Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 161 - 159: Near Success and Then Failure [Subscribe Requested]
Chapter 161: Chapter 159: Near Success and Then Failure [Subscribe Requested]
The "Eagle Lion Beast" is a type of demon beast that has the head and wings of an eagle, but a body like a lion. It belongs to the beast category rather than birds.
Its peculiar body structure allows the "Eagle Lion Beast" to fly like a bird and run on land like a beast, making it particularly advantageous in battle.
The "Eagle Lion Beast" attacking Dong Jianping is not only at the high grade of Tier Three but also possesses both wind and fire magical powers. With the wind fueling the fire, its power exceeds that of a single attribute magic.
Even with Zhouyang’s intervention, the combined strength of the two could only manage a stalemate against this exotic beast, and there was no opportunity to slay it.
Fortunately, other demon beasts, intimidated by the "Eagle Lion Beast’s" might, did not dare to interfere. Otherwise, the two might have had no choice but to retreat beneath the city walls.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou, do you have any strategy to repel the enemy? The Eagle Lion Beast is quite intelligent; if we injure it, and let it know we are not to be trifled with, it will naturally give up its attack on us!"
Dong Jianping, who had been fiercely fighting the demon beast earlier, consumed more magical power than Zhouyang. Seeing Zhouyang’s assistance yet still unable to deter the Eagle Lion Beast, he couldn’t help but grow anxious.
Upon hearing this, Zhouyang’s eyes flickered. He certainly had a way to injure the Eagle Lion Beast; if he used the "Qianyang Celestial Sword," it would undoubtedly wound and repel the beast.
However, once the "Qianyang Celestial Sword" is used, it requires a year of rest before it can be used again. Using it just to drive away an Eagle Lion Beast seemed not worth it.
Therefore, he ultimately shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "Fellow Daoist Dong might be overestimating me. The strength of this Eagle Lion Beast is by no means inferior to a Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator. How could someone with merely Fourth-Layer Foundation Establishment cultivation like me repel such a formidable demon beast!"
"This... ah! It was my bad, sorry!"
Dong Jianping let out a long sigh, realizing he was asking too much. He sighed and apologized to Zhouyang, then continued to grit his teeth and engage with the Eagle Lion Beast alongside Zhouyang.
The two continued to skirmish with the Eagle Lion Beast for a quarter of an hour before a turning point finally appeared.
This turning point came from Jia Yunzhen, a Purple Mansion Stage cultivator who had not yet taken action.
During each "Beast Tide" siege, high-tier human cultivators and high-tier demon beasts form a mutual understanding, that is, if one side doesn’t send high-tier entities to the battle, the other side won’t easily take action either.
Previously, Jia Yunzhen and the other Purple Mansion Stage cultivators were only giving commands and not fighting, as they didn’t want to break this rule first.
This is because, compared to the high-tier demon beasts within the entire "Beast Tide," the high-tier beings on Zhenyue Immortal City’s side are certainly fewer in number than those on the demon beast side.
If humans break this rule first, it would only force those high-tier demon beasts to come out prematurely, compelling City Lord Ren Tianxing to activate the City Defense Array sooner.
The City Defense Array cannot be activated lightly, as during such a "Beast Tide," opening it consumes a staggering number of spirit stones daily, and even the entire store of spirit stones in the Zhenyue Immortal City’s treasury might not suffice for half a year of consumption.
Therefore, during the onset of a "Beast Tide," human cultivators do not immediately activate the City Defense Array to let the low-tier demon beasts assault the city walls first. After eliminating most of these "Beast Tide" pawns, they then open the City Defense Array to withstand the high-tier demon beasts’ attack.
As for the demon beast side, since the purpose of launching the "Beast Tide" against the human Cultivation Realm is to deplete the excess demon beasts in the Broken Cloud Mountain Range, even if they understand the human strategy, they pretend not to know and do not step in easily.
After all, having driven these low-tier demon beasts out, they do not intend to take them back. They naturally prefer not to sacrifice their lives to clear the way for these useless pawns.
But now, Jia Yunzhen has taken action.
He patted his storage bag, and thirteen streaks of silver light instantly flew out, materializing into thirteen silver-glowing flying swords in the air.
Then, pinching a sword technique with both hands, those thirteen silver flying swords transformed into thirteen silver sword rainbows that swept towards the demon beasts on the city wall.
Wherever the silver sword rainbows passed, all demon beasts were decapitated and pierced through, dying in an instant.
A silver sword rainbow also flew towards Zhouyang’s side, slashing straight at the Eagle Lion Beast they were contending with.
However, the Eagle Lion Beast proved formidable. The silver sword rainbow that was lethal to other demon beasts was met with a blue and red beam spewed from its mouth, forcibly exposing the flying sword’s true form.
Hmm?
Jia Yunzhen, who was focused on controlling multiple flying swords, was surprised to see his attack being blocked by a Tier Three High-Grade Demon Beast, and coldly turned his gaze towards Zhouyang’s side.
Despite just giving a glance, the accumulated blood evil qi and killing intent on his body, gathered from slaying demon beasts, conveyed through his gaze to the Eagle Lion Beast.
The Eagle Lion Beast, already somewhat weakened by spewing the blue and red beam, shuddered upon sensing the cold killing intent and intense blood evil qi, its amber eyes revealing extreme fear.
It let out a piercing eagle cry, flapped its wings, attempting to flee from the city wall back into the mountains.
However, at this moment, Zhouyang, who had been using Profound Water Island to defend against its attacks, suddenly opened his mouth and spat.
The golden light flashed, and a three-foot-long sword qi, sharp to the extreme, instantly sliced at the root of the left wing of the eagle lion beast that was about to take flight.
The wings of the eagle lion beast originally had rows of Qing-colored iron feathers that were difficult for flying swords to damage, providing immense defense, so ordinary attacks couldn’t harm its wings.
However, the connection between its wing and lion body was not covered by these iron feathers, only a layer of thick skin protecting against attacks.
This thick skin could defend against attacks by Zhouyang’s Tier Three Lower Grade Flying Sword, but was inadequate against the "Qianyang Celestial Sword."
The golden sword qi cut into the eagle lion beast’s wing root, nearly slicing off half of its wing.
Without the strength and balance support from half a wing, the massive body of the eagle lion beast suddenly crashed to the ground due to exerting too much force. As it attempted to get up and escape, Jia Yunzhen’s silver flying sword once again hummed and flew to slash at it.
But at this moment, an unexpected situation arose.
The silver flying sword was about to cut the eagle lion beast, but suddenly, a Qing-colored feather shot out from outside the city, instantly blocking Jia Yunzhen’s flying sword.
The eagle lion beast seized this opportunity, its eyes showing a human-like expression of surprise and joy, immediately dragged its drooping wing and leaped forcefully off the city wall towards the city below.
Zhouyang witnessed all this, his face full of vigilance as he looked towards the direction from which the Qing-colored feather had come.
In the sky several thousand meters outside the city, a giant Qing-colored eagle with a wingspan of tens of meters was looking at them on the city wall with a cold gaze, its eyes full of a battle-ready expression.
There was no doubt that the Qing-colored giant eagle that saved the eagle lion beast was a Tier Four Demon Beast, and moreover, a Tier Four High-Grade Demon Beast with cultivation stronger than Jia Yunzhen.
Evidently, the high-tier beings among the demon beasts were observing the battle, and as soon as Jia Yunzhen, a Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator, intervened, they immediately responded by sending high-tier demon beasts of comparable rank to support.
Of course, Tier Four Demon Beasts have considerable intelligence and won’t be like low-tier demon beasts rushing into Zhenyue Immortal City with the Anti-Sky Array.
However, if they appear, humans either have to send high-tier cultivators out of the city to fight them or activate the City Defense Array.
"I will meet this abominable creature!"
Jia Yunzhen’s eyes flashed with a cold light, and he immediately raised his hand, recalling the thirteen flying swords he had sent out, then swiftly flew off the city wall to battle the Qing-colored giant eagle.
Earlier, Jia Yunzhen used the thirteen silver sword rainbows to clear the remaining demon beasts on the city wall, and Zhouyang and others had the fortunate opportunity to witness this battle between the Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator and the Tier Four Demon Beast.
Although Jia Yunzhen’s cultivation was lower than that of the Qing-colored giant eagle, once the battle began, the outcome was completely reversed.
His thirteen silver flying swords, although Tier Four Lower Grade, were a rare complete set, and he seemed to have practiced an extraordinary sword technique. Using this technique to control the flying swords made them move as if guided by his arm, and their power vastly exceeded other cultivators’ flying swords.
As a result, after not long in battle, the Qing-colored giant eagle fell completely into a disadvantage, forced to use its speed advantage to play hide-and-seek in the air.
"Sword Array, Merge!"
In the sky, Jia Yunzhen seemed to have grown impatient with playing hide-and-seek with the Qing-colored giant eagle and suddenly made a complicated hand gesture, his face solemn, speaking a true mantra.
Then those silver flying swords surrounding and pursuing the Qing-colored giant eagle from all directions seemed to respond to some call, instantly merging in mid-air into a massive silver sword several meters long.
"Sever!"
As soon as the silver giant sword formed, Jia Yunzhen pointed towards the Qing-colored giant eagle with a finger gesture like a sword, uttering the word "sever."
Before the sound of the word "sever" had fallen, the silver giant sword in the sky disappeared in a blur, then reappeared behind the Qing-colored giant eagle, straight down towards it.
Screech—
As if sensing something, the Qing-colored giant eagle instantly let out a loud, clear call, and its body emitted Qing light, transforming into a Qing-colored rainbow flash as it vanished toward the depths of the "beast tide" army behind.
For a moment, the otherwise empty sky only had dozens of blood-soaked feathers spinning down.
"The beast tide has retreated!"
Someone unknown shouted in a voice brimming with joy, awakening Zhouyang, who was still immersed in the battle between the Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator and the Tier Four High-Grade Demon Beast.
His gaze turned beyond the city wall, seeing the originally wave-like horde of demon beasts rushing towards the wall now as the voice said, retreating swiftly like receding tide waters.
Of course, when these demon beasts retreated, they did not forget to drag away the corpses of dead beasts on the ground, only leaving some beast corpses too close to the wall behind, as no demon beast dared to approach and take them away.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢
