After maxing out my affinity, my signature weapon kept evolving.

Ren Xudong almost lost his temper on the spot after hearing Xie Wenyuan's sarcasm, but considering that the city lord and Sun Huazeng were both present, he dared not show anything.

"Hmph, you're arrogant now, but you won't be so arrogant when the beast tide comes."

Seeing that Ren Xudong had been thwarted, Xie Wenyuan did not step forward to finish him off, but instead asked:

"Lord City Lord, what's the situation now?"

When Xie Wenyuan raised a question, Wang Changqing explained to all the spiritual cultivators present:

"Three days ago, the lumberyard in the east of the city was damaged by some wild animals. After that, we sent people to investigate and found that something in the forest seemed to have disturbed the herd of animals living there. So, in order to avoid that thing, they fled in all directions, and our place is the only way for the largest herd of animals."

Are there dangerous things in the forest?

Everyone expressed their confusion. This forest is home to ferocious beasts that rival the Five Elements Spiritual Cultivators. How could there be anything that they fear?

"I have requested support from the Marquis of Hejian, but it will take at least a day for them to arrive. Until then, we will hold back the beast tide ourselves. If we can get them to change direction, that would be the best outcome."

Hundreds of thousands of wild beasts, while they only had a few hundred spiritual cultivators with cultivation levels of Spirit Master or above—to annihilate them all was simply a pipe dream.

"Our ranged weapons are few and far between, insufficient to effectively deter the beast horde; they can only temporarily slow their advance. Therefore, I, Wang Changqing, will lead the charge and drive them back. And you, you are the strongest support for the people of Renqiu City. Drink this bowl of wine, and we will set off!"

Each person present was given a bowl of farewell wine; after drinking it, they might be on a road of no return.

But at this moment, no one deserted their post; for the sake of their families, they could not back down.

After drinking it, Wang Changqing only left some soldiers with low cultivation levels behind. Their task was to use long-range weapons to intercept them, while Xie Wenyuan and the others were to advance dozens of miles to force the beast horde to change course.

Wang Changqing took out an exquisite longsword and threw it into the air. The longsword actually hovered steadily in mid-air, showing no sign of falling.

He exerted force with his feet, stopping steadily on the sword, and then summoned his spiritual weapon—a horse-slaying saber.

"Gentlemen, I'll be taking my leave now."

Flying by controlling a magical artifact is a way of using spiritual power that only a Spirit Master with four spiritual runes can master. Unlike a Spirit Master who controls their own spiritual weapon, a Spirit Master can control external objects.

Sun Huazeng did the same, standing on a long stick and holding another long stick in his hand, following closely behind Wang Changqing.

The two of them were the strongest fighters among the people of Renqiu City, so they naturally took the lead.

The other spiritual cultivators, unable to fly, each unleashed their unique skills and charged towards the beast horde.

"Kid, it's not too late to back out now. Otherwise, you might get eaten by wild beasts and my son won't even have a chance for revenge."

Although Ren Xudong was a three-striped spirit master, he didn't rush to the front. Instead, he came over to talk trash to Xie Wenyuan.

Xie Wenyuan laughed in exasperation; at such a critical juncture, Ren Xudong was still thinking about these trivial matters.

Ignoring him, Xie Wenyuan followed the main force and charged towards the beast horde.

[A spirit beast corrupted by the void has been detected within the beast tide. A mission is now being issued to the host.]

The Void is the greatest calamity in this world; its appearance inevitably brings devastation. The host must slay spirit beasts corrupted by the Void. Rewards for this mission will be based on the number of beasts killed; there are no penalties.

It's rare to have a mission without penalties; based on past experience, it's either extremely easy or extremely difficult.

But this is clearly not the former.

Xie Wenyuan had a bad feeling; he always felt that someone was watching him and that it was extremely dangerous.

Upon arriving at the designated location, Xie Wenyuan could clearly see the effects of the beast riot. The earth trembled, trees flew everywhere, and anyone hit by the beasts had virtually no chance of survival.

At the forefront, Wang Changqing and Sun Huazeng wore solemn expressions. Around them, a large amount of spiritual energy was gathering, ready to unleash a fatal blow at any moment.

Leading the herd were several wild boars with thick, tough skin; their tusks gleamed white and looked incredibly sharp.

Wang Changqing raised his horse-slaying saber with one hand and swung it down. A huge blade of energy swept towards the herd of beasts. Several wild boars at the front were blown away by the energy and dismembered in mid-air, their blood and flesh falling into the herd behind them.

The beasts behind them were also affected, and a huge gash was visibly torn in the herd.

"Is this the strength of the Spirit Sect? Such power in a single strike."

Xie Wenyuan had seen the Spirit Sect before, but he had only ever watched them spar with each other. This was the first time he had seen the Spirit Sect's destructive power so directly.

After this attack, the beasts behind them did not stop, but instead began to flee in all directions, creating utter chaos.

Sun Huazeng, who had been waiting for an opportunity, also made his move at this moment. His long staff pointed straight at the sky, and a huge phantom of the staff formed at this moment. Then, with a sweeping motion, he swept the beast horde in another direction.

After the lead beast changed course, most of the beasts behind it also changed direction, with only a few stubborn ones still fleeing towards the main city.

Now it was Xie Wenyuan and his group's turn to act. They were responsible for killing any lone wild beasts and preventing them from attacking the main city area.

Xie Wenyuan quickly calmed himself down, and the world around him began to slow down in his eyes. His eyes also accurately captured a strange spirit beast.

This is a white tiger. Every leap and charge it makes tears through the surrounding air, producing a piercing sound.

However, there was a conspicuous black patch on its chest, and Xie Wenyuan felt his spirit was almost corrupted after just one glance.

"That's it, that's the void!"

He had felt this way six years ago, and only later did he learn that the murderers of his parents were members of the Void Order, whose power came from the Void.

At this moment, Xie Wenyuan looked at the strange white tiger as if he were meeting an enemy. He raised his rusty iron knife, leaped high into the air, and then slashed down with the knife.

The first move of the Zhenxuan Blade Technique, the Divine Slash, is based on the principle of focusing one's mental energy for speed and precision.

Xie Wenyuan's strike landed precisely on the tiger's lower back, leaving a huge gash.

The giant tiger roared and stretched out its front paw, which was larger than Xie Wenyuan's head, and slammed it down on him.

However, its speed was no match for Xie Wenyuan's at this moment. He dodged backward and avoided the attack.

The enormous claw missed its target and slammed into the ground, creating a sizable crater.

Taking advantage of the tiger's sway after its missed attack, Xie Wenyuan thrust out his blade, precisely piercing the tiger's gaping maw, the slightly curved tip of the blade piercing the back of the tiger's head.

[A beast infected by the void has been killed. The count has been completed for the host. Please maintain your momentum and keep up the good work.]

As the system notification sounded, the giant tiger corrupted by the void was officially declared dead, and there was no need to finish it off.

But what happened next made Xie Wenyuan's scalp tingle. The corrupted part of the giant tiger's chest flew into his rusty iron knife.

"Holy crap, stop it!"