, turn pale.

Fortunately, Yinn Shang was highly experienced in culling Demon Beasts. He and Niu Dazhuang each took charge of a direction, leading the disciples of Luoxia City forward in systematic waves.

Foundation Establishment Cultivators flew overhead, tasked with picking off the Tier Two Demon Beasts hidden among the horde. On the ground, experienced Qi Cultivators led the newcomers, splitting into groups to slay the beasts. A few others remained in the rear to collect Demon Beast Materials. The division of labor was clear—busy but not chaotic, everything proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Watching the Luoxia City disciples fumble and struggle against the Demon Beasts, Song Changsheng grew envious. ’This is a great place to hone one’s combat skills,’ he thought. ’If only the Song Clan had somewhere like this.’

Before coming of age, the disciples of the Song Clan had virtually no real combat experience. At most, they sparred with their fellow clansmen, which resulted in the younger generation having very poor practical fighting abilities.

It wasn’t that the Song Clan failed to recognize the importance of developing their members’ fighting skills. The heavy losses the clan had suffered in recent years was one factor, but the primary reason was the lack of a suitable place to train.

Sparring among clansmen was, after all, just sparring. One could never experience the feeling of teetering on the brink of life and death.

’This Qiantian Secret Realm is perfect for it. It’s mostly filled with Tier One Demon Beasts. Even though there are a lot of them, they aren’t much of a threat. With the veterans guiding the newcomers, they could mature quickly.’

ROAR—

Song Changsheng had just dispatched a Tier Two Low-Grade Iron-Backed Barbaric Lion when an earth-shattering roar echoed from the depths of the jungle. It was a sound as mighty as a dragon’s and as fierce as a tiger’s, striking fear into the heart.

’At least a Tier Two Top-Grade Demon Beast.’ Song Changsheng’s expression shifted. In the Qiantian Secret Realm, a Demon Beast of that level was considered a peak existence.

”Attention! Attention! Tighten the defensive perimeter! A Beast Tide is coming! Tighten the defensive perimeter now! Conserve your Spiritual Power and prepare to engage the enemy!”

Yinn Shang, with his wealth of experience, immediately recognized the call. A King was gathering its subjects. Before long, the Demon Beasts would crash down upon them like a tidal wave.

Upon hearing his command, the disciples of Luoxia City immediately began an orderly retreat, covering one another as they disengaged from the fight and regrouped around the spatial passage.

The Array Masters had already made preparations. They took out Array Foundations and Array Banners and began to lay out an Array. It seemed they intended to use the formation as their bastion against the Beast Tide.

ROAR—

ROAR ROAR ROAR—

The bestial roars rose and fell in waves, growing increasingly urgent. It was as if every Demon Beast had been summoned, and they all rushed toward the depths of the jungle without a backward glance.

Song Changsheng stood hovering in the air, an uncanny light flickering in his eyes. Empowered by his Eye of Truth, his gaze pierced through the dense woods. He saw countless clusters of light rapidly converging on a single point—a rough estimate placed their numbers in the thousands.

Growing up, ”Beast Tide” was a term he had heard countless times, but Song Changsheng had never witnessed one firsthand. It seemed he was about to get his wish.

RUMBLE...

Not long after Luoxia City’s Array was in place, the ground began to tremble. Pebbles danced in the air, and thick, sturdy trees toppled over in entire swathes.

A dense tide of Demon Beasts coalesced into a raging flood, surging toward the cultivators with an overwhelming aura of Demon Qi. Anything that stood in their way was torn to pieces.

Faced with this scene, even Song Changsheng’s face paled slightly. Though most of them were only Tier One Demon Beasts, the power they radiated when gathered together was on a completely different level.

Even a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection Cultivator would be torn to shreds if they faced such a Beast Tide head-on.

Fortunately, the Array Masters from Luoxia City had already deployed a Defensive Array. A faint, fluorescent light enveloped the group. Song Changsheng spared a glance and saw that they had constructed a Tier Two Chain Array.

Seven or eight Arrays were interlinked, one connecting to the next. It should be enough to withstand the impact of the Beast Tide.

ROAR—

At the vanguard of the Beast Tide was a One-Horned Savage Bull standing several dozen feet tall. The very earth trembled as it charged. Its entire body was cloaked in an earthy yellow light as, under the tense gazes of the onlookers, it slammed violently into the barrier of light emanating from the Array.

BOOM...

The light barrier remained unshaken. Instead, it was the savage bull’s ten-foot-long horn that snapped on impact. Its massive body collapsed with a thud, scarlet blood seeping from the broken stump.

But before it could even struggle back to its feet, the iron hooves of the Demon Beast horde behind it trampled its body without mercy. Amidst a series of mournful cries, it was quickly reduced to a pile of mangled flesh.

Countless Demon Beasts surged forward like a tidal wave, only to smash themselves bloody against the barrier. The first wave of the assault was the most ferocious, but fortunately, the Array was sturdy enough to hold and was not breached.

At this point, Yinn Shang, Niu Dazhuang, and the other leaders directed everyone to begin their counterattack, using the Array for cover. Due to the sheer number of Demon Beasts, they consumed a vast quantity of Low-Level Talismans.

It was only then that Song Changsheng understood. ’So that’s why the City Lord’s Mansion was buying up so many war supplies in the East Market. It wasn’t for the Demon Beasts of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, but for this culling operation in the Qiantian Secret Realm.’

’A Beast Tide gathered by mere Tier Two Demon Beasts is already this powerful,’ he mused. ’How much more terrifying must one led by Great Demons and Demon Kings be? No wonder the older generation of Cultivators pales at the very mention of a ”Tide”.’

’For Luoxia City to have faced the Demon Beasts of the Hundred Thousand Mountains and held on for so many years... it’s truly worthy of respect.’ Looking down at the battlefield below, which had transformed into a meat grinder, a feeling of admiration welled up in Song Changsheng.

ROAR—

The Demon Beasts assaulted the barrier for nearly a full ancient hour. Then, following another heaven-shaking roar, the dense horde retreated like a receding tide, leaving the ground littered with corpses.