Chapter 56: The Beast Tide Retreats

Yulan Fairy shook her head with a mysterious smile and produced a high-quality immortal artifact. “This is the Spirit-Shattering Bell. Monster King Cu Yue, do you wish to test its power or retreat now? The spiritual roots in Cu Yue Mountain should go to whoever has the destiny to obtain them. Since your demon race cannot protect them, it’s only natural for them to fall into the hands of our human race. Why stir up so much conflict and bring misery upon countless lives? Withdrawing now would be best for both sides.”

“Yes, yes, yes, you humans truly excel at smooth-talking,” the Monster King Cu Yue sneered through his fury. “The Spirit-Shattering Bell, huh? This king does indeed wish to witness its might.” In a move of extreme defiance, he laughed and roared: “Lift the mountain!”

The Cu Yue Mountains trembled as a mountain peak thousands of meters high was uprooted—a mass no less than hundreds of millions of tons— hurtling swiftly toward Yulan Fairy with the intent to crush her.

Yulan Fairy was locked down, seemingly unable to escape.

Yet she remained composed. With a gentle wave of the bell in her hand, an invisible ripple spread out.

Monster King Cu Yue felt a jolt in his spiritual soul, causing his mountain-moving divine ability to falter for a moment.

Yulan Fairy seized the opportunity to break free from the lock. The Sea Blue Pearl materialized beside her. “Go!”

The Sea Blue Pearl expanded by ten thousand times, piercing through the mountain peak and shattering it instantly.

Boom!

The mountain exploded like a burst of fireworks. The fragments rained down on the sea of beasts below, akin to a giant stone plunging into the ocean. However, instead of raising spray, it blossomed a bloody carnage.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground was pockmarked with meteorite-like craters. Bloodied flesh and shattered bones flew from these holes, with even more remains left embedded within.

“Let’s see if you can block these,” the vile king exclaimed.

Jade-yellow light shimmered around Cu Yue Monster King. Though he couldn’t entirely ignore the power of the Soul-Shattering Bell, it had a minimal effect on his divine abilities.

He began to move towering mountains, showing no mercy towards the beautiful Yulan Fairy. Instead of targeting her directly, he aimed to overwhelm her with sheer force, a strategy known as “crushing subtlety with might.”

Mountains rumbled towards them from all directions, finally affecting Yulan Fairy’s expression as she grew more grim. “The boundless sea roars with fury!”

The blue light of the Sea Blue Pearl intensified, forming a shadowy image of the ocean around her, its waves surging violently.

Yulan Fairy pushed out with both palms, transforming the sea water into a colossal tidal wave that swept out in all directions, managing to halt the advancing mountain peaks.

The Soul-Shattering Bell continued to sway above her head, emitting invisible waves that caused the monster king’s spiritual soul to convulse incessantly.

With this double assault, Yulan Fairy carved a path through the mountains and flew out.

Several mountains collided, some fragments coalescing at the center while others exploded outward in a scene reminiscent of a celestial maiden scattering flowers.

“You can’t escape,” the monster king bellowed angrily, raising his arm. The aggregated mountain fragments transformed into a massive stone sphere, over a thousand meters in diameter. Locking onto Yulan Fairy, it began to descend relentlessly.

Fairy Yulan employed her tried-and-true method once more, shaking the Trembling Soul Bell. However, as the ripples passed through Monster King Cu Yue, they had no discernable effect.

What is going on? she thought, astonished yet undeterred. She surrounded her palm with the Sea Blue Pearl and unleashed a full-powered attack.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth coalesced, forming the Sea Blue Pearl into a sphere no less massive than the stone ball. The two collided with a force akin to Mars striking Earth.

At the point of impact, an unparalleled burst of power exploded outward. Blue and yellow light radiated rapidly, causing the surrounding space to tremble. Within moments, a vacuum expanded across hundreds of kilometers.

This force was too much for Fairy Yulan to bear. Despite the protection of her circular shield immortal artifact, she was still sent flying backward.

Monster King Cu Yue, however, showed no fear. Harnessing his physical body’s strength, he withstood the explosive might before transforming into a streak of light to chase after Fairy Yulan. “Mountain-Relocating Fist!”

The shadowy form of the Cu Yue Mountain Range materialized behind him, the weight of heaven and earth resting upon his shoulders. His fist strike polarized the entire universe, causing the void to pause in its flow.

Yulan Fairy’s eyes snapped into focus, her pupils contracting. She felt the space around her condense, even the spiritual soul’s Lantern in the Hollow struggling to escape.

After all, it’s merely an auxiliary type soul, with insufficient warfare and combat support capabilities, she thought.

Yet all was not lost; a hint of pain flashed in her eyes as she pointed at the Sea Blue Pearl.

At the heart of the Sea Blue Pearl, a point of violet light ignited, slicing through space as it hurtled towards King Cu Yue. The radiating purple glow pulsated with immense power, striking awe and fear into their hearts.

The fist-shaped image descended upon the Cu Yue Mountain Range.

The pearl exploded, unleashing an endless array of violet brilliance.

Crack!

Both human and demon seemed to hear the very fabric of space shatter.

The Lady Yu’s spirit was jolted by the immortal artifact’s self-destruction, and she could not contain a crimson droplet that trickled from the corner of her mouth.

King Cu Yue, at the epicenter of the explosion, felt his jade-like body splinter.

He never expected Lady Yu to be so resolute, preferring to destroy a high-grade immortal artifact rather than yield to him.

This artifact was even more precious than a third-stage golden core.

“What a madwoman!” he roared furiously. “You’re nothing but a crazed witch!”

The tremendous force of the explosion thrust both combatants thousands of kilometers apart.

“So what if I’m mad?” Lady Yu countered, her demeanor as unyielding as stone. “I’ll ask you again, will you retreat? If not, I still have two immortal artifacts at my disposal. While they may not take your life, reducing you to a state of great injury and reverting you to your original form is well within their power.”

King Cu Yue, meanwhile, seethed with frustration. His own strength surpassed Lady Yu’s, and he commanded the vast territories of the Cu Yue Mountain Range. Yet, here he was, defeated by mere wealth.

What a fool this woman! High-grade immortal artifacts, destroyed on a whim—couldn’t she have offered them to him instead? He wouldn’t have minded a bit.

The more he dwelt on it, the more his frustration grew, and despite himself, the fissures on his body spider-webbed further.

“Fine, very fine!” The Cu Yue Monster King forcefully suppressed his infinite rage and bellowed, “Purple Tiger, we retreat.”

Below, the Purple Tiger vanguard was locked in a fierce battle with a Void Transformation awakened being. Upon hearing the call, he thrust his Tiger Fang spear forward, sending a streak of violet light shooting from the tip. It pierced through the opponent’s defenses, its blow poised to be fatal—when the voice of their king reached his ears.

To monster beasts, the command of their superior must be executed without question. Though his opponent lay grievously wounded at his mercy, the Purple Tiger vanguard could only cast a reluctant glance before unleashing a powerful roar from his throat:

“Grrraaahhh!”

The sound waves radiated outwards, halting the onward surge of the beast swarm. Slowly, the tide began to turn as they retreated.

Within the human gathering place, the awakened beings of the Human Race refrained from pursuit, simply watching as the beast swarm withdrew.

High above, the Cu Yue Monster King turned to Yulan Fairy. “I acknowledge this significant loss,” he said. “But remember this: for every human who sets foot in the Cu Yue Mountain Range from now on, I will take the life of one human.”

“You dare?” Yulan Fairy’s voice was icy.

“What do I have to fear?” The Cu Yue Monster King chuckled. “Of course, you humans are welcome to lay waste to the Cu Yue Mountain Range. I won’t object. It’s quite simple—do you dare?”

“You!” Goddess Yulan stammered, her voice betraying her fear. She dared not even attempt to destroy the mountain spirit of Cu Yue, for to do so would be to annihilate the entire range.

Each mountain was interconnected with the Abyss realm; any disruption could lead to the escape of abyssal essence, plunging yet another vast region into darkness.

“Heh heh!” King Monster Cu Yue let out a derisive laugh, his face a mask of contempt. With that, he transformed into a beam of light, soaring back to his lair within the Cu Yue Mountain Range.

His wounds were grave, and he would need a long period of convalescence.

The spiritual energy of Cu Yue swiftly coalesced around Mount Yuantian, the tallest peak in the range, shrouding it in a dense veil of mist.

Beneath the earth, Qin Shu sensed fluctuations in the spiritual energy. Curious, he directed his perception upward once more, only to discover that the bestial tide was receding. The monstrous beasts were dispersing as they reached the mountains.

“It’s over already? Seems like Shanghua City’s ruler has quite the prowess!”

Qin Shu’s body streaked through the underground realm. Three days later, he finally emerged from the outskirts of the Cu Yue Mountain Range. Without hesitation, he burst forth from the earth, transforming into a gust of wind that carried him towards Shanghua City.

As soon as he cleared the mountains, his communicator watch began to beep persistently.

Opening it, he glanced at the messages:

Zhao Gongqian: Hey, bro! I heard you took care of the Wang Clan’s two brats. Are you holding up okay?

Lu Yixi: Have you left Nine Yong City? The Wang Clan’s got bounties out on you everywhere now. Be careful!