Chapter 242: A Descent Like a God

Qingling County was a small nation with a population of only ten million, incomparable to those great dynasties with hundreds of millions or even billions of people.

There was no imperial palace here, only a county lord, a leader tasked with protecting the safety of Qingling County.

Qingling County lay thousands of miles from the Qin Divine Dynasty, in an awkward location. Though rich in resources, the hidden dangers here were great.

To the left was a vast river, to the right a perilous region.

Ordinarily bustling with activity, Qingling County now seemed panicked. On the streets, commoners hurriedly moved their belongings, while large numbers of armored guards, holding cold weapons, wore solemn expressions tinged with worry.

It was not the arrival of some evil person, nor a natural disaster, but the beast tide that came once every ten years.

Yet Qingling County, which had stood for centuries, naturally had ways to resist the beast tide. But this time, they had no confidence at all.

"My lord... the evacuation of the people is too slow; we may not make it in time." On the city wall, a soldier spoke with a worried expression.

This soldier's cultivation was actually at the peak of the Innate realm. For a soldier in an ordinary city to have such cultivation was not bad—without systematic teaching or sufficient resources, everything depended on oneself.

"We must ensure the safety of the people." Beside the soldier stood a dignified middle-aged man, the county lord of Qingling County.

His cultivation was at the early stage of the Divine realm.

"My lord, I understand. I wonder when the reinforcements from the various sects will arrive." The soldier Xiao Lie asked.

"They came yesterday." The county lord's eyes flickered with helplessness.

"They came? That's good. We have great hope of repelling this beast tide." Xiao Lie's face lit up.

"Xiao Lie, Qingling County may not survive this time. You must protect the people and ensure their safe escape. I will hold the line with the soldiers until the end." The county lord, Xiao Lihai, said.

Xiao Lie's expression changed; he sensed something amiss. He had served the county lord for over a decade and could read his every look. But now, the county lord's tone carried a sense of resignation to death.

"My lord, this..."

Xiao Lihai waved his hand decisively and let out a bitter laugh. "Those sect people, upon learning that this beast tide was unusual, have already fled to save their own skins."

"How is that possible? My lord, don't the sects have any experts?" Xiao Lie exclaimed.

"Do you think those sect people would protect us mortals? Every beast tide, the sect disciples who come are ordinary ones, yet they act arrogantly in Qingling County. Now that the beast tide is beyond their ability to handle, they have long since fled to save themselves. As for the sect experts, they couldn't care less." Xiao Lihai said with self-mockery.

It was all fate.

But for some reason, the beast tide grew stronger each time.

At that very moment, a loud boom came from afar.

The sky split and the earth cracked; winds and clouds shifted.

The retreating people were all filled with terror.

"The beast tide is coming..."

"The beast tide is coming! Those in front, hurry up!"

...

"You, go escort the people and evacuate through the south gate by water." Xiao Lie ordered a nearby soldier sternly.

"Yes!"

"My lord, as long as the city stands, we stand; if the city falls, we die." Xiao Lie said.

"Good... good. Everyone, prepare fire arrows and watch for aerial attacks." The county lord Xiao Lihai gave calm and composed orders. This time, he had no full confidence in repelling the beast tide, but he had to ensure the people's safe departure. Even if he died in the end, it would be worth it.

The soldiers guarding the city wall stared at the gray, rolling beast tide ahead, their eyes shining with determination.

"Brothers, cheer up! These beasts may be strong, but if we unite, we will be invincible!" Xiao Lie shouted.

"Invincible!" The soldiers on the city wall cried out, unafraid of death.

...

The beast tide swept in like a thunderstorm, charging from afar.

No one knew how the beast tide formed. The only thing known was that wherever a city was built, a beast tide would inevitably strike, as if these beasts sought to annihilate humanity.

And these beast tides seemed to be directed by someone. For instance, Qingling County was only a small city, so the attacking beasts were not very strong. But after several tides, the beasts grew increasingly powerful, as if determined to destroy Qingling County.

"Fire!" At that moment, Xiao Lihai, who had been watching the front, roared.

Whoosh, whoosh...

Ten thousand streaks of fire dyed the sky red. A rain of arrows blotted out the sun, hurtling toward the beast tide.

"Clang, clang..."

The ordinary arrows struck the beasts, producing a crisp sound, unable to break their defenses.

But the flames carried by each arrow set the entire ground ablaze, raising a wave of fire.

Some weaker beasts roared in the sea of fire, while stronger ones ignored it, trampling over the bodies of the weaker beasts as they charged forward.

"Watch the skies!"

At that moment, the sky turned gray as flocks of flying beasts descended.

As time passed, the defense against the beast tide reached its peak.

Just then, the soldier who had been escorting the people away ran back in panic. "My lord, it's bad! There are beasts in the river too; all our boats have been destroyed."

"What?"

Xiao Lihai, who had just slain an eagle beast, changed expression, his face full of disbelief. Then his eyes dimmed. It was over. Everything was over.

The people trapped in the city wailed, wept, and broke down. Faced with death, everyone collapsed.

Even the wealthy merchants, sitting atop their fortunes, howled in despair.

...

"My lord, look over there!"

At that moment, Xiao Lie pointed toward the beast tide and shouted in alarm.

Xiao Lihai focused his gaze and his expression changed. Amid the beast tide, a humanoid beast wreathed in flames appeared like a tyrant.

The surrounding beasts all parted to make way. The humanoid beast was as tall as the city wall, like a flame demon, with eight long flaming tails trailing behind it. Its crimson demon eyes burned with blazing fire.

"Roar!"

The humanoid beast let out a roar. The powerful sound waves sent soldiers clutching their ears and falling to the ground in agony.

Xiao Lihai looked at the scene before him and lost all hope. This beast was beyond anything they could handle, beyond anything they could imagine.

According to the records of beast tides over the past few centuries, the strongest beast had only been at the Divine realm.

But the aura of this beast far surpassed that of Divine realm beasts. Could it be at the Lesser Heavenly realm, like a celestial being?

Xiao Lihai's body trembled slightly. He turned to look at the wailing crowd, clenching his fists in unwillingness.

"Thump... thump."

The towering humanoid flame beast strode forward, each step shaking the soul. Its sharp teeth gleamed with a cold, eerie light, seizing the hearts of all.

"My lord, we have done our best." Xiao Lie, now covered in wounds and having narrowly escaped death multiple times, saw that there was no turning the tide.

Xiao Lihai's heart was filled with resentment. Why had the sects refused to help? If even one expert had come, all this could have been prevented.

Tens of millions of people were but a drop in the ocean to Donglingzhou, a single grain in the vast sea. Even if they were wiped out, no one would notice.

After all, they were just mortals.

...

Just as everyone had lost hope, a strange phenomenon appeared in the sky. A sigh came from the heavens.

"Ah..."

Everyone was astonished, lifting their heads to gaze into the fathomless void.

Xiao Lihai looked into the void, trembling with excitement.

That was... that was...

A god...