Every beast tide was a nightmare, and the
Outside the City Lord's grand hall.
The experts from each family had been dispatched to various sections of the city walls. Only the Sacred Family's delegation remained.
Shen Hong smiled at Ye Zong and said, "I didn't expect the City of Radiance to face another beast tide. As members of the City of Radiance, for its safety, our Sacred Family naturally won't shy away from any hardship. I wonder what the City Lord has in mind for us?"
"Have the other Sacred Family experts defend the northern wall. However, I'd like Brother Shen to come with me — we'll go to the southern wall together to oversee the defense. How about that?" Ye Zong narrowed his eyes slightly, watching Shen Hong.
With the beast tide approaching, who knew what schemes Shen Hong might cook up? If that man slipped out of sight, Ye Zong would naturally be very uneasy.
"I'm willing to serve the City Lord," Shen Hong replied with a congenial smile. How could he not know what Ye Zong was thinking?
"Then let's go, Brother Shen."
"After you, City Lord!"
There were still five hours before the beast tide arrived. Over a thousand Warriors, under Nie Li's command, were digging nonstop outside the city. With the tide imminent, everyone was extremely tense, their movements swift and efficient.
"What is Nie Li trying to do?" Lu Piao was thoroughly puzzled. The Warriors were digging everywhere, turning the ground into a pockmarked mess, but these pits would be completely useless against powerful Wind Snow Demon Beasts.
"Whatever Nie Li is trying to do, we just follow along!" Du Ze picked up a shovel and kept turning over the soil.
The City Guard soldiers on the wall periodically peered down at the field below, unable to understand what Nie Li and the others were doing. All they could see was that two deep trenches had been carved along both flanks of the city, with a group of people pouring oil-like liquid into them. The ground ahead had been excavated into an uneven landscape, covered with tens of thousands of fist-sized holes.
Another group had felled several thousand Bright Bamboos, shaved the front ends to sharp points, and fashioned them into spear-like stakes, then filled certain hollow segments with some kind of substance.
In addition, a number of Alchemists had rushed in from various locations, each carrying bucket after bucket of potions and reagents.
"What are these people doing?"
"No idea — completely baffled!"
"What kind of potions are in those buckets? Why pour them into those holes?"
"Who knows!"
The City Guard soldiers stationed on the wall chattered curiously about Nie Li and the others' activities, momentarily pushing back the dread of the approaching beast tide.
Time ticked by second by second, and the fear in their hearts deepened, for they knew the beast tide was about to arrive. Batches of experts from every major family swarmed onto the walls, providing some measure of comfort.
The City of Radiance's weathered ramparts looked ever grayer in the darkness, pressing down on everyone's hearts with an inexplicable heaviness.
Countless predecessors had fallen on these very walls, their blood spilled across every brick and stone.
Generation after generation, they had fought without cease against the Demon Beasts. No one knew when the terrifying beast tide would come, and no one knew whether the last land they depended on for survival would be swallowed whole.
Below the wall, the thousand-plus Warriors were still hard at work. Though not particularly powerful, they were highly efficient at these tasks. The final result far exceeded Nie Li's expectations — he even arranged for additional fortifications beyond the original plan.
While Nie Li was busy below,
On the wall, Ye Zong, Shen Hong, and the other top-tier experts had all arrived. The City Guard soldiers, seeing Ye Zong standing tall and immovable against the wind like a rooted mountain, felt inexplicably reassured. In their hearts, Ye Zong was a godlike figure — second only to Lord
Ye Zong, Shen Hong, and
"What's going on?" Ye Zong looked toward Ye Xiu.
Ye Xiu glanced sideways at Shen Hong and shook his head. "I'm not sure either."
Ye Zong immediately realized — all of this was almost certainly Nie Li's doing. Only Nie Li would come up with such bizarre schemes.
Shen Hong stared downward, thoroughly baffled. "The beast tide is about to arrive, and these fools are doing what? What good could any of this do? Do they think these things can stop an army of Demon Beasts? Utterly absurd!"
Ye Zong and Ye Xiu didn't bother refuting him. Nie Li was already doing it, so they would simply watch. There was no need to argue with Shen Hong.
The heads of the various families, for their part, seemed considerably more tolerant.
"Well, the beast tide is coming regardless — doing something is better than doing nothing!" the Sacred Nether Family patriarch said with a smile.
"It's all for nothing. Defeating a beast tide takes real strength — fists are what speak!" Shen Hong declared with an arrogant sneer. He had always been deeply dissatisfied with Ye Zong's methods, and he was certain the preparations below must have been Ye Zong's arrangements. He dismissed the whole thing with contempt.