Chapter 446: War Wolf Horn

Ye Liuyun is sure he didn't see it wrong.

His Divine Sense did not detect any human presence inside the cave.

"Could this be a treasure that contains an artifact spirit?" Ye Liuyun thought, and his heart lit up.

Any treasure that has an artifact spirit cannot be of low grade; it takes millions of years to nurture an artifact spirit. Such a treasure is definitely a top‑grade item.

Inside this cave there also seems to be no Formation. Even when Ye Liuyun activates his Golden Pupil, he finds nothing. So he boldly leads the group into the Cave.

The horn, upon seeing them enter, jumps twice as if very excited. From the horn emerges an artifact spirit illusion, sizing up Ye Liuyun and the others.

"Humans, beasts? You actually managed to gather together? Have humans and beasts made peace?" the artifact spirit shrieked.

"What?" Ye Liuyun and his companions were stunned by the spirit's question.

"After all these years, can the Human Race and the ferocious beasts coexist peacefully?" the artifact spirit asked again.

Ye Liuyun finally understood its meaning and replied, "Not peace, but we can coexist."

The artifact spirit nodded, then said, "Step onto the platform; whoever stays the longest, I will recognize as master."

It seems this artifact spirit is quite conceited, thinking Ye Liuyun's party came here for it.

Ye Liuyun awkwardly said, "We still don't know what functions you have!"

"Is that even necessary to say? Haven't you heard of the War Wolf Horn?" the artifact spirit retorted, as if still living in the old era.

Seeing Ye Liuyun and the others look bewildered, the spirit helplessly explained, "The War Wolf Horn was originally the emblem of the Wolf Clan; when sounded in battle it instantly boosts the morale of its side. You should have experienced that just now at the foot of the mountain."

"Moreover, this horn can summon ferocious beasts within a radius of ten thousand li to obey its owner. Humans once paid a huge price to seize this horn, and with it almost exterminated the beasts entirely. If it weren't for humanity's constant internal wars, the beasts would have been wiped out long ago!"

The artifact spirit spoke incessantly.

"So you just blew the horn for us to hear," Ye Liuyun asked curiously.

"Not exactly; I blew it for both sides to hear," the spirit replied bluntly.

"If it can summon beasts, that's a fine thing. But what is the test about?"

Ye Liuyun thought the horn might be useful or not, depending on the test. If it's too dangerous, they'd rather skip it.

"Combat!"

The spirit explained, "Each stone platform can hold one person. That person will enter a virtual battlefield. There you will face endless fighting until you are defeated or die."

"Of course you won't truly die. If you die on the virtual battlefield, you'll fall off the platform. Whoever can endure a day will claim the horn. If you last more than a day, the longer you stay wins."

"One day outside equals one month inside the virtual battlefield. Though you won't be truly injured or killed, your realm will be honed solidly, combat experience will deepen, and your mind will become more resolute. So I suggest you all go up and train."

Hearing this, Ye Liuyun also wanted to try. Even his Demon Slaying Sword on his back began to vibrate, urging him upward.

"Fine, we'll all go up; those who come down first wait here."

After agreeing with everyone, Ye Liuyun led the group onto the stone platforms.

"Prepare yourselves, the virtual battlefield is activating!" With a shout from the artifact spirit, Ye Liuyun instantly felt the heavens and earth whirl; when he came to his senses, he found himself standing on a battlefield, opposite an endless army.

They spotted Ye Liuyun and immediately charged.

"Is this the start?"

Ye Liuyun immediately drew his Demon Slaying Sword and rushed forward.

He felt the excitement of the Demon Slaying Sword in his hand. "Looks like this sword can also join the fight."

Determined, Ye Liuyun decided that even if he doesn't win the War Wolf Horn, he'll stay as long as possible for the sword.

The Demon Slaying Sword sensed his intention and emitted another hum, showing gratitude.

"Come on, let's see how many days we can endure!"

And so Ye Liuyun began an endless slaughter.

The opposing soldiers were endless, so he balanced consumption and replenishment of True Essence, trying not to deplete it too much, keeping consumption and restoration in equilibrium.

The others faced the same situation as Ye Liuyun. They also wanted to train as much as possible, so they persisted.

The first to fall from the platform was not Ru Yue but the Ninth Princess. Lacking experience, she didn't know how to conserve True Essence and was eventually overwhelmed and surrounded by enemies.

Though she didn't truly die, she was terrified, sweating coldly all over.

After descending, she saw the others still on the platforms and immediately realized her combat experience lagged far behind theirs.

Nevertheless, she stayed inside for ten days. Those ten days of combat became a valuable treasure for her.

She immediately sat in lotus posture, recalling battle scenes while cultivating. After ten days of frantic fighting, she sensed a hint of breakthrough.

Next to descend were Ru Yue and Yu Er. Both lasted over ten days but not thirty; their realms were still too low. Every ten days inside, the opponents' realms would increase by one level.

Their initial opponents were Nascent Core Rank 1. When the number of Nascent Core Rank 2 opponents grew too many, they also fell because their True Essence was exhausted.

Wu Qingcheng persisted for a full thirty days before falling, also due to True Essence depletion. Yet she at least met the artifact spirit's standard for recognizing a master.

Then came Piao Yun; although her realm was high, she couldn't replenish what she consumed and finally fell from True Essence depletion.

As for Ye Liuyun, Lei Ming, and Bai Hu, they had not yet descended.

"Did their True Essence never run out?" the Princess asked Wu Qingcheng curiously.

"Their Physical Bodies are strong. Even if True Essence is exhausted, they can rely on their bodies for a while, then recover True Essence." Wu Qingcheng explained to the Princess.

Immediately, Wu Qingcheng, Yu Er, and Ru Yue began cultivating Dual-Element Pills and Buddha Demon Golden Body. If they master these methods further, they could surely endure longer.

Wu Qingcheng was right; Lei Ming and Bai Hu indeed relied on their bodies to recover. But Ye Liuyun did not. He was simultaneously consuming and replenishing. By now his opponent was Nascent Core Rank 5, so he didn't need extreme consumption.

He could kill opponents with sword intent alone. Using sword intent not only trains the Demon Slaying Sword but also saves True Essence.

The three of them managing to last forty days already exceeded the artifact spirit's expectations.

Bai Hu, in battle, was already gathering his Killing Domain, preparing to break through to the Heavenly Gang Realm.

Lei Ming's Blood Thunder Icefield Domain was also constantly improving. After a while, he could rely on his Physical Body to endure and restore True Essence.

She had previously taken the Transforming Dragon Pill, and with her scale armor, her defense matched Ye Liuyun's. Combined with the recently cultivated Buddha Demon Golden Body, her defense now suffices to handle the current situation.