"With such great strength and a massive reserve of spirit stones, Qingyang Sect far surpasses the power of Bianzhou Region and Tianxu Mountain. Even with two demon kings attacking, Jiaoyang Mountain should have held out until the beast tide ended."
"However, Qingyang Sect has lost its people's trust. Many family cultivators abandoned the Qingyang Alliance and refused to fight, and those who did participate were half-hearted at best."
"Loose cultivators either fled to Tianxu Mountain or escaped to other regions of Chu Kingdom years ago."
"In such circumstances, internal divisions within Qingyang Sect further exacerbated the situation, eventually leading to this outcome."
"Now, the demons have crossed Jiaoyang Mountain. Reports indicate that the entire Jiaoyang County has fallen, with tens of millions of mortals becoming food for the demons."
"It is said that this battle cost Qingyang Sect five Purple Mansion cultivators. The immortal families of Yang Region also suffered heavy losses."
"The overlord of Jiaoyang County, the Pan family, faced unprecedented devastation. Among their three Purple Mansion cultivators, two were slain, including Pan Daoyang, who was in the late Purple Mansion stage and fell to the demon king.
Only Pan Boyuan managed to escape with some of his clan members, abandoning their family's spirit veins and fleeing to Boyang County."
"Now, the forces of Dire Lion Ridge are advancing directly toward Yunyang and Boyang Counties."
After Jiang Linglong finished speaking, the atmosphere grew heavy.
If Boyang County fell, Yu County would directly border Dire Lion Ridge. Even if they managed to fend off the demon invasion now, when the next beast tide arrived in a hundred years, Yu County would face simultaneous attacks from Sky Python Lake and Dire Lion Ridge.
Relying solely on the forces of the border provinces and Tianxu Mountain, defending against two demon king territories would be impossible. With Jiaoyang Mountain no longer bearing the brunt of the pressure, Tianxu Mountain alone would face an overwhelming onslaught.
Sighing, Elian finally spoke, "In the face of such destruction, none can remain unaffected. As much as Qingyang Sect has been disappointing, we must assist them."
"We must support them," Xu Qianyang agreed, but then asked, "Yet with Leader Xu of Qingyang Sect unwilling to emerge, if we act, we may have to face two demon kings directly."
At this, the group's expressions turned grim.
Even dealing with just the Sky Python Demon King required their full effort. Facing two demon kings simultaneously was beyond their capability.
Jiang Linglong thought for a moment before speaking.
"There's no need to overcomplicate things."
"Although Leader Xu is gravely injured, he is still a Golden Core cultivator and wields the fourth-tier Radiant Heaven Mirror. The Dire Lion Demon King won't dare underestimate him."
"Moreover, with fellow cultivators in Qingyang and Yang Region engaging the enemy, Dire Lion Ridge's forces will be spread thin. We may not have to face both demon kings directly."
"Besides, we don't need to fight them head-on. We simply need to attack where it hurts, creating the perception of being flanked. Dire Lion Ridge will then hesitate to act rashly."
"At that point, the beast tide will naturally come to an end."
She marked two locations on the map, which Elian quickly examined. Both were prominently labeled—one was Jiaoyang Mountain, which had been taken, and the other was Dire Lion Ridge.
Capturing the former would cut off the demon army's retreat, while striking the latter would threaten the demon king's lair.
Xu Qianyang smiled and nodded.
"With both Golden Core demon kings at the frontlines, Jiaoyang Mountain and Dire Lion Ridge are relatively undefended. This is indeed a sound strategy."
"Furthermore, Dire Lion Ridge has a fourth-tier spirit vein. Rare spiritual treasures are likely stored there—this is the perfect opportunity."
After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Linglong made her decision.
"Dire Lion Ridge lies deep in demon territory and is likely perilous. I'll handle it alone. You can go to Jiaoyang Mountain."
"But," Elian interjected with concern, "Dire Lion Ridge is the demon king's lair. Who knows what hidden dangers might await you there? Going alone could be too risky."
"Don't worry about me. With the speed of my Tianxu Immortal-Slaying Sword, even if both demon kings join forces, they won't be able to catch me."
Jiang Linglong smiled reassuringly at Elian before her expression turned serious.
"Remember, this battle is not about brute force."
"Strike once and retreat immediately. As long as they sense the danger of being flanked, they'll abandon their offensive against Boyang County."
With the plan set, the Purple Mansion cultivators wasted no time. They departed that very night for Jiaoyang Mountain, leaving Su Mingwei, who had recently broken through to the Purple Mansion stage, behind to oversee the formations at Tianxu Mountain.
Traveling without Foundation Establishment cultivators, they covered 30,000 miles in a day and reached Jiaoyang Mountain in three days.
The demon forces of Dire Lion Ridge were all at the frontlines, leaving Jiaoyang Mountain defended by just two Purple Mansion beasts: a mid-stage Golden Lion Mastiff and an early-stage Azure Wolf Mastiff. The defenses were extremely weak.
Caught off guard by the sudden assault from six Purple Mansion cultivators, the two beasts were killed within a quarter of an hour.
After claiming their victory, the group spent an hour pillaging the spirit herb gardens and treasure reserves of Jiaoyang Mountain before retreating swiftly to Tianxu Mountain.
In total, including the time spent traveling, the operation took only six days.
Upon receiving the news, the demon king of Dire Lion Ridge rushed back from the frontlines, only to find Jiaoyang Mountain completely looted.
Meanwhile, word spread from Dire Lion Ridge that Jiang Linglong had launched a surprise attack, single-handedly killing three Purple Mansion beasts and seizing a fourth-tier Earth Spirit Pearl from the territory's fourth-tier earth vein.
The enraged Dire Lion Demon King scoured the area for them for over ten days but found nothing. By then, news of the Sky Python Demon King's defeat had reached them.
Realizing that continuing the campaign would leave them vulnerable to a two-pronged attack, the Dire Lion Demon King withdrew its forces from the frontlines to consolidate its holdings.
Thus, the beast tide threatening the border provinces and Yang Region came to an end.
While Bianzhou Region celebrated a major victory, Yang Region suffered catastrophic losses, losing the critical Jiaoyang Mountain and all of Jiaoyang County.
The battle claimed nine Purple Mansion cultivators and over 40 percent of Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators, marking one of the greatest defeats in centuries.
...
As Elian and the others returned to Tianxu Mountain, far away, by the shores of Linghu Isle, two figures stood in silence.
After a while, one of them, an old man in black robes, shifted his gaze slightly and spoke.
"Old Lin, it seems your method isn't working."
The other figure, dressed in white, snorted coldly, his expression icy.
"I've already sent the distress signal from Yuyang Market to Chen Xianyan. Who would've thought that girl could still remain so calm?"
...
End of the Demonic Beast Tide Arc
...
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