Legendary Beast Cultivator

After a few minutes, the disciples strolled out from their residential areas. Instructors rushed out from lecture halls. Elders descended from secluded mountain peaks. And the alchemy masters abandoned their brewing halls to gather before the grand hall.

Nearly three hundred outer disciples stood side by side on the stone floor. Among them the thirty newly admitted recruits stood in confusion.

Lin Yuan stood between Chen Ming and Lian Nichang, his hands shoved casually into his wide sleeves. He was relaxed, but his dark eyes remained locked on the high dais.

At the dais, Sect Master Xue Hongzhao stepped forward, his crimson robes fluttering in the mountain gale. Beside him stood over a dozen senior elders, their faces carved from stone.

The murmuring crowd fell silent.

Xue Hongzhao looked across the disciples.

"Listen carefully," He beamed, his voice lingering across the hall. "A massive beast tide is advancing on Red Talon Hall from the southern ridges."

The courtyard broke into a cacophony of murmurs.

"A beast tide?!"

"How close are they?"

"Why are they targeting the sect?!"

Xue Hongzhao raised a hand, and everyone became silent.

"Two border villages... Stonebrook Village and Redleaf Village have been wiped out brutally," His eyes twitched in anger. "The swarm consists of primate-type beasts from Rank 1 to Rank 3."

A few disciples gulped.

"That is not our primary concern," Xue Hongzhao continued, his gaze darting over the crowd. "Our scouts confirmed twenty to thirty Rank 4 beasts marching at the back of the vanguard."

The air turned suffocating, listening that there are twenty to thirty Rank 4 beasts.

"There is an anomaly we cannot ignore," Xue Hongzhao elucidated. "These beasts are not roaming in the wild. They are guiding their movements, strategically wiping out villages, and strolling toward our gates."

Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’Someone or something is commanding them.’

"We do not know if Rank 5 beasts or higher are lurking somewhere hidden," Xue Hongzhao said, his voice low as whisper. "We do not know the reason behind this gathering. Do not treat this as a chance to harvest cheap beast cores. This is a war!"

A senior elder stepped forward. "Sect Master, where are they now?"

"We will have our answer shortly." Xue Hongzhao looked toward the sky. "Deploy the aerial vanguard!"

A few elders summoned their flying beasts.

The spiritual glyphs lit up the courtyard as massive beasts appeared: an Azure Eagle, a Crimson-winged Falcon, two Storm Hawks, a Cloud Crane, and a few armored birds.

The flock flew, tearing through the clouds toward the southern ridge.

After an hour, the aerial scouts plummeted from the sky, landing on the stone floor. Their riders descended from the flying beasts.

"Report!" Xue Hongzhao boasted, standing firm.

The lead elder was breathing vehemently. "They’ve breached the outer valley. Less than three miles out."

A second elder dismounted, his face pale. "There are many of them."

"How many Rank 4 commanders?"

"Twenty-seven confirmed," the elder replied, clenching his fist. "And those are only the ones walking in the open at the back."

Xue Hongzhao’s eyes glinted with cold intent. "Then we do not wait for them to reach our walls. Let’s go and rip their guts out."

The Red Talon Hall has sixty-five elders in total. Thirty elders remained behind to protect the and guard the inner sect grounds. The remaining thirty-five elders took to the field to lead the frontline.

Of the three hundred outer disciples, half were in the sect along with elders. The other one hundred and fifty disciples went along with the vanguard support unit, including the thirty newly admitted disciples.

Chen Ming’s expression changed as they walked out. "Wait a second..."

Lian Nichang stared at him. "What?"

"Are we able to defeat that many primate beasts?!"

"What did you think a beast tide meant? A picnic?" Lian Nichang grunted, staring at him.

Chen Ming gulped, nodding his head. "I assumed we’d stand safely at the sect as defense."

"You’re welcome to cheer from behind my back," Lin Yuan looked sideways with a faint smirk.

"Nah, Never mind, bastard," Chen Ming immediately pouted, nodding sideways vehemently. "Fighting on the front line suddenly sounds heroic."

"Tsk! You’re a shameless coward," Lian Nichang sighed, clicking his tongue.

"I am a strategic survivor."

****

After two hours, the earth began to rumble in front of them. Leaves rained down from the canopy as flocks of wild birds fled in terror. The ground groaned under the weight of thousands of beasts footsteps.

Then, a loud, primal roar boomed across the valley. Everyone stopped. Lin Yuan looked up, across the area, a surging wave of beast essence lingering from the pathway.

Monkeys.... There are hundreds... nah... thousands of them.

Some were small and wild, swinging through the branches. Others were broad-shouldered primates sprinting on jagged rocks and tree trunks vehemently. Their claws trickled with filth, and their fangs dripped with saliva. Scattered throughout the endless sea of Rank 1 and Rank 2 beasts, there were dozens of Rank 3 beasts too. And at the rear, there were tall silhouettes.

Those were Rank four commanders. Their tall, muscular bodies made the surrounding trees look small, their eyes analysing the humans in front of them.

A few young disciples began to tremble.

"There are too many..."

"The whole mountain is moving!"

Xue Hongzhao drew his black bow, his voice booming across the area. "Draw your weapons! Release your beasts!"

Thirty-five elders unleashed their beast essence simultaneously, filling the area in a suffocating wave of pressure. The wild horde hesitated for a fraction of a second. Then, the largest Rank 4 ape beat its massive chest and roared!! "ROOOOAAARR!"

The tide lunged forward with wild roars. The two forces collided with a roar.

"Attack!"

Dozens of beast silhouettes burst out across the disciples’ line - wolves, falcons, boars, serpents, bears, and foxes slammed into the swarm. The peak fell into chaos.

A Fire-Falcon swept low, raining sparks of flame across a pack of primates. An Iron Boar rumbled through the front line, trampling smaller beasts under its armored tusks. A Lightning-Wolf darted through the flanks, snapping necks of the beasts brutally, blood splashing against the trees and grass.

The elders rushed to the back, intercepting the Rank 3 beasts before they could butcher the outer disciples.

Chen Ming concentrated into his core, summoning his Wind-Falcon. "Take the sky, my dear!"

The green falcon flew like a falling spear. A pressurized wind blade slashed through two leaping monkeys, sending them crashing into the tree.

"That’s how it’s done!" Chen Ming grinned, snapping his fingers.

A jagged shadow dropped from a branch behind his blind spot.

"Chen Ming, watch out!" Chi Fenglian’s armored Boar smashed into the flanking beast with an immense force.

The monkey blasted across the area, its ribs cracked in.

"Thanks for the save!" Chen Ming squinted, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Chi Fenglian flashed a broad grin. "You owe me dinner at the pavilion!"

"Done!"

Nearby, Gu Fang Xin’s Fire-Serpent crawled across the mud, leaving a trail of roaring flames that forced few primates to scatter in shrieking panic.

"Hold the line!" Gu Fang Xin yelled, alerting others. "Do not let them attack the rear!"

Lin Yuan stood in the carnage, his dark eyes darted across the chaos with meticulous accuracy. He ignored the mere Rank 1 beasts, observing the flow of battle for any dangerous threats.

Suddenly, two massive, crimson monkeys broke through the elder line, their eyes filled with anger as they lunged straight for Chen Ming’s exposed back.

Chen Ming was busy fighting three smaller beasts with his falcon.

Lin Yuan’s expression turned frantic.

"Chen Ming," Lin Yuan called out, stepping forward.

Chen Ming turned, his eyes widening. "What—"

The lead beast’s claws were descending toward his throat.

Lin Yuan vanished instantly and materialized between them, the white tiger’s burst speed helping him. His essence-covered hand thrusted upward, catching the beast under the jaw with heavy force. The monkey’s head snapped back.

Before it could fall, Lin Yuan caught its wrist, turned slightly, and slammed the beast into the ground.

The second monkey lunged from the side, its fangs slashing through the air. Lin Yuan didn’t flinch. He took a calm step inside its reach, followed by a palm strike into its chest.

The impact cracked the beast’s chest, blasting it backward through the air. Lin Yuan rushed forward instantly. A brutal strike crushed the first beast’s skull, and he pivoted toward the second beast. The wounded beast scrambled backward in sudden terror.

Lin Yuan caught it from behind, his fingers digging into its neck. He snapped it instantly, sending blood splashing from the grotesque beast as the bones fractured outward. Both beasts lay dead at his feet.

"Lin... Lin Yuan..." Chen Ming stood frozen, his hands trembling slightly.

Lin Yuan smeared the blood from his knuckles, looking at him calmly. "You were an inch away from losing your head."

"Sighh," Chen Ming gulped, staring at the corpses. "Yeah, I noticed."

"You crazy bastard, stop letting your guard down!" Lian Nichang rushed over, his wolf sprinting beside him.

Lin Yuan looked past them, his eyes locked on the smoke toward the far ridge. "Stay sharp! The real fight hasn’t started."

His gaze locked onto the rear of the beasts’ swarm.

Thousands of lower-tier monkeys continued their frenzy against the sect’s disciples, but at the far edge of the pathway, the Rank 4 commanders stood in stillness.

They stood still.

’Why are they holding back?’ Lin Yuan thought, stroking his chin.

One of the Rank four commanders slowly raised its head. Across hundreds of yards of blood and chaos, its golden eyes locked onto Lin Yuan.

For a second, Lin Yuan felt a chill crawl down on his spine. And behind those silent Rank 4 commanders... some treacherous presence flared for a moment. And the sect master lunged toward the Rank 4 commanders to slaughter them.

’This was a lethal strategy of a human!’ Lin Yuan widened his eyes, clicking his tongue. ’Who the hell is that?’

The tall ape commander grinned slightly like a human, and then threw its head back, letting out a loud roar!