Chapter 338: The First Visitor from Beyond the World!

"This is?"

Baichuan's mind stirred, and the earth beneath his claws abruptly melted and moved on its own, slowly wrapping around the few Fierce Beasts he had just been raising and carrying them away.

The Fierce Beasts he'd finally managed to cultivate couldn't be allowed to die for nothing.

Thinking this, Baichuan walked to the edge of the territory he controlled and looked toward the direction of the visitor.

He felt the excitement—and the rejection—brought by the Fierce Beast bloodline within his body.

It was thrilled, wary, and yet yearning for that visitor's power!

Without a doubt, that lifeless grey world was caused by a powerful Fierce Beast bloodline!

The visitor was precisely the Huang Seed he'd been mumbling about for days—or rather, an incomparably rare Fierce Beast!

Baichuan narrowed his eyes, his whole body trembling slightly.

It wasn't from fear—it was excitement!

It hadn't been easy; ever since he'd finished slaughtering the surrounding Huang Seeds last time, it had already been some days since any Huang Seed… no, not even any slightly stronger carnivores had appeared.

Now, what he wanted had come!

In his anticipation, Baichuan unconsciously licked his tiger muzzle.

A few breaths later, the grey world arrived as promised, stopping a hundred meters beyond the edge of the land he controlled. Withered, ashen-grey earth began appearing before his eyes, trees crumbled into charred ash and scattered, an eerie wind suddenly rose with a whoosh, and the charred ash drifted and faintly coalesced into Grey Mist.

"Greetings, newly born King of Fierce Beasts. Please forgive my unannounced arrival…"

A voice like chanting abruptly came from within the mist, and immediately a strange beast appeared before his eyes.

The beast had the form of an ox, with a blue body and red horns, tiger fangs and claws, porcupine quills, and a cry like a leopard's roar.

Its name was "Disaster"!

A special kind among Fierce Beasts—the Huang King, Disaster!

The instant he saw this mysterious Fierce Beast appear, memories Baichuan had previously obtained from the Forest People surfaced in his mind.

It was a mysterious Fierce Beast recorded in the Forest People's Great Wilderness Record, Huangshupian—legend had it that it controlled a power called Drought, and wherever it appeared, a great drought would strike within a thousand li.

But judging by its words and bearing, it actually possessed a high intelligence—and seemed to have come specifically for him?

Facing the visitor's greeting, Baichuan said nothing, made no response, and simply watched the other party, as if waiting for what it would say next.

He didn't expect that, after stepping out of the Grey Mist and seeing Baichuan's strange appearance, the Disaster beast's gaze would falter, and it likewise fell silent.

So the surroundings went quiet, the two of them facing each other in wordless silence.

After a long moment, the Disaster beast's expression changed. Looking at Baichuan's half-mechanical, half-flesh form, it unconsciously felt a certain hunger and thirst, a hint of greed surfacing.

'Not one of our kind—we've misunderstood. Just a lucky fool.'

That was the Disaster beast's first thought after stepping out of the Grey Mist and getting a clear look at Baichuan's actual appearance.

The other party was not a special Huang King like itself!

The next instant, what followed was desire—a lucky fool. As long as it devoured the other, it could advance one step further!

Thinking this, the Huang King Disaster kept its expression unchanged, revealed a touch of gentleness, and said: "My fellow, please don't be so wary and afraid. Allow me to…"

On the other side, Baichuan also frowned. His extremely keen observation let him notice at once the discrepancy in the other's attitude—the friendliness before it had seen him, and the abruptly revealed greed and false warmth after.

What had caused the other party to show such a vastly different change?

His appearance?

Thoughts flashing through his mind, Baichuan's face remained impassive. Fearing the other would not step into the territory he controlled and would flee directly—after which he'd be left fumbling—he deliberately put on a bewildered look, like a naive young buck, and after showing a hint of wariness, took a step back as the other approached.

Seeing that lucky fool retreat, the Huang King Disaster laughed even more inwardly. No one could have imagined that he, the weakest of them all, would actually come across one possessing an extremely high purity of Fierce Beast bloodline on this trip out.

Truly, fortune had turned in his favor!

Overjoyed, he became even more like a brash, careless rough man who had a delicate little lady in his grasp—comforting with his mouth, while his body drew ever closer.

One step… two steps…

A hundred meters… fifty meters… one meter…

A few breaths later, the Disaster beast finally stepped into the territory Baichuan controlled. Instantly, he felt a strange power brutally attempting to intrude into the land he controlled.

Baichuan did not resist, lest he arouse the other's suspicion. At this moment the other was only at the edge of the land he controlled—one slight reaction and it could escape, which was truly not safe.

Continuing to retreat, Baichuan also spoke: "What exactly are you people? What is your purpose in seeking me?"

These two questions were also what Baichuan had always wanted to know.

As for Huang Kings, based on the Forest People's memories, he only knew a little.

Among Fierce Beasts there existed a special circumstance—by some twist of fate, intelligence was born. Under normal conditions, even Fierce Beasts did not possess the high intelligence of humans, but some special Fierce Beasts could, due to special circumstances, develop high intelligence.

Such Fierce Beasts possessed developed intelligence like humans, began to know how to think and sum up lessons from experience, and also possessed the powerful strength of Fierce Beasts. The two combined, allowing them to fully unleash the power of Fierce Beasts and slaughter other ordinary Fierce Beasts that had no intelligence.

This was called a "Huang King"!

And if some Huang Seeds among them likewise possessed high intelligence, they too would be called Huang Kings—only Lesser Huang Kings. Only those who successfully transformed into Fierce Beasts were worthy of being called true Kings of Fierce Beasts.

Previously, for the sake of energy and the safety of his surroundings, he had slain all the Huang Seeds within his range. This behavior—possessing intelligence, knowing how to hide, and slaughtering one's own kind—had caused the Forest People to mistake him for that special kind of Huang King.

But now a truly powerful special Huang King had actually appeared before him, and had mistaken him for a fellow. Did this mean that those intelligent ones among Fierce Beasts had actually formed a civilization of their own? And were searching for an intelligent member of their kind to bring back?

However, why had this Disaster beast changed its attitude afterward?

"You say 'we'?"

Facing Baichuan's question, the Disaster beast gave a light laugh. "Do you know what a Huang King is?"

"Huang King?" Baichuan timely paused his steps and echoed.

"Correct!" Seeing that the lucky fool had finally stopped walking, looking captivated, the Disaster beast did not stint on sharing some true secrets: "Among Fierce Beasts, intelligence is born…"

Next, as it drew closer step by step, the Disaster beast spoke conclusions identical to what Baichuan already knew. "And as for why we seek you—"

"Moo!!"

The next instant, after closing in on Baichuan, a roar like a wild bull's bellow exploded forth, striking straight at the heart and mind! A beast of overwhelming power swept up boundless Grey Mist and lunged like a phantom to bite, leaving behind a scene of grey-white lifelessness wherever it passed. Within it, a powerful oppressive force was attempting to bind Baichuan.

But Baichuan, who had long been on guard, merely shook his body once and shattered the binding the other had unleashed. With a sigh within, he melted into the earth like wax.

He had already understood that it was completely impossible to extract any more information from the other's mouth.

If that's the case, then let's fight!

With this thought, the earth across a full kilometer finally returned to its original state!

"Crack crack crack…"

Amid the crisp clashing of metal, the earth gradually flowed out a silver-white steel appearance, spreading in all directions; iron trees and silver flowers rose everywhere, iron thorn bushes sprouted up like living snake tentacles extending their bodies in all directions, transforming into countless giant iron spikes that thrust forth!

"What?!"

The Zaiezhuang, whose pounce and bite had missed, was startled, staring in disbelief at this exaggerated scene before its eyes. Looking around, all it could see were tentacles stretching out wantonly, and the terrifying needle spikes splitting off from those tentacles and thrusting forth—needle spikes constructed entirely from that mysterious exotic metal!

They carried a Sharpness aura that could pierce through anything; even for a wild beast like itself whose entire body had completely transformed into exotic metal, facing these needle spikes was still heart-stopping.

"What kind of monster are you?!"

In its moment of peril, the Zaiezhuang—shaped like an ox covered in porcupine quills—curled its entire body up; rolling Grey Mist rose from its body, and it vanished into nothingness, swiftly using the gaps to slither and appear far away.

Only then did it regain its original form, and the numerous needle spikes along its path actually withered into metal powder that drifted down.

"What is this power?"

Baichuan moved, and the metal tentacles transformed from trees and bushes split apart once more, piercing forth, carrying an unparalleled Sharpness aura. At the same time, at the spot where the Zaiezhuang stood on the ground, fine tendrils wound upward, and the entire ground abruptly rose up, rolling like a giant wave in the vast ocean, surging toward the small target in the center to engulf it.

He refused to believe that under such circumstances the other could still escape?!

The Zaiezhuang, entangled by a large number of exotic metal tendrils, also grew anxious, roaring madly, its entire body's power surging as it struggled; Grey Mist continuously escaped, and tendril after tendril withered and decayed. The power of drought, immensely powerful against ordinary beings, eroded with extreme slowness before this exotic metal that constituted their bodies.

At this moment, facing the Heaven and Earth Prison that came engulfing without a single blind spot like an inescapable net, it was also thoroughly terrified.

This was a true desperate situation with no way to heaven and no door to earth.

A surge of intense regret welled up in its heart—it should never have harbored improper thoughts. This was absolutely not a power that a wild seed possessing only rudimentary intelligence, not even a true wild beast, could possess. Even if this wild seed's bloodline was extremely terrifying, being the bloodline of the legendary Wild God, it could not possibly do this!

Because it had not sensed any Grey Mist power from a stronger source on the other's body!

One must know that it was already a Tier 4 Zaiezhuang Wild King!

As a Zaiezhuang, it could already completely control the power of Grey Mist, second only to the Tier 5 incarnation of Grey Mist—the Huiyuzhuang! —and those unspeakably powerful existences. Such an it was extremely sensitive to the power of Grey Mist,

Yet it had not sensed that familiar power on the other's body.

Just what kind of monster was this?!

However, no matter how it struggled, beneath the rolling, crushing, overwhelming force, this Zaiezhuang—which possessed many legendary mysteries—was still completely bound to death by Baichuan!

"Submit to me, or die!"

Within the Heaven and Earth Prison that resembled the world itself, looking at the Zaiezhuang that had completely lost its ability to resist, Baichuan spoke thus.

"I… submit…"

After a long moment, feeling the increasingly urgent binding force, the Zaiezhuang, which had completely lost any chance to resist, replied dejectedly.

"Release all your resistance!"

Having already chosen to submit, the Zaiezhuang no longer hesitated—better a shabby life than a good death; it still had its own little schemes.

With this thought, the Zaiezhuang released its resistance, and then an inexplicable power began to slowly flow out from the Cage wrapping its body, gradually inscribing itself across its entire body. Though that power was faint, its essence was supremely lofty, possessing the power to easily alter ecosystems! It flowed and inscribed, finally pouring into its mind and consciousness…

Wait! Consciousness?!

The essence of altering ecosystems?!

The Zaiezhuang, suddenly awakening, snapped its eyes open wide; not only did it resist that faint invasive sensation, it cried out in horror: "Earth Immortal power? You—you're not a being of this world?! You actually brought your own power in?!!"

"No, no! Let me go!"

This time Baichuan was also stunned for a moment—the other had actually seen through his true background, and what did the other's words mean?

Was the other also an outsider from beyond the world?

Without time to think too much, the Zaiezhuang that had discovered the truth had its rough beast face flush red, threads of blood beginning to seep out, mingled with wisps of Grey Mist.

It was going to self-destruct! It would rather self-destruct than let him control it!

Not good!

In an instant, Baichuan also reacted—anyone with eyes could see that the other possessed a great deal of information he craved, but now the other would rather die than submit and reveal it.

Thoughts flashing like lightning, in a moment Baichuan made his decision. Since the other was unwilling to submit, he could only take advantage of the moment before its death to forcefully invade its consciousness sea and obtain its memories!

Even though doing so might lose much important information, perhaps leaving only scattered fragments, it was still better than watching the other self-destruct and gaining nothing!

As Baichuan's thought landed, the terrifying metal earth suddenly began to squeeze, with exceptionally fine but sharp needle spikes mixed in.

These vicious needle spikes slowly pierced into every inch of the Zaiezhuang's body!

"Kaka ka…"

Sound after sound of teeth-grating squeezing began to appear continuously, mixed with the sounds of metal deforming and even shattering. The Zaiezhuang, which had been about to self-destruct, under the intense agony, had all its actions directly stall.

Those beast eyes—half mechanical, half biological, sharp and spirited—gradually widened and grew blank and sluggish, its mouth also beginning to slightly open, looking utterly broken.

That was not only caused by Baichuan's violent memory extraction, but also by the vicious needle spikes piercing in.

In just three seconds, the previously majestic Zaiezhuang went completely limp and lost its breath; its lolling tongue even dripped with transparent saliva, which fell heavily to the ground along with the earth that had spread apart again.

A peculiar mechanical Pixiu rose once more from the ground, standing still with closed eyes as if in deep thought.

He had finally obtained a bit of the information he wanted from the mind of that Zaiezhuang that was about to self-destruct!

……

(End of this chapter)