Chapter 159: Demon Beast Tide

The Sacred Family's secret branch and the Dark Guild's hidden outposts both had to be eliminated—otherwise, they would become a dagger pointed at the heart of the City of Radiance.

Nie Li pondered for a moment, then said, "Why don't you find a time, Father-in-law, to summon all the experts from the various families to the City Lord's Mansion under the City Lord's authority? Just say that the Demon Beast Tide has reached a point where it can no longer be left unchecked. Once they're all gathered, you can hand the rest over to Lord Ye Xiu. With the Ten Thousand Demon Spirit Formation and the cooperation of the other families, there's no way the Sacred Family's people can escape. During the banquet, you can take a force to purge the Dark Guild's branch, and at the same time send a small team to surround the Sacred Family while their experts are absent."

Hearing Nie Li's words, Ye Zong nodded. "That's indeed a good plan. We still need to discuss the specifics, though."

Seeing the look on Ye Zong's face, Nie Li realized that Ye Zong had probably already had a plan of his own.

The three of them discussed various matters at length, deliberating for a long time.

Beneath the calm surface of the City of Radiance, undercurrents surged. No one knew what kind of major upheaval awaited the city in the days to come.

Previously, Nie Li had appeared at Sheng Lan Academy as a way to lure his enemies out into the open. He hadn't expected to draw out the Sacred Family—instead, he had attracted Ye Han. That battle with Ye Han had made Nie Li's reputation skyrocket throughout the entire Sheng Lan Academy. But after that, Nie Li had charged into the Black Hell World and vanished for dozens of days, leaving behind nothing in the Academy but a constellation of legends about him.

And just recently, Nie Li and the others had appeared at Sheng Lan Academy once more, casually showing up in the library and other places as though they owned the place.

The moment they reappeared, Huyan Lanruo chased them all over again, sending them scurrying in every direction.

The Sacred Family.

"My Lord, we've just received word—that brat Nie Li has shown up again. He's at the Sheng Lan Academy every single day. The nerve of him." A middle-aged guard in grey knelt before Shen Hong and reported.

"Hmph, let that brat enjoy himself a while longer!" Shen Hong scoffed coldly. "The Wind Snow Family can't find any evidence of our collusion with the Dark Guild, so they've sent this kid out to bait us into revealing ourselves—to make the Sacred Family show its hand! Such a petty trick. They underestimate us far too much. Pass down the order: everyone is to stay put and do absolutely nothing!"

"Yes." The middle-aged guard answered respectfully.

Shen Hong sat in his high-backed chair, his fingers slowly tapping the armrest. Though the Sacred Family had been subjected to pressure from the Wind Snow Family, their foundation remained intact. If the Wind Snow Family wanted to expel the Sacred Family, they would have to guard against a vicious counterstrike.

According to the original plan, the Dark Guild would trigger a massive Demon Beast Tide in two years. At that point, the City of Radiance would be engulfed. The Sacred Family would then withdraw from the city first, retreating into the safe zones of the Holy Ancestor Mountain Range. Once the tide subsided, they would relocate together with the Dark Guild into the Black Hell World. Shen Hong was one of the few people who knew of the Black Hell World's existence.

Because the Wind Snow Family had recently begun pressuring the Sacred Family, the Dark Guild had decided to trigger a small-scale Demon Beast Tide immediately. This small tide would keep the Wind Snow Family too busy to deal with the Sacred Family, giving the Sacred Family a much-needed chance to catch its breath.

In just a few more days, the Demon Beast Tide would strike the City of Radiance.

What Shen Hong did not know was that the Wind Snow Family had long since obtained evidence of the Sacred Family's secret communications with the Dark Guild. The only reason they were allowing Nie Li to continue wandering around Sheng Lan Academy was to lull the Sacred Family into a false sense of security.

Night deepened gradually.

Nie Li and the others were quietly cultivating inside Ye Ziyun's courtyard. Nie Li understood that whether it was the Sacred Family or the Dark Guild, both commanded a great many powerful experts. His current level of cultivation was far from sufficient. The Dark Guild in particular—having operated for so many years, they had certainly hidden away a great number of formidable experts.

Right now, Nie Li and the others were all around Gold rank one-star at best. The strongest among them, Duan Jian, had already reached Black Gold rank one-star, and with his extraordinary physical body, even ordinary Black Gold rank experts might not be able to take him down.

Nie Li continued refining the Crimson Blood Crystal.

The night was cool as water. Ye Ziyun tossed and turned in her room, unable to fall asleep, and finally stepped out into the courtyard, where Nie Li was immersed in deep cultivation.

Ye Ziyun watched him in silence, her mind drifting far away. This man, Nie Li, was always so impossible to figure out—sometimes he was like a child, and other times he was deep and composed. What exactly was the nature of the relationship between them? Even Ye Ziyun was starting to feel lost.

The luminous moonlight fell upon her, making her look like an ethereal spirit bathed in silver radiance—holy and beautiful.

Sensing Ye Ziyun's presence, Nie Li felt an extraordinary sense of peace settle over his heart.

Several days later, inside the City Lord's Mansion.

Ye Zong and the other senior members of the Wind Snow Family were deliberating on their next moves—how to strike against the Sacred Family and the Dark Guild's branch office over the coming days—when suddenly, a Black Gold elder burst through the doors in a panic.

"My Lord, it's terrible! We've spotted a Demon Beast tide several hundred li away, heading straight for the City of Radiance. Based on its speed, it will reach us within five hours!" the elder reported urgently.

At the elder's words, Ye Zong shot to his feet, his expression darkening. They had been gearing up to deal with the Sacred Family, never expecting the Dark Guild to strike first. This beast tide was almost certainly something the Dark Guild had orchestrated.

"How large is the tide?" Ye Zong asked.

"Approximately several million creatures. The vast majority are ordinary and Bronze-level Demon Beasts, with a portion of Silver and Gold-level ones, and a small number of Black Gold-level. No Legendary-level beasts have been spotted so far," the elder replied with a cupped-fist salute.

Hearing this, Ye Zong and the others let out a quiet breath of relief. A tide of a million beasts was something the City of Radiance could still manage to hold off, especially since no Legendary-level Demon Beasts had been detected. A Legendary-level beast would have spelled real trouble. Still, they couldn't afford to let their guard down—after all, this was a Demon Beast tide!

It was a force that had once obliterated countless empires and slaughtered uncountable numbers of powerful warriors, plunging human civilization into sudden decline. The City of Radiance itself had nearly been wiped out on countless occasions. They knew all too well how terrifying a beast tide could be.

"Sound the alarm bells immediately! Full city on high alert!" Ye Zong commanded in a deep, commanding voice.

Dong! Dong! Dong!