Starting From A Son In Law To Build An Long Lasting Family Chapter 1775: 451: Destroying the Three Demon Treasures, the Beast Tide Approaches! (part 3)

Though Lu Mengchan was naturally gentle and timid, her character had strengthened significantly with age.

Furthermore, being surrounded by Lu Linghe, Lu Baixi, and Meng Xiaochan had instilled a certain level of toughness within her.

Nevertheless, Meng Xiaochan could not help but shake her head slightly as she watched the way her daughter cast spells.

However, her mood improved when she observed Lu Baixi; the girl’s small face remained completely stoic and indifferent even as she used her jade harp to brutally smash her opponents.

While Lu Baixi was typically the most well-behaved and quiet of the group, she underwent a total transformation during sparring matches with Lu Linghe or when under fire, behaving more like a ferocious young demon beast.

...

The clock continued to tick away.

As the waves of the beast tide grew in both frequency and magnitude, the cultivators residing in Great Dream Marsh began to realize that something was terribly wrong.

This was no commonplace occurrence; it was a catastrophic, major beast tide of the sort seen only once a century!

In a disaster of this scale, the appearance of several Third Rank Demon Kings was a certainty!

Panic briefly gripped Great Dream Marsh, causing many cultivators who had arrived specifically to hunt demons and temper their skills to retreat toward the rear to wait out the storm.

Many islands that had originally intended to stand their ground changed their minds, choosing instead to request evacuations and reinforcements.

During this crisis, Great Dream Immortal City stood at the absolute vanguard of the marsh, bracing for a direct collision with the tide.

"Young City Lord, do your esteemed parents have a strategy in place?"

The Four Great Immortal Sects were well-versed in surviving these calamities. Recognizing the abnormal nature of this particular tide, the representatives of the Heavenly Sword Sect visited the City Lord Mansion to question Lu Lingxiao about their plans.

Even though the new City Lord and his wife possessed terrifying combat strength—having easily crushed Wanhu True Master when he challenged them two decades ago—the beast tide was a matter of life and death. If Great Dream Immortal City were to be breached or destroyed, the loss of life would be staggering.

"Master Huang, please remain calm. My father will personally intervene the moment a Third Rank Demon King shows itself."

Standing tall in a dark golden robe embroidered with dragon patterns, Lu Lingxiao projected an air of majestic authority, his voice resonating with power.

Even Master Huang, a False Core Immortal, found himself swayed by Lu Lingxiao’s presence, which felt like that of a Nine Heavens True Dragon; he instinctively placed his trust in the young man.

Recalling the two enigmatic City Lords and looking at Lu Lingxiao, Master Huang departed without further argument.

As a False Core Immortal of the Heavenly Sword Sect, he was well aware that this beast tide was actually a massive opportunity for Great Dream Immortal City to profit.

Throughout months of constant attacks, a staggering number of demon beasts had been slaughtered. Their hides, bones, and cores were flooded into the Immortal City, causing the market price of such materials to crash.

The City Lord Mansion had been the primary buyer of these bargain-priced resources.

Furthermore, because the City Lord Mansion had implemented a merit system that allowed loose cultivators to trade raw materials for rare Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, no other faction could hope to compete for the loot.

The two mysterious City Lords were actually anticipating the arrival of the Third Rank Demon King.

After all, the body of a Third Rank Demon King was a literal mountain of treasure.

Venturing into the heart of Great Dream Marsh to hunt such a creature was suicide.

However, if the Demon King came to the city, they could utilize the Third Rank Taboo Formation to strike it down. If things turned sour, they could simply retreat behind the city’s defenses without fear of being surrounded.

Once Master Huang had gone, Lu Lingxiao climbed the high tower of the City Lord Mansion as was his habit. His eyes erupted with a brilliant golden light as he peered into the distance toward the approaching tide.

He could just barely detect faint traces of malevolent Qi and invisible demon winds surging toward Great Dream Immortal City.

This was the Son of Heaven Qi Observation, a technique capable of sensing the veins of the earth, identifying weaknesses in divine techniques, and tracking the flow of magic power!

Through years of dedicated cultivation, he had finally begun to grasp its true nature.

He understood now that "observing" was not about sight, but about spiritual perception!

"The Way of Sincere Truth grants the power of foresight!"

To truly see through the illusions of the world, one had to first purge the filth from their own spirit.

Only a mind free of dust could reach the state of Unity of Heaven and Man, allowing for total insight into the universe.

He was still a long way from that level, yet even from a hundred miles away, his heightened perception allowed him to track the shifting flows of Qi.

"They are here."

Lu Lingxiao whispered, his expression turning grim. Within his eyes, his pupils seemed to shift like the rotation of the sun and moon, causing the very stars to fade from view.

He had spent every day recently monitoring the depths of the marsh to predict the tide's progression.

At this moment, he felt a crushing surge of demonic energy and wicked Qi!

It was the unmistakable aura of a Third Rank Demon King!

He immediately utilized the [Sun and Moon Token] to broadcast a warning: a Third Rank Demon King was imminent, and all personnel were to retreat behind the walls of Great Dream Immortal City.

He then issued formal orders from the City Lord Mansion before reporting the situation to his mother, Ling Zixiao.

...

Inside the Artifact Refinement Room.

"So, a Third Rank Demon King has finally decided to show its face?"

Lu Changsheng, who was still busy at the massive black-gold Treasure Forging Platform, smiled faintly when he received the report.

Glancing at the [Demon Binding Lock] he was currently forging, Lu Changsheng focused his mind. A snow-white pellet emerged from between his brows, glowing with a spiritual radiance before shifting into the form of a slender, handsome man.

Since it was only one Third Rank Demon King, there was no reason for him, the true City Master, to rush out personally.

Ever since his persona as Changsheng True Master had achieved Core Formation, he had avoided showing his strength in public.

However, as the Deputy City Lord, he was obligated to make an appearance now that the city was under siege.

Lu Changsheng commanded his Three Treasures Incarnation to exit the Alchemy Chamber and locate Lu Miaoge so they could assess the front lines together.

...

Ten days later.

The ancient and magnificent Great Dream Immortal City stood tall, its walls shimmering with the flowing lights of numerous defensive formations. Lu Changsheng, Lu Miaoge, Lu Lingxiao, Lu Qingshan, and a host of other cultivators had gathered at the ramparts.

From their vantage point, they could see endless waves of monsters rushing in from every direction.

This was the grand army of the beast tide, composed of countless monsters.

Creatures that usually spent their lives killing one another had united for a singular purpose: to destroy the Immortal City and the surrounding islands.

Fortunately, the city's early warning had ensured that very few demon hunters were left exposed in the wilderness.

Any Foundation Establishment or Qi Refinement cultivator caught in the path of such a tide would have been pulverized instantly.

"Look at the number of Blue Tide Demons! There are so many!"

"That massive shark... it looks like a Quasi-Third Rank beast. It’s on the very verge of becoming a Demon King!"

"And those are Illusionary Scaled Fish! They look beautiful, but they are incredibly toxic and can trap you in hallucinations..."

The cultivators atop the walls watched with grim faces as the most dangerous specimens of the tide came into view.

These were rare monsters that one might never see in a lifetime of hunting, yet here they were, gathered in terrifying numbers.

"Activate the Great Formation to maximum capacity! Gui Water Divine Thunder, fire!"

Lu Lingxiao commanded with a steady, solemn face. He took control of the formation’s offensive arrays, unleashing bolts of azure lightning that turned rows of demon beasts into charred husks, which he then collected.

The observers from the Four Great Immortal Sects and the other stationary cultivators weren't sure what to think of the scene.

It was strange enough that the two City Lords had yet to appear with the tide at their doorstep, but it was even more baffling that the city’s Third Rank Taboo Formation had been handed over to a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Was this a display of supreme confidence or absolute madness?

The presence of Lu Changsheng, Lu Miaoge, and Lu Qingshan was the only thing keeping them calm.

After all, regardless of the circumstances, those three were all Nascent Soul Immortals.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

As the Gui Water Divine Thunder continued its bombardment, the sea began to churn and boil, giving rise to gargantuan, terrifying waves.

Then, it happened.

"Roar!!!"

A series of earth-shattering roars blasted toward Great Dream Immortal City, sounding as if a thousand giants were screaming in unison. The sound formed a physical wave of sonic energy, creating a localized hurricane and tsunami.

The attacking demon beasts seemed simultaneously terrified and emboldened by the sound, charging toward the city walls with renewed, suicidal ferocity.

Even with the city's formations dampening the noise, the weaker cultivators on the walls felt their heads spin from the sheer force of the roars.

"Three Third Rank Demon Kings? One, two, three... how can there be so many!?"

"Where did all these Third Rank Demon Kings come from so suddenly?"

"Wait, there’s another one! That makes four Third Rank Demon Kings!"

As the oppressive and terrifying Qi filled the air and demonic energy blotted out the sky, the cultivators on the walls turned pale with fright, their voices trembling as they shouted in alarm.

A beast tide was supposed to build slowly, wave by wave.

It should not have reached its peak so quickly. The presence of four Third Rank Demon Kings this early was a dark omen—something was fundamentally wrong!