The Creation of the Heavens and All Realms

Chapter 43: The Fierce Might of Ming Kui

Cao Ming’s stance served as a signal; the other commanders silently sided with Zhou Tianci. Zhou Tianci successfully broke free from his isolation, and the Huang family’s attempt to intimidate him with sheer force failed. “General Liu, are you intending to oppose all of us?” Huang Shuyi knew full well that, at this moment, the focus of the issue had shifted to Liu Yuntao. If Liu Yuntao did not stand up for Zhou Tianci, the Four Great Clans could crush him; if Liu Yuntao refused to back down, however loudly they shouted, they would not dare to act. Liu Yuntao glanced at Zhou Tianci, then at Huang Shuyi, and slowly stepped forward. “You don’t speak for the others. I saw clearly when Ming Kui escaped. Zhou Shi did make a mistake, but he certainly didn’t let it get away on purpose. As for the treasure, Huang Shuyi, you’re also at the Gangqi Realm—surely you know whether there’s a treasure or not?” Huang Shuyi’s expression flickered. He whispered to Huang Jue, “Did you see clearly? Did Zhou Shi get the treasure? What kind of treasure did he get?” Huang Jue replied awkwardly, “Father, I only saw Zhou Shi reach out and grab something. I didn’t see if he actually grabbed the treasure, or what kind of treasure it was…” Huang Shuyi’s expression darkened; it seemed his plan to search Zhou Tianci’s person would not come to fruition. Wan Wusheng, watching from the sidelines, had seen everything clearly. From Huang Shuyi’s expression, he accurately gauged his thoughts and immediately smiled, saying, “Brother Liu, Brother Huang, in my opinion, what just happened was merely a misunderstanding. There’s no need to let it strain our friendship. Since Ming Kui has already fled, I think we should leave this place as soon as possible.” At the Seventh Mountain Pass, Gu Dali quietly slipped into Lei Dong and the others’ camp. “Lord Gu, you’re back! Where’s the Lord?” Lei Dong was overjoyed to see Gu Dali and hurriedly asked. Gu Dali sat down and took a sip of wine. “He should be back soon. I didn’t go with him.” “Oh, could the Lord be in danger?” Lei Dong asked anxiously. Gu Dali replied, “With his strength, he’ll be fine. Don’t worry. It’s only been a day, but your cultivation has improved quite a bit, young man. Have you reached the Posthuman Realm?” Lei Dong replied modestly, “Not yet. The Lord told me to wait until he returns before practicing tendon cultivation.” Gu Dali said, “That makes sense. Your power is too great; without a master to protect you, refining your tendons would be extremely dangerous. Once you enter the Post-Heaven realm, why not practice the *Flying Bear Leaning on the Mountain Force* with me? Your talent for physical cultivation surpasses even mine. Even if you can’t reach the Pre-Heaven realm, dominating the Post-Heaven realm shouldn’t be a problem.” Lei Dong shook his head. “No need. The Lord has already passed on a cultivation technique to me.” Gu Dali scoffed, “Brother Zhou may be powerful, but the techniques he possesses certainly can’t compare to mine. My *Flying Bear Leaning on the Mountain Force* is a physical cultivation technique—there are only a handful of such techniques in the Great State of Yu. Your aptitude is perfectly suited for physical cultivation; even if Brother Zhou returns, he’ll surely agree.” But no matter what Gu Dali said, Lei Dong simply shook his head. “Fine,” Gu Dali said helplessly. “I hope you won’t regret this, kid. Sigh, there are plenty of people in this world with a talent for physical cultivation, but few succeed at it. Reaching the ‘Post-Heaven’ realm isn’t difficult for others, but for martial artists who cultivate the body, it’s a hurdle. As for the ‘Pre-Heaven’ realm, that’s practically an insurmountable chasm… You’re right not to pursue the path of physical cultivation; your chances of achieving the ‘Pre-Heaven’ realm in the future are much greater.” Hearing this, Lei Dong remained outwardly impassive, though inwardly he felt immense pride. He had absolute confidence in Zhou Tianci and the cultivation technique he had taught him. If Zhou Tianci hadn’t specifically instructed him not to reveal his true abilities, Lei Dong would certainly have given Gu Dali a taste of his power. “Although Lord Gu is also at the Innate Realm, how could he possibly compare to you, Sir?” Lei Dong thought to himself. On a peak somewhere in Shepan Mountain, a black figure leaped out of a cave—it was none other than Ming Kui. Ming Kui looked somewhat weakened; both horns on its head were broken off, and more than half of its scales were shattered. Its injuries were far more severe than when it had fled. Ming Kui’s face was smeared with black liquid. It glanced around and quickly turned to the left. Despite its severe injuries, Ming Kui’s movements remained just as swift; with a few leaps, it left the peak and vanished into the forest. At the Fourth Pass, five battalions were patrolling back and forth. Although the beast tide had ended, this did not mean there were no other ferocious beasts left on Shepan Mountain. After all, this was a wild and untamed forest; even without any specific lure, there were still plenty of ferocious beasts in the vicinity. The Ming Kui silently materialized on the rock face of the Fourth Pass. The cliff stood over a thousand meters high; from its vantage point, the soldiers of the two legions below were clearly visible. “Grr…” Ming Kui growled lowly and, to everyone’s surprise, leaped straight down from the cliff face. After falling several dozen meters, he dug his sharp claws into the rock to slow his descent. Then he withdrew them and continued falling. Repeating this process, he reached the military camp below in less than a minute. “Do any of you sense that something’s off?” the patrol captain suddenly asked. The other soldiers shook their heads in unison. The squad leader scanned the valley ahead carefully but didn’t spot a single beast; yet he still had the distinct feeling that he was being watched. As a battle-hardened warrior, he trusted that instinct implicitly. As he pondered, his gaze drifted involuntarily toward the left side of the valley, where a black shadow suddenly caught his eye. “What is that?” the squad leader thought instinctively. The Ming Kui leapt down from the rock face and immediately charged forward with unbridled ferocity; its first target was the squad leader. Although the Ming Kui was wounded and no longer possessed its former ferocity, it remained invincible in the face of these Post-Heaven martial artists. “Roar!” The Ming Kui pounced on the squad leader, biting through his neck in a single bite. It tore off his head and devoured it in just a few bites. The men around the squad leader were petrified with fear. The savage aura emanating from the Ming Kui was simply too much for Post-Heaven martial artists to withstand. Any martial artist within three meters of the Ming Kui would stiffen and become completely immobilized, left to be at the creature’s mercy! “A monster is attacking!” shouted another squad leader from several dozen meters away. Soon, soldiers from both legions emerged from their tents, and over ten thousand martial artists affiliated with the Four Great Clans took up their weapons and went on high alert. Seeing so many martial artists appear, Ming Kui grew wildly excited. It released the corpse it was holding and leaped into the nearby patrol unit. The soldiers in the patrol were utterly powerless against Ming Kui; many had their heads severed before they could even react. Blood spurted and dismembered bodies flew wherever Ming Kui passed, yet it grew more and more frenzied in its slaughter… In less than a minute, the Ming Kui had slaughtered an entire detachment of over 200 men! Standing amidst the corpses of more than 200 people, the Ming Kui wore an expression of sheer delight. “Could this really be a demon beast?” Ming Kui’s brutality terrified the others. The Innate-level experts had all gone to the valley, leaving only those at the peak of the Post-Heaven realm here—far too weak to stand against Ming Kui. Even if they formed a military formation, they couldn’t do a thing against Ming Kui, who wouldn’t just stand there and let them attack. Ming Kui paused only briefly before quickly turning to face the over 20,000 martial artists behind him. A captain at the peak of the Postnatal realm met Ming Kui’s gaze and was so terrified his legs went weak—how could he possibly put up a fight! “Watch out! Defend yourselves!” A voice finally rang out, but Ming Kui was too fast; before the soldiers could organize their defenses, it had already charged into their ranks. “Ah…” Screams rang out incessantly from the Fourth Pass, echoing far and wide… “Lord Gu, when will the others be back?” Li Tie asked Gu Dali during dinner. Gu Dali took a huge bite of meat, his mouth smeared with grease: “They should be back soon.” “Have you heard? An hour ago, the Fourth and Fifth Passes were attacked by demon beasts. Over ten thousand martial artists from the five legions and the Four Great Clans were all killed!” Li Feng whispered the news he’d just heard. Gu Dali was startled: “An attack by demon beasts?” Li Feng nodded solemnly: “The Sixth Pass has already sent people to confirm it. Not a single one of the over thirty thousand martial artists at the two passes escaped. Many were even decapitated—it’s truly horrific… I heard those two passes were like hell itself; the scene was too gruesome to bear!” “To kill so many people, it must be a先天 demon beast!” Gu Dali said gravely. “And there must be more than one. To kill over 30,000 people in such a short time—I have no idea what kind of demon beast it is.” “It must be absolutely terrifying!” Even Li Ping, who was usually carefree, showed a hint of fear—after all, that was more than 30,000 Post-Heaven martial artists. “I hope Brother Zhou comes back soon,” Gu Dali said with concern. “If I were to encounter an Innate Demon Beast, I’m afraid I wouldn’t stand a chance. You guys need to be careful tonight, too. If you hear any commotion, flee into the valley immediately!” The news of the demon beasts had thrown the entire Seventh Mountain Pass into a state of panic; everyone spoke in hushed tones, as if afraid of attracting the creatures. After eating their meal in a state of trepidation, they were surprised when Sun Chong and his group returned. This instantly shifted the atmosphere in the camp, and everyone let out a deep sigh of relief. “Sir, you’re back!” Lei Dong was overjoyed to see Zhou Tianci. Zhou Tianci smiled. “I came back as soon as I finished my business. Old Gu, you sure ran fast—I was worried something might have happened to you.” Gu Dali smiled sheepishly. “I’d originally planned to stay outside the pit and cause trouble for the Huang family, but when I saw that massive pit, I just had this uneasy feeling. Plus, since I couldn’t help you anyway, I decided to come back.” “You did the right thing. It’s a good thing you didn’t go in—it’s much more dangerous inside that pit than anyone could have imagined.” Zhou Tianci highly commended Gu Dali’s decision; only those who know when to advance and when to retreat can survive in the long run. “What exactly was so dangerous?” Gu Dali hurriedly asked, as Lei Dong and the other three also gathered around. Zhou Tianci shook his head. “That massive pit is essentially a snake’s nest, teeming with demon beasts. On the pit floor, a peerless monster has emerged—one of immense power. A quarter of the Innate-stage cultivators who descended into the pit this time perished. If it weren’t for General Liu and Wanhai Pavilion’s Pavilion Master, Wan Wusheng, I’m afraid none of us would have made it back!” “A peerless monster?” Gu Dali sucked in a sharp breath. For Zhou Tianci to call it a peerless monster, it must be a being at the late Innate stage or higher. If he were to encounter such a creature, he probably wouldn’t even have a chance to flee.