Chapter 240: The First Commotion Brought by the Emergence of the Demon Race

Amid the verdant jungle, black shadows flickered now, and even the ground rumbled like a bursting mountain flood, leaves rustling in response, as if war drums were beating, striking straight at everyone's hearts.

Following the wild boar were actually countless animals!

These animals spread across the mountains and fields, boundless, with no end in sight.

This, this is a beast tide!

I fear all the living creatures of this mountain range have gathered here—hares, monkeys, weasels, wild boars, wild wolves and more—pouring out from all directions with thunderous roars.

Everyone's faces turned ashen, their mouths practically able to hold an egg.

How can there be so many animals?

These animals move incredibly fast, and with their huge numbers they sweep through like icy bulldozers, trampling countless plants wherever they go.

No wonder they felt the ground shake violently earlier, with even stones flying up—it's all because of this herd.

What are you standing there for? Run quick!

Someone in the troop let out a heart‑rending shout, snapping the others to their senses; without a word they turned and fled, as if ready to leap into rebirth in the netherworld.

The beast tide is terrifying; even if the beasts have no intent to attack, being swept away by it would leave them no better off than a thicket, and they might truly end up seeing King Yama.

While fleeing, the soldiers hastily took out their walkie‑talkies.

Calling Mount Hua Command: the latest situation on the mountain—large numbers of wild beasts have appeared! Requesting reinforcement!

The researchers who had earlier insisted everything was normal now turned deathly pale, trembling as they fled.

These people usually just tinker in labs; they've never seen such a scene.

How could Mount Hua have a beast tide?

Why have all these wild beasts gathered together?

Countless doubts rose in their minds, but now is not the time to ponder them.

Countless animals came like a vast black cloud spreading outward, the air reeking of a wild‑beast musk that even masked the usual crisp scent of pine.

How could human legs possibly outrun the four legs of beasts?

And worse was yet to come.

Suddenly a shadow fell from above, the light dimming; though it was daytime, it felt like night.

How did it suddenly turn dark!

With a startled cry, wingbeats sounded overhead and a whooshing wind blew, making everyone shiver; the sudden gloom turned the panicked crowd even more fearful.

In midair countless birds and wheeled creatures circled, their wings beating like a gale sweeping the land.

So many birds blocked the sunlight, creating the darkness; looking up, people saw only countless wings and eyes the size of mung beans.

For a moment their scalps tingled and they felt a creepy chill.

Just how many birds would it take to blot out the sky?

We can't escape! There's no way out!

The mountains and fields are overrun with beasts—we're done for; today we'll meet our end here.

The soldiers were still okay—they were trained—but the researchers, hardly exercised, had reached their limit after running this far.

The Captain in charge of this operation suddenly had an idea and said, "Let's climb the trees! There might still be a chance!"

Hearing that, everyone's eyes lit up with hope; in dire straits potential is unleashed, and with the beast tide right at their heels they all scrambled up the nearest trees like agile monkeys, climbing up in no time.

Mount Hua lacks nothing but trees; if the beast tide engulfed them they'd have no chance of survival, but up in the trees there might still be hope.

These trees grow extremely tall, towering ancient trunks that can easily bear several adults; plus their rough bark gives good grip, and there are plenty of broken branches around, so climbing them is not hard.

The dark beast tide surged, covering heaven and earth, advancing with fierce momentum, making the very ground tremble.

Throughout the thicket rose the roars of beasts and the flapping of birds' wings, filling their ears like a symphony of death.

Hardly had they climbed when the beast tide arrived the next second; a delay of just one more second would have torn them apart, so they gripped the branches tightly, legs trembling, fearing to fall.

Looking down at the black beast tide, countless wild beasts streamed past beneath the trees, their fur bristling like steel needles, their sharp fangs flashing cold light, and their savage snouts.

They only felt a chill down their spines; the beast tide seemed endless, with countless beasts flowing past below, but fortunately the animals appeared uninterested in them and didn't notice anyone in the trees.

We should be safe now.

I guess so.

What's going on with these beasts? They're acting like they've gone mad, all gathered here.

Who knows.

Everyone reluctantly eased their breath, yet they dared not act rashly; the beast tide was massive, and no one knew when it would end—even if the people at Mountain Base got their distress call, help would likely not arrive in time.

What astonished everyone most was where these beasts had come from!

The beast tide surged forward, its passage mighty, shaking earth and moving mountains.

Even on Mount Hua's summit, someone stared agape at the black river flowing below.

Amitabha.

The monks in the temple began chanting the Buddha's name; they were the first to sense the anomaly, and even when the beast tide first stirred they heard a rumbling roar.

But nobody paid it much thought, assuming it was just thunder, feeling only a bit odd.

After all, in broad daylight how could there be thunder? They wondered if they'd misheard.

Soon the sound grew louder, and the monks quickly realized something was wrong, until they saw distant mountains and forests kicking up vast clouds of dust, with countless birds wheeling in midair.

What, what is this.

Many monks stepped out of the temple to gaze at the distant scene, and the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.

Next, a thin black line streaked into their view, quickly thickening; once they realized what it was, everyone stared in shock.

It was a beast tide formed from countless wild beasts!

Black waves rose to the heavens, covering sky and earth; the beast tide's reach was not just land but also air, a solid mass of birds.

Innumerable living beings turned into a black torrent, surging between heaven and earth.

The monks looked at the scene before them and were completely dumbfounded.

"Magnificent Mountain has undergone a huge change; quickly return and inform the abbot!"

"Everyone go to the temple and shut the gate!"

"We can't stay outside!"

The beast tide came with overwhelming force, completely beyond their ability to resist; even before it arrived, they felt a savage, primordial aura rushing toward them.

The monks hurried back into the temple, tightly shut the door, and even fetched things to reinforce it.

After a moment, the commotion outside grew louder, but the monks inside the temple turned deathly pale, silent as the grave, not even daring to breathe.

Accompanied by a tremendous roar, countless wild beasts bellowed on all sides, as if an army of thousands were coming.

Outside, the sky was even more thick with dark clouds, tens of thousands of birds blocking the light, a scene like the end of the world.

Through the gaps in the doors and windows one could see countless beasts, and amidst this black beast tide, the one in the middle was especially distinct.

Its whole body was covered in golden fur that swayed in the wind, as if forged from gold, radiant and shining, clearly different from the surrounding beasts.

Moreover, a clear space surrounded it, with no beast daring to disturb or offend it.

"Ah!"

"Among the monks, a little novice cried out in surprise, pointing at that golden silhouette, his face full of shock: 'Senior brother! This is the very monkey I saw back in the rear mountains!'"

"At that time it was chanting sutras and lecturing, with many animals gathered around!"

All the monks froze, instinctively looking in the direction he pointed; at a glance they saw the monkey was truly different from the other beasts, and recalling what the little novice had just said, they felt only dread.

"You, you really saw it?"

The little novice firmly nodded, speaking with conviction: "Absolutely no mistake, it's that monkey!"

Everyone had originally thought it was just the little novice's offhand remark, perhaps a mistake or a prank, but now, seeing the scene before them, they couldn't help but glance at each other and shiver involuntarily.

An inconceivable thought arose in their minds.

Could it be that what the little novice said is true, and this massive beast tide was actually created by that monkey?!

No matter how great the monks' surprise within the temple, the beast tide kept advancing, soon leaving Peaceful Mountain and reaching the nearby Shanghai-Shaanxi High Road.

On the expressway, cars flowed in order, under blue skies and white clouds, a scene of bustling traffic.

Just in this tranquil peace, sudden changes arose.

The leading dark-black car suddenly braked hard, like a domino, triggering a chain reaction.

The white car following closely fortunately reacted quickly, seeing the car ahead stop, it also slammed the brakes, wildly jerking the steering wheel to the other side, narrowly scraping past the rear of the front car.

Only a slight distance away, the vehicles were about to collide, nearly causing a disaster.

The car's owner, a hot-tempered middle-aged man, immediately rolled down his window, shouting, "Are you sick? Braking in the middle of the road, rushing to be reborn elsewhere, don't harm people on the highway!"

The car ahead paid no heed, unaware of what had happened; the middle-aged man rolled up his sleeves, ready to go forward and argue, but suddenly froze.

He saw that in the front, the wide lane was packed bumper-to-bumper with vehicles, only his view had been blocked by the black car earlier, so he hadn't noticed.

The man couldn't help muttering to himself, his anger half dissipated: "What's going on? A traffic jam?"

Just as the man hesitated, not knowing if it was his illusion, the surrounding sky instantly dimmed, the originally bright sunshine seeming to be shrouded by gloom.

Moreover, a clamorous sound came from the southeast, where precisely lay Magnificent Mountain.

He instinctively looked up, his pupils suddenly contracting, and blurted out: "Holy cow, what's going on!"

The man stared blankly at the distant sky as a great sheet of dark clouds swept in, almost instantly blotting out the sun; the original blue sky and white clouds were instantly swallowed, replaced by a gray-black sky.

"Whoosh—"

A huge flapping sound came from far to near; the man couldn't help opening his mouth wide, finally seeing clearly that it was certainly not just clouds!

But countless birds!

Moreover, thanks to the man's quick reaction, he scrambled back into the car in a panic, and the cramped space now gave him a great sense of safety.

The man rubbed his eyes, "Good heavens, am I hallucinating?"

He steadied himself, then looked out the window again—birds he could name and those he couldn't, all kinds, swept across the sky.

They flocked in groups, nearly veiling the entire firmament, leaving no trace of the earlier azure sky.

This scene left every driver on the expressway stunned, none daring to believe what they saw.

"Boom—"

Only a tremendous bang was heard; on the previously clean road, many small stones suddenly rolled down.

A sound like mountains collapsing and seas overturning came from far to near; rolling dust accompanied a black tidal wave surging toward them, as if even the earth could not bear such force, letting out a mournful cry.

One after another, wild beasts burst forth from nowhere, appearing out of thin air, overwhelmingly powerful as they pierced the entire expressway; a black river flowed onward, gradually covering the whole road.

Vehicles along the way were caught off guard; countless drivers stared at the scene before them, and in their great astonishment hastily slammed the brakes.

Automatic brakes engaged instantly, tires sparking from immense friction; some who couldn't react in time accidentally hit the car ahead, then were rear-ended by the car behind.

For a moment, the scene on the expressway descended into utter chaos.

News of the great animal migration from Magnificent Mountain quickly became known to the outside world, after all such a commotion.

Faced with the surging beast tide, the troops stationed near Magnificent Mountain received the report and immediately set up a protective net, hoping to intercept the tide.

But time was too urgent; these hastily erected defenses, before those animals, were as fragile as paper, after all these beasts had listened to the Monkey King's discourse and absorbed a bit of spiritual aura.

The protective net couldn't withstand a single blow.

Although there were troops beneath Magnificent Mountain, the beasts' numbers were simply too great; the soldiers could not resist them, and besides needing to evacuate the surrounding populace, all they could do was watch helplessly as the beast tide crossed the net.

After the beast tide passed, the soldiers immediately reported the detailed situation to their superiors, calculated the tide's direction of advance, and carried out emergency evacuations of surrounding vehicles and pedestrians.

"Now broadcasting an emergency bulletin!"

"Today at 10:25, Magnificent Mountain erupted in a massive beast tide; the situation remains unclear for now."

"The beast tide began at Magnificent Mountain, all the way past the Daba Mountains, now heading toward the southwest; alert the broad populace, please exercise caution and stay away from the beast tide."

After receiving this message, the officials in charge of the southwest region sprang into action, gathering all biologists, geologists, and other authorities to jointly analyze the causes of this beast tide and devise countermeasures.

At the same time, many satellites were mobilized, looking down from space, and they quickly captured the vast beast tide that was advancing.

Watching that enormous black tide sweeping across land and sky, everyone was stunned.

In the office of the Huashi municipal government, the mayor was anxiously pacing like ants on a hot pan.

"How could this be? Huashan actually has a beast tide!"

"The key is how these beast tides formed."

The mayor listened to the report from his subordinates, his face growing ever uglier; this was all too sudden, and the local government had made no preparations.

Not only Huashi, but across the whole country, countless people who saw the news were also stunned.

A beast tide has erupted on Huashan!

Tens of thousands of animals ran down from the mountain, heading toward the southwest!

Almost the entire internet is paying attention to Huashan and this beast tide incident.

Subject Three: 【"Are you kidding? This isn't a TV drama shoot, right? I've only seen this kind of thing in novels before."】

Maya language: 【"This must be a modern version of the call of the wild, wow, I've never seen anything like this before."】

Candied Hawthorn Grandpa: 【"This is completely unscientific; although our country is vast, over all these years we've never seen such a migration—could some expert please analyze this?"】

Although wild animals have migration habits, they are usually small-scale, involve only a single group, and do not create such a commotion.

A beast tide of this scale, with countless species gathering together, herbivores and carnivores walking side by side, is truly unheard of.

Although netizens were initially skeptical, as each video was released, everyone was stunned.

Harbin Buha: 【"As an eyewitness to the beast tide, I can tell you this is absolutely true; at the time I thought it was an earthquake, I panicked and ran out of my house, only to see outside and be scared stiff!"】

Southern Little Potato: 【"What's that? I saw the beast tide surging over the highway, a black mass, and I almost got trampled into mincemeat!"】

Candied Orange Prince: 【"It's utterly terrifying; I've never been this stimulated in my life. I was also on the highway, driving, when suddenly it went dark—who would understand, family?"】

Prince Please Get In: 【"I saw it too—dozens of wolves howling past right in front of me; at that moment I had already prepared my last words, but they didn't even glance at me."】

I Have a Piercing Cloud Arrow: 【"How strange—you beast tide survivors are still alive; I mean, did these wild animals not harm anyone at all?"】

Rocket Launch: 【"Hearing that from upstairs, it does sound a bit strange."】

Countless topics and posts about the beast tide are gushing forth on the internet like a spring.

At first, upon learning of the beast tide's huge commotion, everyone felt a bit panicked and worried, fearing they might run into these animals and suffer an accident.

After all, a wildlife migration of this scale has never occurred in the several-thousand-year history of the Great Xia, making it hard not to worry.

Moreover, even if there were migrations, they would happen on the great plains or wilderness, and never on a highway!

Especially when beasts and birds move together, it is utterly unheard of.

As time passed, people quickly realized these animals had no intention to harm; even if accidentally bumped into, they simply ignored and passed by.

Through satellite imagery capturing the animals' migration, it was soon discovered that, although numerous and diverse, they were remarkably orderly, as if an invisible force were constraining them.

What on earth is going on?!

Online, some people even streamed the animals' migration live.

Different animals gathered together, racing nonstop toward the southwest; the whole process was harmonious and friendly, not only causing no harm to passersby or buildings, but sometimes they would even try to detour.

For instance, right now they could simply go straight through the village ahead, but in the satellite images they orderly detour around it, continuing forward from the other side of the mountain.

It seems as if some mysterious power is directing them.

When passing the highway, due to the disturbance caused by the beast tide migration leading to traffic accidents, the beast tide ahead would actually stop on its own, waiting until traffic thinned before proceeding!

These scenes shocked everyone who was following this matter.

"Am I seeing things? These animals are too smart—they actually know to stop and wait for cars?!"

"I've learned something—wildlife actually knows to obey traffic rules, whereas some people can't even measure up."

"Wasn't it agreed that after the founding of the nation, animals aren't allowed to become spirits?!"

"Huh, among these animals there's also a golden snub-nosed monkey; it looks so cute and well-behaved, completely unlike the rough appearance of the other animals."

"It looks familiar—isn't this the internet-famous golden snub-nosed monkey that previously appeared at the foot of Huashan?"

Upon discovering that these migrating animals had no intention to harm people, everyone's courage gradually grew.

There were even the bold who, instead of fleeing the approaching beast tide, took out their phones to start filming, seeking clicks and attention, really making people break a sweat.

However, some of them were purely out of curiosity.

Faced with this situation, the person in charge of the southwest region could be said to be in dire straits, with the office phone ringing nonstop.

"Quickly dispatch personnel; military and civil authorities act together to evacuate the civilians near the beast tide!"

"Have those experts speed up calculating the beast tide's route, cut off all railway and highway traffic, to avoid a head‑on collision."

"What? Kill this batch of beast tide—I'll kill you, believe it or not; you really dare to say that!"

"Quickly find out the cause of the beast tide's large‑scale migration!"

Order after order was issued; countless helicopters sprang into action, closely following the beast tide from behind, observing while also standing by to prevent disaster, so that if any casualties did occur, rescue could be carried out immediately.

(End of chapter)