28: Chapter 28 Beast Shepherd Mountain!

Day broke, and Cangshi Valley was permeated with the smell of scorched earth and blood.

In last night's battle, over seven hundred Cultivators were killed on the front lines, more than five hundred were seriously injured, and those with minor injuries were countless.

The defensive line of three thousand Cultivators had lost nearly thirty percent in a single night!

The most tragic were the Loose Cultivators in the front row, who were originally brought in just to make up the numbers and fill the gaps; they were hit by a wave of the Yao tide, with most dead or injured, and not even a few complete corpses could be recovered.

Sun Boan squatted outside the camp tent, watching the corpses covered in white cloth being carried past on stretchers, his face pale and defeated.

"How about our side?"

"Seven Immortal Slaves were injured, two seriously, but all are still alive," Sun Kezheng whispered. "A few people from the eight minor families under our command were also injured."

"Fortunately, thanks to the Old Ancestor's protection, not a single person perished."

Sun Boan let out a long breath and glanced toward the camp tent. His heart immediately felt as steady as Mount Tai. Having an Old Ancestor was good; an Old Ancestor could handle things!

Even if he did nothing, as long as he was here, Sun Boan's heart would be at peace.

At this time, in the main tent of Cangshi Valley.

White Cloud Temple had summoned the Foundation Establishment Cultivator of various families to discuss matters, and Shi Jian had also received the summons.

He swayed his massive body as he walked into the tent. Over twenty Foundation Establishment Cultivator had already arrived, and the atmosphere was quite heavy...

The main seat was empty. Three Late Foundation Establishment Stage Elders of White Cloud Temple sat on the left side, their expressions extremely unsightly.

Shi Jian found a corner to lie down, looking as if none of this concerned him.

"Everyone, you all saw the situation of last night's battle."

The speaker was Daoist Yun Du, the Chief Elder of White Cloud Temple, who was at the Peak of the Late Foundation Establishment Stage. It was said that he had already stepped halfway across the threshold of the Golden Core.

"The Yao Beasts have retreated, but they haven't gone far."

"According to reports from our Sect's Disciples, the main force of the beast tide is still entrenched on the outskirts of the Dafeng Mountains and could attack the camp again at any time."

A commotion broke out in the tent.

A middle-aged Cultivator, his face now looking extremely grim, said, "Elder Daoist Yun Du, last night's Formation support was delayed by a full quarter-hour."

"My Chen Clan of Heqing County lost seventeen clansmen last night alone. There must be an explanation for this..."

"The battlefield changes in an instant; the deployment of Formations takes time."

Daoist Yun Du remained expressionless and sighed slightly.

"Time?"

The Cultivator immediately sneered. "A defensive line of three thousand people couldn't even withstand the first wave of impact. Is it a problem with the Formation, or..."

He hadn't finished his sentence.

A sharp shout suddenly came from outside the tent: "Temple Master of Baiyun, where is Zhao Qing!"

The voice was like heavenly thunder, and the aura was like a mountain, carrying a terrifying pressure far exceeding Foundation Establishment as it crushed down from the heavens!

The sky twisted, and the clouds gathered into a vortex.

The Cultivators in the tent all changed color simultaneously. Several with lower cultivation could not stand steadily on the spot, teacups on the tables shattered one after another, and the tent walls flapped loudly.

Shi Jian's vertical pupils shrank suddenly; he was all too familiar with this pressure.

A Golden Core Master had descended upon this place!

The tent was blown away directly, and a gray light of flight landed in the center of the camp. As the light dissipated, an old man wearing a Purple-Gold Daoist Robe appeared.

His hair and beard were all white, and his face was stern and old-fashioned.

With his hands behind his back, his gaze swept over the crowd as if looking down at a group of lowly ants. It wasn't that he looked down on them, but that he didn't care about them at all!

Daoist Yun Du and the other two were the first to stand up, their faces looking extremely grim as they all bowed:

"Juniors pay respects to Immortal Master Luan Yuan of the Shangqing Sect!"

Shangqing Sect.

Shi Jian's ears twitched slightly; this name was truly thunderous to the ears.

It was the superior Sect of White Cloud Temple, a great Nascent Soul Sect with several Nascent Soul True Monarchs, and one of the three major Nascent Soul powers in the cultivation world of the Wei State!

Baiyun Prefecture was merely a small territory under the jurisdiction of the Shangqing Sect. To put it bluntly, White Cloud Temple was just a dog watching the place for others.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the tent all paid their respects, some faster and some slower, but no one dared to be negligent. Shi Jian also stood up, lowering his head and cupping his front paws, pretending to be submissive.

Immortal Master Luan Yuan's gaze swept over Shi Jian for a moment and then immediately moved on.

Just a Foundation Establishment Yao Beast with an unremarkable Bloodline; other than looking a bit intelligent, it didn't even have the qualification to be noticed by him.

"Where is Zhao Qing?"

Luan Yuan's tone was flat, but every word carried a thousand pounds of pressure. This wasn't a metaphor, but a real, tangible feeling of facing a mountain!

Sweat broke out on Daoist Yun Du's forehead. "Reporting to the Immortal Master, the Temple Master... his old injuries flared up, and he is currently in closed-door cultivation within the Sect to heal, so he could not come."

"Old injuries?"

Immortal Master Luan Yuan sneered, his tone carrying no concealment at all: "Twenty years ago, this fellow failed to break through to the Middle Stage of the Golden Core and damaged his Foundation."

"Before those injuries healed, he took risks to hunt Yao Beasts, resulting in injury upon injury."

"His Lifespan has been reduced significantly; he's kept this matter quite a secret."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a deathly silence in the tent.

Shi Jian's eyelids didn't even twitch.

As expected, it was similar to his initial judgment, but he hadn't expected Zhao Qing to be so suicidal as to fail a breakthrough to the Middle Stage of the Golden Core.

With a damaged Foundation, he then rushed to hunt Yao Beasts, ultimately leading to a greatly reduced Lifespan. He was truly a talent of his generation!

No wonder he was in such a hurry to recruit combat power, and no wonder the conscription order was issued so hastily.

This old Daoist probably wouldn't last more than a few years.

"The Dafeng Mountains."

Immortal Master Luan Yuan's gaze turned to Daoist Yun Du, his tone suddenly turning ice-cold. "They are the beast-taming land of our Shangqing Sect, and in previous years, things were mostly peaceful."

"The Yao Beast Spiritual Materials your White Cloud Temple submits every year account for twenty percent of the Shangqing Sect's tributes. Now that a beast tide riot has occurred..."

"An entire county has been slaughtered, and two Foundation Establishment families have perished because of it, leading to a shortage in spiritual taxes. You've caused such a huge mess..."

"Is this a failure of duty, or a dereliction of duty?"

The spines of Daoist Yun Du and the other two were almost bent to the ground.

Failure of duty meant a fine and demotion. Dereliction of duty meant the destruction of the Sect and the confiscation of all property.

A single word's difference was like the distance between heaven and earth.

"Immortal Master, please judge clearly!" Daoist Yun Du's voice trembled. "A Level 5 Yao General was suddenly born in the Dafeng Mountains; this matter was sudden..."

"Yao General?"

"A Mushou Mountain that has been kept for three hundred years, and under your noses, a Yao General was actually raised?"

"Tell this seat, how has White Cloud Temple been patrolling the mountains during these three hundred years? How have you been controlling the Yao Beast populations?"

"The mountain clearing order that occurs every fifty years—how was it executed?"

Daoist Yun Du opened his mouth but could not speak.

Shi Jian listened silently in the corner, his mind racing.

Mushou Mountain.

He only knew before that there were many Yao Beasts in the Dafeng Mountains and that various forces were intertwined, but he had never thought that this mountain range itself was actually a pasture for the Human Race...

Regularly slaughtered for materials, regularly cleared to control the population...

No different from raising pigs.

And he, Shi Jian, who had transformed into a Yao in Mingqiu Mountain and was almost killed by a passing Loose Cultivator, was just one of the livestock in this pasture.

An indescribable feeling welled up in Shi Jian's heart, but on the surface, he remained dull and even let out a yawn.

"The Sect's meaning is very clear."

Immortal Master Luan Yuan threw out a Jade Slip, which landed on the table with a thud. "Within three months, quell the beast tide."

"Within half a year, complete a full mountain clearing and kill every Yao Beast of Level 3 or higher in the Dafeng Mountains!"

"As for that Yao General..."

"The Sect will send another Immortal Master to assist, but the main force will still be borne by White Cloud Temple itself. Consider this an opportunity to redeem yourselves through service."

"If the beast tide is not quelled after three months..."

He didn't finish, but everyone understood the consequences...

White Cloud Temple would be wiped from the map of Baiyun Prefecture, its entire Legacy would perish, turning into a wisp of dust.

Daoist Yun Du and the other two responded in unison, their voices hoarse.

Immortal Master Luan Yuan didn't even look at them; he turned and transformed into a light of flight, soaring away. The whole visit took less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

It was as if the air had been sucked out of the tent; for a long time, no one spoke.

It wasn't until Daoist Yun Du straightened his back and scanned the crowd that he spoke, his voice carrying a fierce edge amidst the exhaustion: "Did you all hear clearly?

"The mountain clearing order has been issued. Within three months, no conscripted Family is allowed to withdraw!"

"In three days, each Family will enter the Dafeng Mountains according to their units to wipe out all Yao Beasts of Level 3 and above. Eighty percent of the captured Spiritual Materials will be handed over to White Cloud Temple, and twenty percent will be distributed by the families themselves..."

"Those with merit will be rewarded, and those who shrink from battle—"

"Will be executed!"

Silence filled the tent.

After the meeting adjourned, Shi Jian slowly walked out of the main tent. The wind blew from the direction of the Dafeng Mountains, carrying the unique fishy-sweet scent of the deep forest.

Shi Jian took a deep breath.

Clearing the mountain.

What they were killing were Yao Beasts; what they were clearing were his kin.

And he, Shi Jian, a genuine native bear Yao, was about to lead Human Race Cultivators to kill his way back to the home where he had first transformed.

If he didn't go, it would be a defiance of orders.

White Cloud Temple was currently looking for a scapegoat; they would likely be the first to use him as a sacrifice to the flag!

If he did go, once he ran into familiar Yao Beasts in the mountains or was swept by the Divine Sense of that Yao General...

Then it wouldn't just be a matter of defying orders.

He would be a traitor loathed by all Yao Beasts, even if that wasn't Shi Jian's intention...