Chapter 17

In a towering mountain peak, the leaders of the Eighteen Cultivators Alliance had gathered.

Among them were prominent figures such as Grand Marshal Gu Fang of the Ninth Alliance and Grand Marshal Yang Yan of the Fifth Alliance, along with many other leaders from various alliances.

They sat around a long wooden table, on which a virtual screen hovered, displaying multiple small windows showing scenes of the beast tide.

Among the scenes were over a dozen fourth-rank beasts, their immense and overwhelming aura palpable even through the illusion screen.

"Since the blood rain, many third-rank beasts have broken through to the fourth rank, but our human alliance has yet to produce a single fourth-rank cultivator.

Now, with the beast tide raging, without a strategy to counter it, the human alliance is on the brink of destruction!"

Gu Fang gazed at the scenes before him, his expression particularly grim.

From the descent of the blood rain to the outbreak of the beast tide and the complete collapse of the front lines, it had only been seven or eight days.

In this brief span, decades of effort by the human alliance had turned to dust. The once-proud defensive formations were as fragile as paper against the fourth-rank beasts.

Those who were once deemed top-tier third-rank cultivators were utterly powerless against the fourth-rank beasts.

The gap between them was as vast as the heavens and the earth.

At this moment, an elder in a green robe spoke slowly.

"The advent of the blood rain has greatly increased the power of the beasts. Direct confrontation is now hopeless."

"From my perspective, the best strategy now is to temporarily avoid the edge."

These words came from Grand Marshal Ji Xuan of the First Alliance, the former leader of the Taihua Sect.

As soon as he spoke, the expressions of many around him changed.

Yang Yan responded solemnly, "Grand Marshal Ji, how do you propose we retreat? Furthermore, there are many common folk living behind the front lines. If our troops retreat, these people will surely become prey for the beasts."

"We cannot abandon the common folk. If we truly abandon them, the reputation of the alliance will be utterly destroyed."

"The priority now is to order the evacuation of the common folk. Each alliance should send out their cultivator armies to protect them, at any cost, to buy time for the human race to retreat."

"The direction of retreat should be centered around this location."

As Ji Xuan spoke, he gently cast a spell, and the virtual screen on the table transformed into a map of the alliance. He pointed to a specific spot, and everyone's gaze followed.

"The area in front of the Eighth Alliance is shielded by the Ten Thousand Mountains and is far from the sea. The beasts in the Eighth Alliance have long been cleared out, and despite the blood rain, the situation there hasn't changed much."

"If we can hold out in the Eighth Alliance, there might be a chance for survival!"

Ji Xuan's words caused some to furrow their brows.

Before he could finish, an elder of similar age to Ji Xuan, Grand Marshal Mu Chang of the Second Alliance, spoke up.

"Though the Eighth Alliance is far from the sea, the beasts have already landed, and the tide will eventually sweep across the entire human race."

"Even if we use the Eighth Alliance as a stronghold, the odds of success are slim. If the beast tide reaches the Eighth Alliance, we will have no escape route."

A complete evacuation to the Eighth Alliance, gathering all our forces there, is just a desperate measure that might bring short-term relief but no long-term solution.

Ji Xuan shook his head slightly, "The beast tide is already upon us. What we can do is delay it as much as possible. If someone can break through to the fourth rank, we might be able to resolve this crisis."

"Instead of dispersing our forces to fight the beasts, it's better to concentrate all our power. This way, at least we can hold out longer."

"Moreover, there is something you might not know. Not long ago, a secret realm opened in the Ten Thousand Mountains of the Ninth Alliance, and a mysterious ancient tree appeared within."

"This ancient tree's power is extraordinary. It not only killed a peak third-rank beast but also absorbed numerous other beasts without harming any living beings of the Ninth Alliance."

"I speculate that this mysterious ancient tree might have great goodwill towards the human race or deep hostility towards the beasts."

"If the alliance holds the Eighth Alliance, with the Ten Thousand Mountains as a barrier, the beast tide will first encounter the mountains. This mysterious ancient tree might be able to hold off the beast tide for a while, giving the human race time to recover."

As Ji Xuan spoke, he manipulated the virtual screen again to show the scene of the Ten Thousand Mountains. A towering ancient tree, majestic and awe-inspiring, came into view, its presence felt even through the screen.

Gu Fang's eyes gleamed as he heard this, "Grand Marshal Ji's plan to use the ancient tree to block the beast tide seems feasible."

"But there are many fourth-rank beasts in the tide, and while the ancient tree is strong, it might not be able to hold them off for long."

"Moreover, the beasts could bypass the Ten Thousand Mountains and directly attack the rear of the Eighth Alliance..."

Before Gu Fang could finish, Ji Xuan interrupted, "Though the strong beasts can drive the weaker ones, the beasts, in essence, lack high intelligence."

"To the beasts, they will sweep away any obstacles in their path, and they won't choose to bypass the Ten Thousand Mountains. The key is how long the mountains can hold them back."

Looking at the ancient tree on the screen, Ji Xuan felt a tinge of helplessness.

Based on the information and his observations, the ancient tree's cultivation was at most early fourth-rank.

To completely block the beast tide with such cultivation was unlikely.

Ji Xuan did not hope for the ancient tree to truly stop the beast tide but merely to delay it for a while.

What the human race needed most now was time.

Since the emergence of cultivators in this world, it had only been a few decades. Even without the aid of the blood rain, the human race had already produced peak third-rank cultivators.

Given enough time, the emergence of fourth-rank cultivators was inevitable.

However, with the beast tide surging forward, the human race could not hold out until then without assistance.

Therefore, Ji Xuan placed all his hopes on the ancient tree in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

"It seems there is no other solution but this," Yang Yan sighed.

The others understood that there was indeed no other option given the current situation.

Thus, the leaders of the alliances quickly disseminated the information and used magical artifacts to spread the message, ordering all non-Eighth Alliance humans to migrate to the Eighth Alliance.

At the same time, the alliances began mobilizing part of their cultivation armies to the front lines to hold off the beast tide and buy precious time for the evacuation.

After all, the evacuation of all non-Eighth Alliance people couldn't be completed in a short time. There had to be enough buffer time.