C52

Hearing the two words "Beast Upheaval", Lu Que and Zhuge Yan looked at each other, feeling extremely shocked in their hearts. Although both of them had never seen what the Beast Upheaval looked like, there were many records of it in the ancient texts. There were thirty-six records of the beast tide in the 'Secret History of the Green Wood'. Every time a beast tide occurred, it was no less than a natural disaster.

After the Flame Emperor established his first human empire, the Eastern Palace Clan of the Greenwood Continent had always called themselves the Flame Emperor. After the destruction of the Arrogant Flame Emperor's country, the Yan Clan established Da Li, Da Yin, Da Kun, Da Heng, Da Shang, Da Ming, Da Xuan, and seven other empires. Adding all of their efforts, there were a total of nine united dynasties. This was also the origin of the current empire's capital, Jiyuan City. Other than the current capital, Fragrant Sky city was the capital of the once famous empire, and Yan Yang City was the former capital of the Great Yan Empire.

In the past, the two words, Beast Upheaval, seemed to be associated with the Cyanwood Flame Clan. As one of the top three of the continent's nine ultimate worlds, the Beast Upheaval that didn't return to the mountain, cherish the lagoon, and the endless sea of grass would erupt once every hundred or so years. Almost every time it erupted, all life would be annihilated. Furthermore, the Great Yan Empire had been invaded and destroyed by the beast tide descending from the northern sea of grass. This had led to the destruction of the entire capital.

Since the establishment of the Everlasting Mountain, although there had never been any beast tide, there were still one hundred and fifty thousand mountain troops stationed in the mountain and shadow army. This was the reason why the mountain and shadow army were named after the county. On the surface, however, it would appear that the mountain and Yin Army's duty was to guard the Ming Quan Pass and intimidate the thirty-six countries of the sea. But Dhakan had never taken to heart the small countries that lived in the desert and had a population of less than a hundred thousand. The only mission of the Shadow Mountain Troops was to monitor the movements of the Unrecoverable Mountain and to prevent the beast tide that could happen at any time.

As for why they did not send troops to watch over the Endless Sea and the Serene Edge Swamp, that was because the Great Gan Empire was smaller than the Great Yan, Great Li, and Great Yin dynasties, which once unified the entire eastern part of the continent. The boundless sea of grass was currently within the three kingdoms of the Northern Grasslands, while the Serenity Pond was within the borders of Tianxin and Nanli in the south.

But even so, Da Gan still built strongholds and garrisoned heavy soldiers at the border. Especially Pan Shi and Rushing Thunder, the two massive legions with 300,000 troops were established. While guarding against the foreign countries, their main mission was still to defend against the possibility of a beast tide erupting.

Recalling the descriptions of the beast tide in the history books, it was simply the history of the Yan Clan's ancestors' blood. The scene of flying birds blotting out the sky, fierce beasts covering the mountains, and endless waves of strange beasts appearing. Lu Que and Zhuge Yan could not help but shudder at the terrifying sight of the beast tide advancing, meeting with the destruction of villages, cities, and kingdoms.

The two of them had never imagined that there would be a beast tide within the small world created by the painting of the Mountains and Seas. If that was the case, then it was understandable. Not to mention that he was only at the seventh level of the Blood Cave, even if he was at the seventh level of the Qi Cultivating Stage, he still wouldn't be able to withstand the violent beast tide. It was already considered excellent of him to be able to escape from the beast tide with his life.

"Brother Yun, when did the beast tide happen and where are they now?" After a while, Lu Que and Zhuge Yan regained their composure and asked at the same time.

When Yun Xian saw the two recover from their shock so quickly, there was not a single trace of fear on her face. A hint of admiration flashed across her eyes, "I might not be able to explain it well, but I'll draw it for you."

As he spoke, he sat up straight and drew out the sword on the side. He drew three concentric circles of different sizes on the ground with the tip of the sword.

Lu Que and Zhuge Yan looked at the three concentric rings on the ground. They didn't know whether it was because Cloudstrings had lost control of his wrist due to his injuries or because he had purposely drawn such a circle. There was actually a small gap. The two of them looked at him for a while, unable to understand what Yun Xian was drawing and looking at him in confusion.

Seeing their expressions, Yun Xing Si did not keep them in suspense and directly explained, "This outer circle's largest circle represents the entire small world in the painting. In the middle, there are three small mountain ranges, and the three mountains are roughly a circle, while the smallest circle is the lake in the middle."

Cloudstring pointed his sword at the empty space between the circle and said, "I call this place the outer valley of the mountains and the edge of the small world, and this valley between the mountains and the lake is called the inner valley. When I came here, it was to the outer valley and also where I met a beast tide. Luckily, I was at the edge of the beast tide and was injured, but I was still able to escape. "

"Did you encounter a beast tide in the outer valley?" Lu Que looked at the diagram on the ground for a while, "According to the books, the Beast Upheaval will destroy all humans and animals on the way. Brother Yun, forgive this little brother for being blunt, but since the beast tide has discovered you, even if you are at the periphery of the beast tide and have climbed over the mountains, there should still be many fierce beasts chasing after you. "

Yun Xing Si shook his head and said, "According to the records in the book, it is indeed true, but there is still some discrepancy between the situation here and what is written in the book. It took me a long time to finally climb over the cliff. Although those ferocious beasts walked through the forest as if it was flat ground, there is not much I could do about the sheer cliff. "

Speaking up to here, Yun Xing Si looked at Lu Que with a strange look, "Didn't you notice that in this small world, there are no large sized birds of prey?" Otherwise, your cave on the cliff is simply a natural nest of birds of prey. How could it be your turn to hide here? "

Lu Que thought about it and nodded his head. He had been worried about this problem when he had entered the cave. However, after checking for any claw marks or bird feathers and no other odors, he finally felt relieved. He had been facing the vast valley, but he did not see any large birds. Previously, he thought it was strange, but after listening to Yun Xing Si's explanation, he realized that there were no large birds of prey.

"Brother Yinsi, what is this hole?" Is it a valley between two mountain ranges? " Zhuge Yan pointed to the gap between the three mountain ranges in the middle and asked.

He said, "You are right, I have seen from a distance that there is a gap connecting the inner and outer valleys at the point where the two mountains intersect. If I'm not wrong, the beast tide in the outer valley should pass through this natural mountain path and enter the inner valley." Furthermore, after going through the accumulation of resources along the way, the size of the monster tide should be even larger than when I first saw it. "

"Brother Yinsi, then according to your estimation, when will the beast tide arrive?" Zhuge Yan asked.

Yun Xing Si frowned and thought for a while. He then said with uncertainty, "I can't say for sure either. If it's fast, then it's tonight. If it's slow, it should be tomorrow."

"Then isn't our situation very dangerous? The beast tide had already happened, did the three reverends not know? If they do not make a move, with our cultivation, staying here will be equivalent to suicide. " He had been forced by his grandfather to come here, and had never thought about becoming the next chief. Now that the beast tide was approaching, this already dangerous place was about to become a dead end.

"If this is the main event of the competition, then what is the real purpose of the Academy opening the Mountain Sea Painting?" Lu Que suddenly thought of something and said.

"What did you say?" How could this be? " Zhuge Yan gaped at Lu Que.

"Lu Que, what you're saying is that the question of the Academy is, who can last until the end under the circumstances of the beast tide, and who will be the new Chief? This monster tide is man-made? " Yun Fang Si was also shocked by Lu Que's words. If that was the case, not to mention the three of them, even if the sixty-four of them were to gather together, they would still be unable to deal with the overwhelming beast tide.

"He shouldn't be the only one. Before we left, the first one said that surviving here for fifteen days was only the first stage and there is still the second stage. However, he didn't say what the second stage is." Zhuge Yan added.

"I'm not talking about that." "Lu Que knew they were having second thoughts and shook his head." There must be a reason why the Mountain Sea Painting was sealed a hundred years ago, and there definitely was a reason why Chief Luo used the competition to restart the Mountain Sea Painting. "As for the reason?" Saying this, Lu Que stared unwaveringly at the simple map that Yun Xin had drawn. His right index finger and thumb were constantly rubbing the corners of his hunting coat as he tried to deduce the purpose of the first person, Luo Canglan, and even the intentions of his mother and uncle, the Emperor.

"Seal? Restart? " Hearing this, Zhuge Yan seemed to have thought of something. His mind raced as he constantly muttered these two words. His grandfather, Zhuge, was the head of the Phoenix Cry School before he became prime minister. He needed to know more about the secrets of the Nine University Palace than Lu Que and Cloud String.

Suddenly, Zhuge Yan's eyes lit up and he said loudly, "I know."

"Know what?" Perhaps because of the excessive consumption of his Qi and blood, his thoughts were not as agile as before. For the past few days, he had been thinking about the profound meaning behind this competition, but he did not know the main point, and no one could discuss about it. At this moment, he really wanted to hear what this prodigy of the Zhuge family had to say.

More than a hundred years ago, the last one to open the Mountain Sea Painting Volume was the Central Sun Academy. According to the history of the Nine University Palace, twelve students of the Central Sun Academy were killed that time.

"We all know that. And?"

Then, it was what I wanted to say, but what was not recorded in the "History of the Nine Great Academies" was that there were only twelve students of the Zhongyang Academy who participated in the chief competition. They all died in the Mountain and Sea Painting, and not a single one of them came out alive, which was the reason why the Mountain Sea Painting was banned. Now that I think about it, there must have been a beast tide in that small world where the Mountain Sea Painting was in. "

At this moment, Yun Xing Si understood what Zhuge Yan was about to say. She said, "Are you saying that the reason why our academy reopened the Mountain Sea Painting Sect this time around is to find out the reason for the beast tide?" This is the real reason why the Old Ancestor and the other two supreme experts also came in here together? "

"That's right." Zhuge Yan took out his fan and lightly patted his palm twice. Just as he was about to fan himself, he suddenly remembered the situation he was in and instantly lost his mood.

"Not just that." Lu Que, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up. He had been speculating about the whole matter when he suddenly thought of something he had read in a book in the Royal Book Collection Vault regarding the Mountain Sea Painting.

"Lu Que, what did you think of again?"

Lu Que saw the two of them looking at him and said, "For the past two hundred years, DaGan has been established. For the past hundred or more years, he has been using the Mountain Sea Painting Scroll to choose the champion, which also means that the Mountain Sea Painting Trial, and the Great Illusion Formation that we have yet to see, are of greater benefit to the students than harm. This is also why mother and the old prime minister allowed us to enter. "

Seeing Zhuge Yan nod, Lu Que hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Zhuge your previous speculation is correct. I have read in a secret manual in the royal library that not only did twelve students die, but several teachers of the school also died. In the end, only one seriously injured Human Realm Elder escaped. That Elder came out not long ago and died, leaving behind a sentence before he died."

"What do you mean?" Yun Xin and Zhuge Yan asked at the same time.

"The beast taming riot, the beast tide attacking."

"What?" Zhuge Yan cried out in alarm, her expression turning even uglier.

"No wonder." Yun Xing Si suddenly understood what was going on and mumbled.

After hearing Lu Que's words, the two of them finally understood why His Majesty had sent out three of his most respected experts this time around. Even the person in charge of the Imperial City – Yun Shu – was among them. The reason why they came was not only to protect these students, but also to deal with the Earth Stage guard beast.

Just like what Lu Que had just said, the benefits of the Mountain Sea Painting still outweighed the drawbacks for the students. Regardless of whether it was the fifteen days of survival or the training of the Great Illusionary Array, it was extremely difficult for the student's experience and mentality to improve in the face of danger. If the fifteen days of survival training were outside the borders, then finding a mountain would be no problem for them. After all, the Great Gan Region was a huge place.

However, the Great Illusory Heart Array is irreplaceable, every painting of the Mountain and Sea Realm was personally laid by the Emperor Yu Wenzu, the power of the Great Array is increased along with the individual's cultivation, be it the Blood Pot Realm, Qi Manipulation Realm, Spiritual Altar Realm, or Great Calamity Realm, as long as one can walk out from it, one's nature will be greatly improved.

From then on, the Great Formation of the Heart of Illusion had become extremely powerful, and even the Yu clan did not know how it was laid down. Only nine paintings of the Mountain and Sea Realm in the Nine Universities Palace remained.

It had to be known that in the Great Gan Empire, whether it was the imperial city's reverends or the academy elders, there were plenty of people who were stuck at the peak of the tribulation and could not advance an inch. Almost everyone tried all sorts of methods to break through to the human realm. In this sort of situation, the only choice they had was to refine their mind and comprehend the Dao through the Great Illusory Heart Array.

This time, the Phoenix's Cry School used the competition to restart the Mountain Sea Painting Sect. It was true that it had the intention of training the students. However, most of them wanted to see if it was as that supreme expert had said before he died. It was because of the upheaval caused by the beast tide. If that was the case, then he would seal and suppress that strange beast which was equivalent to the human realm. This way, the Great Illusory Heart Array would be able to be reactivated.

This way, those at the peak of the Great Calamity would be able to enter the Great Illusory Heart Array to survive the final calamity of the Great Calamity — Dao Heart Calamity. As long as one in ten successfully broke through, it would be a pleasant surprise to the entire Qiankun. This was the ultimate goal of Qian Huang Yu, Yuan Xu, Grand Princess Yu Chuqing, and the first Luo Canglan.

"But what about our safety? Now that the beast tide had occurred, it seemed that the language of the beast riots was true. Although there are three reverends here, they still have to deal with that strange beast that is protecting us. Can they really split their attention to take care of us? " As he understood everything, Zhuge Yan's expression turned even uglier. His grandfather, Zhuge Xingwen, was definitely aware of the beast wave coming to train his students, but he still reported his name to him. His little arms and legs were unable to bear the ferocious beasts that were even more violent than usual, and without the help of Yun Xing Si, who was at the edge of the beast wave, he was already injured to such an extent.

"I think the academy must still have some tricks up its sleeves." Lu Que could not understand why his mother insisted for him to come. In this situation, unless Little White, the Spirit Beast Master, was here, he would not be able to handle it with his cultivation. Thinking of Little White, Lu Que touched the jade cauldron hanging in front of his chest through his shirt. He had contacted Little White when he came here, but perhaps it was because he was in a small world and could not connect at all.

"With the academy's style of doing things, we should not have any backup plans. Everything will really depend on ourselves." He had been in Phoenix Cry School for three years and knew much more than Lu Que and Zhuge Yan. In addition to the fact that the academy valued the talent of the students, it also valued the spirit of the students. Letting them come here was already a dangerous experience, and they might really need to face the beast tide independently.

"Our cave is three or four meters away from the top of the cliff, and two hundred meters away from the bottom of the valley. We don't need to worry too much about the beast tide, as long as it doesn't pass over our heads, we won't be in any danger. "I'm worried about Duanmu and Qingyu, but they don't have any such caves to hide from. If they really encounter a beast tide and the Imperial City Guardian is restrained by a strange beast..." Lu Que didn't finish his sentence, but both Yun Xing and Zhuge Yan understood what he was trying to say.

"Then what should we do? The sky is already dark, and in such a dense forest, even if there weren't any ferocious beasts, it would still be very difficult for us to find them." Zhuge Yan said with a frown and a worried look on his face.

"I hope they can see the bonfire and get here tonight." Yun Xing Si also felt apprehensive. Among those people, there was Su Duo who was on good terms with him. If something really happened to him, Yun Xin wouldn't even dare to think about the consequences.

"There's one other way." Lu Que slowly took out a bamboo flute. He stroked the flute a few times and started playing.

"Wuwu ~" Lu Que took in a deep breath and the crisp sound of a flute could be heard one after another from the cave. It sounded like the cries of a phoenix resounding throughout the entire valley, resounding throughout the Silent Night Mountain Range. At this moment, Lu Que was playing the famous song "Phoenix's Song". He believed that if anyone else heard this, they would definitely rush over in their direction.