Mufeng patted Bi Wan’s shoulder and smiled. "Don’t worry. Those two kids performed exceptionally well in the Empire. They’re sure to receive its special protection, so we have nothing to fear."
"Sigh... I suppose you’re right." Bi Wan tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I’m just worried those two silly kids will hear about the Beast Tide and recklessly rush back to Luofeng City. If that happens, they’ll be in grave danger."
Mufeng froze at her words, then took a deep breath without speaking. He knew in his heart that she was probably right about their children.
But just as the two were about to leave Bifeng Garden and step onto the tree-lined path, Mufeng’s expression suddenly shifted. His eyes locked onto the gravel on the road, his brows knitting together tightly!
The reason he frowned was simple: the gravel he was staring at was vibrating at an extremely high frequency.
"This is bad!"
With a sharp cry, Mufeng swept Bi Wan into his arms and leaped high into the air. He scowled as he scanned the direction of the Demon Beast Forest. An immense cloud of dust, mixed with withered branches and dead leaves, billowed into the sky. The dust cloud wasn’t stationary; it was steadily advancing toward the Xuanling Empire!
’The Beast Tide has arrived! I have to tell Father at the main hall immediately!’ A sense of urgency surged through him. Pushing off the ground, Mufeng transformed into a gust of wind and shot toward the Mu Mansion’s main hall, landing softly outside the entrance.
But as soon as he landed, Mufeng saw Mu Gu Tian and Wang Mo striding quickly out of the main hall.
"Father!"
Mufeng set Bi Wan down and hurried forward. He was about to speak when Mu Gu Tian raised a hand. "I know. I felt it from inside the hall. Feng’Er, quickly notify all the members of the Mu Family to gather here. I’m afraid we are about to face a disaster!"
"Yes, sir!"
Mufeng nodded respectfully and turned to glance at Bi Wan. Seeing the fearlessness in her eyes, he transformed into a dark-green blur and shot away from the hall.
"Old Gu, I must return to my family. They need me to take charge," Wang Mo said, walking briskly toward the entrance. "Let our two families join forces to face this disaster together." Halfway there, he suddenly turned back. "If we two old geezers are still alive after this disaster passes, let’s have a proper talk about our grandchildren’s marriage."
Mu Gu Tian froze, shooting Wang Mo a helpless look. ’Oh, Brother Wang,’ he thought, ’so many years have passed. My grandson Mu Chen has probably reached a realm so high that even I can only gaze up at him in awe. As for marriage... I’m afraid I have no say in the matter.’
But watching Wang Mo’s stubborn back, Mu Gu Tian could only shake his head and sigh. He didn’t believe for a second that they would survive this Beast Tide.
BOOM!
With a muffled boom, Mu Gu Tian shot from the ground into the azure sky, reaching a height several times greater than Mufeng had just moments before. Ever since Mu Chen returned after running away for the first time, the alchemical pills he brought back had caused the entire Mu Family’s strength to skyrocket overnight. They had practically ascended to a whole new level! Mu Gu Tian’s own Martial Artist Realm had leaped from a First Ring Martial Spirit two years ago to his current Fifth Ring Martial Spirit!
The Martial Spirit realm was a truly transformative stage for a Martial Artist—a bottleneck, one might say. But once they broke through, the path ahead held limitless possibilities. At the very least, there would be no more major bottlenecks on the way to the Martial Emperor realm!
Suspended in mid-air, Mu Gu Tian saw the same scene Mufeng had: a rolling cloud of dust. But as he gauged the scale of the dust cloud, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
"Father," Mufeng said, his form appearing beside Mu Gu Tian. "The family members have all gathered in the grounds outside the main hall. The Magical Beast horde is only an hour away. Any later and I’m afraid..."
Mu Gu Tian shook his head and gestured for Mufeng to look into the distance. "The scale of this Magical Beast horde doesn’t seem that large. If this is all it is, Luofeng City might just be able to hold out!"
"Hmm?" Mufeng turned to look, then also let out a breath. "You’re right, the scale isn’t that large. But the messenger who brought the warning seemed extremely anxious. Could it be that their information was wrong?"
"I don’t know. Perhaps these Magical Beasts are just a probing force, a precursor to a much larger Beast Tide. We can’t discount that possibility." As he spoke, Mu Gu Tian slowly descended, landing in the center of the courtyard before the main hall. Looking at the several thousand family members gathered around, Mu Gu Tian addressed a white-haired elder at his side. "Guangyi, lead the family’s women and children into the secret underground chamber. We have enough dry rations and water stored there to supply the clan for a year. If this Beast Tide really is this small, fine. It’ll just be a precaution. But if the scale of the tide is truly massive, a year should be enough time for everyone to find an opportunity to escape."
The Mu Family’s Grand Elder, Mu Guangyi, nodded and quickly led the women and children toward the main hall, where the entrance to the secret underground passage was located. Bi Wan cast a worried glance at Mufeng and opened her mouth to speak, but a look from him stopped her. A moment later, a voice transmission entered her ear. Hearing his words, her expression turned slightly excited. She smiled, nodded at Mufeng, and followed the others into the hall. The family members remaining in the courtyard were the Mu Family guards, who would now face the Beast Tide.
"Mu Zheng, I’m leaving things here to you. Once Guangyi comes out, you and he will lead these elites of the Mu Family to the North City Gate of Luofeng City. A brutal battle is inevitable! As the Patriarch of the Mu Family, I must be the first to reach the gate. Ye Qiu, you’re with me."
Second Elder Mu Zheng and Third Elder Mu Yeqiu nodded in unison. Mu Zheng then took Mu Gu Tian’s position, while Mu Gu Tian and Mu Yeqiu leaped into the air and flew toward the North City Gate.
"Father, I’m coming too!" Mufeng shouted, taking flight and following them toward the North City Gate.
The Mu Family was a relatively new power in the Xuanling Empire, so their estate was located closest to the North City Gate. But when Mu Gu Tian, Mu Yeqiu, and Mufeng arrived, they found that the Wang Family had already beaten them there. Seeing Mu Gu Tian descend from the sky, Wang Mo, who had just left him, strode forward to meet him.
"Old Gu, why is it just the three of you?"
Mu Gu Tian chuckled. "The rest are on their way. You’re quite fast yourself, Brother Wang. You leave my Mu Mansion one minute and arrive at the North City Gate the next."
Wang Mo gave a wry smile. "The moment I stepped outside, I saw our family’s Elders already leading the elites toward the North City Gate. It seems I’m not much of a Patriarch, am I? They do just fine without me."
"What kind of talk is that?" Mu Gu Tian teased. "I wish I had Elders like yours. I’m an old man, and I still have to handle everything myself. Some days I don’t even have time to eat. And some people have no consideration for their elders. I ask him to become the next Patriarch, and he says he wants to live a carefree life. Absolutely no filial piety at all."
As he spoke, Mu Gu Tian shot an irritated glance at Mufeng. The "someone" who wanted a carefree life was, quite obviously, Mufeng himself. Ever since Mu Chen had gone from being a cripple to a soaring genius, Mufeng’s standing in the family had changed dramatically. The alchemical pills Mu Chen brought back, along with the Profound Tier Weapons he’d acquired in the ruins, had benefited the Mu Family immensely. Because of this, Mu Gu Tian had come to value him greatly. After discussing it with the three Elders, he had privately expressed his wish to make Mufeng the next Patriarch.
Mufeng, however, had met the suggestion with furious resistance, claiming it would restrict his freedom. This had made Mu Gu Tian want to beat him on the spot. After several threats failed to change his mind, Mu Gu Tian had no choice but to drop the matter.
Mufeng rubbed his nose and said nothing, pretending he hadn’t heard a thing. He turned his gaze to the horde of Magical Beasts outside the city walls, which was drawing closer and closer to the North City Gate.
"Patriarch, the family elites have arrived." Just then, a vast contingent of over a thousand people approached from the distance, all dressed in uniform attire. It was, without a doubt, the Mu Family’s elite forces.
Mu Gu Tian glanced at the resolute faces of his people and nodded. "Since everyone has arrived, I have an announcement. When the Magical Beasts attack, remember this: the Mu Family must stand as one with the Wang Family. We will advance together, retreat together, and support each other! Is that understood?"
"Understood, Patriarch!"
At his command, all the members of the Mu Family marched out of the city gate and took their position alongside the elites of the Wang Family. To one side of the two families stood a force of tens of thousands. Their expressions were grim, their bearing that of men who viewed death as a homecoming. The chilling, battle-hardened aura they exuded put them on an entirely different level from the family fighters.
"Are those the reinforcements from the Imperial Capital? They’re certainly a world apart from our family elites. It looks like we’ll only be playing a supporting role in this defense," Mu Gu Tian said with a helpless smile.
Wang Mo responded, "A supporting role is fine by me. Otherwise, we’d just charge in and get wiped out, which would be a massive blow to morale, wouldn’t it?"
"Heh..." The two men shared a look and a brief laugh, but their expressions immediately turned grim.
"I think... they’re here!"
"ROOOOAR!!!"
The words had barely left their lips when the roar of a Giant Beast, powerful enough to shake the azure sky, erupted from the Demon Beast Forest. The soundwave swept across tens of thousands of meters, its shockwave laced with rampaging Primordial Power, kicking up withered branches and dead leaves into a massive, swirling vortex!
"Such powerful Primordial Power fluctuations!"
A sharp glint flashed in Mu Gu Tian’s eyes. Judging by the sheer power radiating from that Magical Beast, its cultivation had to be beyond the Sect Realm!
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
The thundering stomps of countless Magical Beasts created a violent tremor. In moments, one burly silhouette after another began to emerge from the surging dust clouds! The number was immense! Incalculable!