At this moment, those equipped with divine crossbows were no longer limited to the Divine Crossbow Battalion. Almost everyone carried bows or war crossbows as secondary weapons. Tens of thousands of war crossbows simultaneously unleashed their deadly shafts—sharp enough to annihilate any flood of beasts.
Like a void shrouded by dark clouds, the sky was suddenly torn open by a massive rift.
The corpses of the ferocious birds fell like raindrops.
As they fell, at the moment of death, a trace of their essence blood transformed into blood energy, which the Beast Soul Pills ravenously devoured. The scene was eerie—causing the Beast Soul Pills to glow with even more vivid colors in the void, shifting from illusory to tangible, exuding a strange fragrance. Humans could not detect this scent, but to the ferocious beasts and birds, it held a deadly allure.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The carcasses of the ferocious birds rained down, and most of their flesh and blood was naturally absorbed and refined by the Iron-Blood Great Wall, turning into pitch-black bricks that mixed with the blood-red wall. As the Great Wall expanded once more, it instantly grew even larger.
Only the feathers of those ferocious birds were preserved.
These feathers were excellent materials for forging weapons—perfect for crafting war arrows or even other magical artifacts and divine weapons, including swords.
The parts preserved were the most valuable. This portion was small enough not to give other ferocious beasts a chance to rush the Great Wall, yet after the battle ended, a large batch of spoils could be harvested.
Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!
Archers drew their bows and shot arrows.
Bowmen and crossbowmen continuously launched volley after volley of crossbow bolts. Infused with true Qi, these bolts naturally exploded with devastating power. Dense as rain, they filled the void. Against the ferocious birds, their kill rate was nearly 100%, never missing.
Arrows like rain, blood like rain!
Even the few that slipped through were torn apart by the Golden Roc and the Green Sovereign, shredded into pieces.
"So many ferocious birds—quite a powerful beast tide. But most of these are only first-tier beasts. This alone cannot break through the defenses of Xuanhuang Town. The town's 100,000-strong army is a force of tigers and wolves. Equipped with divine crossbows and white-bone war bows, volleying simultaneously, they form a barrier of arrow rain. Unless this defense breaks, there is no way to threaten Xuanhuang Town."
Ye Zhiqiu's face was calm.
Wave after wave of ferocious birds swept forward but fell under the hail of arrows. They perished, and when they hit the ground, their flesh was consumed, their blood energy plundered.
The ferocious birds in the void could not advance even half a step past the Iron-Blood Great Wall. Their bodies and flesh were even turned into nutrients for the Great Wall, becoming part of it.
"If the scale is only this big, unless ammunition runs out, or arrows and bolts are depleted, it's impossible to break through. However, to unleash maximum power, the arrows must be infused with true Qi. Although the soldiers have made great progress in cultivation, maintaining abundant true Qi is difficult. Early on, their assaults are unstoppable, but as the fight drags on, sustaining power becomes harder."
The Flower Monk showed a trace of solemnity.
The scariest part of the beast tide was not the ferocious beasts themselves, but the endless, continuous assault—like a dam breaking, unstoppable. Any force in its path would be shattered.
This was terrifying.
Wave after wave of attacks. The ferocious birds in the sky never even got close to swooping down before being shot dead.
Rumble!
A loud roar!
On the ground, a massive horde of beasts with blood-red eyes charged fiercely across the land, desperate to push forward. They had to rush on, for if they stopped, the beasts behind would trample them to a pulp—no remnants left.
"Rune bombs, throw them!"
"Talismans, launch!"
Orders echoed from the city walls.
When the beasts were still several hundred yards away, a command was given, and countless rune bombs rained down like raindrops onto the beast tide.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Lights of ice and fire flashed as they exploded, colliding and unleashing world-destroying power. Thousands upon thousands of rune bombs detonated simultaneously, their destructive force multiplying rapidly.
In that instant, the world outside the Iron-Blood Great Wall became a realm of ice and fire. Like waves, the blasts swept through the tide, rapidly spreading. Wherever they hit, large numbers of ferocious beasts were blown to pieces, their flesh shredded. Some were frozen solid, others burned to ashes.
The scene was truly horrifying.
Tens of thousands of ferocious beasts perished simultaneously.
Even the stronger beasts with powerful bloodlines within the tide were forcibly killed by the rampaging rune bombs. And the moment they fell, the Iron-Blood Great Wall immediately absorbed their bodies and blood, turning them into nutrients, expanding the wall's range even further.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Talismans activated spells—fireballs, wind blades, ice arrows—raining down like a storm on the beast tide.
Once again, huge numbers of ferocious beasts fell.
"Prepare the ballistae, fire!"
The ballistae roared as giant bolts tore through the sky, flashing with divine light. Their power was enough to destroy and pierce everything, shining with golden armor-piercing force. Each bolt seemed like a divine spear sent from the heavens, piercing all and tearing the void apart.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Giant bolts pierced through massive ferocious beasts, causing some to explode on impact, their bodies continuously pierced forward, unleashing a cascade of broken beast corpses.
One bolt could sweep across a large area, piercing over a dozen beasts, most killed instantly.
The destructive power of these ballistae was staggering.
Dense volleys of ballista bolts rained down.
Beast after beast collapsed beneath the onslaught.
"These are all first-tier ferocious beasts. If it's a true beast tide, it won't be only first-tier beasts—stronger beasts will appear," Wu Yong said slowly, shaking his feather fan.
First-tier beasts naturally posed no real threat to Xuanhuang Town, no matter how many there were.
Faced with a well-trained army equipped with various war weapons, they could only fall in droves.
Vast amounts of blood, flesh, and bones instantly became part of the Iron-Blood Great Wall's foundation.
In just a brief moment, the Great Wall's length had already expanded by at least half compared to before. If the beast tide was only at this level, it was merely delivering food to Xuanhuang Town.
Even among the tide, though many beasts had bloodline powers, in such a massive herd, they had no time to unleash them and were quickly blown apart by the dense arrow rain and rune bombs.
"It won't be that simple. Any true beast tide sees first-tier beasts as mere cannon fodder. Even at the dawn of the Eternal Continent, some beasts with strong bloodlines began to emerge. Within the beast tide, king-level ferocious beasts will definitely appear. That will be the true test."
Yi Tianxing shook his head, looking at the Beast Soul Pill in the void. It seemed to be turning more solid, emitting faint crimson divine light. No one knew how strong its attraction was, but one thing was certain—this was just the beginning, not the end.
"My lord, as the Iron-Blood Great Wall keeps expanding and the wall space grows, extending the defense range, I suggest withdrawing some soldiers from the wall temporarily and replacing them with townsfolk, issuing them divine crossbows for defense. This way, soldiers can rest and rotate shifts, increasing endurance."
Jia Xu pondered briefly before making the suggestion.
"Approved!"
Yi Tianxing nodded silently and agreed.
The townsfolk of Xuanhuang could become an armed population in times of need. Now, many townsfolk with some cultivation were appearing continuously on the walls. Though not rigorously trained, using divine crossbows against the dense beast tide required no aiming skill—anyone, even a blind person, could hit their target. To the beasts and ferocious birds, they were no different from regular soldiers.
Moreover, most townsfolk had seen blood and were not afraid to fight ferocious beasts. Their mental resilience was solid—they were the perfect reserve forces.
"All townsfolk on the walls can receive a divine crossbow, with plenty of bolts to support the army. Regular soldiers will guide one-on-one. Withdraw 40,000 soldiers to rest on standby."
Yang Ye received the order and decisively commanded.
He too had sensed the terror of the beast tide—not in their strength, but their relentless, never-ending assault. Even gods could be exhausted by such an endless onslaught. Only by rotating shifts could they endure longer.
Under strict discipline, 40,000 troops immediately pulled back, standing firm on the walls while silently cultivating. Using the dense Iron-Blood killing aura on the battlefield, they rapidly condensed true Qi. On the battlefield, cultivation advances faster than usual—opening meridians and strengthening true Qi several to dozens of times quicker.
No one spoke, each seizing every moment to restore true Qi.
Meanwhile, the townsfolk silently lifted their divine crossbows and began assisting in defense.
Woof! Woof!
Suddenly, a harsh, unpleasant dog howl echoed through the void.
"Huh? What is that? The howl sounds just like mine."
The Green Sovereign froze, staring in surprise toward the distance.
Though it was a dog's bark, it was hoarse, grating, and piercing—causing irritation upon hearing.
At that moment, in the distance, boundless darkness seemed to surge forward. A pair of jet-black wings, as dark as ink, spread wide enough to blot out the sun and sky. Looking closer, a glossy black dog head appeared.