The beast tide stretched across the entire horizon. Ashlock estimated it was at least four hundred miles across and contained millions of monsters. He had wanted to defend against it entirely, but that quickly beca impossible.
At least there was a silver lining—the territory he had to protect wasn't quite that wide. Still, there was no guarantee the monsters wouldn't end up hitting another city under his protection, like the old Nightrose capital that had yet to be renad by Douglas, Nightshade City in the Tainted Cloud Sect, and now, Silverspire Peak. These places were all quite far from Red Vine Peak but still required his protection.
While he did his best to hold back the storm by soaking the ground in desolation Qi, there were still four hundred miles of ground to cover. It was the equivalent of a beast-filled storm stretching between Los Angeles and San Francisco. So he had no choice but to focus on the middle section of the beast tide that would impact Red Vine Peak, as his ho was the furthest north of any of these territories and would get hit first. This caused the beast tide to progress mostly undisturbed on the far eastern and western flanks and slowly curl around him.
The only thing sowhat slowing them down was his millions of offspring spread across this area in clusters of forests that he was juicing up select ones with Qi from spirit stones, so they were calling down heavenly tribulations and filling the storm with his Cursebloom Sap. However, there were still significant gaps that the monsters were starting to funnel through.
Ashlock's vision blurred as he surveyed the encroaching border until he found Larry floating above one of these funnels to the west. The ashen spider had summoned thousands of ashen spiders around the size of a person and unleashed them upon the tide. As they made contact with monsters, they jumped onto them, their ashen bodies disintegrating their prey. Streams of ash flowed into Larry's body, slowly increasing his size.
"Sorry to disturb your al, Larry," Ashlock said to his guardian, "But we require your presence back on Red Vine Peak."
"As you wish, Master," Larry gruffly replied without question. He began to recall his spiders, and his body ballooned in size to around a hundred ters tall. He majestically shimred under the moonlight like a godly being that had descended from a higher plane to wreak destruction. Ashlock couldn't even imagine how a person from Earth would react if they saw such a monster for the first ti.
Larry then began to condense his sparse, almost cloud-like form into sothing far more solid and dense. After a minute, he had gone from a hundred-ter-tall titan to his usual size of around three ters tall. Still large enough to scare the shit out of anyone and command respect, but more manageable.
Ashlock opened a portal leading to Moros, and Larry floated through. Closing the portal behind the spider, he remained for a mont. Without Larry's presence, the storm surged forward, and he could see a swarm of black insect-looking monsters at the forefront. The clicking of their mandibles filled the night air like an accursed symphony.
"We are running out of ti," Ashlock cursed. If left undefended, this section of the storm would reach the Tainted Cloud Sect within days. "I can't even send one of my Bastions to defend this area alone, as each monster's strength is starting to match that of my weaker Bastions. A flock of Star Core Realm monsters could overwhelm and destroy one of my Bastions, and unlike my Ents, they are far less disposable."
Ashlock was about to leave when he noticed a person. Because Larry's presence had been so overwhelming, and once he left, his focus had been on the impending beast tide, he hadn't noticed a cultivator hiding among his offspring.
Looking closer, it was a person wearing a black cloak with a blue cloud embroidered on its shoulder. They had their hood up to block the rain, but he could see an aged man's face.
"An Elder from the Tainted Cloud Sect, perhaps?" Ashlock mused. "I suppose the beast tide has gotten close enough that it's within a reasonable distance for a cultivator to check on it by riding a flying sword for a few days."
Ashlock could practically teleport his viewpoint to check on any area within his roots, whereas a cultivator would have to spend days traveling and burning their Qi by riding a sword. Unless the situation was dire, there was no way a cultivator would go on such a journey into the wilderness. Not only was it a waste of Qi, but it was also incredibly dangerous. What if they encountered assassins sent from a rival sect or a random large group of monsters?
"Mhm, he's alone. I wonder why he didn't co with a group on an airship? Maybe the storm made using an airship too difficult to control?" Ashlock pondered.
While the actual monsters hadn't reached the Tainted Cloud Sect yet, the terrible weather likely had. And unlike the cities that depended on the Ashfallen Sect for food, which had a powerful spirit tree attempting to keep the crops alive, the Tainted Cloud Sect didn't have that luxury. Such stormy weather would cause millions of mortals to starve as fields of crops were wiped out.
Ashlock decided to stop pondering and simply ask the cultivator himself. Opening a rift a respectful distance away, he had his trusty shadow lich Ent walk through. The Elder noticed imdiately, his head whipping toward the portal, and an azure sword manifested in his hand in a flash of silver.
"Do not be alard," Ashlock said through Anubis, fully understanding just how alarming a shadow lich stepping out of a tear in reality out of nowhere would be. "Believe it or not, I co in peace."
"A monster?" the Elder said, clearly surprised. "Are you with the beast tide?"
"An understandable assumption, but no. My na is Anubis, and I'm in service to the Ashfallen Sect."
The Elder's eyes widened. "That Divine-level sect that appeared recently?" he said, becoming even more on guard than when he thought Anubis was simply a monster from the beast tide. Did the Ashfallen Sect have that terrifying reputation in the Tainted Cloud Sect for an Elder to react like this?
"Yes, that one. May I ask what your opinion of the Ashfallen Sect is?"
That question seed to throw the Elder off guard. "I... have a favorable opinion of the Ashfallen Sect. The pills your sect produces are outstanding and incomparable in quality and price to those sold by the Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild."
"I see, thank you for humouring my question. I'm glad you see us in a favorable light. Is that opinion shared by others in the Tainted Cloud Sect?"
The Elder contemplated the question for a mont before answering hesitantly, "No. The Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild has been putting up large bounties for any information regarding the Ashfallen Sect through the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion, but the Celestial Warden has been blocking them. For every person curious and wanting to work with your sect, another person or group has lost out and despises the Ashfallen Sect."
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"That does make sense," Ashlock said and had Anubis look wistfully into the distance. "It's hard to make an olet without breaking a few eggs—or golden dragon eggs in this case."
"It's as you say..." The Elder agreed while sounding a little confused.
"No matter," Ashlock said and had Anubis look back at the Elder standing in the canopy of his offspring. "What are you doing here?"
"Likely for the sa reason as you—to check on the storm. A bounty was put up for information regarding the progress of the beast tide."
That explained why he traveled alone. He would have to share the reward if he ca as a group.
"Are you a Jade Sentinel?" Ashlock asked. They were the elites of the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion.
"No," the man replied, "I'm a Sage Advisor."
From what Ashlock knew, the Sage Advisors were people who answered to and interacted directly with the Celestial Warden.
"Could I know your na?"
The man contemplated for a mont. "I suppose so, as my identity is already compromised. I'm not wearing a mask and didn't expect to et anyone out here." He pulled back his cloak and composed himself, "My na is Darren Duskfang from Mistveil City, nice to et you."
Ashlock had never heard of Mistveil City. He knew the Tainted Cloud Sect was around half the size of the Blood Lotus Sect, with five cities. One was Nightshade City, which he had basically fully taken over.
"Duskfang? What does your family specialize in?" Ashlock asked, but expected to be declined. Those from the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion valued secrecy, and this man was of the Sage Advisor rank. Anything he did was likely done in utmost secrecy.
"I'll show you," Darren whistled and held out his arm. A mont later, a demonic crow perched on his arm. "We are known for beast taming, so this journey had a third purpose: to see if I could bring back so weaker monsters for the youth of my family to test their taming arts on."
Ashlock was surprised Darren actually told him this much, especially to Anubis, who was quite intimidating.
"I appreciate the honesty, Darren," Ashlock told him.
"No worries," Darren smiled like a grandfather would. "The Celestial Warden has had only good things to say about the Ashfallen Sect and his etings with the Princess. I think Stella was her na? I've ant to visit your lands, but it's quite far, and life has been so chaotic at ho since the storm began."
The Celestial Warden likely had such a good opinion as they had agreed to let him move operations to Nightrose City, though for an exorbitant sum of 6.5 million Yinxi Coins.
"Actually," Darren continued, "The Celestial Warden has wanted to contact you regarding the evacuation of Nightrose City. Is the new city ready to house the six and a half million citizens yet? With the beast tide getting so close, we have grown worried as evacuation via airship will take ti."
"It's almost completed," Ashlock confird. He had checked on Nightrose City once in the last week since taking over the Silverspires and had seen extensive progress. "Tell the Celestial Warden that Stella will visit in a few days to collect paynt and begin the evacuation."
Since he planned to use portals for the evacuation rather than airships, they could cut it closer than if slower airships were involved.
Darren nodded, "I will make sure to relay your words."
"What about Mistveil City?"
"Pardon?"
"Your city, Mistveil. What are they doing about the beast tide?"
"Ah," Darren scratched his head, "It's the smallest of the five cities with less than a million in population, so it didn't get any attention. A few airships left for the settlent being set up in the Qi-deprived lands beyond the leyline, but most will be left to die."
Ashlock had forgotten that the Tainted Cloud Sect was separate from the Blood Lotus Sect and therefore had its own fleet of airships and air affinity cultivators. As their sect's capital, Nightshade City also had a fleet of airships—Ashlock had seen them. But they must have been put on standby for now to prepare for the evacuation.
"A settlent in the Qi-deprived lands..." Ashlock muttered. He had been curious about the Qi-deprived lands for a while. They were the vast swathes of land between the ley lines. As the na suggested, there was no Qi in these areas, aning there was no chance to cultivate. Supposedly, there were still monsters, but they were far weaker, more like the type of beasts people would face in the woods back on Earth, such as bears or wild dogs.
He couldn't promise that Nightrose City could deal with the populations of all the other cities in the Tainted Cloud Sect, nor did he plan to. The Tainted Cloud Sect was a rival sect; they were only willing to house the mortals from their capital because the Celestial Warden was overseeing it personally.
Ashlock had Anubis look to the sky and touch his skull.
"Mhm, I just received confirmation that Stella will also discuss possible asures we can take to save the mortals from the other cities," Ashlock said. This seed like a perfect opportunity to gain control of a large human settlent in the Qi-deprived lands. Since it was a place the other cultivators didn't like to go, he wondered if there was anything he could use that land for.
Darren bowed, "That would be greatly appreciated."
Ashlock decided to leave this Elder with a parting gift. "If you go to the Duskwalker residence in Nightshade City and say Ashlock sent you, they can get you to the Ashfallen Sect quickly. Once there, head to the Ashfallen Trading Company's headquarters and say the sa thing. You will be treated well."
"How kind of you. I will definitely keep this in mind."
"Then I bid you farewell, Darren of House Duskfang hailing from Mistveil," Ashlock said through Anubis and had the shadow lich return through the portal to Moros. He lingered for a mont to see if Darren would say or do anything now that he had left, but the Elder simply returned to observing and recording information about the beast tide.
Ashlock's vision blurred, and he returned to Red Vine Peak right as Stella appeared in a flash of white flas with a perplexed expression on her face.
"What's wrong?" Ashlock asked her.
"Oh Tree," she stared into the sky. "Nothing really... okay, not nothing. There was a weird scene I just walked in on," she looked around, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "Kaida was alone with Nyria under Quill!"
"Right... and?"
"They were touching!" Stella hissed. "Kaida had his claw on her chest, and they were so close. When I asked, he claid they were doing nothing, but I'm not blind. Diana taught about this stuff; I know what they were doing, but he lied to my face and claid they were doing 'nothing.' What a joke."
"Huh, that was fast," Ashlock said.
"What do you an?!"
"Nyria is objectively very attractive, and there aren't any other dragons around here. I can hardly bla him for getting excited."
Stella seed like she was about to protest, but the aether Qi shield rippled, and Kaida and Nyria flew through. The Celestial Ink Dragon appeared as unfazed as ever, but Nyria's cheeks were tinged red. Maybe what Stella had claid was really true?
"Are we ready to go?" Kaida asked.
"Sure," Stella said dismissively and strode past Kaida. She made her way over to Akasha, grumpily sat down, and pretended to cultivate. The small group present on Moros stared at her, and Maple lazily rolled over on her head.
Since their opponent was Astralis, a possible Monarch Realm being, Ashlock had only gathered a group able to handle themselves against such a threat. Larry, Maple, Anubis, and Kaida should all survive a confrontation. Nyria was there as a guide... or potential hostage. anwhile, Stella had invited herself. Ashlock had never really gotten a chance to remind her of their deal, that she couldn't venture into the beast tide if she wasn't at the Nascent Soul Realm.
"With Larry's new domain and Maple sleeping on her head, she should be fine to join," Ashlock mused. His Star Core pulsed, and he tore open a massive rift before Moros. It led as deep into the beast tide as his roots extended. Moros floated through, and as the storm raged around them, he made Moros fade into the aether. It was Qi-intensive, but they were on a ti limit. By sunset tomorrow, he wanted to encounter Astralis, or one of the other Primal Overlords.
What he didn't expect was to encounter Astralis within an hour of entering the beast tide.
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