Chapter 64: Resolving the Beast Tide

Jiuyou lifted his gaze, calmly staring at the sea horizon.

Far out on the sea surface, countless cultivators were still locked in battle with those frenzied low-rank demon beasts. Spiritual light flickered, blood splattered, and the sounds of screams mingled with the roars of beasts into a cacophony. With every passing breath, dozens or even hundreds of cultivators perished in the beasts’ jaws, their corpses not even given time to be recovered.

He suddenly let out a cold laugh, his voice sinister and chilling, as if drifting out from the depths of an abyssal hell—hoarse and low.

“So-called paragon of Righteous Path sword cultivators, yet in the end, you’re nothing but lacking in magical power, terrified that one more wave of beast tide will bring your demise here. Tch, nothing impressive after all.”

As he spoke, his Divine Sense spread outward like an invisible tide, instantly enveloping an area three hundred li in radius. Every single aura on the battlefield was clearly presented in his mind.

“Still, this Fang Wuji’s strength does have a bit of substance.”

Jiuyou narrowed his eyes, a faint ghostly light flickering within them.

“There are clearly two more Eighth-Rank Demon Beasts’ demonic energy fluctuations here. I didn’t expect that after consecutively slaying two Eighth-Rank Demon Beasts, he could still battle a Ninth-Rank Demon Beast without losing ground. That’s not a disgrace to his sword cultivator guise.”

He paused, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting into a cold smile.

“Heh heh heh… Since that’s the case, if this old man doesn’t show a few tricks, won’t I be outdone by this person?”

The moment his voice faded, Jiuyou raised a hand and beckoned.

The void behind him suddenly twisted, and the Nether Capital Gate emerged prominently. The pitch-black door slowly creaked open, and a bone-chilling cold surged out from within like a ten-thousand-year glacier breaking apart, sweeping in all directions. Wherever it passed, the sea surface froze, the air turned to frost, and within a radius of dozens of li, the entire sea region instantly transformed into a field of ice.

Those low-rank demon beasts that had been ferociously attacking the cultivators were hit by the cold energy, their bodies instantly stiffening, their movements slowing. Some with lower cultivation were immediately frozen into ice sculptures, plummeting straight into the sea and shattering upon impact.

Countless cultivators looked up in shock at the pitch-black streak of light hovering in midair.

That figure stood with hands behind its back, robes billowing, surrounded by ghostly blue flames, its aura overwhelming like a demon god walking out of the netherworld.

“Great! It’s the newly dispatched Nascent Soul senior from the Three Alliance Council! We’re saved!”

One cultivator couldn’t help but speak, his voice filled with the excitement of surviving a calamity.

But others with sharp eyes, upon clearly seeing Jiuyou’s face, instantly turned pale. They quietly swallowed their saliva and lowered their voices to the extreme.

“Shh—that’s Grand Ancestor Jiuyou of Soul Wraith Island! Now a renowned Mid-Nascent Soul grand power, rumored to hold a top-tier ancient relic… If you don’t want to die, keep your voice down!”

“Soul Wraith Island? Isn’t that the…”

“Shut up! If you want to die, don’t drag us along!”

The murmuring stopped abruptly. The looks those cultivators directed at Jiuyou shifted from initial surprise to awe, and even fear.

Jiuyou couldn’t be bothered with these low-rank cultivators’ chatter.

His gaze swept over the distant frenzied exotic beasts that were still madly charging the defense line, a cruel smile curving at the corners of his mouth.

He raised his hand and waved.

From within the Nether Capital Gate, a series of piercing screams erupted. The sound was sharp and grating, like thousands of vengeful ghosts wailing in unison, sending chills up the spines of the cultivators below, nearly making them drop their magical artifacts.

“Heh heh heh—”

Jiuyou’s smile gradually turned cold, and the ghostly light in his eyes blazed brightly.

“Little brats of Soul Wraith Island, come out and show these beasts what’s what.”

As his words fell, hundreds and thousands of black shadows burst out from the Nether Capital Gate.

They were all Soul Wraith Puppets.

Ranging from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, densely packed, blotting out the sky like a black torrent pouring out from the gate. Their bodies were entwined with ghostly blue flames, and they howled as they pounced on the frenzied demon beasts, tearing with claws, biting with massive jaws, ripping the beasts apart into pieces.

Though those beasts were infected by the blood mist and abnormally berserk, facing these puppets that felt no pain and feared no death, they were forced back step by step, flesh and blood flying everywhere.

On the sea surface, ice and fire interwove, puppets and demon beasts clashed in chaos.

Spiritual light spattered, torn flesh flew, screams and roars merged into a single din.

Jiuyou stood with his hands behind his back, high in the sky, looking down upon all of this like a coldly watching hunter, a faint, sinister smile always hanging at the corner of his mouth.

He flew forward unhurriedly, and wherever he passed, the cold of the Nether Capital Gate advanced with him, freezing everything that dared block his path. Those puppets followed closely behind, like a tide devouring the remaining targets.

On the battlefield spanning hundreds of li, the pressure on the cultivators suddenly decreased sharply.

Some collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, their entire bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Others stared at that pitch-black streak of light, their eyes filled with the relief of having survived a disaster, yet also mixed with deep-seated fear.

Still others silently retreated even farther—after all, being too close to this sinister and vicious Ancestor of Soul Wraith might not be much safer than being near the demon beasts.

Jiuyou’s Divine Sense kept the entire battlefield under constant surveillance.

He quickly locked onto his targets—all three Early Nascent Soul cultivators stationed on this stretch of the defense line, each holding their ground while locked in battle with three Eighth-Rank Demon Beasts.

The nearest one was about three hundred li away.

An old man in a black robe was fiercely fighting an Eighth-Rank Ice Python. The ice python was entirely icy blue, hissing as it flicked its tongue, its cold aura chilling, its strength not to be underestimated. Though the black-robed old man wasn’t at a disadvantage, the battle was still quite taxing, and he couldn’t slay it in a short time.

Jiuyou didn’t waste words. His form flickered, transforming into a pitch-black streak of light, and in a few breaths, he arrived above the battlefield.

“Scram.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it was cold and piercing, clearly reaching the black-robed old man’s ears.

The black-robed old man looked up, his pupils contracting sharply—it was the old demon Jiuyou of Soul Wraith Island! Without a moment’s hesitation, he immediately withdrew his magical treasure and retreated, silently cursing his bad luck.

Jiuyou raised his hand, and the Golden Sun Heavenly Mountain flew out from his sleeve, growing larger with the wind.

Crimson-gold flames danced on the ancient relic, dyeing half the sky a golden red. The Eighth-Rank Ice Python seemed to sense a fatal threat, letting out a hissing screech before opening its mouth to spit out an icy blue beam.

Jiuyou let out a cold snort as the Golden Sun Heavenly Mountain smashed down with a thunderous roar.

The crimson-gold flames clashed with the icy blue beam, erupting in a blinding light. The ice pillar crumbled before the flames like paper, shattering inch by inch. The Golden Sun Heavenly Mountain, unstoppable in its momentum, slammed heavily onto the ice python’s head.

Boom—!

The ice python’s screams came to an abrupt end. Its head shattered, and its massive body crashed into the sea, sending up a hundred-zhang wave. Even the seawater was steamed into a white mist by the scorching flames.

The black-robed old man stared dumbfounded at this scene, opening and closing his mouth, unable to say a word for a long time.

That was an Eighth-Rank Demon Beast! Something he had fought for half a day without being able to take down, and this old demon took it out in one move? It seemed he was in no way inferior to Fang Wuji either.

“Th-thank you for your help, Fellow Daoist Jiuyou…”

He quickly cupped his hands, his voice carrying a hint of reverence, even stammering slightly.

Jiuyou didn’t even glance at him. Casually collecting the beast pill, he turned and flew toward the next location, leaving behind only a cold voice transmission.

“Don’t get in the way.”

Five hundred li away.

A woman in a red dress was locked in combat with an Eighth-Rank Fire Lizard. The fire lizard was entirely crimson, spouting flames from its mouth that boiled the seawater. Though the red-clad woman practiced a fire-attributed technique, she was still uncomfortably suppressed, barely holding on in a precarious situation.

Jiuyou followed the same method. The cold of the Nether Capital Gate struck first, spreading frost across the sky and land, heavily suppressing the fire lizard’s flames. Then the Golden Sun Heavenly Mountain, carrying two completely opposing auras of blazing heat and freezing cold, killed it in a single blow.

The red-clad woman gasped for breath, cupped her hands in thanks, her eyes filled with shock.

The third location, eight hundred li away.

A gray-robed old man was circling an Eighth-Rank Thunder Eagle. The thunder eagle was as fast as lightning. The gray-robed old man couldn’t catch it, couldn’t land a hit, and could only defend passively, looking utterly disheveled with several wounds already on his body.

Jiuyou snorted coldly, locking onto it with his Divine Sense. The Nether Capital Ghostfire condensed in his palm, and a ghostly blue beam shot out, so fast that the thunder eagle had no time to dodge, precisely piercing through its wing.

The thunder eagle let out a miserable cry, its body tilting, its speed plummeting.

The Golden Sun Heavenly Mountain followed closely behind, smashing it into the sea with one blow, sending up towering waves.

The gray-robed old man’s eyes widened, nearly forgetting to retrieve his magical artifact. He stared blankly at that pitch-black streak of light turning to leave, only coming to his senses after a long moment, murmuring to himself.

“This… this is the strength of a Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator? This old demon really is—hiding his talents deep…”

His voice was full of bitterness, and also a trace of lingering fear—thank goodness this killing god wasn’t an enemy.

In less than half an hour.

All three Eighth-Rank Demon Beasts were dead.

Jiuyou withdrew the Golden Sun Heavenly Mountain, stood with his hands behind his back, and swept his gaze across the entire battlefield. Those low-rank demon beasts, under the siege of the Soul Wraith Puppets, had been nearly wiped out. The sea surface was littered with countless demon beast corpses, blood staining the seawater red, and the air was thick with the strong stench of blood.

The cultivators on the battlefield had all stopped what they were doing at this moment, unanimously turning their gazes toward that pitch-black streak of light suspended high in the sky.

Some showed reverence, some were shocked, and others secretly felt relieved—thankfully, this devil was now their ally.

Jiuyou’s expression remained calm, but inwardly, he was quite satisfied.

His goal of establishing authority had been achieved.

He withdrew the Nether Capital Gate, flicked his sleeve, and transformed into a pitch-black streak of light, flying toward the temporary cave dwelling deep within the defense line.

Behind him, the sea wind howled, and blood and darkness intertwined.

And those cultivators, staring at the receding streak of light, dared not move for a long time.