"Does he never get tired?" Ge Hao finally voiced the question in his heart.
It was also the question on everyone's mind.
All of them had thought that the beast tide would be a disaster for them. Even though they were all Qi Refining stage cultivators at the peak of their abilities, and not afraid of one or two demonic beasts individually, the sheer number of beasts in the tide was overwhelming.
Too many ants could bite even an elephant to death! If they weren't careful, they could easily be overwhelmed and killed by the onslaught.
However...
Now!
To their astonishment, they realized that what they had believed to be a life-threatening catastrophe, one they could only hope to escape, was nothing more than a minor inconvenience to Lin Li.
Lin Li—alone—had single-handedly suppressed the entire beast tide that had come upon them.
It was simply unbelievable!
"Good thing I got those Essence Energy Pills from the sect during the last grand assembly," Lin Li said with a faint smile, walking towards the nine disciples of Xuantian Sect. As he reached into his robes, he pulled out a porcelain bottle, poured two pills into his hand, and casually popped them into his mouth. "Otherwise, I might not have been able to hold out against this beast tide."
"..."
The others were speechless.
Good heavens!
This was just too...
Jealousy-inducing!
The pills that they had considered valuable for cultivation, Essence Energy Pills, were being used by Lin Li like cheap candy to restore his energy mid-battle?
However, with this, they finally understood how Lin Li had been able to sustain his combat strength for so long.
Still...
They couldn't help but feel somewhat melancholic.
They had been preparing to run for their lives, but Lin Li, who was also a Xuantian Sect disciple like them, had not only chosen to stand his ground—he had forcefully suppressed the beast tide all on his own.
"Senior Brother Lin, you're truly incredible!"
The two Qi Sect disciples, who had previously been dismissive of Lin Li, were now filled with deference, eagerly fawning over him. "Who would've thought that you alone could suppress a beast tide!"
"Yes, exactly!"
"Senior Brother Lin, you're my idol!"
"We're all at the same Qi Refining stage, but how can there be such a huge gap between us?"
The other Xuantian Sect disciples were also full of admiration, their voices buzzing with discussion.
"Now that this matter is settled, I won't be staying here much longer," Lin Li said.
"Ah?"
The disciples were taken aback.
Ge Hao, being closer to Lin Li as a fellow Sword Sect disciple, hurriedly said, "Senior Brother Lin, where are you going? If someone as strong as you stays with us, we'll be much safer—"
Before Ge Hao could finish, Lin Li shook his head and interrupted, "I know what you're about to say, but you're all strong as well. I believe even without me, you'll perform admirably in the trial. As for me, I've always worked alone. Goodbye for now."
With that, Lin Li cupped his hands in salute and turned to leave, quickly heading in the direction from which the beast tide had come.
Watching his retreating figure, the nine Xuantian Sect disciples could only feel deep admiration.
…
In the forest.
Lin Li continued to walk in the direction from which the beast tide had emerged, deep in thought.
"There must be a reason for the beast tide. There's no way such a large number of demonic beasts would gather for no reason," he pondered.
"Though I've reached the peak of Qi Refining, without the Foundation Establishment Pill, I'll never break through to the next stage," he mused. "But the energy feedback from the Blood-Drinking Sword doesn't seem to be restricted by that."
Despite having reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage, Lin Li felt his strength growing steadily with every demonic beast he killed.
"If this continues, even without breaking through to Foundation Establishment, my combat power will already surpass that of many early Foundation Establishment cultivators!"
Lin Li's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "If I can continue to grow stronger, then once I do get the Foundation Establishment Pill and successfully break through, I'll be even stronger than most Foundation Establishment cultivators!"
"Yes! I have to figure out the source of this beast tide. If I can get stronger before breaking through, I'll be unstoppable!"
…
After about fifteen minutes of walking, Lin Li exited the forest and came upon a large meadow.
Though still within the boundaries of Red Maple Valley, the once serene meadow had been trampled into disarray by the beast tide.
"It seems the meadow is the origin of the beast tide," Lin Li muttered as he scanned the area.
"Strange, nothing seems out of the ordinary here."
He frowned and continued deeper into the meadow, until eventually, he spotted a small hill.
Roar!
At that moment, another dragon's roar resounded.
But unlike the distant, muffled roars he had heard earlier in the forest, this roar felt much closer—loud enough to shake the earth.
"Another dragon roar!"
Lin Li looked around the meadow but saw no sign of a dragon.
"Could it be…"
His gaze shifted to the small hill in front of him, a thought forming in his mind.
Circling around the hill, Lin Li soon discovered a large cave, about seven to eight meters high, its depths shrouded in darkness.
Roar!
Another dragon's roar echoed from within the cave, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind that blew Lin Li's hair wildly.
"No wonder I could hear the dragon's roar so clearly from such a distance in the forest," Lin Li mused. "The cave must amplify the sound like a giant horn. That's why I could hear it even from so far away."
"But why are these dragon roars coming from within the cave? And the roar sounds... full of rage and pain."
Driven by curiosity, Lin Li steeled himself. "You can't catch a tiger cub without entering the tiger's den! If I don't dare face danger, I'll never be able to avenge myself!"
Summoning his courage, Lin Li cautiously entered the cave.
…
The cave was damp and twisted, with the path sloping downward.
"This hill seems to exist only to hide this underground passage. It's clear that there's more to this place beneath the meadow," Lin Li thought as he conjured a small ball of light in his palm to illuminate the dark cave.
After walking about a kilometer, the space suddenly opened up.
Where the cave had once been narrow, about seven to eight meters high, it now expanded to a vast underground chamber several dozen meters wide.
Glowing plants covered the walls of the cave, casting an eerie, dreamlike light throughout the cavern.
Roar!
Another dragon's roar shook the chamber, causing the glowing plants to sway from the sound waves.
"The dragon is further inside!" Lin Li became even more cautious as he moved toward the depths of the cavern.
…
After walking another two kilometers, the frequency of the dragon roars increased.
It wasn't just that each roar was deafening.
"The louder roars must be the ones that I heard from the cave entrance. This dragon has been roaring continuously, but the volume varies."
Suddenly, another roar thundered, and Lin Li froze in shock.
A pitch-black, serpentine dragon, at least several dozen meters long, was writhing in the air above the vast underground space!
Beside the dragon, a giant lotus flower glowed faintly as it floated through the air.