Vol 3 Chapter 12: The War Beast
"Flower Sect disciples, do not let the Thousand Illusions Mountain disciples complete their comprehension!"
At this moment, most
Myriad Beast Sect
disciples were focused on besieging the
Junior Zhuyan
.
Meanwhile, the
Thousand Illusions Mountain
disciples were observing its combat techniques, attempting to comprehend and replicate its form and divine essence.
As for the
Flower Sect
disciples—whose primary cultivation focused on
wood-based spells
and who had the least to gain from the
Zhuyan Ruins
—their objective was clear: sabotage the disciples of
Thousand Illusions Mountain
and
Myriad Beast Sect
.
"Heehee, I found a serpent gall!"
"Haha, I snatched a tiger whip!"
Like scavengers, the
Flower Sect
disciples gleefully looted the remains of demonic beasts that the
Junior Zhuyan
had torn apart. Their internal organs, pelts, and blood became resources for the
Flower Sect
.
"Disgusting," one of the
Myriad Beast Sect
beast tamers muttered. But as long as the
Flower Sect
disciples didn’t interfere with their assault on the
Junior Zhuyan
, they were willing to tolerate their presence.
On the other hand, the
Flower Sect
disciples, unable to profit from the
Thousand Illusions Mountain
disciples, turned to outright harassment instead.
If the
Thousand Illusions Mountain
disciples truly succeeded in recreating a perfect
Zhuyan Illusion Beast
, their sect’s strength would skyrocket—leaving the
Flower Sect
at a disadvantage.
Thus, one
Flower Sect
cultivator after another controlled their wooden spells, launching attacks on Lin Jing and the other disciples in a state of deep comprehension.
"Courting death!"
Fortunately, the
Thousand Illusions Mountain
disciples had divided into five squads, one of which was assigned to defend Lin Jing’s group from such interference.
Many
Thousand Illusions Mountain
disciples materialized illusionary beasts, charging toward the
Flower Sect
disciples, engaging them in fierce battle.
For a time, the
First Trial Hall
of the
Zhuyan Ruins
turned into utter carnage.
Demonic beast corpses from the
Myriad Beast Sect
littered the floor, while
Thousand Illusions Mountain
and
Flower Sect
disciples fought each other viciously.
In just moments, several cultivators had already perished, their remains looted as war trophies by the enemy sects.
Amidst the chaos, Lin Jing silently observed the battlefield, his heart growing heavy.
Back in the
Ancient Celestial Kingdom
, even when sects clashed, the
Sect Regulatory Office
ensured that large-scale massacres like this never occurred.
"Right now, my task is…"
Lin Jing steadied his gaze on the
Junior Zhuyan
. Simply replicating its form was easy—every
Thousand Illusions Mountain
disciple could do it.
The real challenge was
capturing its divine essence
.
Without it, no matter how perfect the illusion looked, it was nothing more than a
paper tiger
.
Only an illusion infused with the
Zhuyan’s
divine essence could instill true fear in demonic beasts and high-bloodline cultivators, revealing the full might of this
primordial relic beast
.
But achieving that…
That was akin to
reaching for the heavens
.
Even after two previous expeditions, not a single
Thousand Illusions Mountain
disciple had succeeded.
The Fall of the First Junior Zhuyan
After
half a day
of battle, the first
Junior Zhuyan
finally
collapsed
.
Despite its overwhelming power, it still had limits. Under the relentless assault of
formations, magical artifacts, and sheer numbers
, it eventually succumbed.
However, the
Myriad Beast Sect
had paid a heavy price.
The floor was littered with
thousands of beast corpses
. Several elite disciples had perished as well.
As for
Thousand Illusions Mountain
and
Flower Sect
disciples, their casualties were even greater—though not by the
Zhuyan’s
hands, but by each other’s.
Yet, despite their heavy losses, the
Myriad Beast Sect
had gained the
least reward
. The surviving beast tamers and their pets had only obtained weak traces of the
Zhuyan’s blood
.
Lin Jing, having contributed only a single
Fireball Technique
, received
only a minuscule fraction
of
Zhuyan’s blood
—far too little to alter his bloodline or strengthen his physique.
"The bloodline itself is useless to me. As long as I have the ability to leave the ruins, that’s all that matters."
As the blood-scented air thickened, the echoes of battle still rang in Lin Jing’s ears.
"Did anyone gain any insights?"
With the first trial completed, the three sects tacitly halted their conflict.
Even the bloodthirstiest disciples were pulled back by their own sect members.
Senior Sister Ning turned to Lin Jing’s group and asked.
One by one, the disciples shook their heads.
"It’s fine,"
she reassured them.
"There are still many more trials ahead."
As she spoke, the world around them
shifted
.
In an instant, everyone was transported into the
Second Trial Hall
.
Soon, another
Junior Zhuyan
emerged.
This time, it held a
stone staff
in its hands.
Yet, just like before, it exuded
no aura of intimidation
. It simply looked like an
ordinary monkey
as it charged toward the cultivators.
But after the first trial…
The
Myriad Beast Sect
disciples no longer carried the same excitement they had upon entering the ruins.
Instead, their eyes flickered with
hesitation and fear
.
If not for the
Vice Sect Master
watching from the outside, some of them might have already tried to retreat.
As before, Lin Jing sat at the back, quietly observing the
Junior Zhuyan
wielding the stone staff, slaughtering its way through the battlefield.
With each death, the
atmosphere shifted
.
With each clash, the
cultivators' expressions darkened
.
And then, it finally clicked.
"The Zhuyan is said to be an omen of war and chaos…"
"This is its inheritance ground, yet the ruins place no restrictions on Thousand Illusions Mountain and Flower Sect disciples killing each other."
"This aligns perfectly with the legends—throughout ancient times, every appearance of a Zhuyan led to war and devastation. That is why their entire species was nearly wiped out."
Lin Jing took a deep breath, standing amid what felt like a
battlefield straight out of history
.
He stared at the
Junior Zhuyan
, watching it
fight tirelessly
, watching the
Myriad Beast Sect
disciples'
spirits waver
, their willpower breaking down.
And he
understood
.
"What if the reason the Zhuyan suppresses its aura so well… is because it loves war?"
"What if it doesn’t want enemies to be intimidated and flee? What if it craves the thrill of battle—to break its enemies with pure strength, to make them collapse in despair?"
The more Lin Jing observed, the more he realized:
The
Zhuyan
did not seek to intimidate
.
It sought to
shatter the spirits of its enemies
.
"The Zhuyan race was exterminated because they repeatedly plunged the world into chaos. Their mere presence incited fear, leading to their eventual downfall."
"Even now, within its own ruins, its mere existence is triggering conflict. The sheer number of casualties is already pushing many cultivators to their psychological limits."
Lin Jing’s eyes gleamed with insight.
"To perfectly replicate the Zhuyan’s divine essence… I need to create a grand, brutal, and merciless battlefield."
"A battlefield where tens of thousands die—where mortals, cultivators, even celestial beings perish."
"Because
war
is the Zhuyan’s very essence."
The realization sent a chill down his spine.
But instead of fear—he felt
excitement
.
If he could create an illusionary battlefield of such scale…
Then with
Thousand Illusions Mountain’s
Inverse Void Art
, he wouldn’t just be crafting an illusion.
He would be summoning a true
War Beast
.
"Now, I just need more battles… more deaths… more raw material for my illusion."
"I just need time."