196: Chapter 196: Beast Tide

After shaking off the three great Yao Race Venerables, Xiao Ran headed straight toward the direction of Li Changsheng and Su Qinghan without a moment's delay.

"Based on the aura, they should be right around here."

Xiao Ran accelerated while checking his GPS navigation.

Sure enough, a few hundred zhang ahead, the figures of Li Changsheng and Su Qinghan were clearly visible.

At this moment, Li Changsheng's green robe was tattered, and he was covered in blood, yet his steps remained steady.

Su Qinghan's white clothes were stained with blood, her left arm hanging limp. She was being supported by Li Changsheng, her steps floating as if she were walking on cotton.

Her face was frighteningly pale, and her lips were purple—a sign that the toxins were spreading.

It was clear that Su Qinghan's injuries were much more severe than Li Changsheng's.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran was about to speed up and rush over to meet them.

Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble, and the sound of countless Yao Beasts stampeding swept over.

The sound came from afar, moving closer and closer, like muffled thunder rolling across the wilderness.

Xiao Ran's expression changed instantly, and he looked up.

In the distance, a massive, dark cloud was sweeping toward them.

It was dense and overwhelming, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Xiao Ran squinted to look closer. What the hell, that wasn't a dark cloud! It was a beast tide composed of the Yao Race.

Within the beast tide were poisonous scorpions several zhang long, their tail hooks raised high, venom dripping onto the ground and corroding small pits.

There were pitch-black centipedes, their hundred legs moving in unison with extreme speed, leaving deep gullies in their wake.

There were giant lizards covered in scales, opening their blood-red maws to reveal mouths full of sharp teeth.

At this moment, their eyes were blood-red, radiating a frenzied aura.

Xiao Ran could tell at a glance that this was a sign of being driven by a Demon Venerable.

A beast tide. Xiao Ran's pupils constricted.

At the very forefront of the beast tide, one giant Yao Beast was particularly eye-catching.

It was a giant insect with a dark purple body, ten zhang long, covered in a hard carapace.

The carapace was covered in ferocious barbs, each one like a short spear, glinting coldly under the sunlight.

Its head resembled a beetle magnified countless times, with a pair of huge pincer-like mouthparts. On its back grew two pairs of transparent wings, which emitted a buzzing roar when flapped.

Insectoid Demon Venerable, Peak Soul Transformation Stage.

It led the beast tide, surging forward like a flood. Wherever it passed, the ground collapsed, and the air was filled with a thick, fishy stench.

Bad. Xiao Ran's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly sent a message to Li Changsheng through the Soul link.

"Changsheng! There's a beast tide! Run!"

Li Changsheng also saw the beast tide. Without a word, he pulled Su Qinghan and ran in another direction.

But the beast tide was too fast and too wide; they couldn't escape it at all.

Those Yao Beasts seemed to be driven by some force, charging forward recklessly, not even caring if their companions were trampled to death.

Within a few breaths, the beast tide separated the three of them. Li Changsheng was surrounded by a group of Yao Beasts.

He gritted his teeth, his clear Qi transforming into countless Sword Qi that shot out in all directions like a rainstorm. Wherever the Sword Qi passed, Yao Beasts fell one after another.

But the Yao Beasts behind immediately filled the gaps; there was simply no end to them.

While fighting, he shouted through the Soul link.

"Xiao Ran, Second Senior Sister and I have been separated. I'm in decent condition, hurry and save Su Qinghan! She's injured and won't last long!"

Xiao Ran's voice came through. "Hold on, I'll come find you once I save her!"

At this critical moment, neither of them hesitated, and both made their decisions instantly.

After Li Changsheng finished speaking, he didn't reply because another wave of Yao Beasts had pounced on him.

He gripped his sword and took a deep breath, his clear Qi forming a protective barrier around him. The Yao Beasts collided with the barrier and were bounced off.

"Come on! Come on!"

Li Changsheng roared, slashing down with his sword to cleave a pouncing poisonous scorpion in half.

Subsequently, streaks of Sword Qi frenziedly reaped the lives of the Yao Race within the beast tide.

Fortunately, the System he Awakened wasn't a Killing System, otherwise, he would have already achieved a Breakthrough in who knows how many Realms by now.

On the other side, Xiao Ran was currently rushing toward Su Qinghan's direction.

Su Qinghan had been swept to another direction by the beast tide. Her left arm had completely lost sensation, and the toxins were eroding her Meridians like little snakes slithering through her body.

Her spiritual power was also nearly exhausted, so she could only barely swing her sword to fend off the pouncing Yao Beasts.

Every sword swing felt as heavy as wielding a mountain.

A poisonous scorpion pounced, its tail hook raised high with green venom dripping from it. Su Qinghan gritted her teeth and severed the tail hook with one strike.

The poisonous scorpion, feeling the pain, frantically waved its remaining claws. One of the claws grazed her arm, leaving a deep bloody mark.

Su Qinghan let out a muffled groan as blood gushed out, staining her sleeve red.

But another centipede bit at her from the side, its speed as fast as a bolt of black lightning. Su Qinghan couldn't dodge in time and was bitten on her right arm.

She felt a sharp pain in her right arm, as if it were being clamped by iron pliers. But at this moment, Su Qinghan didn't care; she simply thrust her sword through the centipede's skull.

The centipede struggled a few times before releasing its grip and collapsing limply onto the ground. Su Qinghan's right arm now had two more bloody holes, with blood gushing out.

She knelt on one knee, gasping for air. Sweat mixed with blood dripped onto the ground, quickly absorbed by the dry wilderness.

The surrounding Yao Beasts gathered in greater numbers, surrounding her in a large circle. They weren't in a hurry to attack, as if they were waiting for something.

Perhaps they were waiting for Su Qinghan to exhaust her last bit of strength, or perhaps they were waiting for their leader to come and harvest the spoils of war.

"Am I going to die here?" She smiled bitterly in her heart.

In her mind, a figure suddenly flashed. Xiao Ran.

The person who fought side-by-side with her on the Ancient Battlefield. The person who had been entangled with her for an entire night in the underground palace.

That night, she had been struck by a love curse, her consciousness blurred; she only remembered his scorching body temperature and strong embrace.

"If he were here, would he come to save me?" An absurd thought popped into Su Qinghan's mind again.

She shook her head, casting this ridiculous thought out of her mind. Rather than thinking about such nonsense, it was better to kill a few more of the Yao Race.

Killing one is enough to break even, killing two is a profit.

Thus, Su Qinghan gripped her sword again and struggled to stand up. "Even if I die, I'll drag a few more down with me."

The Yao Race seemed to sense Su Qinghan's will to resist and immediately pounced on her one by one.