"Thunderstone... which grade is needed for the r?" Ye Qin pondered for a moment before asking.

"A Rank Eleven Thunderstone. I obtained this during my travels long ago from Leize Mountain.

The Three Odd Materials of Ice, Wind, and Thunder are far rarer than the Five Elements materials, and rarely found in the market," the Palace Master Zhou explained. "Even my Purple Sword Palace does not possess many of these.

I had intended to use them to forge Thunder-element flying swords for the disciples, but cultivators with Thunder Spirit Roots are exceedingly rare, so it has remained in the palace treasury unused. It is perfect for your use now that you can stabilize the Minor Three Odd Sword Array with the Grand Five Elements Sword Array..." Palace Master Zhou chuckled.

Zhou Yi, listening nearby, felt a pang of envy. If he hadn't possessed a Thunder Spirit Root, he would have certainly requested it from the Palace Master.

"Palace Master, how shall Brother Zhou and I participate in the battle?" Ye Qin considered, then spoke. The selection for the Sect Master position still had one final year remaining, so participating in the fighting for a year would not significantly impact his cultivation.

If Palace Master Zhou could secure the position of Northern Sect Master, it would bring immense benefits to Ye Qin, as long as he remained an Elder of the Purple Sword Palace, his interests would remain tied to the sect. "Recently, a small band of demon cultivators has been eyeing Stone City but has yet to make a move.

The Grand Elder suspects they might launch a probing attack soon to gauge Stone City's true strength. You two shall participate in defending the city and resisting the beast tide.

The risk in a siege defense is low; your primary task is to eradicate the demon beasts below the Ninth Rank and prevent them from damaging Stone City. Should anything unexpected occur, such as the demon cultivators engaging directly, the Nascent Soul Elders both inside and outside the city will provide immediate support..." Seeing Ye Qin's interest piqued, Palace Master Zhou smiled.

Hearing this assurance from Palace Master Zhou, Ye Qin finally felt at ease. With his current strength, even if he encountered a demon cultivator during the beast tide, he would not be instantly killed; he could hold out long enough for the Nascent Soul cultivators to arrive and support him.

Palace Master Zhou provided a few more details, after which Ye Qin took his leave to handle the transfer of duties. Ye Qin had to temporarily entrust the task of transporting war preparedness supplies to Zhou Yao and other core disciples.

The Blood Sea, Stone City on the desolate island. Night had fallen, utterly silent.

Within the tower atop the East City Gate. Ye Qin sat cross-legged in meditation on the tower.

Scattered around him were over twenty Golden Core mid-to-late stage cultivators from the Purple Sword Palace and allied palaces like Guangyu Palace, quietly practicing their cultivation techniques or contemplating their sword secrets and spells while standing guard over the eastern wall for the night shift. This group consisted of direct disciples from various Immortal Palaces and ordinary guest Golden Core cultivators.

Ye Qin held the highest status and was temporarily appointed the leader of this contingent of Golden Core cultivators. He had been on guard here for several days.

Most of the time, there was no fighting; they could only cultivate while waiting for an opportunity. Occasionally, they would gather to chat, discussing events from the Blood Sea battlefield—who had slain a high-ranking demon beast, who had recently achieved a breakthrough in their cultivation methods, and so on.

The Demon Slaying Rankings for Golden Core cultivators, issued by the two Great Immortal Alliances, were undoubtedly the topic that interested them the most. Most of this group of mid-to-late stage Golden Core cultivators had not managed to break into the top thousand; instead, they ranked within the top ten thousand.

They would point fingers at those who had surged into the top thousand of the Demon Slaying List, fiercely debating whose accomplishments they admired more or whose strength was superior—arguments that could last for hours without resolution. Many in the squad had heard from Zhou Dawu and the others about how they had slain Huo Zhentian on their journey here.

While surprised, they also felt a sense of regret. Given Ye Qin's strength, if he had entered the fighting several years earlier, he might have already ranked in the top hundred of the Demon Slaying List!

Ye Qin merely offered a faint smile, offering no comment. "Demon count..." Approaching dawn, Ye Qin's brow suddenly twitched.

From the distance of the island, faint, deep roars mingled with the sound of crashing waves. Large schools of sea beasts were moving about; even if constrained by the demon cultivators, they could not remain silent.

"Beast tide!" "Quick..." "Form up!" Immediately, the more experienced cultivators roared, and dozens of streams of flying sword light shot into the sky, instantly piercing the pitch-black heavens. Boom!

A beast tide composed of hundreds of mid-to-high-rank sea beasts erupted without warning. Sea beasts and avian demons swarmed from all directions, surging towards the island in a massive wave.

The colossal tide rolled in like a tsunami, reaching the island in moments and rushing toward the central Stone City. Ye Qin ascended into the air on his sword, looking out over the surrounding sea, and could not help but be moved.

Various shades of demonic energy, fierce winds, and beast roars swept over everything; the entire island trembled. Although Stone City was merely bait to draw out the enemy, and the Purple Sword Palace lacked the wealth to deploy a grand restrictive formation guarding the entire city, it was not a structure that could be easily breached by just any beast tide attack.

Stone City was surrounded by numerous simple, small formations set up by cultivators, designed to erupt as traps upon contact. As the beast tide surged forward, these formations, serving different purposes, were instantly triggered.

Ice explosions, wind vortexes, stone pillars, and swirling mists erupted, immediately inflicting damage on the beast tide and momentarily checking the momentum of the leading vanguard. The demon beasts caught in the formations roared in anger, charging, struggling, and evading as the main army of the tide, after a brief pause, pressed on toward Stone City.

"Kill..." The squad leaders guarding various directions saw this and issued their commands in unison. Nearly eighty beams of light leaped up from the city walls, quickly forming small teams and transforming into various streaks of colored light, charging towards the beast tide that flooded the hundred-mile stretch of island, attempting to prevent it from rapidly closing in on Stone City.

The two hundred Golden Core cultivators from the major Immortal Palaces, serving as the second and third waves of defense, remained entrenched on the four sides of the city, not yet deployed. The Nascent Soul cultivators from the Purple Sword Palace, both inside and outside Stone City, were each stationed at a vantage point, concealing their auras and observing the unfolding battle, making no sudden moves.

As long as the demon cultivators did not reveal themselves, these Nascent Soul cultivators would not engage lightly. These beast tides were left for the Golden Core cultivators to handle; the Nascent Soul cultivators were reserved specifically for demon cultivators—this was the established operational principle, partly to avoid snatching credit from the Golden Core cultivators.

Nascent Soul cultivators only accrued merit by slaying demon beasts of the Tenth Rank or higher; killing beasts below the Ninth Rank was ineffective for them, only counting for the Golden Core cultivators. Beyond the impact on the Golden Core Demon Slaying Ranking merits, the main reason was to avoid exposing their strength prematurely, allowing the demon cultivators to ascertain the number and power of the Nascent Soul cultivators, thus putting them at a disadvantage.

By remaining hidden, the Nascent Soul cultivators maintained a position of readiness. If any demon cultivator dared to emerge and attack the city, they could immediately join forces to slay it, serving as a significant deterrent.

The Golden Core cultivators had already clashed with the first wave of beasts, plunging into a chaotic melee. Ye Qin rode his flying sword, leading his squad of twenty Golden Core cultivators, appearing on the wilderness of the eastern island, engaging at the very forefront of the battle against the beast tide.

Every participating cultivator, including Ye Qin, wore a magical artifact capable of recording imagery, faithfully capturing everything happening around them, known as the "Flowing Shadow Mirror." Any cultivator ranking in the top thousand of the Golden Core Demon Slaying List was required not only to present the demon cores obtained from the beasts they slew but also to provide all the recorded killing footage from their Flowing Shadow Mirror as evidence for their earned merits. This was to prevent cheating, such as purchasing demon cores from others to attain a high ranking.

For rankings below the top thousand, providing the Flowing Shadow Mirror was optional since the ranking was less significant; simply submitting the demon cores to the two Great Immortal Alliances was sufficient to earn merit. The battle had just begun, and the situation was not yet critical.

Numerous sea beasts poured onto the island. However, the island spanned a hundred miles, and to attack Stone City, they still had to cross a long stretch of barren land.

The melee between nearly a hundred Golden Core cultivators and the hordes of demon beasts unfolded across this expanse of wilderness. Although the Golden Core cultivators numbered only around one hundred, they were all highly trained.

Through long-term coordination, they formed mutually supporting offensive and defensive squads, swiftly eliminating beasts and acquiring demon cores. Those who suffered severe injuries or excessive magical power depletion would immediately turn back toward Stone City for treatment and restoration.

And the subsequent echelon of Golden Core cultivators from Stone City would immediately fill the gap, flying to the front lines. Among these Golden Core cultivators, the Purple Sword Palace contingent was undoubtedly the strongest.

Their cultivators formed teams of five, aligning their flying swords based on elemental attributes to create the "Minor Five Elements Sword Array"—possessing strong defense and respectable offense. Other Immortal Palaces, like Jubao Palace and Guangyu Palace, also had their unique methods, resulting in the constant demise of demon beasts under their assault.

However, the smaller Immortal Palaces and affiliated rogue cultivators were not as formidable; they struggled in such large-scale engagements. They mostly moved in groups, offering mutual defense, barely managing to hold their ground, finding it difficult to aggressively hunt beasts and secure merits.

The strength of a single demon beast often surpassed that of an ordinary Golden Core cultivator of the same rank. At the level of Eighth Rank demon beasts, it often required the combined effort of several late-stage Golden Core cultivators to achieve a kill.

Only a very select few Golden Core cultivators ranked in the top thousand dared to operate alone to hunt beasts. Ye Qin's gaze swept over the wilderness ahead.

The first wave charging ashore from the sea consisted of just over a hundred Scarlet Water Demon Ox Beasts, ranging from Fifth to Ninth Rank. The Scarlet Water Demon Ox Beasts inhabited the sea islands, were skilled in water, possessed short, thick limbs, thick, plump hides, and a single nearly black horn on their heads.

This group of Scarlet Water Demon Ox Beasts had a strict hierarchy: at the very center was a Ninth Rank demon beast, the leader of the pack. Surrounded by over thirty Eighth and Seventh Rank beasts, with seventy or eighty Sixth and Fifth Rank low-rank beasts on the outer perimeter.

The beasts lowered their heads, their massive bodies shaking the ground, advancing unstoppably toward Stone City. Noticing the group of cultivators hovering in the sky, they halted and lifted their heads to roar angrily upward.

Their inability to fly was their greatest disadvantage. However, their black horns could shoot out streams of water arrows with far-reaching range, making them formidable foes.

It was unclear which sea island this pack originated from, but they had clearly been driven by demon cultivators to attack the city. "Elder Ye, it's a Scarlet Water Demon Ox Beast pack..." "These beasts excel at group charges.

A single charge from a pack like this, even with our formations, might not be able to hold them—they are quite troublesome!" "What should we do? Should we retreat to Stone City and fight them with the city behind us?" Upon seeing the Scarlet Water Demon Ox Beasts, the twenty cultivators in the squad slightly changed expression.

Fortunately, this was only an initial wave of land beasts, with no avian demons, which would have been even more troublesome. "Everyone, listen to my order—Kill!!" Ye Qin's gaze swept coldly over the beasts below, barking the command.

"Yes!" "Yes!" The cultivators exchanged glances, feeling a sense of dread, but on the battlefield, the leader's command was absolute. They forced themselves forward, leading the charge down toward the beast pack.

Ye Qin transformed into a streak of azure light and dove downward. Low-rank demon beasts held no value for Ye Qin's personal involvement.

His target was the Ninth Rank demon beast in the center of the horde. The herd of Scarlet Water Demon Ox Beasts on the ground stampeded forward, unleashing nearly a hundred water arrows toward the sky simultaneously.

In an instant, Ye Qin controlled five flying swords, trailing five-colored radiance, piercing directly through the curtain of water from the sky and plunging into the Scarlet Water Demon Ox Beast pack. The Grand Five Elements Sword Array blazed with intense light.

The next moment, he burst forth from the pack. Bang!

Under the horrified gaze of the assembled cultivators. The ferocious Ninth Rank Scarlet Water Demon Ox Beast at the center of the herd was pierced through by the five high-grade Primordial Spirit flying swords, collapsing onto the ground with a crash, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.

Having lost its leader, the Scarlet Water Demon Ox Beast pack descended into immediate chaos, engaging in a confused mêlée with the charging cultivators.