Besides the slightly briny sea breeze gently brushing over the hills, the surroundings were utterly silent, which only deepened the composure of the several people on the small hill. Time flew by swiftly, and by the end of one hour, they had recovered most of their inner energy, their faces now appearing much more normal. The middle-aged cultivator opened his eyes, surveyed the condition of the several men and women, and immediately issued his command: "Let's go! We can't stay here any longer—those things are surely on their way." With that, he rose to his feet without hesitation. Though the qi-level cultivators felt a sense of reluctance, they dared not delay and likewise ended their meditation, each drawing out their respective tools, ready to rise and take flight together. Yet at that very moment, sudden cries erupted throughout the sky above the small island, and patches of milky fog began to surge and boil vigorously. "Unfortunate!" the middle-aged cultivator's face instantly turned pale. The others, in turn, went pale as a sheet. A dense fog in the sky suddenly burst forth, revealing dozens of massive, gray monstrosities. Each bird stood several zhang tall, crowned with a bright red flesh crest, equipped with a sharp beak and strong claws, radiating a soft, pale blue glow—ugly and menacing in appearance. As soon as they appeared, they did not immediately descend upon the island below, but instead swiftly spiraled through the air before scattering outward, effectively blocking the escape routes of the cultivators. Their coordinated movements suggested remarkable teamwork. The middle-aged cultivator, witnessing this, felt his heart sink even deeper. "Move quickly—head toward that grove of trees. We'll split up and make our way from there when the chance arises!" He had some experience dealing with bird-like beasts and immediately urged the others to rush toward the nearby forest. The rest, women and men alike, who had been utterly bewildered, naturally followed without hesitation. At the same time, the monstrosities from Tianshan emitted a sharp, clamorous cry, gradually encircling the group from above, forming a tight ring around the few cultivators. Upon witnessing the antics of these strange birds, several men and women grew even more anxious, increasing their speed and soon reached the upper reaches of the forest, suddenly descending. Just then, an unexpected sight unfolded! As the five of them approached the forest at a height of three zhang, a sudden flash of emerald light erupted, brightening their vision and causing dizziness. After a moment, they found the scene around them had dramatically changed. The familiar forest was gone, replaced by an entirely unfamiliar mountain range, with an astonishing surge of spiritual energy rushing toward them. " This is a spatial illusion!" exclaimed the woman among the three female cultivators, dressed in blue silk robes—she was also the most striking in appearance. "Could it be that there are other cultivators here as well!" the sturdy young man expressed with great excitement. "Perhaps. Regardless, this offers us a chance to survive. We hope this illusion can deceive the eagle-and-heron beasts!" the middle-aged man also felt surprised, murmuring softly. At this, the others turned their gaze toward the space above the illusionary array. Suddenly, the circling malevolent birds lost their bearings, stirring into a commotion. Yet after exchanging a few sharp cries, they continued steadily descending toward the ground below. "No good! It seems the Eryon beasts are unaffected by these illusions. We must move toward the mountain range—there's a sense of restriction there, and perhaps other companions are already stationed there," the middle-aged cultivator said, his face serious. With a flick of his light, he surged forward. The others exchanged glances, their expressions tense, and followed closely behind. However, just as they had traveled a short distance, a sudden white light curtain appeared, blocking their path. Upon seeing this, the middle-aged cultivator did not grow alarmed—he grew pleased instead. He immediately reached out, and a sealed transmission scroll appeared in his hand. Then, while murmuring softly, he raised his hand, and the scroll transformed into a streak of flame, vanishing instantly into the light curtain. Others watched in growing alarm, unable to speak a word. After a while, the dozen strange birds finally flew into the magical array. Once they spotted their targets, they launched themselves with relentless fury from all sides, swooping down with powerful wingbeats that sent out a sharp, vivid blue glow. The middle-aged cultivator frowned, glanced at the white luminous screen behind him, and then gritted his teeth, whispering a few instructions. The other men and women shared the same strained expressions, yet each raised their hands and summoned various glowing energies, summoning their own artifacts in preparation for the impending battle. As the eagle-heron creatures approached and were about to make direct contact, another unexpected development occurred. Suddenly, from within the white screen, hundreds of slender beams of colored light burst forth—each only as thick as a thumb—yet sharp and piercing, instantly creating countless holes through the birds that were flying low overhead. Immediately, a series of sharp "plinks" echoed through the air. These spirit-beasts fell to the ground without uttering a single cry. "Indeed..." several people, including the mid-level cultivator, were overjoyed and turned to look again at the scene on the screen. At first, they were startled, then stunned. On the screen, a group of about a dozen towering giant apes appeared. At first glance, they thought yet another spirit-beast had manifested itself, and their hearts sank. But upon closer inspection, they noticed something unusual—these giant apes were sleek and lustrous, clearly mechanical puppets. Each one raised both arms, and the light beams that had just appeared must have emanated from their hands. Only then did they truly rejoice. Then, the giant apes lowered their arms silently, and suddenly a shimmering radiance spread out across the scene—by then, the puppets had vanished completely. As they were still puzzled, the white luminous screen suddenly flashed several times and spontaneously split open a passage several zhang wide. Seeing this, they exchanged bewildered glances. "I have been meditating in seclusion and am unable to rise and welcome you. Therefore, I kindly invite each of you to take a brief rest within the array and then proceed on your way," a man's voice came from within, calm and composed. Yet the tone suggested the array's master had no intention of meeting them personally. "Thank you so much for your life-saving grace. Since these demonic birds have now been vanquished, we can simply rest here a while and shall not disturb your meditation any further," said the middle-aged cultivator, though he sensed no ill will from the other, yet dared not enter the array without knowing the master's true nature, and thus said it with a sense of hesitation, possibly risking the host's displeasure. "Heh, you're quite cautious! But then, what exactly happened? How were you pursued and nearly driven to the brink by just a group of second-tier demonic beasts?" The man emitted a light laugh, appearing completely unconcerned. Yet his subsequent words seemed to carry a subtle hint of curiosity. Only then did the middle-aged cultivator ease his expression and respond with due respect: "We are disciples from Qingling Sect. This time, we went out to sea to harvest certain medicinal herbs, but unfortunately, we were spotted by these eagle-heron beasts. They pursued us all the way, and if it weren't for the elder's timely rescue, we would have been in serious danger." After uttering these words of gratitude, the man made no further response—merely gave a quiet "hm"—which caused the cultivators to feel a bit uneasy once again. The middle-aged cultivator himself was also anxious, yet dared not leave the scene. He therefore gestured to the others to remain calm. "Only these few from Qingling Sect? Why aren't any senior teachers accompanying you? Don't you know that, with your current levels of cultivation, going out to sea is simply asking for trouble?" Even without any cultivators at the Jianding stage, having several at the Zhuji stage would surely prevent them from being pursued and hunted down by secondary-level beast creatures. After a moment of silence, a cold voice from within the array spoke. Upon hearing the man's question, the middle-aged cultivator was momentarily stunned, then after a moment of hesitation, broke into a wry smile. "Senior! Our Qingling Sect is merely a small and modest sect. Although we once had a Jianding-stage elder, that elder perished during the great beast surge over twenty years ago. Even among our current Zhuji cultivators, there are only a few." The middle-aged cultivator said, hesitating slightly. As he spoke, he worried that the other might be probing into the sect's true strength and intentions, possibly with ill will. Yet then he recalled that the man's cultivation was truly remarkable—should he wish to eliminate them, he could simply deploy the puppets and need not expend so much effort. If, instead, he were to veil his truth with empty words and feign hesitation, he would only be courting displeasure, thereby setting himself on a path to certain doom. Only then, with a determined heart, did the middle-aged cultivator dare to honestly reveal the true condition of his sect. He simply didn't believe that his relatively obscure sect could have anything of value that would attract attention. "Ah, the Beast Tide! In which year did this occur? Is it related to the mythical beasts?" The man's voice carried a hint of surprise. But the middle-aged cultivator himself was even more startled upon hearing this question! The younger men and women present likewise looked utterly astonished.