Haitin caught Aksai’s confusion and offered a quick explanation.
“It’s because of the beast tides,” Haitin began.
“Every hundred or so years, the Great Shiju River recedes to dangerous levels, allowing the demon beasts from the Duya Forest to cross into our lands. The Wild Devil Lands is the first place that gets hit. If we don’t deal with it there, the beasts will sweep across the entire subcontinent, causing massive losses to mortals, cultivators, and resources alike.”
Aksai was initially taken aback, but he had indeed heard stories about the beast tides of the past. He had also read some of the records.
According to Dadangar’s history, the Great Shiju River acted as a natural dividing line between the cultivation civilization and the Duya Forest, also known as the Eternal Beast Dynasty, the domain of demon beasts.
The Great Shiju River possessed mystical properties, making it one of the natural wonders of the Dadangar Subcontinent. While it appeared like an ordinary river, it held a profound power that exerted pressure on the demon beasts.
Under normal circumstances, the beasts of the Eternal Beast Dynasty would remain in the Duya Forest, avoiding crossing the river, especially the more powerful ones who felt the river’s pressure the most.
However, there would come a time when the Great Shiju River would recede for a period, during which the pressure it emitted would weaken. The demon beasts seized this opportunity to cross the river and invade the lands of civilization on the other side, attacking and devouring any living being they encountered. This period of beast invasion was known as the “beast tide.”
The reason for these attacks was simple: demon beasts sought rapid cultivation progress, and consuming sentient beings allowed them to accelerate their growth in cultivation.
Unlike humans, demon beasts didn’t rely on cultivation techniques. They drew power from their bloodlines, bodies, relatively long lifespans, and natural talents. Human cultivators with strong souls and stable cultivation bases were like premium nourishment for these beasts.
Of course, the sentient beings also made use of the demon beasts to further their cultivation bases. They used the bodies of the demon beasts as raw ingredients for alchemy, array formations, artifacts, and whatnot. As such, the sentient beings really had no right to complain.
Not only did Spirit Refining and Foundation Building level beasts participate in the beast tides, but even Core Formation level beasts occasionally appeared, causing massive destruction in the Dadangar Subcontinent.
There had also been rare instances of Nascent Soul level demon beasts, typically hidden deep within the Eternal Beast Dynasty, emerging during these periods.
Aksai had delved into about a thousand years of Dadangar’s history during his free time, and he knew that only three times in the last millennium had a Nascent Soul level demon beast appeared in a beast tide.
The last such appearance was centuries ago, during the reign of a Nascent Soul cultivator who ruled the entire subcontinent. At that time, it was the previous Nascent Soul King who had repelled the terrifying beast from human territories, preventing it from causing great destruction.
However, Dadangar Subcontinent had not produced a single Nascent Soul level powerhouse ever since the last Nascent Soul King’s death. For some reason, no demon beast of that level showed itself in the subsequent demon beast tide either.
It was as if the demon beast of that level also wanted there to be a Nascent Soul powerhouse present in the Dadangar civilization. Otherwise, it would not take the initiative to join the beast tide.
Even though no Nascent Soul level beasts had emerged since, Core Formation level demon beasts almost always appeared during each beast tide, making it natural for the demonic and righteous factions to unite under such dire circumstances to confront their common enemy.
***
Aksai quickly recalled the things he had read and heard about the recurring beast tide when Haitin mentioned the subject.
Instead of speaking what he knew, he chose to listen intently as Haitin continued.
“In situations like that, the Big Five Sects from the righteous faction and the three major sects from the demonic faction work together to contain the beast tide. It’s an old precedent.
Although alliances between the factions aren’t as solid as those within the same side, they’ve proven to hold up when the stakes are high enough. You’d be surprised if you really knew how common it is for the righteous and demonic sects to seek some sort of complicated connection with each other using marriage alliances.”
Haitin looked at Aksai as if he wanted to say something more on the topic. However, seeing that it was not the right time or place, he decided to focus on the matter at hand first.
“Brother Aksai, the upcoming beast tide is still a few decades away, but that doesn’t matter. The Sun Ocean Lord could still use the looming threat as a pretext to justify a marriage alliance with my sect.
In fact, we have recorded some instances of unrest in the Duya Forest. Other major sects from both factions also know a bit about it. We can use this unrest as a way to benefit the demonic faction,” Haitin explained, his tone confident.
Aksai let the information sink in. It made sense. If history had shown that the demonic and righteous factions could set aside their differences in the face of a common threat like the beast tide, then it was entirely possible they could use this precedent to form a more personal alliance—especially if it involved someone as influential as the Sun Ocean Lord.
Siya, however, was far from convinced. She had been glaring at Haitin throughout the conversation, her anger only intensifying. And now, to her horror, Haitin had shifted his gaze toward her. His eyes, full of undisguised curiosity, scanned her from head to toe as if he were appraising her.
The casual interest in his gaze was unmistakable, and it only fueled Siya’s rage. She wriggled against her restraints, her frustration reaching a boiling point.
“You know,” Haitin remarked, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, “this alliance could be… mutually beneficial in many ways.”
Siya’s face flushed red with fury, her nostrils flaring as she trembled in her bindings. She couldn’t speak, but her body language screamed defiance and disgust.
Being treated like a bargaining chip, a tool to forge an alliance, was the last thing she had expected. Her father treated her like a pawn, and now it seemed nothing would change, even if she were to get married.
Why did she have to suffer because of the conflict between the righteous and demonic factions? Why did both sides push her to a dead end? Siya couldn’t help but feel deeply wronged.
Haitin stood still for a moment, deep in thought. Aksai’s plan was undeniably sound, offering a solution to what seemed like an impossible dilemma.
‘Killing so many birds with one stone. The way he thinks… if he doesn’t call himself as demonic cultivator, some of us would lose the right to call ourselves as demonic cultivators we all.”
A slow smile crept across Haitin’s face as he considered the merits of the proposal. Yes, this could work.
He shifted his gaze toward Siya, who was still bound and seething. Her defiance was evident—she wouldn’t be an easy person to convince, but that was exactly what Haitin needed to do now.
Forcing her into compliance might get the job done, but a willing participant would make things much smoother in the long run.
With a snap of his fingers, the rune that had sealed Siya’s mouth flickered and vanished, allowing her to speak. Her eyes blazed with fury as she glared at him, but Haitin remained calm.
He needed to hear what she had to say, needed to give her a chance to vent all of her pent-up frustrations. Only then could he coax her into seeing reason.
“Go on,” Haitin said, his voice steady but with a touch of amusement. “Speak your mind, Siya. Tell me what you really think.”
Siya’s lips trembled as she tasted the freedom to speak again.
For a second, she hesitated, unsure whether to unleash the torrent of words that was bubbling inside her. But then the dam broke.
“You want me to marry you?” she spat, her voice sharp and filled with contempt. “Do you have any idea how disgusting this is? My father might not care about me, but I will not be traded off like some prize for your sect’s political gain!”
Her chest heaved with anger as she continued, her voice rising. “I don’t care about your plans or alliances or whatever power struggle you’re playing in. I simply don’t want to accept a perverted madman like you as my husband.”
Haitin didn’t flinch when Siya spat her words in his direction. If anything, he seemed mildly amused, though the faint flicker of anger in the eyes of his sect elders was clear.
Before they could speak or act in order to suppress Siya’s impudence, Haitin raised a hand, his expression calm, signaling for them to stand down.
He was about to respond to Siya, to explain the situation more clearly and perhaps with a bit of charm, but Aksai stepped forward instead. His voice was firm, almost callous.
“It seems that you don’t know the position you are in even when everything is right in front of you. But it seems that we need to let you vent out and get rid of the fog in your head,” Aksai said as he looked at Siya as if he was looking at a teenager brat.
“Alright. I’ll bite. Why did you call him a pervert?” Aksai asked, his tone flat, as though they were discussing a simple fact rather than a deep insult. “Did brother Haitin do anything to you?”