Qingling Prefecture was a small country with a population of only ten million, incomparable to the massive imperial dynasties that boasted hundreds of millions or even billions of inhabitants.
There was no imperial palace here, only a Prefect—a leader dedicated to protecting the safety of Qingling Prefecture.
Qingling Prefecture lay thousands of miles away from the Qin Shen Dynasty, in an awkward location. Though the area was rich in resources, it was fraught with hidden dangers.
To its left flowed a mighty river, and to its right lay a perilous region.
Normally bustling and prosperous, Qingling Prefecture now appeared chaotic and panicked. On the streets, civilians hurriedly moved their belongings while armored guards, weapons gleaming coldly in hand, wore solemn expressions tinged with worry.
This was not due to the arrival of any vicious enemy or a natural disaster, but rather the arrival of the ten-yearly beast tide.
Yet, a place like Qingling Prefecture, which had stood for hundreds of years, naturally had ways to resist the beast tide. This time, however, there was no confidence left.
“Lord… the evacuation of the civilians is proceeding very slowly. I’m afraid we won’t make it in time,” a soldier anxiously reported from atop the city wall.
This soldier had actually reached the peak of the先天 stage—an impressive achievement for a regular soldier in an ordinary city. Without systematic training or adequate resources, everything relied entirely on personal dedication and effort.
“We must ensure the safety of the civilians at all costs,” replied a middle-aged man standing beside the soldier, his expression stern and commanding. This man was none other than Lin Fan, the Prefect of Qingling Prefecture, who had reached the初级入神 realm.
“Lord, I understand. I wonder when the reinforcements from the major sects will arrive,” the soldier, Xiao Lie, asked.
“They arrived yesterday already,” Prefect Lin Fan replied, his eyes revealing a flicker of helplessness.
“They arrived? Then that’s good news. We’ll have a much better chance of withstanding this beast tide,” Xiao Lie’s face brightened.
“Xiao Lie, this time Qingling Prefecture may not survive. You must ensure the civilians escape safely. I will remain with the soldiers until the very end,” Prefect Lin Fan declared resolutely.
At this, Xiao Lie’s expression changed. Having served the Prefect for over a decade, he could usually discern everything just from a glance. But now, hearing the Prefect’s tone, he sensed a determination bordering on self-sacrifice.
“Prefect, this…”
Lin Fan decisively waved his hand, a faint mocking expression appearing on his face. “Those sect members, upon learning that this beast tide was unusually dangerous, have already fled to save their own lives.”
“How could that be? Prefect, don’t the sects have any powerful experts?” Xiao Lie exclaimed in shock.
“Do you really think those sects would protect us ordinary people? Every time the beast tide comes, the sects only send their ordinary disciples, who act arrogantly and oppressively in Qingling Prefecture. Now that the beast tide is beyond their capability, they’ve fled for self-preservation. As for the sect’s true experts, they wouldn’t even deign to look at us,” Lin Fan said bitterly.
It was all a matter of fate.
No one knew why the beast tides grew stronger with each passing cycle.
At that very moment, a deafening roar came from the distance.
The sky seemed to split and the earth to shake, as if the very elements were shifting.
The retreating civilians all wore expressions of terror.
“The beast tide has come…”
“Beast tide! Hurry up ahead…”
…
“You! Come here and escort the civilians out through the southern gate by waterway,” Xiao Lie barked at a nearby soldier.
“Yes, sir…”
“Prefect, as long as the city stands, we stand. If the city falls, we fall with it,” Xiao Lie declared.
“Good… good. Everyone, prepare the fire arrows and watch for aerial attacks,” Prefect Lin Fan calmly commanded. He had no certainty of successfully defending against this beast tide, but no matter what, he had to ensure the civilians’ safe evacuation. Even if it meant his death in the end, it would all be worth it.
The soldiers on the city wall gazed at the approaching beast tide, their eyes filled with determination.
“Brothers, raise your spirits! Though these beasts are powerful, together we will be unstoppable!” Xiao Lie shouted.
“Unstoppable!” the soldiers on the city wall roared fearlessly.
…
A sea of beasts surged forward like thunder, racing toward them from the distance.
No one knew exactly how the beast tides formed. But one thing was certain—wherever a city was built, it would inevitably face beast tide attacks, as if these beasts were determined to wipe out humanity.
Moreover, these beast tides seemed to be orchestrated by some unseen force. For instance, Qingling Prefecture was a small city, so the beasts attacking it were not particularly strong. However, with each successive tide, the beasts grew stronger, as though determined to destroy Qingling Prefecture at all costs.
“Fire!” Lin Fan roared, closely watching the advancing tide.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Thousands of flaming arrows lit up the sky, forming a dense hailstorm aimed at the beast tide.
“Clang! Clang…”
The ordinary arrows striking the beasts’ bodies produced sharp, metallic sounds, unable to pierce their defenses.
However, the fire carried by each arrow set the entire ground ablaze, creating waves of fire rolling forward.
Weaker beasts caught in the flames howled in agony, while the more powerful ones ignored the inferno entirely, trampling over their fallen kin as they charged ahead.
“Watch the skies!”
At that moment, the sky darkened as a flock of flying beast monsters descended.
As time passed, the battle against the beast tide reached its peak.
Suddenly, a soldier who had been escorting the civilians returned in a panic. “Lord, bad news! There are beasts in the river too. All our boats have been destroyed.”
“What?!”
Lin Fan, who had just slain an eagle beast, changed expression, clearly unable to believe what he’d heard. His face turned pale—everything was lost.
Inside the city, the trapped civilians wailed and cried out in despair as death approached.
Wealthy merchants, sitting atop their treasures, screamed in terror.
…
“Prefect, look over there!”
At this moment, Xiao Lie pointed toward the beast tide and shouted in alarm.
Lin Fan focused his gaze and his face immediately changed. Within the beast tide, a humanoid beast covered in flames appeared like a supreme ruler.
All the surrounding beasts cleared a path as this towering humanoid beast stood as tall as the city wall itself. Like a fiery demon, it had eight long flaming tails swirling behind it, and its pair of blood-red demon eyes burned with raging infernos.
“Roar…”
With a single roar from the humanoid beast, powerful shockwaves sent soldiers clutching their ears and collapsing to the ground in agony.
Seeing this, Lin Fan completely lost all hope. This beast was far beyond their capability to fight—it exceeded anything they could possibly imagine.
According to records of beast tides over the past few hundred years, the strongest beasts were merely at the Transcendent Divine realm.
Yet the aura of this beast was far beyond that of any Mortal Transcendence Realm creature—could it possibly have reached the Celestial Guardian Realm, a level comparable to celestial beings?
At this moment, Lin Fan’s body trembled slightly. He turned his head, looking at the terrified civilians crying out in despair, clenching his fists in bitter frustration.
“Boom… boom…”
With each massive step, the towering humanoid flame beast approached, each footfall shaking the hearts of men. Its sharp teeth gleamed with a chilling light, instilling terror.
“Prefect, we’ve done everything we could,” Xiao Lie, now covered in wounds and having narrowly escaped death multiple times, said helplessly at this point.
Lin Fan’s heart burned with bitterness. Why had the sects refused to help? If only one expert had come, all of this could have been prevented.
To the Dongling Continent, the lives of several million people were but a drop in the ocean, insignificant. Even if they were wiped out, no one would notice.
After all, they were just ordinary mortals.
…
Just as everyone lost all hope, a strange phenomenon suddenly appeared in the sky. A sigh echoed from above.
“Ai…”
Everyone was startled, lifting their heads to gaze into the boundless void above.
Looking up into the sky, Lin Fan’s expression turned excited, his body trembling.
That was… that was…
A god…
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