Volume Five: The First Display of Greatness Chapter Twelve: The Death of the Beast King

After much effort, he finally conveyed his purpose and plan to Yuanmu. Then, with a trembling corner of his mouth, he sighed, astonished at how utterly reckless this man was.

To risk his life on mere baseless speculation by venturing into the Forbidden Immortal Realm—wasn’t that just courting death like an old man who’s tired of living?

In the Immortal Realm, there wasn’t a single person who hadn’t heard of the fearsome reputation of the Forbidden Immortal Realm. Not only did it house the Fundamental Immortal Lake at its very center—an essential source of the realm—but it was also incredibly perilous. Legend had it that even a Grand Dao Immortal perished there. Ever since the current Immortal Emperor took power, he had allied with ten Immortal Lords to erect a colossal array spanning heaven and earth, forbidding anyone below the Grand Dao Immortal rank from entering.

Yuanmu had initially thought this barrier was merely to protect the Fundamental Immortal Lake. But now it seemed the emperor’s actions were more about safeguarding the cultivators themselves.

The Immortal Realm was rife with greed, meanness, and treachery. The lowest-tier cultivators often fought to the death over a single cultivation artifact, their souls shattered in the process. The exposed veins of spiritual ores and lands bearing immortal fruits had long been divided among the powerful. Those without background or backing found cultivation nearly impossible. Thus, the only thing these low-tier cultivators could scheme over were the scattered ore pieces and immortal beasts.

The cores within immortal beasts had many uses—array formations, alchemy, and so forth. Some beasts’ flesh and blood were priceless treasures. For example, the Thousand Immortal Cranes once slain by Yuanmu and his two brothers had flesh and blood that could be refined into the legendary Thousand Crane Talismans, granting instant ascension! Compared to spiritual veins, ores, and immortal fruits, cultivators most commonly hoped to encounter one or two immortal beasts during their journeys, to slay and harvest their cores, flesh, and blood—these were their modest capital for cultivation. Hence, low-tier cultivators spent most of their time hunting immortal beasts.

That was why no immortal beasts could be seen in densely populated areas of the Immortal Realm. Even the remote regions now had few left.

After thousands of years of slaughter without any protective measures, immortal beasts had become increasingly scarce. Yuanmu and his brothers’ encounter with the Thousand Immortal Cranes was truly a stroke of immense fortune.

This was also why Li Chengzhu, despite scouring all the material shops on Ziwei Star in the Heavenly Capital, had failed to find a single immortal beast core last time.

Those cores had long since been refined into pills or used for cultivation. No one was waiting around for him to find them.

Such rare treasures were precious commodities indeed.

Having lived for several centuries in the Immortal Realm, Yuanmu was truly opening his eyes this time. He had never seen such a vast gathering of immortal beasts. If they could slay all of them, harvest their cores, and bring them out, it would be a tremendous fortune. And this was only upon entering the Forbidden Immortal Realm—what lay deeper inside?

Yuanmu’s lonely thoughts began to stir. If he could amass a great fortune, perhaps he could buy a Muni Pearl at a high price. Then his third brother could resume cultivation once more.

His old eyes grew moist.

After Li Chengzhu explained his plan, he glanced sideways at Yuanmu, who seemed at once joyful and worried, his expression shifting multiple times. Li Chengzhu thought perhaps Yuanmu was uneasy about the bloodshed he was causing. Just as he prepared to persuade Yuanmu to join him in turning back to eliminate the thunder beasts, Yuanmu suddenly stood up, eyes burning fiercely as he said, “Let’s do it. Let’s turn back and wipe them all out.”

Li Chengzhu smiled faintly, relieved. Even immortals were not immune to the lure of profit.

Yuanmu abruptly added, “We split the spoils fifty-fifty.”

Li Chengzhu was momentarily stunned, then leisurely regarded Yuanmu. He had never seen him so passionate about worldly possessions before. He thought Yuanmu had reached the Dao of Heaven and lost interest in mundane matters. Now it seemed he had overestimated him.

“Don’t think I’m the same as you,” Yuanmu scoffed. “Actually, I want to gather some capital to buy a Muni Pearl. Though, who knows if it even really exists here.”

Li Chengzhu rolled his eyes. “Yuanmu, if—just if—we really find a Muni Pearl here…”

“Everything goes to you. I only want one Muni Pearl!” Yuanmu waved his hand, displaying the spirit of a true gentleman.

“Alright.” Li Chengzhu agreed readily. He had wanted to haggle but given their close bond, he let it go.

“If there’s no Muni Pearl, then we split it fifty-fifty.” Yuanmu eyed the cunning merchant warily—someone who could swindle the Rainbow Whip from Qiu Feng, yes, swindle, no one would believe his lies otherwise. They had to be careful not to be sold out while happily counting money for him later.

“Fine, no problem.” Li Chengzhu nodded, then flipped his hand to take the Rainbow Whip from his ring and handed it over. “Use this for now. I haven’t refined it yet.”

The Rainbow Whip had been taken from Qiu Feng the night before his departure. There was no time to refine it, so now it was just right to lend it to Yuanmu.

Yuanmu took it without hesitation, running his hand over the black whip’s body, sighing, “Such a fine thing.”

“Wipe off your drool. I’ll give you two days to refine it, then we’ll make a surprise attack!” Li Chengzhu chuckled darkly as he thought of the massive beast, his eyes gleaming with ferocity.

At this moment, the thunder beast herd was in chaos. The beast king was dead!

No one knew where those two brats who appeared from nowhere had killed it, nor that they had even dug out the beast king’s heart—a symbol of its identity. This discovery enraged the once-docile thunder beasts.

The beast king’s heart was a sacred relic passed down through generations, containing the spiritual power of all previous beast kings. Wherever the heart was, the herd followed. But now it was lost, not even a trace of spiritual pressure remained.

The old beast king had been weak and nearing death. Before dying, every generation of beast king would transfer the energy from their heart to the new king, forming a new beast king heart within the successor. It symbolized the herd’s highest combat strength and greatest honor.

Previously, the herd was to select a new king through battle, followed by the transfer ceremony. But while en route, they heard the old king’s summons. By the time they arrived, it was already too late.

The old beast king was dead.

Those two insignificant creatures had shamelessly stolen the herd’s greatest symbol.

Yet a herd cannot be without a king. The simple-minded thunder beasts, lacking the qualification to evolve further, immediately erupted into chaos. The stronger beasts joined the fray, each seeking to prove their strength and claim the title of the new beast king.

Without the restraint and suppression from the king, the once-docile thunder beasts turned bloodthirsty. Lightning bolts flew recklessly at opponents; when spiritual power was depleted, they rammed with their massive bodies and slammed with their limbs, determined to defeat their foes. Blood and hatred blinded their copper-gong-sized eyes, and more and more thunder beasts joined the brutal melee.

Li Chengzhu and Yuanmu, hidden by the Amethyst Bracelet that suppressed their spiritual pressure, moved slowly in the direction they had originally fled. Yuanmu drooled as he gazed at the jade-green bracelet spinning endlessly around his wrist.

Damn, this is worth a pretty penny. Where on earth did this guy get such a huge bracelet? It could be used as a hula hoop. Though envious, Yuanmu wasn’t so base as to covet another’s treasure at first sight.

Deep in his heart, Yuanmu despised Li Chengzhu sharply. Only this guy could pull off such despicable deeds. Yuanmu’s spirit stirred slightly. Fortunately, the newly refined Rainbow Whip was obedient. As a fourth-rank immortal artifact, it should unleash its full power in his hands.

Yuanmu truly couldn’t figure out the man before him. Call him despicable and base? Indeed. He had managed to swindle the Rainbow Whip, a fourth-rank immortal artifact, and the Grand Dao Cauldron too. Qiu Feng had truly met his match. Call him righteous? The man was straightforward—unhesitatingly tossing a fourth-rank artifact his way and trusting him to use it. He wasn’t afraid Yuanmu wouldn’t return it. Hearts are inscrutable; who truly knows another?

Ahead loomed a massive figure. Yuanmu froze, immediately summoning the Rainbow Whip. With the large amethyst shield, there was no worry of spiritual pressure leakage.

“Slow!” Li Chengzhu stopped Yuanmu from launching his attack.

“What’s wrong?” Yuanmu asked, puzzled. Then he saw Li Chengzhu stride forward openly, no longer hiding, and lightly scanned the giant beast’s body with his divine sense—no spiritual pressure was detected.

“Dead?” Yuanmu gasped, following closely behind.

Li Chengzhu circled the beast and nodded. “Dead.”

The beast’s body was charred in patches, flesh peeling back to reveal grim white bones. Two of its thick limbs were twisted at impossible angles, and one of the two horns atop its head was broken.

“How could this be?” Yuanmu asked in shock. To beat such a colossal immortal beast into this state, its opponent must be formidable.

Li Chengzhu recalled wolves: if the alpha was killed, the pack descended into chaos, attacking each other until a new alpha was chosen. These ferocious social creatures had their own survival laws.

“Our last kill might have been their leader,” Li Chengzhu said calmly, then shared what he knew with Yuanmu.

“I see.” Yuanmu nodded. Seeing immortal beasts at all was fortunate; expecting to witness social rules among them was beyond reason. He was unfamiliar with their customs.

Li Chengzhu flipped open his ring and took out an immortal core, silently scanning it with his divine sense.

This bluish immortal core was several times larger than the one he had obtained last time. He hadn’t paid much attention before, but if his guess was correct, the spiritual power contained within must be immense—it was the leader’s core, after all.