As Lu Yuan hurried toward Mount Hua, he happened upon news that a massive beast tide had erupted in the South Sea. Hearing this, Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned. The South Sea Immortal Sect was situated within the South Sea, a region described as boundless, with no one having yet charted its true extent. Rumor held that the deep ocean teemed with all manner of monstrous beasts, while the far reaches hosted infinite exotic creatures, perhaps even the presence of divine beasts. For the South Sea Immortal Sect, located relatively close to the main continent, it was unthinkable to send its people to challenge the monsters, exotic beasts, and potential divine beasts of the deep ocean and the far reaches. Fortunately, these deep-sea creatures rarely ventured near the sect’s territory, but occasionally, they were struck by a beast tide. And what then, if a beast tide struck?

The South Sea Immortal Sect possessed a treasure safeguarding its legacy: the Sea-Transforming, Eye-Suppressing, Flowing-Spring Pagoda. This artifact, burdened with an exceedingly long name, served one singular purpose: should a beast tide erupt, it would conceal the entire South Sea Immortal Sect. This very treasure was the foundation of the sect’s enduring presence in the South Sea. Evidently, the South Sea Immortal Sect was preparing to deploy the Sea-Transforming, Eye-Suppressing, Flowing-Spring Pagoda once more, meaning they would be unable to offer support to Mount Hua for a considerable time.

Qingcheng and Kunlun, the two other major sects, were fully occupied dealing with the Yuan Kingdom to the west.

The Wudang Immortal Sect was blockaded by Fang Xie, the Radiant Demon Emperor, and Jing Huanzhen, the Dark Demon Emperor, rendering any reinforcement impossible.

Thus, the situation had devolved into a one-on-one confrontation.

The Mount Hua Immortal Sect against the forces of the Eastern Demon.

Upon hearing this news, Lu Yuan pressed his journey toward Mount Hua with greater speed, though he mused along the way that the entirety of Mount Hua was now encircled by the hundred thousand demons and devils marshaled by the Eastern Demon’s subordinates. He suspected entering would be difficult, given the legions of formidable experts among the demons. Rumor held that the Eastern Demon commanded Four Great Demon Kings, Five Great Demon Marquises, and Ten Great Elders.

Among these Four Great Demon Kings was the Scarlet-Winged Demon King, the very entity who had once grievously wounded his master.

The former Snake Elder among the Ten Great Elders was the one who had betrayed his master—though he was ultimately executed by his master's own hand.

How, then, was he to return to Mount Hua? Before he even reached the territory of Jiangyin Prefecture, he learned of a gathering point—a nexus controlled by the Mount Hua Immortal Sect. Disciples and elders who gathered there would immediately utilize a pre-arranged teleportation array to reach the mountain. Clearly, Mount Hua had long anticipated the scenario where its disciples and elders abroad could not return while the sect was besieged. After all, Mount Hua had stood for five millennia, producing brilliant talents generation after generation. If they lacked even basic preparations for such emergencies, the sect would hardly deserve its name, and its past luminaries might as well have committed suicide.

Just as he was contemplating the dilemma of reaching Mount Hua, luck delivered a pillow to his head.

After passing through the teleportation array, he finally stood on Mount Hua once more.

Returning now, the feeling was utterly different from before.

Mount Hua had already erected its protective Mountain Ward Array.

Normally, this array was merely present, rarely activated. Each time one passed beneath it, seven-colored streams of light were visible, yet looking down from the mountain offered no obstruction whatsoever. Now, however, the Mountain Ward Array was fully deployed. From atop Mount Hua, the outside sky and everything beyond were utterly obscured. The seven-colored restrictions blanketed the heavens, interspersed with countless flashes of light, manifesting in an array of runes, myriad restrictive techniques, and intersecting lines that twisted, pulled, and merged into colossal, imposing visages.

In the sky, upon the seven-colored restrictions, five immense visages were formed.

In the east, countless runes and restrictive patterns coalesced into the image of a rising sun, hanging high in that direction.

To the south, the dense runes and restrictions formed the visage of endless clouds and mist.

To the west, these potent lines shaped themselves into the gaze of a Thousand Li Purple Haze.

In the north, it resembled the south—countless clouds and mist—but with greater cloud density and less fog, looking like a rolling tide spanning a thousand leagues.

And in the center materialized the eye depicting a graceful sword-dancing maiden.

The Mount Hua Mountain Ward Array was finally active.

Lu Yuan craned his neck, gazing upon the massive array, and let out a sharp breath. He had assumed he would never witness the activation of the Mount Hua Mountain Ward Array in his lifetime, as it was so seldom engaged. Yet here he was, seeing it during such a crisis. This array surely contained hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of restrictions. If it were merely the quantity of restrictions, that would be one thing, but the complication was that these myriad formations had already fused into a single, organic whole. Lu Yuan stood on the North Peak, filled with awe. Truly, masters of the Dao were behind this construction.

Upon reaching the North Peak, Lu Yuan noted that the atmosphere on Mount Hua was not overly tense. As the foremost immortal sect of the Jin Kingdom, panic was not easily sown here. Although the Demon Saint Emperor, the Eastern Demon, and his host had arrived at the base of the mountain, the general consensus was that they were little more than a nuisance, utterly incapable of overcoming the Mount Hua Immortal Sect. They fully expected the invaders would eventually suffer a heavy defeat and meekly retreat to the underworld. This was the self-possession of Mount Hua, the bedrock of the foremost immortal sect. If Qingcheng or Kunlun were thus besieged, they would likely have descended into chaos long ago. Lu Yuan was currently on the North Peak with Ye Fang and Ye Yuan. The three found a vantage point overlooking the valley. The Mountain Ward Array shielded the entirety of Mount Hua tightly, yet it preserved certain observation points through which one could view the scene below. Lu Yuan looked out and immediately started.

"Tsk, tsk! This is truly extraordinary."

At the foot of Mount Hua, outside the protection of the Mountain Ward Array, the sheer number of demons and devils was beyond imagining.

Lu Yuan peered down to see rank upon rank of demons, row after endless row, the quantity truly unimaginable. Merely observing them was enough to cause a chill in the heart. Fortunately, Lu Yuan’s courage had always been substantial, and having slain numerous demons, he was not overly concerned. Moreover, the demons below were of every conceivable kind.

The largest contingents belonged to the Asura Clan, the Earth Demon Clan, the Sand Demon Clan, the Yaksha Clan, and the Cave-Dwelling Spider-Men. These five major races constituted the greatest numbers, but unfortunately, they were inherently difficult to cultivate into high-ranking demons. The most populous races were the lower-tier demon species, creating an awkward situation. Currently, as far as the eye could see, the Asura Clan warriors were uniformly equipped with gleaming bone blades, their formations extremely precise, causing a palpable sense of dread. The Earth Demon Clan and Sand Demon Clan specialized in Earth-elemental magic, presenting a formidable sight where they stood, but in truth, these two races exhibited far greater might beneath the earth than on the surface, where their power was considerably diminished. The Yaksha Clan, divided into Fire Yakshas, Water Yakshas, and others, were natural masters of spellcraft. Their amassed numbers created a resounding spectacle. The Cave-Dwelling Spider-Men, each monstrous in appearance, wielded eight weapons apiece, promising immense force should they engage in a direct charge.

The higher-tier demon races included the Fox Clan, Cat Clan, Serpent Clan, and Bat Clan. These appeared rarely but, when present, were always of an exceedingly high caliber. It was from this stratum that the so-called Ten Great Elders, Five Great Demon Marquises, and Four Great Demon Kings generally originated.

Then there were the Royal Clans among the demons. The original forms of these royals were long forgotten. From birth, they resembled humans in appearance but were incomparably beautiful, and their cultivation speed was extraordinarily rapid. The Demon Emperors and Demon Sovereigns were almost exclusively drawn from these Royal Clans. At this moment, Mount Hua was encircled by an army of several hundred thousand demons.

Meanwhile, Mount Hua was convening a mobilization assembly.

The Sect Master, Chu Duan, who could cleave the heavens with a single sword stroke, stood on the high ground of the East Peak and roared, “This time, the Eastern Demon dares to lead his host to attack our Mount Hua—he simply does not know the immensity of heaven and earth; he seeks only his own demise! Did they truly believe the title of Jin Kingdom’s First Immortal Sect was mere rhetoric? Very well, if that is how they choose to play, we shall give them a satisfying fight!”

“This time, we must deliver a crushing blow to the forces of the Eastern Demon!”

A chorus of approval rose from below. The elders and disciples of Mount Hua felt no fear; their fighting spirit surged. The very first immortal sect of the Jin Kingdom was being assaulted—this was an immense insult to their pride, and they could not let it stand unanswered. Lu Yuan stood among the throng, and hearing the shouts of those around him, he too felt a rush of hot blood. “Since it has begun, then let us fight a proper battle!” Chu Duan bellowed. “There will certainly be injuries this time, perhaps even deaths, but all of that is inconsequential. We will defend our Mount Hua ourselves!”

“Furthermore, we have established a reward mechanism. We have activated the Zhou Tian Yi artifact. This device can calculate the quantity and quality of demons slain by each of you on the battlefield, standardizing the measure to derive your final achievement score. Those who achieve significant merit on the field will receive immense rewards, including spirit beasts of the Exotic Beast rank.”

This announcement immediately prompted cheers from many elders. Spirit beasts of the Exotic Beast rank were even more exceptional than those of the Giant Beast rank. Even with Lu Yuan’s considerable wealth, he possessed no Exotic Beast level spirit beast. Yet, here they were, offering even those as rewards.

“After repelling the demons, the spoils left behind by the enemy will also be largely distributed as rewards to everyone.” This was yet another incentive mechanism. The casualties among the demons in this battle would undoubtedly be staggering, meaning the spoils would accumulate to astronomical levels, and now all of it was being offered as reward. This completely galvanized the crowd. Chu Duan, it must be said, understood the human heart perfectly.

First, he appealed to the history and inherent fortitude of Mount Hua, the prestige of being the Jin Kingdom’s foremost immortal sect, motivating everyone to fight the demons to the death. Then, he immediately followed up with a promise of extraordinarily lavish rewards to incentivize them. Coupled with his powerful confidence in his words, it made everyone feel that victory was assured. Lu Yuan was also deeply moved. So many rewards, so much resource—and he required vast amounts of resources to ascend to the Ninth Level of Longevity and beyond.