Purple Mist Dao Master-Chapter 829 - 536: The Golden King’s Path of Expansion

Take the Eight Phases Realm under the control of Eight Phases Mountain as an example. Before the disaster, the total population within the realm was about 35 million. After the disaster, only 23 million were left. In the last half month, due to the 'Beast Tide' attacks, countless people lived in fear yet made great efforts to improve themselves. Many martial artists fiercely fought against the beast tide and engaged in life-and-death battles with alien beasts, but only 228 limit-breaking martial artists could be counted during this period, not even reaching a fraction.

"Tan Valley Realm, 5 million population, 3,321 limit-breaking, 4 Proving Dao."

"Eight Phases Realm, 23 million population, 228 limit-breaking, 0 Proving Dao."

Look!

The gap is clear at a glance.

Alright! Let's say this is still not intuitive enough!

Then, look at the Black Hawk Sect ——

"Black Hawk Territory, 21 million population, 4,435 limit-breaking, 2 Proving Dao."

Eight Phases Realm.

Black Hawk Territory.

Approximately similar populations, similar standards, and similar resources.

Just because during the 'Beast Tide', Black Hawk Territory invited Yan Chuan to give martial arts lectures, the number of limit-breaking martial artists in Black Hawk Territory soared to twenty times that of the Eight Phases Realm in just ten days!

The difference is visible to the naked eye!

Yan Chuan indeed needs to widely give martial arts lectures and teach in order to better derive 'National Martial Arts', that's correct.

But his increase by a full twenty times in limit-breaking efficiency by coming to give a martial arts lecture to one realm is a tangible benefit for that realm.

In contrast.

In comparison.

There is a difference between 'who wants and who wants more'. Compared to Yan Chuan wanting to come to the Eight Phases Realm to give lectures, teach, and derive 'National Martial Arts', it's clearly Eight Phases Mountain that wants Yan Chuan to come and lecture more to further enhance the martial artist standards of the Eight Phases Realm.

In the same amount of time, twenty times the limit-breaking; hearing that alone is already astonishing.

Admittedly, gaining a few hundred or thousand more limit-breaking martial artists is not significant against the massive base of millions or tens of millions of population.

However ——

"Since Yan Chuan's lectures can increase new limit-breaking by twenty times, then, what about the other martial artists? Although their gains without limit-breaking or Proving Dao may not be as evident, they also improved to varying degrees."

"Yan Chuan's lectures for the Eight Phases Realm mean not just limit-breaking or Proving Dao but a widespread progress for martial artists at all stages!"

...

Yan Chuan's lectures were very diligent.

The 'Million Projection Team' and 'traveling thousands of miles' plans were both forcibly interrupted by 'heavenly calamity' and 'beast tide', coupled with the core 'Heavenly Ladder City Martial Arts Plan' being utterly obliterated with the fall of the 'Heavenly Ladder City'. Yan Chuan wanted to continue to improve quickly, so he had to pick up the 'menial work' he once despised, starting to give martial arts lectures across the King City Realms controlled by various forces of Great Yan.

The various forces are far apart.

Each major king city spread far and wide across the country.

Traveling was not easy for Yan Chuan.

However, when major plans were upended, amid the threat of two colossal Ruins Beasts in the Tan Valley Realm, Yan Chuan urgently needed to enhance himself and could not afford to slow down, so he had to endure the hardship himself first.

In the wake of 'heavenly calamity', in the early days of the 'beast tide', the enthusiasm of the citizens and martial artists to practice martial arts was at an all-time high across each major King City Realm. Yan Chuan's lectures at this time, with the Mutual Teaching and Learning effect, could increase tenfold, providing him more feedback tenfold.

Before the 'heavenly calamity', if Yan Chuan were to tour and give martial arts lectures, the effort and reward would be equal.

But now, Yan Chuan could use half the effort for tenfold the reward.

Same effort.

Tenfold gain.

Naturally, Yan Chuan could no longer afford to slack off, running diligently; from early July 7th to July 16th, he was in the three cities of the Tan Valley Realm, from July 17th to July 26th in the Black Hawk Territory.

Before the disaster, Black Hawk Territory had 30 million population and thirty-eight cities.

Post-disaster, the population sharply reduced to 21 million, and the cities shrunk to eleven core cities, with twelve including the King City.

Yan Chuan lectured in four cities a day, going through a round every three days, in ten days, he lectured through three rounds in twelve cities of the Black Hawk Territory, harvesting a wave, before sending a letter to the court's seven King City Realms, as well as Eight Phases Mountain among the other major sects excluding the Black Hawk Sect.

After Black Hawk Territory.

After sending letters to each sect.

Yan Chuan returned to Tan Valley Realm, taking his time, waiting for the right opportunity.

Meanwhile.

Just in time for Demon Slaying!

...

"In the Golden Flower Gu Mountain, the 'Golden King' swallowed a passing Two-headed Black Line Snake seven days ago. The speed displayed by that Snake King was at least Fourth Rank. It was merely passing by, but was instantly snared and dragged into the 'Golden King's mouth by the golden Gu Worm threads from the 'Golden King'."

"That's a carnivorous flower!"

"From that day, although the 'Golden King' could not move, the golden Gu patterns on its petals became increasingly dense, the range of golden threads flying around expanded significantly, and in just one day, it exceeded the perimeter of the three Ox Horn Mountains. Over seven days, the golden Gu threads extended far and wide, with the three mountains as the center, leaving the surrounding one hundred Baili of alien beasts and Ruins Beasts empty, all devoured by the 'Golden King'."

Chen Ze immediately reported the situation to Yan Chuan.

Golden Flower Gu Mountain!

Golden King!

The 'Golden King', one of the two most terrifying and mysterious Ruins Beasts in the Tan Valley Realm, was devouring everything deep within Golden Flower Gu Mountain.

Post-disaster, all the wildlife among the mountains and waters had mutated, countless alien beasts roamed the mountains and waters; some fed on vegetation, soil, and rocks, others on other alien beasts, in the vast mountainous region with its highs and lows, be it mountains, valleys, or rivers and lakes, weren't there millions of alien beasts?

Even though they're all just newly mutated low-rank mutant beasts, the numbers speak for themselves.

"The 'Golden King' has devoured at least a million mutant beasts, its aura rising endlessly, now it's unbearable to look at. Each glance makes me feel as though Gu worms, Golden Gu are drilling into my brain, I must meditate for at least two hours to resolve it."

"Don't dare to look."

Chen Ze's face was grave.

From watching casually before, to not daring to watch now, the 'Golden King' has undoubtedly made not a small amount of progress in just seven days.

Even without looking at these, just to extrapolate from the million mutant beasts it has devoured, the 'Golden King' is most definitely not an ordinary Sixth Rank Beast King.

"Ninth Rank?"

"Tenth Rank?"

"Or——"

Yan Chuan exchanged a glance with Chen Ze, both terrified, swallowing hard!

...

Golden Flower Gu Mountain, Golden King.

Tiger Hunting Land, Jade King.

In the 'Thirteen Restricted Areas' of Tan Valley Realm, these two places are the most dreadful, with two suspected War God Realm Ruins Beasts entrenched, daunting to say the least, luckily they're unable to move for now, or Tan Valley Realm would be in peril.

But this peace wouldn't last long——

"The 'Golden King' is devouring the surroundings, Golden Gu patterns are becoming more numerous. It can't move but the 'golden line' activity range is gradually expanding. The 'Golden King' is positioned eight hundred miles deep in the Golden Flower Gu Mountain, exactly a thousand miles from Yong Mountain City, though it seems far, within seven days it devoured fifty miles, at most in half a month it could cover the entire Golden Flower Gu Mountain, at most within twenty days it can reach Yong Mountain City."

Yan Chuan turned to Chen Ze: "Is there a pattern to the expansion of the 'golden line' activity range? Is it getting faster, or slower? Is the seven-day hundred miles increasing in diameter, or increasing in area daily?"

If calculated by diameter, at most in half a month, the golden line tentacles of the 'Golden King' could extend out of the Golden Flower Gu Mountain.

But if calculated by area, those golden line tentacles would need at least eight months to explore out from deep within the Golden Flower Gu Mountain.

The difference is substantial. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"It should be area." Chen Ze recalled: "The range covered by the golden line tentacles increases daily, but the activity radius decreases each day."

Area growth rate increasing.

Radius growth rate decreasing.

"Then it's alright."

Yan Chuan breathed a sigh of relief, there's still time.

If it was really half a month and the tentacles extended out of the Golden Flower Gu Mountain approaching Yong Mountain City, it would be truly hopeless, better to rest early!

If it's eight months, or even just half a year, at least it gives Yan Chuan some time to come up with a plan, and if worse comes to worst, keeping retreating can still buy some more space and time for responses.

Golden King.

Jade King.

These two are major threats.

The 'threat' of the 'Golden King' has already initially manifested, the 'Jade King' is temporarily still behaving, but knowing such a colossal existence cannot possibly coexist peacefully with humans, eventually it will also become a menace.

But at this moment, Yan Chuan truly is powerless.

Not only powerless against these two suspected War God Realm Ruins Beasts, but even against other 'Eleven Restricted Areas,' and during the 'Heavenly Calamity' period when broken, and during the 'Beast Tide' period when breached are the cities of Red Valley, Pu Qiong, Xiao Ying, Wanhe, Kong Shu, as well as nine cities abandoned proactively by Yan Chuan and others, a total of fourteen cities, all become Ruins Beasts' paradise, gathering of countless beasts, endlessly.

Eleven Restricted Areas.

Fourteen Ruined Cities.

"Among them 'Heavenly King Ridge,' 'Fish and Dragon Marsh,' 'Golden Carp Lake' and seven other territories all have suspected Fifth-Rank Ruins Beasts, among the fourteen Ruined Cities, Wanhe and Kong Shu are confirmed to have Fifth-Rank Ruins Beasts entrenched."

In recent days, Chen Ze has used the 'Thousand-mile Mirror' to thoroughly investigate the details of each restricted area and ruined city within Tan Valley Realm, what he saw and heard was shocking.

Yong Mountain, Guangming, and Mengsha—three Guard Cities protect Tan Valley Royal City, enduring wave after wave of 'Beast Tide' impacts, the thirty thousand Tan Valley Army are all elite, but scattered among the three cities still appears insufficient. Within Tan Valley Realm, a total of one hundred and three Innate Divine Generals, yet all exhausted.

Fortunately, the three cities still have large arrays to protect them, other twelve cities' arrays were urgently dismantled and brought over. In addition, thanks to Yan Chuan's influence and effort using martial arts lectures in exchange from Black Hawk Sect, Eight Phases Mountain, and the court to loan over a hundred Array Masters' assistance, arrays in the three cities remain stable, and other fourteen cities' arrays are being incorporated into the three Guard Cities progressively, raising defense capabilities. Though not transformative, it provides some breathing space amidst the relentless 'Beast Tide' offensives.

But——

...

"The Essence Stone consumption is too great!"

On the city wall of Mengsha City, Mengsha City Lord Sheng Xuan had an aura as sharp as a knife, looking at him, blood Qi weighed heavily, no telling how many mutant beasts he had slaughtered these days. Yet even such a 'Mang Vajra' was troubled by 'money woes': "'Heavenly Calamity' at its start required twenty thousand taels of Essence Stone daily for city array consumption. During the concurrent six days of 'Heavenly Calamity' and 'Beast Tide,' over forty thousand taels were consumed daily. Once the Beast Tide passed, it reduced, but now the city's population doubled, daily at minimum just for the basic protective function of city arrays to prevent mutant beasts from entering, more than two thousand taels are needed, plus sporadic mutant beast sieges, in reality, the daily Essence Stone consumption not less than five thousand taels."

From the 7th to the 12th of July, daily forty thousand taels, within just five days more, three Guard Cities consumed a total of 650,000 taels of Essence Stone, Yan Chuan subsidized half, spent 33 Primordial Pills.

And from the 12th to today, the 27th of July, half a month, one city consuming over five thousand taels daily, three cities total 260,000 taels of Essence Stone, all borne by Yan Chuan.

Total expenditure of 59 Primordial Pills so far.

How long has it been?

Not even a month!

Yan Chuan faces difficulty too.

"I wish to organize a decapitation operation, to slaughter all Third-Rank and above Beast Kings within the 'Beast Tide.' This way, resolving the uncertainty of High Rank Beast Kings, Divine Generals within the realm can focus more energy on hunting down First and Second Rank Beast Kings, significantly reducing our casualties."

Yan Chuan returned from the Black Hawk Territory martial arts lecture with greatly enhanced power, preparing for a sweeping operation.

...

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