Chapter Sixty-Two: Earth · Beast Tide (IV)

“Phew, we survived!” The short man let out a sigh of relief as he cradled the rat-like beast in his arms. With this prize, the reward would surely be his!

“It’s not over yet! Everyone, up to the city walls—prepare to support the City Guard!” the burly captain commanded.

“Understood!” the others replied in unison.

Never mind that this minor beast tide was their own doing; after nearly a year of government-sponsored cultivation, none of them would abandon the townsfolk to their fate.

Soon, nine protective shields rose over the fortress—positioned at the four walls, resource centers, emergency survival zones, barracks, core artillery points, and the command center.

“Wind missiles, fire! Thundercloud missiles, stand by!”

Fifty missiles with blue warheads launched skyward. Thanks to rune enchantments, their cores were bound with wind energy. Upon detonating, rune arrays at the missile tips activated, unleashing the wind energy inside. This method ensured both the long-range strike power of missiles and the attack efficacy of talismans.

Blue whirlwinds erupted as fifty missiles detonated together, creating a ferocious wind zone above the town. The wild wind energy battered the bird-beasts, disrupting their formation.

Within their ranks, a bird-beast with half of its feathers blue cried out, and the storm began to weaken. But then, a second volley was unleashed.

Thundercloud missiles—true to their name—created a cloud brimming with lightning energy. The bird-beasts, already disordered by the wind, collided with the thundercloud; flashes of electricity and peals of thunder ensued.

The bodies of more than a dozen beasts rained down upon the town—the spoils of their two attacks.

“Ballistae ready! Strongbow unit, prepare!”

In less than five months, Earth’s civilization had produced its strongest modified weapons: rune bombs, such as the missiles just deployed. Low-grade pistols and grenades existed too, but their power was paltry. Most importantly, given equal materials, a sniper rifle cost more than a strongbow or heavy crossbow.

Now, three schools of thought emerged within humanity. The first favored a technology route powered by energy crystals, believing it a waste to abandon their technological foundations. With runes and spiritual energy replacing gunpowder and other fuels, it would be easy to rebuild the civilization’s tech tree.

The second advocated a full transformation into a cultivation-based society. The martial arts and Taoist techniques brought by Sun Meng had yielded clear benefits: enhanced physicality, great strength, and even prolonged lifespans—temptations too great to forsake.

The third group sought to improve existing technological weapons through enchantments, while prioritizing the development of high-power weapons and attack methods within a cultivation framework—the current model.

The first faction was mainly in European nations, the second in Asia (outside of China) and the Americas, and the third in China and Russia.

At least in cold weaponry, development had reached the level of previous technological arms, which was key to maintaining societal stability.

Special rune ballistae possessed enough power to instantly kill all but highly defensive beasts below late stage Tier One, and were especially devastating to bird-beasts.

This attack brought down hundreds of Tier One mid-stage and lower beasts from the sky. Yet after this, Tier Two bird-beasts dispersed the storm and thundercloud entirely. The first stage of battle was over; the reckless assaults driven by rage were done. Next would be the coordinated strikes led by Tier Two beasts.

A piercing cry shattered the sky. The previously panicked bird-beasts below Tier Two rallied around their leader, reforming their ranks. A stable field of spiritual energy enveloped the formation, making it resemble a giant bird soaring above the town.

With a screech, hundreds of wind blades swept down, blanketing the base. The protective shields rippled under the onslaught, while unshielded areas were effortlessly shredded into ruins.

After this attack, only the nine shielded zones remained intact in the town.

“Have the energy absorption data been logged? Order the civilian mercenary groups to prepare their own strikes. Strongbow unit, ready legion attack!”

The Tier Two bird-beasts overhead naturally noticed the surviving areas after their assault. Driven by an instinct to annihilate all traces of human civilization, they prepared a second attack.

But the human legion’s counterstrike had arrived.

Scarlet cloud energy shaped like missiles, resembling swords, shot toward the bird swarm. Massive blue blades descended from the sky, and the two forces collided.

At that moment, a hidden arrow embedded in the cloud attack struck the sole Tier Two bird-beast in the eye, piercing its brain. The ensuing burst of energy obliterated its head.

Without a powerful leader to guide them, the blue blades scattered first, followed by the formation itself. Before the bird-beasts could flee, the explosion from the red cloud attack caught them.

The bodies of monster birds fell like rain. Scattered but potent attacks from the four walls picked off those unable to escape, leaving another batch behind.

The bird-beasts that escaped didn’t truly leave; they would lurk on the outskirts of the mountain forests, launching frenzied attacks on anyone who approached. But without a Tier Two commander, their strikes were purely suicidal. For mid-level teams, this was their favorite time—they could always profit greatly from such opportunities.

Capital City, Core Laboratory.

“News just in: a total of 108 Tier Two town fortresses have suffered small beast tide attacks. The cause is still being investigated. But all reports share a common trait: discovery of new beast types, seemingly not entirely hostile to humans.”

Xu Xiao said, “Send all beast data here at once. If possible, deliver the corpses as well. Didn’t we just break through the teleportation array to send non-living things? Let’s use it for this. The next communication with the participants is approaching. Based on previous predictions, the first real challenge of this trial is imminent. This is a critical opportunity—we must ensure the participants gain enough resources to break through to late Tier Two, bringing a spiritual energy surge to Earth. Only then can we overcome the current bottleneck.”

A month before the assessment, he had been promoted from advisor to project leader, second only to the nation’s top officials. In fact, his priority in communicating with Sun Meng surpassed even the national leaders—most importantly, he was the world’s first to enter mid Tier Two.

Yes, not the publicly announced “half-step Tier Two,” but truly mid Tier Two. His manifestation was peculiar—a crystal sphere-like object—which allowed him to expend spiritual power to roughly sense global energy fluctuations. This was how China knew he was the only mid Tier Two individual worldwide.

The emergency meeting dissolved. Orders dispatched, Xu Xiao returned to his private quarters and donned a focus device of his own creation. Notably, it was powered by crystals, inscribed with arrays, and forged from special materials—the second device rated at mid Tier Two.

“Search memory bank. Time range: within 24 hours. Energy burst at mid Tier Two level. Attribute: fire, yang. Duration: no more than ten seconds. Begin search…”