Standing alone on the barren land.
Tight blue martial clothing binds to a muscular body.
Silver armour only highlighted this man's authority and power.
Silver Extreme stands far ahead of the Iron Mountain Quarry Settlement, beyond the line of artificial obstruction.
During the first tide, their artificial mounds and crevices were worn after suffering from the countless beasts.
Fortunately, it was an easy fix, and they created more obstruction a few dozen meters further.
Silver Extreme was notified of Dawn's situation, and he did not wish to withhold her.
She was put on the sidelines during the second tide, so her absence was not detrimental to their current plan.
He took her previous position at the front of the ambush group.
The other two Third Foundation Cultivators remained as the East and West flanks.
Waiting at the front, Silver Extreme watched as the clouds rolled in.
Covering the star above with a dark grey sea.
A veil of rain approached and soon enveloped the barren lands.
Standing amidst the rain, Silver Extreme watched as the droplets sizzled as they hit him.
He remained dry despite the rain.
Closing his eyes, he immersed himself in the world.
'Third hour of Early Hour.'
'The second tide's arrival is delayed... what could be going on?'
'Could it be...?'
With that thought, Silver Extreme sent a word of caution to the other two Third Foundation Cultivators.
Looking towards the divot's end, he noticed a large entity rise into the sky.
From this distance, and due to the mist, it was difficult to figure out.
However, the wide shadow was a clear giveaway of what it was.
A screech pierced through the veil of wind and rain.
Alone, it charged forward.
"You're the first to arrive!?"
Roaring, Silver Extreme raised his hands.
The massive figure charged into his embrace, uplifting the ground as he held it back.
Its body was sheer, brown feathers with streaks of grey covered its wings. A chest of pale tufts, a black beak and bark claws.
'Deceptive Hawk Monarch.'
'The first of the Spirits has already arrived; no wonder the beast groups have been delayed!'
The massive hawke was twenty meters long, and each wing was twice the length.
With its beak pushed into his stomach, Silver Extreme grabs hold of its head.
Sparks danced on his hands, and droplets of water sizzled to steam.
Lightning surged forth into the Deceptive Hawk Monarch's head.
Screeching, it flapped its wings and kicked up strong whirlwinds.
Silver Extreme lost his grip, and the massive Spirit rose to the sky.
He could sense the fleeting fear in its mind, which was quickly overwhelmed by hatred and malice.
It rose higher until it disappeared, vanishing into nothing.
Standing on guard, Silver Extreme immersed himself in the world and waited.
His hand strained as sparks surged within.
Turning around and pushing forward, he threw a bolt of lightning towards the open air.
Sparks splashed in the air as the bolt collided with something solid.
Screeching, the Deceptive Hawk Monarch revealed itself for a moment.
Disappearing again, Silver Extreme was put on guard.
Suddenly, a huge gust of wind hit him like a solid wall.
Dirt kicked up and obscured the area.
From a distance, it would seem as if a small cloud rose out of the ground.
A faint tingling sensation was felt in his mind.
"Friend Silver, how is the situation? What are you fighting?"
It was Iron Mountain Quarry Settlement's Lord.
He took Silver Extreme's previous position as the command centre.
However, the Settlement Lord was using a Dao Art medium to send messages over long distances.
This Dao Art was something Silver Extreme could use by himself.
Silver Extreme sent a message back.
"Lord, one of the anticipated Spirits has arrived."
"I expect the beast groups to be delayed, if not derailed from their usual path."
"I will handle the situation here, make sure to inform the rest of the...!"
The dirt cloud did little to obstruct Silver Extreme's senses.
His sight was blocked, but through immersion, he could sense far more than through vision.
He could also sense further, too.
Descending the divot's rim were a large number of beasts.
Thousands at a time, the largest beast group they've encountered during this tide.
Startled by the sudden development, Silver Extreme burst with a tremendous aura.
At the same time, he sent a message back to the Settlement Lord.
"The second tide has arrived!"
"Ensure that everyone is battle-ready, the tide will touch down in twenty minutes!"
Clearing the dirt cloud, Silver Extreme peered at the beasts approaching from a far distance.
Bears tumbled, foxes were trampled, and monkeys jumped over the other animals.
A myriad beasts were descending the divot's edge.
It was an unexpected sight.
Different beast groups mixed to form one large tide.
'Is this the entirety of the second tide?'
Judging by numbers, it seemed to be so.
This development was not only unexpected, but put them at a great disadvantage.
It would be a desperate battle to fight.
'This shouldn't be possible, sane beasts wouldn't band together like this.'
'Unless!'
A sharp cry assaulted him from the side.
Raising his arms, Silver Extreme blocked the Deceptive Hawk Monarch's charge.
He was knocked back a few dozen steps as a result.
Splitting his attention between the Spirit and the approaching tide of beasts, Silver Extreme analysed the situation.
He immersed himself into the world, sensing a lingering power on the beasts.
The lingering confusion of mist... and something else.
Without much time to spare, Silver Extreme pushed forward.
He charged towards the countless beasts of the second tide.
The Deceptive Hawk Monarch followed.
As the distance between the two closed, the beasts did not react with anything other than malice.
Each of them was insane; they did not flee under Silver Extreme's domineering presence.
He did not hide, but simply ran forward.
Like a bolt of lightning, he dived into the tide with unstoppable momentum.
The Deceptive Hawk Monarch naturally charged relentlessly, too.
Its massive wings kicked up whirlwinds, dust rose, and beasts were knocked over.
However, none of them tried to attack the Spirit, nor Silver Extreme.
They all charged forward, relentlessly, in the direction of Iron Mountain Quarry Settlement.